SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with increased morbidities in men compared to women. Androgens are believed to play an important role in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis in men due to the postulated androgen-dependency of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. However, it is yet unclear whether the sex bias is mediated by SARS-CoV-2 infection itself or by other confounding factors. Here, using the golden hamster model, we show that SARS-CoV-2 infection attacks reproductive organs, causes massive dysregulation of sex hormones and induces elevated transcription of the androgen-to-estrogen converting enzyme aromatase CYP19A1 in the lung. In male hamsters, SARS-CoV-2 infection causes severely depleted testosterone and highly elevated estradiol levels. In female hamsters, SARS-CoV-2 infection causes reduced estradiol levels. Hormonal dysregulation in infected animals is followed by severe weight loss compared to control groups treated with poly(I:C) or PBS. Lungs of SARS-CoV-2 infected animals present abundant CYP19A1 expression in the endothelium and in macrophages, particularly in males. Prominent CYP19A1 expression in endothelial cells and macrophages was verified in lung sections of deceased Covid-19 males compared to females. Our results demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to massive dysregulation of sex hormones, which may increase the risk for sex-specific disease outcome particularly in combination with comorbidities. These findings provide insights into the complex metabolic cross talk between SARS-CoV-2 infection and sex hormones.

Background To date, multiple predictive models have been developed with the goal of reliably differentiating between solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) that are malignant and those that are benign. The present meta-analysis was conducted to assess the diagnostic utility of these predictive models in the context of SPN differential diagnosis. Methods The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases were searched for relevant studies published through August 31, 2021. Pooled data analyses were conducted using Stata v12.0. Results In total, 20 retrospective studies that included 5171 SPNs (malignant/benign: 3662/1509) were incorporated into this meta-analysis. Respective pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and diagnostic score values were 88% (95CI%: 0.84–0.91), 78% (95CI%: 0.74–0.80), 3.91 (95CI%: 3.42–4.46), 0.16 (95CI%: 0.12–0.21), and 3.21 (95CI%: 2.87–3.55), with an area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve value of 86% (95CI%: 0.83–0.89). Significant heterogeneity among studies was detected with respect to sensitivity (I2 = 89.07%), NLR (I2 = 87.29%), and diagnostic score (I2 = 72.28%). In a meta-regression analysis, sensitivity was found to be impacted by the standard reference in a given study (surgery and biopsy vs. surgery only, P = 0.02), while specificity was impacted by whether studies were blinded (yes vs. unclear, P = 0.01). Sensitivity values were higher when surgery and biopsy samples were used as a standard reference, while unclear blinding status was associated with increased specificity. No significant evidence of publication bias was detected for the present meta-analysis (P = 0.539). Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis demonstrate that predictive models can offer significant diagnostic utility when establishing whether SPNs are malignant or benign.

Background This study aimed to investigate the correlation between miRNA-216b expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake by PET/CT and to explore the clinical application value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in miRNA-216b based on therapy for NSCLC. Methods Eighty patients with NSCLC and 40 healthy subjects were enrolled in our study. The SUVmax of the lesion area by PET/CT imaging was calculated. SUVmax represented the highest concentration of 18F-FDG in the lesion. The expression of miRNA-216b in the plasma and fiber bronchoscopic puncture of NSCLC patients was detected by RT qPCR. Then Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between miRNA-216b expression and 18F-FDG uptake in patients with different types of NSCLC. Results Compared with healthy subjects, SUVmax of early adenocarcinoma and advanced adenocarcinoma were increased. Compared with healthy subjects, SUVmax of early squamous and advanced squamous were increased. And the SUVmax content of advanced adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma was higher than that of early adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Compared with healthy subjects, the expression of miRNA-216b in the plasma of patients with early and advanced adenocarcinoma was reduced, and the expression of miRNA-216b in the plasma of patients with early and advanced squamous cell carcinoma was reduced. Compared with adjacent tissues, the expression of miRNA-216b in early adenocarcinoma tissues and advanced adenocarcinoma tissues was reduced, and the expression in early squamous cell carcinoma and advanced squamous cell carcinoma was reduced. Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between SUVmax and miRNA-216b (plasma and tissue) in patients with four types of NSCLC. Conclusion miRNA-216b expression was negatively correlated with 18F-FDG uptake in NSCLC. miRNA-216b could be used for the classification and staging of non-small cell lung cancer. 18F-FDG PET/CT may be used to evaluate the therapeutic response in application of miRNA-216b-based cancer treatment.

In China, lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death among residents. Early diagnosis is of great significance for early interventional treatment and prolonging survival. PET/CT uses positron radiopharmaceuticals to observe the physiological and biochemical changes of the drug and its metabolites in the body and finally diagnoses the disease. 18F-FDG is a commonly used imaging agent, but its short isotopic half-life limits clinical high-throughput testing. This study retrospectively analyzed the imaging material of 100 lung cancer patients pathologically confirmed. Patients with lymph node metastasis were classified into the LM group ( n = 30 cases), and those with no lymph node metastasis were classified into the NLM group ( n = 70 cases). The results showed that MRI of superparamagnetic nanoferric oxide was better than diagnosis of lung cancer by the 18F-FDG PET/CT and had a high predictive power for lymph node metastasis. These turned out to be high-value lung cancer diagnosis of superparamagnetic nanoferric oxide MRI and high-capacity lymph node metastasis prediction of 18F-FDG PET/CT, which were worthy of implementation.