SARS-CoV-2 immunity in animal models

The COVID-19 pandemic,which was caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),has become a worldwide health crisis due to its transmissibility.SARS-CoV-2 infection results in severe respiratory illness and can lead to significant complications in affected individuals.These complications encompass symptoms such as coughing,respiratory distress,fever,infectious shock,acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS),and even multiple-organ failure.Animal models serve as crucial tools for investigating pathogenic mechanisms,immune responses,immune escape mechanisms,antiviral drug development,and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.Currently,various animal models for SARS-CoV-2 infection,such as nonhuman primates(NHPs),ferrets,hamsters,and many different mouse models,have been developed.Each model possesses distinctive features and applications.In this review,we elucidate the immune response elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients and provide an overview of the characteristics of various animal models mainly used for SARS-CoV-2 infection,as well as the corresponding immune responses and applications of these models.A comparative analysis of transcriptomic alterations in the lungs from different animal models revealed that the K18-hACE2 and mouse-adapted virus mouse models exhibited the highest similarity with the deceased COVID-19 patients.Finally,we highlighted the current gaps in related research between animal model studies and clinical investigations,underscoring lingering scientific questions that demand further clarification.

Impact of Smoking on Anal Abscess and Anal Fistula Diseases

Background：Several studies have investigated the association between smoking and anal abscess and anal fistula （AA/F） diseases.However,the relationship between cigarette smoking and AA/F remains unclear.This study sought to assess the role of smoking in anorectal male patients in a Chinese population.Methods：In this retrospective study,a questionnaire,including smoking history,was completed over a 3-month period by male inpatients in the Proctology Department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital.＂Cases＂ were patients who had AA/F,and ＂controls＂ were patients with other anorectal complaints.Mann-Whitney U-test and Chi-square test were carried out to examine differences in baseline characteristics between groups.Subsequently,multivariate logistic regression was used to explore any related factors.Results：A total of 977 patients aged from 18 to 80 years were included,excluding those diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease or diabetes mellitus.Out of this total,805 patients （82.4％） completed the entire questionnaire.Among the 805 patients,334 （41.5％） were cases and 471 （58.5％） were controls.Results showed significant differences between cases and controls （x2 =205.2,P ＜ 0.001）,with smoking found to be associated with the development of AA/F diseases （odds ratio：12.331,95％ confidence interval：8.364-18.179,P ＜ 0.001）.Conclusions：This study suggested smoking to be a potential risk factor for the development of AA/F diseases in a Chinese population.Consequently,current smoking patients should be informed of this relationship,and further research should be conducted to explore and investigate this further.

Successful clearance of persistent SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic infection following a single dose of Ad5-nCoV vaccine

Persistent asymptomatic(PA)SARS-CoV-2 infections have been identified.The immune responses in these patients are unclear,and the development of effective treatments for these patients is needed.Here,we report a cohort of 23 PA cases carrying viral RNA for up to 191 days.PA cases displayed low levels of inflammatory and interferon response,weak antibody response,diminished circulating follicular helper T cells(cTfh),and inadequate specific CD4+and CD8+T-cell responses during infection,which is distinct from symptomatic infections and resembling impaired immune activation.Administration of a single dose of Ad5-nCoV vaccine to 10 of these PA cases elicited rapid and robust antibody responses as well as coordinated B-cell and cTfh responses,resulting in successful viral clearance.Vaccine-induced antibodies were able to neutralize various variants of concern and persisted for over 6 months,indicating long-term protection.Therefore,our study provides an insight into the immune status of PA infections and highlights vaccination as a potential treatment for prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Cholinergic α7 nAChR signaling suppresses SARS-CoV-2 infection and inflammation in lung epithelial cells

DearEditor,Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)infection,has led to>6 million deaths and posed a huge threat to the global economy and public health.SARS-CoV-2 enters lungepithelial cellsdependingon the binding between SARS-CoV-2 S protein and the host receptor angiotensinconverting enzyme 2(ACE2).

New Year, Historical Mission, New Responsibility

Chinese Medical Journal （CMJ）, founded in 1887 and the oldest medical journal in China, is one of our beloved journals.We began to read the journal from the days when we were medical students. We remembered Prof.Chuan-Han Feng, the former Editor-in-Chief＇s words： ＂The journal is mainly devoted to international communication, reporting the recent progress and achievements in preventive and clinical medicine and biomedical sciences, with experience characteristic of China in particular,to be shared by the world medical family.＂[1] What Prof.Feng said 10 years ago is still the main mission of the journal today.