clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01793844; Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: CTR-TRC-11001687.

No abstract

IMPORTANCE There is insufficient evidence on the efficacy of masks in the general population for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in public areas. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the association of mandatory mask-wearing policies with behaviors associated with the transmission of COVID-19.OBJECTIVE To assess the association of mask wearing with face-touching behavior among the general population in public areas. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis cross-sectional study used videos recorded in public transportation stations, streets, and parks among the general population in China,

The platelet count, as an inflammation marker, is involved in the progress of tumor invasion. However, the prognostic value of platelet counts and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has not been investigated in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This study aimed to determine the prognostic value of platelet counts and PLR in HCC patients. A total of 243 ethnic Chinese advanced HCC patients from two major hospitals, not receiving systemic sorafenib, were analyzed retrospectively. The prognostic value of differential blood cell counts and PLR for overall survival (OS) was determined by integrating the Cancer of the Liver Italian Program (CLIP) score system and model for end-stage liver disease by using a stepwise model of multivariate Cox regression. The Kaplan-Meier method and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized accordingly. PLR was confirmed to be an independent predictor for OS (p < 0.01), while the remaining parameters had no predictive value. Then, advanced HCC patients were dichotomized into two groups based on the PLR value (≤111.23 or >111.23), according to ROC analysis. Patients with a high PLR had a lower 3-month survival rate (37.6 vs. 57.6%) compared with patients with a low PLR. PLR was associated with aggressive malignant behavior, characterized by distant metastasis and portal vein thrombosis. Additionally, PLR was not associated with the CLIP score and Child-Pugh grade. PLR was identified as an independent prognostic factor for advanced HCC patients not receiving systemic sorafenib; the predictive ability of PLR partially relies on its association with the aggressive nature of HCC.

A recent study indicated that Lectin-type oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) was a distinct surface marker for human polymorphisms myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSC). The present study was aimed to investigate the existence LOX-1 PMN-MDSC in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. One hundred and twenty-seven HCC patients, 10 patients with mild active chronic hepatitis B, 10 liver cirrhosis due to hepatitis B, 10 liver dysplastic node with hepatitis B and 50 health control were included. LOX-1 CD15 PMN-MDSC were significantly elevated in HCC patients compared with healthy control and patients with benign diseases. LOX-1 CD15 PMN-MDSC in circulation were positively associated with those in HCC tissues. LOX-1 CD15 PMN-MDSCs significantly reduced proliferation and IFN-γ production of T cells with a dosage dependent manner with LOX-1 CD15 PMNs reached negative results. The suppression on T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production was reversed by ROS inhibitor and Arginase inhibitor. ROS level and activity of arginase of LOX-1 CD15 PMN were higher in LOX-1 CD15 PMN-MDSCs than LOX-1 CD15 PMNs, as well as the expression of the NADPH oxidase NOX2 and arginase I. RNA sequence revealed that LOX-1 CD15 PMN-MDSCs displayed significantly higher expression of spliced X-box -binding protein 1 (sXBP1), an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress marker. ER stress inducer induced LOX-1 expression and suppressive function for CD15 PMN from health donor. For HCC patients, LOX-1 CD15 PMN-MDSCs were positively related to overall survival. Above all, LOX-1 CD15 PMN-MDSC were elevated in HCC patients and suppressed T cell proliferation through ROS/Arg I pathway induced by ER stress. They presented positive association with the prognosis of HCC patients.