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Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) represent an emerging global crisis. However, quantifiable risk factors for PASC and their biological associations are poorly resolved. We executed a deep multi-omic, longitudinal investigation of 309 COVID-19 patients from initial diagnosis to convalescence (2-3 months later), integrated with clinical data and patient-reported symptoms. We resolved four PASC-anticipating risk factors at the time of initial COVID-19 diagnosis: type 2 diabetes, SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, Epstein-Barr virus viremia, and specific auto-antibodies. In patients with gastrointestinal PASC, SARS-CoV-2-specific and CMV-specific CD8+ T cells exhibited unique dynamics during recovery from COVID-19. Analysis of symptom-associated immunological signatures revealed coordinated immunity polarization into four endotypes, exhibiting divergent acute severity and PASC. We find that immunological associations between PASC factors diminish over time, leading to distinct convalescent immune states. Detectability of most PASC factors at COVID-19 diagnosis emphasizes the importance of early disease measurements for understanding emergent chronic conditions and suggests PASC treatment strategies.

Obesity rates among children are growing rapidly worldwide, placing massive pressure on healthcare systems. Untargeted metabolomics can expand our understanding of the pathogenesis of obesity and elucidate mechanisms related to its symptoms. However, the metabolic signatures of obesity in children have not been thoroughly investigated. Herein, we explored metabolites associated with obesity development in childhood. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed on fasting serum samples from 27 obese Caucasian children and adolescents and 15 sex- and age-matched normal-weight children. Three metabolomic assays were combined and yielded 726 unique identified metabolites: gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HILIC LC-MS/MS), and lipidomics. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed clear discrimination between the untargeted metabolomes of obese and normal-weight children, with 162 significantly differentially expressed metabolites between groups. Children with obesity had higher concentrations of branch-chained amino acids and various lipid metabolites, including phosphatidylcholines, cholesteryl esters, triglycerides. Thus, an early manifestation of obesity pathogenesis and its metabolic consequences in the serum metabolome are correlated with altered lipid metabolism. Obesity metabolite patterns in the adult population were very similar to the metabolic signature of childhood obesity. Identified metabolites could be potential biomarkers and used to study obesity pathomechanisms.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains an important healthcare challenge, leading to liver diseases like cirrhosis and cancer. In response, we created a prophylactic and therapeutic HBV vaccine by integrating HBcAg and HBsAg from HBV genotype B into Norovirus (NoV) GII.2 P domain (PdomGII.2-HBV) for enhanced intranasal delivery. This vaccine also aimed to simultaneously prevent NoV infection, which causes gastroenteritis. Since the selected HBV epitopes have undergone extensive research and are tailored to the Indonesian population, this study focused on identifying NoV epitopes and assessing T cell epitopes coverage of the PdomGII.2-HBV for the Indonesian population. Following that, we expressed the PdomGII.2-HBV protein using Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) and employed a gentle solubilization technique for protein purification. Our in-silico analysis identified two B cell epitopes, along with 15 CD4+T cell epitopes and 35 CD8+T cell epitopes within the GII.2 P domain. These T cell epitopes cover 100% of the Javanese-Sundanese population's HLA allele variations, which constituted the largest demographic group in Indonesia. Subsequently, we successfully purified the presumed PdomGII.2-HBV protein, revealing a molecular weight of 39.5 kDa. Following the successful expression and purification of the presumed PdomGII.2-HBV protein, it is evident that this vaccine design has significant potential, warranting further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a deficiency in how the body regulates glucose. Uncontrolled T2D will result in chronic high blood sugar levels, eventually resulting in T2D complications. These complications, such as kidney, eye, and nerve damage, are even harder to treat. Identifying individuals at high risk of developing T2D and its complications is essential for early prevention and treatment. Numerous studies have been done to identify biomarkers for T2D diagnosis and prognosis. This review focuses on recent T2D biomarker studies based on circulating nucleic acids using different omics technologies: genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics. Omics studies have profiled biomarker candidates from blood, urine, and other non-invasive samples. Despite methodological differences, several candidate biomarkers were reported for the risk and diagnosis of T2D, the prognosis of T2D complications, and pharmacodynamics of T2D treatments. Future studies should be done to validate the findings in larger samples and blood-based biomarkers in non-invasive samples to support the realization of precision medicine for T2D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]