A retrospective analysis of factors associated with the length of hospital stay in COVID-19 patients treated with Nirmatrelvir / Ritonavir

Objectives: This study reviewed factors influencing the length of hospital stay in adult inpatients with confirmed Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who were treated with Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir.Methods: We did a retrospective analysis of data from a cohort of inpatients with confirmed diagnosis of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 infection who were treated with Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir. We included patients who were treated from 13th March 2022 to 6th May 2022 in various in-patient treatment units in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China. The primary study outcome was the length of hospital stay. Secondary study outcome was viral elimination defined as negative for ORF1ab and N genes [cycle threshold (Ct) value ≥35 in real-time PCR], according to local guidelines. Hazard ratios (HR) of event outcomes were analyzed using Multivariate Cox regression models.Results: We studied 31 inpatients with high risk for severe COVID-19 who were treated with Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir. We found that inpatients with shorter length of hospital stay (≤17 days) were mostly females with lower body mass index (BMI) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) index. Their treatment regimen with Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir was started within 5 days of diagnosis (p < 0.05). Multivariate Cox regression indicated that inpatients starting treatment of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir within 5 days had a shorter length of hospital stay (HR 3.573, p = 0.004) and had a faster clearance of viral load (HR 2.755, p = 0.043).Conclusion: This study assumes relevance during the Omicron BA.2 epidemic as our findings suggest that early treatment with Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir within 5 days of diagnosis (≤5 days) was highly effective in shortening the length of hospital stay and faster viral load clearance

Growth, Nutrient Uptake, and Foliar Gas Exchange in Pepper Cultured with Un-composted Fresh Spent Mushroom Residue

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) can be used as the component of growing medium for the culture of crop plants. Fresh SMS may have the potential as an alternative to peat to raise horticultural plants. In this study, five container media characterized by the proportions of SMS to commercial peat in 0% (control), 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% were used to raise pepper (Capsicum annum L.) plants. Initial SMS was found to have low available nitrogen (N) content (<20 mg kg-1) but moderate extractable phosphorus (P) content (900 mg kg-1). In the second month photosynthetic rate was found to decline in the 75% treatment. At harvest in the third month, plants in the 100% treatment nearly died out. The 25% treatment resulted in the highest height (19 cm) and diameter growth (0.3 cm), shoot (0.6 g) and root biomass accumulation (0.13 g), fruit weight (3 g), and shoot carbohydrate content (98 mg g-1), but lowest foliar acid phosphatase activity (30 µg NPP g-1 FW min-1). With the increase of SMS proportion in the substrate, the medium pH and electrical conductance (EC) increased with the decrease of foliar size. The available N and P contents in the substrates showed contrasting relationship with N and P contents in pepper plants. Therefore, fresh SMS cannot be directly used as the substrate for the culture of pepper plants. According to our findings fresh SMS was recommended to be mixed in the proportion of 25% with commercial peat for the culture of horticultural plants

Boosting Oxygen and Peroxide Reduction Reactions on PdCu Intermetallic Cubes

Palladium‐based nanocatalysts have the potential to replace platinum‐based catalysts for fuel‐cell reactions in alkaline electrolytes, especially PdCu intermetallic nanoparticles with high electrochemical activity and stability. However, unlike the synthetic methods for obtaining the nanoparticles, the effect of PdCu shape on the performance is relatively less well studied. Here, we demonstrate the facet dependence of PdCu intermetallics on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and peroxide reduction, and reveal that the {100} dominant PdCu cubes have a much higher ORR mass activity and specific activity than spheres at 0.9 V vs. RHE, which is four and five times that of commercial Pd/C and Pt/C catalysts, respectively, and show only a 31.7 % decay after 30 000 cycles in the stability test. Moreover, cubic PdCu nanoparticles show higher peroxide electroreduction activity than Pd cubes and PdCu spheres. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that the huge difference originates from the reduction in oxygen adsorption energy and energy barrier of peroxide decomposition on the ordered {100} PdCu surface. Given the relationship between the shape and electrochemical performance, this study will contribute to further research on electrocatalytic improvements of catalysts in alkaline environments.Shape the future: PdCu intermetallic cubes and spheres are synthesized to investigate the facet dependence on the oxygen reduction reaction and peroxide reduction. The cubes show large improvements in mass activity towards both reactions, compared with the spheres. DFT calculation uncovers that the dominant {100} faces of the cubes offer more appropriate oxygen adsorption and are thermodynamically favorable for peroxide reduction compared to the surface of spheres.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155903/1/celc202000381.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155903/2/celc202000381_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155903/3/celc202000381-sup-0001-misc_information.pd

