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Background A novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), which causing the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), may attack testes by angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2. Objective To assess whether SARS‐CoV‐2 infection can affect sex‐related hormones and testicular function in recovering patients. Materials and methods The patients were separately classified according to the duration of viral shedding (long‐term positive vs normal‐term group, with the former cases having a duration > 50 days) and disease severity (moderate vs severe group). Differences in sex‐related hormone levels were compared between groups and linear regression analysis was used to compare the associations of testosterone (T) and estradiol with various clinical and laboratory factors. Results A total of 39 COVID‐19‐infected patients were included in this study. The mean T level was in the normal reference range while the mean estradiol level was above the normal limit. There were no significant differences between the long‐term positive and normal‐term groups in T (P = .964), follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH; P = .694), luteinizing hormone (LH; P = .171), prolactin (PRL; P = .836), or T/LH (P = .512). However, estradiol was higher in the normal‐term group than the long‐term positive group (P < .001). Moreover, there were also no significant differences between the moderate and severe groups in sex‐related hormones, duration of viral shedding, or serum biochemical or inflammation indicators. Additionally, regression analyses showed that there were no associations between the T level and the clinical and laboratory factors, while estradiol was negatively associated with the duration of viral shedding. Conclusion In males infected with SARS‐CoV‐2, most sex‐related hormones (T, FSH and LH levels) remain within the normal reference ranges after recovery from COVID‐19, and no significant associations were observed between T level and disease duration or severity. At present, there is insufficient evidence to show that SARS‐CoV‐2 causes hypogonadism and sterility, but the potential risk should not be ignored.

The essence of tissue engineering is the fabrication of autologous cells or induced stem cells in naturally derived or synthetic scaffolds to form specific tissues. Polymer is thought as an appealing source of cell-seeded scaffold owing to the diversity of its physicochemical property and can be electrospun into nano-size to mimic natural structure. Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) are both excellent aliphatic polyester with almost “opposite” characteristics. The controlling combination of PLLA and PCL provides varying properties and makes diverse applications. Compared with the copolymers of the same components, PLLA/PCL blend demonstrates its potential in regenerative medicine as a simple, efficient and scalable alternative. In this study, we electrospun PLLA/PCL blends of different weight ratios into nanofibrous scaffolds (NFS) and their properties were detected including morphology, porosity, degradation, ATR-FTIR analysis, stress-stain assay, and inflammatory reaction. To explore the biocompatibility of the NFS we synthesized, human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) were used to evaluate proliferation, attachment, viability and multi-lineage differentiation. In conclusion, the electrospun PLLA/PCL blend nanofibrous scaffold with the indicated weight ratios all supported hASCs well. However, the NFS of 1/1 weight ratio showed better properties and cellular responses in all assessments, implying it a biocompatible scaffold for tissue engineering.

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Background: The kidney is a target organ that could be infected by SARS-CoV-2, and acute kidney injury (AKI) was associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 patients' in-hospital death. However, no published works discussed about the risk factors of COVID-19 related AKI. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, recruiting COVID-19 inpatients from the Sino-French branch of Tongji Hospital. Demographic, clinical, treatment, and laboratory data were collected and compared. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods to identify the risk factors of COVID-19-related AKI. Results: Of the 116 patients in our study, 12 (10.3%) were recognized as AKI, including 5 (4.3%) in-hospital AKI. Multivariable regression showed increasing odds of COVID-19-related AKI associated with COVID-19 clinical classification (OR = 8.155, 95% CI = 1.848–35.983, ref = non-critical, p = 0.06), procalcitonin more than 0.1 ng/mL (OR = 4.822, 95% CI = 1.095–21.228, p = 0.037), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 (OR = 13.451, 95% CI = 1.617–111.891, p = 0.016). Conclusions: COVID-19-related AKI was likely to be related to multiorgan failure rather than the kidney tropism of SARS-CoV-2. The potential risk factors of COVID-19 clinical classification, procalcitonin more than 0.1 ng/mL, and eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 could help clinicians to identify patients with kidney injury at an early stage.

Polymer blending is one of the most effective methods for providing new, desirable biocomposites for tissue-engineering applications. In this study, electrospun poly(L-lactide)/poly(e-caprolactone) (PLLA/PCL) blend fibrous membranes with defect-free morphology and uniform diameter were optimally prepared by a 1 : 1 ratio of PLLA/PCL blend under a solution concentration of 10 wt %, an applied voltage of 20 kV, and a tip-to-collector distance of 15 cm. The fibrous membranes also showed a porous structure and high ductility. Because of the rapid solidification of polymer solution during electrospinning, the crystallinity of electrospun PLLA/PCL blend fibers was much lower than that of the PLLA/PCL blend cast film. To obtain an initial understanding of biocompatibility, adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were used as seed cells to assess the cellular response, including morphology, proliferation, viability, attachment, and multilineage differentiation on the PLLA/PCL blend fibrous scaffold. Because of the good biocompatibility and nontoxic effect on ADSCs, the PLLA/PCL blend electrospun fibrous membrane provided a high-performance scaffold for feasible application in tissue engineering using ADSCs.

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