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1.
Microorganisms ; 11(4)2023 Apr 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2301667

ABSTRACT

With the alarming surge in COVID-19 cases globally, vaccination must be prioritised to achieve herd immunity. Immune dysfunction is detected in the majority of patients with COVID-19; however, it remains unclear whether the immune responses elicited by COVID-19 vaccination function against the Omicron subvariant BA.2. Of the 508 enrolled patients infected with Omicron BA.2, 102 were unvaccinated controls, and 406 were vaccinated. Despite the presence of clinical symptoms in both groups, vaccination led to a significant decline in nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, headache, pulmonary infection, and overall clinical symptoms and a moderate rise in body temperature. The individuals infected with Omicron BA.2 were also characterised by a mild increase in both serum pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine levels after vaccination. There were no significant differences or trend changes between T- and B-lymphocyte subsets; however, a significant expansion of NK lymphocytes in COVID-19-vaccinated patients was observed. Moreover, the most effective CD16brightCD56dim subsets of NK cells showed increased functional capacities, as evidenced by a significantly greater IFN-γ secretion and a stronger cytotoxic potential in the patients infected with Omicron BA.2 after vaccination. Collectively, these results suggest that COVID-19 vaccination interventions promote the redistribution and activation of CD16brightCD56dim NK cell subsets against viral infections and that they could facilitate the clinical management of patients infected with Omicron BA.2.

2.
Popul Space Place ; 29(1): e2640, 2023 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2287248

ABSTRACT

The COVID-19 pandemic has issued significant challenges to food systems and the food security of migrants in cities. In China, there have been no studies to date focusing on the food security of migrants during the pandemic. To fill this gap, an online questionnaire survey of food security in Nanjing City, China, was conducted in March 2020. This paper situates the research findings in the general literature on the general migrant experience during the pandemic under COVID and the specifics of the Chinese policy of hukou. Using multiple linear regression and ordered logistic regression, the paper examines the impact of migration status on food security during the pandemic. The paper finds that during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, households without local Nanjing hukou were more food insecure than those with Nanjing hukou. The differences related more to the absolute quantity of food intake, rather than reduction in food quality or in levels of anxiety over food access. Migrants in China and elsewhere during COVID-19 experienced three pathways to food insecurity-an income gap, an accessibility gap, and a benefits gap. This conceptual framework is used to structure the discussion and interpretation of survey findings and also has wider potential applicability.

3.
Comput Biol Med ; 157: 106733, 2023 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2263368

ABSTRACT

Single-cell transcriptomics provides researchers with a powerful tool to resolve the transcriptome heterogeneity of individual cells. However, this method falls short in revealing cellular heterogeneity at the protein level. Previous single-cell multiomics studies have focused on data integration rather than exploiting the full potential of multiomics data. Here we introduce a new analysis framework, gene function and protein association (GFPA), that mines reliable associations between gene function and cell surface protein from single-cell multimodal data. Applying GFPA to human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we observe an association of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) with the CD99 protein in CD4 T cells, which is consistent with previous findings. Our results show that GFPA is reliable across multiple cell subtypes and PBMC samples. The GFPA python packages and detailed tutorials are freely available at https://github.com/studentiz/GFPA.


Subject(s)
Leukocytes, Mononuclear , Multiomics , Humans , Membrane Proteins , Gene Expression Profiling/methods , Transcriptome
4.
Am J Infect Control ; 2022 Nov 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2276102

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate potential viral contamination on the surfaces of personal protective equipment (PPE) in COVID-19 wards. METHODS: Face shields, gloves, the chest area of PPE and shoe soles were sampled at different time points. The samples were tested for the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by PCR, and the cycle threshold (CT) values were recorded. RESULTS: The positive rate was 74.7% (239/320) for all PPE specimens. The CT values of the samples were ranked in the following order: face shields > chests > gloves > shoe soles (37.08±1.38, 35.48±2.02, 34.17±1.91 and 33.52±3.16, respectively; P for trend < .001). After disinfection, the CT values of shoe soles decreased compared with before disinfection (32.78±3.47 vs. 34.3±2.61, P = .037), whereas no significant effect of disinfection on the CT values of face shields, chests and gloves was observed. After disinfection, the CT values of specimens collected from shoe soles gradually increased; before disinfection, the CT values of shoe sole specimens were all less than 35. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 can attach to the surfaces of the PPE of healthcare professionals in COVID-19 wards, especially the shoe soles and undisinfected gloves. Shoe soles had the highest SARS-CoV-2 loads among all tested PPE items.

