Search

The identification of circulating proteins associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma (AIDS-NHL) may help in the development of promising biomarkers for screening, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Here, we used quantitative liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in plasma collected from patients with AIDS-NHL and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients without NHL (HIV

In addition to the recent emerged SARS-CoV-2, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the viruses which cause a global infection and threat public health. In worldwide, the prevalence of HBsAg is about 3.9% (Polaris Observatory 2018). According to a nationwide epidemiological survey of population whose ages range from 1 to 59 years in China, 2006, the prevalence of HBsAg was 7.2% (Liang et al. 2009). As SARS-CoV-2 and HBV both can cause liver damage (Fan et al. 2020), further understanding of the risk of SARS-CoV-2 on patients with HBV infection is urgently required in order to design an optimized treatment strategy. However, the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection on HBV patients are still not clear. For example, we do not yet know whether the SARS-CoV-2 infection is more severe in HBV patients and we also do not have much knowledge about the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the course of HBV infection. In this retrospective study, we investigated the clinical characterizes of the patients coinfected with SARS-CoV-2 and HBV by analyzing the clinical records and laboratory tests of 123 COVID-19 patients admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, from January 5 to February 20, 2020.

Background: COVID-19 still become a common threat to public health.In this study, we evaluated the antiviral effects and safety of darunavir/cobicisitat (DRV/c) in patients with confirmed COVID-19. Patients and Methods: Totally 66 patients with COVID-19 infection who were admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University between February 3 and March 11, 2020 were collected. The patients were divided into the DRV/c group and the control group. The Primary endpoints was the time of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid conversion detected in respiratory specimens.Results: A total of 66 subjects with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were enrolled in this study, 32 subjects were enrolled in the DRV/c group and 34 in the control group. The mean time to nucleic acid conversion (NAC) was shorter in DRV/c group. The cumulative nucleic acid conversion rate (CNACR) in the DRV/C group was higher during the first 2 weeks, but the difference was not statistically significant. The proportion of fever during hospitalization in the DRV/C group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P value 0.01). It was found that in DRV/c group NAC of patients with duration from symptom onset to admission within 3 days was significantly shorter (7.9 ± 6.7 days) than that of and above 3 days (15.9 ± 7.1 days)( P = 0.01). Conclusion: Although the combination of DRV/c and routine treatment for patients with non-severe COVID-19 can significantly reduce the proportion of fever after admission, but no significant differences were observed between the DRV/c group and the conventional therapy group, including overall time to nucleic acid conversion, safety and tolerability.

Background: Even people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) were considered to be at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the driving force among this group of individuals is still not clear. Methods: We investigated 1,701 PLWHA through a telephone interview and found 11 COVID-19 patients in four districts of Wuhan, China. The demographic features and major clinical characteristics of these patients were retrieved from the information management systems for COVID-19 patients of four districts’ CDC. Statistical analysis was performed to find out the driving force of COVID-19 among PLWHA.Results: The incidence proportion of COVID-19 in PLWHA is 0.6% (95% CI: 0.2% - 1.0%), which is comparable to the overall population incidence rate in Wuhan city (0.6%). Nine out of the 11 COVID-19/AIDS patients had relatively high CD4+ T lymphocyte count (>200/μl) and undetectable HIV viral load (＜20 copies/ml), and ten of them were on antiretroviral therapy. PLWHA who were old, had low CD4+ T lymphocyte count, infected HIV through homosexual activity, and had been diagnosed for HIV for a long time, were more likely to develop COVID-19.Conclusions: PLWHA has comparable COVID-19 morbidity rates as the general population, and older age, low CD4 count, long length since HIV diagnosis, and treatment-naive were potential driving forces of COVID-19 occurrence among PLWHA. Strategies in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection among PLWHA with worse immune responses are needed. Article Summary Line: As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) are also at risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2. We investigated the factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection among PLWHA in Wuhan, China.

