Extracellular vesicles are heterogeneous populations of naturally occurring secreted small vesicles. EVs function as signaling platforms to facilitate intracellular communication, which indicates the physiological or pathophysiological conditions of cells or tissues. Considering that EVs can be isolated from most body fluids and that molecular constituents could be reprogrammed according to the physiological status of the secreting cells, EVs are regarded as novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for many diseases. The ability to protect encapsulated molecules from degradation in body fluids suggests the potential of EVs as biological medicines or drug delivery systems. This article focuses on the EV-associated biomarkers and therapeutic approaches in autoimmune diseases.

After the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in November 2002, coronaviruses (CoVs) received worldwide attention. On December 1, 2019, the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), was reported in Wuhan, China, and CoVs returned to public view. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the COVID-19 epidemic is a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), and on March 11, 2020, the WHO classified COVID-19 as a pandemic disease. As of July 31, 2020, COVID-19 has affected 216 countries and regions, with 17,064,064 confirmed cases and 668,073 deaths, and the number of new cases has been increasing daily. Additionally, on March 19, 2020, there were no new confirmed cases in China, providing hope and valuable experience for the international community. In this review, we systematically compare COVID-19 and SARS in terms of epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical characteristics and discuss the current treatment approaches, scientific advancements and Chinese experience in fighting the epidemic to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. We also discuss the lessons that we have learned from COVID-19 and SARS.

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Objective Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), a common oral mucosal disorder characterized by chronic, inflammatory, and ovoid ulcers, has a complex etiology. The purpose of the study was to investigate the specific dietary factors influencing the prevalence of RAS. Methods A total of 754 participants aged 18 to 59 years were enrolled in this descriptive cross-sectional study. An anonymous questionnaire was adopted to investigate the distribution of RAS, dietary factors, self-reported trigger factors, and therapeutic methods. Results Among all participants, the prevalence rate of RAS was 21.4%. Univariable analysis showed that fruit, dairy products, vegetables, and water, but not fried foods, fermented foods, spicy foods, and eggs, were preventive factors against RAS. After adjusting for age and sex, multivariable regression analysis suggested that fruit (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.430, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.218–0.847) and water (aOR = 0.294, 95% CI = 0.119–0.726) were protective factors against RAS. Conclusion This study found that the consumption of fruit and water was negatively associated with RAS. These results imply a potential adjunctive and complementary role of food in RAS treatment and some feasible means of RAS prevention.