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Overall, our omics-based approaches demonstrate that global analyses of genetic risk factors, host responses to infection, and the interaction between host, parasite and the microbiome can point to the most critical factors that determine the outcome of infection.Rodents constitute the largest and most successful group of mammals worldwide. Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) are one of the most common rodent species, and they serve as intermediate hosts of Hydatigera taeniaeformis. Although there have been a few studies reporting on the presence of the larval form of H. taeniaeformis (strobilocercus fasciolaris) in brown rats worldwide, little information is available on the genetic characterization of this parasite, with no molecular data from China. Therefore, from April 2014 to March 2016, this study was carried out to understand the prevalence and genetic characters of strobilocercus fasciolaris in brown rats captured in Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China. selleck chemicals llc The livers of brown rats were collected and examined for the presence of cysts. Each cyst was identified based on morphological observation the larvae with the naked eye and the scolexes under a microscope. The results were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidcox1 and nad4 nucleotide and amino acid sequences may reflect the region-specific genetic characterization of the parasite. The data will be useful to explore the biological and epidemiological significance of the intraspecific variation within H. taeniaeformis s.s.The pandemic of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been posing great threats to the world in many aspects. Effective therapeutic and preventive approaches including drugs and vaccines are still unavailable although they are in development. link2 Comprehensive understandings on the life logic of SARS-CoV-2 and the interaction of the virus with hosts are fundamentally important in the fight against SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we briefly summarized the current advances in SARS-CoV-2 research, including the epidemic situation and epidemiological characteristics of the caused disease COVID-19. We further discussed the biology of SARS-CoV-2, including the origin, evolution, and receptor recognition mechanism of SARS-CoV-2. And particularly, we introduced the protein structures of SARS-CoV-2 and structure-based therapeutics development including antibodies, antiviral compounds, and vaccines, and indicated the limitations and perspectives of SARS-CoV-2 research. We wish the information provided by this review may be helpful to the global battle against SARS-CoV-2 infection.Asthma is a group of inflammatory conditions that compromises the airways of a continuously increasing number of people around the globe. Its complex etiology comprises both genetic and environmental aspects, with the intestinal and lung microbiomes emerging as newly implicated factors that can drive and aggravate asthma. Longitudinal infant cohort studies combined with mechanistic studies in animal models have identified microbial signatures causally associated with subsequent asthma risk. The recent inclusion of fungi in human microbiome surveys has revealed that microbiome signatures associated with asthma risk are not limited to bacteria, and that fungi are also implicated in asthma development in susceptible individuals. In this review, we examine the unique properties of human-associated and environmental fungi, which confer them the ability to influence immune development and allergic responses. The important contribution of fungi to asthma development and exacerbations prompts for their inclusion in current and future asthma studies in humans and animal models.Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes cardiopulmonary and vascular complications, ranging in severity. Understanding the pathogenic mechanisms of the novel SARS-CoV2 infection and progression can provide potential novel targets for its prevention and/or treatment. Virus microbiota reciprocal interactions have been studied in a variety of viral infections. For example, the integrity of Coronavirus particles can be disrupted by surfactin, a bacterial surface molecule that targets other viruses, including that of influenza A. In this light, intestinal microbiota likely influences COVID-19 virulence, while from its side SARS-CoV-2 may affect the intestinal microbiome promoting dysbiosis and other deleterious consequences. Hence, the microbiota pre-existing health status and its alterations in the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection, are likely to play an important, still underscored role in determining individual susceptibility and resilience to COVID-19. Indeed, the vast majority of COVID-19 worst clinical conditions and fatalities develop in subjects with specific risk factors such as aging and the presence of one or more comorbidities, which are intriguingly characterized also by unhealthy microbiome status. Moreover, these comorbidities require complex pharmacological regimens known as "polypharmacy" that may further affect microbiota integrity and worsen the resilience to viral infections. This complex situation may represent a further and underestimated risk with regard to COVID-19 clinical burden for the elderly and comorbid people. Here, we discuss the possible biological, physiopathological, and clinical implications of gut microbiota in COVID-19 and the strategies to improve/maintain its healthy status as a simple and adjunctive strategy to reduce COVID-19 virulence and socio-sanitary burden.The difference between left- and right-sided colon cancer has become the focus of global attention, and researchers have found differences in the morbidity, molecular biological characteristics, and response to targeted drug therapy between left- and right-sided colon cancer. Therefore, the identification of more effective predictive indicators is critical for providing guidance to future clinical work. We collected samples from different colon sites and regions and analyzed the identities and distributions of differentially expressed species in the microbiota in the left and right sides of the colon to better explore the pathogenesis of colon cancer and provided a basis for individualized drug therapy. We collected samples from different regions in the body of 40 patients with colon cancer, including stool and tissues. The Subjects were classified into four groups, and this classification was mainly based on the colon cancer distribution. The microbiota composition of the left-sided and right-sided colon samominated by DNA synthesis. The comparison of only the geographical differences revealed a significant difference in the distribution of the microbial population. The adherent microbiota composition and structural changes between the left- and right-sided colon samples might contribute to the development of colon cancer, lead to different morbidities, and further affect the prognosis of patients and their sensitivity to targeted drugs. Therefore, the identification of the differential flora in the colon could be used as an indicator for predicting the occurrence and development of colon cancer, which is also beneficial for future individualized drug therapy.

