Bo Wang

Background: Remdesivir is considered to be a specific drug for treating coronavirus disease 2019. This systematic review aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy and risk of remdesivir alone and in combination with other drugs. Research design and methods: The PubMed, Embase, SCIE, Cochrane Library, and American Clinical trial Center databases were searched up to 1 April 2022 to identify. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies comparing the efficacy of remdesivir monotherapy and combination therapy with that of control drugs. Results: Ten RCTs and 32 observational studies were included in the analysis. Regarding the primary outcome, remdesivir use reduced mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 (RR = 0.57, 95% CI (0.48,0.68)) and shortened the time to clinical improvement (MD = -2.51, 95% CI (-2.75, -2.28)). Regarding other clinical outcomes, remdesivir use was associated with improved clinical status (RR = 1.08, 95%CI (1.01, 1.17)). Regarding safety outcomes, remdesivir use did not cause liver or kidney damage (RR = 0.87, 95%CI (0.68, 1.11)) (RR = 0.88, 95%CI (0.70,1.10)). Compared with remdesivir alone, remdesivir combined with other drugs (e.g., steroids, favipiravir, and convalescent plasma) had no effect on mortality. Conclusion: The use of remdesivir can help to reduce the mortality of patients with severe COVID-19 and shorten the time to clinical improvement. There was no benefit of remdesivir combination therapy for other clinical outcomes. Trial registration: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022322859.

Research on the gut microbiota, which involves a large and complex microbial community, is an important part of infectious disease control. In China, few studies have been reported on the diversity of the gut microbiota of wild marmots. To obtain full details of the gut microbiota, including bacteria, fungi, viruses and archaea, in wild marmots, we have sequenced metagenomes from five sample-sites feces on the Hulun Buir Grassland in Inner Mongolia, China. We have created a comprehensive database of bacterial, fungal, viral, and archaeal genomes and aligned metagenomic sequences (determined based on marmot fecal samples) against the database. We delineated the detailed and distinct gut microbiota structures of marmots. A total of 5,891 bacteria, 233 viruses, 236 fungi, and 217 archaea were found. The dominant bacterial phyla were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinomycetes. The viral families were Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, Phycodnaviridae, Herpesviridae and Podoviridae. The dominant fungi phyla were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and Blastocladiomycota. The dominant archaea were Biobacteria, Omoarchaea, Nanoarchaea, and Microbacteria. Furthermore, the gut microbiota was affected by host species and environment, and environment was the most important factor. There were 36,989 glycoside hydrolase genes in the microbiota, with 365 genes homologous to genes encoding β-glucosidase, cellulase, and cellulose β-1,4-cellobiosidase. Additionally, antibiotic resistance genes such as macB, bcrA, and msbA were abundant. To sum up, the gut microbiota of marmot had population diversity and functional diversity, which provides a basis for further research on the regulatory effects of the gut microbiota on the host. In addition, metagenomics revealed that the gut microbiota of marmots can degrade cellulose and hemicellulose.