ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Currently, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread globally, causing an unprecedented pandemic. However, there is no specific antiviral therapy for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We conducted a clinical trial to compare the effectiveness of three antiviral treatment regimens in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. METHODS: This was a single-center, randomized, open-labeled, prospective clinical trial. Eligible patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 were randomized into three groups: ribavirin (RBV) plus interferon-α (IFN-α), lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) plus IFN-α, and RBV plus LPV/r plus IFN-α at a 1:1:1 ratio. Each patient was invited to participate in a 28-d follow-up after initiation of an antiviral regimen. The outcomes include the difference in median interval to SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid negativity, the proportion of patients with SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid negativity at day 14, the mortality at day 28, the proportion of patients re-classified as severe cases, and adverse events during the study period. RESULTS: In total, we enrolled 101 patients in this study. Baseline clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients were comparable among the three groups. In the analysis of intention-to-treat data, the median interval from baseline to SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid negativity was 12 d in the LPV/r+IFN-α-treated group, as compared with 13 and 15 d in the RBV+IFN-α-treated group and in the RBV+LPV/r+ IFN-α-treated group, respectively (p=0.23). The proportion of patients with SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid negativity in the LPV/r+IFN-α-treated group (61.1%) was higher than the RBV+ IFN-α-treated group (51.5%) and the RBV+LPV/r+IFN-α-treated group (46.9%) at day 14; however, the difference between these groups was calculated to be statistically insignificant. The RBV+LPV/r+IFN-α-treated group developed a significantly higher incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events than the LPV/r+ IFN-α-treated group and the RBV+ IFN-α-treated group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that there are no significant differences among the three regimens in terms of antiviral effectiveness in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Furthermore, the combination of RBV and LPV/r is associated with a significant increase in gastrointestinal adverse events, suggesting that RBV and LPV/r should not be co-administered to COVID-19 patients simultaneously. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: ChiCTR2000029387. Registered on January 28, 2019.
ABSTRACT
Four typical automobile manufacturing enterprises in Zhejiang Province were selected to determine the main production and emission links of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in this industry by analyzing their production processes and the main raw and auxiliary materials used. Two of them were monitored on the spot, and the producing coefficients and emission coefficients of the VOCs discharged from the automobile manufacturing industry in Zhejiang Province were calculated. Then, the production and emission of VOCs in this industry in 2017 in Zhejiang Province were estimated. The results show that the main production and emission links of VOCs in the automobile manufacturing industry in Zhejiang Province are coating processes. Only a few of the automobile manufacturers in Zhejiang Province can deal with the paint exhaust gas effectively at present; in addition to coatings, solvent-based cleaning agents are also one of the main sources of VOCs in this industry. The VOC producing coefficients of the automobile manufacturing industry in Zhejiang Province are 0.20 t·t-1, 3.92 kg·vehicle-1, and 29.36 g·m-2; the emission coefficients are 0.13 t·t-1, 2.63 kg·vehicle-1, and 19.72 g·m-2. The quantity of VOCs generated by this industry in 2017 was 2425.84 t, while the quantity of emissions was 1627.54 t.
ABSTRACT
The status of volatile organic compound (VOC) treatment in auto/motorcycle parts & accessories manufacturing in Zhejiang province was analyzed based on data from a survey investigating 70 concerned enterprises conducted in 2015. The pollution characteristics were further explored and the emission coefficient of VOCs released from this industry was preliminarily calculated by analyzing the survey data of 56 of the typical enterprises that had been screened further. The results showed that about two thirds of the enterprises had been equipped with collection and treatment facilities, but most of those facilities were running abnormally. Solvent-based materials were used commonly in this industry, and the main VOCs pollutants were xylene, butyl acetate, cyclohexanone, acetic ether, and toluene. The VOCs emission coefficient of auto/motorcycle parts & accessories manufacturing in Zhejiang was 414 g·(thousand yuan)-1, whereas the emission coefficient of the enterprises producing parts & accessories for only auto was 294 g·(thousand yuan)-1. As for the the enterprises producing parts & accessories for only motorcycle and for both auto and motorcycle, the emission coefficient reached 715 g·(thousand yuan)-1.
ABSTRACT
To examine accuracy of body composition predicted by the Multi-Frequency Bioelectric Impedance Analysis (MF-BIA) compared with the Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in adults with obese. We measured body composition of 749 adults with obese both by the MF-BIA and DXA. The Lin's concordance correlation and the Bland-Altman plots were used to examine the consistency. The concordance correlation coefficient of %BF between the MF-BIA and DXA in men and women was 0.560, and 0.669, respectively. Compared with the DXA, the MF-BIA significantly underestimated %BF by 4.33% in men (P < 0.001), however overestimated %BF by 0.50% in women (P < 0.001). After corrected by the correction equations established in this study, the differences were significantly decreased. Therefore, the MF-BIA (TANITA MC-180) may need to be corrected in estimating body composition for adults with obese.
Subject(s)
Absorptiometry, Photon/methods , Body Composition/physiology , Obesity/diagnosis , Adipose Tissue , Adult , Body Mass Index , Electric Impedance , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
The preconcentration and determination of gold and silver in twenty plants from the copper mining area by ICP-MS was described. The plant samples were decomposed by dry-ashing and aqua regia. 107Ag, 109Ag and 197Au were chosen as determining isotopes and 103Rh and 203Tl were chosen as internal standards. The conditions of sample digestion were elected and the interferences on instrument measurement were eliminated through the experiments. The detection limits of method were 0.048 and 1.06 ng x g(-1) for Au and Ag. The precisions (n=5) were between 0.85% and 9.05% RSD, and the recoveries were between 93.6%-101.6% (Au, Ag). The method is sensitive quick,simple and has been applied to the analysis of gold and silver in plants from the copper mining area. Under the given analytical conditions, the results showed that the contents of the Au and Ag varied in these diferent plants, the ranging between 0.181-0.99 ng x g(-1) for Au and 280-2150 ng x g(-1) for Ag respectively. The geochemical anomalies on Ag were discovered in Pteris, Dicranopteris pedata and Bolbitis heteroclita, which can be regarded as prospecting effective indicator plants.
Subject(s)
Gold/analysis , Plants/chemistry , Silver/analysis , Copper , Isotopes , Mass Spectrometry , MiningABSTRACT
An ICP-MS method was established for the determination of sixteen trace elements, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Nb, Mo, Ag, Cd, Au, Tl, Pb and Bi in electrical absorption prospecting polyform. Three methods for polyform samples (ashing method, extraction by HNO3 + H2O2 and digestion with aqua regia) were compared and the results showed that the second method is the best one. The best operational paramenters of X series ICP-MS were confirmed, the inner standard 103Rh and 185Re were selected for the determination of elements, and analysis of isotopes interference correction equations was established. Satisfactory linearity of working curves of the sixteen trace elements was obtained, giving all their correlation coefficients over 0.999 8. The determination limit of the analytes was in the range of 0.001-2.2 microg x g(-1). The precision was 1.39%-4.84%, and the recoveries were between 94.86% and 105.2%. The method is sensitive, quick and simple and has been applied to the analysis of a great number of polyform samples.
