Thyroid dysfunction that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is becoming increasingly recognized. However, only a few reports in Japan have addressed this issue to date. In this study, we sought to clarify whether infection with SARS-CoV-2 affected thyroid hormone levels and whether these hormones could be better predictors of prognosis in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Accordingly, we retrospectively examined 147 cases wherein thyroid hormones were measured at the time of admission among 848 Japanese patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Hyogo Prefectural Kakogawa Medical Center. All patients underwent thyroid function testing upon hospital admission. More than half (59.1%) of the patients were euthyroid. Twenty-four percent of patients had serum thyroidstimulating hormone (TSH) levels lower than the reference range with normal serum free thyroxine (fT4) levels, and 3.4% of the patients had low TSH with high fT4 levels. Over 70% of the patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 had low serum free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels. Serum TSH and fT3 levels were inversely correlated with disease severity. The mortality rate in patients with low serum fT3 levels was significantly higher than that in those with normal serum fT3 levels.
Tomatoes have recently been implicated as an important vehicle in outbreaks of produce-associated salmonellosis. Traceback reports suggested that pre-harvest contamination of Salmonella enterica might be the main reason for these outbreaks; however, the site of pathogen attachment remains unclear. Therefore, it is important to investigate the mechanisms of Salmonella contamination of fresh produce. To trace the presence of Salmonella in soil and plants, Salmonella Enteritidis transformed with a pEGFP plasmid vector (S. Enteritidis-EGFP) was used. Soil was artificially contaminated with S. Enteritidis-EGFP at 10 4 , 10 6 or 10 8 CFU/g, followed by cultivation of tomato plants in the contaminated soil. Samples of the soil and each organ of the tomato (fruit, stems/leaves, and root) were assayed for Salmonella by plating onto Tryptic Soy Agar and using the MPN method. Salmonella levels in the soil gradually decreased over time, and soil persistence was dependent on the initial inoculation level. Salmonella levels were below the detection limit (< 100 CFU/g) in fruits and stems/leaves, regardless of the level of soil contamination. Moreover, S. Enteritidis-EGFP was not detected in the tomato fruits after root injury. These results indicate that the internalization of Salmonella in tomato fruits might not occur after cultivation in contaminated soil.
Reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) patterns from the Si(111) √ 21 × √ 21-(Ag,Au) surface are analyzed by kinematical calculations. The models including three, four, and five gold atoms in a unit cell are examined for the structural analysis. The best model is concluded that the surface atomic structure includes three gold atoms in the unit cell.
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