scholarly journals The Effect of Chinese Medicine for Rehabilitation of Discharged COVID-19 Patients: A Protocol for Multi-Center Observational Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 06 (03) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
Linda Li-Dan Zhong ◽  
◽  
Yi-Ping Wong ◽  
Bo Peng ◽  
Zhi-Xiu L in ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Lung Function Tests ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Poor Appetite ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Functionally Impaired

The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for more than 16 months, and there have been over 169 million confirmed cases worldwide. Besides, after treatment with Western medicine or undergoing home quarantine, COVID-19 patients are still severely or mildly functionally impaired. Though COVID-19 patients were discharged from the hospital, most of them still exhibit certain clinical symptoms such as fatigue, poor appetite, shortness of breath, and poor sleep. The syndromes, linked with the Chinese Medicine (CM) body constitutions, could be due to pre-COVID-19 infections, suffering from the infection, or a post-infection consequence. CM has been used by humans for thousands of years in Asia, especially in Hong Kong, and it is gaining increasing attention and popularity. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of CM on alleviating the clinical symptoms of the discharged COVID-19 Patients. This was a multicenter observational and comparative study. One hundred and fifty participants discharged from Hong Kong hospitals were recruited. The patients received three to six months of treatment using CM and were assessed by questionnaires and lung function tests each month during the treatment period and on the 9th month follow-up visit. In light of this global pandemic, we hope this study will bring new opportunities for CM, and facilitate patient recovery and rehabilitation. We believe that this may be the key to promoting rehabilitation.

scholarly journals Analysis of the impact of vaccination of pneumococcal infection in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in combination with diabetes

2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (11) ◽  
pp. 49-54
Author(s):  
G L Ignatova ◽  
E V Blinova ◽  
V N Antonov ◽  
I V Grebneva
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Profile ◽  
Carbohydrate Metabolism ◽  
Pneumococcal Vaccine ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Pneumococcal Infection ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
The Impact

Aim. The article presents data on the evaluation of the clinical efficacy of using a conjugated pneumococcal vaccine in patients with COPD in combination with 2-type diabetes during a 3-year follow - up period. Materials and methods. The study included 309 patients with an isolated course of COPD and in combination with diabetes. The main parameters for evaluating the effectiveness were: the dynamics of clinical symptoms - shortness of breath on the mMRC scale, CAT test, FEV1, the number of exacerbations, hospitalizations, the number of pneumonia, the state of carbohydrate metabolism (HbA1c) and the lipid profile. For vaccine prevention 13-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine Prevenar-13 was used. Results and conclusions. The use of PСV13 helps to reduce the severity of respiratory symptoms, reduce the number and duration of exacerbations of COPD, reduce the number of pneumonia. Both in isolated course of COPD and in combination with diabetes. Vaccination PCV13 in patients with comorbid course contributes to the compensation of carbohydrate metabolism and improve the lipid profile.

scholarly journals The Impact of Comorbidities on the Outcomes of Egyptian COVID-19 Patients: A Follow-Up Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Reda M. Albadawy ◽  
Bismeen A. Jadoon ◽  
Mysara M. Mogahed ◽  
Mohamed E. Ibrahim ◽  
Tarek S. Essawy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Distress Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Follow Up Study ◽  
Group I ◽  
The Impact

Objectives. This study evaluated the clinical manifestation of COVID-19 and adverse outcomes in patients with comorbidities (outcome: death). Methods. A comparative follow-up investigation involving 148 confirmed cases of COVID-19 was performed for a month (between April and May 2020) at Qaha Hospital to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes resulting from comorbidities. Participants were divided into two clusters based on the presence of comorbidities. Group I comprised cases with comorbidities, and Group II included subjects without comorbidity. Survival distributions were outlined for the group with comorbidities after the follow-up period. Results. Fever (74.3%), headache (78.4%), cough (78.4%), sore throat (78.4%), fatigue (78.4%), and shortness of breath (86.5%) were the most prevalent symptoms observed in COVID-19 patients with comorbidities. Such patients also suffered from acute respiratory distress syndrome (37.8%) and pneumonia three times more than patients without comorbidities. The survival distributions were statistically significant (chi-square = 26.06, p ≤ 0.001 ). Conclusion. Multiple comorbidities in COVID-19 patients are linked to severe clinical symptoms, disease complications, and critical disease progression. The presence of one or more comorbidities worsened the survival rate of patients.

