Key PointsQuestionWhat are the characteristics, clinical presentation, and outcomes of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the US?FindingsIn this case series that included 5700 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the New York City area, the most common comorbidities were hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. Among patients who were discharged or died (n = 2634), 14.2% were treated in the intensive care unit, 12.2% received invasive mechanical ventilation, 3.2% were treated with kidney replacement therapy, and 21% died.MeaningThis study provides characteristics and early outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in the New York City area.

As part of our search for botanical sources of SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) inhibitors, we selected Torreya nucifera, which is traditionally used as a medicinal plant in Asia. The ethanol extract of T. nucifera leaves exhibited good SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) inhibitory activity (62% at 100μg/mL). Following bioactivity-guided fractionation, eight diterpenoids (1-8) and four biflavonoids (9-12) were isolated and evaluated for SARS-CoV 3CL(pro) inhibition using fluorescence resonance energy transfer analysis. Of these compounds, the biflavone amentoflavone (9) (IC(50)=8.3μM) showed most potent 3CL(pro) inhibitory effect. Three additional authentic flavones (apigenin, luteolin and quercetin) were tested to establish the basic structure-activity relationship of biflavones. Apigenin, luteolin, and quercetin inhibited 3CL(pro) activity with IC(50) values of 280.8, 20.2, and 23.8μM, respectively. Values of binding energy obtained in a molecular docking study supported the results of enzymatic assays. More potent activity appeared to be associated with the presence of an apigenin moiety at position C-3' of flavones, as biflavone had an effect on 3CL(pro) inhibitory activity.

Rho GTPases activated by GDP/GTP exchange factors (GEFs) play key roles in the developing and adult nervous system. Kalirin-7 (Kal7), the predominant adult splice form of the multifunctional Kalirin RhoGEF, includes a PDZ [postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95)/Discs large (Dlg)/zona occludens-1 (ZO-1)] binding domain and localizes to the postsynaptic side of excitatory synapses. In vitro studies demonstrated that overexpression of Kal7 increased dendritic spine density, whereas reduced expression of endogenous Kal7 decreased spine density. To evaluate the role of Kal7 in vivo, mice lacking the terminal exon unique to Kal7 were created. Mice lacking both copies of the Kal7 exon (Kal7 KO ) grew and reproduced normally. Golgi impregnation and electron microscopy revealed decreased hippocampal spine density in Kal7 KO mice. Behaviorally, Kal7 KO mice showed decreased anxiety-like behavior in the elevated zero maze and impaired acquisition of a passive avoidance task, but normal behavior in open field, object recognition, and radial arm maze tasks. Kal7 KO mice were deficient in hippocampal long-term potentiation. Western blot analysis confirmed the absence of Kal7 and revealed compensatory increases in larger Kalirin isoforms. PSDs purified from the cortices of Kal7 KO mice showed a deficit in Cdk5, a kinase known to phosphorylate Kal7 and play an essential role in synaptic function. The early stages of excitatory synaptic development proceeded normally in cortical neurons prepared from Kal7 KO mice, with decreased excitatory synapses apparent only after 21 d in vitro. Expression of exogenous Kal7 in Kal7 KO neurons rescued this deficit. Kal7 plays an essential role in synaptic structure and function, affecting a subset of cognitive processes.

Although the complication rate of RF ablation is low, various complications may occur; comprehension of complications and suggested technical tips may prevent complications or properly manage those that occur.

Thermal ablation using radiofrequency is a new, minimally invasive modality employed as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. The Task Force Committee of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology has developed recommendations for the optimal use of radiofrequency ablation for thyroid nodules. These recommendations are based on a comprehensive analysis of the current literature, the results of multicenter studies, and expert consensus.

Fiber optic interferometers to sense various physical parameters including temperature, strain, pressure, and refractive index have been widely investigated. They can be categorized into four types: Fabry-Perot, Mach-Zehnder, Michelson, and Sagnac. In this paper, each type of interferometric sensor is reviewed in terms of operating principles, fabrication methods, and application fields. Some specific examples of recently reported interferometeric sensor technologies are presented in detail to show their large potential in practical applications. Some of the simple to fabricate but exceedingly effective Fabry-Perot interferometers, implemented in both extrinsic and intrinsic structures, are discussed. Also, a wide variety of Mach-Zehnder and Michelson interferometric sensors based on photonic crystal fibers are introduced along with their remarkable sensing performances. Finally, the simultaneous multi-parameter sensing capability of a pair of long period fiber grating (LPG) is presented in two types of structures; one is the Mach-Zehnder interferometer formed in a double cladding fiber and the other is the highly sensitive Sagnac interferometer cascaded with an LPG pair.

A novel family of cofactors that differentially interact with homeoproteins have been identified via a yeast twohybrid screen. The proteins contain a conserved protein kinase domain that is separated from a domain that interacts with homeoproteins and hence are termed homeodomain-interacting protein kinases (HIPKs): HIPK1, HIPK2, and HIPK3. We show that HIPKs are nuclear kinases using GFP-HIPK fusion constructs. The DNA binding activity of the NK-3 homeoprotein is greatly enhanced by HIPK2, but this effect is independent of its phosphorylation by HIPK2. In cultured cells, HIPKs localize to nuclear speckles and potentiate the repressor activities of NK homeoproteins. The co-repressor activity of HIPKs depends on both its homeodomain interaction domain and a co-repressor domain that maps to the N terminus. Thus, HIPKs represent a heretofore undescribed family of co-repressors for homeodomain transcription factors.

Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) has potential therapeutic applications in inducing angiogenesis, enhancing endothelial cell survival, and preventing vascular leakage. However, production of Ang1 is hindered by aggregation and insolubility resulting from disulfidelinked higher-order structures. Here, by replacing the N-terminal portion of Ang1 with the short coiled-coil domain of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), we have generated a soluble, stable, and potent Ang1 variant, COMP-Ang1. This variant is more potent than native Ang1 in phosphorylating the tyrosine kinase with Ig and epidermal growth factor homology domain 2 (Tie2) receptor and Akt in primary cultured endothelial cells, enhancing angiogenesis in vitro and increasing adult angiogenesis in vivo. Thus, COMP-Ang1 is an effective alternative to native Ang1 for therapeutic angiogenesis in vivo.