Add-On Chinese Medicine for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (ACCORD): A Retrospective Cohort Study of Hospital Registries.

Chinese medicine (CM) was extensively used to treat COVID-19 in China. We aimed to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of add-on semi-individualized CM during the outbreak. A retrospective cohort of 1788 adult confirmed COVID-19 patients were recruited from 2235 consecutive linked records retrieved from five hospitals in Wuhan during 15 January to 13 March 2020. The mortality of add-on semi-individualized CM users and non-users was compared by inverse probability weighted hazard ratio (HR) and by propensity score matching. Change of biomarkers was compared between groups, and the frequency of CMs used was analyzed. Subgroup analysis was performed to stratify disease severity and dose of CM exposure. The crude mortality was 3.8% in the semi-individualized CM user group and 17.0% among the non-users. Add-on CM was associated with a mortality reduction of 58% (HR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.77, [Formula: see text] = 0.005) among all COVID-19 cases and 66% (HR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.76, [Formula: see text] = 0.009) among severe/critical COVID-19 cases demonstrating dose-dependent response, after inversely weighted with propensity score. The result was robust in various stratified, weighted, matched, adjusted and sensitivity analyses. Severe/critical patients that received add-on CM had a trend of stabilized D-dimer level after 3-7 days of admission when compared to baseline. Immunomodulating and anti-asthmatic CMs were most used. Add-on semi-individualized CM was associated with significantly reduced mortality, especially among severe/critical cases. Chinese medicine could be considered as an add-on regimen for trial use.

Clinical 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. The structured data of symptoms and drugs from admission notes were obtained through an information extraction process. Other key clinical entities were also confirmed and normalized to obtain information on the diagnosis, clinical treatments, laboratory tests, and outcomes of the patients. A total of 293 COVID-19 inpatient cases, including 207 moderate and 86 (29.3%) severe cases, were included in our research. Among these cases, 238 were discharged, 31 were transferred, and 24 (all severe cases) died in the hospital. Our COVID-19 cases involved elderly patients with advanced ages (57 years on average) and high comorbidity rates (61%). Our results reconfirmed several well-recognized risk factors, such as age, gender (male), and comorbidities, as well as provided novel laboratory indications (e.g., cholesterol) and TCM-specific phenotype markers (e.g., dull tongue) that were relevant to COVID-19 infections and prognosis. In addition to antiviral/antibiotics and standard supportive therapies, TCM herbal prescriptions incorporating 290 distinct herbs were used in 273 (93%) cases. The cases that received TCM treatment had lower death rates than those that did not receive TCM treatment (17/273 = 6.2% vs. 7/20= 35%, P = 0.0004 for all cases; 17/77= 22% vs. 7/9= 77.7%, P = 0.002 for severe cases). The TCM herbal prescriptions used for the treatment of COVID-19 infections mainly consisted of Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae, Radix Scutellariae, Rhizoma Pinellia, and their combinations, which reflected the practical TCM principles (e.g., clearing heat and dampening phlegm). Lastly, 59% of the patients received treatment, including antiviral, antibiotics, and Chinese patent medicine, before admission. This situation might have some effects on symptoms, such as fever and dry cough. 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.

[Photoemission characteristic of transmission-mode extended blue GaAs photocathodes].

Based on the theoretical models of computing the photocathode optical performance, quantum yield and integral sensitivity, the photoemission characteristics of the domestic and ITT's transmission-mode extended blue GaAs photocathodes, namely the cathode optical properties and performance parameters, were respectively investigated. The compared results show that the integral sensitivity of the domestic transmission-mode extended blue photocathode has achieved 2,100 microA x lm(-1), still falling behind the ITT's integral sensitivity of 2,750 µA x m(-1). The reasons for the difference in quantum yield curves are that, on one hand, the thickness of GaAlAs window-layer and the Al mole fraction play a critical role in the short-wavelength response, especially in the extended blue region. On the other hand, the cathode performance parameters such as electron diffusion length and back interface recombination velocity work on the long-wavelength and short-wavelength response. All these factors are subject to the backwardness of basic industrial manufacturing level.

