[Clinical features and outcome of treatment for novel coronavirus pneumonia: a meta-analysis].

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and outcome of treatment for novel coronavirus pneumonia. Methods: Literature on novel coronavirus pneumonia was retrieved from PubMed and EMBASE databases. The relevant data was extracted and a meta-analysis was performed using StatsDirect statistical software V.2.8.0 to calculate the combined odds ratio. Results: Seven studies were included, consisting of 1594 cases. The meta-analysis result showed that the most common clinical symptoms of the novel coronavirus pneumonia were fever (91.6%) and cough (64.5%), followed by dyspnea (32.8%) and sputum (28.1%). Headache (10.5%), sore throat (11.2%), hemoptysis (3.2%), diarrhea (6.6%) and the other symptoms were relatively rare. Aspartate aminotransferase (29%), alanine transaminase (22.7%), and total bilirubin (11.7%) levels were elevated, except for serum albumin levels (80.4%). The common therapeutic agents used were antibiotics (87.7%), antiviral drugs (75.5%), and glucocorticoids (26.6%), while antifungal agents (7.7%) were used in few. Mechanical ventilation (13.4%), extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (1.9%), and continuous renal replacement therapy (3.8%) were used in severe cases. The rate of mortality in hospital was 7.7%, respectively. Heterogeneity between studies was significant; however, subgroup and sensitivity analysis had failed to identify clear sources of heterogeneity. Conclusion: Fever, cough and liver dysfunction are the main clinical manifestations of this disease and the mortality rate is low.

[An evidence-based terlipressin therapy for gastroesophageal variceal hemorrhage].

Gastroesophageal variceal bleeding is one of the major complications of cirrhosis and also the leading causes of death in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Terlipressin is a triglycyl-lysine vasopressin, a synthetic vasopressin analogue that is mainly used for the treatment of acute variceal hemorrhage. This article aims to review the current status of treatment of gastroesophageal variceal bleeding with terlipressin from the perspective of evidence-based medicine.

Systematic review with meta-analysis: the gastrointestinal benefits of COX-2 selective inhibitors with concomitant use of low-dose aspirin.

BACKGROUND: It is uncertain whether concurrent use of low-dose aspirin removes the gastrointestinal benefit displayed by COX-2 selective inhibitors (coxibs) when compared to traditional nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). AIM: To evaluate the gastrointestinal risks associated with coxibs and traditional NSAIDs and the interaction with concurrent use of low-dose aspirin. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library through April 2016 to identify randomised trials comparing the gastrointestinal risk between coxibs and traditional NSAIDs in patients taking or not taking low-dose aspirin. Results were combined using random effects meta-analysis. Subgroup analyses by concurrent use of aspirin were undertaken. RESULTS: Eleven trials (84 150 participants) were included. The overall relative risk (RR) of coxibs vs. traditional NSAIDs for complicated gastrointestinal events was 0.54 (95% CI, confidence interval 0.32-0.92), with a significant subgroup difference (P = 0.04) according to concurrent use of aspirin (used: RR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.66-1.24; not used: RR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.14-0.83). The overall RR for clinical gastrointestinal events was 0.59 (95% CI 0.47-0.75), with a significant subgroup difference according to aspirin usage (P = 0.008; used: RR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.62-0.95; not used: RR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.39-0.64). Overall coxibs were associated with significantly lower risk of symptomatic ulcers (RR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.50-0.72) and endoscopic ulcers (RR = 0.29, 95% CI 0.16-0.53) than traditional NSAIDs; a significant subgroup difference was shown for endoscopic ulcers (P = 0.05) but not for symptomatic ulcers (P = 0.27). CONCLUSION: Concomitant use of low-dose aspirin reduces but does not completely eliminate the gastrointestinal benefit of coxibs over traditional NSAIDs.

Budd-Chiari syndrome: current perspectives and controversies.

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a rare disorder caused by hepatic venous outflow obstruction with a wide spectrum of etiologies. Clinical manifestations are so heterogeneous that the diagnosis should be considered in any patients with acute or chronic liver disease. Therapeutic modalities for BCS have improved dramatically during the last few years. The concept of a step-wise treatment strategy has been established, including anticoagulation, thrombolysis, percutaneous recanalization, transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt, surgery and liver transplantation. However, this strategy is primarily based on experts' opinions and retrospective case series, rather than prospective randomized trials. Furthermore, an earlier use of TIPS has been proposed in selected cases because of a relatively high mortality from BCS patients who underwent medical therapy alone. Herein, we review the advances in the classification, etiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of BCS.

Large-Scale and Selective Synthesis of Carbon Nanofiber Bundles, Curved Carbon Nanofibers and Helical Carbon Nanofibers.

Through the pyrolysis of acetylene at 250 °C, large quantities of carbon nanofiber bundles (CNFBs), curved carbon nanofibers (CCNFs) and helical carbon nanofibers (HCNFs) can be synthesized selectively by controlling the Fe:Cu molar ratio of Fe-Cu nanoparticles. In this study, the systematic experimental results indicated that the Cu content in the Fe-Cu nanoparticles and pyrolysis temperature had great impact on the yield and structure of the final samples. Moreover, the transmission electron microscopic observation indicated that the catalyst nanoparticles were enwrapped tightly by graphite layers, and the obtained HCNFs show good magnetic property. Compared to the methods reported in the literature, the approach described herein has the advantages of being simple, low-cost, and environment-friendly. It is suitable for the controllable and mass production of CNFBs, CCNFs and HCNFs.

Effect of water content in perchloric acid on the non-aqueous potentiometric titration of nitrogen-containing compounds.

In the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), 0.1 N perchloric acid in acetic acid volumetric solution (hereafter HClO4 VS) used for non-aqueous titration has specified a water content between 0.02 and 0.05%. Preparing this titrant with such a narrow range of water content is very time consuming, precludes the use of commercially available titrants, and, consequently, prompted an investigation to try and expand the range up to 0.5%. In this study, the titrimetric results obtained using HClO4 VS containing more water were very close to those obtained using the USP specified titrants. A maximum assay difference of 0.7% in the titrations of three selected nitrogen-containing compounds, clonidine hydrochloride, dipyridamole, and adenosine were observed. The titrimetric results obtained using these titrants were also precise with RSDs of not more than 0.4%. Therefore, a wider range of water content in HClO4 VS between 0.02 and 0.5% is suggested for the USP potentiometric titration of nitrogen-containing compounds.