Background Since December 2019, when coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) emerged in Wuhan city and rapidly spread throughout China, data have been needed on the clinical characteristics of...

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Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study

An acute respiratory disease, caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, previously known as 2019-nCoV), the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread throughout China and received worldwide attention. On 30 January 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the COVID-19 epidemic as a public health emergency of international concern. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2, since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012, marked the third introduction of a highly pathogenic and large-scale epidemic coronavirus into the human population in the twenty-first century. As of 1 March 2020, a total of 87,137 confirmed cases globally, 79,968 confirmed in China and 7169 outside of China, with 2977 deaths (3.4%) had been reported by WHO. Meanwhile, several independent research groups have identified that SARS-CoV-2 belongs to β-coronavirus, with highly identical genome to bat coronavirus, pointing to bat as the natural host. The novel coronavirus uses the same receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as that for SARS-CoV, and mainly spreads through the respiratory tract. Importantly, increasingly evidence showed sustained human-to-human transmission, along with many exported cases across the globe. The clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients include fever, cough, fatigue and a small population of patients appeared gastrointestinal infection symptoms. The elderly and people with underlying diseases are susceptible to infection and prone to serious outcomes, which may be associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and cytokine storm. Currently, there are few specific antiviral strategies, but several potent candidates of antivirals and repurposed drugs are under urgent investigation. In this review, we summarized the latest research progress of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical characteristics of COVID-19, and discussed the current treatment and scientific advancements to combat the epidemic novel coronavirus.

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The origin, transmission and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak - an update on the status.

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak is evolving rapidly worldwide. Objective To evaluate the risk of serious adverse outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) by stratifying the comorbidity status. Methods We analysed the data from 1590 laboratory-confirmed hospitalised patients 575 hospitals in 31 province/autonomous regions/provincial municipalities across mainland China between December 11th, 2019 and January 31st, 2020. We analyse the composite endpoints, which consisted of admission to intensive care unit, or invasive ventilation, or death. The risk of reaching to the composite endpoints was compared according to the presence and number of comorbidities. Results The mean age was 48.9 years. 686 patients (42.7%) were females. Severe cases accounted for 16.0% of the study population. 131 (8.2%) patients reached to the composite endpoints. 399 (25.1%) reported having at least one comorbidity. The most prevalent comorbidity was hypertension (16.9%), followed by diabetes (8.2%). 130 (8.2%) patients reported having two or more comorbidities. After adjusting for age and smoking status, COPD [hazards ratio (HR) 2.681, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 1.424–5.048], diabetes (HR 1.59, 95%CI 1.03–2.45), hypertension (HR 1.58, 95%CI 1.07–2.32) and malignancy (HR 3.50, 95%CI 1.60–7.64) were risk factors of reaching to the composite endpoints. The HR was 1.79 (95%CI 1.16–2.77) among patients with at least one comorbidity and 2.59 (95%CI 1.61–4.17) among patients with two or more comorbidities. Conclusion Among laboratory-confirmed cases of Covid-19, patients with any comorbidity yielded poorer clinical outcomes than those without. A greater number of comorbidities also correlated with poorer clinical outcomes.

https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/erj/55/5/2000547.full.pdf

Comorbidity and its impact on 1590 patients with COVID-19 in China: a nationwide analysis.

A Descriptive Study

Background During the spring of 2013, a novel avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) virus emerged and spread among humans in China. Data were lacking on the clinical characteristics of the infections caused by this virus. Methods Using medical charts, we collected data on 111 patients with laboratory-confirmed avian-origin influenza A (H7N9) infection through May 10, 2013. Results Of the 111 patients we studied, 76.6% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), and 27.0% died. The median age was 61 years, and 42.3% were 65 years of age or older; 31.5% were female. A total of 61.3% of the patients had at least one underlying medical condition. Fever and cough were the most common presenting symptoms. On admission, 108 patients (97.3%) had findings consistent with pneumonia. Bilateral ground-glass opacities and consolidation were the typical radiologic findings. Lymphocytopenia was observed in 88.3% of patients, and thrombocytopenia in 73.0%. Treatment with antiviral drugs was initiated in 108 patients (97.3%)...

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Clinical findings in 111 cases of influenza A (H7N9) virus infection