Comparison of structure and performance between extended blue and standard transmission-mode GaAs photocathode modules.

Extended blue and standard transmission-mode GaAs photocathode modules were prepared, respectively, by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The experimental reflectivity, transmissivity, and spectral response curves were measured and compared separately. The integral sensitivities are 1980 µA/lm and 2022 µA/lm for both the modules. By use of the revised quantum yield formula, the experimental spectral response curves are fitted to obtain the structure parameters. The fitted results show that the Ga(1-x)Al(x)As window layer with varied aluminum components is beneficial to improve extended blue GaAs photocathode module. In addition, the layer-thickness and aluminum component in the window layer determine the extended blue performance, while the thickness of the GaAs active layer settles the long-waveband performance for the transmission-mode GaAs photocathode module.

[The spectral response analysis of activated GaN photocathode].

GaN photocathode has a wide applicaion in ultraviolet detection because of the outstanding performance. GaN photocathode was activated in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system by Cs/O, and the reflection-mode quantum efficiency (QE) was analyzed. The QE is 30%-10% corresponding to the wavelength 240-350 nm, and the QE curve is flat. The QE reaches the maximum of 30% at 240 nm. Compared with the abroad result, the QE obtained by us is still inadequate at the short wavelength The atom arrangement of GaN (0001) was studied. The atom arrangement on the surface was simulated by 3D, and in this way the adsorption of Cs on the GaN(0001) was speculated.

Variation of spectral response for exponential-doped transmission-mode GaAs photocathodes in the preparation process.

To confirm the actual effect of an exponential-doped structure on cathode performance, an exponential-doped structure was applied to the preparation of a transmission-mode GaAs photocathode, and spectral response curves after high-temperature activation, low-temperature activation, and the indium sealing process were separately measured by use of the on-line spectral response measurement system. The results show that, compared to the previously uniform-doped photocathode, the exponential-doped photocathode can obtain higher cathode performance and photoemission capability because of the built-in electric field. Nevertheless, cesium desorption and impurity of gas during the sealing process can cause the degeneration of spectral response in the entire response waveband, especially in the long-wavelength region, with the decrease in surface electron escape probability related to the adverse evolution of the surface potential barrier profile.

Influence of exponential doping structure on the performance of GaAs photocathodes.

Obtaining higher quantum efficiency and more stable GaAs photocathodes has been an important developmental direction in the investigation of GaAs photocathodes. One significant approach to this problem is to improve the electron diffusion length. We put forward and investigate an exponential doping mode GaAs photocathode. It was proved by theoretical and experimental results that, because the exponential doping structure is in favor of forming a directional constant built-in electric field, the electron diffusion and drift length of the cathode material can accordingly be enhanced. The mathematical expression of the electron diffusion and drift length L(DE) of an exponential doping photocathode was deduced, and the relationship between the doping coefficient and the electron diffusion and drift length is made certain. This investigation contributes to the understanding of varied doping GaAs photocathodes and provides guidance to optimize the doping structure of GaAs photocathodes for higher quantum efficiency.

Annealing study of carrier concentration in gradient-doped GaAs/GaAlAs epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy.

We measured the carrier concentration distribution of gradient-doped GaAs/GaAlAs epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy before and after annealing at 600 degrees C, using electrochemical capacitance voltage profiling, to investigate the internal variation of transmission-mode GaAs photocathodes arising from the annealing process. The results show that the carrier concentration increased after annealing. As a result, the total band-bending energy in the gradient-doped GaAs emission layer increased by 25.24% after annealing, which improves the photoexcited electron movement toward the surface. On the other hand, the annealing process resulted in a worse carrier concentration discrepancy between the GaAs and the GaAlAs, which causes a lower back interface potential barrier, decreasing the amount of high-energy photoelectrons.