Altered oral microbiota in chronic hepatitis B patients with different tongue coatings

AIM To elucidate tongue coating microbiota and metabolic differences in chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients with yellow or white tongue coatings.METHODS Tongue coating samples were collected from 53 CHBpatients(28 CHB yellow tongue coating patients and 25 CHB white tongue coating patients) and 22 healthy controls.Microbial DNA was extracted from the tongue samples,and the bacterial 16 S ribosomal RNA gene V3 region was amplified from all samples and sequenced with the Ion Torrent PGM^(TM)sequencing platform according to the standard protocols.The metabolites in the tongue coatings were evaluated using a liquid chromatographymass spectrometry(LC-MS) platform.Statistical analyses were then performed.RESULTS The relative compositions of the tongue coating microbiotas and metabolites in the CHB patients were significantly different from those of the healthy controls,but the tongue coating microbiota abundances and diversity levels were not significantly different.Compared with the CHB white tongue coating patients,the CHB yellow tongue coating patients had higher hepatitis B viral DNA(HBV-DNA) titers(median 21210 vs 500,respectively,P = 0.03) and a significantly lower level of Bacteroidetes(20.14% vs 27.93%,respectively,P = 0.013) and higher level of Proteobacteria(25.99% vs 18.17%,respectively,P = 0.045) in the microbial compositions at the phylum level.The inferred metagenomic pathways enriched in the CHB yellow tongue coating patients were mainly those involved in amino acid metabolism,which was consistent with the metabolic disorder.The abundances of bacteria from Bacteroidales at the order level were higher in the CHB white tongue coating patients(19.2% vs 27.22%,respectively,P = 0.011),whereas Neisseriales were enriched in the yellow tongue coating patients(21.85% vs 13.83%,respectively,P = 0.029).At the family level,the abundance of Neisseriaceae in the yellow tongue patients was positively correlated with the HBV-DNA level but negatively correlated with the S-adenosyl-L-methionine level.CONCLUSION This research illustrates specific clinical features and bacterial structures in CHB patients with different tongue coatings,which facilitates understanding of the traditional tongue diagnosis.

Extending the Eigenvector 1 space to the optical variability of quasars

We introduce a new physical parameter, the optical variability amplitude, to the well-established Eigenvector 1 space of quasars and test a sample of long-term B- band light curves of 42 Palomar-Green quasars monitored by Giveon et al. We find that the optical variability amplitude strongly correlates with the intensity ratio of FeⅡ to Hβ, Hβ width and peak luminosity at 5007A. We briefly discuss the physical meaning of our findings and suggest that the Eddington ratio may be a key factor in determining a quasar＇s variability.

Safety and Efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Patients with chronic liver diseases(CLDs)have high hospitalization and mortality rates when combined with severe coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)because of defects in humoral and cellular immunity,known as immune dysfunction.COVID-19 vaccines effectively reduce the risk of severe illness and mortality caused by the virus.Several studies have confirmed the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in patients with CLD,and the existing expert consensus recommends that patients with stable CLD be prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine.In addition,clinical trials are ongoing to determine the optimal strategy for patients with CLD to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.In this study,we review the progress of research on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with CLD,aiming to provide better recommendations for the vaccination in this population.

Potential Role of EGF and EGFR in Tongue Coating Formation

Tongue coating, as a sensitive index of the physiological and pathological changes of human organs, is an important basis for the Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) syndrome differentiation and treatment. Mechanism of the formation and change of tongue coating is an important scientific problem. In recent years, researches indicated that in addition to apoptosis related genes, epidermal growth factor(EGF) and epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) also contribute to tongue coating formation. In this paper, we summarized recent studies on the potential role of EGF and EGFR in regulating the formation of tongue coating to provide some reference for the further investigations on tongue coating formation mechanisms.