5.
Brief Bioinform ; 24(1)2023 01 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2188256

ABSTRACT

The proliferation of single-cell multimodal sequencing technologies has enabled us to understand cellular heterogeneity with multiple views, providing novel and actionable biological insights into the disease-driving mechanisms. Here, we propose a comprehensive end-to-end single-cell multimodal analysis framework named Deep Parametric Inference (DPI). DPI transforms single-cell multimodal data into a multimodal parameter space by inferring individual modal parameters. Analysis of cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) reveals that the multimodal parameter space can characterize the heterogeneity of cells more comprehensively than individual modalities. Furthermore, comparisons with the state-of-the-art methods on multiple datasets show that DPI has superior performance. Additionally, DPI can reference and query cell types without batch effects. As a result, DPI can successfully analyze the progression of COVID-19 disease in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Notably, we further propose a cell state vector field and analyze the transformation pattern of bone marrow cells (BMC) states. In conclusion, DPI is a powerful single-cell multimodal analysis framework that can provide new biological insights into biomedical researchers. The python packages, datasets and user-friendly manuals of DPI are freely available at https://github.com/studentiz/dpi.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Leukocytes, Mononuclear , Humans , Single-Cell Analysis/methods , Computational Biology/methods
6.
Front Public Health ; 10: 1048935, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2199525

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) related symptoms among healthcare workers (HWs) who were in the fighting against COVID-19 in Nanjing of China, and further to examine the association between working place and FGIDs-related symptoms among HWs during the period of COVID-19 epidemic. Methods: An online anonymous survey was conducted among those HWs without history of FGIDs, who took part in the fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic between July and September of 2021 in Nanjing, China. All the 15 FGIDs-related symptoms included in the Rome IV diagnostic questionnaire for adults were investigated in this study. The outcome variable was the presence of FGIDs-related symptoms ("Yes" or "No"), while the independent measure was participants' working place ("in-ward" or "out-ward"). Logistics regression models were applied to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the association of working place with FGIDs-related symptoms among those healthcare workers. Results: Totally, 336 eligible participants completed the survey. The prevalence of FGIDs-related symptoms was 48.8% (95%CI = 43.4%, 54.3%) among overall participants, with 40.7% (95%CI = 33.14%, 48.71%) and 56.3% (95%CI = 48.59%, 63.73%) for in-ward and out-ward HWs, respectively. Compared to their in-ward counterparts, those out-ward HWs were at a 1.88-fold likelihood (95%CI = 1.22, 2.89) to experience FGIDs-related symptoms during the period of fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic. After adjustment for potential confounders, such a positive association attenuated but still remained significant. Conclusions: A high prevalence of FGIDs-related symptoms was observed among those HWs who were without history of FGIDs during the fighting against COVID-19, and out-ward HWs were at a significantly higher risk to experience FGIDs-related symptoms relative to their in-ward counterparts in regional China. It has important implications that particular attention shall be paid to functional gastrointestinal issues for healthcare workers, especially those who are at uncertain risks of infectious diseases, when they participate in response to public health emergencies in future.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Gastrointestinal Diseases , Adult , Humans , Prevalence , COVID-19/epidemiology , Gastrointestinal Diseases/epidemiology , Gastrointestinal Diseases/diagnosis , Surveys and Questionnaires , China/epidemiology
7.
Research (Wash D C) ; 2022: 9838341, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1979970

ABSTRACT

Inflammasomes are essential complexes of innate immune system, which form the first line of host defense against pathogens. Mounting evidence accumulates that inflammasome signaling is highly correlated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, there remains a significant gap in our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of inflammasome signaling. Combining mathematical modeling with experimental analysis of NLRP1b inflammasome signaling, we found that only the expression levels of caspase-1 and GSDMD have the potential to individually switch cell death modes. Reduction of caspase-1 or GSDMD switches cell death from pyroptosis to apoptosis. Caspase-1 and GSDMD present different thresholds and exert distinct pathway choices in switching death modes. Pyroptosis switches to apoptosis with an extremely low threshold level of caspase-1, but with a high threshold of GSDMD. Caspase-1-impaired cells employ ASC-caspase-8-dependent pathway for apoptosis, while GSDMD-impaired cells primarily utilize caspase-1-dependent pathway. Additionally, caspase-1 and GSDMD can severally ignite the cooccurrence of pyroptosis and apoptosis. Landscape topography unravels that the cooccurrence is dramatically different in caspase-1- and GSDMD-impaired cells. Besides pyroptosis state and apoptosis state, a potential new "coexisting" state in single cells is proposed when GSDMD acts as the driving force of the landscape. The "seesaw model" is therefore proposed, which can well describe the death states that are controlled by caspase-1 or GSDMD in single cells. Our study sheds new light on NLRP1b inflammasome signaling and uncovers the switching mechanisms among various death modes, providing potential clues to guide the development of more rational control strategies for diseases.

