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Objective:To investigate the clinical and genetic characteristics of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS).Methods:The clinical data and genetic characteristics of 2 children with PWS diagnosed in Hebei Provincial People's Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, and the relevant literature was reviewed.Results:Case 1, male, aged 6 years and 3 months, was presented to the hospital because of short stature, mild mental retardation, dysarthria, scoliosis, cryptorchidism, micropenis, long skull, narrow face, almond eyes, small mouth, thin upper lip, downward corners of the mouth, fair skin. He had hypotonia and feeding difficulties in infancy, and gradually became hyperappetitive. Bilateral cryptorchidism surgery was performed at 1.5 years old, but the effect was not good. Case 2, male, aged 4 years, presented to the hospital mainly due to obesity, hyperappetite, excessive weight gain, backward language and cognitive function, dysarthria, and scoliosis.The infant had feeding difficulties in the early stage, and bilateral cryptorchidism surgery at the age of 2 was not effective.Methylation specific polymerase chain reaction and methylation specific multilink probe amplification were used to detect the loss of the parent fragment in the key region (15q11-13) of PWS, which confirmed Prader-Willi syndrome.Conclusion:PWS is a rare hereditary disease with complex and diverse clinical manifestations and different characteristics in different age groups. It is highly susceptible to unexplained hypotonia and feeding difficulties in infancy. Children with short stature and obesity should be alert to the disease, which can be clearly diagnosed by molecular genetic techniques.
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Nanomedicine is one of the most promising fields in biomedicine. Inorganic nanomaterials stand out among many nanomaterials due to their excellent physicochemical properties, stable chemical properties and high biocompatibility. As an inorganic nanomaterial, bismuth-based nanomaterials have the advantages of adjustable band gap, low toxicity, easy functionalization, large X-ray attenuation coefficient, high photothermal conversion efficiency and long cycle half-life, so they have good promising application in cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review summarizes the recent research progress of bismuth-based nanomaterials in tumor diagnosis, treatment and biosafety, which provides a theoretical basis for the design and exploitation of a new generation of bismuth-based nanomedicine systems.
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Objective:To investigate the risk factors of recurrence of febrile seizures within 24 hours, so as to provide clinical evidence for early identification of children with risk factors and taking interventions.Methods:A total of 384 children with febrile seizures admitted to the Department of Pediatrics at Hebei General Hospital from June 2019 to June 2021 were selected as the study subjects, and were divided into single seizure group and recurrent seizures group.The clinical data of two groups and the risk factors of recurrent seizures were analyzed retrospectively.Results:A total of 384 children, aging from six months to five years, were diagnosed with febrile seizures.There were 296 cases in the single seizure group and 88 cases in the recurrent seizures group.First seizure, the age of the first sezures, temperature, duration of seizure ≥15 minutes, positive family history and C-reactive protein levels showed statistically significant differences between two groups(all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that non-first seizure( OR=2.085, 95% CI 1.232-3.529, P=0.006), the age of first seizure( OR=0.970, 95% CI 0.948-0.993, P=0.010), duration of seizure ≥15 minutes( OR=3.587, 95% CI 1.497-8.596, P=0.004) and positive family history( OR=1.892, 95% CI 1.126-3.180, P=0.016) were risk factors of recurrence of febrile seizures within 24 hours.The ROC curve analysis showed that the combination of four risk factors had a higher predictive value, and the area under curve was 0.974. Conclusion:Non-first seizure, the age of first seizure, cluration of seizure ≥15 minutes and positive family history are the risk factors of recurrence of febrile seizures within 24 hours.Children with four risk factors are more likely to have recurrent seizure, and could be used as an indicator for individualized prediction.
