Infection Control Precautions and Care Delivery in Hemodialysis Unit during Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: With an estimated basic reproductive number of 3.77, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread. It is urgent to exert adequate efforts for the management of dialysis patients, caregivers, and healthcare personnel (HCP). This study aimed at reporting practical workflow, identification of high-risk or suspected cases of CO-VID-19, and subsequent response measures. METHODS: At the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, precautions and practice protocols were applied in our dialysis units (DUs). This single-center study retrospectively reviewed all high-risk/suspected cases from January 23, 2020, to February 10, 2020. Epidemiological, clinical feature, and detailed data on all cases were recorded. RESULTS: Practical workflow for the clinical management of dialysis patients, caregivers, and HCP was initiated. A total of 6 high-risk/suspected cases were identified. Female gender, older age, presence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, anuresis, immunocompromised status, hypoalbuminemia, and underweight were noticeable features in these cases. Direct evidence of infection or epidemiological risk was detected in five cases. Close monitoring for temperature and oxygen saturation during hemodialysis sessions may be reasonable. No confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in our DU, but certain cases showed rapid deterioration due to other critically severe condition needing hospitalization. Portable dialysis machines are of great need to ensure dialysis care provision. CONCLUSIONS: Our study described a practical workflow for patient-centered management during COVID-19 outbreak. Potential risk factors and underlying clinical patterns were reported. Further studies regarding the efficacy of infection control precautions and practice protocols tailored for dialysis settings are warranted.

Electroacupuncture improves acute bowel injury recovery in rat models.

Electroacupuncture (EA) accelerates intestinal functional recovery in sepsis. The present study investigated ghrelin and ghrelin receptor (GSH-R) levels during EA in rats with acute bowel injury (ABI). Rats were grouped into four groups: Sham, ABI, ABI+EA and ABI+GHRA+EA (n=12 per group). ABI was induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). EA on bilateral Zusanli acupoints was performed following CLP. GSH-R blocker (GHRA) was used following CLP but prior to EA for ABI+GHRA+EA rats. Rats were sacrificed 12 h following CLP. Serum ghrelin, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) levels, as well as ghrelin and GSH-R protein expression, water content, pathological changes and myeloperoxidase (MPO) and diamine oxidase (DAO) activities in the bowel tissues, were measured. ABI rats, compared with the sham rats, had significantly lower levels of ghrelin and GSH-R in the serum and bowel tissue, and higher Chiu's score (all P<0.05). The ABI+EA rats, compared with the ABI rats, had significantly reduced serum TNF-α and HMGB1 levels, bowel water content, MPO activity and Chiu's score (all P<0.05), and significantly higher serum ghrelin (121.2±10.7 vs. 86.7±6.4 pg/ml), bowel ghrelin (0.12±0.02 vs. 0.08±0.01), GSH-R (0.05±0.04 vs. 0.03±0.01) and DAO activity (18.74±4.18 vs. 13.52±2.33 U/ml; all P<0.05), indicating an improvement of the intestinal mucosal barrier. GHRA reversed the protective effects of EA. Therefore, EA improved ABI recovery by promoting ghrelin secretion and upregulating GSH-R expression.

Epidemiology and microbiology of nosocomial bloodstream infections: analysis of 482 cases from a retrospective surveillance study.

In many traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) hospitals, most patients are elderly with chronic diseases. Nosocomial bloodstream infections (nBSIs) are an important cause of morbidity and mortality. A retrospective surveillance study was performed to examine the epidemiology and microbiology of nBSIs in a TCM hospital from 2009 to 2011. A total of 482 patients with nBSIs were included in the study period. The incidence rate was 5.7/1000 admissions. Escherichia coli (25.5%) was the most common Gram-negative and coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CoNS) (14.1%) was the most common Gram-positive organism isolated. One-third of the E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from the nBSIs were the third-generation cephalosporin-resistant. Half of the Acinetobacter species isolates were resistant to imipenem. Of all the CoNS isolates, 90.7% were resistant to methicillin. Carbapenems and glycopeptide were the most frequently used for nBSI therapy. Only about one-third of patients (157/482) received appropriate empirical therapy. Septic shock, hemodialysis, Pitt bacteremia score >4, urinary tract infection, and appropriate empirical therapy were most strongly associated with 28-d mortality. The incidence of nBSIs was low in the TCM hospital but the proportion of nBSIs due to antibiotic-resistant organisms was high. A high Pitt bacteremia score was one of the most important risk factors for mortality in nBSIs. Therefore, the implementation of appropriate empirical therapy is crucial to improve the clinical outcome of nBSIs.

Effects of benzo(a)pyrene on the contractile function of the thoracic aorta of Sprague-Dawley rats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible vascular effects of an environment carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). METHODS: The cytotoxicit of BaP and rat liver S9 (0.25 mg/mL)-activated BaP were examined by MTT assay. Thoracic aortic rings were dissected from Sprague-Dawley rats. Contraction of aortic rings was induced by 60 mmol/L KCl or 10(-6) mol/L phenylephrine (PE) in an ex-vivo perfusion system after BaP (100 µmol/L) incubation for 6 h. [Ca(2+)](i) was measured using Fluo-4/AM. For in-vivo treatment, rats were injected with BaP for 4 weeks (10 mg/kg, weekly, i.p.). RESULTS: BaP (1-500 µm) did not significantly affect cell viability; S9-activated BaP stimulated cell proliferation. BaP did not affect the contractile function of endothelium-intact or -denuded aortic rings. BaP did not affect ATP-induced ([Ca(2+)](i)) increases in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In BaP-treated rats, heart rate and the number of circulating inflammatory cells were not affected. Body weight decreased while blood pressure increased significantly. The maximum aortic contractile responses to PE and KCl and the maximum aortic relaxation response to acetylcholine were significantly decreased by 25.0%, 34.2%, and 10.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest, in accordance with its DNA-damaging properties, that metabolic activation is a prerequisite for BaP-induced cardiovascular toxicity.