The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has stimulated tremendous efforts to develop therapeutic agents that target severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 to control viral infection. So far, a few small-molecule antiviral drugs, including nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid), remdesivir, and molnupiravir have been marketed for the treatment of COVID-19. Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir has been recommended by the World Health Organization as an early treatment for outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. However, the existing treatment options have limitations, and effective treatment strategies that are cost-effective and convenient for tackling COVID-19 are still needed. To date, four domestically developed oral anti-COVID-19 drugs have been granted conditional market approval in China. These drugs include azvudine, simnotrelvir-ritonavir (Xiannuoxin), leritrelvir, and mindeudesivir (VV116). Preclinical and clinical studies have explored the efficacy and tolerability of mindeudesivir and supported its early use in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases at high risk for progression. In this review, we discuss the most recent findings regarding the pharmacological mechanism and therapeutic effects focusing on mindeudesivir and other small-molecule antiviral agents for COVID-19. These findings will expand our understanding and highlight the potential widespread application of China's homegrown anti-COVID-19 drugs.
Humans ; Ritonavir/therapeutic use* ; COVID-19 ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; China ; Nitriles ; Lactams ; Proline ; Adenosine/analogs & derivatives* ; Leucine

Objective:To analyze the diagnostic and prognostic value of routine bone marrow examination in patients with extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (ENKTCL) based on PET-CT staging.Methods:Clinical data of 186 patients who received bone marrow biopsy and bone marrow aspiration in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from 2013 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were divided into bone marrow biopsy + bone marrow aspiration group ( n=186) and PET-CT + bone marrow biopsy group ( n=139). The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were compared between two groups. The data were analyzed and plotted. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Results:In the whole cohort, 45 patients were positive for bone marrow biopsy, and 30 of them were positive for bone marrow aspiration. A total of 141 patients who were negative for bone marrow biopsy also achieved negative results for bone marrow aspiration. A total of 139 patients completed PET-CT staging and bone marrow biopsy. And 30 patients were diagnosed with positive bone marrow by PET-CT, in which 22 of them were confirmed positive by bone marrow biopsy. Among 109 patients diagnosed with negative bone marrow by PET-CT, 5 of them were confirmed positive by bone marrow biopsy. All these cases were classified as stage Ⅳ due to distant metastases. PET-CT had a diagnostic sensitivity of 81.5%, a specificity of 92.9%, a positive predictive value of 73.3%, and a negative predictive value of 95.4%. Among early stage (Ⅰ-Ⅱ stage) patients diagnosed with PET-CT, all of them were negative for bone marrow biopsy (the negative predictive value was 100%). In stage Ⅳ patients ( n=55), the 1-year overall survival of patients with bone marrow involvement by bone marrow biopsy or PET-CT ( n=35) compared with their counterparts with the involvement of other organs ( n=20) was 28.7% vs.42.0% ( P=0.13), and 1-year progression free survival rates was 23.2% vs. 23.3% in ( P=0.94). Conclusions:Routine bone marrow biopsy does not change the original staging of patients with early stage ENKTCL based on PET-CT staging. Advanced stage patients with positive bone marrow biopsy tend to obtain worse prognosis, indicating that bone marrow biopsy still has certain value.

