Molecular Epidemiology of Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 in Children With Acute Respiratory Tract Infection in Hangzhou.

BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, China has undertaken a variety of preventative and control measures, effectively reducing the incidence of numerous infectious diseases among the pediatric population in Hangzhou. We aim to investigate the genetic and epidemiological characteristics of Human parainfluenza virus-3 (HPIV-3) in pediatric patients during this period. METHODS: A total of 1442 pharyngeal swab samples were collected from outpatients and inpatients with a diagnosis of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) from November 2020 to March 2021. HPIV-3 was detected by quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The L gene of HPIV-3 positive samples was amplified and sequenced. RESULTS: Among 1442 children with ARTI, the positive rate of HPIV-3 was 7.07% (102/1442). The positive detection rate was the highest in the 6-month to 1-year age group. Coinfection was observed in 36 HPIV-3-positive samples (35.29%, 36/102), and adenovirus (ADV) was the most common coinfecting virus (63.89%, 23/36). The L gene of 48 HPIV-3 positive samples was sequenced. The nucleotide sequence analysis showed high consistency (92.10%-99.40%), and all strains belonged to C3a. CONCLUSIONS: During study periods, the positive detection rate of HPIV-3 among children is high, and the highest proportion of coinfection was observed in HPIV-3 mixed ADV infection. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the nucleotide sequence of the L gene of HPIV-3 was highly consistent, and the main epidemic strain in this area was the C3a subtype.

Cell Wall Modification Based on Combination Reagents to Improve Dimensional Stability of Wood with High Efficiency.

Although γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) was proved to be an effective reagent for improving the dimensional stability of wood, a bottleneck in ASE value (around 50%) existed. The reason was that MPS with low polarity opened few hydrogen bonds in the amorphous region of cellulose, while these hydrogen bonds could be reopened by water. Therefore, citric acid (CA) is chosen to cooperate with MPS to further enhance the dimensional stability of wood. In this paper, MPS and CA were used to modify wood individually (MW and CW) or with different combinations, that is, one-step modification (M/CW) and two-step modification with MPS first (M-CW) or CA first (C-MW). CA and MPS concentrations were optimized at 5 wt%. The ASE value for M/CW was only 25.74% at a weight percent gain (WPG) of 6.43%, which was only 0.6 times to MW or 0.7 times to CW. For M-CW, the ASE value gradually decreased with the soaking cycles, from 65.64% at a WPG of 9.05% to 51.20%. The C-MW had the best dimensional stability, with the ASE value 75.35% at a WPG of 11.50%. Although it decreased during the first soaking cycle, it stabilized at 62.20% at last. SEM and EDS images showed that the polymer mainly distributed in cell walls and few in cell lumen in C-MW. Thus, the enhanced dimensional stability of C-MW could be explained by CA opening the hydrogen bonds in the amorphous region of cellulose first, which provided more binding sites for MPS.

Recent Advances in Self-Powered Tactile Sensing for Wearable Electronics.

With the arrival of the Internet of Things era, the demand for tactile sensors continues to grow. However, traditional sensors mostly require an external power supply to meet real-time monitoring, which brings many drawbacks such as short service life, environmental pollution, and difficulty in replacement, which greatly limits their practical applications. Therefore, the development of a passive self-power supply of tactile sensors has become a research hotspot in academia and the industry. In this review, the development of self-powered tactile sensors in the past several years is introduced and discussed. First, the sensing principle of self-powered tactile sensors is introduced. After that, the main performance parameters of the tactile sensors are briefly discussed. Finally, the potential application prospects of the tactile sensors are discussed in detail.

Normobaric hyperoxia therapy in acute ischemic stroke: A literature review.

