Your browser doesn't support javascript.
Show: 20 | 50 | 100
Results 1 - 20 de 21
Filter
1.
Cytometry A ; 2022 Aug 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-20245395

ABSTRACT

There is a global concern about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines associated with platelet function. However, their long-term effects on overall platelet activity remain poorly understood. Here we address this problem by image-based single-cell profiling and temporal monitoring of circulating platelet aggregates in the blood of healthy human subjects, before and after they received multiple Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) vaccine doses over a time span of nearly 1 year. Results show no significant or persisting platelet aggregation trends following the vaccine doses, indicating that any effects of vaccinations on platelet turnover, platelet activation, platelet aggregation, and platelet-leukocyte interaction was insignificant.

2.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol ; 2023 Apr 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2297200

ABSTRACT

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination has proven to be highly successful in combating Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has recently sparked tremendous interest. This technology has been a popular topic of research over the past decade and is viewed as a promising treatment strategy for cancer immunotherapy. However, despite being the most prevalent malignant disease for women worldwide, breast cancer patients have limited access to immunotherapy benefits. mRNA vaccination has the potential to convert cold breast cancer into hot and expand the responders. Effective mRNA vaccine design for in vivo function requires consideration of vaccine targets, mRNA structures, transport vectors, and injection routes. This review provides an overview of pre-clinical and clinical data on various mRNA vaccination platforms used for breast cancer treatment and discusses potential approaches to combine appropriate vaccination platforms or other immunotherapies to improve mRNA vaccine therapy efficacy for breast cancer.

3.
Mol Biol Rep ; 50(3): 2269-2281, 2023 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2259695

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: BSG (CD147) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that shows roles for potential prognostics and therapeutics for metastatic cancers and SARS-CoV-2 invasion for COVID-19. The susceptibility of malignant cancers to SARS-CoV-2 as well as the correlations between disease outcome and BSG expression in tumor tissues have not been studied in depth. METHODS: In this study, we explored the BSG expression profile, survival correlation, DNA methylation, mutation, diagnostics, prognostics, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from different types of cancer tissues with corresponding healthy tissues. In vitro studies for cordycepin (CD), N6-(2-hydroxyethyl) adenosine (HEA), N6, N6-dimethyladenosine (m62A) and 5'-uridylic acid (UMP) on BSG expression were also conducted. RESULTS: We revealed that BSG is conserved among different species, and significantly upregulated in seven tumor types, including ACC, ESCA, KICH, LIHC, PAAD, SKCM and THYM, compared with matched normal tissues, highlighting the susceptibility of these cancer patients to SARS-CoV-2 invasion, COVID-19 severity and progression of malignant cancers. High expression in BSG was significantly correlated with a short OS in LGG, LIHC and OV patients, but a long OS in KIRP patients. Methylation statuses in the BSG promoter were significantly higher in BRCA, HNSC, KIRC, KIRP, LUSC, PAAD, and PRAD tumor tissues, but lower in READ. Four CpGs in the BSG genome were identified as potential DNA methylation biomarkers which could be used to predict malignant cancers from normal individuals. Furthermore, a total of 65 mutation types were found, in which SARC showed the highest mutation frequency (7.84%) and THYM the lowest (0.2%). Surprisingly, both for disease-free and progression-free survival in pan-cancers were significantly reduced after BSG mutations. Additionally, a correlation between BSG expression and immune lymphocytes of CD56bright natural killer cell, CD56dim natural killer cell and monocytes, MHC molecules of HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C and TAPBP, immunoinhibitor of PVR, PVRL2, and immunostimulators of TNFRSF14, TNFRSF18, TNFRSF25, and TNFSF9, was revealed in most cancer types. Moreover, BSG expression was downregulated by CD, HEA, m62A or UMP in cancer cell lines, suggesting therapeutic potentials for interfering entry of SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: Altogether, our study highlights the values of targeting BSG for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic strategies to fight malignant cancers and COVID-19. Small molecules CD, HEA, m62A and UMP imply therapeutic potentials in interfering with entry of SARS-CoV-2 and progression of malignant cancers.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Neoplasms , Humans , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/genetics , COVID-19 Testing , Gene Expression , Genes, MHC Class I , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Neoplasms/drug therapy , Neoplasms/genetics , Prognosis , SARS-CoV-2
4.
Cytometry A ; 103(6): 492-499, 2023 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2246697

