Characterization of heavy-chain antibody gene repertoires in Bactrian camels

Camelids are the only mammals that can produce functional heavy-chain antibodies(HCAbs).Although HCAbs were discovered over 30 years ago,the antibody gene repertoire of Bactrian camels remains largely underexplored.To characterize the diversity of variable genes of HCAbs(VHHs),germline and rearranged VHH repertoires are constructed.Phylogenetics analysis shows that all camelid VHH genes are derived from a common ancestor and the nucleotide diversity of VHHs is similar across all camelid species.While species-specific hallmark sites are identified,the non-canonical cysteines specific to VHHs are distinct in Bactrian camels and dromedaries compared with alpacas.Though low divergence at the germline repertoire between wild and domestic Bactrian camels,higher expression of VHHs is observed in some wild Bactrian camels than that of domestic ones.This study not only adds our understanding of VHH repertoire diversity across camelids,but also provides useful resources for HCAb engineering.

Effectiveness of quality of care for patients with type 2 diabetes in China:findings from the Shanghai Integration Model(SIM)

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the quality of care of diabetes in Shanghai,China.A total of 173235 patients with type 2 diabetes in 2017 were included in the analysis.Profiles of risk factors and intermediate outcomes were determined.The patients had a mean age of 66.43±8.12(standard deviation(SD))years and a mean diabetes duration of 7.95±5.53(SD)years.The percentage of patients who achieved the target level for HbA_(1c)(<7.0%)was 48.6%.Patients who achieved the target levels for blood pressure(BP)<130/80 mmHg and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-c)<2.6 mmol/L reached 17.5%and 34.0%,respectively.A total of 3.8%achieved all three target levels,and the value increased to 6.8%with an adaptation of the BP target level(<140/90 mmHg)for those over 65 years.Multivariable analysis identified the factors associated with a great likelihood of achieving all three target levels:male,young age,short diabetes duration,low body mass index,macrovascular complications,no microvascular complications,prescribed with lipid-lowering medication,and no prescription of antihypertensive medication.In conclusion,nearly 50%and one-third of the patients with diabetes met the target levels for HbA_(1c)and LDL-c,respectively,with a low percentage achieving the BP target level.The percentage of patients who achieved all three target levels needs significant improvement.

Cell-cell communication analysis for single-cell RNA sequencing and its applications in carcinogenesis and COVID-19

Cell-cell communication is the basis of physiological processes and cell signals.The disease occurs when the cells do not adequately communicate and the messages are blocked.With ligand-receptor interaction databases and single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)databases,we can detect intercellular signaling and reconstruct the cell-cell communications among different cell types.This review summarized the computational approaches for analyzing the cell-cell communication based on scRNA-seq data and discussed its applications in carcinogenesis and COVID-19.We believe that this review will accelerate the scRNA-seq data deciphering and facilitate the cell-cell communication studies for complex physiological processes,such as carcinogenesis and SARS-CoV-2 infection.