Genome-wide identification of resistance genes and response mechanism analysis of key gene knockout strain to catechol in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae for biodegradation and transformation of industrial toxic substances such as catechol (CA) has received widespread attention, but the low tolerance of S. cerevisiae to CA has limited its development. The exploration and modification of genes or pathways related to CA tolerance in S. cerevisiae is an effective way to further improve the utilization efficiency of CA. This study identified 36 genes associated with CA tolerance in S. cerevisiae through genome-wide identification and bioinformatics analysis and the ERG6 knockout strain (ERG6Δ) is the most sensitive to CA. Based on the omics analysis of ERG6Δ under CA stress, it was found that ERG6 knockout affects pathways such as intrinsic component of membrane and pentose phosphate pathway. In addition, the study revealed that 29 genes related to the cell wall-membrane system were up-regulated by more than twice, NADPH and NADP+ were increased by 2.48 and 4.41 times respectively, and spermidine and spermine were increased by 2.85 and 2.14 times, respectively, in ERG6Δ. Overall, the response of cell wall-membrane system, the accumulation of spermidine and NADPH, as well as the increased levels of metabolites in pentose phosphate pathway are important findings in improving the CA resistance. This study provides a theoretical basis for improving the tolerance of strains to CA and reducing the damage caused by CA to the ecological environment and human health

The response mechanism analysis of HMX1 knockout strain to levulinic acid in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Levulinic acid, a hydrolysis product of lignocellulose, can be metabolized into important compounds in the field of medicine and pesticides by engineered strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Levulinic acid, as an intermediate product widely found in the conversion process of lignocellulosic biomass, has multiple applications. However, its toxicity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae reduces its conversion efficiency, so screening Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes that can tolerate levulinic acid becomes the key. By creating a whole-genome knockout library and bioinformatics analysis, this study used the phenotypic characteristics of cells as the basis for screening and found the HMX1 gene that is highly sensitive to levulinic acid in the oxidative stress pathway. After knocking out HMX1 and treating with levulinic acid, the omics data of the strain revealed that multiple affected pathways, especially the expression of 14 genes related to the cell wall and membrane system, were significantly downregulated. The levels of acetyl-CoA and riboflavin decreased by 1.02-fold and 1.44-fold, respectively, while the content of pantothenic acid increased. These findings indicate that the cell wall-membrane system, as well as the metabolism of acetyl-CoA and riboflavin, are important in improving the resistance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to levulinic acid. They provide theoretical support for enhancing the tolerance of microorganisms to levulinic acid, which is significant for optimizing the conversion process of lignocellulosic biomass to levulinic acid

Clinical effect of entecavir combined with antituberculosis therapy in patients with tuberculosis complicated by chronic HBV infection

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of entecavir combined with antituberculosis therapy in patients with tuberculosis complicated by chronic HBV infection. MethodsA total of 108 patients with tuberculosis complicated by chronic HBV infection were divided into entecavir group with 58 patients and control group with 50 patients. The patients in the entecavir group were given entecavir from 1 month before antituberculosis therapy to the end of antituberculosis therapy, and those in the control group were given antitubercular agent alone. The incidence of liver injury and clinical symptoms, time to appearance of abnormal liver function, and time to liver function recovery were compared between the two groups. The two-independent-samples t test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsCompared with the control group, the entecavir group had significantly higher incidence rates of abnormal liver function (29.31% vs 64.00%, χ2=8.475, P＜0.05) and clinical symptoms of liver injury (17.24% vs 28.00%, χ2=5.534, P＜0.05). There were significant differences in the time to appearance of abnormal liver function (25.1±10.2 d vs 20.1±8.9 d, t=2.675, P＜0.05) and time to liver function recovery (26.5±9.8 d vs 32.6±11.2 d, t=3.778, P＜0.05). ConclusionEntecavir can significantly reduce the incidence of liver injury caused by antituberculosis therapy, postpone the time to appearance of liver injury, and accelerate liver function recovery in patients with tuberculosis complicated by chronic HBV infection