Respiratory Complications in Outpatient Endoscopy with Endoscopist-Directed Sedation

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kilian Friedrich ◽  
Sabine G. Scholl ◽  
Sebastian Beck ◽  
Daniel Gotthardt ◽  
Wolfgang Stremmel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Respiratory Infection ◽  
Endoscopic Procedure ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Respiratory Complications ◽  
Endoscopic Procedures ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Respiratory Complaints

Background & Aims: Respiratory complications represent an important adverse event of endoscopic procedures. We screened for respiratory complications after endoscopic procedures using a questionnaire and followed-up patients suggestive of respiratory infection.Method: In this prospective observational, multicenter study performed in Outpatient practices of gastroenterology we investigated 15,690 patients by questionnaires administered 24 hours after the endoscopic procedure.Results: 832 of the 15,690 patients stated at least one respiratory symptom after the endoscopic procedure: 829 patients reported coughing (5.28%), 23 fever (0.15%) and 116 shortness of breath (SOB, 0.74%); 130 of the 832 patients showed at least two concomitant respiratory symptoms (107 coughing + SOB, 17 coughing + fever, 6 coughing + coexisting fever + SOB) and 126 patients were followed-up to assess their respiratory complaints. Twenty-nine patients (follow-up: 22.31%, whole sample: 0.18%) reported signs of clinically evident respiratory infection and 15 patients (follow-up: 11.54%; whole sample: 0.1%) received therefore antibiotic treatment. Coughing or vomiting during the endoscopic procedure resulted in a 156.12-fold increased risk of respiratory complications (95% CI: 67.44 - 361.40) and 520.87-fold increased risk of requiring antibiotic treatment (95% CI: 178.01 - 1524.05). All patients of the follow-up sample who coughed or vomited during endoscopy developed clinically evident signs of respiratory infection and required antibiotic treatment while this occurred in a significantly lower proportion of patients without these symptoms (17.1% and 5.1%, respectively).Conclusions: We demonstrated that respiratory complications following endoscopic sedation are of comparably high incidence and we identified major predictors of aspiration pneumonia which could influence future surveillance strategies after endoscopic procedures.

Prevalence of COVID-19-like Symptoms among People Living with HIV, and Using Antiretroviral Therapy for Prevention and Treatment

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 373-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
SeyedAhmad SeyedAlinaghi ◽  
Maryam Ghadimi ◽  
Mahboubeh Hajiabdolbaghi ◽  
Mehrnaz Rasoolinejad ◽  
Ladan Abbasian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Symptoms ◽  
Antiretroviral Treatment ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Living With Hiv

Background: COVID-19 has spread globally with remarkable speed, and currently, there is limited data available exploring any aspect of the intersection between HIV and SARSCoV- 2 co-infection. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of clinical symptoms associated with COVID-19 among people living with HIV (PLWH) in Tehran, Iran. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: A total of 200 PLWH were recruited through the positive club via sampling, and completed the symptom-based questionnaire for COVID-19, which was delivered by trained peers. Results: Of 200 participants, respiratory symptoms, including cough, sputum, and shortness of breath, were the most prevalent among participants, but only one person developed symptoms collectively suggested COVID-19 and sought treatments. Conclusions: It appears that existing infection with HIV or receiving antiretroviral treatment (ART) might reduce the susceptibility to the infection with SARS-CoV-2 or decrease the severity of the infection acquired. Further research is needed to understand causal mechanisms.