8.
Cell Discov ; 8(1): 70, 2022 Jul 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1960340

ABSTRACT

Little is known regarding why a subset of COVID-19 patients exhibited prolonged positivity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we found that patients with long viral RNA course (LC) exhibited prolonged high-level IgG antibodies and higher regulatory T (Treg) cell counts compared to those with short viral RNA course (SC) in terms of viral load. Longitudinal proteomics and metabolomics analyses of the patient sera uncovered that prolonged viral RNA shedding was associated with inhibition of the liver X receptor/retinoid X receptor (LXR/RXR) pathway, substantial suppression of diverse metabolites, activation of the complement system, suppressed cell migration, and enhanced viral replication. Furthermore, a ten-molecule learning model was established which could potentially predict viral RNA shedding period. In summary, this study uncovered enhanced inflammation and suppressed adaptive immunity in COVID-19 patients with prolonged viral RNA shedding, and proposed a multi-omic classifier for viral RNA shedding prediction.

9.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med ; 2022: 5536266, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1677412

ABSTRACT

The 31 main components of Lianhua Qingwen (LHQW) were obtained through a literature and database search; the components included glycyrrhizic acid, emodin, chlorogenic acid, isophoroside A, forsythia, menthol, luteolin, quercetin, and rutin. Sixty-eight common targets for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) and influenza virus pneumonia (IVP) were also obtained. A "component-target-disease" network was constructed with Cytoscape 3.2.1 software, and 20 key targets, such as cyclooxygenase2 (COX2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), mitogen-activated protein kinase14 (Mapk14), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF), were screened from the network. The David database was used to perform a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signal pathway enrichment analysis and gene ontology (GO) biological process enrichment. Results showed that the key targets of LHQW in the treatment of NCP and IVP mainly involved biological processes, such as immune system process intervention, cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion, toxic metabolism, cytokine activity, and regulation of the synthesis process. KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that 115 signalling pathways were related to the treatment of LHQW. Amongst them, IL-17, T cell receptor, Th17 cell differentiation, TNF, toll-like receptor, MAPK, apoptosis, and seven other signalling pathways were closely related to the occurrence and development of NCP and IVP. Molecular docking showed that each component had different degrees of binding with six targets, namely, 3C-like protease (3CL), angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), COX2, hemagglutinin (HA), IL-6, and neuraminidase (NA). Rutin, isoforsythiaside A, hesperidin and isochlorogenic acid B were the best components for docking with the six core targets. The first five components with the best docking results were isoforsythiaside, hesperidin, isochlorogenic acid B, forsythin E, and quercetin. In conclusion, LHQW has many components, targets, and pathways. The findings of this work can provide an important theoretical basis for determining the mechanism of LHQW in treating NCP and IVP.

10.
Chaos Solitons Fractals ; 155: 111724, 2022 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1588128

ABSTRACT

The newly identified cell death type, pyroptosis plays crucial roles in various diseases. Most recently, mounting evidence accumulates that pyroptotic signaling is highly correlated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Thus, understanding the induction of the pyroptotic signaling and dissecting the detail molecular control mechanisms are urgently needed. Based on recent experimental studies, a core regulatory model of the pyroptotic signaling is constructed to investigate the intricate crosstalk dynamics between the two cell death types, i.e., pyroptosis and secondary pyroptosis. The model well reproduces the experimental observations under different conditions. Sensitivity analysis determines that only the expression level of caspase-1 or GSDMD has the potential to individually change death modes. The decrease of caspase-1 or GSDMD level switches cell death from pyroptosis to secondary pyroptosis. Besides, eight biochemical reactions are identified that can efficiently switch death modes. While from the viewpoint of bifurcation analysis, the expression level of caspase-3 is further identified and twelve biochemical reactions are obtained. The coexistence of pyroptosis and secondary pyroptosis is predicted to be observed not only within the bistable range, but also within proper monostable range, presenting two potential different control mechanisms. Combined with the landscape theory, we further explore the stochastic dynamic and global stability of the pyroptotic system, accurately quantifying how each component mediates the individual occurrence probability of pyroptosis and secondary pyroptosis. Overall, this study sheds new light on the intricate crosstalk of the pyroptotic signaling and uncovers the regulatory mechanisms of various stable state transitions, providing potential clues to guide the development for prevention and treatment of pyroptosis-related diseases.

