The complete chloroplast genome of Bletilla ochracea Schltr., a medicinal plant with yellow flowers

Bletilla ochracea Schltr. (Orchidaceae) is a traditional medicinal plant widely distributed in the south-central part of China. The complete chloroplast genome of B. ochracea was sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq X Ten platform. The chloroplast genome was 160,018 bp in length, which contained two short inverted repeat (IRa and IRb) regions of 26,295 bp and was separated by a large single copy (LSC) region of 88,270 bp and a small single copy (SSC) region of 19,158 bp. The GC content of the whole chloroplast genome was 37.2%. The chloroplast DNA of B. ochracea consisted of 114 distinct genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 4 ribosomal RNA genes, and 30 transfer RNA genes. The phylogenetic tree showed that B. ochracea was sister to B. formosana. Meanwhile, the monophyletic clade formed by all species of genus Bletilla was closely related to genus Thunia

Antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 WT and Omicron BA.4/5 of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine in patients with lung cancer after second and booster immunization

Abstract COVID-19 inactivated vaccine-induced humoral responses in patients with lung cancer (LCs) to SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (WT) strain and variants BA.4/5 after the primary 2-dose and booster vaccination remained unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 260 LCs, 140 healthy controls (HC) and additional 40 LCs with serial samples by detecting total antibodies, IgG anti-RBD and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) toward WT and BA.4/5. SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses were augmented by the booster dose of inactivated vaccines in LCs, whereas they were lower than that in HCs. Enhanced humoral responses waned over time after triple injection, notably in NAb against WT and BA.4/5. The NAb against BA.4/5 was much lower than WT. Age ≥ 65 was risk factor for immunization of NAb to WT. Undergoing treatment resulted in a lower antibody response than those without and radiotherapy was a also risk factor for seroconversion of NAb to WT. Lower lymphocyte counts contributed to a lower titer of IgG anti-RBD and NAb against BA.4/5 in LCs than HCs. Specifically, total B cells, CD4+T cells and CD8+T counts were correlated with the humoral response. These results should be taken into consideration for the elderly patients under treatment

Suitability of Surgical Tumor Tissues, Biopsy, or Cytology Samples for Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutation Testing in Non–Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Based on Chinese Population

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status is crucial in treatment selection for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients; however, the detection materials’ availability remains challenging in clinical practice. In this study, we collected surgical resection tissues, lymph node biopsy, and cytological samples for EGFR mutation testing and investigated the associations between gene mutation and clinical characteristics. METHODS: Two hundred and seventy-six NSCLC adenocarcinoma specimens were collected, and highly sensitive amplification refractory mutation system method was implemented for EGFR mutation detection, with clinicopathologic characteristics involved in the final analysis. RESULTS: In the total of 276 samples, 96% (265/276) of tumors obtained evaluable EGFR mutation status, the frequency of mutation was 55.8% (148/265) in all specimens, and three different type samples shared a comparable successful testing rate: 97.4% (38/39) in surgical tumor tissues, 100% (108/108) in lymph node biopsy samples, and 92.2% (119/129) in cytological samples. EGFR mutation was significantly associated with sex, smoking history, lymph node metastasis status (N stage), primary tumor size, testing tissues origin, and sample type (P < .05). Multivariate analysis reconfirmed that smoking history and primary tumor size shared significant correlation with EGFR mutation after adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: Both lymph node biopsy and cytological samples were suitable surrogates for EGFR mutation detection in NSCLC compared with tumor tissues, gene status should be detected widely considering the high EGFR mutation rate, and nonsmoking history together with smaller primary tumor size was an independent indicator of EGFR mutation status

Case report of scrub typhus complicated by hypokalemia and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome

ABSTRACT CONTEXT: Scrub typhus, caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, has a wide range of clinical manifestations, including meningoencephalitis, acute renal failure, pneumonitis, myocarditis, and septic shock. However, there are no documented cases of scrub typhus with hypokalemia. In this report, we present a case of scrub typhus with hypokalemia and multiple organ failure syndrome, highlighting the importance of electrolyte imbalance in patients with scrub typhus. CASE REPORT: A 59-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain that had been present for 1 day. On admission, the physical examination and laboratory test results indicated that the patient had renal, liver, and circulatory failure, and hypokalemia. She developed meningitis and disseminated intravascular coagulation during hospitalization. She recovered with appropriate management, and was discharged on day 17. CONCLUSION: This report highlights the potential for atypical presentations of scrub typhus, including a previously undocumented association with hypokalemia. Although the contribution of hypokalemia to the patient’s clinical course remains uncertain, this case underscores the importance of considering electrolyte imbalance in the management of patients with scrub typhus. Further research is warranted to better understand the relationship between scrub typhus and electrolyte imbalance