2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents as a newly recognized pneumonia and could rapidly progress into acute respiratory distress syndrome which has brought about a global pandemic. Until now, no curative therapy has been strongly recommended for COVID-19 except for personalized supportive care. T cells and virus-specific T cells are essential to protect against virus infection, including COVID-19. Delayed immune reconstitution (IR) and cytokine storm (CS) remain serious obstacles for the cure of COVID-19. Most COVID-19 patients, especially among elderly patients, had marked lymphopenia and increased neutrophils, but T cell counts in severe COVID-19 patients surviving the disease gradually restored later. Elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6, IL-10, IL-2 and IL-17, and exhausted Highlights • Delayed immune reconstitution (IR) and cytokine storm (CS) remain serious obstacles for the cure of COVID-19. • It suggests that Thymosin α1 and adoptive COVID-19-specific T cells could improve IR, while convalescent plasma, IL-6 blockade, mesenchymal stem cells and corticosteroids could suppress CS.

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Background Colorectal adenomatous polyps (CAPs) are considered precancerous lesions of colorectal cancer (CRC). The gut microbiota participates in the process of digestion and, in the process, produces metabolites, mainly short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), secondary bile acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). This study aimed to investigate the gut microbiota constituents and metabolites in the faeces of CAP patients to identify microbiota or metabolites that can be used as sensitive biological predictors and to provide a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of CAPs. Methods 16S rRNA sequence analysis was used to detect microbial changes in the faeces of CAP patients. qPCR analysis was used to evaluate the ability of the microbiota to produce metabolites, and the contents of metabolites in faeces were detected by ion chromatography and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Results Based on the detection of the gut microbiota, patients with CAPs had increased abundances of Bacteroides and Citrobacter, and the abundances of Weissella and Lactobacillus were decreased. We also explored gene expression, and the abundance of butyrate-producing bacterial genes was significantly increased in the faeces of CAP patients, but those of secondary bile acid-producing and CLA-producing bacterial genes showed no differences in faecal samples. The acetic acid and butyric acid contents were increased in the faeces of the CAP group, and the healthy control group had higher t10,c12-CLA contents. Conclusion The gut microbiota analysis results, assessed in faeces, showed that Bacteroides and Citrobacter were positively correlated with CAPs, which indicated that changes in specific genera might be detrimental to intestinal health. In addition, t10,c12-CLA played an important role in protecting the intestine.

Objective: To review intestinal complications associated with ibuprofen treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).Study Design: Data from preterm infants treated with ibuprofen were retrospectively reviewed. w 2 test and Fischer's exact test were used for univariate analyses. Multivariate analyses with logistic regression modeling were used to identify risk factors.Result: One hundred and two infants were treated with ibuprofen for PDA. Nine (9/102, 8.8%) infants developed spontaneous intestinal perforation (SIP), whereas 93/102 (91.2%) did not. The mean (±s.d.) gestational age (GA) at birth in infants with and without SIP was 25.2 ( ± 1.3) vs 27.6 ( ± 2.4) weeks (P ¼ 0.02) and the median (interquartile) length of stay (LOS) was 109.5 (91.0 to 116.5) vs 75.0 (53.0 to 94.5) days (P ¼ 0.002), respectively. The mean ( ± s.d.) age at starting ibuprofen was 3.3 ( ± 1.3) vs 5.8 (±3.5) days in infants with and without SIP, respectively (P ¼ 0.03). In logistic regression analyses, increasing GA and later initiation of ibuprofen treatment were protective against risk of SIP; odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (OR, 95% CI) ¼ 0.26 (0.09 to 0.75), P ¼ 0.01 and 0.63 (0.41 to 0.95), P ¼ 0.03, respectively.Conclusion: Infants at lower GA are at risk of SIP when treated early with ibuprofen for symptomatic PDA.

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Background: An assessment of the clinical impact for craniopharyngiomas (CPs) classification based on origin location has not been reported. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical impact of the site of tumor origin in primary CPs.Methods: Patients from six national institutions who had undergone resection for primary CP were enrolled. Based on the point of origin and surrounding membranous structures, the location of the tumor origin was labelled as Q, S, or T, where Type Q CPs originated below the diaphragmatic area; Type S CPs originated from Rathke's pouch precursor cells; and Type T CPs originated from the Rathke's pouch precursor cells located above the pars tuberalis. Clinical characteristics, surgical approach, and outcome were evaluated according to the location of the tumor origin.Results: Among the 529 patients with primary CP, symptoms, age, histopathology type, tumor size, the incidence of hydrocephalus, survival rates, and recurrence-free survival rates were significantly different among tumors originating in different locations. Patients with type T CPs had higher symptom rates of intracranial hypertension and hypothalamic dysfunction, while those with type Q CPs had higher rates of hormone deficits during pre-and post-operative management. Type S CPs were correlated with better outcomes and lower recurrence rates. The location of origin and primary therapy with survival and recurrence in CP were independent factors for survival and recurrence in multivariate analysis. Conclusions:The identification of the different location of origin of CPs is of great significance in understanding the relationship between tumors and peripheral tissues. The origin of tumors effects the choice of surgical approach and prognosis.