Background: Ischemic stroke is one of the most severe cerebrovascular diseases that leads to disability and death and seriously endangers health and quality of life. Insufficient oxygen supply is a critical factor leading to ischemic brain injury. However, effective therapies for ischemic stroke are lacking. Oxygen therapy has been shown to increase oxygen supply to ischemic tissues and improve prognosis after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. Normobaric hyperoxia (NBHO) has been shown to have neuroprotective effects during ischemic stroke and is considered an appropriate neuroprotective therapy for ischemic stroke. Evidence indicates that NBHO plays a neuroprotective role through different mechanisms in acute ischemic stroke. Recent studies have also reported that combinations with other drug therapies can enhance the efficacy of NBHO in ischemic stroke. Here, we aimed to provide a summary of the potential mechanisms underlying the use of NBHO in ischemic stroke and an overview of the benefits of NBHO in ischemic stroke. Methods: We screened 83 articles on PubMed and other websites. A quick review was conducted, including clinical trials, animal trials, and reviews of studies in the field of NBHO treatment published before July 1, 2023. The results were described and synthesized, and the bias risk and evidence quality of all included studies were assessed. Results: The results were divided into four categories: the mechanism of NBHO, animal and clinical trials of NBHO, the clinical application and prospects of NBHO, and adverse reactions of NBHO. Conclusion: NBHO is a simple, non-invasive therapy that may be delivered early after stroke onset, with promising potential for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. However, the optimal therapeutic regimen remains uncertain. Further studies are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety.

Investigation of Tongxie-Yaofang formula in treating ulcerative colitis based on network pharmacology via regulating MAPK/AKT signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease, which often leads to bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain. In this study, the function mechanism of Tongxie-Yaofang formula (TXYF) on UC was investigated. METHODS: Action targets of TXYF were obtained by Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database (TCMSP) and Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID) databases. The targets of UC were screened in Gene Cards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) databases. The network pharmacology of active ingredient targets was established via Cytoscape. RESULTS: A total of 42 chemical components and 5806 disease targets were obtained. The GO functional analysis showed that biological processes such as oxidative stress and molecular response to bacteria, molecular function such as protein and nucleic acid binding activity were significantly enriched. The top 20 KEGG enriched signal pathways indicated that the targets were mainly linked with IL-17, TNF, HIF-1. Molecular docking results showed that naringenin had good binding activity between naringin and MAPK, albiflorin and SRC. The activity of MPO, the concentration of HIF-1, IL-17 and TNF-α were significantly decreased after TXYF treatment. The characteristics of UC such as crypt distortion, crypt atrophy, and increased basal plasmacytosis were also less observed with the treatment of TXYF. What's more, TXYF suppresses the phosphorylation of SRC, MAPK and AKT1 in UC. CONCLUSIONS: TXYF showed treatment effect on UC through multiple components and multiple targets, which lays a foundation for further study of UC treatment.

The protective effects of EGCG was associated with HO-1 active and microglia pyroptosis inhibition in experimental intracerebral hemorrhage.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), which has high mortality and disability rate is associated with microglial pyroptosis and neuroinflammation, and the effective treatment methods are limited Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) has been found to play a cytoprotective role by regulating the anti-inflammatory response to pyroptosis in other systemic diseases. However, the role of EGCG in microglial pyroptosis and neuroinflammation after ICH remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of EGCG pretreatment on neuroinflammation-mediated neuronal pyroptosis and the underlying neuroprotective mechanisms in experimental ICH. EGCG pretreatment was found to remarkably improved neurobehavioral performance, and decreased the hematoma volume and cerebral edema in mice. We found that EGCG pretreatment attenuated the release of hemin-induced inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-18, and TNF-α). EGCG significantly upregulated the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and downregulated the levels of pyroptotic molecules and inflammatory cytokines including Caspase-1, GSDMD, NLRP3, mature IL-1ß, and IL-18. EGCG pretreatment also decreased the number of Caspase-1-positive microglia and GSDMD along with NLRP3-positive microglia after ICH. Conversely, an HO-1-specific inhibitor (ZnPP), significantly inhibited the anti-pyroptosis and anti-neuroinflammation effects of EGCG. Therefore, EGCG pretreatment alleviated microglial pyroptosis and neuroinflammation, at least in part through the Caspase-1/GSDMD/NLRP3 pathway by upregulating HO-1 expression after ICH. In addition, EGCG pretreatment promoted the polarization of microglia from the M1 phenotype to M2 phenotype after ICH. The results suggest that EGCG is a potential agent to attenuate neuroinflammation via its anti-pyroptosis effect after ICH.

Rational construction of graphitic carbon nitride composited Li-rich Mn-based oxide cathode materials toward high-performance Li-ion battery.

