s u m m a r yPurpose: To investigate the clinical and imaging characteristics of computed tomography (CT) in novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) caused by SARS-CoV-2. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on the imaging findings of patients confirmed with COVID-19 pneumonia who had chest CT scanning and treatment after disease onset. The clinical and imaging data were analyzed. Results: Fifty patients were enrolled, including mild type in nine, common in 28, severe in 10 and critically severe in the rest three. Mild patients (29 years) were significantly ( P < 0.03) younger than either common (44.5 years) or severe (54.7) and critically severe (65.7 years) patients, and common patients were also significantly ( P < 0.03) younger than severe and critically severe patients. Mild patients had low to moderate fever ( < 39.1 °C), 49 (98%) patients had normal or slightly reduced leukocyte count, 14 (28%) had decreased counts of lymphocytes, and 26 (52%) patients had increased C-reactive protein. Nine mild patients were negative in CT imaging. For all the other types of NCP, the lesion was in the right upper lobe in 30 cases, right middle lobe in 22, right lower lobe in 39, left upper lobe in 33 and left lower lobe in 36. The lesion was primarily located in the peripheral area under the pleura with possible extension towards the pulmonary hilum. Symmetrical lesions were seen in 26 cases and asymmetrical in 15. The density of lesion was mostly uneven with ground glass opacity as the primary presentation accompanied by partial consolidation and fibrosis. Conclusion: CT imaging presentations of NCP are mostly patchy ground glass opacities in the peripheral areas under the pleura with partial consolidation which will be absorbed with formation of fibrotic stripes if improved. CT scanning provides important bases for early diagnosis and treatment of NCP. et al., Clinical and computed tomographic imaging features of novel coronavirus pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2, Journal of Infection, https://doi.

SRY-related HMG-box gene 2 (SOX2) is one of the key regulatory genes that maintain the pluripotency and self-renewal properties in embryonic stem cells. Here we used immunohistochemistry to analyze the expression of SOX2 in human prostate tissues and found it contributed to tumorigenesis and correlated with histologic grade and Gleason score. We further investigated SOX2's function in cell growth and apoptosis process by using a human prostate cancer cell line DU145 with SOX2 overexpression or down-regulation. Cell cycle assay revealed that SOX2 promoted cell growth and increased the percentage of cells in S phase. In vitro and in vivo xenograft experiments in NOD/SCID mice further demonstrated that SOX2 increased the apoptosis-resistant properties of DU145 cells with decreased function of store-operated Ca(2+) entry and reduced expression of Orai1 at both mRNA and protein levels, suggesting a potential mechanism that contributes to the anti-apoptotic property of SOX2. To our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate SOX2's function in tumorigenesis and apoptosis of human prostate cancer and to elucidate its regulatory effect on the activity of store-operated Ca(2+) channels. Our results support the concept that SOX2 has the potential to be a significant marker to evaluate the progression of prostate cancer and serve as a potentially useful target for prostate cancer therapy.

Oncogene-induced senescence (OIS) is a tumor-suppressing response that must be disrupted for cancer to develop. Mechanistic insights into OIS have begun to emerge. Activation of the p53/p21WAF1 and/or p16INK4A tumor-suppressor pathways is essential for OIS. Moreover, the DNA damage response, chromatin remodeling and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) are important for the initiation and maintenance of OIS. This review discusses recent advances in elucidating the mechanisms of OIS, focusing on the roles of the p38 MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways. These studies indicate that OIS is mediated by an intricate signaling network. Further delineation of this network may lead to development of new cancer therapies targeting OIS.

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