Summary: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative pathogen of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused more than 179 million infections and 3.8 million deaths worldwide. Throughout the past year, multiple vaccines have already been developed and used, while some others are in the process of being developed. However, the emergence of new mutant strains of SARS-CoV-2 that have demonstrated immune-evading characteristics and an increase in infective capabilities leads to potential ineffectiveness of the vaccines against these variants. The purpose of this review article is to highlight the current understanding of the immunological mechanisms of the virus and vaccines, as well as to investigate some key variants and mutations of the virus driving the current pandemic and their impacts on current management guidelines. We also discussed new technologies being developed for the prevention, treatment, and detection of SARS-CoV-2. In this paper, we thoroughly reviewed and provided crucial information on SARS-CoV-2 virology, vaccines and drugs being used and developed for its prevention and treatment, as well as important variant strains. Our review paper will be beneficial to health care professionals and researchers so they can have a better understanding of the basic sciences, prevention, and clinical treatment of COVID-19 during the pandemic. This paper consists of the most updated information that has been available as of June 21, 2021.

Breast cancer patients presenting with symptomatic brain metastases have poor prognosis, and current chemotherapeutic agents are largely ineffective. In this study, we evaluated the hypomethylating agent azacitidine (AZA) for its potential as a novel therapeutic in preclinical models of brain metastasis of breast cancer. We used the parental triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 (231) cells and their brain colonizing counterpart (231Br) to ascertain phenotypic differences in response to AZA. We observed that 231Br cells have higher metastatic potential compared to 231 cells. With regard to therapeutic value, the AZA IC₅₀ value in 231Br cells is significantly lower than that in parental cells (P < .01). AZA treatment increased apoptosis and inhibited the Wnt signaling transduction pathway, angiogenesis, and cell metastatic capacity to a significantly higher extent in the 231Br line. AZA treatment in mice with experimental brain metastases significantly reduced tumor burden (P = .0112) and increased survival (P = .0026) compared to vehicle. Lastly, we observed a decreased expression of keratin 18 (an epithelial maker) in 231Br cells due to hypermethylation, elucidating a potential mechanism of action of AZA in treating brain metastases from breast cancer.

Oysters are important mariculture species worldwide. Because of their filter-feeding behaviors, oysters contain complicated microbial populations, and these varying microbial populations can provide a correlation to increased oyster mortalities in the oyster farming industry as well as food outbreaks associated with public health surveillance. This review summarizes the significant outcomes in oyster microbiota research, including the identified oyster-associated bacterial taxa and comparison of different oyster tissues for microbial studies. In addition, environmental factors that could potentially affect the dynamics of oyster microbiota are discussed. Recent approaches developed to study oyster microbiota as well as their limitations are also highlighted in this review. Finally, future directions in oyster microbiota research have been suggested.

Objective: Clavicular hook plate application is one of the most commonly used treatment methods for acromioclavicular (AC) joint dislocation, although it may cause multiple postoperative complications. We modified the regularly used 0° hook plate to 15° and compared the clinical outcomes of these two hook plates for treatment of AC joint dislocation. Methods: Forty-three patients with acute AC joint dislocation were randomly enrolled (0° hook plate, 20 patients; 15° hook plate, 23 patients). The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and visual analog scale for pain (VASP) scores were evaluated preoperatively and at 3 days and 1, 2, 3, and 6 months postoperatively and compared between the two groups. Results: Compared with the preoperative scores, the 6-month postoperative ASES score gradually increased but the VASP score decreased in both groups. Furthermore, the ASES and VASP scores were significantly different between the two groups at every postoperative time point. Conclusion: The 15° hook plate is superior to the 0° hook plate in reducing shoulder pain and improving postoperative recovery in the treatment of AC joint dislocation. Level of evidence: Level III; Treatment study (retrospective comparative study).