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COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Systemic inflammatory response is one of the crucial pathogenic mechanisms. As a key component of the innate immune system, the complement system can quickly provoke an inflammatory reaction against infectious pathogens, serving as a defense mechanism of the body. Studies have showed that the inflammatory storm caused by over-activation of the complement plays a critical role in the development of COVID-19, and blocking or regulating the complement cascade has a certain therapeutic effect on patients with COVID-19. In this review, the roles of the complement system in the pathogenesis and development of COVID-19 were summarized.
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Objective To better understand the clinical features and the diagnosis of TAFRO syndrome.Methods The clinical data of a patient were analyzed and the related literatures were reviewed.Results A 51-year-old male characterized by fever,edema of the legs,serous cavity effusion,throm-bocyto-penia,and renal dysfunction;Kidney biopsy suggested a diagnosis of endocapillary proliferative glomerulon-ephritis and thrombotic microangiopathy.The pathology of lymph node biopsy supported the diagnosis of Castleman disease.After administering with glucocorticoids and supportive platelet transfusion,the clinical symptoms relieved.Conclusion Symptoms of patients with TAFRO syndrome are variable.The diagnosis relies on history and pathological examination.Currently,glucocorticoids can be used as first line therapy.TAFRO syndrome should be thoroughly investigated for differentiating with other diseases.
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Objective To investigate the effects of alpha lipoic acid on patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR),explore the possible mechanisms,and provide experimental evidence for the treatment of DR with lipoic acid.Methods Totally 75 DR patients were randomly divided into control group and treatment group.Patients in control group received the standard hypoglycemic treatment,antihypertensive therapy,and other comprehensive treatment.Patients from the treatment group were treated with alpha lipoic acid 600 mg + 250 ml 0.9％ sodium chloride injection additionally,avoiding light intravenous therapy,for a total of 4 weeks.Before and after treatment,fundus fluorescein angiography and visual inspection were detected in two groups.In addition,serum level of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) were detected with high performance liquid chromatography,serum lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were detected to reflect the in vivo oxidative stress before and after treatment in two groups.Results Compared to the control group,visual acuity was improved significantly (P ＜ 0.05),and total efficiency of ocular lesions-improved was increased significantly (84.21％ vs 40.54％,x2 =15.28,P ＜ 0.01).Serum levels of endogenous inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase ADMA [(0.32 ±0.13) μmol/L vs (0.51 ± 0.26) μmol/L,P ＜ 0.05] and MDA [(3.22 ± 0.90) nmol/L vs (5.13 ± 0.42) nmol/ml,P ＜ 0.05] were significantly decreased,while SOD levels [(72.68 ± 1.31) U/ml vs (53.16 ± 1.54) U/ml,P ＜0.05] were significantly increased in DR patients after alpha lipoic acid treatment.Conclusions Alpha lipoic acid had some therapeutic effects for DR patients,which mainly lied in the improvement of visual acuity and eye disease,might be related to the decrease of oxidative stress and serum level of endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor ADMA.
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Objective To explore a new method for one-stage repair of the intestinal leakage based on the principle of magnetic compression anastomosis. Methods Twenty-four dogs were randomly divided into experimental group (n = 12) and control group (n = 12) according to random number table. The model of upper and multiple intestinal leakages was established by making transverse incisions of 1 cm in length on the jejunum wall about 50 cm and 100 cm away from the Treitz ligament. Forty-eight hours later, two NdFeB magnetic rings with the magnetic flux of 2500 G were put into the intestine from the leak sites. The leak sites were pressed between the two rings. The ventages in the control group were sutured. The condition of the dogs was observed after the repair of the leakage. The excreting time was recorded, and the leakage pressures of the anastomotic stoma were detected.The positions of the magnetic rings in the experimental group were detected by X ray. Tissues of the anastomotic stoma were processed by hematoxylin eosin and Masson staining. All data were analyzed using the two-sample t test. Results Severe abdominal infection occurred 48 hours after the establishment of the model. All the intestinal leakages in the experimental group were successfully repaired and the dogs survived for a long time. The magnetic rings were excreted six or seven days after the repair. Eight dogs of the control group survived. The leakage pressure of the anastomotic stoma seven days after the repair was (134 ±23)mm Hg (1 mm Hg =0. 133 kPa) in the experimental group and (91 ± 18)mm Hg in the control group, respectively, with a significant difference between the two groups (t = 3.225, P ＜ 0.05). The leakage pressure of the anastomotic stoma 14 days after the repair was (281 ±7)mm Hg in the experimental group and (271 ±21) mm Hg in the control group, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups (t =0. 988, P ＞ 0.05). Histological observation showed that after the magnetic compression anastomosis, the intestinal muscle and mucosa recovered well, inflammatory reaction was slight and less collagen fiber and scar was formed. Conclusions Application of magnetic ring with the magnetic flux of 2500 G in one-stage repair of the intestinal leakage in the state of severe abdominal infection is safe and reliable.