scholarly journals Risk assessment of progression to severe conditions for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia: a single-center retrospective study

Author(s):  
Lijiao Zeng ◽  
Jialu Li ◽  
Mingfeng Liao ◽  
Rui Hua ◽  
Pilai Huang ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundManagement of high mortality risk due to significant progression requires prior assessment of time-to-progression. However, few related methods are available for COVID-19 pneumonia.MethodsWe retrospectively enrolled 338 adult patients admitted to one hospital between Jan 11, 2020 to Feb 29, 2020. The final follow-up date was March 8, 2020. We compared characteristics between patients with severe and non-severe outcome, and used multivariate survival analyses to assess the risk of progression to severe conditions.ResultsA total of 76 (31.9%) patients progressed to severe conditions and 3 (0.9%) died. The mean time from hospital admission to severity onset is 3.7 days. Age, body mass index (BMI), fever symptom on admission, co-existing hypertension or diabetes are associated with severe progression. Compared to non-severe group, the severe group already demonstrated, at an early stage, abnormalities in biomarkers indicating organ function, inflammatory responses, blood oxygen and coagulation function. The cohort is characterized with increasing cumulative incidences of severe progression up to 10 days after admission. Competing risks survival model incorporating CT imaging and baseline information showed an improved performance for predicting severity onset (mean time-dependent AUC = 0.880).ConclusionsMultiple predisposition factors can be utilized to assess the risk of progression to severe conditions at an early stage. Multivariate survival models can reasonably analyze the progression risk based on early-stage CT images that would otherwise be misjudged by artificial analysis.Funded by Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen (SZSM201812058), China.

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1541-1549
Author(s):  
Seok Jong Chung ◽  
Sangwon Lee ◽  
Han Soo Yoo ◽  
Yang Hyun Lee ◽  
Hye Sun Lee ◽  
...  

Background: Striatal dopamine deficits play a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and several non-motor symptoms (NMSs) have a dopaminergic component. Objective: To investigate the association between early NMS burden and the patterns of striatal dopamine depletion in patients with de novo PD. Methods: We consecutively recruited 255 patients with drug-naïve early-stage PD who underwent 18F-FP-CIT PET scans. The NMS burden of each patient was assessed using the NMS Questionnaire (NMSQuest), and patients were divided into the mild NMS burden (PDNMS-mild) (NMSQuest score <6; n = 91) and severe NMS burden groups (PDNMS-severe) (NMSQuest score >9; n = 90). We compared the striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) activity between the groups. Results: Patients in the PDNMS-severe group had more severe parkinsonian motor signs than those in the PDNMS-mild group, despite comparable DAT activity in the posterior putamen. DAT activity was more severely depleted in the PDNMS-severe group in the caudate and anterior putamen compared to that in the PDMNS-mild group. The inter-sub-regional ratio of the associative/limbic striatum to the sensorimotor striatum was lower in the PDNMS-severe group, although this value itself lacked fair accuracy for distinguishing between the patients with different NMS burdens. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that PD patients with severe NMS burden exhibited severe motor deficits and relatively diffuse dopamine depletion throughout the striatum. These findings suggest that the level of NMS burden could be associated with distinct patterns of striatal dopamine depletion, which could possibly indicate the overall pathological burden in PD.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Natarajan ◽  
Cara-Lena Nies ◽  
Michael Nolan

