危重型新型冠状病毒肺炎患者心肌肌钙蛋白及D-二聚体水平与病死率的Meta分析

目的 评价危重型新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)患者心肌肌钙蛋白(cTn)及D-二聚体(D-D)水平与病死率的相关性。方法 检索PubMed、万方期刊数据库、中国知网、维普中文科技期刊数据库等,搜集以COVID-19与cTn为主题的相关研究。检索时限均为2020年1月1日-2021年12月31日。由2名评价员独立筛选文献、提取资料,采用RevMan 5.3软件进行Meta分析,结果用RR及其95%CI表示。结果 纳入分析的文献为15篇,纽卡斯尔-渥太华质量评估量表(NOS)评分均≥6分,涉及患者7 290例,均为确诊的危重型COVID-19住院患者,死亡组1 820例,存活组5 470例。Meta分析结果显示,cTn水平升高的COVID-19患者病死率更高(RR=3.13,95%CI=2.13-4.62,Z=5.76,P<0.01),D-D水平升高的COVID-19患者病死率也较高,差异有统计学意义(RR=1.69,95%CI=1.27-2.26,Z=3.60,P=0.0003)。性别亚组分析的结果显示COVID-19死亡患者中男性居多,表明COVID-19男性患者的病死率更高(P<0.01)。结论 cTn及D-D水平升高的危重型COVID-19患者更易死亡,cTn及D-D与危重型COVID-19患者的病死率具有相关性。     

Effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in patients with severe COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUNDThe effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid use in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains inconclusive.AIMTo investigate the effectiveness of adjunctive corticosteroid therapy in patients with severe COVID-19.METHODSWe conducted a retrospective analysis of the difference in several outcomes between patients with severe COVID-19 who received corticosteroid therapy (the corticosteroid group) and patients with severe COVID-19 who did not receive corticosteroid therapy (the non-corticosteroid group).RESULTSSeventy-five patients were included in this study. Of these, 47 patients were in the corticosteroid group and 28 patients were in the non-corticosteroid group. There were no differences between the two groups in the total length of hospital stay, the length of intensive care unit stay, high-flow oxygen days, non-invasive ventilator days, invasive ventilation days, and mortality rate. Total lesion volume ratio, consolidation volume ratio and ground-glass opacity volume ratio in the corticosteroid group decreased significantly on day 14, while those in the non-corticosteroid group did not show a significant decrease.CONCLUSIONOur results show that adjunctive corticosteroid use did not significantly improve clinical outcomes in severe COVID-19 patients, but might promote the absorption of pulmonary lesions. Larger multicenter randomized controlled studies may be needed to confirm this.     

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) associated delayed-onset fulminant myocarditis in patient with a history of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection

A healthy 35-year-old man was admitted to a rural hospital with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). During 14 days of hospitalization, he had no symptoms and was not given supplemental oxygen. About 3 weeks after discharge, he was re-admitted to the same hospital with new-onset continuous fever and general weakness. At the time of his second admission, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) RT-PCR was performed on a retro-nasal swab and the result was negative. Four days after admission, the patient was transferred to our intensive care unit (ICU) following deterioration of his respiratory and haemodynamic conditions, where he received mechanical ventilation, intra-aortic balloon pumping, and veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. A nasopharyngeal swab was obtained again at ICU admission, but RT-PCR was negative for SARS-CoV-2. All antibody titres measured against other viruses were low. Blood cultures were negative, and no bacteria were observed in sputum samples. However, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by RT-PCR from sections obtained by myocardial biopsy. The patient's final diagnosis was delayed-onset SARS-CoV-2-induced fulminant myocarditis (FM). We strongly suggested that one of the proposed mechanisms of COVID-19-related myocardial injury will be the direct invasion of SARS-CoV-2 into cardiomyocytes even if delayed-onset. And this is the first case of delayed-onset FM in which diagnosis of active myocarditis was proven by pathological examination following endomyocardial biopsy and SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the myocardium by RT-PCR.     

Using NEWS2 to triage newly admitted patients with COVID-19

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread globally and caused a major worldwide health crisis. Patients who are affected more seriously by COVID-19 usually deteriorate rapidly and need further intensive care.

Aim

We aimed to assess the performance of the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) as a risk stratification tool to discriminate newly admitted patients with COVID-19 at risk of serious events.

Design

We conducted a retrospective single-centre case-control study on 200 unselected patients consecutively admitted in March 2020 in a public general hospital in Wuhan, China.

Methods

The following serious events were considered: mortality, unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and non-invasive ventilation treatment. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to quantify the association between outcomes and NEWS2.