Data mining-aided materials discovery and optimization

Recent developments in data mining-aided materials discovery and optimization are reviewed in this paper, and an introduction to the materials data mining (MDM) process is provided using case studies. Both qualitative and quantitative methods in machine learning can be adopted in the MDM process to accomplish different tasks in materials discovery, design, and optimization. State-of-the-art techniques in data mining-aided materials discovery and optimization are demonstrated by reviewing the controllable synthesis of dendritic Co3O4 superstructures, materials design of layered double hydroxide, battery materials discovery, and thermoelectric materials design. The results of the case studies indicate that MDM is a powerful approach for use in materials discovery and innovation, and will play an important role in the development of the Materials Genome Initiative and Materials Informatics

Bamboo lignocellulose degradation by gut symbiotic microbiota of the bamboo snout beetle Cyrtotrachelus buqueti

Abstract Background Gut symbiotic microbiota plays a critical role in nutrient supply, digestion, and absorption. The bamboo snout beetle, Cyrtotrachelus buqueti, a common pest of several bamboo species, exhibits high lignocellulolytic enzyme activity and contains various CAZyme genes. However, to date, no studies have evaluated the role of gut symbiotic microbiota of the snout beetle on bamboo lignocellulose degradation. Therefore, the present study investigated the role of gut symbiotic microbiota of C. buqueti on bamboo lignocellulose degradation. Results Gut symbiotic microbiota of female (CCJ), male (XCJ), and larvae (YCJ) beetles was used to treat bamboo shoot particles (BSPs) in vitro for 6 days. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed significant destruction of the lignocellulose structure after treatment, which was consistent with the degradation efficiencies of CCJ, XCJ, and YCJ for cellulose (21.11%, 17.58% and 18.74%, respectively); hemicellulose (22.22%, 27.18% and 34.20%, respectively); and lignin (19.83%, 24.30% and 32.97%, respectively). Gut symbiotic microbiota of adult and larvae beetles was then identified using 16sRNA sequencing, which revealed that four microbes: Lactococcus, Serratia, Dysgonomonas and Enterococcus, comprise approximately 84% to 94% of the microbiota. Moreover, the genomes of 45 Lactococcus, 72 Serratia, 86 Enterococcus and 4 Dysgonomonas microbes were used to analyse resident CAZyme genes. These results indicated that gut symbiotic microbiota of adult and larvae C. buqueti is involved in the lignocellulose degradation traits shown by the host. Conclusions This study shows that the gut symbiotic microbiota of C. buqueti participates in bamboo lignocellulose degradation, providing innovative findings for bamboo lignocellulose bioconversion. Furthermore, the results of this study will allow us to further isolate lignocellulose-degrading microbiota for use in bamboo lignocellulose bioconversion

3,3′-Diindolylmethane Enhances Fluorouracil Sensitivity via Inhibition of Pyrimidine Metabolism in Colorectal Cancer

Chemoresistance limits treatment outcomes in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. A dimeric metabolite of indole-3-carbinol, 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM) is abundant in cruciferous vegetables and has shown anticancer efficacy. The role of DIM in regulating chemosensitivity in CRC remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that DIM treatment inhibits the malignant progression of CRC. RNA sequencing indicated that pyrimidine synthesis genes are attenuated by DIM treatment. Stable 13C-labeled glucose tracing revealed that DIM inhibits de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in CRC. DIM increases 5-FU cytotoxicity in CRC via regulation of the expression of pyrimidine metabolism-related genes. DIM synergizes with 5-FU to enhance its inhibitory effects on CRC both in vivo and in vitro. Our results suggest that DIM improves the therapeutic outcomes of FU-based chemotherapy in CRCs by inhibiting pyrimidine metabolism, identifying a new strategy for clinical therapy