Uterine sarcoma is a rare gynecologic tumor with a high degree of malignancy. There is a lack of effective prognostic tools to predict early death of uterine sarcoma.

Data on patients with uterine sarcoma registered between 2004 and 2015 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data. link3 Important independent prognostic factors were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to construct a nomogram for total early deaths and cancer-specific early deaths.

A total of 5,274 patients with uterine sarcoma were included in this study. Of which, 397 patients experienced early death (≤3 months), and 356 of whom died from cancer-specific causes. A nomogram for total early deaths and cancer-specific early deaths was created using data on age, race, tumor size, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging, histological classification, histological staging, treatment (surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy), and brain metastases. On comparing the C-index, area under the curve, and decision curve analysis, the created nomogram showed better predictive power and clinical practicality than one made exclusively with FIGO staging. Calibration of the nomogram by internal validation showed good consistency between the predicted and actual early death.

Nomograms that include clinical characteristics can provide a better prediction of the risk of early death for uterine sarcoma patients than nomograms only comprising the FIGO stage system. In doing so, this tool can help in identifying patients at high risk for early death because of uterine sarcoma.

Nomograms that include clinical characteristics can provide a better prediction of the risk of early death for uterine sarcoma patients than nomograms only comprising the FIGO stage system. In doing so, this tool can help in identifying patients at high risk for early death because of uterine sarcoma.

We aimed to compare the efficacy of radical prostatectomy (RP) + extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) and radiotherapy (RT) in localized prostate cancer (PCa) patients with a risk of lymph node invasion (LNI) over 5%.

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) databases were used to identify patients with PCa from 2010 to 2014. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance baseline characteristics between patients in different treatment groups. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression were used to assess the effects of treatments on cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS).

Overall 20584 patients were included in this study, with 4,057 and 16,527 patients receiving RP + ePLND and RT, respectively. After PSM, patients with RP + ePLND had similar CSS (5-year CSS rate 97.8% vs. 97.2%, P=0.310) but longer OS (5-year OS rate 96.0% vs. 90.8%, P<0.001) compared to those receiving RT. When separating RT cohort into external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) group and EBRT+ brachytherapy (BT) group, treatments with RP + ePLND and EBRT+ BT achieved equivalent OS and were both superior to EBRT alone (5-year OS rate 96.0% vs. 94.4% vs. 90.0%, P<0.001). Subgroup analyses and multivariate analyses further confirmed the superiority of RP + ePLND and EBRT+ BT.

RP + ePLND and EBRT + BT were associated with better survival outcomes compared to EBRT alone in PCa patients with a probability of LNI over 5%. However, no survival difference was observed between RP + ePLND and EBRT + BT.

RP + ePLND and EBRT + BT were associated with better survival outcomes compared to EBRT alone in PCa patients with a probability of LNI over 5%. However, no survival difference was observed between RP + ePLND and EBRT + BT.The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex environment where cancer cells reside and interact with different types of cells, secreted factors, and the extracellular matrix. Additionally, TME is shaped by several processes, such as autophagy. Autophagy has emerged as a conserved intracellular degradation pathway for clearance of damaged organelles or aberrant proteins. With its central role, autophagy maintains the cellular homeostasis and orchestrates stress responses, playing opposite roles in tumorigenesis. During tumor development, autophagy also mediates autophagy-independent functions associated with several hallmarks of cancer, and therefore exerting several effects on tumor suppression and/or tumor promotion mechanisms. Beyond the concept of degradation, new different forms of autophagy have been described as modulators of cancer progression, such as secretory autophagy enabling intercellular communication in the TME by cargo release. In this context, the synthesis of senescence-associated secretory proteins by autophagy lead to a senescent phenotype.