Bin Cao

• Professor
• Head of Department at China-Japan Friendship Hospital & Capital Medical University

Background Severe respiratory viral infections can lead to viral sepsis (VS), a life-threatening condition characterized by lung and extrapulmonary organ dysfunction. However, the pathology of VS is not clear. Specifically, it is unknown how the cytokine storm and direct virus infection contribute to the damage of extrapulmonary organs. Methods In...

Purpose Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) infection poses a significant global health challenge, with conventional diagnostic methods like acid-fast smear and culture techniques exhibiting limitations in sensitivity and efficiency. This retrospective study examined 4098 clinical samples from China-Japan Friendship Hospital between March 2018 and Mar...

The dynamics of the immune response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) breakthrough infections remain unclear, particularly when compared to responses in naive individuals. In this longitudinal prospective cohort study, 13 participants were recruited. Peripheral blood samples were collected every other day until day 7 a...

The mortality associated with influenza A virus (IAV) infection typically results from excessive immune responses, leading to immunopathological lung damage and compromised pulmonary function. Various immunomodulators are seen beneficial when used in conjunction with direct anti-infection treatment. Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is a derivative of arachido...

The resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has become a major concern recently. This study aimed to describe the temporal dynamics, genotype variability and disease severity of RSV infection after the end of the Zero‐COVID‐19 policy in Beijing, China. A total of 905 patients were positive for RSV at National Center for Respiratory Medicine...

After the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic, the postacute effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection have gradually attracted attention. To precisely evaluate the health status of convalescent patients with COVID‐19, we analyzed symptom and proteome data of 442 plasma samples from healthy controls,...

Introduction: There is limited information on elderly patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infections. We aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of elderly patients with Omicron variant infections admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) on the Chinese Mainland and to evaluate the r...

The antimicrobial peptides, such as host immune system-derived human bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (hBPI), are the potential drugs for antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infection. However, whether the purified chimeric hBPI23-Fcγ protein has bactericidal activity against drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) and the...

Background: WXSH0208 is a selective inhibitor of influenza RNA polymerase subunit, demonstrating antiviral activity in preclinical studies against influenza A and B virus infections. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of WXSH0208 in adult outpatients with uncomplicated influenza. Methods: We conducted a multicen...

Background The widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has led to changes in both the microbiological and clinical characteristics of lung abscesses. It is necessary to re-evaluate the bacterial spectrum associated with these infections. As a novel method for pathogen detection, metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is increasingly bei...

Background Characterizing the paradigm and impact of long COVID is crucial for addressing this worldwide health challenge. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of long COVID one year after primary Omicron infection and characterize differences in long-term health consequence between participants with persistent long COVID and those who fu...

Background The clinical outcomes and microbiological features of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) caused by hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) and classical Klebsiella pneumoniae (cKp) have not been well understood. Methods This study collected 287 non-repetitive Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from 287 LRTI patients. All these st...

Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) diagnosis is challenging because noninfectious diseases mimic its clinical features. The altered host response and respiratory microbiome following LRTIs have the potential to differentiate LRTIs from noninfectious respiratory diseases (non‐LRTIs). Patients suspected of having LRTIs are retrospectively enr...

X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP) is a rare primary immunodeficiency with susceptibility and vulnerability to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. Most patients were diagnosed in early childhood and do not survive into adulthood. Here we reported an adult-onset XLP patient presenting with fever, dyspnea, and pulmonary nodules, mimicking res...

Objectives This study attempts to explore the clinical differences of sepsis caused by respiratory viruses and bacteria, and to search for risk factors for mortality in viral sepsis. Methods This single-center, retrospective cohort study enrolled patients hospitalized at our medical intensive care unit (ICU) from October 2020 to January 2024 who w...

Aims Influenza virus infection may lead to fatal complications including multi‐organ failure and sepsis. The influenza virus was detected in various extra‐pulmonary organs in autopsy studies during the 2009 pandemic. However, limited research has been conducted on the presence of viral particle or viral components in the peripheral blood. Methods...

Background Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infections poses global challenges, with limited options available for targeted therapy. Polymyxin was been regarded as one of the most important last-resort antimicrobial agents. Many factors could accelerate the resistance evolution of polymyxin. Insertion sequence (IS) inserted into mg...

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with pulmonary mucormycosis treated with and without surgery. Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study. We retrieved "pulmonary mucormycosis" from the electronic medical records of China-Japan Friendship Hospital between 2016 and 2022. A total of 29 patients with pulmonary...

Transmembrane protein 176B (TMEM176B), localized mainly on the endosomal membrane, has been reported as an immune regulatory factor in malignant diseases. However, the biological function of this molecule remains undetermined during respiratory viral infections. To investigate the functions and prognostic value of this gene, six gene sets were sele...

