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Purpose: To date, there are few reports about mpox case series in China, and scarce information is available about the in-vivo kinetics of T-cell responses in the early stage of mpox infection. This study aims to investigate the clinical difference among mpox patients with and without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Patients and Methods: A total of 56 patients diagnosed with mpox by Chengdu Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and hospitalized in Public Health Clinical Center of Chengdu were retrospectively included and divided into an HIV-infected group (n=23) and a non-HIV-infected group (n=33). Clinical characteristics and serum chemistry findings of mpox patients were collected in order to analyze the differences between the HIV-infected group and the non-HIV-infected group. Results: Multiple laboratory abnormalities, including elevated C-reactive protein (69.1%), hypocalcemia (50.9%), elevated CD3+CD8+T counts (47.0%) and inverted ratio of CD3+CD4+T to CD3+CD8+T (64.7%) were common in mpox cases. There were statistically significant differences (all P < 0.05) in age, serum calcium levels, CD3+CD4+T counts, the ratio of CD3+CD4+T to CD3+CD8+T, proportion with > 10 rashes, incidence of proctitis anus and time from rash growth to rash scab shedding between HIV-infected group and non-HIV-infected group. In the early stage of mpox infection, the median of CD3+CD8+T counts in the non-HIV-infected group was significantly higher than that in healthy donors (P< 0.001), and the median of CD3+CD4+T/CD3+CD8+T ratio was significantly lower (P< 0.001). The median of CD3+CD4+T counts in mpox patients co-infected with HIV significantly decreased compared to the pre-infection level (p =0.033). Conclusion: Our study indicates that mpox co-infected with HIV patients have longer lasting rash lesions and a higher incidence of proctitis anus. T-cell responses may be different between HIV-infected and non-HIV-infected individuals in the early stage of mpox infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Our cohort study aimed to investigate the dynamic changes of lymphocyte subsets and their abilities to predict disease severity and prognosis in primary infection and unvaccinated COVID-19 patients., Methods: A total of 773 cases, including 718 primary infection and unvaccinated COVID-19 patients and 55 controls. COVID-19 patients were assigned to severe and nonsevere groups according to disease severity, as well as survival and death groups according to prognosis. Serum samples were collected to measure the numbers of total lymphocytes and lymphocyte subsets. The differences among different severity groups were analyzed. Spearman correlation was performed to assess associations between lymphocyte subsets and disease severity and prognosis. Meanwhile, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were also analyzed to find optimal cutoff points., Results: At admission, the severe group demonstrated significantly lower total lymphocyte counts and percentages, CD3 + and CD3 + CD4 + T cell counts and percentages, CD3 + CD8 + T cell counts, CD19 + B cell counts and CD56 + NK cell counts and percentages than the nonsevere group. Meanwhile, compared with the survival group, the death group also had lower total lymphocyte counts and percentages, CD3 + , CD3 + CD4 + and CD3 + CD8 + T cell counts. Additionally, differences in these parameters were also noticed within four weeks after admission. Furthermore, Spearman analysis reported that disease severity was negatively correlated with lymphocyte counts and percentages, CD3 + , CD3 + CD4 + and CD3 + CD8 + T cell counts, CD3 + and CD3 + CD4 + T cell percentages ( r =-0.166, -0.179, -0.173, -0.186, -0.127, -0.117, -0.149, respectively)(all P <0.05). The prognosis of death was also negatively correlated with total lymphocyte counts and percentages, CD3 + , CD3 + CD4 + and CD3 + CD8 + T cell counts ( r =-0.125, -0.121, -0.123, -0.123, -0.091, respectively)(all P <0.05)., Conclusion: In primary infection and unvaccinated COVID-19 patients total lymphocytes and T cell, B cell and NK cell subsets at COVID-19 onset play valuable roles in predicting disease severity and prognosis., Clinical Trial Registry: Chinese Clinical Trial Register ChiCTR2000034563., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests in this work., (© 2024 Zhang et al.)

Plant non-specific lipid transfer protein (nsLTP) is able to bind and transport lipids and essential oils, as well as engage in various physiological processes, including defense against phytopathogens. Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi (Lavender Scallops) is an attractive and versatile succulent. To investigate the functional mechanism of Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi nsLTP (Ka-nsLTP), we expressed, purified and successfully obtained monomeric Ka-nsLTP. Mutational experiments revealed that the C6A variant retained the same activity as the wild-type (WT) Ka-nsLTP. Ka-nsLTP showed weak antiphytopathogenic bacterial activity, but inhibited fungal growth. Ka-nsLTP possessed a hydrophobic cavity effectively binding lauric acid. Our results offer novel molecular insights into the functional mechanism of nsLTP, which broadens our knowledge of the biological function of nsLTP in crops and provides a useful locus for genetic improvement of plants., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The treatment of multidrug-resistant tracheobronchial tuberculosis poses challenges, and research investigating the efficacy of bedaquiline or delamanid as treatment for this condition is limited. This retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2017 to 2021. The study extracted data of patients with multidrug-resistant tracheobronchial tuberculosis from medical records and followed up on prognoses. Participants were divided into three groups: the bedaquiline, delamanid, and control group. Clinical outcomes and the risk factors associated with early culture conversion were analyzed. This study included 101 patients, with 32, 25, and 44 patients in the bedaquiline, delamanid, and control groups respectively. The differences in the treatment success rates among the three groups did not show statistical significance. Both the bedaquiline and delamanid groups had significantly higher culture conversion rates compared to the control after 2 or 6 months of treatment, with significantly shorter median times to culture conversion (bedaquiline group: 2 weeks, delamanid group: 2 weeks, control group: 12 weeks, P < 0.001). Treatment with bedaquiline or delamanid were identified as independent predictors of culture conversion at 2 months (bedaquiline group: aOR = 13.417, 95% CI 4.067-44.260, delamanid group: aOR = 9.333, 95% CI 2.498-34.878) or 6 months (bedaquiline group: aOR = 13.333, 95% CI 3.379-52.610, delamanid group: aOR = 5.000, 95% CI 1.357-18.426) of treatment through multivariable logistic regression analyses. The delamanid group showed better improvement in lumen stenosis compared to bedaquiline. Regimens containing bedaquiline or delamanid may accelerate the culture conversion during the early treatment phase in multidrug-resistant tracheobronchial tuberculosis, and delamanid appears to have the potential to effectively improve airway stenosis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)