ABSTRACT

Microvascular thrombosis is a typical symptom of COVID-19 and shows similarities to thrombosis. Using a microfluidic imaging flow cytometer, we measured the blood of 181 COVID-19 samples and 101 non-COVID-19 thrombosis samples, resulting in a total of 6.3 million bright-field images. We trained a convolutional neural network to distinguish single platelets, platelet aggregates, and white blood cells and performed classical image analysis for each subpopulation individually. Based on derived single-cell features for each population, we trained machine learning models for classification between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 thrombosis, resulting in a patient testing accuracy of 75%. This result indicates that platelet formation differs between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 thrombosis. All analysis steps were optimized for efficiency and implemented in an easy-to-use plugin for the image viewer napari, allowing the entire analysis to be performed within seconds on mid-range computers, which could be used for real-time diagnosis.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Thrombosis , Humans , Blood Platelets , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods , Neural Networks, Computer
5.
Open Med (Wars) ; 18(1): 20220621, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2197366

ABSTRACT

Our object was to examine how the pre- and post-pandemic COVID-19 impacted the care of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients in county hospitals. Using January 20, 2020, as the time point for the control of a unique coronavirus pneumonia epidemic in Jieshou, 272 acute STEMI patients were separated into pre-epidemic (group A, n = 130) and epidemic (group B, n = 142). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of mode of arrival, symptom onset-to-first medical contact time, door-to-needle time, door-to-balloon time, maximum hypersensitive cardiac troponin I levels, and in-hospital adverse events (P > 0.05). Emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was much less common in group B (57.7%) compared to group A (72.3%) (P = 0.012), and the proportion of reperfusion treatment with thrombolysis was 30.3% in group B compared to 13.1% in group A (P < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that age ≥76 years, admission NT-proBNP levels ≥3,018 pg/ml, and combined cardiogenic shock were independent risk factors for death. Compared with thrombolytic therapy, emergency PCI treatment further reduced the risk of death in STEMI. In conclusion, the county hospitals treated more acute STEMI with thrombolysis during the COVID-19 outbreak.

6.
Inflammation ; 45(3): 1076-1088, 2022 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1838368

ABSTRACT

The emergence of severe acute syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019 has led to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Although the symptoms of most COVID-19 patients are mild or self-curable, most of severe patients have sepsis caused by cytokine storms, which greatly increases the case fatality rate. Moreover, there is no effective drug that can limit the novel coronavirus thus far, so it is more needed to develop antiviral drugs for the SARS-CoV-2. In our research, we employed the techniques of molecular docking to screen 35 flavonoid compounds among which 29 compounds have Z-scores lower than - 6. Then, ( -)-gallocatechin gallate, ( +)-gallocatechin and baicalein were identified to have potent inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with IC50 values of 5.774 ± 0.805 µM, 13.14 ± 2.081 µM and 5.158 ± 0.928 µM respectively by FRET assay. Molecular docking results also showed that ( -)-gallocatechin gallate, ( +)-gallocatechin and baicalein can non-covalently bind to Mpro through π-π stacking and hydrogen bonds in the Cys145 catalytic site. We further evaluated the effect of ( -)-gallocatechin gallate and baicalein on cytokine storms using a mouse model of sepsis. ( -)-Gallocatechin gallate and baicalein significantly reduced sepsis of mouse models on weight, murine sepsis score, and survival rate and reduced the inflammatory factor levels, such as TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-4, and IL-10. Overall, ( -)-gallocatechin gallate and baicalein show certain potential of treatment against COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Sepsis , Animals , Antiviral Agents/chemistry , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Catechin/analogs & derivatives , Coronavirus 3C Proteases , Cytokine Release Syndrome , Flavanones , Humans , Mice , Molecular Docking Simulation , Pandemics , Protease Inhibitors/pharmacology , SARS-CoV-2 , Sepsis/drug therapy
7.
Chin Med J (Engl) ; 134(17): 2017-2024, 2021 Aug 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1769432

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is one of the most common severe diseases seen in the clinical setting. With the continuous exploration of ARDS in recent decades, the understanding of ARDS has improved. ARDS is not a simple lung disease but a clinical syndrome with various etiologies and pathophysiological changes. However, in the intensive care unit, ARDS often occurs a few days after primary lung injury or after a few days of treatment for other severe extrapulmonary diseases. Under such conditions, ARDS often progresses rapidly to severe ARDS and is difficult to treat. The occurrence and development of ARDS in these circumstances are thus not related to primary lung injury; the real cause of ARDS may be the "second hit" caused by inappropriate treatment. In view of the limited effective treatments for ARDS, the strategic focus has shifted to identifying potential or high-risk ARDS patients during the early stages of the disease and implementing treatment strategies aimed at reducing ARDS and related organ failure. Future research should focus on the prevention of ARDS.


