The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented threat to humanity that has provoked global health concerns. Since the etiopathogenesis of this illness is not fully characterized, the prognostic factors enabling treatment decisions have not been well documented. Accurately predicting the progression of the disease would aid in appropriate patient categorization and thus help determine the best treatment option. Here, we have introduced a proteomic approach utilizing data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) to identify the serum proteins that are closely associated with COVID-19 prognosis. Twenty-seven proteins were differentially expressed between severely ill COVID-19 patients with an adverse or favorable prognosis. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed that 15 of the 27 proteins might be regulated by cytokine signaling relevant to interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and their differential expression was implicated in the systemic inflammatory response and in cardiovascular disorders. We further evaluated practical predictors of the clinical prognosis of severe COVID-19 patients. Subsequent ELISA assays revealed that CHI3L1 and IGFALS may serve as highly sensitive prognostic markers. Our findings can help formulate a diagnostic approach for accurately identifying COVID-19 patients with severe disease and for providing appropriate treatment based on their predicted prognosis.

Efforts to optimize known materials and enhance their performance are ongoing, driven by the advancements resulting from the discovery of novel functional materials. Traditionally, the search for and optimization of functional materials has relied on the experience and intuition of specialized researchers. However, materials informatics (MI), which integrates materials data and machine learning, has frequently been used to realize systematic and efficient materials exploration without depending on manual tasks. Nonetheless, the discovery of new materials using MI remains challenging. In this study, we propose a method for the discovery of materials outside the scope of existing databases by combining MI with the experience and intuition of researchers. Specifically, we designed a two-dimensional map that plots known materials data based on their composition and structure, facilitating researchers' intuitive search for new materials. The materials map was implemented using an autoencoder-based neural network. We focused on the conductivity of 708 lithium oxide materials and considered the correlation with migration energy (ME), an index of lithium-ion conductivity. The distribution of existing data reflected in the materials map can contribute to the development of new lithium-ion conductive materials by enhancing the experience and intuition of material researchers.

The increasing requirement of mechanical ventilation (MV) due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is still a global threat. The aim of this study is to identify markers that can easily stratify the impending use of MV in the emergency room (ER). A total of 106 patients with COVID-19 requiring oxygen support were enrolled. Fifty-nine patients were provided MV 0.5 h (interquartile range: 0.3 to 1.4) post-admission. Clinical and laboratory data before intubation were collected. Using a multivariate logistic regression model, we identified four markers associated with the impending use of MV, including the ratio of peripheral blood oxygen saturation to fraction of inspired oxygen (SpO2/FiO2 ratio), alanine aminotransferase, blood glucose (BG), and lymphocyte counts. Among these markers, SpO2/FiO2 ratio and BG, which can be measured easily and immediately, showed higher accuracy (AUC: 0.88) than SpO2/FiO2 ratio alone (AUC: 0.84), despite no significant difference (DeLong test: P = 0.591). Moreover, even in patients without severe respiratory failure (SpO2/FiO2 ratio > 300), BG (> 138 mg/dL) was predictive of MV use. Measuring BG and SpO2/FiO2 ratio may be a simple and versatile new strategy to accurately identify ER patients with COVID-19 at high risk for the imminent need of MV.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infectious disease that leads to severe respiratory failure (RF). It is known that host exposure to viral infection triggers an iron-lowering response to mitigate pathogenic load and tissue damage. However, the association between host iron-lowering response and COVID-19 severity is not clear. This two-center observational study of 136 adult hospitalized COVID-19 patients analyzed the association between disease severity and initial serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and transferrin saturation (TSAT) levels. Serum iron levels were significantly lower in patients with mild RF than in the non-RF group; however, there were no significant differences in iron levels between the non-RF and severe RF groups, depicting a U-shaped association between serum iron levels and disease severity. TIBC levels decreased significantly with increasing severity; consequently, TSAT was significantly higher in patients with severe RF than in other patients. Multivariate analysis including only patients with RF adjusted for age and sex demonstrated that higher serum iron and TSAT levels were independently associated with the development of severe RF, indicating that inadequate response to lower serum iron might be an exacerbating factor for COVID-19.