Li-rich Mn-based oxides (LRMOs) are considered as one of the most-promising cathode materials for next generation Li-ion batteries (LIBs) because of their high energy density. Nevertheless, the intrinsic shortcomings, such as the low first coulomb efficiency, severe capacity/voltage fade, and poor rate performance seriously limit its commercial application in the future. In this work, we construct successfully g-C3N4 coating layer to modify Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 (LMNC) via a facile solution. The g-C3N4 layer can alleviate the side-reaction between electrolyte and LMNC materials, and improve electronic conduction of LMNC. In addition, the g-C3N4 layer can suppress the collapse of structure and improve cyclic stability of LMNC materials. Consequently, g-C3N4 (4 wt%)-coated LMNC sample shows the highest initial coulomb efficiency (78.5%), the highest capacity retention ratio (78.8%) and the slightest voltage decay (0.48 V) after 300 loops. Besides, it also can provide high reversible capacity of about 300 and 93 mAh g-1 at 0.1 and 10C, respectively. This work proposes a novel approach to achieve next-generation high-energy density cathode materials, and g-C3N4 (4 wt%)-coated LMNC shows an enormous potential as the cathode materials for next generation LIBs with excellent performance.

Skin-Inspired Highly Sensitive Tactile Sensors with Ultrahigh Resolution over a Broad Sensing Range.

Flexible tactile sensors with high sensitivity, a broad pressure detection range, and high resolution are highly desired for the applications of health monitoring, robots, and the human-machine interface. However, it is still challenging to realize a tactile sensor with high sensitivity and resolution over a wide detection range. Herein, to solve the abovementioned problem, we demonstrate a universal route to develop a highly sensitive tactile sensor with high resolution and a wide pressure range. The tactile sensor is composed of two layers of microstructured flexible electrodes with high modulus and conductive cotton fabric with low modulus. By optimizing the sensing films, the fabricated tactile sensor shows a high sensitivity of 8.9 × 104 kPa-1 from 2 Pa to 250 kPa because of the high structural compressibility and stress adaptation of the multilayered composite films. Meanwhile, a fast response speed of 18 ms, an ultrahigh resolution of 100 Pa over 100 kPa, and excellent durability over 20 000 loading/unloading cycles are demonstrated. Moreover, a 6 × 6 tactile sensor array is fabricated and shows promising potential application in electronic skin (e-skin). Therefore, employing multilayered composite films for tactile sensors is a novel strategy to achieve high-performance tactile perception in real-time health monitoring and artificial intelligence.

Robust Bayesian Estimation of EEG-Based Brain Causality Networks.

OBJECTIVE: The multivariate autoregression (MVAR) model is an effective model to construct brain causality networks. However, the accuracy of MVAR parameter estimation is considerably affected by outliers such as head movements and eye blinks contained in EEG signals, especially in short time windows. METHODS: We proposed a robust MVAR parameter estimation method based on a Bayesian probabilistic framework and Laplace fitting error known as Lap-SBL. With the Bayesian inference framework, we can accurately estimate the MVAR parameters under short time windows. Additionally, to alleviate the influence of outliers, we model the fitting error using the Laplace distribution instead of the typical Gaussian distribution. We employ convex analysis to model the inference task by approximating the Laplace noise prior with a maximum over Gaussian functions with varying scales. The variational inference approach was used to efficiently estimate the MVAR parameters. RESULTS: The numerical results suggest that the proposed method obtains less parameter estimation bias and more consistent linkages than existing benchmark methods, i.e., LS, LASSO, LAPPS and SBL. The motor imagery experimental data analysis shows that Lap-SBL can better describe the lateralization characteristics of brain network. This lateralization is less apparent in a subject with poor MI classification accuracy. CONCLUSION AND SIGNIFICANCE: Lap-SBL effectively suppresses the influence of outliers and recovers reliable networks in the presence of outliers and short time windows.

Emerging MXene-Based Flexible Tactile Sensors for Health Monitoring and Haptic Perception.