Subject(s)
Respiratory Distress Syndrome , Humans , Intensive Care Units , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/etiology , Treatment Outcome
8.
Chin Med J (Engl) ; 134(11): 1286-1288, 2021 Feb 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1769418
10.
Front Med (Lausanne) ; 8: 566609, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1699160

ABSTRACT

OBJECT: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of α-Lipoic acid (ALA) for critically ill patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: A randomized, single-blind, group sequential, active-controlled trial was performed at JinYinTan Hospital, Wuhan, China. Between February 2020 and March 2020, 17 patients with critically ill COVID-19 were enrolled in our study. Eligible patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either ALA (1200 mg/d, intravenous infusion) once daily plus standard care or standard care plus equal volume saline infusion (placebo) for 7 days. All patients were monitored within the 7 days therapy and followed up to day 30 after therapy. The primary outcome of this study was the Sequential Organ Failure Estimate (SOFA) score, and the secondary outcome was the all-cause mortality within 30 days. RESULT: Nine patients were randomized to placebo group and 8 patients were randomized to ALA group. SOFA score was similar at baseline, increased from 4.3 to 6.0 in the placebo group and increased from 3.8 to 4.0 in the ALA group (P = 0.36) after 7 days. The 30-day all-cause mortality tended to be lower in the ALA group (3/8, 37.5%) compared to that in the placebo group (7/9, 77.8%, P = 0.09). CONCLUSION: In our study, ALA use is associated with lower SOFA score increase and lower 30-day all-cause mortality as compared with the placebo group. Although the mortality rate was two-folds higher in placebo group than in ALA group, only borderline statistical difference was evidenced due to the limited patient number. Future studies with larger patient cohort are warranted to validate the role of ALA in critically ill patients with COVID-19. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=49534.

11.
Nat Commun ; 12(1): 7135, 2021 12 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1565715

ABSTRACT

A characteristic clinical feature of COVID-19 is the frequent incidence of microvascular thrombosis. In fact, COVID-19 autopsy reports have shown widespread thrombotic microangiopathy characterized by extensive diffuse microthrombi within peripheral capillaries and arterioles in lungs, hearts, and other organs, resulting in multiorgan failure. However, the underlying process of COVID-19-associated microvascular thrombosis remains elusive due to the lack of tools to statistically examine platelet aggregation (i.e., the initiation of microthrombus formation) in detail. Here we report the landscape of circulating platelet aggregates in COVID-19 obtained by massive single-cell image-based profiling and temporal monitoring of the blood of COVID-19 patients (n = 110). Surprisingly, our analysis of the big image data shows the anomalous presence of excessive platelet aggregates in nearly 90% of all COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, results indicate strong links between the concentration of platelet aggregates and the severity, mortality, respiratory condition, and vascular endothelial dysfunction level of COVID-19 patients.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/diagnosis , Platelet Aggregation , Single-Cell Analysis , Thrombosis/virology , COVID-19/blood , Female , Humans , Male , Microscopy , Sex Factors
12.
Nat Commun ; 12(1): 5552, 2021 09 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1434105

ABSTRACT

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by the extreme release of inflammatory mediators into the blood in response to infection (e.g., bacterial infection, COVID-19), resulting in the dysfunction of multiple organs. Currently, there is no direct treatment for sepsis. Here we report an abiotic hydrogel nanoparticle (HNP) as a potential therapeutic agent for late-stage sepsis. The HNP captures and neutralizes all variants of histones, a major inflammatory mediator released during sepsis. The highly optimized HNP has high capacity and long-term circulation capability for the selective sequestration and neutralization of histones. Intravenous injection of the HNP protects mice against a lethal dose of histones through the inhibition of platelet aggregation and migration into the lungs. In vivo administration in murine sepsis model mice results in near complete survival. These results establish the potential for synthetic, nonbiological polymer hydrogel sequestrants as a new intervention strategy for sepsis therapy and adds to our understanding of the importance of histones to this condition.