11.
Sci Rep ; 11(1): 14748, 2021 07 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1319045

ABSTRACT

Candidemia caused by Candida spp. is a serious threat in hospital settings being a major cause of acquired infection and death and a possible contributor to Covid-19 mortality. Candidemia incidence has been rising worldwide following increases in fungicide-resistant pathogens highlighting the need for more effective antifungal agents with novel modes of action. The membrane-bound enzyme alternative oxidase (AOX) promotes fungicide resistance and is absent in humans making it a desirable therapeutic target. However, the lipophilic nature of the AOX substrate (ubiquinol-10) has hindered its kinetic characterisation in physiologically-relevant conditions. Here, we present the purification and expression of recombinant AOXs from C. albicans and C. auris in a self-assembled proteoliposome (PL) system. Kinetic parameters (Km and Vmax) with respect to ubiquinol-10 have been determined. The PL system has also been employed in dose-response assays with novel AOX inhibitors. Such information is critical for the future development of novel treatments for Candidemia.


Subject(s)
Candida albicans/enzymology , Drug Resistance, Fungal , Fungal Proteins/metabolism , Liposomes/metabolism , Mitochondrial Proteins/metabolism , Oxidoreductases/metabolism , Plant Proteins/metabolism , Antifungal Agents/pharmacology , Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology , Fungal Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Fungal Proteins/genetics , Kinetics , Mitochondrial Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Mitochondrial Proteins/genetics , Oxidoreductases/antagonists & inhibitors , Oxidoreductases/genetics , Plant Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors , Plant Proteins/genetics , Recombinant Proteins/genetics , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism
12.
Biotechnol Bioeng ; 118(9): 3559-3568, 2021 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1245365

ABSTRACT

Molecular diagnosis is an essential means to detect pathogens. The portable nucleic acid detection chip has excellent prospects in places where medical resources are scarce, and it is also of research interest in the field of microfluidic chips. Here, the article developed a new type of microfluidic chip for nucleic acid detection where stretching acts as the driving force. The sample entered the chip by applying capillary force. The strain valve was opened under the action of tensile force, and the spring pump generated the power to drive the fluid to flow to the detection chamber in a specific direction. The detection of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was realized on the chip. The RT-LAMP amplification system was adopted to observe the liquid color in the detection chamber to decide whether the sample tested positive or negative qualitatively.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/virology , Microfluidic Analytical Techniques/instrumentation , Nucleic Acids/analysis , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Humans
13.
Front Med ; 15(3): 486-494, 2021 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1122810

ABSTRACT

Tocilizumab has been reported to attenuate the "cytokine storm" in COVID-19 patients. We attempted to verify the effectiveness and safety of tocilizumab therapy in COVID-19 and identify patients most likely to benefit from this treatment. We conducted a randomized, controlled, open-label multicenter trial among COVID-19 patients. The patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either tocilizumab in addition to standard care or standard care alone. The cure rate, changes of oxygen saturation and interference, and inflammation biomarkers were observed. Thirty-three patients were randomized to the tocilizumab group, and 32 patients to the control group. The cure rate in the tocilizumab group was higher than that in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (94.12% vs. 87.10%, rate difference 95% CI-7.19%-21.23%, P = 0.4133). The improvement in hypoxia for the tocilizumab group was higher from day 4 onward and statistically significant from day 12 (P = 0.0359). In moderate disease patients with bilateral pulmonary lesions, the hypoxia ameliorated earlier after tocilizumab treatment, and less patients (1/12, 8.33%) needed an increase of inhaled oxygen concentration compared with the controls (4/6, 66.67%; rate difference 95% CI-99.17% to-17.50%, P = 0.0217). No severe adverse events occurred. More mild temporary adverse events were recorded in tocilizumab recipients (20/34, 58.82%) than the controls (4/31, 12.90%). Tocilizumab can improve hypoxia without unacceptable side effect profile and significant influences on the time virus load becomes negative. For patients with bilateral pulmonary lesions and elevated IL-6 levels, tocilizumab could be recommended to improve outcome.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Treatment Outcome
14.
Sleep Med ; 91: 161-165, 2022 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1071935