Background: and Purpose We investigated the causal relationships between the gut microbiota (GM), stroke, and potential metabolite mediators using Mendelian randomization (MR). Methods: We leveraged the summary statistics of GM (n=18,340 in the MiBioGen consortium), blood metabolites (n=115,078 in the UK Biobank), and stroke (cases n=60,176 and controls n=1,310,725 in the Global Biobank Meta-Analysis Initiative) from the largest genome-wide association studies to date. We performed bidirectional MR analyses to explore the causal relationships between the GM and stroke, and two mediation analyses, two-step MR and multivariable MR, to discover potential mediating metabolites. Results: Ten taxa were causally associated with stroke, and stroke led to changes in 27 taxa. In the two-step MR, Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family, Desulfovibrio genus, apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), phospholipids in high-density lipoprotein (HDL_PL), and the ratio of apolipoprotein B to ApoA1 (ApoB/ApoA1) were causally associated with stroke (all P<0.044). The causal associations between Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family and stroke were validated using the weighted median method in an independent cohort. The three GM taxa were all positively associated with ApoA1 and HDL_PL, whereas Desulfovibrio genus was negatively associated with ApoB/ApoA1 (all P<0.010). Additionally, the causal associations between the three GM taxa and ApoA1 remained significant after correcting for the false discovery rate (all q-values <0.027). Multivariable MR showed that the associations between Bifidobacteriales order, Bifidobacteriaceae family and stroke were mediated by ApoA1 and HDL_PL, each accounting for 6.5% (P=0.028) and 4.6% (P=0.033); the association between Desulfovibrio genus and stroke was mediated by ApoA1, HDL_PL, and ApoB/ApoA1, with mediated proportions of 7.6% (P=0.019), 4.2% (P=0.035), and 9.1% (P=0.013), respectively. Conclusion The current MR study provides evidence supporting the causal relationships between several specific GM taxa and stroke and potential mediating metabolites.

To investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH), the clinical data of 23 patients with IHH were retrospectively analyzed. Gene analyses were accomplished with whole-exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing. Functional prediction of mutation sites was conducted using two bioinformatics platforms, SIFT and Polyphen. Among the 23 patients with IHH, 9 patients carried prokinin 2 (PROKR2) gene mutations including 4 missense mutations (p.W178S, p.Y113H, p.A103V, p.R164Q), and 1 frameshift mutation (p.D42delinsDED), the remaining 14 cases were found negative in gene sequencing. Functional prediction showed that the above mutations may affect protein function suggestive of a pathogenic role of PROKR2 mutation in the patients. There were no significant differences in the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, and estradiol between the IHH patients with PROKR2 gene mutation and those without. PROKR2 gene mutation might associated with IHH, and the mutations reported in the present study could enrich the pathogenic spectrum of genes.

A new definition of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has recently been proposed. We aim to examine the associations of MAFLD, particularly its discordance from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), with the progression of elevated brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and albuminuria in a community-based study sample in Shanghai, China. After 4.3 years of follow-up, 778 participants developed elevated baPWV and 499 developed albuminuria. In comparison with the non-MAFLD group, the multivariable adjusted odds ratio (OR) of MAFLD group for new-onset elevated baPWV was 1.25 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.55) and 1.35 (95% CI 1.07-1.70) for albuminuria. Participants without NAFLD but diagnosed according to MAFLD definition were associated with higher risk of incident albuminuria (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.07-2.94). Patients with MAFLD with high value of hepamet fibrosis score or poor-controlled diabetes had higher risk of elevated baPWV or albuminuria. In conclusion, MAFLD was associated with new-onset elevated baPWV and albuminuria independently of body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference. Individuals without NAFLD but diagnosed as MAFLD had high risk of albuminuria, supporting that MAFLD criteria would be practical for the evaluation of long-term risk of subclinical atherosclerosis among fatty liver patients.
Humans ; Pulse Wave Analysis ; Albuminuria ; Ankle Brachial Index ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnosis* ; Vascular Stiffness ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; China/epidemiology*