Subject(s)
Hydrogels/therapeutic use , Nanoparticles/therapeutic use , Sepsis/drug therapy , Animals , Blood Platelets/drug effects , Cell Adhesion , Cell Survival/drug effects , Disease Models, Animal , Histones/antagonists & inhibitors , Histones/metabolism , Histones/toxicity , Hydrogels/chemistry , Hydrogels/metabolism , Hydrogels/pharmacology , Lung/drug effects , Lung/metabolism , Lung/pathology , Mice , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Nanoparticles/metabolism , Platelet Aggregation/drug effects , Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry , Polyethylene Glycols/metabolism , Polyethylene Glycols/pharmacology , Polyethylene Glycols/therapeutic use , Protein Binding , Sepsis/mortality , Survival Rate
13.
Phytomedicine ; 91: 153704, 2021 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1347789

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease-2019) has spread widely around the world and impacted human health for millions. The lack of effective targeted drugs and vaccines forces scientific world to search for new effective antiviral therapeutic drugs. It has reported that flavonoids have potential inhibitory activity on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and anti-inflammatory properties. Dihydromyricetin, as a flavonol, also has antiviral and anti-inflammatory potential. However, the inhibition of dihydromyricetin on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and the protective effect of dihydromyricetin on pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis have not been proved and explained. PURPOSE: The coronavirus main protease (Mpro) is essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication and to be recognized as an attractive drug target, we expect to find the inhibitor of Mpro. Novel coronavirus infection can cause severe inflammation and even sequelae of pulmonary fibrosis in critically ill patients. We hope to find a drug that can not only inhibit virus replication but also alleviate inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis in patients. METHODS: FRET-based enzymatic assay was used to evaluate the inhibit activity of dihydromyricetin on SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Molecular docking was used to identify the binding pose of dihydromyricetin with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. The protective effects of dihydromyricetin against BLM-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis were investigated in C57BL6 mice. BALF and lung tissue were collected for inflammation cells count, ELISA, masson and HE staining, western blotting and immunohistochemistry to analyze the effects of dihydromyricetin on pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis. MTT, western blotting, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and wound healing were used to analyze the effects of dihydromyricetin on lung fibrosis mechanisms in Mlg cells. RESULTS: In this study, we found that dihydromyricetin is a potent inhibitor targeting the SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with a half-maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.716 ± 0.419 µM, using molecular docking and the FRET-based enzymatic assay. The binding pose of dihydromyricetin with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro was identified using molecular docking method. In the binding pocket of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, the dihydrochromone ring of dihydromyricetin interact with the imidazole side chain of His163 through π-π stacking. The 1-oxygen of dihydromyricetin forms a hydrogen bond with the backbone nitrogen of Glu166. The 3-, 7-, 3'- and 4'-hydroxyl of dihydromyricetin interact with Gln189, Leu141, Arg188 and Thr190 through hydrogen bonds. Moreover, our results showed that dihydromyricetin can significantly alleviate BLM-induced pulmonary inflammation by inhibiting the infiltration of inflammation cells and the secretion of inflammation factors in the early process and also ameliorate pulmonary fibrosis by improving pulmonary function and down-regulate the expression of α-SMA and fibronectin in vivo. Our results also showed that dihydromyricetin inhibits the migration and activation of myofibroblasts and extracellular matrix production via transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1/Smad signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: Dihydromyricetin is an effective inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 Mpro and it prevents BLM-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis in mice. Dihydromyricetin will be a potential medicine for the treatment of COVID-19 and its sequelae.


