Background: Emerging studies have described and analyzed epidemiological, clinical, laboratory, and radiological features of COVID-19 patients. Yet, scarce information is available regarding the association of lipid profile features and disease severity and mortality.Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study to investigate lipid profile features in patients with COVID-19. From 9 February to 4 April 2020, a total of 99 patients (31 critically ill and 20 severely ill) with confirmed COVID-19 were included in the study. Dynamic alterations in lipid profiles were recorded and tracked. Outcomes were followed up until 4 April 2020.Results: We found that high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A-1 (apoA-1) levels were significantly lower in the severe disease group, with mortality cases showing the lowest levels (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, HDL-C and apoA-1 levels were independently associated with disease severity (apoA-1: odds ratio (OR): 0.651, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.456–0.929, p = 0.018; HDL-C: OR: 0.643, 95% CI: 0.456–0.906, p = 0.012). For predicting disease severity, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of HDL-C and apoA-1 levels at admission were 0.78 (95% CI, 0.70–0.85) and 0.85 (95% CI, 0.76–0.91), respectively. For in-hospital deaths, HDL-C and apoA-1 levels demonstrated similar discrimination ability, with AUCs of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.61–0.88) and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.61–0.88), respectively. Moreover, patients with lower serum concentrations of apoA-1 (<0.95 g/L) or HDL-C (<0.84 mmol/l) had higher mortality rates during hospitalization (log-rank p < 0.001). Notably, levels of apoA-1 and HDL-C were inversely proportional to disease severity. The survivors of severe cases showed significant recovery of apoA-1 levels at the end of hospitalization (vs. midterm apoA-1 levels, p = 0.02), whereas the mortality cases demonstrated continuously lower apoA-1 levels throughout hospitalization. Correlation analysis revealed that apoA-1 and HDL-C levels were negatively correlated with both admission levels and highest concentrations of C-reactive protein and interleukin-6.Conclusions: Severely ill COVID-19 patients featured low HDL-C and apoA-1 levels, which were strongly correlated with inflammatory states. Thus, low apoA-1 and HDL-C levels may be promising predictors for severe disease and in-hospital mortality in patients suffering from COVID-19.

Three new cyclic peptides including a cyclic tetrapeptide (1), an aspochracin-type cyclic tripeptide sclerotiotide L (2) and a diketopiperazine dimer (3), have been isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of a marine sponge-derived fungus Aspergillus violaceofuscus. The structures of all compounds were unambiguously elucidated on the basis of HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic data, MS/MS experiments and chemical methods. Compounds 1 and 3 showed anti-inflammatory activity against IL-10 expression of the LPS-induced THP-1 cells with inhibitory rates of 84.3 and 78.1% respectively at concentration of 10 μM.

Five new alkaloids of aaptamine family, compounds (1–5) and three known derivatives (6–8), have been isolated from the South China Sea sponge Aaptos aaptos. The structures of all compounds were unambiguously elucidated by spectroscopic analyses, as well as by comparison with the literature data. Compounds 1–2 are characterized with triazapyrene lactam skeleton, whereas compounds 4–5 share an imidazole-fused aaptamine moiety. These compounds were evaluated in antifungal and anti-HIV-1 assays. Compounds 3, 7, and 8 showed antifungal activity against six fungi, with MIC values in the range of 4 to 64 μg/mL. Compounds 7–8 exhibited anti-HIV-1 activity, with inhibitory rates of 88.0% and 72.3%, respectively, at a concentration of 10 μM.