Objective:To explore clinical evaluation and genetic analysis of patients with idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH).Methods:The clinical data and phenotypes of 22 patients with IHH diagnosed and treated in our department were reviewed and analyzed. Whole-exome sequencing(WES)and Sanger method were used for variant analysis and verification.Results:Among the 22 cases of IHH probands, 12 cases of Kalman syndrome (KS) and 10 cases of IHH (nIHH) with normal sense of smell. On physical examination, males showed short penis, small testicles, small or inconspicuous laryngeal knots, and a sharp voice. Mammary gland development, mammary gland dysplasia, primary amenorrhea, etc. in women. Sex hormone examination: Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T), estradiol (E2) levels are reduced or at the lower limit of normal. There were nine missense variants of CHD7 gene in 8 patients. Based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, the c. 307T>A(p.Ser103Thr), c.3143G>A(p.Gly1048Glu), c.6956G>T(p.Arg2319Leu) and c. 3145A>T(p.Ser1049Cys) variants of CHD7 gene were predicted to be likely pathogenic (PS1+ PP1+ PM2, PM2+ PM6+ PP2+ PP3, PM2+ PM5+ PM6+ PP2+ PP3 and PM2+ PM6+ PP2+ PP3), the remaining 14 cases of IHH patients had negative genetic screening. Conclusion:CHD7 gene variants may be related to IHH disease.

The 17α-hydroxylase/17, 20-lyase deficiency (17-OHD) is a rare disease. The clinical characteristics and gene mutation of 2 late-diagnosed 17-OHD patients with testicular tumor admitted to our hospital from March 2018 to February 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The two 17-OHD patients were female (46, XY). Laparoscopic abdominal exploration found undeveloped testicles in grey-yellow or grey-red in the groin and iliac fossa. The testicles were removed and showed malignancy in pathology study. Sequencing of the CYP17A1 gene identified c.1247G>A/c.1427T>C and c.985_987delTACinsAA/c.1306G>A complex heterozygous mutations. Taking together, the possibility of 17-OHD should be considered in patients with hypertension, hypokalemia, adrenal adenomatoid hyperplasia together with 46, XY gonadal dysplasia, so as to make early diagnosis and treatment, and avoid dysplastic testicular turning to malignancy.

Sanger sequencing was applied to analyze the SLC12A3 gene of a patient with suspected Gitelman syndrome(GS) and recurrent spontaneous abortions, as well as for her parents. The results showed that a compound heterozygous mutation(c.1077C>G, c.2890C>T) was found in the proband, which led to the change of amino acid sequence(p.N359K, p.R964W). Among the family members, her mother was a single heterozygotes mutation carrier of c. 1077C>G(p.N359K) and her father had c. 2890C>T(p.R964W) heterozygotes.These results suggest that the GS may cause adverse pregnancy outcomes due to imbalance of internal environment, complex hormonal changes, and electrolyte abnormalities. The pregnancy management should be strengthened.

Calorie restriction is one of the diet therapies for people with diabetes.Calorie restriction can reduce weight and improve glycemic control,but the long-term effects are controversial.The effects can be influenced by the degree of calorie restriction,the study duration,and the types of food used for intervention.The mechanism includes the improvement of β cell function and insulin sensitivity.The existing problems are compliance of patients,long-term effects,possible adverse effects,and the lack of high-quality studies.In this review,we introduced the current research progress of calorie restriction on glucose metabolism in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: To identify pathogenic variants in 5 sporadic patients and two Chinese pedigrees affected with 17-hydroxylase deficiency (17-OHD). Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected with informed consent. Variants of CYP17A1 gene were screened by PCR and Sanger sequencing. Suspected mutations were validated in other members of the pedigrees. Results: Gene sequencing has identified a homozygous c. 985_987delTACinsAA (Y329Kfs) mutation in exon 6 of the CYP17A1 gene in 4 patients and the sister of case 3. Case 1 was found to harbor compound heterozygous mutations c. 1459_1467del9 (p.D487_F489del) and c. 1244-3C>A. The parents and brother of cases 2 and 5 were heterozygous carriers of a c. 985_987delTACinsAA(Y329Kfs) mutation. Conclusion Mutations of the CYP17A1 gene probably underlie the pathogenesis of 17-OHD, for which c. 985_987delTACinsAA(Y329Kfs) is the most common. The c. 1244-3C>A is a novel mutation. Above results have facilitated genetic counseling for the affected families.