Objective To determine the impact of adjuvant corticosteroids administered to patients hospitalized with influenza A (H7N9) viral pneumonia. Design The effects of adjuvant corticosteroids on mortality were assessed using multivariate Cox regression and a propensity score-matched case-control study. Nosocomial infections and viral shedding were also compared. Setting Hospitals with influenza A (H7N9) viral pneumonia patient admission in 84 cities and 16 provinces of Mainland China. Patients Adolescent and Adult patients aged >14 yr with severe laboratory-confirmed influenza A (H7N9) virus infections were screened from April 2013 to March 2015. Interventions None. Measurements and main results The study population comprised 288 cases who were hospitalized with influenza A (H7N9) viral pneumonia. The median age of the study population was 58 years, 69.8% of the cohort comprised male patients, and 51.4% had at least one type of underlying diseases. The in-hospital mortality was 31.9%. Two hundred and four patients (70.8%) received adjuvant corticosteroids; among them, 193 had hypoxemia and lung infiltrates, 11 had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and 11 had pneumonia only. Corticosteroids were initiated within 7 days (interquartile range, 5.0-9.4 d) of the onset of illness and the maximum dose administered was equivalent to 80-mg methylprednisolone (interquartile range, 40-120 mg). The patients were treated with corticosteroids for a median duration of 7 days (interquartile range, 4.0-11.3 d). Cox regression analysis showed that compared with the patients who did not receive corticosteroid, those who received corticosteroid had a significantly higher 60-day mortality (adjusted hazards ratio, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.03-3.79; p = 0.04). Subgroup analysis showed that high-dose corticosteroid therapy (> 150 mg/d methylprednisolone or equivalent) significantly increased both 30-day and 60-day mortality, whereas no significant impact was observed for low-to-moderate doses of corticosteroids (25-150 mg/d methylprednisolone or equivalent). The propensity score-matched case-control analysis showed that the median viral shedding time was much longer in the group that received high-dose corticosteroids (15 d), compared with patients who did not receive corticosteroids (13 d; p = 0.039). Conclusions High-dose corticosteroids were associated with increased mortality and longer viral shedding in patients with influenza A (H7N9) viral pneumonia.

Adjuvant Corticosteroid Treatment in Adults With Influenza A (H7N9) Viral Pneumonia.

Avian influenza A (H7N9) infections: intensivists as virus hunters in the new century.

In recent years, polymyxin B‐associated acute kidney injury (PB‐AKI) in critically ill patients has been reported frequently, but polymyxin B (PB) is mainly cleared through non‐renal pathways, and the reasons of PB‐AKI remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the serum concentration of PB and PB‐AKI. We conducted a prospective cohort study in an intensive care unit between May 2019 and July 2021. Over the study period, 52 patients were included and divided into an AKI group (n = 26) and a non‐AKI group (n = 26). The loading dose of PB in the AKI group was significantly higher than that in the non‐AKI group. The C1/2, Cmin, and estimated area under the concentration–time curve (AUC)0–24 of PB in the AKI group were dramatically increased compared with those in the non‐AKI group, but the Cmax between the two groups showed no differences. Upon obtaining the ROC curve, the areas for the C1/2, Cmin, and estimated AUC0–24 were 0.742, 0.710, and 0.710, respectively. The sensitivity was ascertained to be 61.54%, and the specificity was 76.92% when the cutoff value for the estimated AUC0–24 of 97.72 mg·h/L was used preferentially. The incidence of PB‐AKI is high and related to the loading dose of PB. PB‐AKI could be predicted when the estimated AUC0–24 of PB was greater than 97.72 mg·h/L.

Correlation between the drug concentration of polymyxin B and polymyxin B‐associated acute kidney injury in critically ill patients: A prospective study

To investigate whether exogenous melatonin (MLT) could alleviate skeletal muscle wasting by regulating hypothalamic neuropeptides expression. Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (10 mg/kg), followed by MLT (30 mg/kg/day) or saline for 3 days. Hypothalamic tissues and skeletal muscle were obtained on day 3. Skeletal muscle wasting was measured by the mRNA expression of two E3 ubiquitin ligases, muscle atrophy F-box and muscle ring finger 1 as well as 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) and tyrosine release. Three hypothalamic neuropeptides (POMC, AgRP, CART) expression were detected in all groups. POMC expression knockdown was achieved by ARC injection of lentiviruses containing shRNA against POMC. Two weeks after ARC viruses injection, rats were i.p. injected with LPS (10 mg/kg) followed by MLT (30 mg/kg/day) or saline for 3 days. Brain tissues were harvested for immunostaining. In septic rats, 3-MH, tyrosine release and muscle atrophic gene expression were significantly decreased in MLT treated group. POMC and CART expression were lower while AgRP expression was higher in MLT treated group. Furthermore, in septic rats treated with MLT, muscle wasting in those with lower expression of neuropeptide POMC did not differ from those with normal POMC expression. Exogenous MLT could alleviate skeletal muscle wasting in septic rats by regulating hypothalamic neuropeptides. 

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Qin Gu

Papers

Clinical findings in 111 cases of influenza A (H7N9) virus infection

Adjuvant Corticosteroid Treatment in Adults With Influenza A (H7N9) Viral Pneumonia.

Avian influenza A (H7N9) infections: intensivists as virus hunters in the new century.

Correlation between the drug concentration of polymyxin B and polymyxin B‐associated acute kidney injury in critically ill patients: A prospective study

Exogenous Melatonin Alleviates Skeletal Muscle Wasting by Regulating Hypothalamic Neuropeptides Expression in Endotoxemia Rats