Identification of a novel conserved HLA-A*0201-restricted epitope from the spike protein of SARS-CoV

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The spike (S) protein is a major structural glycoprotein of coronavirus (CoV), the causal agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The S protein is a potent target for SARS-specific cell-mediated immune responses. However, the mechanism CoV pathogenesis in SARS and the role of special CTLs in virus clearance are still largely uncharacterized. Here, we describe a study that leads to the identification of a novel HLA-A*0201-restricted epitope from conserved regions of S protein.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>First, different SARS-CoV sequences were analyzed to predict eight candidate peptides from conserved regions of the S protein based upon HLA-A*0201 binding and proteosomal cleavage. Four of eight candidate peptides were tested by HLA-A*0201 binding assays. Among the four candidate peptides, Sp8 (S_958-966, VLNDILSRL) induced specific CTLs both <it>ex vivo </it>in PBLs of healthy HLA-A2⁺donors and in HLA-A2.1/K^btransgenic mice immunized with a plasmid encoding full-length S protein. The immunized mice released IFN-γ and lysed target cells upon stimulation with Sp8 peptide-pulsed autologous dendritic cells in comparison to other candidates.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that Sp8 is a naturally processed epitope. We propose that Sp8 epitope should help in the characterization of mechanisms of virus control and immunopathology in SARS-CoV infection.</p

Effect of a Jet Control Device on the Process of Missile and Internal Weapons Bay Separation

To ensure that the missile is safely separated from the internal weapons bay, the jet is used to control the process of missile separation, which is mounted on the front edge of the bay. The length-to-depth ratio of the bay was L/D=8, the diameter of the missile was d1 =0.178 m, the diameter of the jet was d2 =0.05 m . The FLUENT software was combined with our group-developed code under the platform of a user-defined function (UDF) to solve the flow field and the six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) of missile. The detached eddy simulation method and dynamic mesh technology were used in the numerical calculations. The boundary condition of missile, bay, and aircraft was no-slip wall condition. The boundary condition of the jet was the pressure-inlet. The pressure far-field boundary was selected as other boundaries. The constraint of the ejection device on the missile was considered. It was found that the jet control device thickens the shear layer, so the shear layer with more gradual velocity gradients, which is beneficial to the separation of missile. The distance between the internal weapons bay and the missile in the positive z-direction with the jet is 1.74 times that without the jet at t=0.5 s. In the case of the jet control device, the pitching angle of the missile ranged from 0.93° to -3.94° , the angular motion range of the missile with the jet is smaller than that without. The jet can make the characteristics of the flow field friendly, and enable the missile to separate from the bay quickly, stably, and safely

Risk factors for community-acquired pneumonia among inpatients with mental disorders in a tertiary general hospital

IntroductionCommunity-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an important cause of hospitalization and death in patients with mental disorders. It is critical to understand the risk factors of CAP and determine prevention strategies to reduce CAP. The aim of this study is to explore the characteristics of inpatients with mental disorders who have CAP and analyze the risk factors.MethodsThis retrospective study included 16,934 inpatients with mental disorders who were admitted for the first time to a tertiary general hospital between January 2017 and July 2021 (excluding January 2020–May 2020). Risk factors for CAP were identified by logistic regression analysis after propensity score matching (PSM, 1:4) for age, gender, and BMI.ResultsThe CAP rate of inpatients with mental disorders was 1.78%. Inpatients who had CAP had a significantly prolonged hospital stay, and were more often admitted to a closed ward or the ICU. After PSM, the multivariable analysis revealed that clozapine use (OR = 3.212, 95% CI = 1.744–5.915, P &lt; 0.001), schizophrenia spectrum disorder (OR = 2.785, 95% CI = 1.684–4.607, P &lt; 0.001), alcohol consumption (OR = 2.549, 95% CI = 1.586–4.096, P &lt; 0.001), cardiovascular disease (OR = 2.299, 95% CI = 1.362–3.879, P = 0.002), Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) ≥ 3 (OR = 2.092, 95% CI = 1.342–3.260, P = 0.001), organic mental disorder (OR = 1.941, 95% CI = 1.194–3.156, P = 0.007), antipsychotic drug use (OR = 1.886, 95% CI = 1.312–2.711, P = 0.001), unmarried status (OR = 1.720, 95% CI = 1.164–2.541, P = 0.006) and junior high school education (OR = 1.591, 95%CI = 1.010–2.508, P = 0.045) were independent risk factors for CAP in inpatients with mental disorders.ConclusionCAP was common in inpatients with mental disorders. Patients with mental disorders have unique risk factors for CAP. Further research is required to explore the relationship and mechanism between different mental disorders, antipsychotic drugs and CAP

