Epidemiological investigation and intergenerational clinical characteristics of 24 coronavirus disease patients associated with a supermarket cluster: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: In view of the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, it remains unclear whether the severity of illness and time interval from symptom onset to release from quarantine differ between cases that originated from clusters and cases reported in other areas. This study aimed to assess epidemiological and intergenerational clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients associated with cluster outbreaks to provide valuable data for the prevention and control of COVID-19. METHODS: We identified the first employee with COVID-19 at a supermarket and screened the close contacts of this index patient. Confirmed cases were divided into two groups according to the generation (first generation comprising supermarket employees [group A] and second or third generations comprising family members or friends of the supermarket employees [group B]). The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the two groups were retrospectively compared. RESULTS: A total of 8437 people were screened, and 24 COVID-19 patients were identified. Seven patients (29.2%) were asymptomatic; three patients were responsible for six symptomatic cases. The interval from the confirmation of the first case to symptom onset in symptomatic patients was 5-11 days. The clinical manifestations of symptomatic patients upon admission were non-specific. All patients (including the seven asymptomatic patients) were admitted based on chest computed tomography features indicative of pneumonia. There were 11 cases in group A (first generation) and 13 cases in group B (second generation, 11 cases; third generation, 2 cases), with no significant differences in clinical and epidemiological characteristics between the two groups, except for sex, duration from symptom onset to hospitalization, and underlying disease (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For cluster outbreaks, it is important to comprehensively screen close the contacts of the index patient. Special attention should be paid to asymptomatic cases. The clinical management of cluster patients is similar to that of other COVID-19 patients.

Upregulation of microRNA-351 exerts protective effects during sepsis by ameliorating skeletal muscle wasting through the Tead-4-mediated blockade of the Hippo signaling pathway.

Sepsis-induced skeletal muscle wasting may lead to various severe clinical consequences. Understanding molecular mechanisms of the regulation of the loss of skeletal muscle mass in septic patients remains a significant clinical challenge. The current study was conducted to establish septic mice models to explore the relationship between microRNA (miR)-351 and the transcription element apical (TEA) domain transcription factor (Tead)-4 gene and to investigate its effects on the skeletal muscle through mediating the Hippo signaling pathway in mice with acute sepsis. A total of 60 mice were collected to establish mouse models of acute sepsis. The positive expression rate of Tead-4 and the apoptotic index (AI) were measured. A dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to verify the targeting relationship between miR-351 and Tead-4. Furthermore, the muscle fiber diameter (MFD) and area (MFA) and the content of 3-methylhistidine (3-MH) and tyrosine (Tyr) were assessed. The expression levels of miR-351, p38-MAPK, Yes-associated protein, Tead-4, B-cell lymphoma X protein (Bax), and Caspase-3 were determined with quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Finally, cell viability, apoptosis, and levels of inflammatory factors, including IL-1ß, IL-6, IGF-1, TNF-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2- yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, flow cytometry, and ELISA. Initially, Tead-4 protein expression was higher in skeletal muscle tissues of mice with acute sepsis. Tead-4 was identified to negatively regulate miR-351. Upregulation of miR-351 increased MFA and MFD, muscle weight water content, Bcl-2 expression levels, and cell viability. Up-regulation of miR-351 reduced AI; 3-MH and Tyr content; positive expression of Tead-4 protein; the expression levels of p38-MAPK, Yap, Tead-4, Bax, and Caspase-3; apoptosis; and inflammatory responses. The current study demonstrated that up-regulation of miR-351 inhibits the degradation of skeletal muscle protein and the atrophy of skeletal muscle in mice with acute sepsis by targeting Tead-4 through suppression of the Hippo signaling pathway. Thus, miR-351 overexpression may be a future therapeutic strategy for acute sepsis.-Zhang, L.-N., Tian, H., Zhou, X.-L., Tian, S.-C., Zhang, X.-H., Wu, T.-J. Upregulation of microRNA-351 exerts protective effects during sepsis by ameliorating skeletal muscle wasting through the Tead-4-mediated blockade of the Hippo signaling pathway.