Highlights • NCD4LR will contribute to the prediction of NCT in COVID-19 patients. • Patients in the high NCD4LR group had a longer NCT. • NCD4LR show better predictive value than NLR in predicting NCT. • NCD4LR is a potential biomarker for clinical outcome in COVID-19 patients., Background Since December 2019, novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)-infected pneumonia (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, and rapidly spread throughout China. Our study aimed to evaluate the robustness of neutrophil to CD4+ lymphocyte ratio (NCD4LR) in predicting the negative conversion time (NCT) of SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients. Methods Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to evaluate the independency of NCD4LR in predicting NCT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess the diagnostic accuracy. Results Compared with low NCD4LR patients, patients with high NCD4LR had an older age; higher incidence of fever, fatigue, chest distress/breath shortness, severer disease assessment on admission; higher levels of inflammatory indicators; low levels of lymphocyte subsets, and a longer NCT. Multivariate analysis also identified NCD4LR as an independent risk factor for delayed NCT. ROC analysis showed that NCD4LR had a better performance than neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in predicting the virus negative conversion within 2 weeks (AUC = 0.772), 3 weeks (AUC = 0.710), 4 weeks (AUC = 0.728), or 5 weeks (AUC = 0.815). Conclusion This study suggests that NCD4LR is a potential and useful biomarker for predicting the virus negative conversion time in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, due to the NCDLR value is easily calculated, it can be widely used as a clinical biomarker for disease progression and clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.

Over 1 000 000 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been confirmed since the worldwide outbreak began. Not enough data on infected solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are available, especially data about the management of immunosuppressants. We report two cases of COVID-19 in two transplant recipients, with different treatments and prognoses. The first patient received liver transplantation due to hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma and was confirmed to have COVID-19 9 days later. Following a treatment regimen consisting of discontinued immunosuppressant use and low-dose methylprednisolone-based therapy, the patient developed acute rejection but eventually recovered. The other patient had undergone a renal transplant from a living-related donor 17 years ago, and was admitted to the hospital because of persistent fever. This patient was also diagnosed with COVID-19. His treatment regimen consisted of reduced immunosuppressant use. No signs of rejection were observed during the regimen. In the end, the patient successfully recovered from COVID-19. These effectively treated cases can provide a basis for immunosuppressant management of COVID-19-positive SOT recipients.

Background In December 2019, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan city and spread rapidly throughout China and the world. In this study, we aimed to describe the clinical course and outcomes of older patients with COVID-19. Methods This is a retrospective investigation of hospitalized older patients with confirmed COVID-19 at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from January 1, 2020, to February 10, 2020. Results In total, 203 patients were diagnosed with COVID-19, with a median age of 54 years (interquartile range, 41–68; range, 20–91 years). Men accounted for 108 (53.2%) of the cases, and 55 patients (27.1%) were more than 65 years of age. Among patients who were 65 years and older, the mortality rate was 34.5% (19/55), which was significantly higher than that of the younger patients at 4.7% (7/148). Common symptoms of older patients with COVID-19 included fever (94.5%; n = 52), dry cough (69.1%; n = 38), and chest distress (63.6%; n = 35). Compared with young patients, older patients had more laboratory abnormalities and comorbidities. Through a multivariate analysis of the causes of death in older patients, we found that males, comorbidities, time from disease onset to hospitalization, abnormal kidney function, and elevated procalcitonin levels were all significantly associated with death. Conclusions In the recent outbreak of COVID-19, our local hospital in Wuhan found that patients aged 65 and older had greater initial comorbidities, more severe symptoms, and were more likely to experience multiorgan involvement and death, as compared to younger patients.

Background In December 2019, novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pneumonia (COVID-19) was reported in Wuhan and has since rapidly spread throughout China. We aimed to clarify the characteristics and clinical significance of peripheral lymphocyte subset alteration in COVID-19. Methods The levels of peripheral lymphocyte subsets were measured by flow cytometry in 60 hospitalized COVID-19 patients before and after treatment, and their association with clinical characteristics and treatment efficacy was analyzed. Results Total lymphocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, B cells, and natural killer (NK) cells decreased in COVID-19 patients, and severe cases had a lower level than mild cases. The subsets showed a significant association with inflammatory status in COVID-19, especially CD8+ T cells and CD4+/CD8+ ratio. After treatment, 37 patients (67%) showed clinical response, with an increase in CD8+ T cells and B cells. No significant change in any subset was detected in nonresponsive cases. In multivariate analysis, posttreatment decrease in CD8+ T cells and B cells and increase in CD4+/CD8+ ratio were indicated as independent predictors of poor efficacy. Conclusions Peripheral lymphocyte subset alteration was associated with clinical characteristics and treatment efficacy of COVID-19. CD8+ T cells tended to be an independent predictor for COVID-19 severity and treatment efficacy., Peripheral lymphocyte subset alteration showed a clear association with the clinical characteristics of COVID-19, especially in relation to disease severity assessment and treatment efficacy prediction, which could help to indicate timely interventions to be provided by physicians.

