VIR-CRISPR: Visual in-one-tube ultrafast RT-PCR and CRISPR method for instant SARS-CoV-2 detection.

Until now, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remained to be an enormous threat for global health. As one viral illness induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), versatile, rapid and sensitive method for SARS-CoV-2 detection in early stage is urgently needed. Here, we reported an ultrasensitive and visual in-one-tube detection method which could be accomplished within half an hour from sampling-to-result. By integrating all reactions in one tube, liquid handling steps were omitted and amplicon contamination could be totally avoided. Magnetic beads were employed to achieve the fast extraction of viral nucleic acid and increase the sensitivity. Using portable thermocycler and blue light, the fluorescent results could be directly observed by naked eyes. The proposed method is of higher specificity and sensitivity, nearly at single molecule level. More important, results demonstrated 100% positive detection rate for 40 clinical samples, which was consistent with standard RT-PCR. Thus, our method is considerably simple, rapid, sensitive and accurate, holding great promise for the instant detecting of viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and the next generation of molecular diagnosis.

Flexibility enhancement measures under the COVID-19 pandemic - A preliminary comparative analysis in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sichuan of China.

The COVID-19 pandemic affects all the aspects of modern society worldwide, especially in the power sector. Measures of flexibility enhancement are regarded as solutions to guarantee reliable and flexible electricity supply in such an emergency. This study aims at investigating the impact of flexibility enhancement measures (electricity storage and flexible demand) in different situations of the preliminary COVID-19 pandemic. Case studies in different regions (Denmark, the Netherlands, and the Sichuan province of China) are conducted and assessed using the hourly simulation tool EnergyPLAN. These regions own different electricity supply mix and level of renewable electricity. It is found that the flexible demand measure within one day or one week can hardly eliminate the electricity imbalance caused by either the pandemic or the increasing renewable electricity. The monthly flexible demand is effective for balancing, but its potential in these regions is not enough. However, electricity storage measure enhances the electricity balance even during the most extreme situation of the pandemic. From the economic perspective, electricity storage measure leads to an increase of up to 15% in total system costs, while flexible demand measure has a negligible effect on costs. This study serves as the first step to understand the performance of flexibility enhancement measures in the power sector under the shock of a pandemic.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of 2019 novel coronavirus disease patients presenting with initial gastrointestinal symptoms in Wuhan, China: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Patients with 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) could present with gastrointestinal symptoms without fever or respiratory manifestations, which could be overlooked by health-care providers. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in patients presenting with initial gastrointestinal symptoms. METHODS: We evaluated all confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between January 10 and February 29, 2020. We divided these patients into two groups: patients with initial gastrointestinal symptoms (group A, n = 183) and patients with respiratory syndrome and/or fever (group B, n = 1228). The clinical characteristics, radiological features, and laboratory data were assessed. RESULTS: The clinical procedures of both groups underwent 1-2 weeks rising period and were downward trend at 3 weeks; less than 5% of patients progressed to critical illness. In both groups, mean leukocyte count (P = 0.354) and lymphocyte count (P = 0.386) were below normal, and C-reactive protein level was elevated (P = 0.412). There was mild liver function injury (aspartate aminotransferase, 65.8 ± 12.7 vs 67.4 ± 9.3 U/L, P = 0.246; alanine aminotransferase, 66.4 ± 13.2 vs 69.6 ± 12.7 U/L, P = 0.352), and normal renal function was intact (blood urea nitrogen 6.4 ± 2.5 vs 5.6 ± 2.8 mmol/L P = 0.358; creatinine 85.7 ± 37.2, 91.2 ± 32.6 µmol/L, P = 0.297). After a series of treatment, 176 and 1169 were stable and alive in groups A and B, respectively. The survival rate did not differ significantly between the groups (P = 0.313). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 patients presented with initial gastrointestinal symptoms had similar clinical characteristics and outcomes, when compared with patients with fever and respiratory symptoms.

A fatal outcome from SARS-CoV-2 infection: One case report of a young man with multiple organ damage.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in Wuhan, China on December 2019 and has become a severe public health issue worldwide. A 36-year-old man was presented to the hospital staff with a fever that had already persisted for a three-day period, general weakness and diarrhea. He had no chronic diseases and was tested positive for COVID-19 with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid. During his hospitalization, several abnormal indicators appeared in his laboratory tests, which implied systemic inflammation and multiple organ damage. A series of chest radiographs monitored the dynamic process of lung lesions, which could predict the clinical changes of the patient. His condition deteriorated rapidly, resulting in death due to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) on hospital day 13. The case indicates that inflammatory response may appear in people infected with SARS-CoV-2 and may lead to multiple organ damage (especially pancreatic damage). When a COVID-19 patient is entering into the critical stage, their condition could rapidly deteriorate.