Noblegrossman0901
We formulated a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, Hanshiyi Formula (HSYF), which was approved and promoted by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission for treating mild and moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aimed to evaluate the effect of HSYF on the progression to severe disease in mild and moderate COVID-19 patients. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 in a quarantine station in Wuchang District, Wuhan. Using the real-time Internet information collection application and Centers for Disease Control for the Wuchang District, patient data were collected through patient self-reports and follow-ups. HSYF intervention was defined as the exposure. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who progressed to a severe disease status, and a stratification analysis was performed. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed to identify influencing factors that may affect the outcome. Further, we used propensity score matching (PSM) to assess the effect of HSYF intervention on the conversion of mild and moderate to a severe disease status. Totally, 721 mild and moderate COVID-19 patients were enrolled, including 430 HSYF users (exposed group) and 291 non-users (control group). No cases in the exposed group and 19 (6.5 %, P 48 years) [odds ratio (OR) 1.044; 95 % CI 1.001-1.088; P = 0.044] were independent risk factors for conversion to severe disease. Therefore, HSYF can significantly reduce the progression to severe disease in patients with mild and moderate COVID-19, which may effectively prevent and treat the disease. However, further larger clinical studies are required to verify our results.Microglial phenotype plays an important role in secondary injury after intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), with M1 microglia promoting inflammatory injury and M2 microglia inhibiting neuroinflammation and promoting haematoma absorption. However, there is no effective intervention for regulating the phenotypic transformation of microglia after ICH. This study aimed to elucidate the protective effect of MitoQ, a selective mitochondrial ROS antioxidant, against microglial M1 state polarization and secondary brain injury. The in vivo data showed that MitoQ attenuated neurological deficits and decreased inflammation, oedema and haematoma volume after ICH. In addition, MitoQ decreased the expression of M1 markers and increased the expression of M2 markers both in vivo and in vitro after ICH. Mechanistically, MitoQ blocked overproduction of mitochondrial ROS and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in FeCl2-treated microglia. Moreover, NLRP3 siRNA shifted FeCl2-treated microglia from the M1 to the M2 cells, revealing that MitoQ-induce polarization states may be mediated by the mitochondrial ROS/NLRP-3 pathway. In summary, MitoQ alleviates secondary brain injury and accelerates haematoma resolution by shifting microglia towards the M2 phenotype after ICH.
Primary prevention of Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infections (CDI) is an important but challenging infection control goal for hospitals and health care facilities. Enhanced infection control protocols have reduced CDI rates, but the problem persists and administration of probiotics to patients at risk could be very useful if shown to be safe and effective. Randomized controlled trials are largely impractical for primary prevention CDI trials due to large required study sizes and quasi-experimental studies are becoming more frequent as a method to assess this problem.
Our goal is to review the published quasi-experimental studies adding probiotics to their infection control protocols to reduce CDI and determine the strengths and limitations for this type of study design.
The literature was searched using PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline and Cochrane Databases and gastrointestinal meeting abstracts from January 2000 to January 2020 for quasi-experimental intervention studies testing various probiotics for the primary prevention of CDI.
We found 28 studies with 7 different types of probiotics (10 studies implementing a hospital-wide intervention, 6 studies targeting 1-3 wards, and 12 studies on either sustainability, cost-effectiveness or subgroup analysis). Some probiotics demonstrated a significant reduction in CDI rates; all four of the probiotic types given only on specific wards and 3 of the 4 probiotics given facility-wide. However, this type of study design was influenced by numerous factors which must be carefully accounted for in the analysis.
Some probiotics may be an effective addition to infection control protocols to prevent C. difficile infections, but careful study design considerations are needed.
Some probiotics may be an effective addition to infection control protocols to prevent C. NU7441 in vitro difficile infections, but careful study design considerations are needed.The coronavirus pandemic resulted in a shortage of protective equipment. To meet the request of eye-protecting devices, an interdisciplinary consortium involving practitioners, researchers, engineers and technicians developed and manufactured thousands of inexpensive 3D-printed face shields, inside hospital setting. This action leads to the concept of "concurrent, agile, and rapid engineering".
In Wuhan, China, in December 2019, the novel coronavirus was detected. The virus causing COVID-19 was related to a coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV). The virus caused an epidemic in China and was quickly contained in 2003. Although coming from the same family of viruses and sharing certain transmissibility factors, the local health institutions in China had no experience with this new virus, subsequently named SARS-CoV-2.
Based on their prior experience with the 2003 SARS epidemic, health authorities in China recognized the need for personal protective equipment (PPE). Existing PPE and protocols were limited and reflected early experience with SARS; however, as additional PPE supplies became available, designated COVID-19 hospitals in Hubei Province adopted the World Health Organization guidelines for Ebola to create a protocol specific for treating patients with COVID-19.
This article describes the PPE and protocol for its safe and effective deployment and the implementation of designated hospital units for COVID-19 patients.