Background & AimsThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COIVD-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been characterized as a pandemic, which causes a serious public health challenge in the world. A very large group of patients infected by HBV has been reported worldwide, especially in China. In order to answer whether specific treatment strategy on the patients coinfected with HBV and SARS-CoV-2, it requires profound understanding of the clinical characteristics on those patients. However, the impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection on HBV patients remain largely unknown.Approach & ResultsIn this retrospective investigation, we included 123 COVID-19 patients admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, from January 5 to March 7, 2020. All enrolled patients are the laboratory confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia cases according to the criteria reported previously. A total of 123 patients were analyzed for their Clinical records, laboratory results including the diagnosis of HBV infection and liver function. Among 123 confirmed COVID-19 patients, the mean age was 51 years old and 59.3% were females (73/123). Fifteen were previously HBV infected patients, 66.7% of them were males (10/15), patients with HBV infection appeared to have a higher incidence of liver cirrhosis and an increased level of total bilirubin. Seven (46.7%) patients with HBV infection were defined as severe cases, while the severity rate was 24.1% for the patients without HBV infection (26/108). The mortality of patients with HBV infection was 13.3% (2/15) compared to 2.8% (3/108) for the patients without HBV infection.ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 infection may cause Live function damage in COVID-19 cases and the patients with HBV infection are likely to have more severe disease outcome.

We reported the process of exposure, clinical characteristics, diagnosis and prognosis of an AIDS patient with asymptomatic COVID-19. In our report, we found the asymptomatic is still shedding virus for at least 29 days. Therefore, we suggested that for individuals who had close contact with diagnosed or suspected COVID-19 patients, in addition to isolation, medical observation, and further related testing if clinical symptoms appear in the observation period, it is best to collect nasopharyngeal and throat swab specimens and test for COVID-19 nucleic acid as early as possible. The purpose of this active detection is to screen out COVID-19 asymptomatic patients, and to avoid further transmission through recessive source of infection. Our findings will facilitate understanding of asymptomatic COVID-19 and improve prevention strategies against COVID-19 transmission.

ObjectivesComorbidities have significant indications for the disease outcome of COVID-19, however which underlying diseases that contribute the most to aggravate the conditions of COVID-19 patients is still largely unknown. SARS-CoV-2 viral clearance is a golden standard for defining the recovery of COVID-19 infections. To dissect the underlying diseases that could impact on viral clearance, we enrolled 106 COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China between Jan 5 and Feb 25, 2020.MethodologyWe comprehensively analyzed demographic, clinical and laboratory data, as well as patient treatment records. Survival analyses with Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression modelling were employed to identify factors influencing the viral clearance negatively.ResultsWe found that increasing age, male gender, and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) associated factors (including hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases) adversely affected the viral clearance. Furthermore, analysis by a random forest survival model pointed out hypertension, cortisone treatment, gender, and age as the four most important variables.ConclusionsWe conclude that patients at old age, males, and/or having diseases associated with high expression of ACE2 will have worse prognosis during a COVID-19 infections.

Background The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to the outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan. The virus is highly infectious. Patients with cancer might be susceptible to the viral infection because of the immunosuppressive state cause by therapies on tumors. Case presentation We present the clinical features of four cancer patients who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in late January of 2020 in our hospital. Cases 1 and 3 were diagnosed as mild and common type of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) and survived from the viral infection. They acquired SARS-CoV-2 infection during their staying in hospital under radiotherapy and surgery of the tumors. Cases 2 and 4 suffered from severe type of COVID-19, and Case 2 was dead owning to the advanced age, uncontrolled chronic B cell lymphocytic leukemia and many other underlying diseases. The immunosuppressive state induced by liver transplantation and anti-rejection therapy might contribute to the severity of COVID-19 in Case 4, who suffered from hepatitis B related hepatocellular carcinoma. However, Case 4 was recovered from COVID-19 after a combination therapy against virus, bacteria and fungi, and also respiratory support. Nearly all patients showed a decrease in lymphocytes including total CD3+ T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells after infection of the virus. Conclusions The severity of COVID-19 might be influenced by immune system state and underlying diseases in cancer patients. And the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients is challenged by the immunosuppressive state of these patients under chemotherapy or surgery.

