Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has gained prominence as a global pandemic. Studies have suggested that systemic alterations persist in a considerable proportion of COVID-19 patients after hospital discharge. We used proteomic and metabolomic approaches to analyze plasma samples obtained from 30 healthy subjects and 54 COVID-19 survivors 6 months after discharge from the hospital, including 30 non-severe and 24 severe patients. Through this analysis, we identified 1019 proteins and 1091 metabolites. The differentially expressed proteins and metabolites were then subjected to Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis. Among the patients evaluated, 41% of COVID-19 survivors reported at least one clinical symptom and 26.5% showed lung imaging abnormalities at 6 months after discharge. Plasma proteomics and metabolomics analysis showed that COVID-19 survivors differed from healthy control subjects in terms of the extracellular matrix, immune response, and hemostasis pathways. COVID-19 survivors also exhibited abnormal lipid metabolism, disordered immune response, and changes in pulmonary fibrosis-related proteins. COVID-19 survivors show persistent proteomic and metabolomic abnormalities 6 months after discharge from the hospital. Hence, the recovery period for COVID-19 survivors may be longer.

We aimed to investigate changes in pulmonary function and computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the recovery period. COVID-19 patients underwent symptom assessment, pulmonary function tests, and high-resolution chest CT 6 months after discharge from the hospital. Of the 54 patients enrolled, 31 and 23 were in the moderate and severe group, respectively. The main symptoms 6 months after discharge were fatigue and exertional dyspnea, experienced by 24.1% and 18.5% of patients, respectively, followed by smell and taste dysfunction (9.3%) and cough (5.6%). One patient dropped out of the pulmonary function tests. Of the remaining 54 patients, 41.5% had pulmonary dysfunction. Specifically, 7.5% presented with restrictive ventilatory dysfunction (forced vital capacity <80% of the predicted value), 18.9% presented with small airway dysfunction, and 32.1% presented with pulmonary diffusion impairment (diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide <80% of the predicted value). Of the 54 patients enrolled, six patients dropped out of the chest CT tests. Eleven of the remaining 48 patients presented with abnormal lung CT findings 6 months after discharge. Patients with residual lung lesions were more common in the severe group (52.6%) than in the moderate group (3.4%); a higher proportion of patients had involvement of both lungs (42.1% vs. 3.4%) in the severe group. The residual lung lesions were mainly ground-glass opacities (20.8%) and linear opacities (14.6%). Semiquantitative visual scoring of the CT findings revealed significantly higher scores in the left, right, and both lungs in the severe group than in the moderate group. COVID-19 patients 6 months after discharge mostly presented with fatigue and exertional dyspnea, and their pulmonary dysfunction was mostly characterized by pulmonary diffusion impairment. As revealed by chest CT, the severe group had a higher prevalence of residual lesions than the moderate group, and the residual lesions mostly manifested as ground-glass opacities and linear opacities.

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Bronchial asthma is an intractable pulmonary disease that affects millions of individuals worldwide, with the overproduction of mucus contributing to high morbidity and mortality. Gamma‑aminobutyric acid (GABA) is associated with goblet cell hyperplasia in the lungs of primate models and Club cells serve as airway epithelial progenitor cells that may differentiate into goblet and ciliated cells. In the present study, it was investigated whether the GABAA receptor pi (Gabrp) is essential for Club cell proliferation and differentiation in mice. Validation of microarray analysis results by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR (RT‑qPCR) demonstrated that Gabrp is highly expressed in mouse Club cells. Predominant expression of Gabrp in mouse Club cells was further confirmed based on naphthalene‑induced Club cell injury in mice, with organoid cultures indicating significant reductions in the organoid‑forming ability of mouse Club cells in the presence of Gabrp antagonist bicuculline methiodide (BMI). Furthermore, the RT‑qPCR results indicated that the mRNA levels of chloride channel accessory 3, pseudogene (Clca3p), mucin (Muc)5Ac and Muc5B were significantly decreased in BMI organoid cultures. These results suggested that blocking GABA signaling through Gabrp inhibits mouse Club cell proliferation, as well as differentiation into goblet cells. Therefore, targeting GABA/Gabrp signaling may represent a promising strategy for treating goblet cell hyperplasia in bronchial asthma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the respiratory and physical function of patients who retested positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA during post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rehabilitation. A total of 302 discharged COVID-19 patients were included. Discharged patients were followed up for 14 days to 6 months. The modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale, Borg rating of perceived exertion, and manual muscle testing (MMT) scores on day 14 and at 6 months after discharge were compared between the redetectable positive (RP) and non-RP (NRP) groups. Prognoses of respiratory and physical function were compared between patients who recovered from moderate and severe COVID-19. Of the study patients, 7.6% were RP. The proportion of patients who used antiviral drugs was significantly lower in the RP group than in the NRP group. There were no differences in mMRC, Borg, or MMT scores within the RP and NRP groups. The mMRC, Borg, and MMT scores were worse for patients with severe disease when compared to those with moderate disease at both follow-up time points. COVID-19 patients who did not take antiviral drugs were more likely to be RP after discharge. The recovery of respiratory and physical function was not related to re-positivity during rehabilitation, but was related to disease severity during hospitalization.

Aim: To determine SARS-CoV-2 specific IgM and IgG levels of patients with COVID-19 at 8 months after symptom onset and to explore the predictors of antibody levels. Materials & methods: The magneti... Lay abstract This study aimed to detect the levels of antibodies made by the body in response to COVID-19, 8 months after infection. We reviewed the characteristics of 54 patients with a history CO...