ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the correlation between triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HTPR) during clopidogrel treatment in patients with ischemic stroke.Methods:Patients with ischemic stroke who received maintenance dose of clopidogrel (75 mg/d) in the Department of Neurology, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine from January 2017 to March 2021 were retrospectively included. The highest quartile (Q4) of the TyG index was defined as insulin resistance. Platelet reactivity was assessed by thromboelastogram and clopidogrel HTPR was defined as the clot strength induced by adenosine diphosphate (MA ADP) >47 mm. Multivariate regression model was used to analyze the independent correlation between TyG index and platelet reactivity. Results:A total of 83 patients were included. The TyG index showed a linear correlation with MA ADP. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to the quartile of TyG index. The incidence of clopidogrel HTPR increased significantly with the increase of the quartile of the TyG index ( Ptrend=0.017). Multivariate analysis showed that there was a significant independent correlation between insulin resistance and clopidogrel HTPR (odds ratio 4.597, 95% confidence interval 1.285-16.446; P=0.019). Conclusions:In patients with ischemic stroke treated with clopidogrel, the incidence of clopidogrel HTPR gradually increases with the increase of the quartile of the TyG index. The insulin resistance assessed by the TyG index is independently associated with clopidogrel HTPR.
ABSTRACT
Essential palatal tremor is relatively rare in clinical practice, which manifests involuntary and rhythmic contraction of soft-palate along with auditory click. The cause is unknown and there is no specific treatment at present. This article reports a female patient with essential palatine tremor, who presented with involuntarily beating of soft palate, disappeared during sleep, had sensory tricks, and gradually developed mental and psychological problems such as anxiety disorders. After treatment with integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine, the symptoms improved. The clinical features of the case were analyzed, relevant literature was reviewed, and the possible etiology and characteristics of the disease were explored, so as to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.
ABSTRACT
Rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 is key to controlling the pandemic. Here we report the potential breath-borne volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarkers for COVID-19. Higher levels of ethyl butanoate were detected in exhaled breath of COVID-19 patients (N=10) than healthy controls/health care workers (N=21), lung cancer (LC) patients (N=7) and backgrounds. In contrast, breath-borne butyraldehyde and isopropanol (an efficient SARS-CoV-2 inactivation agent) were significantly higher for non-COVID-19 respiratory infections (URTI) (N=22) than COVID-19, HC, LC patients and backgrounds. Breath-borne isopropanol emission from COVID-19 patients varied greatly up to [~]100-fold difference. COVID-19 patients had lower acetone levels than other subjects, except LC patients. The monitoring of ethyl butanoate, butyraldehyde and isopropanol could lend considerable support in rapidly screening COVID-19; and alerting the presence of COVID-19 patient in particular environments. One Sentence SummaryCOVID-19 patients emit distinctive VOC profiles
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unprecedented crisis to the global health sector1. When recovering COVID-19 patients are discharged in accordance with throat or nasal swab protocols using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), the potential risk of re-introducing the infection source to humans and the environment must be resolved2,3,4. Here we show that 20% of COVID-19 patients, who were ready for a hospital discharge based on current guidelines, had SARS-CoV-2 in their exhaled breath ([~]105 RNA copies/m3). They were estimated to emit about 1400 RNA copies into the air per minute. Although fewer surface swabs (1.3%, N=318) tested positive, medical equipment frequently contacted by healthcare workers and the work shift floor were contaminated by SARS-CoV-2 in four hospitals in Wuhan. All air samples (N=44) appeared negative likely due to the dilution or inactivation through natural ventilation (1.6-3.3 m/s) and applied disinfection. Despite the low risk of cross environmental contamination in the studied hospitals, there is a critical need for strengthening the hospital discharge standards in preventing re-emergence of COVID-19 spread.
ABSTRACT
Despite notable efforts in airborne SARS-CoV-2 detection, no clear evidence has emerged to show how SARS-CoV-2 is emitted into the environments. Here, 35 COVID-19 subjects were recruited; exhaled breath condensate (EBC), air samples and surface swabs were collected and analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). EBC samples had the highest positive rate (16.7%, n = 30), followed by surface swabs(5.4%, n = 242), and air samples (3.8%, n = 26). COVID-19 patients were shown to exhale SARSCoV-2 into the air at an estimated rate of 103-105 RNA copies/min; while toilet and floor surfaces represented two important SARS-CoV-2 reservoirs. Our results imply that airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 plays a major role in COVID-19 spread, especially during the early stages of the disease. One Sentence SummaryCOVID-19 patient exhales millions of SARS-CoV-2 particles per hour