Objectives To investigate the clinical relevance, origin, transmission, and resistance of Candida auris (C. auris) isolates from two outbreaks and sporadic occurrences from one hospital in China. Methods A total of 135 C. auris isolates were collected. Clinical characteristics were obtained and antifungal susceptibility testing (AFST) was performe...

Throughout history, the influenza A virus has caused numerous devastating global pandemics. Macrophages, as pivotal innate immune cells, exhibit a wide range of immune functions characterized by distinct polarization states, reflecting their intricate heterogeneity. In this study, we employed the time-resolved single-cell sequencing technique coupl...

Background Invasive fungal disease (IFD) has become a serious threat to human health in China and around the world, with high mortality and morbidity. Currently, the misdiagnosis rate of IFD is extremely high, compounded with the low quality of prescription antifungals and the high incidence of adverse events associated with IFD treatment, resultin...

Influenza virus infection may lead to fatal complications including multi-organ failure and sepsis. The influenza virus was detected in various extra-pulmonary organs in autopsy studies during the 2009 pandemic. However, limited research has been conducted on the presence of viral particle or viral components in the peripheral blood. We established...

The gut microbiota undergoes substantial changes in COVID-19 patients; yet, the utility of these alterations as prognostic biomarkers at the time of hospital admission, and its correlation with immunological and hematological parameters, remains unclear. The objective of this study is to investigate the gut microbiota's dynamic change in critically...

Objectives This study aimed at revealing the underlying mechanisms of the loss and gain of ceftazidime-avibactam susceptibility in a non-carbapenemase-producing hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp). Methods Here we longitudinally recovered 3 non-carbapenemase-producing K1-ST23 hvKp strains at a one-month interval (KP29105, KP29499 and KP3008...

The immune mechanisms of long COVID are not yet fully understood. We aimed to investigate the SARS-CoV-2-specific memory immune responses in discharged COVID-19 patients with and without long COVID symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, we included 1041 hospitalized COVID-19 patients with the original virus strain in Wuhan (China) 12 months after...

Background Abnormal changes of monocytes have been observed in acute COVID‐19, whereas associations of monocyte count with long COVID were not sufficiently elucidated. Methods A cohort study was conducted among COVID‐19 survivors discharged from hospital. The primary outcomes were core symptoms of long COVID, distance walked in 6 min, and lung fun...

Background Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) is a known risk factor for offspring developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Objective This study aimed to explore whether the increased COPD risk associated with MSDP could be attributed to tobacco dependence (TD). Methods This case...

Purpose We conducted a monocentric retrospective study using the latest definitions to compare the demographic, clinical, and biological characteristics of influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (IAPA) and COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA). Methods The study retrospectively enrolled 180 patients, including 70 influenza/IPA p...

Background: Simnotrelvir is an oral 3-chymotrypsin-like protease inhibitor that has been found to have in vitro activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and potential efficacy in a phase 1B trial. Methods: In this phase 2-3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, we assigned patients who had mild...

Objective To observe the effectiveness and safety of Lianhua Qingwen granule in the treatment of non-influenza viral pneumonia. Methods This study was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Subjects who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were clinically diagnosed with viral pneumonia (negative for influenza vi...

In immunosuppressed individuals, the manifestation of viral pneumonia due to SARS-CoV-2 infection differs from that in healthy individuals. We reported a unique case of a 58-year-old male patient with B-cell depletion following treatment with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. He presented to the Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine w...

Background SARS-CoV-2-specific adaptive immunity more than 1 year after initial infection has not been well characterised. The aim of this study was to investigate the durability and cross-reactivity of immunological memory acquired from natural infection against SARS-CoV-2 in individuals recovered from COVID-19 2 years after infection. Methods In...

Cefiderocol is a siderophore cephalosporin that binds ferric iron and utilizes iron transporters to cross the cell membrane. Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) is known to produce more siderophores; in this case, the uptake of cefiderocol may be decreased. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro activity of cefid...

Background Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, but disease burden of CAP is not clear so far. We aim to explore the spatial and temporal trends of mortality and years of life lost (YLL) due to CAP during 2013–2021 in mainland China, especially the mortality changes before and during COVID-19 pandemic due to...

Background As a debilitating condition that can impact a whole spectrum of people and involve multi-organ systems, long COVID has aroused the most attention than ever. However, mechanisms of long COVID are not clearly understood, and underlying biomarkers that can affect the long-term consequences of COVID-19 are paramount to be identified. Method...

Background: There is limited information on elderly patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infections. We aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of elderly patients with Omicron variant infections admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) on the Chinese Mainland and to evaluate the ris...

BACKGROUND Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) is a known risk factor for offspring developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore whether the increased COPD risk associated with MSDP could be attributed to tobacco dependence (TD). METHODS This case...

Background Severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP) results in high mortality as well as massive economic burden worldwide, yet limited knowledge of the bio-signatures related to prognosis has hindered the improvement of clinical outcomes. Pathogen, microbes and host are three vital elements in inflammations and infections. This study aims to dis...

