Background In December 2019, novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia (COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan and has since rapidly spread throughout China. We aimed to clarify the characteristics and clinical significance of peripheral lymphocyte subset alteration in COVID-19. Methods The levels of peripheral lymphocyte subsets were measured by flow cytometry in 60 hospitalized COVID-19 patients before and after treatment, and their association with clinical characteristics and treatment efficacy was analyzed. Results Total lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells decreased in COVID-19 patients, and severe cases had a lower level than mild cases. The subsets showed a significant association with inflammatory status in COVID-19, especially CD8+ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio. After treatment, 37 patients (67%) showed clinical response, with an increase in CD8+ T cells and B cells. No significant change in any subset was detected in nonresponsive cases. In multivariate analysis, posttreatment decrease in CD8+ T cells and B cells and increase in CD4+/CD8+ ratio were indicated as independent predictors of poor efficacy. Conclusions Peripheral lymphocyte subset alteration was associated with clinical characteristics and treatment efficacy of COVID-19. CD8+ T cells tended to be an independent predictor for COVID-19 severity and treatment efficacy.

Background: Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) plays a potential role in the development of obesity and other diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), but no studies have systematically focused on this. This study aimed to summarize the evidence for the association between UPFs consumption and health outcomes. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to identify all relevant studies. Epidemiological studies were included, and identified studies were evaluated for risk of bias.A narrative review of the synthesized findings was provided to assess the association between UPFs consumption and health outcomes. Results: 20 studies (12 cohort and 8 cross-sectional studies) were included in the analysis, with a total of 334,114 participants and 10 health outcomes. In a narrative review, high UPFs consumption was obviously associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality, overall cardiovascular diseases, coronary heart diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, overweight and obesity, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, overall cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, gestational obesity, adolescent asthma and wheezing, and frailty. It showed no significant association with cardiovascular disease mortality, prostate and colorectal cancers, gestational diabetes mellitus and gestational overweight. Conclusions: This study indicated a positive association between UPFs consumption and risk of several health outcomes. Large-scale prospective designed studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Background: This study aimed to investigate long-non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression profiles and the correlation of lnc-ITSN1-2 expression with disease risk, activity and inflammation, and its influence on CD4 + T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Methods: LncRNA expression profiles were detected in intestinal mucosa samples from six IBD patients and six healthy controls (HCs). Intestinal mucosa and PBMC lnc-ITSN1-2, IL-23R, and inflammatory cytokines were measured in 120 IBD patients [60 Crohn's disease (CD) and 60 ulcerative colitis (UC)] and 30 HCs. Effect of lnc-ITSN1-2 on IBD CD4 + T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation was determined and its regulatory interaction with miR-125a and IL-23R was detected.Results: Three-hundred-and-nine upregulated and 310 downregulated lncRNAs were identified in IBD patients by RNA-Sequencing, which were enriched in regulating immune and inflammation related pathways. Large-sample qPCR validation disclosed that both intestinal mucosa and PBMC lnc-ITSN1-2 expressions were increased in IBD patients compared to HCs, and presented with good predictive values for IBD risk, especially for active disease conditions, and they positively correlated with disease activity, inflammation cytokines, and IL-23R in IBD patients. Lnc-ITSN1-2 was decreased after infliximab treatment in active-CD patients. Furthermore, lnc-ITSN1-2 promoted IBD CD4 + T cell activation and proliferation, and stimulated Th1/Th17 cell differentiation. Multiple rescue experiments disclosed that lnc-ITSN1-2 functioned in IBD CD4 + T cells via targeting miR-125a, then positively regulating IL-23R. Luciferase Reporter assay observed that lnc-ITSN1-2 bound miR-125a, and miR-125a bound IL-23R. Nie and ZhaoLnc-ITSN1-2 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Conclusion: Lnc-ITSN1-2 correlates with increased disease risk, activity, and inflammatory cytokines of IBD, and promotes IBD CD4 + T cell activation, proliferation, and Th1/Th17 cell differentiation by serving as a competing endogenous RNA for IL-23R via sponging miR-125a.

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