Results

There were 12 patients (6.0%) who had serious events, where 7 patients (3.5%) experienced unplanned ICU admissions. The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) and cut-off of NEWS2 for the composite outcome were 0.83 and 3, respectively. For patients with NEWS2 ≥ 4, the odds of being at risk for serious events was 16.4 (AUROC = 0.74), while for patients with NEWS2 ≥ 7, the odds of being at risk for serious events was 18.2 (AUROC = 0.71).

Conclusions

NEWS2 has an appropriate ability to triage newly admitted patients with COVID-19 into three levels of risk: low risk (NEWS2 = 0-3), medium risk (NEWS2 = 4-6), and high risk (NEWS2 ≥ 7).

Relevance to clinical practice

Using NEWS2 may help nurses in early identification of at-risk COVID-19 patients and clinical nursing decision-making. Using NEWS2 to triage new patients with COVID-19 may help nurses provide more appropriate level of care and medical resources allocation for patients safety.     

SARS-CoV-2 antibody changes in patients receiving COVID-19 convalescent plasma from normal and vaccinated donors

Vaccination has been shown to stimulate remarkably high antibody levels in donors who have recovered from COVID-19. Our objective was to measure patient antibody levels before and after transfusion with COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) and compare the antibody levels following transfusion of CCP from vaccinated and nonvaccinated donors. Plasma samples before and after transfusion were obtained from 25 recipients of CCP and COVID-19 antibody levels measured. Factors that effect changes in antibody levels were examined. In the 21 patients who received CCP from nonvaccinated donors, modest increases in antibody levels were observed. Patients who received two units were more likely to seroconvert than those receiving just one unit. The strongest predictor of changes in patient antibody level was the CCP dose, calculated by the unit volume multiplied by the donor antibody level. Using patient plasma volume and donor antibody level, the post-transfusion antibody level could be predicted with reasonable accuracy(R²> 0.90). In contrast, the 4 patients who received CCP from vaccinated donors all had dramatic increases in antibody levels following transfusion of a single unit. In this subset of recipients, antibody levels observed after transfusion of CCP were comparable to those seen in donors who had fully recovered from COVID-19. If available, CCP from vaccinated donors with very high antibody levels should be used. One unit of CCP from vaccinated donors increases patient antibody levels much more than 1 or 2 units of CCP from unvaccinated donors.     

Convalescent plasma therapy in patients with COVID-19

IntroductionPassive antibody therapy has been used to immunize vulnerable people against infectious agents. In this study, we aim to investigate the efficacy of convalescent plasma (CP) in the treatment of severe and critically ill patients diagnosed with COVID-19.MethodThe data of severe or critically ill COVID-19 patients who received anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody-containing CP along with the antiviral treatment (n = 888) and an age-gender, comorbidity, and other COVID-19 treatments matched severe or critically ill COVID-19 patients at 1:1 ratio (n = 888) were analyzed retrospectively.ResultsDuration in the intensive care unit (ICU), the rate of mechanical ventilation (MV) support and vasopressor support were lower in CP group compared with the control group (p = 0.001, p = 0.02, p = 0.001, respectively). The case fatality rate (CFR) was 24.7 % in the CP group, and it was 27.7 % in the control group. Administration of CP 20 days after the COVID-19 diagnosis or COVID-19 related symptoms were associated with a higher rate of MV support compared with the first 3 interval groups (≤5 days, 6?10 days, 11?15 days) (p=0.001).ConclusionCP therapy seems to be effective for a better course of COVID-19 in severe and critically ill patients.     

成人水痘患者心肌肌钙蛋白I水平监测及临床意义

目的探讨心肌肌钙蛋白1（cTnI）水平变化对评估成人水痘患者心肌损伤的临床意义。方法应用全自动微粒子化学发光免疫分析系统2（Beckman Coulter Access Immunoassay System 2）对成人水痘患者和健康者血清cTnI水平进行测定。结果血清eTnI均值成人水痘组为（0．029±0．021）ng／L,心电图异常组为（0．032±0．012）ng／L,正常组为（0．027±0．012）ng／L。3组两两间比较差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。结论96例成人水痘患者未发现cTnI明显异常,成人水痘患者心肌损伤的发生率可能较低。     

