The association of three vaccination doses with reduced gastrointestinal symptoms after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

BackgroundThe protective efficacy of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination against the new-onset gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms following COVID-19 infection is critical among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the optimal protective vaccine dose remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify whether there is a correlation between SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations and GI symptoms following Omicron infection in patients with IBD.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter cross-sectional study of IBD patients among three tertiary hospitals in eastern China. Professional physicians collected all data using online questionnaires. The patients were stratified into four groups: patients who were unvaccinated and patients who received one, two, or three vaccination doses. The primary outcome was the presence of any new-onset GI symptoms after SARS-CoV-2 infection before a negative SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test or a negative self-testing for antigens.ResultsIn total, 536 patients with IBD (175 unvaccinated, 31 vaccinated, 166 vaccinated with two doses, and 164 vaccinated with three doses) reported having COVID-19 infection. Compared with the unvaccinated, the three vaccination doses group was associated with reduced GI symptoms after infection (adjusted odds ratio = 0.56, 95% confidence interval 0.34–0.90, P < 0.05). Reduced diarrhea (adjusted odds ratio = 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.31–0.92, P < 0.05) and nausea or vomiting (adjusted odds ratio = 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.21–0.92, P < 0.05) were observed in the three vaccination doses group compared with the unvaccinated group.ConclusionsIn conclusion, in the 536 patients with IBD who reported COVID-19 infection, we found that the three vaccination doses, but not the one or two doses group, were associated with reduced GI symptoms after infection compared with the unvaccinated group

Stronger Cumulative than Lagged Effects of Drought on Vegetation in Central Asia

In the context of global warming, the strength and frequency of drought events are projected to grow in the future, and the onset of drought can have dramatic effects on vegetation growth in terrestrial ecosystems. Central Asia is the largest non-territorial drought area in the world, and the response of vegetation to drought events is extremely sensitive in the area. However, few studies have quantified and compared the vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP) response to the lagged and cumulative effects of drought. In this research, the solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence GPP and Standardized Precipitation Evaporation Index (SPEI) were used to analyze the time and space patterns of vegetation GPP and the SPEI in Central Asia and to quantify and compare the lagged and cumulative effects of drought on the GPP of various vegetation types. During the period from 2000 to 2018, the general trends of vegetation GPP showed a slight increase in Central Asia, with the ratio of variation being 1.35 g C m−2 y−1 and a spatially decreasing distribution from north to south. SPEI showed a trend of decreasing and then increasing over a period of 19 years, with a slight decreasing (drying) trend and a rate of change of −0.02 y−1, and the overall spatial pattern was drying out from north to south. In 13 months, 72.44% of regional droughts had lagged impacts on vegetation. The maximum correlation coefficients of vegetation and the lagged effectiveness of drought were concentrated in the range of 0.15–0.35, and the high correlation was distributed in southern and northwestern Kazakhstan, which are prairie regions. Of the regions in Central Asia, 75.86% showed cumulative drought effects concentrated at 9–12 months. The maximum correlation coefficients were concentrated in the range of 0.20–0.50, and the high correlation regions were primarily situated in south Kazakhstan and east Uzbekistan. Comparing the correlation coefficients of the lagged effect of vegetation GPP and SPEI with the cumulative effect shows that the cumulative rather than lagged impacts of drought on vegetation cover were found in 86.75% of the regions in Central Asia. This research enhances our comprehension of the influence of drought events on ecosystems in arid regions and has a certain reference value for helping arid region ecosystems to cope with global climate change

An Isoxazoloquinone Derivative Inhibits Tumor Growth by Targeting STAT3 and Triggering Its Ubiquitin-Dependent Degradation

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype, with shorter five-year survival than other breast cancer subtypes, and lacks targeted and hormonal treatment strategies. The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling is up-regulated in various tumors, including TNBC, and plays a vital role in regulating the expression of multiple proliferation- and apoptosis-related genes. Results: By combining the unique structures of the natural compounds STA-21 and Aulosirazole with antitumor activities, we synthesized a class of novel isoxazoloquinone derivatives and showed that one of these compounds, ZSW, binds to the SH2 domain of STAT3, leading to decreased STAT3 expression and activation in TNBC cells. Furthermore, ZSW promotes STAT3 ubiquitination, inhibits the proliferation of TNBC cells in vitro, and attenuates tumor growth with manageable toxicities in vivo. ZSW also decreases the mammosphere formation of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) by inhibiting STAT3. Conclusions: We conclude that the novel isoxazoloquinone ZSW may be developed as a cancer therapeutic because it targets STAT3, thereby inhibiting the stemness of cancer cells