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Objective:To investigate the incidence rate and gene variation of methylmalonic academia (MMA) in Ji′nan city by analyzing biochemical and genetic screening results, and to explore the carrier frequency of MMA-related pathogenic genes in the population in Ji′nan.Methods:The children diagnosed with MMA by tandem mass spectrometry screening in Ji′nan Neonatal Disease Screening Centre from May 2011 to May 2022 were enrolled in this study.Their genetic test results were retrospectively analyzed and summarized.The dried heel blood tablets collected from 6 800 newborns were tested for neonatal gene screening. MMAA, MMAB, MMACHC and MMUT genes in 4 800 cases were detected by high-throughput sequencing+ target area capture technology.Ultra-multiplex polymerase chain reaction+ target gene locus capture technology was used to detect 174 target loci of 8 genes related to MMA in 2 000 cases.The hotspot mutation and related gene carrier rate of MMA were analyzed. Results:A total of 367 452 newborns were screened by tandem mass spectrometry, and 103 cases (56 males and 47 females) were diagnosed with MMA by screening.The estimated incidence of MMA was 1∶3 567.Among the 103 MMA cases, 76 were genetically diagnosed, and 4 gene variants of MMA ( MMAHC, MMUT, MMAA, MMADHC) were identified.A total of 6 800 neonates underwent neonatal genetic screening.Three of them were diagnosed with MMA.About 318 infants carried pathogenic variants of MMA, with a total carrier rate of 4.68%.Specifically, the carrier rates of MMACHC and MMUT gene variants were 3.09%(210/6 800) and 1.43% (97/6 800), respectively. Conclusions:MMA is the most common organic acid metabolism disorder in our country.The incidence and carrier rate of this disease are high in Jinan city.Neonatal genetic screening is an important supplement to neonatal biochemical screening.Carrier screening for MMA-related pathogenic genes is recommended for couples of childbearing age in Jinan.
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Objective:To explore the effect of Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture treatment on brain network reorganization for the patients with stroke recovery, and therefore understand the neural mechanism underlying Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture treatment.Methods:Prospective case series study. Thirteen acute ischemia stroke patients were recruited from the Department of Neurology, Shanghai Minhang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine from Aug 2018 to Oct 2019. They were treated with Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture once a day for 10 consecutive days in addition to routine treatments, and received clinical assessments before treatment and 14 days after treatment onset. EEG signals were recorded during the first acupuncture treatment, from before inserting the needles (the baseline), during needle retention, to after removal of the needles. The brain network was constructed using phase locking index, and its clustering coefficient (CC), characteristic path length (PL) and small-worldness (S) were analyzed using one-way repeated ANOVA.Results:Compared with the baseline, the CC of delta-band network (sparsity=0.10: t=3.306, P=0.006; 0.12: t=2.909, P=0.013; 0.14: t=2.331, P=0.038) and the PL of delta-band (sparsity=0.12: t=3.236, P=0.007; 0.14: t=2.754, P=0.017, 0.18: t=2.878, P=0.014) and alpha-band (sparsity=0.10: t=2.432, P=0.032) networks were significantly decreased during the needle retention stage. Clinical assessments demonstrated a significant treatment efficacy of Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture, and its efficacy which was indicated by improved NIHSS score, was significantly correlated with the CC changes in the delta band network from baseline to needle retention. The correlation was strongest when the network sparsity was 0.12 ( r=0.78, P=0.002). Conclusion:Xingnao Kaiqiao acupuncture can regulate the brain network of stroke patients in real time, and this immediate regulation maybe associated with its treatment effect.
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Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of obese adolescents undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery for the purpose to guide clinical decision-making and practice of metabolic and bariatric surgery in adolescents.Methods:The perioperative clinical profile of 123 adolescent patients under the age of 21 years who underwent metabolic and bariatric surgery in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from 2018 to 2021 were extracted, and compared their clinical data with the overall data of 6807 patients in the 2021 GC-MBD Annual Report. Analyzed the clinical characteristics of adolescent weight loss metabolic surgery patients from multiple aspects such as preoperative complications, surgical methods, surgical outcomes, and follow-up. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS25.0 software.Results:Among adolescent bariatric surgery patients, the proportion of female patients (74.0%) was higher than that of male patients (26.0%). Except for the incidence of polycystic ovary syndrome (31.9%), which was higher than the overall rate, the proportion of other related diseases or symptoms was low and usually mild. The changes of systolic blood pressure ( Z=-5.73, P<0.001), body weight ( Z=-5.69, P<0.001), umbilical abdominal circumference ( Z=-2.40, P=0.017), glycosylated hemoglobin ( Z=-5.23, P<0.001), fasting insulin ( Z=-2.95, P<0.003), fasting C-peptide ( Z=-4.59, P<0.001), triglyceride ( Z=-2.75, P=0.006) at 3 months after operation were statistically significant compared with those before operation. The changes of systolic blood pressure ( Z=-3.42, P=0.001), body weight ( Z=-5.14, P<0.001), umbilical abdominal circumference ( Z=-2.86, P=0.004) and glycosylated hemoglobin ( Z=-2.67, P<0.008), fasting C-peptide ( Z=-2.09, P=0.037), high-density lipoprotein ( Z=-2.08, P=0.038) at 6 months after operation were statistically significant compared with those before operation. Conclusions:The outcomes of bariatric surgery in obese adolescents are similar to those in adults. The indications and timing of bariatric surgery need to be further explored. In view of the high proportion of females, poor self-management ability and low follow-up compliance of adolescent patients, it is urgent to construct a full-cycle care model suitable for adolescent patients with bariatric surgery to improve their self-management ability, follow-up compliance and long-term clinical outcomes.