Shugoshin 1 (SGO1) is required for accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis and meiosis; however, its other functions, especially at interphase, are not clearly understood. Here, we found that downregulation of SGO1 caused a synergistic phenotype in cells overexpressing MYCN. Downregulation of SGO1 impaired proliferation and induced DNA damage followed by a senescence-like phenotype only in MYCN-overexpressing neuroblastoma cells. In these cells, SGO1 knockdown induced DNA damage, even during interphase, and this effect was independent of cohesin. Furthermore, MYCN-promoted SGO1 transcription and SGO1 expression tended to be higher in MYCN- or MYC-overexpressing cancers. Together, these findings indicate that SGO1 plays a role in the DNA damage response in interphase. Therefore, we propose that SGO1 represents a potential molecular target for treatment of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.

Anastomotic leakage after intestinal resection is one of the most serious complications of surgical intervention for hollow viscus injury. Adequate vascular perfusion of the anastomotic site is essential to prevent anastomotic leakage. Near-infrared imaging using indocyanine green (NIR-ICG) is useful for the objective assessment of vascular perfusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of NIR-ICG with intestinal and mesenteric injuries. This was a retrospective, single-center study of patients undergoing surgery for intestinal and mesenteric injuries. NIR-ICG was used to evaluate vascular perfusion. Postoperative complications were assessed between NIR-ICG and non-NIR-ICG groups.The use of NIR-ICG was associated with a lower incidence of Clavien-Dindo grade ≥ III complications with a statistical tendency (p = 0.076). When limited to patients that underwent intestinal resection, the use of NIR-ICG was significantly associated with a lower risk of perioperative complications (p = 0.009). The use of NIR-ICG tended to associate with the lower incidence of postoperative complications after intestinal and mesenteric trauma surgery. NIR-ICG was associated with a significantly lower risk of complications in patients undergoing intestinal resection. The NIR-ICG procedure is simple and quick and is expected to be useful for intestinal and mesenteric trauma.

We aimed to develop a method to determine the CT score that can be easily obtained from CT images and examine its prognostic value for severe COVID pneumonia. Patients with COVID pneumonia who required ventilatory management by intubation were included. CT score was based on anatomical information in axial CT images and were divided into three sections of height from the apex to the bottom. The extent of pneumonia in each section was rated from 0 to 5 and summed. The primary outcome was the prediction of patients who died or were managed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) based on the CT score at admission. Of the 71 patients included, 12 (16.9%) died or required ECMO management, and the CT score predicted death or ECMO management with ROC of 0.718 (0.561-0.875). The death or ECMO versus survival group (median [quartiles]) had a CT score of 17.75 (14.75-20) versus 13 (11-16.5), p = 0.017. In conclusion, a higher score on our generated CT score could predict the likelihood of death or ECMO management. A CT score at the time of admission allows for early preparation and transfer to a hospital that can manage patients who may need ECMO.

Cardioprotective effect of prostaglandin-E2 receptor-4 (EP4) stimulation on the ischemic heart has been demonstrated. Its effect on the heart affected by myocarditis, however, remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated therapeutic effect of EP4 stimulant using a mouse model of autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) that progresses to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). EP4 was present in the hearts of EAM mice. Treatment with EP4 agonist (ONO-0260164: 20 mg/kg/day) improved an impaired left ventricular (LV) contractility and reduction of blood pressure on day 21, a peak myocardial inflammation. Alternatively, DCM phenotype, characterized by LV dilation, LV systolic dysfunction, and collagen deposition, was observed on day 56, along with activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 critical for myocardial extracellular matrix disruption, indicating an important molecular mechanism underlying adverse ventricular remodeling after myocarditis. Continued treatment with ONO-0260164 alleviated the DCM phenotype, but this effect was counteracted by its combination with a EP4 antagonist. Moreover, ONO-0260164 inhibited in vivo proteolytic activity of MMP-2 in association with up-regulation of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-3. EP4 stimulant may be a promising and novel therapeutic agent that rescues cardiac malfunction during myocarditis and prevents adverse ventricular remodeling after myocarditis by promoting the TIMP-3/MMP-2 axis.