Clinical features and effectiveness of Chinese medicine in patients with COVID-19 from overseas: A retrospective study in Xiamen, China.

COVID-19, referred to as new coronary pneumonia, is an acute infectious disease caused by a new type of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. To evaluate the effect of integrated Chinese medicine and Western medicine in patients with COVID-19 from overseas. Data were collected from 178 COVID-19 patients overseas at First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from April 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021. These patients received therapy of integrated Chinese medicine and western medicine. Demographic data and clinical characteristics were extracted and analyzed. In addition, the prescription which induced less length of PCR positive days and hospitalization days than the median value was obtained. The top 4 frequently used Chinese medicine and virus-related genes were analyzed by network pharmacology and bioinformatics analysis. According to the chest computed tomography (CT) measurement, abnormal lung findings were observed in 145 subjects. The median length of positive PCR/hospitalization days was 7/7 days for asymptomatic subjects, 14/24 days for mild subjects, 10/15 days for moderate subjects, and 14/20 days for severe subjects. The most frequently used Chinese medicine were Scutellaria baicalensis (Huangqin), Glycyrrhiza uralensis (Gancao), Bupleurum chinense (Chaihu), and Pinellia ternata (Banxia). The putative active ingredients were baicalin, stigmasterol, sigmoidin-B, cubebin, and troxerutin. ACE, SARS-CoV-2 3CL, SARS-CoV-2 Spike, SARS-CoV-2 ORF7a, and caspase-6 showed good binding properties to active ingredients. In conclusion, the clinical results showed that integrated Chinese medicine and Western medicine are effective in treating COVID-19 patients from overseas. Based on the clinical outcomes, the putative ingredients from Chinese medicine and the potential targets of SARS-CoV-2 were provided, which could provide a reference for the clinical application of Chinese medicine in treating COVID-19 worldwide.

Anti-hemorrhoidal activity of Lian-Zhi-San, a traditional Chinese medicine, in an experimental hemorrhoidal model in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Hemorrhoidal disease (HD) is the most common proctological disease, with an estimated prevalence rate of 4.4%, and a peak in individuals between 45 and 65 years of age. This study was done to evaluate whether Lian-Zhi-San (LZS), a clinically used anti-hemorrhoidal ointment could alleviate the inflammatory injury, with its associated changes of inflammatory cytokines and morphology of anorectal tissues, in an experimental model of HD in rats. METHODS: HD was induced by croton oil preparation (COP) applied to the anorectal region. Rats were then treated with cotton swabs soaked in LZS ointment, water or white vaseline, twice a day for 7 d. At the end of the experiment, HD was evaluated by measuring hemorrhoidal and biochemical parameters along with histopathological observations. RESULTS: In this study, COP induced a significant increase in the macroscopic severity score, anorectal coefficient and Evans blue extravasation, compared to normal rats. Additionally, it greatly enhanced the expression and secretion levels of some important inflammation-related cytokines along with marked histological damage, compared to normal rats. Rats treated with LZS ointment experienced significantly ameliorated Evans blue extravasation (P < 0.05), decreased macroscopic severity score (0.86 ± 0.14 vs. 1.65 ± 0.16) and the anorectal coefficient (P < 0.01); its use also attenuated tissue damage and inhibited the expression and secretion levels of inflammation-related cytokines (interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α). CONCLUSION: This study validates a preliminary understanding of the use of LZS ointment to treat inflammatory factors and tissue damage in an experimental model of HD in rats.

Comparison of clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics between SARS-CoV-2 infection and community-acquired pneumonia caused by influenza virus: A cross-sectional retrospective study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most important global public health issue that we currently face. We aimed to explore the clinical features of patients with COVID-19 and compared them with those of hospitalized community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients caused by influenza virus during the same period.From Jan 1, to Mar 4, 2020, patients with COVID-19 or CAP caused by influenza virus who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University were consecutively screened for enrollment.A total of 35 COVID-19 patients and 22 CAP patients caused by influenza virus were included in this study. Most of COVID-19 patients had characteristics of familial clustering (63%), however, in the other group, there was no similar finding. The percentages of patients with a high fever (the highest recorded temperature was ≥39.0°C; 11% vs 45% [COVID-19 vs CAP groups, respectively]), dyspnea (9% vs 59%), leukocytosis (3% vs 32%), elevated C-reactive protein concentrations (>10 mg/L, 48% vs 86%), elevated procalcitonin levels (>0.1 ng/ml, 15% vs 73%), PaO2/FiO2 <200 mm Hg (4% vs 22%), and infiltration on imaging (29% vs 68%) in the COVID-19 group were less than those same indices in the hospitalized CAP patients caused by influenza virus. Ground-glass opacity with reticular pattern (63%) and interlobular septal thickening (71%) in chest CT were commonly observed in the COVID-19 group.COVID-19 and CAP caused by influenza virus appear to share some similarities in clinical manifestaions but they definitely have major distinctions. Influenza infection remains a health problem even during COVID-19 pandemic.

