Research updates of diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 / 解放军医学杂志

From December 2019, the outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hits Hubei Province of China. It causes severe acute respiratory syndrome in some patients and notable number of cases died of multiple organ failures. SARS-CoV-2 mainly spread by respiratory droplets and close contact. It is highly infectious and has been found in many countries and regions around the world. So far, no specific vaccine and specific drugs against SARS-CoV-2 have been developed for clinical use. This article reviews the virological characteristics, clinical symptoms, infection mechanism, epidemiology, research progress and clinical effect of COVID-19. It could provide new insights for clinical prevention of COVID-19.

Preliminary analysis on the treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by pandrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii / 中国医学科学院学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the clinical features of pandrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (PDR-Ab) in the Chinese PLA General Hospital and compare the efficacies of different antibiotic treatments in aged patients with ventilator-associative pneumonia (VAP) caused by PDR-Ab.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Data were collected from all isolated PDR-Ab strains in our hospital from April 2009 to April 2010. The clinical features, treatment, and outcomes were retrospectively reviewed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PDR-Ab was found to be the dominant pathogen in 42 of 126 aged VAP patients. Cefoperazone/sulbactam plus minocycline showed good efficacy in 20 patients with PDR-Ab VAP, showing a clinical cure rate of 65% (13/20) and a bacterial eradication rate of 40% (8/20). Another 22 patients were treated with other antimicrobial drugs, achieving a clinical cure rate of 22.7% (5/22) and a bacterial eradication rate of 13.6% (3/22). The factors influencing bacterial clearance were prolonged length of hospital stay and mechanical ventilation prior to positive culture (all P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Cefoperazone/sulbactam plus minocycline can be an effective treatment for VAP caused by PDR-Ab.</p>

Effect of simulated microgravity and its associated mechanism on pulmonary circulation in rats / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Simulated Microgravity and its Associated Mechanism on Pulmonary Circulation in Rats).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rat tail-suspension model was used to simulate the physiological effects of microgravity and changes in pulmonary blood vessel morphology, pulmonary arterial and venous blood pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, pulmonary vasomotoricity, as well as the regulation of pulmonary circulation by cytokines produced and released by the lung of rats were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The walls of pulmonary blood vessels of rats were thickened, and the pulmonary artery was reconstructed with increased pulmonary vascular resistance. The pulmonary blood vessels of rats became more prone to dilation as contractions increased. Rat epithelial Adrenomedulin gene transcription and protein expression were upregulated. The level of basic fibroblast growth Factor of rat was also elevated.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Findings from the present study on rats revealed that the microgravity can affect pulmonary blood vessel structure, pulmonary arterial pressure, and pulmonary blood vessel self-regulation and cytokine production.</p>

Salidroside inhibits clinorotation-induced apoptosis in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the inhibitory effect of salidroside (Sal) on pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell (HPMEC) apoptosis induced by simulated microgravity and its mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells cultured in vitro were divided into control group, clinorotation group and clinorotation+Sal pretreatment groups. Microgravity was simulated by clinorotation. The apoptotic rate of HPMECs was detected by flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC staining, and the expressions of bcl-2, bax, and caspase-3 at the mRNA and protein levels were determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A 72-h clinorotation significantly induced apoptosis in HPMECs. Real-time PCR results demonstrated a significantly lowered bcl-2 but increased bax and caspase-3 mRNA expressions in clinorotation group as compared with those in the control group. Western blotting showed that clinorotation inhibited the protein expressions of PI3K and p-AKT and increased caspase-3 protein expression. Salidroside significantly inhibited the cell apoptosis, reversed the expressions of Bcl-2 and Bax, and attenuated the decrease in the protein expression of PI3K and phosphorylation level of AKT. Salidroside also antagonized the activation of caspase-3.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PI3K/AKT pathway and caspase 3 are involved in the apoptosis of HPMVECs induced by clinorotation, and the effect of clinorotation can be reversed by salidroside, suggesting the potential value of salidroside for application in spaceflight.</p>

Clinical data analysis and chest radiographic features of Wegener's granulomatosis with pulmonary involvement / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To improve the diagnostic accuracy of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) with pulmonary involvement by analyzing the clinical data and chest radiographic features.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data and chest radiographic features of 43 WG cases with pulmonary involvement were retrospectively analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Clinically, the patients frequently presented with multi-system involvement, with the incidence of pulmonary involvement of 72.8%. The patients with WG presented with such symptoms in the respiratory system as coughing, expectoration, hemoptysis, and dyspnea. The radiographic manifestations varied among the cases. Nodules and cavitations in the lungs were the signs most frequently found, and patchy infiltration and bronchial narrowing were also observed, which often led to misdiagnosis of WG as other pulmonary diseases.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>WG often has multi-organ involvement, and the lung is one of the most commonly involved organs. The clinical symptoms and radiographic manifestations of WG have no specificity, and the disease can be easily misdiagnosed. Biopsy and ANCA assay can be important means for WG diagnosis.</p>