Int J Med Sci
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Importance: Despite the availability of a vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), humans will have to live with this virus and the after-effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection for a long time. Cholesterol plays an important role in the infection and prognosis of SARS-CoV-2, and the study of its mechanism is of great significance not only for the treatment of COVID-19 but also for research on generic antiviral drugs. Observations: Cholesterol promotes the development of atherosclerosis by activating NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), and the resulting inflammatory environment indirectly contributes to COVID-19 infection and subsequent deterioration. ⋯ Conclusions and Relevance: Cholesterol can indirectly increase the susceptibility of patients to SARS-CoV-2 and increase the risk of death from COVID-19, which are mediated by NLRP3 and atherosclerotic plaques, respectively. Cholesterol present in the host cell membrane, virus, and blood may also directly participate in the virus cell entry process, but the specific mechanism still needs further study. Patients with COVID-19 are recommended to continue lipid-lowering therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison of short- and long-axis nerve hydrodissection for carpal tunnel syndrome: A prospective randomized, single-blind trial.
Background: This study is to compare the efficacy of short-axis hydrodissection with long-axis hydrodissection for patients with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Methods: Forty-seven patients with mild-to-moderate CTS were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, single-blinded, controlled trial (6 months follow-up). With ultrasound guidance, patients in both groups (short-axis or long-axis groups) were injected with normal saline (5 mL per session). ⋯ The short-axis group was not more effective except significant improvements in BCTQ-severity and BCTQ-function 1 month post-injection compared to the long-axis group (p = 0.031 and p = 0.023, respectively). Conclusions: Both short- and long-axis hydrodissection were effective for patients with mild-to-moderate CTS and the short-axis approach was not more effective than long-axis injection. Further studies with larger sample sizes, multiple injections, and larger injection volume are encouraged in the future.
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Review
Src-family Protein Tyrosine Kinases: A promising target for treating Cardiovascular Diseases.
The Src-family protein tyrosine kinases (SFKs), a subfamily of non-receptor tyrosine kinases, are ubiquitously expressed in various cell types. Numerous studies have suggested that SFKs are related to signal transduction in major cardiac physiological and pathological processes, it is the activity of SFKs that is connected with the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis. Upon stimulation of various injury factors or stress, the phosphorylation state of SFKs is changed, which has been found to modulate different cardiac pathological conditions, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, ischemic heart disease, myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury, arrhythmia and cardiomyopathy via regulating cell growth, differentiation, movement and function, electrophysiologic signals. This review summarizes the basic information about SFKs, updates its role in the different processes underlying the development of multiple cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and highlights their potential role as disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets, which would help understand the pathophysiology of CVDs and promote the further potential clinical adhibition.
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Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide, and the prognosis of HNSCC remains bleak. Numerous studies revealed that the tumor mutation burden (TMB) could predict the survival outcomes of a variety of tumors. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the TMB and immune cell infiltration in these patients and construct an immune-related genes (IRGs) prognostic model. ⋯ Finally, an IRGs prognostic model was constructed, and the AUC of the ROC curve was 0.635. Conclusions: Our results suggest that high TMB is associated with poor prognosis in HNSCC patients. The constructed model has potential prognostic value for the prognosis of these individuals, and it needs to be further validated in large-scale and prospective studies.
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Objective: To study the expression and clinical value of PD-L1 gene in pancreatic cancer, and to predict the role of PD-L1 gene in the development of pancreatic cancer. Methods: The pancreatic cancer datasets were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Oncomine to obtain the PD-L1 gene expression profile and clinical information. Bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the correlation between the expression level of PD-L1 gene in pancreatic cancer and clinicopathological indicators, as well as its influence on prognosis. ⋯ Immune infiltration analysis suggested that PD-L1 were associated with monocytic lineage (r = 0.5). The proteins interacting with PD-L1 are mainly concentrated in RNA binding, ribosome, spliceosome and other biological processes or pathways. Conclusion: PD-L1 gene may play an important role in the development of pancreatic cancer and is expected to be a prognostic indicator of pancreatic cancer.