Subject(s)
Coronavirus 3C Proteases/antagonists & inhibitors , Flavonols/pharmacology , Protease Inhibitors , SARS-CoV-2 , Virus Replication , Animals , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , COVID-19 , Fibrosis , Humans , Lung/pathology , Lung/virology , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Molecular Docking Simulation , Protease Inhibitors/pharmacology , SARS-CoV-2/drug effects , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Virus Replication/drug effects
14.
Huan Jing Ke Xue ; 42(7): 3147-3155, 2021 Jul 08.
Article in Chinese | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1296235

ABSTRACT

Biocides are widely added to personal care products and enter the environment through sewage treatment plant (STP) discharge, which affects ecological health. This paper evaluated the pollution characteristics of triclosan and triclocarban in a river network during the COVID-19 epidemic. Moreover, a continuous dynamic river network model coupling a one-dimensional hydrodynamic model and four-level fugacity model was established to address the temporal and spatial heterogeneity of pollutants in the river network migration process; then, this model was applied to evaluate two biocides in the Shima River Basin. The model passed calibration and in-field concentration verification tests and yielded satisfactory simulation results. The results of the study showed that the concentration of biocides in the river network during the new crown epidemic was twice that of the non-epidemic period. The concentration of triclosan and triclocarban in the river channel first increased and then decreased with the increase of the river migration distance after STP discharge. The time variation characteristics of the concentrations were affected by the river flow. The biocide concentration in the river network of the low flow upstream area first increased and then decreased, gradually stabilizing in about 20 h. The pollution concentration in the high flow downstream area was increased, and the concentration did not stabilize at 24 h. These results indicate the necessity of evaluating the temporal and spatial characteristics of migration of typical biocides in the river network by stages and time on the premise of distinguishing the flow.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Disinfectants , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Disinfectants/analysis , Environmental Monitoring , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis
15.
Front Pharmacol ; 12: 669642, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1295679

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread widely around the world and has seriously affected the human health of tens of millions of people. In view of lacking anti-virus drugs target to SARS-CoV-2, there is an urgent need to develop effective new drugs. In this study, we reported our discovery of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors. We selected 15 natural compounds, including 7 flavonoids, 3 coumarins, 2 terpenoids, one henolic, one aldehyde and one steroid compound for molecular docking and enzymatic screening. Myricetin were identified to have potent inhibit activity with IC50 3.684 ± 0.076 µM in the enzyme assay. The binding pose of Myricetin with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro was identified using molecular docking method. In the binding pocket of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, the chromone ring of Myricetin interacts with His41 through π-π stacking, and the 3'-, 4'- and 7-hydroxyl of Myricetin interact with Phe140, Glu166and Asp187 through hydrogen bonds. Significantly, our results showed that Myricetin has potent effect on bleomycin-induced pulmonary inflammation by inhibiting the infiltration of inflammatory cells and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1α, TNF-α and IFN-γ. Overall, Myricetin may be a potential drug for anti-virus and symptomatic treatment of COVID-19.

16.
Front Psychiatry ; 12: 616016, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1145591

ABSTRACT

Background: Hemodialysis patients not only suffer from somatic disorders but are also at high risks of psychiatric problems. Early this year, the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused great panic and anxiety worldwide. The impact of this acute public health event on the psychological status of hemodialysis patients and its relationship with their quality of life have not been fully investigated. Methods: This study comprised two parts. The initial study enrolled maintenance hemodialysis patients treated in Ruijin Hospital for more than 3 months from March to May 2020 during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Patients completed three questionnaires including the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and Kidney Disease Quality of Life (KDQOL) Short Form (SF). Follow-up study was performed from December 2020 to January 2021, when the pandemic of COVID-19 has been effectively contained in China. Only patients enrolled in the initial study were approached to participate in the follow-up study. Results: There were 273 maintenance dialysis patients enrolled in the initial study and 247 finished the follow-up study. For the initial study, the estimated prevalence of nonspecific psychiatric morbidity was 45.8% (125/273) by GHQ-28. By IES-R, 53/273 (19.4%) patients presented with total scores above 24 that reflected clinical concerns. We found a significant difference regarding KDQOL scores between patients with different stress response (IES-R) groups (p = 0.026). Our follow-up study showed that KDQOL and SF-36 scores were significantly improved in comparison with those in the initial study (p = 0.006 and p = 0.031, respectively). Though total scores of GHQ-28 and IES-R did not change significantly, some subscales improved with statistical significance. Furthermore, gender, education background, and duration of hemodialysis were three factors that may affect patients' mental health, quality of life, or health status while dialysis duration was the only variable that correlated with those parameters. However, these correlations were combined effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the dialysis itself. Conclusions: We found a correlation between changes in the mental health status of dialysis patients and changes in their quality of life. These responses were also mediated by patients' psychosocial parameters. Our results urge the necessity of psychotherapeutic interventions for some patients during this event.