Scoring System for the Diagnosis of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 413-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohamed Farouk Allam
Keyword(s):  
Scoring System ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
False Negative ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Pcr Assay ◽  
Negative Results ◽  
False Negative Results ◽  
Symptoms And Signs

Due to the international spread of COVID-19, the difficulty of collecting nasopharyngeal swab specimen from all suspected patients, the costs of RT-PCR and CT, and the false negative results of RT-PCR assay in 41% of COVID-19 patients, a scoring system is needed to classify the suspected patients in order to determine the need for follow-up, home isolation, quarantine or the conduction of further investigations. A scoring system is proposed as a diagnostic tool for suspected patients. It includes Epidemiological Evidence of Exposure, Clinical Symptoms and Signs, and Investigations (if available). This scoring system is simple, could be calculated in a few minutes, and incorporates the main possible data/findings of any patient.

scholarly journals Chinese Herbal Medicine Dingji Fumai Decoction for Ventricular Premature Contraction: A Real-World Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Bo Liang ◽  
Fei-Hu Zou ◽  
Ling Fu ◽  
Hui-Ling Liao
Keyword(s):  
Herbal Medicine ◽  
Chinese Herbal Medicine ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Medication Compliance ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Ventricular Premature Contraction ◽  
Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome ◽  
Chinese Herbal ◽  
Double Blinded

Background. Chinese herbal medicine Dingji Fumai Decoction (DFD) is widely clinically used for ventricular premature contraction (VPC). This real-word trial was designed to assess the safety and effectiveness of DFD for VPC. Methods. This was a double-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Patients with VPC were randomized (1 : 1) to treatment with DFD combined with metoprolol (DFD arm) or metoprolol combined with placebo (MET arm). A primary end point was a composite of clinical symptoms and signs determined by the traditionalChinese medicine syndrome score and the number of VPC determined by the Holter examination. Second outcomes were adverse events, medication compliance, and laboratory examination. Results. 144 patients were randomized to DFD arm (76 patients) or MET arm (68 patients), and 136 cases (71 in DFD arm and 65 in MET arm) finally completed this trial. After a 12-week follow-up, DFD arm significantly decreased traditional Chinese medicine syndrome score and the number of VPC compared with MET arm (P=0.003 and 0.034, respectively). There was no adverse drug effect and patient medication compliance was good. Conclusions. Superiority with DFD arm for VPC was demonstrated over MET arm for both the safety and effectiveness end points.

scholarly journals Treatment and therapeutic strategies for pituitary apoplexy in pregnancy: a case series

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuya Kato ◽  
Yoshikazu Ogawa ◽  
Teiji Tominaga
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Apoplexy ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Optimal Timing ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Pathological Evaluation ◽  
Mother And Child ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Background Pregnancy is a known risk factor for pituitary apoplexy, which is life threatening for both mother and child. However, very few clinical interventions have been proposed for managing pituitary apoplexy in pregnancy. Case presentation We describe the management of three cases of pituitary apoplexy during pregnancy and review available literature. Presenting symptoms in our case series were headache and/or visual disturbances, and the etiology in all cases was hemorrhage. Conservative therapy was followed until 34 weeks of gestation, after which babies were delivered by cesarean section with prophylactic bolus hydrocortisone supplementation. Tumor removal was only electively performed after delivery using the transsphenoidal approach. All three patients and their babies had a good clinical course, and postoperative pathological evaluation revealed that all tumors were functional and that they secreted prolactin. Conclusions Although the mechanism of pituitary apoplexy occurrence remains unknown, the most important treatment strategy for pituitary apoplexy in pregnancy remains adequate hydrocortisone supplementation and frequent hormonal investigation. Radiological follow-up should be performed only if clinical symptoms deteriorate, and optimal timing for surgical resection should be discussed by a multidisciplinary team that includes obstetricians and neonatologists.

scholarly journals ‘Long COVID’ syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. e241485
Author(s):  
Priyal Taribagil ◽  
Dean Creer ◽  
Hasan Tahir
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Complex Case ◽  
Shortness Of Breath ◽  
Gastrointestinal Dysfunction ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Poor Memory

