Safety and efficacy of oral lopinavir/ritonavir in pediatric patients with coronavirus disease: a nationwide comparative analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Because of the limited treatment options available, oral lopinavir/ritonavir (LPR) was used for treating coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in pediatric patients. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of LPR in COVID-19 pediatric patients with mild symptoms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective multicenter analysis included hospitalized children with mild COVID-19 who received LPR at one of 13 hospitals in China from January 1, 2020, to June 1, 2020. Patients treated with LPR were matched with patients not treated with LPR (1:4) according to age, sex, and length of symptom onset and hospitalization. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were applied to compare differences between groups. Kaplan-Meier probability curves and Cox regression models were used to analyze nasal swab turning negative time (recovery time) and hospital discharge days. RESULTS: In total, 23 patients treated with LPR were matched with 92 untreated controls. The median age of patients was 6 years, and 56.52% of them were male. All patients were discharged from the hospital after being cured. The treatment group had a longer nasal swab turning negative time (hazard ratio [HR] 5.33; 95% CI: 1.94-14.67; p = 0.001) than the control group. LPR treatment was also associated with a longer hospitalization time (HR 2.01; 95% CI: 1.24-3.29; p = 0.005). After adjusting for the influence of LPR treatment, adverse drug reaction events were associated with a longer nasopharyngeal swab negative time (HR 4.67; 95% CI 1.35-16.11; p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: For children with mild COVID-19, LPR is inferior to conventional treatment in reducing virus shedding time and hospitalization duration and is associated with increased adverse reactions.

China's experience in COVID-19 prevention and control among children in its different regions.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the experience of three Chinese cities (Wuhan, Shanghai and Haikou) and provide a reference for global efforts to combat COVID-19 spread among children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Through collecting the measures and outcomes of preventing and controlling COVID-19 in China's three hospitals, we compared the effect of different strategies. RESULTS: From January to March 2020, the number of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wuhan increased exponentially, and Wuhan Children's Hospital as a whole was transformed into a designated quarantine and treatment facility, which is the "Wuhan Model". Shanghai has more children's hospitals with better capabilities to tackle public health emergency. Besides, it is far away from Wuhan and had a small caseload. Children's Hospital of Fudan University, a facility in Shanghai to treat pediatric infectious diseases, is famous for its well-equipped building for infectious disease treatment and professional medical team, and therefore no major transformation was required. That is the "Shanghai Model". Haikou is located on an island. Amid the outbreak, large numbers of tourists and travelers from Hubei had already arrived in Haikou. Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center, as the only pediatric care hospital in Hainan Province, did not have a separate building for infectious disease treatment. After a citywide survey of the medical resources and facilities available, a temporarily idle hospital 3 kilometers away from Hainan Women and Children's Medical Center was requisitioned as the quarantine and treatment facility for pediatric cases. That is the "Hainan Model". The three models enabled the treatment of all suspected and confirmed cases and no fatality was reported. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 coping strategies for children should be designed according to the existing conditions of the local children's hospitals and the risk levels of the epidemic.

[Association between maternal body height and risk of preterm birth].

Objective: To investigate the association between maternal body height and risk of preterm birth. Methods: A total of 11 311 pregnant women who gave birth of live singletons were recruited from the Healthy Baby Cohort Study in Hubei province, China from September 2012 to October 2014. Finally 11 070 pregnant women were selected as study subjects. Data were collected by using questionnaires, their prenatal care records and medical records. The women were divided into 4 groups according to the quartiles distribution (<158 cm, 158- cm, 160- cm, and >164 cm). Gestational age was estimated according to maternal last menstrual time. Preterm birth was defined as delivering a live singleton infant at 28-37 weeks' gestational age. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between body height and preterm birth. Results: Among the 11 070 pregnant women, the incidence of preterm birth was 5.9%. Logistic regression analysis indicated that women in group with body height <158 cm had 46% (OR=1.46, 95%CI: 1.16-1.83) higher risk of giving preterm birth than those in group with body height >164 cm after adjustment for potential confounders. Every 1- cm increase in body height was associated with 3% lower risk of preterm birth (OR=0.97, 95%CI: 0.95-0.99). Conclusion: Shorter body height was a risk factor for preterm birth. It is necessary to strengthen the monitoring in pregnant women with short body height to reduce the risk of preterm birth.

[Association between gestational weight gain and preterm birth: a retrospective epidemiological analysis in Wuhan].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the influence of gestational weight gain(GWG)on preterm birth in Wuhan. METHODS: The retrospective epidemiological study was conducted in Wuhan Medical and Health Center for Women and Children between 2012 and 2014. Women who went to this hospital for antenatal care or giving birth were selected. Information was collected by using questionnaires, health care manual and clinical records. We used restricted cubic spline and multivariate logistic regression analysis to study the relationship between GWG and preterm birth. RESULTS: A total of 11 323 pregnant women participated in the investigation with 11 020(97.32%)of them eligible for our study. The results from the restricted cubic spline indicated that after adjusting for confounding factors, a U-curve was observed for GWG and preterm births(non-linearity test P< 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis also indicated that both inadequate GWG(weight gainP90)were independent risk factors for preterm birth compared with normal GWG(weight gain P10-P90)with odds ratios of 1.59(1.25-2.01)and 1.46(1.13-1.88), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Inappropriate GWG was the risk factor for preterm birth. Weight monitoring should be strengthened for pregnant women to reduce risk of preterm birth.

[RAPD method for the identification of intergeneric asymmetric somatic hybrid plants of wheat].

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was used to identify the hybrid nature of three kinds of intergeneric asymmetric somatic hybrid plants of wheat: wheat (Triticum aestivum) + Haynaldia villosa, Wheat + Leymus chinensis and wheat + Agropyron elongatum. It was shown from the electrophoresis profiles that the genome of somatic hybrid plants contained specific section genome of both parents after DNA amplification with arbitrary primers. A specific RAPD product (DNA fragment of 0.77 kbp) of A. elongatum generated with primer OPJ-12 was isolated, purified, labeled and used as a probe. Southern blot from OPJ-12 primer-generated specific section genome of the hybrid (T. aestivum + A. elongatum) hybridized to this probe (0.77 kbp) proved that they are homologous in nature. This paper also discussed the advantage of RAPD method in identification of hybrid plants, especially asymmetric somatic hybrids.

[A serologic and epidemiologic survey on 150 cases with acute viro-hepatitis].

Though the urban district of Jiaxing City has been one of the high incidence areas of viro-hepatitis in Zhejiang province, there is no systematic research study either on its serology or its epidemiology. A total number of 150 cases from Jiaxing urban district, admitted in Jan. Dec., 1993, was reported in this paper. Among them: HA 45.33%, HB 51.33%, HC 5.33%, HD 2% and HE 8.67%, including single infection, mixed infections and super-infection of different individuals. Sex, age, profession, seasonal distribution and other epidemiologic characteristics were discussed for the parpose of scientific preventive measures and preventive stratagy development.

Dielectric tensor characterization for magneto-optical recording media.

A new and comprehensive dielectric-tensor characterization method was used for the characterization of magneto-optical recording media. The effect of film thickness and bilayer thickness on the magneto-optic Kerr effect was studied for a series of Co-Pd samples. The composition dependencies of the dielectric tensor for both Co-Pt and Co-Pd superlattice samples were measured, and the enhancement of the magneto-optical Kerr effect for these samples was studied.