ABSTRACT
Background Since March 2022, the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, mainly the BA.2 sub-lineage, has swept throughout Shanghai, China and caused a wide range of infections. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are particularly vulnerable to the subvariant and have unique clinical manifestations and outcomes, which have not been studied yet.Methods We retrospective collected data from 2140 hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection from March 29, 2022, to May 17, 2022. Demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, ancillary examination results, and treatments were described respectively. Presence of COVID-19 pneumonia, disease severity (according to WHO), composite outcome (critical COVID-19 and death), and negative conversion time were defined as primary outcomes. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate risk factors affecting the primary outcomes.Results The main clinical types of CKD group were severe and critical. Negative conversion time varies according to the stage of CKD patients. The CKD group was more likely to have pneumonia, respiratory and circulatory support, severe disease and death, as compared to the non-CKD group. CKD and the number of comorbidities were found to be risk factors for pneumonia, critical COVID-19and composite outcome among Omicron patients.Conclusion We provided the first snapshot of clinical characteristics and outcomes of CKD patients in the Omicron wave, highlighting the vulnerability of CKD population and providing clues for future studies in special or immunocompromised populations.
Subject(s)
Pneumonia , Death , COVID-19 , Renal Insufficiency, ChronicABSTRACT
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition originated from the accumulation of endotoxin in blood in response to infection (e.g., bacterial infection, COVID-19), and then aggravating by the systemic inflammatory responses, microcirculation disorders and oxidative stress, ultimately resulting in the dysfunction of multiple organs. Herein, advanced multi-lamellar microspheres (CPG-Ln-MSs) with cascade endotoxin adsorption and oxidative stress relief functions are constructed as an alternative adsorbent for hemoperfusion therapy towards sepsis. The CPG-Ln-MSs achieve effective endotoxin absorption (nearly 455.3 EU/g) and show excellent broad-spectrum radical scavenging activity for treating oxidative stress triggered by endotoxin accumulation. Specifically, the structural integrity of the multi-layered structure plays a vital role in promoting the efficiency of endotoxin removal and the subsequently scavenging of reactive oxygen species. Hemoperfusion simulation experiments demonstrate that the CPG-Ln-MSs could effectively remove endotoxin with a ratio of 92%, and the following oxidative stress state could be well alleviated, as confirmed by the reduced H2O2 and MDA levels in septic blood. Furthermore, endogenous antioxidants could be restored (recover SOD and CAT activity to 96.9 and 10.1 U/mL, respectively) and the red blood cells could be protected from oxidative damage. This study provides a promising therapeutic strategy and guides the design of future for septic blood purification.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the country negatively impacting on the economy. This paper uses the panel data of 14 prefecture-level cities from 2015 to 2020 in Hunan to determine the factors and effects of economic downturns based on the spatial econometric model. We calculate the Moran index, so-called the Moran's I, to analyse the impact of each factor on the economy. The results show that the spatial correlation of the cities around Chang-Zhu-Tan is high, and the economic growth of the entire province can be influenced by these cities. These cities should adopt strategies to improve the economy, such as reducing the tax revenues, improving the local financial revenues, and reducing the ineffective educational input. These results can also be helpful for policymakers, who will attempt to retransform the Hunan economy during the post-COVID era.