Xiongpeng Zhu

PDZ And LIM domain protein 1 (PDLIM1), a protein-coding gene, has been widely reported to exhibit differential expression patterns across various human cancers, including hematological malignancies. This study aimed to investigate PDLIM1 expression pattern and its functional role in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) both in vitro and in vivo. PDLIM1 expression patterns were reanalyzed using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus, and the results were subsequently validated in patient tissue samples and a panel of four DLBCL cell lines. MicroRNA-3940-5p (miR-3940-5p) was identified as an upstream regulator of PDLIM1. The interaction between PDLIM1 and miR-3940-5p and its effects on DLBCL cellular activities and cancer development were further explored using a DLBCL mouse model. Elevated PDLIM1 expression was observed in DLBCL cells and tissues. Reduced cell proliferation and increased DLBCL cell apoptosis were observed following the knockdown of this gene. Furthermore, short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated PDLIM1 knockdown diminished tumorigenesis of DLBCL cells in nude mice. miR-3940-5p was identified as an upstream regulator of PDLIM1. PDLIM1 expression and function were negatively modulated by the upregulation of miR-3940-5p, consequently affecting the malignant phenotype of DLBCL cells. These findings suggest that the miR-3940-5p/PDLIM1 axis may play a crucial role in DLBCL pathogenesis and could potentially be exploited for therapeutic interventions.

Object: This study attempted to explore the effects of vaccination on disease severity and the factors for viral clearance and hospitalization in omicron-infected patients.Methods: The clinical manifestations of 3,265 Omicron-infected patients (BA.2 lineage variant; the Omicron group) were compared with those of 226 Delta-infected patients (the Delta group). A Multi-class logistic regression model was employed to analyze the impacts of vaccination doses and intervals on disease severity; a logistic regression model to evaluate the risk factors for hospitalization; R 4.1.2 data analysis to investigate the factors for time for nucleic acid negativization (NAN).Results: Compared with the Delta group, the Omicron group reported a fast transmission, mild symptoms, and lower severity incidence, and a significant inverse correlation of vaccination dose with clinical severity (OR: 0.803, 95%CI: 0.742-0.868, p<0.001). Of the 7 or 5 categories of vaccination status, the risk of severity significantly decreased only at ≥21 days after three doses (OR: 0.618, 95% CI: 0.475-0.803, p<0.001; OR: 0.627, 95% CI: 0.482-0.815, p<0.001, respectively). The Omicron group also reported underlying illness as an independent factor for hospitalization, sore throat as a protective factor, and much shorter time for NAN [15 (12,19) vs. 16 (12,22), p<0.05]. NAN was associated positively with age, female gender, fever, cough, and disease severity, but negatively with vaccination doses.Conclusion: Booster vaccination should be advocated for COVID-19 pandemic-related control and prevention policies and adequate precautions should be taken for patients with underlying conditions.