Mental health, health-related quality of life, and lung function after hospital discharge in healthcare workers with severe COVID-19: a cohort study from China / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. It is highly contagious and can cause death in severe cases. As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 6:36 pm Central European Summer Time (CEST), 12 August 2022, there had been 585 950 285 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 6 425 422 deaths (WHO, 2022).

Three-month Follow-up Study of Survivors of Coronavirus Disease 2019after Discharge

Background@#Most patients including health care workers (HCWs) survived the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), however, knowledge about the sequelae of COVID-19 after discharge remains limited. @*Methods@#A prospectively observational 3-month follow-up study evaluated symptoms, dynamic changes of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG and IgM, lung function, and high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of survivors of COVID-19 after discharge at Wuhan Union Hospital, China. @*Results@#Seventy-six survivors (55 females) with a mean age of 41.3 ± 13.8 years were enrolled, and 65 (86%) were HCWs. A total of 69 (91%) patients had returned to their original work at 3-months after discharge. Most of the survivors had symptoms including fever, sputum production, fatigue, diarrhea, dyspnea, cough, chest tightness on exertion and palpitations in the three months after discharge. The serum troponin-I levels during the acute illness showed high correlation with the symptom of fatigue after hospital discharge (r = 0.782; P = 0.008) and lymphopenia was correlated with the symptoms of chest tightness and palpitations on exertion of patients after hospital discharge (r = −0.285, P = 0.027; r = −0.363, P = 0.004, respectively). The mean values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, total lung capacity and diffusion capacity were all normal (> 80% predicted) and lung HRCTs returned to normal in most of the patients (82%), however, 42% of survivors had mild pulmonary function abnormalities at 3-months after discharge. SARS-CoV-2 IgG turned negative in 11% (6 of 57 patients), 8% (4 of 52 patients) and 13% (7 of 55 patients), and SARS-CoV-2 IgM turned negative in 72% (41 of 57 patients), 85% (44 of 52 patients) and 87% (48 of 55 patients) at 1-month, 2-months and 3-months after discharge, respectively. @*Conclusion@#Infection by SARS-CoV-2 caused some mild impairments of survivors within the first three months of their discharge and the duration of SARS-CoV-2 antibody was limited, which indicates the necessity of long-term follow-up of survivors of COVID-19.

Three-month Follow-up Study of Survivors of Coronavirus Disease 2019after Discharge

Background@#Most patients including health care workers (HCWs) survived the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), however, knowledge about the sequelae of COVID-19 after discharge remains limited. @*Methods@#A prospectively observational 3-month follow-up study evaluated symptoms, dynamic changes of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG and IgM, lung function, and high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of survivors of COVID-19 after discharge at Wuhan Union Hospital, China. @*Results@#Seventy-six survivors (55 females) with a mean age of 41.3 ± 13.8 years were enrolled, and 65 (86%) were HCWs. A total of 69 (91%) patients had returned to their original work at 3-months after discharge. Most of the survivors had symptoms including fever, sputum production, fatigue, diarrhea, dyspnea, cough, chest tightness on exertion and palpitations in the three months after discharge. The serum troponin-I levels during the acute illness showed high correlation with the symptom of fatigue after hospital discharge (r = 0.782; P = 0.008) and lymphopenia was correlated with the symptoms of chest tightness and palpitations on exertion of patients after hospital discharge (r = −0.285, P = 0.027; r = −0.363, P = 0.004, respectively). The mean values of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, total lung capacity and diffusion capacity were all normal (> 80% predicted) and lung HRCTs returned to normal in most of the patients (82%), however, 42% of survivors had mild pulmonary function abnormalities at 3-months after discharge. SARS-CoV-2 IgG turned negative in 11% (6 of 57 patients), 8% (4 of 52 patients) and 13% (7 of 55 patients), and SARS-CoV-2 IgM turned negative in 72% (41 of 57 patients), 85% (44 of 52 patients) and 87% (48 of 55 patients) at 1-month, 2-months and 3-months after discharge, respectively. @*Conclusion@#Infection by SARS-CoV-2 caused some mild impairments of survivors within the first three months of their discharge and the duration of SARS-CoV-2 antibody was limited, which indicates the necessity of long-term follow-up of survivors of COVID-19.

Effect of interleukin-33 on Th1/Th2 cytokine ratio in peripheral lymphocytes in asthmatic mice / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Allergic asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disease partly characterised by high concentration of T help 2 (Th2) cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). There is no report on the relation of peripherally circulating blood lymphocytes and asthma. We explored the balance of Th2/Th1 cytokines in asthmatic mice. Exogenous recombinant interleukin (IL) 33 acted on murine peripheral circulating blood lymphocytes, IL-5 cytokine was selected for assessing Th2 cytokines and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) for Th1 cytokines.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Female specific pathogen free BABL/c mice were sensitised by intraperitoneal injection of 20 µg of ovalbumin emulsified in 1 mg of aluminium hydroxide gel in a total volume of 200 µl, and challenged for 30 minutes in 7 consecutive days with an aerosol of 2 g ovalbumin in 100 ml of PBS. Then we collected BALF and isolated lymphocytes from the peripheral blood. The lymphocytes were divided into two groups: asthmatic group and normal group. Th1/Th2 cytokines was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the asthma group, we found numerous eosinophils and lymphocytes on the glass slides. We then confirmed that the optimal concentration of IL-33 was 10 ng/ml and time of IL-33 stimulating lymphocytes was 24 hours. In the asthma group, the production of IL-5 was significantly increased over normal group after stimulation with IL-33 (P < 0.05) and the production of IFNγ was supressed from IL-33 stimulated lymphocytes (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>IL-33 acts on lymphocytes of peripheral blood increasing secretion of Th2 cytokines and inhibiting secretion of Th1 cytokines.</p>

Studies on the IR Spectra of Lobed Kudzuvine (Pueraria lobata)and Xiaoji (cirsium setosum ) Collected at Different Times / 中草药

Extracts of Radix Pueraria and Herba Cirsii, obtained by the same isolating procedure,were examined with IR spectra. Results showed that the IR spectra of Radix Pueraria lobota and Herba Cirsii,collected at different times had distiuct characteristics,consistency aud repcatability.The spectra of Radix Pueraria thomsonii also showed characteristic evidence.Accordingly, Radix pueraria and Herba Cirsii may be well distinguished by means of IR spectra.

Study on Quality Standards of Xiao erxiaoshi Tablets / 中成药

To establish the quality standards, the authors identified Semen Arecae and Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae in Xiaoerxiaoshi Tablets with TLC and determined the content of ursolic acid and organic acids with TLC-colorimetry and neutralization method.