Preliminary evidence from a multicenter prospective observational study of the safety and efficacy of chloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19

BackgroundEffective therapies are urgently needed for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Chloroquine has been proved to have antiviral effect against coronavirus in vitro. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of chloroquine with different doses in COVID-19. MethodIn this multicenter prospective observational study, we enrolled patients older than 18 years old with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection excluding critical cases from 12 hospitals in Guangdong and Hubei Provinces. Eligible patients received chloroquine phosphate 500mg, orally, once (half dose) or twice (full dose) daily. Patients treated with non-chloroquine therapy were included as historical controls. The primary endpoint is the time to undetectable viral RNA. Secondary outcomes include the proportion of patients with undetectable viral RNA by day 10 and 14, hospitalization time, duration of fever, and adverse events. ResultsA total of 197 patients completed chloroquine treatment, and 176 patients were included as historical controls. The median time to achieve an undetectable viral RNA was shorter in chloroquine than in non-chloroquine (absolute difference in medians -6.0 days; 95% CI -6.0 to -4.0). The duration of fever is shorter in chloroquine (geometric mean ratio 0.6; 95% CI 0.5 to 0.8). No serious adverse events were observed in the chloroquine group. Patients treated with half dose experienced lower rate of adverse events than with full dose. ConclusionsAlthough randomised trials are needed for further evaluation, this study provides evidence for safety and efficacy of chloroquine in COVID-19 and suggests that chloroquine can be a cost-effective therapy for combating 102 the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects of transtheoretical model and motivational interviewing on medication compliance in patients with PCI post-operation / 实用医学杂志

Objective To evaluate the effects of transtheoretical model and motivational interviewing on medication?compliance in patients with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) post-operation. Methods One hundred patients with PCI post-operation were randomized into the observation group (n = 50) and the control group (n = 50). The medication compliance, 6-min walk test and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were compared between two groups. Results At 1 month, 3 months and 6 months post-intervention, the medication compliance in the observation group was significantly increased (P < 0.05, respectively). The 6-min walk test in the observation group was significantly increased compared with the control group. The MACE rate in the observation group and the control group was 10.0% and 36.0%, respectively, with significant difference (P< 0.05). Conclusion The transtheoretical model and motivational interviewing can effectively increase the medication compliance, improve the postoperative rehabilitation, and decrease the MACE rate.

PI3K/Akt signaling pathway regulates autophagy induced by acute kid-ney injury in septic rats / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To investigate the autophagy induced by sepsis and acute kidney injury , and the regulation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway in this process.METHODS: The rats were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture ( CLP) or sham operation .Histopathologic changes of the renal tissues were examined by HE staining .Blood urea nitrogen ( BUN) and serum creatinine ( SCr) were measured by chemical colorime-try.The protein expression of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 I/II (LC3 I/II), beclin-1 and p-Akt at different time points after CLP was detected by Western blotting .In vitro, human proximal tubular epithelial cell line HK-2 were treated with LPS to induce autophagy .The protein expression of LC 3 I/II and p-Akt in the HK-2 cells after LPS treatment at different time points and different concentrations was detected by Western blotting .These molecules in HK-2 cells and apoptosis of HK-2 cells treated with LPS plus PI3K inhibitor or Akt inhibitor were also detected .RESULTS: Compared with sham group , the severe changes of renal histopathological injuries in CLP groups were observed , the levels of BUN and SCr in CLP groups were significantly increased .LC3 I/II, beclin-1 and phosphorylation of Akt gradually increased after CLP.After treatment with LPS, the expression of p-Akt (308) in the HK-2 cells gradually increased in a dose-and time-dependent fashion.The expression of beclin-1 and p-Akt (472) reached a peak at 8 h or 10 mg/L LPS treatment.Treat-ment with PI3K or Akt inhibitor down-regulated the expression of LC3 and promoted the apoptosis of HK-2 cells.CON-CLUSION:Autophagy in the kidney is induced by sepsis and acute kidney injury .PI3/Akt signaling pathway may be in-volved in this process .

Clinical significance of dynamic monitoring blood glucose in patients with severe traumatic brain injury / 中国中西医结合急救杂志

Objective To investigate the clinicial significance of continuous glucose monitoring(CGM)of patients with severe traumatic brain injury(sTBI). Methods By glucose monitoring method,80 patients with sTBI〔Glasgow coma score(GCS)3-8〕in Department of Critical Care Medicine of Qingyuan People's Hospital in Guangdong Province from January 2012 to December 2012 were divided into two groups:41 patients in CGM group and 39 in regular glucose monitoring(RGM)group. The continuous glucose monitoring system(CGMS)was applied to monitor glucose level in the CGM group,and the finger blood was taken by portable blood glucose meter in the RGM group. The two groups were treated with insulin on the basis of glucose level,respectively. The relationships between the condition of glycemic excursions and the acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ(APACHEⅡ)score or prognosis and between the incidence of hypoglycemia and prognosis were seen in the two groups. Results The close linear correlations between APACHEⅡ score and glycemic excursion in two groups,i.e. mean amplitude of glycemic excursions(MAGE)and coefficient of variation of glucose(GluCV),were documented(both P<0.05). The MAGE of the especially severe patients(GCS 3-5)was obviously higher than that of severe ones(GCS 6-8),and with the increase of APACHEⅡ score,the MAGE of patients was gradually elevated,the difference being statistically significant(both P<0.05). The incidence of hypoglycemia(7.32%vs. 23.08%)and fatality rate of 30 days(12.20%vs. 30.77%)in CGM group were lower than those of RGM group(both P<0.05). The MAGE and fatality rate of 30 days were positively correlated in CGM group(r=0.597,P=0.007),and the GLuCV and fatality rate of 30 days were positively correlated in RGM group(r=0.622,P=0.019). Conclusion CGM is beneficial to timely observe condition of glycemic excursions in sTBI patients and avoid occurrence of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia,guiding the treatment of insulin and improving patients' prognosis.