Identification of severity related mutation hotspots in SARS-CoV-2 using a density-based clustering approach.

Background: The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 varies greatly among individuals yielding highly varying severity levels among the patients. While there are various methods to spot severity associated biomarkers in COVID-19 patients, we investigated highly mutated regions, or mutation hotspots, within the SARS-CoV-2 genome that correlate with patient severity levels. SARS-CoV-2 mutation hotspots were searched in the GISAID database using a density based clustering algorithm, Mutclust, that searches for loci with high mutation density and diversity.

Dihydrotestosterone-androgen receptor signaling suppresses EBV-positive gastric cancer through DNA demethylation-mediated viral reactivation.

Background: Our Kaplan-Meier analysis reveals that gastric cancer patients with high androgen receptor (AR) expression demonstrate poorer survival outcomes compared to those with low AR expression, particularly in patients with characteristics typical of EBV-positive gastric cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms driving this seemingly contradictory relationship have remained poorly understood, as our experimental findings suggest AR signaling actually suppresses tumor growth in EBVaGC.

Methods: The study utilized AR-positive EBV-infected gastric cancer cell lines treated with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) to investigate molecular pathways.

Disease progression associated cytokines in COVID-19 patients with deteriorating and recovering health conditions.

Understanding the immune response to COVID-19 is challenging due to its high variability among individuals. To identify differentially expressed cytokines between the deteriorating and recovering phases, we analyzed the Electronic Health Records (EHR) and cytokine profile data in a COVID-19 cohort of 444 infected patients and 145 non-infected healthy individuals. We categorized each patient's progression into Deterioration Phase (DP) and Recovery Phase (RP) using longitudinal neutrophil, lymphocyte and lactate dehydrogenase levels.

Dihydrotestosterone Enhances MICA-Mediated Immune Responses to Epstein-Barr Virus-Associated Gastric Carcinoma.

Background: Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) is a subset of gastric cancers linked to EBV infection. While the role of male hormones in cancers such as prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers is well-studied, their impact on EBVaGC remains less understood. This study aims to examine the effect of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on EBVaGC, particularly focusing on its influence on the immune response.