Objectives: The impact of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) on antimicrobial stewardship in patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) is still unknown. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients diagnosed with LRTIs and underwent bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) were included between September 2019 to December 2...

Background: The Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance (IRIS) Consortium was established to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on invasive diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus agalactiae. We aimed to analyse the incidence and distribution of these diseases durin...

Background Resident phenotypic memory CD8⁺ T cells are crucial for immune defense against pathogens. However, little is known about the potential transitions and regulation mechanisms of their function after influenza virus infection and reinfection. In this study, we utilized integrated transcriptome data and in vivo experiments to investigate the...

Background Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management in China is far from adequate; underdiagnosis and undertreatment are major barriers to optimal care and improved patient outcomes. Objective To generate reliable information on COPD management, outcomes, treatment patterns and adherence, and disease knowledge in China in a real-wor...

Background: The long-term health consequences of COVID-19 remain largely unclear. The aim of this study was to describe the long-term health consequences of patients with COVID-19 who have been discharged from hospital and investigate the associated risk factors, in particular disease severity. Methods: We did an ambidirectional cohort study of...

Our previous study shows favipiravir and oseltamivir combination therapy may accelerate clinical recovery compared to oseltamivir monotherapy in severe influenza, but its effect on virological evolution and resistance mutation against oseltamivir is still unknown. In this study, we collected longitudinal respiratory samples from influenza patients...

ABSTRACT Tuberculosis remains a major global public concern as a leading cause of health care-associated infections. The detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is challenging due to the paucibacillary nature of the pathogen. For suspected pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients, if sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), rela...

Inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions are common for patients with upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs). Few data exist regarding the effects of antibiotic administration on airway microbiota among healthy adults. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to characterize the airway microbiota longitudinally in healthy...

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management in China is inadequate and there is a need to improve care and outcomes for patients nationwide. Objectives: The REAL study was designed to generate reliable information on COPD management from a representative sample of Chinese patients with COPD. Here, we present study outcome...

Background: Underdiagnosis and undertreatment pose major barriers to optimal management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. Objective: The REAL trial was performed to generate reliable information on real-world COPD management, outcomes and risk factors among Chinese patients. Here, we present study outcomes related to COPD...

Background: Interpretation of the evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of remdesivir in patients treated in hospital for COVID-19 is conflicting. We aimed to assess the benefits and harms of remdesivir compared with placebo or usual care in these patients, and whether treatment effects differed between prespecified patient subgroups....

Hypervirulent carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (hv-CRKp) has posed a great threat to public health. Here we reported a hv-CRKp-associated fatal infection and reveal its mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and within-host evolution. A carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKp) and 11 KPC-producing CRKp strains were isolated from a lung...

The susceptibility of the elderly to respiratory viral infections and the challenges posed by an aging population necessitate imperative development of advanced preventive and therapeutic strategies for elderly individuals. The clinical outcome of such infections is intricately determined by the complex interplay among viruses, host tissues, and im...

Plasmids are important genetic elements that facilitate horizonal gene transfer between bacteria and contribute to the spread of virulence and antimicrobial resistance. Most bacterial genome sequences in the public archives exist in draft form with many contigs, making it difficult to determine if a contig is of chromosomal or plasmid origin. Using...

Background Data on the long-term trajectories of lung function are scarce in COVID-19 survivors. Methods We re-analyzed the data from a prospective longitudinal cohort follow-up study of COVID-19 survivors over 2 years after infection. All participants were divided into scale 3, scale 4 and scale 5-6 groups according to seven-category ordinal scal...

Introduction: To promote judicious prescribing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-active therapy for skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), we previously developed an MRSA risk assessment tool. The objective of this study was to validate this risk assessment tool internationally. Methods: A multicenter, prospective cohort stu...

This cross-sectional study evaluated the long-term health effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Jianghan District (Wuhan, China). The results showed that 61.4% of COVID-19 patients reported at least one symptom and 8.8% had depressive symptoms at the 17-month follow-up. The proportion of patients with chest radiographic abnormalities in...

Children are the future of the world, but their health and future are facing great uncertainty because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In order to improve the management of children with COVID-19, an international, multidisciplinary panel of experts developed a rapid advice guideline at the beginning of the outbreak of COVID-19...

Importance Relatively little is known about the persistence of symptoms in patients with COVID-19 for more than 1 year after their acute illness. Objective To assess the health outcomes among hospitalized COVID-19 survivors over 2 years and to identify factors associated with increased risk of persistent symptoms. Design, Setting, and Participant...

Background T cell lymphopenia was a significant characteristic of severe influenza infection and it was associated with the functional changes of T cells. It is necessary to clarify the T cells characteristics of kinetic changes and their correlation with disease severity. Methods In a cohort of hospitalized influenza patients with varying degrees...