SARS-CoV-2 has resulted in a global pandemic and an unprecedented public health crisis. Recent literature suggests the emergence of a novel syndrome known as ‘long COVID’, a term used to describe a diverse set of symptoms that persist after a minimum of 4 weeks from the onset of a diagnosed COVID-19 infection. Common symptoms include persistent breathlessness, fatigue and cough. Other symptoms reported include chest pain, palpitations, neurological and cognitive deficits, rashes, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. We present a complex case of a previously well 28-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19. After resolution of her acute symptoms, she continued to experience retrosternal discomfort, shortness of breath, poor memory and severe myalgia. Investigations yielded no significant findings. Given no alternative diagnosis, she was diagnosed with ‘long COVID’.

scholarly journals Non-Invasive Dengue Diagnostics—The Use of Saliva and Urine for Different Stages of the Illness

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1345
Author(s):  
Mahathir Humaidi ◽  
Wei Ping Tien ◽  
Grace Yap ◽  
Choon Rong Chua ◽  
Lee Ching Ng
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Acute Stage ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Fever Onset ◽  
Dengue Transmission ◽  
Dengue Diagnostics ◽  
Potential Tool

Dengue diagnosis is largely dependent on clinical symptoms and routinely confirmed with laboratory detection of dengue virus in patient serum samples collected via phlebotomy. This presents a challenge to patients not amenable to venipuncture. Non-invasive methods of dengue diagnosis have the potential to enhance the current dengue detection algorithm. In this study, samples from dengue infected patients were collected between January 2012 until September 2012 and September 2013 until December 2013 in two different setups. Panel A samples (blood, urine, and saliva) were collected daily when the 39 patients were hospitalised and during their follow-up visits while Panel B samples (saliva) were collected from 23 patients during the acute stage of dengue. Using DENV PCR on Panel A, from day 2 to day 4 post fever onset, serum showed the best overall positivity followed by saliva and urine (100%/82.1%/67.9%). From day 5 until day 10 post fever onset, serum and urine had similar positivity (67.4%/61.2%), followed by saliva (51.3%). Beyond day 10 post fever onset, DENV was undetectable in sera, but urine and saliva showed 56.8% and 28.6% positivity, respectively. DENV in urine was detectable up until 32 days post fever. Panel B results showed overall sensitivity of 32.4%/36% (RNA/NS1) for DENV detection in saliva. Our results suggest that the urine-based detection method is useful especially for late dengue detection, where DENV is undetected in sera but still detectable in urine. This provides a potential tool for the physician to pick up new cases in an area where there is ongoing dengue transmission and subsequently prompt for intensified vector control activities.

scholarly journals Endoscopically controlled surgery with open hemilaminectomy for the treatment of intradural extramedullary tumors: an operative technique and short-term outcomes of 20 consecutive cases

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaorong Yan ◽  
Huiqing Wang ◽  
Cai Li ◽  
Yuanxiang Lin ◽  
Lin Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Technique ◽  
Spinal Deformity ◽  
Tumor Recurrence ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Intradural Extramedullary ◽  
Controlled Surgery

Abstract Background To present a surgical technique for the treatment of intradural extramedullary (IDEM) tumors by using endoscopically controlled surgery with open hemilaminectomy technique. Methods In this study, 20 patients with 22 IDEM tumors were enrolled. An endoscopically controlled surgery with open hemilaminectomy was employed to remove the tumors. Data related to clinical symptoms and medical images before and after surgery were collected for perioperative evaluation and follow-up analysis. Results All the tumors in 20 patients were well removed. The clinical symptoms were significantly reduced in all the patients as well. The short-term follow-up data showed that there was no tumor recurrence or spinal deformity. Conclusion The endoscopically controlled surgery with open hemilaminectomy technique provided favorable exposure and satisfactory resection to the IDEM tumors. It may be an effective surgical method for treating IDEM tumors. Larger samples and longer follow-up data are needed to verify its long-term effectiveness.

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