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A normal liver can develop cirrhosis through long-term and repeated stimulation from various etiologies. Histological manifestations like the collapse of hepatic lobular structure (including microvascular structure) and the formation of pseudolobules can lead to portal hypertension and even decompensated cirrhosis. More and more evidence suggests that effective etiological treatment can not only delay but also reverse the progression of cirrhosis. The mechanism of cirrhosis reversal mainly includes the degradation of extracellular matrix, hepatocyte regeneration, and hepatic lobular remodeling. The "gold standard" for the evaluation of cirrhosis reversal at present is still a liver biopsy. Therefore, the histopathological evaluation of cirrhosis reversal is very important for determining the disease's prognosis, efficacy, and mechanism of exploration.
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Humans , Liver Cirrhosis/pathology , Liver/pathology , Hypertension, Portal , Hepatocytes/pathology , PrognosisABSTRACT
Chinese Society of Hepatology and Chinese Society of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Medical Association update the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B (version 2022) in 2022. The latest guidelines recommend more extensive screening and more active antiviral treating for hepatitis B virus infection. This article interprets the essential updates in the guidelines to help deepen understanding and better guide the clinical practice.
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Humans , Hepatitis B, Chronic/drug therapy , Hepatitis B/drug therapy , Hepatitis B virus , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , GastroenterologyABSTRACT
Many efforts have been made to understand excitotoxicity and develop neuroprotectants for the therapy of ischemic stroke. The narrow treatment time window is still to be solved. Given that the ischemic core expanded over days, treatment with an extended time window is anticipated. Bestrophin 1 (BEST1) belongs to a bestrophin family of calcium-activated chloride channels. We revealed an increase in neuronal BEST1 expression and function within the peri-infarct from 8 to 48 h after ischemic stroke in mice. Interfering the protein expression or inhibiting the channel function of BEST1 by genetic manipulation displayed neuroprotective effects and improved motor functional deficits. Using electrophysiological recordings, we demonstrated that extrasynaptic glutamate release through BEST1 channel resulted in delayed excitotoxicity. Finally, we confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of pharmacological inhibition of BEST1 during 6-72 h post-ischemia in rodents. This delayed treatment prevented the expansion of infarct volume and the exacerbation of neurological functions. Our study identifies the glutamate-releasing BEST1 channel as a potential therapeutic target against ischemic stroke with a wide time window.
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The immunomodulatory effect of Saposhnikoviae Radix polysaccharide(SRP) was evaluated based on the zebrafish mo-del, and its mechanism was explored by transcriptome sequencing and real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR). The immune-compromised model was induced by navelbine in the immunofluorescence-labeled transgenic zebrafish Tg(lyz: DsRed), and the effect of SRP on the density and distribution of macrophages in zebrafish was evaluated. The effect of SRP on the numbers of macrophages and neutrophils in wild-type AB zebrafish was detected by neutral red and Sudan black B staining. The content of NO in zebrafish was detected by DAF-FM DA fluorescence probe. The content of IL-1β and IL-6 in zebrafish was detected by ELISA. The differentially expressed genes(DEGs) of zebrafish in the blank control group, the model group, and the SRP treatment group were analyzed by transcriptome sequencing. The immune regulation mechanism was analyzed by Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment, and the expression levels of key genes were verified by RT-qPCR. The results showed that SRP could significantly increase the density of immune cells in zebrafish, increase the number of macrophages and neutrophils, and reduce the content of NO, IL-1β, and IL-6 in immune-compromised zebrafish. The results of transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that SRP could affect the expression level of immune-related genes on Toll-like receptor pathway and herpes simplex infection pathway to affect the release of downstream cytokines and interferon, thereby completing the activation process of T cells and playing a role in regulating the immune activity of the body.
