Clinical presentations, laboratory and radiological findings, and treatments for 11,028 COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the comorbidities, symptoms, clinical characteristics and treatment of COVID-19 patients. Epidemiological studies published in 2020 (from January-March) on the clinical presentation, laboratory findings and treatments of COVID-19 patients were identified from PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase databases. Studies published in English by 27th March, 2020 with original data were included. Primary outcomes included comorbidities of COVID-19 patients, their symptoms presented on hospital admission, laboratory results, radiological outcomes, and pharmacological and in-patient treatments. 76 studies were included in this meta-analysis, accounting for a total of 11,028 COVID-19 patients in multiple countries. A random-effects model was used to aggregate estimates across eligible studies and produce meta-analytic estimates. The most common comorbidities were hypertension (18.1%, 95% CI 15.4-20.8%). The most frequently identified symptoms were fever (72.4%, 95% CI 67.2-77.7%) and cough (55.5%, 95% CI 50.7-60.3%). For pharmacological treatment, 63.9% (95% CI 52.5-75.3%), 62.4% (95% CI 47.9-76.8%) and 29.7% (95% CI 21.8-37.6%) of patients were given antibiotics, antiviral, and corticosteroid, respectively. Notably, 62.6% (95% CI 39.9-85.4%) and 20.2% (95% CI 14.6-25.9%) of in-patients received oxygen therapy and non-invasive mechanical ventilation, respectively. This meta-analysis informed healthcare providers about the timely status of characteristics and treatments of COVID-19 patients across different countries.PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42020176589.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Sham-Controlled Trials of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Bipolar Disorder.

BACKGROUND: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective in treating unipolar depression. However, the efficacy of rTMS in bipolar disorder (BD) is unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the efficacy and tolerability of rTMS for both depressive and manic phases in BD. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CENTRAL databases were searched for controlled trials on treatment of BD with rTMS. Primary outcomes included changes in depression or mania scores, response and remission rates. Secondary outcomes included quality of life and functioning assessment. We used random-effects model, Hedge's g, risk differences (RDs) and the number needed to treat (NNT). RESULTS: Eleven randomized sham-controlled studies were included, with a total of 345 patients with BD (bipolar depression = 257, mania = 86, mixed affective = 2). Trials of rTMS in bipolar depression (N = 8) demonstrated small but significant improvement in depression scores [standardized mean difference = 0.302, p < 0.05], compared to control group. Furthermore, rTMS brought a higher remission rate than sham-controls [RD = 0.104 ± 0.044, p < 0.05, NNT = 10; and a trend of greater response rate [RD = 0.074 ± 0.039, p = 0.06]. Results were inconclusive for effect of rTMS in mania. In both depressive and manic groups, no serious adverse events were reported. Risk of treatment-emergent mania appeared low. LIMITATIONS: There was limited number of eligible primary studies, with variable randomization procedures. CONCLUSION: rTMS appears safe and effective in treating bipolar depression. More stringent RCTs are necessary for concrete conclusion about efficacy in mania.

Next-generation sequencing with a myeloid gene panel in core-binding factor AML showed KIT activation loop and TET2 mutations predictive of outcome.

Clinical outcome and mutations of 96 core-binding factor acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients 18-60 years old were examined. Complete remission (CR) after induction was 94.6%. There was no significant difference in CR, leukemia-free-survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) between t(8;21) (N=67) and inv(16) patients (N=29). Univariate analysis showed hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at CR1 as the only clinical parameter associated with superior LFS. Next-generation sequencing based on a myeloid gene panel was performed in 72 patients. Mutations in genes involved in cell signaling were associated with inferior LFS and OS, whereas those in genes involved in DNA methylation were associated with inferior LFS. KIT activation loop (AL) mutations occurred in 25 patients, and were associated with inferior LFS (P=0.003) and OS (P=0.001). TET2 mutations occurred in 8 patients, and were associated with significantly shorter LFS (P=0.015) but not OS. Patients negative for KIT-AL and TET2 mutations (N=41) had significantly better LFS (P<0.001) and OS (P=0.012) than those positive for both or either mutation. Multivariate analysis showed that KIT-AL and TET2 mutations were associated with inferior LFS, whereas age ⩾40 years and marrow blast ⩾70% were associated with inferior OS. These observations provide new insights that may guide better treatment for this AML subtype.

Effect of biopolishing and UV absorber treatment on the UV protection properties of cotton knitted fabrics.

Cotton knitted fabrics were manufactured with gauge number 20 G by circular knitting machine with conventional ring spun yarn and torque-free ring spun yarn. Torque-free ring spinning is a new spinning technology that produces yarns with low twist and balanced torque. This study examined whether the impact of biopolishing and UV absorber treatment on UV protection properties on cotton knitted fabric made of torque-free ring spun yarn is different. Biopolishing agent and UV absorber were used to treat the cotton knitted fabrics after scouring and bleaching. The UV protection properties were measured in terms of UV protection factor (UPF) and UV ray transmittance. Experimental results revealed that knitted fabric made from torque-free ring spun has better UPF than knitted fabric made from conventional ring spun yarn in untreated and biopolished states. However, knitted fabric made from conventional ring spun yarn has better UPF than knitted fabric made from torque-free ring spun after UV absorber treatment and combined UV absorber and biopolishing treatment.

Cataloging and profiling genes expressed in Lentinula edodes fruiting body by massive cDNA pyrosequencing and LongSAGE.

This study investigated the molecular mechanism of the fruiting body development and sporulation in the cap of the Shiitake mushroom, Lentinula edodes. Although there has been much research into L. edodes, there remain significant gaps in our knowledge of how the species reproduces. In order to provide molecular resources and to understand the molecular mechanism of the fruiting body development in basidiomycete comprehensively, we searched for the genes which are important for fruiting body development and sporulation in the cap of mature fruiting body of L. edodes by using the whole-genome approach. Massive cDNA pyrosequencing was used to generate >7000 sequence contigs from mature fruiting bodies. We used Gene Ontology to categorize the contigs to form the catalog of genes expressed at the stage of the mature fruiting body. We also assigned the contigs into the KEGG pathways. The catalog of expressed genes indicates that the mature fruiting bodies (1) sense the external environment, (2) transmit signals to express genes through regulatory systems, (3) produce many proteins, (4) degrade unwanted proteins, (5) perform extensive biosynthesis, (6) generate energy, (7) regulate the internal environment, (8) transport molecules, (9) carry out cell division, and (10) differentiate and develop. After establishing the catalog of expressed genes in L. edodes, we used the LongSAGE approach to analyze the expression levels of genes found in mature fruiting bodies before (FB) and after (FBS) spores appeared. Gene-expression patterns according to GO categories were similar in these two stages. We have also successfully identified genes differentially expressed in FB and FBS. Fold-changes in expression levels of selected genes based on LongSAGE tag counts were similar to those obtained by real-time RT-PCR. The consistency between real-time RT-PCR and LongSAGE results indicates reliability of the LongSAGE results. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the fruiting processes of L. edodes through a combination of massive cDNA pyrosequencing and LongSAGE sequencing, and the knowledge thereby obtained may provide insight into the improvement of the yield of commercially grown Shiitake mushrooms.