A 5-50 Gb/s quarter rate transmitter with a 4-tap multiple-MUX based FFE in 65 nm CMOS

This paper presents a 5-50 Gb/s quarter-rate transmitter with a 4-tap feed-forward equalization (FFE) based on multiple-multiplexer (MUX). A bandwidth enhanced 4:1 MUX with the capability of eliminating charge-sharing effect is proposed to increase the maximum operating speed. To produce the quarter-rate parallel data streams with appropriate delays, a compact latch array associated with an interleaved-retiming technique is designed. Implemented in 65 nm CMOS technology, the transmitter occupying an area of 0.6 mm2 achieves a maximum data rate of 50 Gb/s with an energy efficiency of 3.1 pJ/bit

Weighing in on the Off-Label Use: Initial Experience of Neuroform EZ Stenting for Intracranial Arterial Stenosis in 45 Patients

Background: The role of stenting for intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) has been increasingly debated due to negative results of randomized trials. Thus, exploration of more appropriate devices may hopefully shed light on the endovascular approach, especially for patients with recalcitrant ICAS related to a high risk of stroke. We sought to present and analyze the data of Neuroform EZ stenting for medically refractory ICAS in a single-center series.Materials and methods: Between November 2016 and January 2018, 45 consecutive patients treated with the Neuroform EZ stent were included in our retrospective study. Outcomes evaluation included successful procedure rate, vascular event within 30 days and recurrent stenosis for at least 6 months after the procedure.Results: The technical success rate was 100% for all 46 stenotic lesions. Mean pre-stent stenosis was 86.5 ± 8.7%, improving to 23.7 ± 18.1% after stenting. Combined procedure related vascular event rate was 2.2% (n = 1) within 30 days after the procedure. No in-stent restenosis was observed during an average follow-up period of 7.3 months.Conclusion: The Neuroform EZ stent system could serve as an off-label but promising optional device for ICAS stenting in a carefully selected subgroup of patients. Further longer-term clinical follow-up is mandatory to validate our initial results

In Situ Measurements of the Release Characteristics and Catalytic Effects of Different Chemical Forms of Sodium during Combustion of Zhundong Coal

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Energy Fuels, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.8b00773.This work studies the temporal release characteristics of different chemical forms of sodium during the combustion of Zhundong coal and the catalytic effects of sodium on the combustion process via target-sodium removal and enrichment approaches. The target-sodium removal approach extracts specific forms of sodium from the raw coal via a chemical method to produce coal samples with designated characteristics. In the target-sodium enrichment approach, three kinds of H2O-soluble sodium compounds, including NaCl, NaOH and Na2SO4, are manually added into the raw coal. The experimental measurement is conducted using a multi-point Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system. The system quantitatively measures the temporal release flux of sodium during the combustion process, and performs the in-situ measurement of surface temperature and diameter of a burning coal pellet. It is found that H2O-soluble sodium is the major chemical form of sodium released during the combustion and exhibits the highest volatility. All the three forms of enriched H2O-soluble sodium compounds show a catalytic effect on the coal combustion (burnout time decreased by more than 5.7%) and the catalytic activity of NaOH is found to be the strongest (burnout time decreased by 36.8%)