In vitro inhibition of coronavirus replications by the traditionally used medicinal herbal extracts, Cimicifuga rhizoma, Meliae cortex, Coptidis rhizoma, and Phellodendron cortex.

BACKGROUND: A search for new anti-coronaviral drugs to treat coronaviral infections was motivated by an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). OBJECTIVES: In order to find drugs that treat coronavirus infections, including SARS, we screened traditional medicinal herbal extracts and evaluated their antiviral activities on coronavirus replication. STUDY DESIGN: We employed a plaque assay to evaluate the effect of 22 medicinal herbal extracts on virus replication. We determined the 50% effective concentration (EC50) of each extract that was necessary to inhibit the replication of mouse hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59); we also determined 50% cytotoxic concentrations (CC50) for each extract. Northern and Western blot analyzes were performed to investigate antiviral activity in MHV-infected DBT cells, including virus entry, viral RNA and protein expression, and virus release. Coronavirus specific inhibition was also demonstrated using porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). RESULTS: Cimicifuga rhizoma, Meliae cortex, Coptidis rhizoma, Phellodendron cortex and Sophora subprostrata radix decreased the MHV production and the intracellular viral RNA and protein expression with EC50 values ranging from 2.0 to 27.5 microg/ml. These extracts also significantly decreased PEDV production and less dramatically decreased vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) production in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: The extracts selected strongly inhibited MHV replication and could be potential candidates for new anti-coronavirus drugs.     

Characteristics of Nursing Homes by COVID-19 Cases Among Staff: March to August 2020

ObjectiveTo measure the association between nursing home (NH) characteristics and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevalence among NH staff.DesignRetrospective cross-sectional study.Setting and ParticipantsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 database for US NHs between March and August 2020, linked to NH facility characteristics (LTCFocus database) and local COVID-19 prevalence (USA Facts).MethodsWe estimated the associations between NH characteristics, local infection rates, and other regional characteristics and COVID-19 cases among NH staff (nursing staff, clinical staff, aides, and other facility personnel) measured per 100 beds, controlling for the hospital referral regions in which NHs were located to account for local infection control practices and other unobserved characteristics.ResultsOf the 11,858 NHs in our sample, 78.6% reported at least 1 staff case of COVID-19. After accounting for local COVID-19 prevalence, NHs in the highest quartile of confirmed resident cases (413.5 to 920.0 cases per 1000 residents) reported 18.9 more staff cases per 100 beds compared with NHs that had no resident cases. Large NHs (150 or more beds) reported 2.6 fewer staff cases per 100 beds compared with small NHs (<50 beds) and for-profit NHs reported 0.8 fewer staff cases per 100 beds compared with nonprofit NHs. Higher occupancy and more direct-care hours per day were associated with more staff cases (0.4 more cases per 100 beds for a 10% increase in occupancy, and 0.7 more cases per 100 beds for an increase in direct-care staffing of 1 hour per resident day, respectively). Estimates associated with resident demographics, payer mix, or regional socioeconomic characteristics were not statistically significant.Conclusions and ImplicationsThese findings highlight the urgent need to support facilities with emergency resources such as back-up staff and protocols to reduce resident density within the facility, which may help stem outbreaks.     

Optimal immobilization of penicillinase for lon-selective electrode

Penicillin sensor was prepared by immobilizing penicillinase (Pcase) on H⁺-selective carboxylated poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC-COOH) membrane or cellulose filter membrane. The immobilization techniques are as follows. Pcase was immobilized with GTH on H⁺-selective PVC-COOH membrane or some amount of BSA was dropped on that membrane. Another method to make immobilization is to mix type I Pcase with GTH and drop on a cellulose filter membrane. According to immobilization techniques, there were some differences in response properties of enzyme electrodes, however, all electrodes responded to Pcase-resistant penicillin derivatives. Pcase immobilized on cellulose filter membrane with H⁺-selective PVC membrane eletrode was more stable and more sensitive to penicillinase-resistant penicillin derivatives than any other immobilization techniques.     

Subtle CD20 positivity in the bone marrow of a patient who has a mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma should not be regarded as evidence of involvement in the bone marrow

Aims: Bone marrow (BM) biopsies of some mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma patients show scattered or small clusters of CD20+ cells without definite lesions (subtle CD20 positivity). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of BM involvement and subtle CD20 positivity in 122 patients diagnosed with MALT lymphoma. Methods and results: Patients were divided into three categories: BM involvement [BM(+)], subtle CD20 positivity, and no BM involvement [BM(?)]. Eleven (9%) showed BM involvement, and 17 (14%) showed subtle CD20 positivity. BM(+) patients had significantly worse progression‐free survival (PFS) than BM(?) patients [hazard ratio (HR) 6.25, P = 0.01], but there was no significant difference between subtle CD20 positivity and BM(?) patients. Patients with >30 CD3+ cells among 100 nucleated cells in the areas with increased numbers of CD3+ cells had significantly worse PFS than those with <15 CD3+ cells (HR 5.49, P = 0.02). BM(+) patients with >30 CD3+ cells had worse PFS than those with ≤30 CD3+ cells (P = 0.029), with an extent of BM(+) involvement of >10% positively correlating with >30 CD3+ cells (P = 0.015). Conclusions: Patients with BM(+) MALT lymphoma showed significantly worse PFS than those with subtle CD20 positivity and BM(?) MALT lymphoma, but the PFS of patients with subtle CD20 positivity MALT lymphoma was not significantly different from that of those with BM(?) MALT lymphoma. Increased numbers of BM T cells in MALT lymphoma patients might be suggestive of a worse prognosis.