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Animals , Zebrafish/genetics , Interleukin-6/genetics , Gene Expression Profiling , Cytokines/genetics , Macrophages , TranscriptomeABSTRACT
Good medicine tastes bitter, but it is often difficult to swallow because the drug is bitter and astringent, so that the compliance of patients with medication is poor. However, the use of taste masking technology can better improve this situation. Appropriate and effective taste masking technology can improve the drug compliance of patients, especially children, it can also improve the curative effect and the clinical value of drugs. Herein, we summarize the latest research progress of taste masking technology, and summarize the traditional taste masking technology from the aspects of action mechanisms and application scopes. Finally, the novel and efficient taste masking technologies were presented.
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The taste of drugs has an important impact on the compliance of patients, but most of the active drug ingredients have an uncomfortable taste, especially traditional Chinese medicine. Through a variety of pharmaceutical excipients with taste masking properties combined with corresponding technologies can improve the taste of drugs and the characteristics of other dosage forms, so as to improve patient compliance. Here, we mainly summarize the auxiliary materials used for taste masking, explain the mechanism of taste masking from the point of view of excipients and introduces related uses, so as to provide reference for further research on taste masking of pediatric preparations.
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As a basic amino acid, histidine has a pKa close to the acidity of the tumor microenvironment, thus the charge and solubility of histidine are able to vary as the pH changes. Under a neutral environment, histidine is not charged and exhibits hydrophobic properties, while it can be protonated and becomes hydrophilic when exposed to mildly acidic pH, such as tumor microenvironment. Therefore, histidine is widely used in the design of drug delivery systems to target the mildly acidic pH of tumor microenvironment. This article reviews the recent progresses of histidine-based tumor-targeting drug delivery systems, and summarizes the principles on promoting internalization and tuning drug release by taking advantage of histidine. Finally, we point out the common issues on histidine application and illustrate its future prospects.
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Objective:To explore the influence of Internet diversified rehabilitation medicine education on self-efficacy and quality of life in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.Methods:A prospective study was performed in 130 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients admitted to Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from February 2020 to February 2021. According to the method of randomly number table, these patients were divided into control group and intervention group, 65 cases in each group.The control group was treated with routine treatment scheme, and the intervention group added the intervention of Internet diversified education of rehabilitation medicine on the basis of routine treatment scheme. Compared the general data of the two groups, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the cancer patients′ Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) were used to compare the self-efficacy levels of the two groups before operation, 4 months and 8 months after operation, evaluate the quality of life. Measurement data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), and t-test was used for comparison between groups; Chi-square test was used for comparison of enumeration data between groups. Results:Before operation, there was no significant difference in general data, GSES score and QLQ-C30 score between the two groups ( P> 0.05). Four months after operation, GSES scores [(27.39±4.68) score vs (25.91±3.18)score], somatic function [(65.50±4.34) score vs (63.07±5.42) score], cognitive function [(67.63±10.32) score vs (63.29 ± 11.36) score], role function [(50.82±10.80) score vs (45.59±13.94) score], and total quality of life [(63.47 ± 6.98) score vs (59.26±7.98)score] were compared between the intervention group and the control group, the difference was statistically significant ( P< 0.05). There was no significant difference in the scores of emotional function [(57.60±11.72) score vs (55.53±10.61) score] and social function [(49.86±12.11) score vs (46.13±10.25) score] ( P> 0.05). Eight months after operation, the GSES score [(28.82±3.31) score vs (26.73 ± 3.06) score] of patients in the intervention group and the control group, and the scores of functional areas and overall quality of life in QLQ-C30 score were significantly different ( P< 0.01). Conclusion:the Internet diversified rehabilitation medicine education has a significant effect on improving the self-efficacy of new breast cancer patients, and can improve the quality of life of patients.
