No abstract

Obesity increases the risk for a number of diseases including cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Excess saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in obesity play a significant role in cardiovascular diseases by activating innate immunity responses. However, the mechanisms by which SFAs activate the innate immune system are not fully known. Here we report that palmitic acid (PA), the most abundant circulating SFA, induces myocardial inflammatory injury through the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) accessory protein MD2 in mouse and cell culture experimental models. Md2 knockout mice are protected against PA- and high-fat diet-induced myocardial injury. Studies of cell surface binding, cell-free protein–protein interactions and molecular docking simulations indicate that PA directly binds to MD2, supporting a mechanism by which PA activates TLR4 and downstream inflammatory responses. We conclude that PA is a crucial contributor to obesity-associated myocardial injury, which is likely regulated via its direct binding to MD2.

Two dimensional (2D) bimetal–MOFs (CoxFe–MOF) nanosheets have been successfully synthesized, which can simultaneously meet the requirement of both OER and NRR, thus providing the potential for coupling both OER and NRR in a full-cell configuration.

Recently, the recurrence of positive SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in recovered COVID-19 patients is receiving more attention. Herein we report a cohort study on the follow-up of 182 recovered patients under medical isolation observation. Twenty (10.99%) patients out of the 182 were detected to be SARS-CoV-2 RNA positive (re-positives), although none showed any clinical symptomatic recurrence, indicating that COVID-19 responds well to treatment. Patients aged under 18 years had higher re-positive rates than average, and none of the severely ill patients re-tested positive. There were no significant differences in sex between re-positives and non-re-positives. Notably, most of the re-positives turned negative in the following tests, and all of them carried antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. This indicates that they might not be infectious, although it is still important to perform regular SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing and follow-up for assessment of infectivity. The findings of this study provide information for improving the management of recovered patients, and for differentiating the follow-up of recovered patients with different risk levels. The current pneumonia epidemic (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has spread to more than 200 countries. There have been more than 8 million confirmed cases and up to 440,000 deaths (as of June 18, 2020) 1 , raising a high level of concern all over the world. Previous studies have mainly focused on the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 2-4. With the increase in the number of recovered patients, follow-up and detection are particularly important. Previous studies have found that patients who have recovered from COVID-19 are still testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 5-7. A single center study reported that 7.41% of COVID-19 patients re-tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test after discharge 8 , and this finding has challenged the current hospital discharge criteria for containing the pandemic. The present study analyzed the SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA test results in all 182 recovered COVID-19 patients in Shenzhen before April 21st during a 14-day medical isolation observation period, to provide more reference for containing the pandemic more effectively. Results Patients under 18 years old, and mild and moderately patients have a higher risk of re-testing positive. Among all the recovered and isolated patients, 182 of them satisfied the inclusion criteria of this study. They were all re-tested at least once. Eighty-four (46.2%) were males and 98 (53.8%) were females, and the average age was 46.4 ± 17.1 years (median 49 years, range 1-81 years). Thirty-nine (21.4%) had severe symptoms, and 143 (78.6%) had mild and moderate symptoms (Table 1). A few of them showed different symptoms (mild flu, allergic rhinitis, smoking-induced sore throat) during medical isolation, although COVID-19 symptoms did not recur. Twenty patients out of the 182 re-tested positive (13 females, seven m...

The aim of this study was to explore a new way of treating drug addiction by ablating the nucleus accumbens (NA_C), which has a close relationship with drug-induced psychological dependence, using stereotactic surgery, blocking the mesocorticolimbic dopamine circuit, alleviating craving for drugs and lowering the relapse rate after detoxification. On the basis of animal experiments, stereotactic surgery was performed in 28 patients by making a lesion in the NA_C bilaterally to treat opiate drug dependence. Indications, the criterion of therapeutic effect, treatment process and the therapeutic and safety evaluation index of the surgery were formulated particularly. The mean follow-up period was 15 months. Relapse has not occurred in 11 cases up till now. Drug-free time in these patients has been more than half a year in 4 cases (more than a year in 3 cases), and less than half a year in 7 cases. Relapse occurred in 15 cases after surgery. Drug-free time in these patients was more than half a year in 3 cases, between 1 month and half a year in 10 cases and less than 1 month in 2 cases. The therapeutic effect was excellent in 7 cases (26.9%), good in 10 cases (38.5%) and poor in 2 cases (7.7%). Another 7 cases were still under investigation at the time of writing. Relapse rates after surgery were 7.7, 38.5 and 57.5% within 1 month, between 1 month and half a year and after more than half a year, respectively. There were no common complications of surgery such as intracranial hematoma or infection in these patients after operation. Character type was changed slightly in 2 cases, and 4 cases suffered temporary memory loss, which did not affect their daily lives and learning function. They all recovered within 1 month. There were different degrees of effectiveness of treating drug addicts’ psychological dependence by making lesions in the NA_C bilaterally with stereotactic surgery. No particular complications occurred. The operation is safe and feasible. The mean follow-up time in this study was 15 months. The effectiveness was satisfactory. The relapse rate of drug addicts after detoxification was clearly reduced.

No abstract

Recently, the recurrence of positive SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in recovered COVID-19 patients get more attention. Here we report a cohort study on the follow up of 182 recovered patients under medical isolation observation. There are 20 (10.99 %) patients out of the 182 were detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA turned positive, but none of them shows any clinical symptomatic recurrence indicating that COVID-19 has a good prognosis. Females and young patients aged under 15 have higher re-positive rate than the average, and none of the severe patients turned re-positive. Notably, most of the re-positive cases turn negative in the followed tests, suggesting that the importance of dynamic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA for infectivity assessment.

Self-reported depression has been observed in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients, infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), during discharge from the hospital. However, the cause of this self-reported depression during the convalescent period remains unclear. Here, we report the mental health status of 96 convalescent COVID-19 patients who were surveyed using an online questionnaire at the Shenzhen Samii Medical Center from March 2 to March 12, 2020 in Shenzhen, China. After obtaining their informed consent, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of patients, including routine blood and biochemical data. The results suggested that patients with self-reported depression exhibited increased immune response, as indicated by increased white blood cell and neutrophil counts, as well as neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio. However, the mechanism linking self-reported depression to these cellular changes needs further study. In conclusion, self-reported depression occurred at an early stage in convalescent COVID-19 patients, and changes in immune function were apparent during short-term follow-up of these patients after discharge. Appropriate psychological interventions are necessary, and changes in immune function should be emphasized during long-term follow up of these patients.