[Impact of completion rates of 3-hour and 6-hour bundle on the prognosis of septic shock patients].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the impact of completion rates of 3-hour and 6-hour sepsis bundle therapy on prognosis of patients with septic shock in Prefecture-level grade A hospitals, and analyze the risk factors for prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted to patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Liaocheng People's Hospital, Shandong Province from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. The data of gender, age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), sites of infection, pathogenic microorganisms, completion rates of 3-hour and 6-hour sepsis bundle therapy, 28-day prognosis were collected. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for patients' mortality at 28-day. RESULTS: (1) Among 159 patients with septic shock, 93 survived and 66 died with 28-day. There were no significant differences in gender and age between the survival group and death group. Compared with the survival group, APACHE II score and SOFA score were significantly higher in the death group [APACHE II score: 26.85±5.04 vs. 20.67±4.29, SOFA score: 12.86±3.02 vs. 9.37±2.51, both P < 0.05]. (2) Sites of infection in the 159 patients: 47 cases were abdominal infection (29.6%), 36 case were bloodstream infection (22.6%), 31 cases were pulmonary infection (19.5%), 16 cases were soft tissue infection (10.1%), 13 cases were urinary tract infection (8.2%), 12 cases were biliary tract infection (7.5%), and 4 cases were other sites infection (2.5%). Pathogens were found in 128 cases and the positive rate was 80.5%, including 90 cases of Gram-negative (G-) bacilli (56.6%), 27 cases of Gram-positive (G+) cocci (17.0%) and 11 cases of fungi (6.9%). The top three pathogenic bacteria were Escherichia coli (49 cases, 30.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (21 cases, 13.2%) and Staphylococcus aureus (15 cases, 9.4%). The differences were not statistically significant. (3) Among the 159 patients, 101 cases completed 3-hour sepsis bundle therapy (63.5%), including 67 cases (72.0%) in survival group and 34 cases (51.5%) in death group; 106 cases completed 6-hour sepsis bundle therapy (66.7%), including 70 cases (75.3%) in survival group and 36 cases (54.5%) in death group. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). (4) The factors (APACHE II score, SOFA score and completion rate of 3-hour and 6-hour sepsis bundle therapy) affecting the prognosis in the univariate analysis were included in the binary Logistic regression analysis, and the results showed that the APACHE II score, SOFA score, completion rate of 3-hour sepsis bundle therapy were independent risk factors affecting mortality within 28-day [odds ratio (OR) was 1.216, 1.303, 0.402, all P < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS: The higher APACHE II score and SOFA score in septic shock, the worse the prognosis. Improving the completion rates of 3-hour and 6-hour bundle therapy especially the completion rate of 3-hour bundle therapy can reduce the mortality of patients and improve the prognosis.

Risk factors assessment in patients with acute fatty liver of pregnancy treated without plasma exchange or renal replacement therapy.

OBJECTIVE: Acute fatty liver of pregnancy(AFLP) is a rare but very urgent obstetric disease in clinical. It is a common cause of liver failure in pregnancy and often needs to be admitted to the department of critical care medicine because of the rapid development of acute hepatic dysfunction and severe acute renal dysfunction. The etiology and pathogenesis of this disorder is not very clear although there have been many studies on it before. Meanwhile, the relatively high mortality requires a better recognition in order to better guide clinical decision making. Our previous multicentre retrospective study on AFLP demonstrated that total bilirubin and serum creatinine were independent risk factors for perinatal maternal mortality. And we aim to further assess maternal outcomes and risk factors in AFLP patients treated without plasma exchange or renal replacement therapy based on previous data we collected. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of 133 hospitalized patients with AFLP was collected from four Chinese tertiary hospitals during the period between January 2009 and April 2014. One hundred thirty three patients were divided into two subgroups containing patients treated without plasma exchange (PE) or renal replacement therapy (CRT) and patients treated with PE or/and CRT. Logistic regression was used to analyze independent risk factors for maternal mortality of AFLP treated without PE or CRT. RESULTS: The maternal mortality rate was 12.0% in subgroup of patients treated without PE or CRT. And in subgroup of patients treated with PE or/and CRT, the maternal mortality rate was 26.8%. Independent risk factors for maternal mortality of AFLP treated without PE or CRT were direct bilirubin (OR = 1.012; 95% CI, 1.002-1.022) and serum creatinine (OR = 1.022; 95% CI, 1.007-1.036). CONCLUSION: Although less liver and kidney damage in AFLP treated without PE or CRT, direct bilirubin and serum creatinine remained to be independent risk factors for maternal mortality. Thus, the level of bilirubin and serum creatinine might not be necessary for AFLP to decide whether to give plasma exchange or dialysis treatment.