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OBJECTIVE@#To assess the effectiveness of Jiuwei Zhuhuang Powder (JWZH), a Tibetan patent medicine in treating upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) associated cough in children.@*METHODS@#The study was a multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled trial. A total of 142 children aged 2 to 14 years old, with URTI-associated cough within 48 h of onset, were randomly assigned to two groups at a 1:1 ratio by computer-generated randomization sequence. Children were treated with JWZH (1 to 1.5 g, twice to thrice daily) in the treatment group or conventional treatment (Pediatric Paracetamol, Artificial Cow-bezoar and Chlorphenamine Maleate Granules, 0.25 to 1 g, thrice daily) in the control group for 5 days. The primary endpoints were the time to cough resolution and 4-day cough resolution rate. The secondary endpoints were the daily improvement in symptom scores and cough resolution rate during the study period.@*RESULTS@#A total of 138 children were included in the intention-to-treat analysis, with 71 cases in the treatment group and 67 cases in the control group. Compared with the conventional treatment, the children receiving JWZH had a shorter time to cough resolution [hazard ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.29-3.40; P=0.003]. The median time to cough resolution for children receiving JWZH was shorter than that of the conventional treatment (2 days vs. 3 days; P<0.001). The 4-day cough resolution rate in the JWZH group was higher than that of the control group (94.4% vs. 74.6%; risk difference: 19.8%, 95% CI: 8.1%-31.5%; relative risk: 1.265, 95% CI: 1.088-1.470; P=0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the improvement of other symptoms caused by URTI (P>0.05). Adverse events was reported in 5.6% (4/71) and 4.5% (3/67) in participants of JWZH and PPACCM groups (P>0.05), respectively, which were all mild and resolved without treatment.@*CONCLUSION@#JWZH seemed to be a safe and effective therapy for URTI-associated cough in children. (Trial registration No. ChiCTR2000039421).
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Child , Humans , Cough/drug therapy , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Nonprescription Drugs , Powders , Respiratory Tract Infections/drug therapyABSTRACT
Objective:To summarize the genetic characteristics of a case of spinal muscular atrophy type 1c.Methods:The case data of a child with spinal muscular atrophy type 1c was retrospectively analyzed, and the genetic analysis and literature review were carried out.Results:The patient, male, started at the age of 2 months, and showed gross motor development backwardness and low muscular tension. Multiplex connection probe amplification technique showed that the child had homozygous deletion mutation in exon 7-8 of SMN1 gene, and there was duplicate mutation in exon 7-8 of SMN2 gene. The number of copies of exon 7/8 was 3/3. His father was a heterozygous deletion carrier of SMN1 gene, and there was homozygous mutation in exon 8 of SMN2 gene. The number of copies of exon 7/8 was 2/3. His mother did not find abnormal exons of SMN1 gene, and the number of copies of exon 7/8 of SMN2 gene was 1/1.Conclusion:Spinal muscular atrophy lacks specific manifestations in the early stage, and the diagnosis mainly depends on genetic testing. Clinicians need to be vigilant, strengthen the early understanding of the disease, and improve the prognosis.
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The present study investigated the chemical constituents of Scrophulariae Radix and their antitumor activities in vitro. The compounds in the ethyl acetate extract were separated and purified by conventional column chromatographies(such as silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, and ODS column) and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), and their structures were identified by various spectral techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and mass spectrometry(MS). Twenty-three compounds were isolated and identified as benzyl-β-D-(3',6'-di-O-acetyl) glucoside(1), 5-O-p-methoxybenzoyl kojic acid(2), 5-O-methoxybenzoyl kojic acid(3), 7-O-methylbenzoyl kojic acid(4), 5-O-benzoyl kojic acid(5), methyl ferulate ethyl ether(6), trans-ferulic acid(7), trans-isoferulic acid(8), trans-caffeic acid(9), trans-caffeic acid methyl ester(10), caffeic acid ethyl ester(11), trans-cinnamic acid(12), trans-p-methoxycinnamic acid(13), trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid(14), trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid methyl ester(15), 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl) alcohol(16),(p-hydroxyphenyl) propanoic acid(17), coniferaldehyde(18), sinapaldehyde(19), benzyl β-primeveroside(20), 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural(21), furan-2-carboxylic acid(22), and decanedioic acid(23). Among them, compound 1 is a new benzyl glucoside, compounds 2-4 are new pyranone compounds, compound 5 is a new natural product of pyranone. The NMR data of compounds 5 and 6 are reported for the first time. Compounds 6 and 20 were isolated from the Scrophularia plant for the first time. Compounds 8, 11, 14, 16, 18, 19, 22, and 23 were isolated from this plant for the first time. The in vitro cytotoxic activities of these compounds against three tumor cell lines(HepG2, A549, and 4 T1) were evaluated. The results showed that compounds 10 and 15 showed cytotoxic activities against HepG2 cells with IC_(50) values of(19.46±0.48) μmol·L~(-1) and(46.10±1.21) μmol·L~(-1).
