Frontiers of medicine
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Frontiers of medicine · Dec 2020
Observational StudyClinical features and the traditional Chinese medicine therapeutic characteristics of 293 COVID-19 inpatient cases.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now pandemic worldwide and has heavily overloaded hospitals in Wuhan City, China during the time between late January and February. We reported the clinical features and therapeutic characteristics of moderate COVID-19 cases in Wuhan that were treated via the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine. We collected electronic medical record (EMR) data, which included the full clinical profiles of patients, from a designated TCM hospital in Wuhan. ⋯ By using EMR data, we described the clinical features and therapeutic characteristics of 293 COVID-19 cases treated via the integration of TCM herbal prescriptions and Western medicine. Clinical manifestations and treatments before admission and in the hospital were investigated. Our results preliminarily showed the potential effectiveness of TCM herbal prescriptions and their regularities in COVID-19 treatment.
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Frontiers of medicine · Oct 2020
ReviewNeurological manifestations of patients with COVID-19: potential routes of SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion from the periphery to the brain.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a global pandemic in only 3 months. In addition to major respiratory distress, characteristic neurological manifestations are also described, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 may be an underestimated opportunistic pathogen of the brain. ⋯ In some immune-compromised individuals, the virus may invade the brain through multiple routes, such as the vasculature and peripheral nerves. Therefore, in addition to drug treatments, such as pharmaceuticals and traditional Chinese medicine, non-pharmaceutical precautions, including facemasks and hand hygiene, are critically important.
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Frontiers of medicine · Oct 2020
Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers in context of COVID-19 outbreak: a retrospective analysis.
The possible effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) on COVID-19 disease severity have generated considerable debate. We performed a single-center, retrospective analysis of hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China, who had definite clinical outcome (dead or discharged) by February 15, 2020. Patients on anti-hypertensive treatment with or without ACEI/ARB were compared on their clinical characteristics and outcomes. ⋯ Further multivariable adjustment of age and gender did not provide evidence for a significant association between ACEI/ARB treatment and severe COVID-19 outcomes. Our findings confirm the lack of an association between chronic receipt of renin-angiotensin system antagonists and severe outcomes of COVID-19. Patients should continue previous anti-hypertensive therapy until further evidence is available.
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Frontiers of medicine · Oct 2020
Letter Case ReportsClinical study using mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19.
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 was identified in December 2019. The symptoms include fever, cough, dyspnea, early symptom of sputum, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy is the immediate treatment used for patients with severe cases of COVID-19. ⋯ With MSC transplantation, the fraction of inspired O2 (FiO2) of the two patients gradually decreased while the oxygen saturation (SaO2) and partial pressure of oxygen (PO2) improved. Additionally, the patients' chest computed tomography showed that bilateral lung exudate lesions were adsorbed after MSC infusion. Results indicated that MSC transplantation provides clinical data on the treatment of COVID-19 and may serve as an alternative method for treating COVID-19, particularly in patients with ARDS.
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Frontiers of medicine · Jun 2020
Clinical characteristics and prognostic values of 1p32.3 deletion detected through fluorescence in situ hybridization in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: a single-center study in China.
This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and prognostic impact of 1p32.3 deletion in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). A retrospective analysis was conducted on 411 patients with newly diagnosed MM; among which, 270 received bortezomib-based therapies, and 141 received thalidomide-based therapies. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed to detect six cytogenetic abnormalities, namely, del(1p32.3), gain(1q21), del(17p13), del(13q14), t(4;14), and t(11;14). ⋯ Multivariate analysis revealed that del(1p32.3) remained a powerful independent factor with worse PFS (P = 0.006) and OS (P = 0.016) for patients under thalidomide-based treatments. Patients with del(1p32.3) under bortezomib-based treatments tended to have short PFS and OS. In conclusion, del(1p32.3) is associated with short PFS and OS in patients with MM who received thalidomide- or bortezomib-based treatments.