Due to their potential applications in physiological monitoring, diagnosis, human prosthetics, haptic perception, and human-machine interaction, flexible tactile sensors have attracted wide research interest in recent years. Thanks to the advances in material engineering, high performance flexible tactile sensors have been obtained. Among the representative pressure sensing materials, 2D layered nanomaterials have many properties that are superior to those of bulk nanomaterials and are more suitable for high performance flexible sensors. As a class of 2D inorganic compounds in materials science, MXene has excellent electrical, mechanical, and biological compatibility. MXene-based composites have proven to be promising candidates for flexible tactile sensors due to their excellent stretchability and metallic conductivity. Therefore, great efforts have been devoted to the development of MXene-based composites for flexible sensor applications. In this paper, the controllable preparation and characterization of MXene are introduced. Then, the recent progresses on fabrication strategies, operating mechanisms, and device performance of MXene composite-based flexible tactile sensors, including flexible piezoresistive sensors, capacitive sensors, piezoelectric sensors, triboelectric sensors are reviewed. After that, the applications of MXene material-based flexible electronics in human motion monitoring, healthcare, prosthetics, and artificial intelligence are discussed. Finally, the challenges and perspectives for MXene-based tactile sensors are summarized.

Conjugated Polymer-Based Nanocomposites for Pressure Sensors.

Flexible sensors are the essential foundations of pressure sensing, microcomputer sensing systems, and wearable devices. The flexible tactile sensor can sense stimuli by converting external forces into electrical signals. The electrical signals are transmitted to a computer processing system for analysis, realizing real-time health monitoring and human motion detection. According to the working mechanism, tactile sensors are mainly divided into four types-piezoresistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, and triboelectric tactile sensors. Conventional silicon-based tactile sensors are often inadequate for flexible electronics due to their limited mechanical flexibility. In comparison, polymeric nanocomposites are flexible and stretchable, which makes them excellent candidates for flexible and wearable tactile sensors. Among the promising polymers, conjugated polymers (CPs), due to their unique chemical structures and electronic properties that contribute to their high electrical and mechanical conductivity, show great potential for flexible sensors and wearable devices. In this paper, we first introduce the parameters of pressure sensors. Then, we describe the operating principles of resistive, capacitive, piezoelectric, and triboelectric sensors, and review the pressure sensors based on conjugated polymer nanocomposites that were reported in recent years. After that, we introduce the performance characteristics of flexible sensors, regarding their applications in healthcare, human motion monitoring, electronic skin, wearable devices, and artificial intelligence. In addition, we summarize and compare the performances of conjugated polymer nanocomposite-based pressure sensors that were reported in recent years. Finally, we summarize the challenges and future directions of conjugated polymer nanocomposite-based sensors.

Epigenetic regulation of synaptic disorder in Alzheimer's disease.

Synapses are critical structures involved in neurotransmission and neuroplasticity. Their activity depends on their complete structure and function, which are the basis of learning, memory, and cognitive function. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is neuropathologically characterized by synaptic loss, synaptic disorder, and plasticity impairment. AD pathogenesis is characterized by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Changes in various receptors on the postsynaptic membrane, synaptic components, and dendritic spines lead to synaptic disorder. Changes in epigenetic regulation, including DNA methylation, RNA interference, and histone modification, are closely related to AD. These can affect neuronal and synaptic functions by regulating the structure and expression of neuronal genes. Some drugs have ameliorated synaptic and neural dysfunction in AD models via epigenetic regulation. We reviewed the recent progress on pathological changes and epigenetic mechanisms of synaptic dysregulation in AD to provide a new perspective on this disease.

Surviving uncertainty: A dual-path model of personal initiative affecting graduate employability.

The increasing uncertainty of our world raises important questions for university students on how they should respond to the employment challenges caused by changing environments. One of the central topics is the development of graduate employability. However, most previous research on graduate employability was undertaken in a stable environment, limiting our understanding of how graduate employability develops in a dynamic context. We have advanced the literature by introducing action theory to investigate the process of personal initiative affecting graduate employability in a period of environmental uncertainty. Using a time-lagged research design, we collected data from a sample of 229 Chinese university students and tested the hypothesized relationships. We find that personal initiative positively affects graduate employability through human and psychological capital. We further show that environmental uncertainty plays a contingent role in the above processes. Specifically, when a high level of environmental uncertainty is perceived, the positive indirect effect of personal initiative on graduate employability through either human capital or psychological capital is more likely to be strengthened. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are also discussed.

