Analysis of 4 imaging features in patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this was to analyze 4 chest CT imaging features of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Shenzhen, China so as to improve the diagnosis of COVID-19. METHODS: Chest CT of 34 patients with COVID-19 confirmed by the nucleic acid test (NAT) were retrospectively analyzed. Analyses were performed to investigate the pathological basis of four imaging features("feather sign","dandelion sign","pomegranate sign", and "rime sign") and to summarize the follow-up results. RESULTS: There were 22 patients (65.2%) with typical "feather sign"and 18 (52.9%) with "dandelion sign", while few patients had "pomegranate sign" and "rime sign". The "feather sign" and "dandelion sign" were composed of stripe or round ground-glass opacity (GGO), thickened blood vessels, and small-thickened interlobular septa. The "pomegranate sign" was characterized as follows: the increased range of GGO, the significant thickening of the interlobular septum, complicated with a small amount of punctate alveolar hemorrhage. The "rime sign" was characterized by numerous alveolar edemas. Microscopically, the wall thickening, small vascular proliferation, luminal stenosis, and occlusion, accompanied by interstitial infiltration of inflammatory cells, as well as numerous pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and partial hyaline degeneration were observed. Repeated chest CT revealed the mediastinal lymphadenectasis in one patient. Re-examination of the NAT showed another positive anal swab in two patients. CONCLUSION: "Feather sign" and "dandelion sign" were typical chest CT features in patients withCOVID-19; "pomegranate sign" was an atypical feature, and "rime sign" was a severe feature. In clinical work, accurate identification of various chest CT signs can help to improve the diagnostic accuracy of COVID-19 and reduce the misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis rate.

Characterization, pharmacokinetics, and hypoglycemic effect of berberine loaded solid lipid nanoparticles.

The high aqueous solubility, poor permeability, and absorption of berberine (BBR) result in its low plasma level after oral administration, which greatly limits its clinical application. BBR solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) were prepared to achieve improved bioavailability and prolonged effect. Developed SLNs showed homogeneous spherical shapes, small size (76.8 nm), zeta potential (7.87 mV), encapsulation efficiency (58%), and drug loading (4.2%). The power of X-ray diffraction combined with (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was employed to analyze chemical functional groups and the microstructure of BBR-SLNs, and indicated that the drug was wrapped in a lipid carrier. Single dose (50 mg/kg) oral pharmacokinetic studies in rats showed significant improvement (P<0.05) in the peak plasma concentration, area under the curve, and variance of mean residence time of BBR-SLNs when compared to BBR alone (P<0.05), suggesting improved bioavailability. Furthermore, oral administration of both BBR and BBR-SLNs significantly suppressed body weight gain, fasting blood glucose levels, and homeostasis assessment of insulin resistance, and ameliorated impaired glucose tolerance and insulin tolerance in db/db diabetic mice. BBR-SLNs at high dose (100 mg/kg) showed more potent effects when compared to an equivalent dose of BBR. Morphologic analysis demonstrated that BBR-SLNs potentially promoted islet function and protected the islet from regeneration. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that by entrapping BBR into SLNs the absorption of BBR and its anti-diabetic action were effectively enhanced.