Case Report: Clinical Treatment of the First Critical Patient With Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Liaocheng, Shandong Province.

This paper reports the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of the first critical COVID-19 patient in Liaocheng City, who was admitted to the intensive care unit isolation ward of Liaocheng People's Hospital on February 11, 2020. On admission, the patient had difficulty breathing, the oxygenation index was 135 mmHg, and the blood lactate was 5.6 mmol/L. After comprehensive treatment including high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy, plasma exchange, antiviral and anti-infection therapies, immune regulation, liquid volume management, glucocorticoid, enteral nutrition support, analgesia and sedation, blood glucose control, anticoagulation and thrombus prevention, and electrolyte balance maintenance, the patient was finally cured, and discharged. The purpose of this case report is to provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of critical COVID-19 patients.

Clinical Characteristics and Reasons for Differences in Duration From Symptom Onset to Release From Quarantine Among Patients With COVID-19 in Liaocheng, China.

Objective: This study aimed to identify additional characteristics and features of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by assessing the clinical courses among COVID-19 patients in a region outside Hubei province. Methods: We analyzed retrospective data regarding general characteristics, epidemiologic history, underlying chronic diseases, clinical symptoms and complications, chest computed tomography findings, biochemical monitoring, disease severity, treatments, and outcomes among 37 adult patients with COVID-19. According to the duration from symptom onset to release from quarantine, the patients were divided into the ≤20 and >20-day groups, and the similarities and differences between them were compared. Results: Among the 37 patients, five had mild disease, 30 had moderate disease, one had severe disease, and one was critically ill. All of the patients were released from quarantine, and no mortality was observed. The average duration from symptom onset to release from quarantine was 20.2 ± 6.6 days. The average duration from symptom onset to hospitalization was 4.1 ± 3.7 days, and the patients were hospitalized for an average of 16.1 ± 6.2 days. The average age was 44.3 ± 1.67 years, and 78.4% of cases were caused by exposure to a patient with confirmed disease or the workplace of a patient with confirmed disease. The main symptoms were cough (67.6%), fever (62.2%), shortness of breath (32.4%), fatigue (24.3%), sore throat (21.6%), vomiting, and diarrhea (21.6%). White blood cell count was decreased in 27.0% of patients, and lymphocyte count was decreased in 62.2% of the patients, among whom 43.5% patients had counts of ≤0.6 × 109/L. On admission, 86.5% of patients showed pneumonia in chest CT scans, including some asymptomatic patients, while 68.8% of patients showed bilateral infiltration. In the >20-day group, the average age was 49.9 ± 1.38 years, and the average duration from symptom onset to hospitalization was 5.5 ± 3.9 days. Compared with the ≤20-day group, patients in the >20-day group were older and the duration was longer (P < 0.05). All of the seven asymptomatic patients belonged to the ≤20-day group. When the 37 patients were released from quarantine, the white blood cell count of 16.2% of the patients was <4.0 × 109/L, the lymphocyte count of 59.5% of the patients was <1.1 × 109/L, and the absolute counts of white blood cells and lymphocytes were 5.02 ± 1.34 × 109/L and 1.03 ± 0.34 × 109/L, respectively, compared with those recorded on admission (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The majority of COVID-19 cases in the study area were mild and moderate, with good clinical outcomes. There were some special characteristics in the clinical course. The reasons for differences in the duration from symptom onset to release from quarantine were complex. There was no significant change in the number of granulocytes at the time of release from quarantine compared to that at the time of admission.