17.
World J Clin Cases ; 8(22): 5535-5546, 2020 Nov 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1049214

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in China, constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It is well known that COVID-19 patients may have increased serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in the early stage. The clinical changes in LDH may have predictive value in disease evolution and prognosis in critically ill COVID-19 patients. AIM: To examine serum LDH and clinical characteristics in patients with COVID-19 and their predictive value for prognosis. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed the clinical data of forty-seven critical COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit of the Third People's Hospital of Yichang City from January 27 to March 25, 2020 and divided them into survivors and non-survivors. The patients were diagnosed according to the World Health Organization interim guidance and critical cases met any one of the following criteria: Respiratory failure and required mechanical ventilation, the occurrence of shock, and the combined failure of other organs that required intensive care unit monitoring and treatments, according to the diagnostic criteria of critical COVID-19. Clinical data including symptoms, detection of SARS-CoV-2, chest computed tomography (CT) images, changes in serum LDH in different clinical phases, and prognosis were collected. Statistical analysis of the data was performed. Continuous variables were expressed as median (interquartile range) and compared with the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were compared with the Chi-square test. Survival data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank tests. RESULTS: According to chest CT images, we observed the alveolitis and fibrosis stages in all critical patients in this study. Most non-survivors died in the fibrosis stage. Non-survivors had fewer days of hospitalization, shorter disease duration, shorter duration of alveolitis and fibrosis, and had dyspnea symptoms at disease onset (P = 0.05). Both first and lowest LDH values in the alveolitis stage were more pronounced in non-survivors than in survivors (449.0 U/L vs 288.0 U/L, P = 0.0243; 445.0 U/L vs 288.0 U/L, P = 0.0199, respectively), while the first, lowest and highest values of serum LDH in non-survivors were all significantly increased compared to survivors in the fibrosis phase (449.0 U/L vs 225.5 U/L, P = 0.0028; 432.0 U/L vs 191.0 U/L, P = 0.0007; 1303.0 U/L vs 263.5 U/L, P = 0.0001, respectively). The cut-off points of first LDH values in the alveolitis and fibrosis phase for distinction of non-survivors from survivors were 397.0 U/L and 263.0 U/L, respectively. In the fibrosis stage, non-survivors had more days with high LDH than survivors (7.0 d vs 0.0 d, P = 0.0002). Importantly, patients with high LDH had a significantly shorter median survival time than patients with low LDH in the alveolitis phase (22.0 d vs 36.5 d, P = 0.0002), while patients with high LDH also had a significantly shorter median survival time than patients with low LDH in the fibrosis phase (27.5 d vs 40.0 d, P = 0.0008). The proportion of non-survivors with detectable SARS-CoV-2 until death in the alveolitis stage was significantly increased compared with that in the fibrosis stage (100% vs 35.7%, P = 0.0220). CONCLUSION: High LDH and dyspnea symptoms were positive predictors of an adverse outcome in critical COVID-19. The rapid progressive fibrosis stage was more perilous than the alveolitis stage, even if SARS-CoV-2 is undetectable.

18.
World J Clin Cases ; 8(20): 4908-4916, 2020 Oct 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-918545

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia poses a particular challenge to the emergency surgical treatment of elderly patients with high-risk acute abdominal diseases. Elderly patients are a high-risk group for surgical treatment. If the incarceration of gallstones cannot be relieved, emergency surgery is unavoidable. CASE SUMMARY: We report an 89-year-old male patient with acute gangrenous cholecystitis and septic shock induced by incarcerated cholecystolithiasis. He had several coexisting, high-risk underlying diseases, had a history of radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer, and was taking aspirin before the operation. Nevertheless, he underwent emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy, with maintenance of postoperative heart and lung function, successfully recovered, and was discharged on day 8 after the operation. CONCLUSION: Emergency surgery for elderly patients with acute abdominal disease is safe and feasible during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, the key is to abide strictly by the hospital's epidemic prevention regulations, fully implement the epidemic prevention procedure for emergency surgery, fully prepare before the operation, accurately perform the operation, and carefully manage the patient postoperatively.

SELECTION OF CITATIONS
SEARCH DETAIL