Lymphocytes, Mean Platelet Volume, and Albumin in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients with Venous Thromboembolism.

As one of the frequent complications leading to poor prognosis in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a better understanding of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in COVID-19 patients is needed. We conducted a single-center, retrospective study on 96 COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from April to June 2022, in Shanghai Renji Hospital. Records of these COVID-19 patients upon admission were reviewed for demographic information, co-morbidities, vaccinations, treatment, and laboratory tests. VTE occurred in 11 (11.5%) cases among 96 COVID-19 patients despite the standard thromboprophylaxis since ICU admission. In COVID-VTE patients, a significant increase in B cells and a decrease in Ts cells were observed and a strong negative correlation (r = -0.9524, P = .0003) was found between these two populations. In COVID-19 patients with VTE, increased MPV and decreased albumin levels were seen in addition to the common VTE indicators of D-dimer abnormalities. The altered lymphocyte composition in COVID-VTE patients is noteworthy. In addition to D-dimer, MPV and albumin levels might be novel indicators for the risk of VTE in COVID-19 patients.

Identifying potential anti-COVID-19 pharmacological components of traditional Chinese medicine Lianhuaqingwen capsule based on human exposure and ACE2 biochromatography screening.

Lianhuaqingwen (LHQW) capsule, a herb medicine product, has been clinically proved to be effective in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia treatment. However, human exposure to LHQW components and their pharmacological effects remain largely unknown. Hence, this study aimed to determine human exposure to LHQW components and their anti-COVID-19 pharmacological activities. Analysis of LHQW component profiles in human plasma and urine after repeated therapeutic dosing was conducted using a combination of HRMS and an untargeted data-mining approach, leading to detection of 132 LHQW prototype and metabolite components, which were absorbed via the gastrointestinal tract and formed via biotransformation in human, respectively. Together with data from screening by comprehensive 2D angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) biochromatography, 8 components in LHQW that were exposed to human and had potential ACE2 targeting ability were identified for further pharmacodynamic evaluation. Results show that rhein, forsythoside A, forsythoside I, neochlorogenic acid and its isomers exhibited high inhibitory effect on ACE2. For the first time, this study provides chemical and biochemical evidence for exploring molecular mechanisms of therapeutic effects of LHQW capsule for the treatment of COVID-19 patients based on the components exposed to human. It also demonstrates the utility of the human exposure-based approach to identify pharmaceutically active components in Chinese herb medicines.

Clinical characteristics of 225 patients with COVID-19 in a tertiary Hospital near Wuhan, China.

BACKGROUND: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China in December 2019, caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). There is a need to study the clinical features of patients in a hospital near Wuhan. OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical features of patients with COVID-19 in a tertiary hospital near Wuhan. STUDY DESIGN: General information, clinical manifestations, laboratory data, and computed tomography (CT) data were collected for 225 patients diagnosed of COVID-19 admitted between January 20 and February 14, 2020, to the Hanchuan City People's Hospital. RESULTS: The patients included 120 male and 105 females who had no connection to the Wuhan Huanan Seafood Market. Their average age was 50 ±â€¯14 years. The major clinical symptoms were fever (84.44% of patients), cough (56.44% of patients), and dyspnea (4.00% of patients); 3.56%-22.67% of subjects suffered from expectoration, fatigue, chills, headache, chest pain, and pharyngalgia. Hypertension was present in 20.89% of patients. The counts of white blood cells (WBCs) and lymphocytes were normal or decreased in 86.67% and 99.11% of patients. CRP was increased in 86.22% of patients, PCT in 10.67%, and ESR in 90.22%. CT showed that 86.22% of patients had multiple patchy glassy shadows in both lungs, particularly in the peripheral area. Thirty-seven (16.44%) patients were diagnosed with severe COVID-19. Methylprednisolone was administered in 44.44% of cases. The mortality among the patients was 0.89%. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in the tertiary hospital near Wuhan are very similar to those found in Wuhan, but the lower mortality.