Differences in clinical characteristics and liver injury between suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients in Jingzhou,Hubei Province of China

To evaluate the clinical characteristics and liver injury in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, and analyze the differences between suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients, this retrospective study was performed on 157 COVID-19 patients and 93 suspected patients who were ultimately excluded from COVID-19 (control patients). Differences in clinical characteristics and liver injury between suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients were analyzed. Age, male sex, fever, chest tightness and dyspnea were related to the severity of COVID-19. C-reactive protein (CRP) and D-dimer may be predictors of the severity of COVID-19. Computed tomography (CT) played an important role in the screening of COVID-19 and the evaluation of disease severity. Multiple factors may cause liver injury in COVID-19 patients. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may be more likely to cause liver injury than common respiratory infectious diseases. Age, temperature (T), white blood cell (WBC), lymphocytes (LY), hematocrit (HCT), CRP, and finger pulse oxygen saturation (SpO₂₎ may correlate with liver function impairment and may predict the occurrence and severity of liver function impairment. Some therapeutic drugs (like glucocorticoid) may be involved in the liver function impairment of COVID-19 patients. Most liver function indices improved significantly after active treatment. Although COVID-19 and other common respiratory infectious diseases share some clinical characteristics, COVID-19 has its own characteristics.     

Porcine germline genome engineering

Germline editing, the process by which the genome of an individual is edited in such a way that the change is heritable, has been applied to a wide variety of animals [D. A. Sorrell, A. F. Kolb, Biotechnol. Adv. 23, 431–469 (2005); D. Baltimore et al., Science 348, 36–38 (2015)]. Because of its relevancy in agricultural and biomedical research, the pig genome has been extensively modified using a multitude of technologies [K. Lee, K. Farrell, K. Uh, Reprod. Fertil. Dev. 32, 40–49 (2019); C. Proudfoot, S. Lillico, C. Tait-Burkard, Anim. Front. 9, 6–12 (2019)]. In this perspective, we will focus on using pigs as the model system to review the current methodologies, applications, and challenges of mammalian germline genome editing. We will also discuss the broad implications of animal germline editing and its clinical potential.     

Orexin A Suppresses the Expression of Exosomal PD-L1 in Colon Cancer and Promotes T Cell Activity by Inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Pathway

Digestive Diseases and Sciences - Colon cancer, ranked third in cancer related mortality, is the most common malignant cancer of digestive tract. Though immune checkpoint inhibitors show promising...     

Regular arrangement of collecting venules under endoscopy for predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and aimsThe regular arrangement of collecting venules (RAC) refers to the appearance of multiple regular tiny veins in the body of the stomach and is considered to be very effective for identifying gastric mucosa with non-Helicobacter pylori infection. This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the value of the sign in predicting a Helicobacter pylori-negative stomach and the relevant factors that may affect the performance of this prediction.MethodsTwo biomedical databases (PubMed and EMBASE) were systematically searched through April 20, 2020. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and area under the SROC curve (AUC) were calculated.ResultsFourteen articles with 4070 patients were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR, DOR and AUC for the RAC in predicting non-Hp infection were 0.80 (0.67–0.89), 0.97 (0.93–0.98), 24.8 (12.2–50.8), 0.21 (0.12–0.36), 120 (47–301) and 0.97 (0.19–1.00), respectively.ConclusionsThe RAC is a valuable endoscopic feature for the prediction of patients without Hp infection.     

Bioinformatics analyses of gene expression profile identify key genes and functional pathways involved in cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Clinical Rheumatology - Lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that causes damage to multiple organs ranging from skin lesions to systemic manifestations. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE)...     

Comparison and correlation study of synovial ultrasound indices and serum VEGF in rheumatoid wrist arthritis before and after treatment

Clinical Rheumatology - Rheumatoid wrist arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease, resulting in joint deformity and functional impairment. We aimed to compare the wrist synovial ultrasound indices...     

Clinical features and risk factors of intracranial artery disease in patients with Takayasu arteritis

Clinical Rheumatology - It has been known that aorta, subclavian, and extracranial arteries are commonly involved in Takayasu arteritis (TA). However, the involvement of intracranial artery in TA...     

10月龄APP/PS1双转基因AD小鼠海马超微结构特征的观察

目的:观察APP/PS1双转基因小鼠海马内Aβ沉积的形态特征。方法:以10月龄雄性APP/PS1双转基因小鼠和C57BL/6小鼠为研究对象,采用Aβ免疫组化和透射电镜技术,观察海马部位Aβ的沉积情况及相关的病理特征。结果:在双转基因小鼠海马内存在致密性神经炎性斑块及营养障碍性突起,但脑微血管壁的Aβ沉积不甚明显;营养障碍性突起及神经细胞、微血管内皮细胞、周细胞内存在大量的自噬泡及次级溶酶体,提示该模型存在自噬溶酶体途径功能紊乱。结论:该鼠模拟了AD的老年斑及相关退行性变等病理改变,其中可能伴有细胞多种代谢的变化及血脑屏障功能的变化。从老年斑角度而言,该动物是成功的阿尔茨海默病动物模型,可用于AD的生化、病理研究及新治疗方法的探索。     

家庭支持对脑卒中偏瘫患者情绪和生活质量的影响

目的:探讨家庭支持对脑卒中偏瘫患者焦虑抑郁情绪和生活质量的影响。方法:对入组90例患者采用家庭支持量表、焦虑自评量表(SAS)、抑郁自评量表(SDS)和世界卫生组织生存质量测定简表(WHOQOL-BREF)进行评定,并以家庭支持得分高低将患者分为两组,比较两组的焦虑抑郁和生活质量情况。结果:160%的脑卒中偏瘫患者家庭支持较低;高家庭支持组SAS和SDS评分均明显低于低家庭支持组,具有显著统计学差异(t=-2.69,-3.12;P0.01);2高家庭支持组WHOQOL-BREF因子评分均高于低家庭支持组,其中社会领域差异显著(t=2.23,P0.05),心理领域差异非常显著(t=2.75;P0.01),具有统计学意义。结论:家庭支持能明显改善脑卒中偏瘫患者的焦虑抑郁状况,提高其生活质量。