<div>As the critical dimensions of transistors continue to be scaled down to facilitate improved performance and device speeds, new ultrathin materials that combine diffusion barrier and seed/liner properties are needed for copper interconnects at these length scales. Ideally, to facilitate coating of high aspect ratio structures, this alternative barrier+liner material should only consist of one or as few layers as possible. We studied TaN, the current industry standard for Cu diffusion barriers, and Ru, which is a</div><div>suitable liner material for Cu electroplating, to explore how combining these two materials in a barrier+liner material influences the adsorption of Cu atoms in the early stage of Cu film growth. To this end, we carried out first-principles simulations of the adsorption and diffusion of Cu adatoms at Ru-passivated and Ru-doped e-TaN(1 1 0) surfaces. For comparison, we also studied the behaviour of Cu and Ru adatoms at the low index surfaces of e-TaN, as well as the interaction of Cu adatoms with the (0 0 1) surface of hexagonal Ru. Our results confirm the barrier and liner properties of TaN and Ru, respectively while also highlighting the weaknesses of both materials. Ru passivated TaN was found to have improved binding with Cu adatoms as compared to the bare TaN and Ru surfaces.</div><div>On the other hand, the energetic barrier for Cu diffusion at Ru passivated TaN surface was lower than at the bare TaN surface which can promote Cu agglomeration. For Ru-doped TaN however, a decrease in Cu binding energy was found in addition to favourable migration of the Cu adatoms toward the doped Ru atom and unfavourable migration away from it or into the bulk. This suggests that Ru doping sites in the TaN surface can act as nucleation points for Cu growth with high migration barrier preventing agglomeration and allow electroplating of Cu. Therefore Ru-doped TaN is proposed as a candidate for a combined barrier+liner material with reduced thickness.</div>


2021 ◽  
pp. 074823372110394
Author(s):  
Yujing Zhang ◽  
Shuai Huang ◽  
Shiyi Tan ◽  
Mingke Chen ◽  
Shang Yang ◽  
...  

Occupational exposure to silica dust is related to pulmonary inflammation and silicosis. Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) could aggravate apoptosis in alveolar macrophages (AMs) of human silicosis through autophagy, yet how the reduction of autophagy attenuated LPS-induced lung injury and the related mechanisms need to be investigated. In the study, we aim to understand the role of 3-methyladenine (3-MA), an inhibitor of autophagy, in LPS-mediated inflammatory responses and fibrosis. We collected AMs from observers/silicosis patients. The results showed that LPS induced NF-κB-related pulmonary inflammation in observers and silicosis patients, as confirmed by an increase in the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and p65, which could be inhibited by 3-MA treatment. In mice models, at the early stage (7d) of silicosis, but not the late (28d) stage, blocking autophagy reversed the increased levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and p65 caused by LPS. Mechanism study revealed that LPS triggered the expression of LC3 II, p62, and cleaved caspase-3 at the early stage exposed to silica, which could be restored by 3-MA, while there was no difference in the expression of LAMP1 either at the early or late stage of silicosis in different groups. Similarly, 3-MA treatment did not prevent fibrosis characterized by destroyed alveoli, collagen deposition, and increased expression of α-SMA and Col-1 induced by LPS at the late stage of silicosis. The results suggested that 3-MA has a role in the protection of lung injury at the early stage of silicosis and provided an experimental basis for preventive strategies of pulmonary inflammation and silicosis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-201
Author(s):  
Victoria A. Ploplis ◽  
Francis J. Castellino

A hallmark feature of severe Group A Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS) infection is dysregulated hemostasis. Hemostasis is the primary pathway for regulating blood flow through events that contribute towards clot formation and its dissolution. However, a number of studies have identified components of hemostasis in regulating survival and dissemination of GAS. Several proteins have been identified on the surface of GAS and they serve to either facilitate invasion to host distal sites or regulate inflammatory responses to the pathogen. GAS M-protein, a surface-exposed virulence factor, appears to be a major target for interactions with host hemostasis proteins. These interactions mediate biochemical events both on the surface of GAS and in the solution when M-protein is released into the surrounding environment through shedding or regulated proteolytic processes that dictate the fate of this pathogen. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms associated with these interactions could lead to novel approaches for altering the course of GAS pathogenicity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 832-836
Author(s):  
Pranav N ◽  
Anila K N ◽  
Riju.R.Menon

A varicose vein is a condition which affects a large number of people in Western countries and India especially, the northern areas. For curing this proper disease diagnosis, sufficient care for patient and treatment strategies are required, to control the symptoms and signs of varicose vein, the flavonoid group of drugs have been widely used for many years. Under this group, Daflon is the most potent and efficient drug which can be used. This enhances the bioavailability and absorption from the gastrointestinal area. Improved quality of patient's life and efficacy makes this drug therapy more potent and significant. Some of the clinical studies have shown its better action for increased venous tone, lymphatic drainage, decreases cosmetic disfigurement, inflammatory responses occur in microcirculation, protection from free radicals and improved quality of life and efficacy. When compared with other available drugs like Polidocanol, Sotradecol, Asclera, Varithena, Sodium tetradecyl sulfate etc. .clinical benefits of Daflon is more. This drug is useful in the early stage and can be used in severe condition along with sclerotherapy, compression treatment and surgery. Increased patient’s quality of life and increased efficacy were observed in Daflon treated group. Thus it is efficacious as a standard therapy alone and also in combination with other conservative treatment.