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Suffering from COVID-19 is a strong psychological stressor to the patients. Even after recovery, patients are prone to a variety of mental health problems. Recently, some studies focus on the psychological situation of patients when they got COVID-19. However, no study focused on the psychological status of recovered COVID-19-infected patients in China. Our study aims to investigate sleep and mood status, and detect the influencing factors of the psychological status of the COVID-19 patients after recovery. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-five COVID-19 patients were enrolled from February to April 2020. The social demographic information of all participants was collected by a self-designed questionnaire. Insomnia and depression symptoms were evaluated through the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Center for Epidemiology Scale for Depression (CES-D). RESULTS: The rates of insomnia and depression were 26.45% and 9.92% in the COVID-19 patients after recovery. There were significant differences in physical, mental impairment, and the need for psychological assistance between the COVID-19 recovered patients with depression and the patients without depression. In addition, age and health status may be the influencing factors for insomnia, and care about the views of others may be the influencing factor of depression (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results, we found that COVID-19 recovered patients had a low rate of depression and a high rate of insomnia. We need to pay more attention to their sleep condition than mood status.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders , Anxiety/psychology , COVID-19/epidemiology , China/epidemiology , Cross-Sectional Studies , Depression/epidemiology , Depression/psychology , Humans , Rehabilitation Centers , SARS-CoV-2 , Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/epidemiology , Survivors
16.
Public Health Nutr ; 24(2): 267-274, 2021 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1023809

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (K-A-P) about food safety and nutrition in Chinese adults who were recruited to the online survey during the epidemic of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19). DESIGN: Participants were recruited by an online snowball sampling method. An electronic questionnaire was sent to our colleagues, students, friends, other professionals and their referrals helped us recruit more participants. The questionnaire included socio-demographic information, the attention paid to COVID-19, K-A-P about food safety and nutrition. Multiple and logistic regression analyses were used to explore related factors of K-A-P. SUBJECTS: Totally, 2272 participants aged 24·09 ± 9·14 years, from twenty-seven provinces, autonomous districts or municipalities, with 18·3 % male and 83·4 % with a medical background. RESULTS: The total possible knowledge score was 8·0, the average score was 5·2 ± 1·6 and 4·2 % obtained 8·0. The total possible attitudes score was 8·0, the average score was 6·5 ± 1·4 and 36·1 % obtained 8·0. The total possible food safety practices score was 5·0, the average score was 3·7 ± 1·0 and 20·7 % obtained 5·0. During this public emergency, 79·4 % participants changed diet habits, including increasing vegetables, fruit and water intake and reducing sugary drinks and snacks. Gender, age, educational and professional background, disease history, the attention paid to COVID-19 and related knowledge were associated with K-A-P. CONCLUSION: There was room for the improvement of K-A-P in participants during this public health emergency and further strengthening education about food safety and nutrition is needed. Findings indicate that education should address biased or misleading information and promote nutritious food choices and safe food practices.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Food Safety , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Nutritional Status , Adolescent , Adult , China/epidemiology , Educational Status , Epidemics , Feeding Behavior , Female , Fruit , Humans , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , SARS-CoV-2 , Snacks , Surveys and Questionnaires , Vegetables , Young Adult
17.
Cell ; 184(3): 775-791.e14, 2021 02 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1014394

ABSTRACT

The molecular pathology of multi-organ injuries in COVID-19 patients remains unclear, preventing effective therapeutics development. Here, we report a proteomic analysis of 144 autopsy samples from seven organs in 19 COVID-19 patients. We quantified 11,394 proteins in these samples, in which 5,336 were perturbed in the COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Our data showed that cathepsin L1, rather than ACE2, was significantly upregulated in the lung from the COVID-19 patients. Systemic hyperinflammation and dysregulation of glucose and fatty acid metabolism were detected in multiple organs. We also observed dysregulation of key factors involved in hypoxia, angiogenesis, blood coagulation, and fibrosis in multiple organs from the COVID-19 patients. Evidence for testicular injuries includes reduced Leydig cells, suppressed cholesterol biosynthesis, and sperm mobility. In summary, this study depicts a multi-organ proteomic landscape of COVID-19 autopsies that furthers our understanding of the biological basis of COVID-19 pathology.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation , Proteome/biosynthesis , Proteomics , SARS-CoV-2/metabolism , Autopsy , COVID-19/pathology , COVID-19/therapy , Female , Humans , Male , Organ Specificity
18.
Immunol Res ; 68(6): 398-404, 2020 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-808082