Robust neutralization assay based on SARS-CoV-2 S-protein-bearing vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) pseudovirus and ACE2-overexpressing BHK21 cells.

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disaster for human society. A convenient and reliable neutralization assay is very important for the development of vaccines and novel drugs. In this study, a G protein-deficient vesicular stomatitis virus (VSVdG) bearing a truncated spike protein (S with C-terminal 18 amino acid truncation) was compared to that bearing the full-length spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and showed much higher efficiency. A neutralization assay was established based on VSV-SARS-CoV-2-Sdel18 pseudovirus and hACE2-overexpressing BHK21 cells (BHK21-hACE2 cells). The experimental results can be obtained by automatically counting the number of EGFP-positive cells at 12 h after infection, making the assay convenient and high-throughput. The serum neutralizing titer measured by the VSV-SARS-CoV-2-Sdel18 pseudovirus assay has a good correlation with that measured by the wild type SARS-CoV-2 assay. Seven neutralizing monoclonal antibodies targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein were obtained. This efficient and reliable pseudovirus assay model could facilitate the development of new drugs and vaccines.

Serology characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection after exposure and post-symptom onset.

BACKGROUND: Timely diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a prerequisite for treatment and prevention. The serology characteristics and complement diagnosis value of the antibody test to RNA test need to be demonstrated. METHOD: Serial sera of 80 patients with PCR-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were collected at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Total antibody (Ab), IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected, and the antibody dynamics during the infection were described. RESULTS: The seroconversion rates for Ab, IgM and IgG were 98.8%, 93.8% and 93.8%, respectively. The first detectible serology marker was Ab, followed by IgM and IgG, with a median seroconversion time of 15, 18 and 20 days post exposure (d.p.e.) or 9, 10 and 12 days post onset (d.p.o.), respectively. The antibody levels increased rapidly beginning at 6 d.p.o. and were accompanied by a decline in viral load. For patients in the early stage of illness (0-7 d.p.o), Ab showed the highest sensitivity (64.1%) compared with IgM and IgG (33.3% for both; p<0.001). The sensitivities of Ab, IgM and IgG increased to 100%, 96.7% and 93.3%, respectively, 2 weeks later. When the same antibody type was detected, no significant difference was observed between enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and other forms of immunoassays. CONCLUSIONS: A typical acute antibody response is induced during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Serology testing provides an important complement to RNA testing in the later stages of illness for pathogenic-specific diagnosis and helpful information to evaluate the adapted immunity status of patients.

Metal-Free Photocatalytic Synthesis of exo-Iodomethylene 2-Oxazolidinones: An Alternative Strategy for CO2 Valorization with Solar Energy.

A visible-light-promoted metal-free carboxylative cyclization of propargylic amines with CO2 was shown to offer exo-iodomethylene 2-oxazolidinones. Incorporation of both CO2 and iodo moieties into these compounds was realized efficiently. The mechanism study revealed that this carboxylative cyclization proceeds through a radical pathway. Notably, the iodine-functionalized 2-oxazolidinone as a platform molecule could be easily converted into a wide range of value-added chemicals through Buchwald-Hartwig, Suzuki, Sonogashira, photocatalytic ene, and photoreduction reactions. As a result, the plentiful downstream transformations remarkably enhance the range of chemicals derived from CO2 and open a potential avenue for CO2 functionalization to circumvent energy challenges in this field.

ß-Elemene inhibits the proliferation of primary human airway granulation fibroblasts by down-regulating canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Benign airway stenosis is a clinical challenge because of recurrent granulation tissues. Our previous study proved that a Chinese drug, ß-elemene, could effectively inhibit the growth of fibroblasts cultured from hyperplastic human airway granulation tissues, which could slow down the progression of this disease. The purpose of the present study is to find out the mechanism for this effect. We cultured fibroblasts from normal human airway tissues and human airway granulation tissues. These cells were cultured with 160 µg/ml normal saline (NS), different doses of ß-elemene, or 10 ng/ml canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway inhibitor (Dickkopf-1, DKK-1). The proliferation rate of cells and the expression of six molecules involved in canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, Wnt3a, glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß), ß-catenin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), and Collagen I (Col-I), were measured. At last, we used canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway activator (LiCl) to further ascertain the mechanism of ß-elemene. Canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway is activated in human airway granulation fibroblasts. ß-Elemene didn't affect normal human airway fibroblasts; however, it had a dose-responsive inhibitive effect on the proliferation and expression of Wnt3a, non-active GSK-3ß, ß-catenin, α-SMA, TGF-ß, and Col-I of human airway granulation fibroblasts. More importantly, it had the same effect on the expression and nuclear translocation of active ß-catenin. All these effects were similar to 10 ng/ml DKK-1 and could be attenuated by 10 mM LiCl. Thus, ß-elemene inhibits the proliferation of primary human airway granulation fibroblasts by down-regulating canonical Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. This pathway is possibly a promising target to treat benign tracheobronchial stenosis.