Age and residential differences in functional fitness of Chinese older women.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate age-associated changes in functional fitness (FF) among Chinese older women and to identify any urban-rural disparity. METHODS: Nine hundred and sixty-five participants aged 60-84 yrs were assessed for their functional fitness. They were stratified into five groups by age and two groups by residential areas. Two-way ANOVA was used to observe the group differences in functional fitness, and linear regression analysis was conducted to identify each of the functional fitness measures as a function of age and residential area. RESULTS: All functional fitness tests showed a significant decline across age groups. Age-related decline in muscle strength occurred relatively earlier (age 65-69) compared to the decline in aerobic endurance (age 75-79). Linear regression analysis indicated that age has notable effects on each of the functional fitness measures and predicts balance control better than other factors. Urban participants outperformed their rural counterparts in all FF tests except for upper body flexibility and BMI. Notably, the greatest disparity occurred between 70 and 79 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced physical fitness monitoring and targeted interventions that focus on strength training and increasing moderate- to high-intensity leisure-time physical activity are necessary to improve the functional fitness of Chinese older women, especially those in rural areas.

COVID-19 prevention in hotels: Ritualized host-guest interactions.

As COVID-19 prevention efforts have become normalized, conflicts between guests and hotel staff, who must adhere to government protocols, can have a serious impact on host-guest interactions. Drawing on interaction ritual chain theory, this research explores the ritualized mechanism of host-guest interactions during the pandemic from the perspectives of staff and guests. By combining video ethnography and interviews, this study identifies the ritual ingredients, processes, outcomes, and collective symbols of COVID-19 prevention measures. Based on the attitudes and performance paths of staff and guests, the interaction chain may become longer or shorter, and result in guests becoming "insiders" or "outsiders" and leaving the interaction space. An integrated model of host-guest interactions based on interaction ritual theory is proposed.

Effects of Acute High-Intensity Interval Training on Information Processing Speed.

ABSTRACT: Kendall, BJ, Siekirk, NJ, and Lai, Q. Effects of acute high-intensity interval training on information processing speed. J Strength Cond Res 36(11): 3081-3086, 2022-This study investigated the effects of acute exercise on reaction time (RT), premotor time (i.e., central processing), and motor time (i.e., peripheral processing) using surface electromyography to fractionate RT. Fifty-eight young adults (27 men, 31 women) between the age of 18 and 40 years participated in 2 testing sessions. During visit one, subjects performed a simple RT task under regular (i.e., consistent timing) and irregular (i.e., variable timing) foreperiods. Subjects were then randomized to either an aerobic-only high-intensity interval training (HIIT) group (HIIT-A), an aerobic/resistance HIIT group (HIIT-AR), or a resting control group (CG). Both exercise groups performed a 20-minute, digital video disc-delivered HIIT exercise protocol. After exercise or rest, when controlling for cardiovascular fitness, no statistical differences were observed for the regular foreperiod conditions ( p > 0.05). For the irregular foreperiod conditions, the HIIT-A group (M = 219.8, SE = 6.5) and the HIIT-AR group (M = 218.2, SE = 5.8) had significantly faster mean RTs than the CG (M = 248.1, SE = 8.1). In addition, the HIIT-A (M = 172.1, SE = 4.6) and HIIT-AR exercise groups (M = 171.3, SE = 4.8) had significantly faster mean PMTs than the CG (M = 189.7, SE = 5.7). These findings suggest that tasks dependent on central processing may benefit from an acute bout of exercise.

CRISPR/Cas9 (D10A) nickase-mediated Hb CS gene editing and genetically modified fibroblast identification.

This study investigated whether CRISPR/Cas9 (D10A) nickase-mediated gene editing can correct the aberrant Hb Constant Spring mutation (Hb CS or HBA2: c.427 T > C) in fibroblasts. Vectors for repairing the α-globin-encoding gene, HBA2:c.427 T > C mutation, includingthe CRISPR/Cas9(D10A)-sg plasmid and donor with homology arms, were constructed and used to perform gene editing in patient-derived fibroblasts. We subsequently analyzed the genetic correction, the gene editing efficiency and off-target effect. Sequencing analysis and the BamHI assay showed that HB CS mutant cells were repaired with Hb CS point mutations, the editing efficiency was 4.18%~9.34% and no off-target effects were detected. The results indicate that the HB CS mutant gene is effectively repaired by the CRISPR/Cas9 (D10A)system, which may enable truly personalized therapy for precise repair of α-thalassemia.