ABSTRACT

This single-center, retrospective study aimed to explore the immune characteristics of COVID-19 and biomarkers to predict the severity of this disease. Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 (n = 215) treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 24 to March 12, 2020, were included in the study and classified into severe and non-severe groups. Peripheral immunocyte count and cytokine statuses were compared. The correlation between immune status, cytokine levels, and disease severity was analyzed. Leukocyte numbers were normal in both groups; however, they were relatively high (7.19 × 109/L) in patients of the severe group. Leukocyte distributions differed between the two groups; the severe group had a higher percentage of neutrophils and lower percentage of lymphocytes compared with the non-severe group, and absolute lymphocyte numbers were below normal in both groups, and particularly deficient in patients in the severe group. Lymphocyte counts have negative correlation with duration of hospital period whereas neutrophil count has no significant correlation with it. Of tested cytokines, IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the severe group (P = 0.0418). Low level of lymphocyte predicts severity of COVID-19. IL-6 levels were significantly higher in the severe group, especially in some extremely severe patients. But we did not detect the significant correlation between severity of COVID-19 with IL-6 level which may be due to limited case numbers. Our observations encourage future research to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms and to improve treatment outcome of COVID-19.


Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/diagnosis , Interleukin-6/blood , Lymphocyte Count/statistics & numerical data , Pneumonia, Viral/diagnosis , Adult , Aged , Betacoronavirus/immunology , Biomarkers/analysis , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/pathology , Cytokine Release Syndrome/blood , Cytokine Release Syndrome/pathology , Female , Humans , Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit/blood , Interleukin-8/blood , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Male , Middle Aged , Neutrophils/immunology , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/pathology , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2 , Severity of Illness Index , Treatment Outcome , Young Adult
19.
Mathematical Modelling of Natural Phenomena ; 15, 2020.
Article | Web of Science | ID: covidwho-752443

ABSTRACT

The novel coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) has raged in mainland China for nearly three months resulting in a huge threat to people's health and economic development. According to the cumulative numbers of confirmed cases and deathes of SARS-COV-2 infection announced by the National Health Commission of China, we divided the human population into four subgroups including the adolescents group (0-19 yr old), the youth group (20-49 yr old), the middle-aged group (50-74 yr old) and the elderly group (over 75 yr old), and proposed a discrete age-structured SEIHRQ SARS-COV-2 transmission model. We utilized contact matrixes to describe the contact heterogeneities and correlations among different age groups. Adopting the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm, we identified the parameters of the model and fitted the confirmed cases from January 24th to March 31st. Through a more in-depth study, we showed that before January 28th (95% CI [Feb. 25th, Feb. 31st]), the effective reproduction number was greater than 1 and after that day its value was less than 1. Moreover, we estimated that the peak values of infection were 66 (95% CI [65,67]) for the adolescents, 3996 (95% CI [3957,4036]) for the young group, 14714 (95% CI [14692,14735]) for middle-aged group and 297 (95% CI [295,300]) for elderly people, respectively;the proportions of the final sizes of SARS-COV-2 infection accounted for less than 90% for each group. We found that under the current restricted control strategies, the most severe and high-risk group was middle-aged people aged between 50-74 yr old;without any prevention, the most severe and high-risk group had become the young adults aged 20-49 yr old.

20.
Talanta ; 214: 120865, 2020 Jul 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2107

ABSTRACT

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), induced by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) causes acute diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and high mortality in neonatal piglets, resulting in significant economic losses in the pig industries. In this study, an immunochromatographic assay (ICA) based on a EuNPs-mAb fluorescent probe was developed and optimized for rapid detection of PEDV. The limit of detection (LOD) of the ICA was 0.218 µg/mL (2.725 × 103 TCID50/mL) and its linear detection range was 0.03125-8 µg/mL (3.91 × 102-105 TCID50/mL). The ICA was also validated for the detection of PEDV in swine stool samples. 60 swine stool samples from southern China were analyzed by the ICA and RT-PCR, and the results showed that the coincidence rate of the ICA to RT-PCR was 86.67%, which was significantly higher than that of AuNPs based ICA. The ICA is sensitive and specific and can achieve on-site rapid detection of swine stool samples. Therefore, the ICA has a great potential for PED diagnosis and prevention.


Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/chemistry , Europium/chemistry , Fluorescent Dyes/chemistry , Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus/isolation & purification , Animals , Chromatography, Affinity , Particle Size , Surface Properties , Swine
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