2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na-Young Park ◽  
Giuseppe Valacchi ◽  
Yunsook Lim

Inflammatory response is considered the most important period that regulates the entire healing process. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a class of linoleic acid positional and geometric isomers, is well known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. We hypothesized that dietary CLA supplementation accelerates cutaneous wound healing by regulating antioxidant and anti-inflammatory functions. To investigate wound closure rates and inflammatory responses, we used a full-thickness excisional wound model after 2-week treatments with control, 0.5%, or 1% CLA-supplemented diet. Mice fed dietary CLA supplementation had reduced levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. Moreover, the wound closure rate was improved significantly in mice fed a 1% CLA-supplemented diet during early stage of wound healing (inflammatory stage). We conclude that dietary CLA supplementation enhances the early stage of cutaneous wound healing as a result of modulating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
JWJ Beulens ◽  
F Rutters ◽  
L Rydén ◽  
O Schnell ◽  
L Mellbin ◽  
...  

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with a two- to four-fold increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and microvascular complications, which may already be present before diagnosis. It is, therefore, important to detect people with an increased risk of T2DM at an early stage. In order to identify individuals with so-called ‘pre-diabetes’, comprising impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), current guidelines have developed definitions based on fasting plasma glucose, two-hour glucose concentrations and haemoglobin A1c. Subjects with pre-diabetes are at an increased risk of developing T2DM and CVD. This elevated risk seems similar according to the different criteria used to define pre-diabetes. The risk of progression to T2DM or CVD does, however, depend on other risk factors such as sex, body mass index and ethnicity. Based on the risk factors to develop T2DM, many risk assessment models have been developed to identify those at highest risk. These models perform well to identify those at risk and could be used to initiate preventive interventions. Many studies have shown that lifestyle modification and metformin are effective in preventing the development of T2DM, although lifestyle modification seems to have a more sustainable effect. In addition, lifestyle modification seems more effective in those with IGT than those with IFG. In this review, we will describe the different definitions used to define pre-diabetes, progression from pre-diabetes to T2DM or other vascular complications, risk factors associated with progressions and the management of progression to T2DM, ending with clinical recommendations.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1296
Author(s):  
Pengfei Chu ◽  
Libo He ◽  
Rong Huang ◽  
Lanjie Liao ◽  
Yongming Li ◽  
...  

Autophagy is an essential and highly conserved process in mammals, which is critical to maintaining physiological homeostasis, including cell growth, development, repair, and survival. However, the understanding of autophagy in fish virus replication is limited. In this study, we found that grass carp reovirus (GCRV) infection stimulated autophagy in the spleen of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Moreover, both Western blot (WB) analysis and fluorescent tracer tests showed that GCRV infection induced the enhancement of autophagy activation in Ctenopharyngodon idella kidney (CIK) cells. Autophagy inducer rapamycin and autophagy inhibitor 3-MA pretreatment can inhibit and promote the proliferation of GCRV, respectively. In addition, grass carp autophagy-related gene 5 (CiATG5)-induced autophagy, as well as rapamycin, showed effects on GCRV replication in CIK cells. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the total number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in CiATG5 overexpression groups was less than that of the control during GCRV infection. Enrichment analysis showed that CiATG5 overexpression induced the enhancement of autophagy, lysosome, phagosome, and apoptosis in the early stage of GCRV infection, which led to the clearance of viruses. In the late stage, steroid biosynthesis, DNA replication, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and carbon metabolism were upregulated, which contributed to cell survival. Moreover, signaling pathways involved in the immune response and cell death were downregulated in CiATG5 overexpression groups. Further study showed that CiATG5 repressed the expression of inflammatory response genes, including cytokines and type I interferons. Taken together, the results demonstrate that autophagy represses virus replication and attenuates acute inflammatory responses to protect cells.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document