Hai-Rong Shu

The serology test of SARS‑CoV‑2 is one of the critical assays to make a diagnosis of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection. The gold immunochromatography assay (GICA) is a common measure to test SARS‑CoV‑2 specific IgG and IgM. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay are ~>80%. It has been reported that the result of GICA could be compromised in various situations, such as auto‑immune diseases, Kawasaki disease, pregnancy or other conditions. However, following the European Hematology Association's consensus statement on the management of Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia (WM) patients, serological tests for SARS‑CoV‑2 specific IgM should not be affected by the total IgM or paraprotein levels. The present study reports a patient with duplicate positive serology tests of SARS‑CoV‑2 which is hypothesized to be due to monoclonal IgM caused by WM.

Emerging evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) and DNA methylation play important roles in the causation and progression of cancers. However, the roles of circRNAs and abnormal methylation genes in the tumorigenesis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are still largely unknown. Expression profiles of circRNA, gene methylation, and mRNA were downloaded from the GEO database, and differentially expressed genes were obtained via GEO2R, and a ceRNA network was constructed based on circRNA‐miRNA pairs and miRNA‐mRNA pairs. Inflammation‐associated genes were collected from the GeneCards database. Then, functional enrichment analysis and protein‐protein interaction (PPI) networks of inflammation‐associated methylated expressed genes were investigated using Metascape and STRING databases, respectively, and visualized in Cytoscape. Hub genes of PPI networks were identified using the NetworkAnalyzer plugin. Also, we analyzed the methylation, protein expression levels, and prognostic value of hub genes in PDAC patients through the UALCAN, Human Protein Atlas (HPA), and Kaplan‐Meier plotter databases, respectively. The circRNA_102049/miR‐455‐3p/CD80 axis was identified by the ceRNA network and hub genes. In vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to evaluate the functions of circRNA_102049. The regulatory mechanisms of circRNA_102049 and miR‐455‐3p were explored by RT‐PCR, western blot, and dual‐luciferase assays. In the present study, twelve hub genes (STAT1, CCND1, KRAS, CD80, ICAM1, ESR1, RAF1, RPS6KA2, KDM6B, TNRC6A, FOSB, and DNM1) were determined from the PPI networks. Additionally, the circRNA_102049 was upregulated in PDAC cell lines. Functionally, the knockdown of circRNA_102049 by siRNAs inhibited cell growth, inflammatory factors, and migratory and invasive potential and promoted cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, circRNA_102049 functioned as a sponge of miR‐455‐3p and partially reversed the effect of miR‐455‐3p and consequently upregulated CD80 expression. Our findings showed that circRNA_102049 and methylated hub genes play an important role in the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and inflammatory response of PDAC, which might be selected as a promising prognostic marker and therapeutic target for PDAC.