Intravenous infusion of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a potential treatment for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has grown to be a global public health emergency since patients were first detected in Wuhan, China. Thus far, no specific drugs or vaccines are available to cure the patients with COVID-19 infection. The immune system and inflammation are proposed to play a central role in COVID-19 pathogenesis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to possess a comprehensive powerful immunomodulatory function. Intravenous infusion of MSCs has shown promising results in COVID-19 treatment. Here, we report a case of a severe COVID-19 patient treated with human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived MSCs (hWJCs) from a healthy donor in Liaocheng People's Hospital, China, from February 24, 2020. The pulmonary function and symptoms of the patient with COVID-19 pneumonia was significantly improved in 2 days after hWJC transplantation, and recovered and discharged in 7 days after treatment. After treatment, the percentage and counts of lymphocyte subsets (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cell) were increased, and the level of IL-6, TNF-α, and C-reactive protein is significantly decreased after hWJC treatment. Thus, the intravenous transplantation of hWJCs was safe and effective for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, especially for the patients in a critically severe condition. This report highlights the potential of hWJC infusions as an effective treatment for COVID-19 pneumonia.

Outcomes and risk factors of patients with acute fatty liver of pregnancy: a multicentre retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP) frequently causes liver failure in pregnant women. A better understanding of the clinical characteristics, management, outcomes and risk factors of AFLP is required, given its relatively high mortality rate. We aimed to describe the characteristics of AFLP, and further assess its outcomes and potential risk factors from the perspectives of the mother and fetus. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 133 patients with AFLP hospitalised at four tertiary hospitals in China between January 2009 and April 2014. RESULTS: Among 133 patients, AFLP was diagnosed in the postpartum period for 13 (9.8%) patients. Potential factors influencing adverse maternal outcome were male fetus (p = 0.04), postpartum diagnosis of AFLP (p < 0.01), intrauterine fetal death (p = 0.04), disseminated intravascular coagulation (p < 0.01), prothrombin time (p < 0.01) and activated partial thromboplastin time (p = 0.04). The frequency of fetal distress (p = 0.03) and activated partial thromboplastin time (p < 0.05) were significantly higher in pregnancies with dead fetuses than in those where the fetuses survived. Independent risk factors for perinatal maternal mortality were history of legal termination of pregnancy (odds ratio [OR] 1.958, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.133-3.385), total bilirubin (OR 1.009, 95% CI 1.003-1.014) and serum creatinine (OR 1.010, 95% CI 1.003-1.017). CONCLUSION: Compared with total bilirubin and serum creatinine, history of legal termination of pregnancy appeared to be a greater risk factor for maternal mortality among patients with AFLP.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TPP) successfully rescued by plasma exchange in the ICU: A report of two cases.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, life-threatening disorder, which is characterized by thrombus formation in small blood vessels. The present study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data from two patients with severe TTP, who were treated successfully in the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Liaocheng People's Hospital in 2013. Comprehensive therapies were administered to the patients, including plasma exchange (PE), mechanical ventilation (case 1 only), steroid therapy, blood transfusion and anti-inflammatory treatment (case 2 only). The two patients returned to a stable state and were transferred back to the hematology department following PE. The positive outcome achieved for these patients suggests that early intervention involving bedside PE in the ICU may reduce the mortality rate of patients with severe TTP who have concurrent respiratory or circulatory failure and cannot be treated in the dialysis unit.

[Clinical study of cerebral oxygen utilization coefficients in patients with severe head injury].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship in cerebral oxygen utilization coefficients (O.2UCc) in patients with acute severe head injury and illness prognosis. METHODS: Forty patients with acute severe head injury were studied, and 40 patients with light head injury were used as control. Through blood analysis, the changes in oxygen saturation of carotid blood (SaO(2)), oxygen saturation of jugular blood (SjO(2)), cerebral arteriovenous difference of oxygen saturation (S(a-j)O(2)), O.2 UCc were observed. Furthermore, the relationship of these patients' condition and prognosis was analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant change between the test group and control group in SaO(2). In test group, SjO(2) increased and O.2 UCc decreased, there was an obvious difference between two groups (both P<0.01). In test group, 26 died and 14 lived. There was no significant difference between died and lived patients in SaO(2). SjO(2) significantly increased and O.2 UCc obviously decreased in died patients in comparison with those of the lived patients (both P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Cerebral oxygen metabolism dynamics obstacle frequently was accompanied with acute severe head injury. The high SjO(2) and low O.2 UCc are main symptoms with O.2 UCc<11percent hinting a bad prognosis.