ABSTRACT
Methods: The survey was designed by an international team, translated and adapted to simplified Chinese, including 132 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) preparation recommended by guidelines. It was distributed and collected from February to May 2021, with data analysed by WPS spreadsheet and wjx.cn. Descriptive statistics were used to describe demographics and clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatments, preventative behaviours and interventions, and their associated outcomes. Results: The survey was accessed 503 times with 341 (67.8%) completions covering 23 provinces and four municipalities in China. Most (282/341, 82.7%) respondents reported no symptoms during the pandemic and the majority (290/341, 85.0%) reported having a SARS-CoV-2 PCR test at some point. Forty-five (13.2%) reported having a respiratory infection, among which 19 (42.2%) took one or more categories of modern medicine, e.g. painkillers, antibiotics;16 (35.6%) used TCM interventions(s);while seven respondents combined TCM with modern medicine. All respondents reported using at least one behavioural or medical approach to prevention, with 22.3% taking TCM and 5.3% taking modern medicines. No respondents reported having a critical condition related to COVID-19. Background: We aimed to investigate use of infection control behaviours, preventative and therapeutic interventions, and outcomes among respondents to an online survey during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Conclusion: We found evidence of widespread use of infection control behaviours, modern medicines and TCM for treatment and prevention of COVID-19 and other respiratory symptoms. Larger scale studies are warranted, including a more representative sample exploring TCM preparations recommended in clinical guidelines.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread around the world in 2020. Abnormal pulmonary function and residual CT abnormalities were observed in COVID-19 patients during recovery. Appropriate rehabilitation training is around the corner. The correlation between spirometric impairment and residual CT abnormality remains largely unknown. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted on the pulmonary function of 101 convalescent COVID-19 patients before discharge. Multivariate analysis was used to establish a scoring system to evaluate the spirometric abnormality based on residual chest CT. RESULTS: Lung consolidation area >25% and severe-type COVID-19 were two independent risk factors for severe pulmonary dysfunction. Besides, a scoring system was established. People scoring more than 12 points have more chances (17 times) to get severe pulmonary function impairment before discharge. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, a chest CT characteristics-based grading system was suggested to predict the pulmonary dysfunction of COVID-19 patients during convalescence in this study. This study may provide suggestions for pulmonary rehabilitation.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The Jade Screen Project (JSP) was initiated in March 2020 by Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) practitioners to help support UK frontline workers in the prevention, treatment and recovery from Covid-19. Methods: The JSP Management group was formed in March 2020. A selective review was conducted of available English and Chinese language sources describing the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Data on herbs, formulae and approaches to management were extracted, formulated into statements, and circulated to an international group of expert practitioners. Agreement on these were rated on a 7 point Likert scale and aggregated to generate a broad consensus on good practice resulting in preventative and acute treatment guidelines. Forty-eight CHM practitioners were recruited to work voluntarily on the project and trained in the use of the guidelines. Funds were raised to enable provision of free herbs. Practitioner networks and social media were used to publicise the project. Results: Currently the JSP has 140 patients registered for treatment (74 for prevention, 6 for acute infection, and 60 for recovery). Recruitment has been primarily by word-of-mouth and includes a geographically and ethnically diverse population with a wide range of occupations from bus driver to surgeon. Data are being collected quantitatively using a modified MYMOP outcome measure and via in-depth qualitative interviews. Preliminary data suggests that CHM may have a useful role in assisting in the recovery from chronic COVID-19 related disease. Conclusion: The JSP is an example of a practitioner led initiative to provide accessible integrative care to a vulnerable population at a time of great need. It has generated treatment guidelines, created a network of trained practitioners, and provided free herbal treatment to a diverse group of CHM naive people. Preliminary data suggest further research into the role of CHM to assist recovery from chronic COVID-19 infection is warranted Keywords: Chinese herbal medicine;COVID-19;Integrative care;Prevention;Treatment
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Chinese patent medicine (CPM) is an indispensable part of traditional Chinese medicine. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) manifests is an acute respiratory infectious disease. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effects and safety of oral CPM for COVID-19. Methods: We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that tested oral CPM for the treatment of COVID-19 identified from publications in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, Web of Science, SinoMed, PubMed, Embase, BioRxiv, MedRxiv and arXiv before November 2nd, 2020. The risk of bias for each trial was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0. RevMan 5.4 software was used for data analyses. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the online GRADEpro tool. Results: Seven RCTs including 1079 participants were identified. The overall bias was assessed as “some concerns” for all included trials. Oral CPM investigated were: Lianhua Qingwen capsule/granules (连花清瘟胶囊/颗粒, LHQW), Jinhua Qinggan granules (金花清感颗粒, JHQG), Huoxiang Zhengqidripping pills (藿香正气滴丸, HXZQ), Toujie Quwen granules (透解祛瘟颗粒, TJQW) and Lianhua Qingke granules (连花清咳颗粒, LHQK). Compared with conventional western therapy alone for people with COVID-19: regarding the main outcomes, the results showed that oral CPM combined with conventional western therapy improved cure rate (RR = 1.20, 95% CI 1.04 to 1.38, involving LHQW and TJQW), reduced aggravation rate (RR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.29 to 0.85, involving LHQW, JHQG, LHQK and TJQW);with regard to additional outcomes, the results showed that add-on oral CPM shortened the duration of fever, cough and fatigue, improved the recovery rate of cough and fatigue, and increased the improvement and recovery rate of chest CT manifestations. There were some differences in therapeutic effects among various CPMs for the same COVID-19 outcome. The use of TJQW and LHQG appeared not to increase the risk of adverse events, but JHQG may cause mild diarrhea. Conclusions: Low-certainty or very low-certainty evidence demonstrated that oral CPM may have add-on potential therapeutic effects for patients with non-serious COVID-19. There are some differences in therapeutic effects between different oral CPMs for the same outcome of COVID-19. The use of TJQW and LHQG probably does not increase the risk of adverse events, but JHQG may cause mild diarrhea in patients. The conclusion of this review needs to be further confirmed by well-designed clinical trials with adequate sample sizes. Keywords: Coronavirus Disease 2019;COVID-19;Chinese patent medicine;Chinese herbal medicine;Systematic review;Meta-analysis
ABSTRACT
With the outbreak of the COVID-19, most students can only take classes online at home. However, many students cannot consciously control their learning behaviors when they are in class at home, and some negative learning behaviors such as sleeping on the table or wandering have appeared. These negative learning behaviors greatly affect the effectiveness of learning. In order to deal with these problems, a online teaching system based on human action recognition is developed to assist teachers in real-time capturing the class status of classmates and improve the efficiency of home-based online teaching. Here, the system uses the OpenPose human body gesture recognition algorithm to obtain the key points of the student's body in class in front of the camera, and recognizes the student's class behavior through the analysis of the coordinates. The RTMP protocol is used to solve the problem of audio and video transmission during the live broadcast. We have conducted experiments to show the effectiveness of our system for analyzing the status of students and evaluating the online class.