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Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry , Mass Spectrometry , Plant Roots/chemistry , Scrophularia/chemistryABSTRACT
Through collecting the relevant provisions and medical cases of
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Humans , Acupuncture , Acupuncture Points , Acupuncture Therapy , Meridians , Moxibustion , Myasthenia Gravis/therapyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To observe the early interventions of traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on the conversion time of nucleic acid in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and find possible underlying mechanisms of action.@*METHODS@#A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 300 confirmed COVID-19 patients who were treated with TCM, at a designated hospital in China. The patients were categorized into three groups: TCM1, TCM2 and TCM3, who respectively received TCM interventions within 7, 8-14, and greater than 15 days of hospitalization. Different indicators such as the conversion time of pharyngeal swab nucleic acid, the conversion time of fecal nucleic acid, length of hospital stay, and inflammatory markers (leukocyte count, and lymphocyte count and percentage) were analyzed to observe the impact of early TCM interventions on these groups.@*RESULTS@#The median conversion times of pharyngeal swab nucleic acid in the three groups were 5.5, 7 and 16 d (P < 0.001), with TCM1 and TCM2 being statistically different from TCM3 (P < 0.01). TCM1 (P < 0.05) and TCM3 (P < 0.01) were statistically different from TCM2. The median conversion times of fecal nucleic acid in the three groups were 7, 9 and 17 d (P < 0.001). Conversion times of fecal nucleic acid in TCM1 were statistically different from TCM3 and TCM2 (P < 0.01). The median lengths of hospital stay in the three groups were 13, 16 and 21 d (P < 0.001). TCM1 and TCM2 were statistically different from TCM3 (P < 0.01); TCM1 and TCM3 were statistically different from TCM2 (P < 0.01). Both leucocyte and lymphocyte counts increased gradually with an increase in the length of hospital stay in TCM1 group patients, with a statistically significant difference observed at each time point in the group (P < 0.001). Statistically significant differences in lymphocyte count and percentage in TCM2 (P < 0.001), and in leucocyte count (P = 0.043) and lymphocyte count (P = 0.038) in TCM3 were observed. The comparison among the three groups showed a statistically significant difference in lymphocyte percentage on the third day of admission (P = 0.044).@*CONCLUSION@#In this study, it was observed that in COVID-19 patients treated with a combination of Chinese and Western medicines, TCM intervention earlier in the hospital stay correlated with faster conversion time of pharyngeal swab and fecal nucleic acid, as well as shorter length of hospital stay, thus helping promote faster recovery of the patient. The underlying mechanism of action may be related to improving inflammation in patients with COVID-19.
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Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , COVID-19/drug therapy , Length of Stay , Medicine, Chinese Traditional , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#Traditional Chinese medicine plays a significant role in the treatment of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Tanreqing Capsule (TRQC) was used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of TRQC in the treatment of COVID-19.@*METHODS@#A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 82 patients who had laboratory-confirmed mild and moderate COVID-19; patients were treated with TRQC in one designated hospital. The treatment and control groups consisted of 25 and 57 cases, respectively. The treatment group was given TRQC orally three times a day, three pills each time, in addition to conventional Western medicine treatments which were also administered to the control group. The clinical efficacy indicators, such as the negative conversion time of pharyngeal swab nucleic acid, the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid, the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid, and the improvement in the level of immune indicators such as T-cell subsets (CD3, CD4 and CD45) were monitored.@*RESULTS@#COVID-19 patients in the treatment group, compared to the control group, had a shorter negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid (4 vs. 9 days, P = 0.047) and a shorter interval of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid (0 vs. 2 days, P = 0.042). The level of CD3@*CONCLUSION@#Significant reductions in the negative conversion time of fecal nucleic acid and the duration of negative conversion of pharyngeal-fecal nucleic acid were identified in the treatment group as compared to the control group, illustrating the potential therapeutic benefits of using TRQC as a complement to conventional medicine in patients with mild and moderate COVID-19. The underlying mechanism may be related to the improved levels of the immune indicator CD3