Aberrant promoter methylation of T-cadherin in sera is associated with a poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

T-cadherin functions as a suppressor gene, which is frequently inactivated by aberrant promoter methylation in several human cancers, but its methylation status in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has been scarcely studied. Thus this study aimed at exploring the clinical significance and prognostic value of T-cadherin methylation in sera of patients with OSCC. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfate sequencing PCR (BSP) was performed to examine the methylation status of T-cadherin. Then, the associations between methylation status of T-cadherin and various clinicopathological variables or patient survival were investigated in 202 patients with OSCC and 68 controls. T-cadherin methylation was detected in 62 out of 202 (30.7%) patients with OSCC, and the methylation status of T-cadherin in corresponding tissues was confirmed by BSP. Methylation of T-cadherin was significantly associated with advanced tumor T-stage (p<0.001) and N-stage (p=0.003), positive lymphatic metastasis (p=0.004) and tumor recurrence (p=0.001). In addition, patients with methylation of T-cadherin had worse overall survival (p=0.018) and progression-free survival (p<0.001) than patients without, and methylation of T-cadherin in sera was an independent prognostic factor for worse overall survival (HR: 3.626, 95% CI: 1.112-9.624, p=0.007) and progression-free survival (HR: 4.201, 95% CI: 1.562-10.038, p<0.001) of patients with OSCC. These results demonstrated that methylation of T-cadherin was frequently detected in sera of patients with OSCC, which was associated with risk factors of poor outcomes, and may act as a potential independent prognostic marker for patients with OSCC.

The Role of Extraversion and Openness on Host Country Nationals' Task Performance and Contextual Performance at Work.

PURPOSE: This study answer calls for research on host country nationals (HCNs) by examining factors that may influence HCN task performance and contextual performance during work with their self-initiated expatriate (SIE) colleagues. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: Data on personality traits (extraversion, openness), socialization self-efficacy, and frequency of interaction, task, and contextual performance were collected by surveying 373 Chinese HCNs. The first author recruited the HCNs through SIEs working and living in China. SIEs who participated in this project provided the email addresses of HCNs with whom they worked. RESULTS: The frequency of interactions fully mediated the relationship between (a) extraversion with task and contextual performance and (b) openness with task and contextual performance. Only socialization self-efficacy moderated the mediating effects of extraversion on task performance via the frequency of interaction; it also moderated the mediating effects of openness on contextual performance via the frequency of interactions, but not in the hypothesized direction. CONCLUSION: This study investigated the neglected stakeholder in the expatriation process, namely, HCNs, and what factors may impact HCNs' performance during work and collaboration with their SIE colleagues.

Immunosuppression and cardiovascular dysfunction in patients with severe versus mild coronavirus disease 2019: a case series.

OBJECTIVES: As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread globally, we aimed to describe and compare changes in the immune and cardiovascular systems of patients with mild versus severe COVID-19 at different time points during the course of disease. METHODS: One hundred and one patients diagnosed with COVID-19 who underwent serial peripheral blood collection and chest computed tomography (CT) imaging were enrolled in this study and grouped by the severity of their illness. Changes in the immune and cardiovascular systems were analysed and compared between groups. RESULTS: The study included 43 women and 58 men, with a median age of 45 years (interquartile range [IQR], 16-71). We identified spleen shrinkage in 27.7% of study patients. Ratios of spleen volume to patient (skin) volume were compared, with evidence that severe patients had more splenic shrinkage than mild patients. Lymphopenia was observed in 65.3% of patients, and 27.3% of patients had persistently low levels of lymphocytes after discharge. Tachycardia occurred mainly during the first 2 days of hospitalisation, with increases in creatine kinase-myocardial band levels in 10 (9.9%) patients and arrhythmias in 16 (15.8%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to pulmonary manifestations, our study demonstrated that other organ systems can also be affected during COVID-19 infection, with evidence of immunosuppression and cardiovascular dysfunction, which may contribute to increased mortality rates in critically ill COVID-19 patients.