充血性心力衰竭患者血清肌钙蛋白T、肌钙蛋白Ⅰ检测及临床分析

目的研究充血性心力衰竭患者血清肌钙蛋白T(cTnT)和肌钙蛋白Ⅰ(cTnI)水平与心功能的关系及其对预后的判断。方法检测110例不同病因、不同心功能分级的充血性心力衰竭患者的cTnT、cTnI及左室射血分数(LVEF),并与40名健康对照组的结果进行比较。结果心功能Ⅱ级组cTnT为(78.56±25.65)pg/mL,cTnI为(0.85±0.57)ng/mL,LVEF值为57.46%±4.42%;心功能Ⅲ级分别为(249.25±76.21)pg/mL、(3.75±1.83)ng/mL、44.27%±10.13%;心功能Ⅳ级组分别为(375.62±81.29)pg/mL、(8.57±2.56)ng/mL、36.75%±5.66%,与健康对照组[分别为(3.65±0.96)pg/mL、(0.02±0.01)ng/mL、65.52%±8.01%]比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01),且心功能越差,cTnT、cTnI浓度越高;cTnT、cTnI与LVEF值均呈负相关,r分别为-0.487、-0.360,差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。结论检测cTnT、cTnI对于判断充血性心力衰竭患者病情严重程度及预后具有重要的临床价值,是早期评估患者风险的重要方法。     

新型冠状病毒SARS-CoV-2基因检测及其影像学对照

目的研究新型冠状病毒(SARS-CoV-2)核酸基因检测及其影像学对照。方法实时荧光RT-PCR方法检测SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a/b和N基因,分析23例SARS-CoV-2核酸阳性患者临床及影像学资料。结果①无症状感染者3例,COVID-19确诊20例,潜伏期2~24天,成人轻型5例,儿童轻型1例,青年轻型1例,成年普通型13例。②23例SARS-CoV-2基因阳性患者,痰标本的病毒含量和检测效果高于鼻咽拭子标本,N基因粪便比痰和鼻咽拭子阳性持续时间长。③20例COVID-19中,30.0%(6/20)CT扫描未见异常。病毒载量与影像学无正比对应关系。④发病部位以外周带(13/14)和下叶后基底段(11/14)多见,两个或多个肺叶受累(11/14),双侧病变(11/14)。⑤14例CT异常COVID-19中,影像学主要表现为毛玻璃影(10/14)、双肺斑片状阴影(10/14)、晕征(8/14)、细网格征(5/14),以及伴发小叶间隔增厚(5/14)、支气管充气征(5/14)和小血管增粗影(5/14)。结论病毒载量与影像学无正比对应关系,SARS-CoV-2核酸检测联合CT扫描、流行病学史可以提高COVID-19的检出率,不能孤立仅仅依靠核酸PCR检查或CT检查。     

Liver injury in COVID-19: Known and unknown

Since the first report of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the outbreak of the disease is currently continuously evolving. Previous studies have shown varying degrees of liver damage in patients with COVID-19. However, the exact causes of liver injury and the relationship between COVID-19 and liver injury is unclear. This article describes liver injury induced by COVID-19, analyzes its causes, and discusses the treatment and prognosis of liver damage in patients with COVID-19.     

Increasing cardiac troponin-I level as a cardiac injury index correlates with in-hospital mortality and biofactors in severe hospitalised COVID-19 patients

BackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 raised in 2019 (COVID-19) affects the lung tissue and other organs, specifically the heart.MethodsThe current study evaluated 120 hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 between March 2021 and February 2022. Patients' demographics, vital signs, electrocardiogram abnormalities, clinical laboratory tests, including troponin I (TPI), mortality, and discharge type, were recorded.ResultsAmong the 120 hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19, 54 (45.0%) patients were male, with an average age of 63.2 ± 1.4. Many patients have chronic comorbidities, including hypertension (51.6%), diabetes mellitus (34.1%), and ischemic heart disease (17.5%). The in-hospital and six months after the discharge mortality were 45.8% and 21.5%, respectively. Cardiac injury was observed in 14 (11.7%) patients with a mean TPI level of 8.386 ± 17.89 μg/L, and patients with cardiac injury had higher mortality than those without cardiac injury (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the cardiac injury was meaningfully correlated with age (ρ = 0.182, P = 0.019), history of ischemic heart disease (ρ = 0.176, P = 0.05), hospitalisation result and mortality (ρ = 0.261, P = 0.004), inpatient in ICU (ρ = 0.219, P = 0.016), and serum levels of urea (ρ = 0.244, P = 0.008) and creatinine (ρ = 0.197, P = 0.033). Additionally, the discharge results were significantly correlated with oxygen saturation with (ρ = ?0.23, P = 0.02) and without (ρ = ?0.3, P = 0.001) oxygen therapy, D-dimer (ρ = 0.328, P = 0.019), LDH (ρ = 0.308, P = 0.003), urea (ρ = 0.2, P = 0.03), and creatinine (ρ = 0.17, P = 0.06) levels.ConclusionElevated TPI levels are associated with increased mortality in severe COVID-19 patients. Therefore, TPI may be a beneficial biofactor for early diagnosis of cardiac injury and preventing a high mortality rate.     

非心脏术后应激性高血糖对心脏疾病患者心肌功能的影响

目的：探讨非心脏手术后应激性高血糖对心脏疾病患者心肌功能的影响。方法回顾性分析中山大学肿瘤防治中心重症医学科收治211例接受胸部或腹部手术的非心脏手术患者的临床资料。根据患者术后3 d内平均血糖水平和既往有无心血管疾病分为无高血糖（血糖≤10 mmol/L）无心血管疾病组（HG0CV0组）,无高血糖有心血管疾病组（HG0CV1组）,有高血糖（血糖＞10 mmol/L）无心血管疾病组（HG1CV0组）,有高血糖有心血管疾组（HG1CV1组）。观察各组血糖与超敏心肌肌钙蛋白I（hs-cTnI）水平、B型钠尿肽（BNP）及心肌酶谱天冬氨酸氨基转移酶（AST）、肌酸激酶（CK）、肌酸激酶同工酶（CK-MB）、乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）、乳酸脱氢酶同工酶（LDH-1）、肌红蛋白（MYO）、α-羟丁酸脱氢酶（HBDH）的相关性。结果211例患者术后血糖均明显高于术前（mmol/L：8.7±0.2比5.7±0.2,P＜0.05）,术后血糖＞6.1 mmol/L的患者占84.8%（179例）。HG0CV0组术后血糖与MYO、AST水平呈正相关〔r值分别为0.193、0.307,95%可信区间（95%CI）分别为0.010～0.362、0.096～0.479,P值分别为0.038、0.003〕,与hs-cTnI、BNP、LDH、LDH-1、HBDH、CK、CK-MB均无相关性（均P＞0.05）;HG0CV1组术后血糖与hs-cTnI水平呈负相关（r＝-0.609,95%CI为-0.810～-0.264,P＝0.001）,与BNP、MYO、AST、LDH、LDH-1、HBDH、CK、CK-MB均无相关性（均P＞0.05）;HG1CV0组术后血糖水平与hs-cTnI、BNP、MYO、AST、LDH、LDH-1、HBDH、CK、CK-MB均无相关性（均P＞0.05）;HG1CV1组术后血糖与hs-cTnI水平呈正相关（r＝0.837,95%CI为0.476～0.984,P＝0.001）,与BNP、MYO、AST、LDH、LDH-1、HBDH、CK、CK-MB均无相关性（均P＞0.05）。结论非心脏手术后早期应激性高血糖对心脏疾病患者心肌功能可能有保护作用。     

Factors associated with anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody production in patients convalescing from COVID-19

IntroductionAmong patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the factors that affect anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibody production remain unclear. This study aimed to identify such factors among patients convalescing from COVID-19.MethodsThis study comprised patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 1 and June 30, 2020 and gave consent for anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike protein antibody measurement using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay during their acute and/or convalescent phases. Factors related to elevated antibody titers and the relationship between the days from disease onset and the development of antibody titers were assessed.ResultsA total of 84 participants enrolled in the study. Nineteen participants had antibody titers measured during the convalescent phase only, and 65 participants had antibody titers measured during the acute and convalescent phases. The antibody titers peaked in weeks 5 and 6. The stepwise multivariate log-normal analysis revealed that male sex (P = 0.04), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.03), and high C-reactive protein levels during the disease course (P < 0.001) were associated with elevated IgG antibodies. Glucocorticoid use was not associated with antibody titers.ConclusionThe study found that high values of maximum CRP levels during the acute phase, male sex, and diabetes mellitus were associated with elevated antibody titers. Antibody titers tended to be highest in the first 5 or 6 weeks after the onset of symptoms.     

COVID-19 infection and liver injury: Clinical features,biomarkers, potential mechanisms,treatment, and management challenges

It is hypothesized that liver impairment caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection might play a central role in severe clinical presentations. Liver injury is closely associated with severe disease and, even with antiviral drugs, have a poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients. In addition to the common hepatobiliary disorders caused by COVID-19, patients with pre-existing liver diseases demand special considerations during the current pandemic. Thus, it is vital that upon clinical presentation, patients with concurrent pre-existing liver disease associated with metabolic dysfunction and COVID-19 be managed properly to prevent liver failure. Careful monitoring and early detection of liver damage through biomarkers after hospitalization for COVID-19 is underscored in all cases, particularly in those with pre-existing metabolic liver injury. The purpose of this study was to determine most recent evidence regarding causality, potential risk factors, and challenges, therapeutic options, and management of COVID-19 infection in vulnerable patients with pre-existing liver injury. This review aims to highlight the current frontier of COVID-19 infection and liver injury and the direction of liver injury in these patients.