SummaryBackgroundViral clearance is one important indicator for the recovery of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Previous studies have pointed out that suboptimal T and B cell responses can delay viral clearance in MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV infected patients. The role of leukomonocytes in viral clearance of COVID-19 patients is not yet well defined.MethodsFrom January 26 to February 28, 2020, an observational study was launched at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. We enrolled 25 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients, whose throat-swab specimens were tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection by qRT-PCR. To investigate the factors that contribute to the viral clearance, we comprehensively analyzed clinical records, counts of lymphocyte subsets including CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells, B cells and NK cells in the patients who successfully cleared SARS-CoV-2, and compared to those that failed to, after a standardized treatment of 8-14 days.FindingsIn 25 enrolled COVID-19 patients, lymphopenia was a common feature. After the treatment, 14 out of the 25 enrolled patients were tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. The patients that cleared the infection had restored the numbers of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells and B cells as compared to the still viral RNA positive patients, while the recovered patients had a higher count of leukomonocytes.ConclusionsBy comparison of leukomonocytes counts in COVID-19 patients at different stages of the disease, we found that CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ T cells and B cells appear to play important roles in viral clearance. The restoration of leukomonocytes counts from peripheral blood can be used as prognosis for the recovery of an COVID-19 infection. We propose that restoration of leukomonocytes counts can be added to the COVID-19 diagnostic guidance as a criterion for releasing and discharging patients.

Background Since December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe adult respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, occurred in Wuhan, and rapidly spread throughout China. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of patients with refractory COVID-19. Methods In this retrospective single-center study, we included 155 consecutive patients with confirmed COVID-19 in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from 1 January to 5 February. The cases were divided into general and refractory COVID-19 groups according to the clinical efficacy of treatment after hospitalization, and the differences between groups were compared. Results Compared with patients with general COVID-19 (45.2%), those with refractory disease were older, were more likely to be male, and had more underlying comorbid conditions, a lower incidence of fever, higher maximum temperatures among patients with fever, higher incidences of shortness of breath and anorexia, more severe disease assessment at admission, higher neutrophil, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and C-reactive protein levels, lower platelet counts and albumin levels, and higher incidences of bilateral pneumonia and pleural effusion (P < .05). Patients with refractory COVID-19 were more likely to receive oxygen, mechanical ventilation, expectorant, and adjunctive treatment, including corticosteroids, antiviral drugs, and immune enhancers (P < .05). Considering the factors of disease severity at admission, mechanical ventilation, and intensive care unit transfer, patients with refractory COVID-19 were also more likely to be male, have manifestations of anorexia on admission, and receive oxygen, expectorant, and adjunctive agents (P < .05). Conclusion In nearly 50% of patients with COVID-19 obvious clinical and radiological remission was not achieved within 10 days after hospitalization. Male, anorexia, and no fever at admission was predictive of poor treatment efficacy.

Background: Since December 2019, novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)-infected pneumonia (NCP) occurred in Wuhan, and rapidly spread throughout China We aimed to clar

Background: There were over 49 thousand Coronavirus infected diseases-19(COVID-19) patients in Wuhan city, Hubeprovince, China, the center of epidemic of the

Since December 2019, 62 medical staff of Zhongnan Hospital in Wuhan, China have been hospitalised with coronavirus disease 2019. During the post-discharge surveillance after clinical recovery, swabs were positive in two asymptomatic cases (3.23%). Case 1 had presented typical clinical and radiological manifestations on admission, while manifestation in Case 2 was very mild. In conclusion, a small proportion of recovered patients may test positive after discharge, and post-discharge surveillance and isolation need to be strengthened.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals are at high risk of contracting tuberculosis (TB) disease, and current methods for diagnosing TB infection are less effective in this population. We developed and evaluated a new interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), named A.TB, in HIV-infected individuals, with and without active TB, in a setting of high TB burden and low HIV prevalence.A total of 255 subjects were divided into 3 groups according to their HIV and TB status: HIV+ without active TB (n = 123), HIV+/TB+ (n = 79), and HIV-/TB+ (n = 65). The A.TB assay was performed in parallel with the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and tuberculin skin test (TST).The positive rate was 59.3% (n = 123) by A.TB and 53.8% (n = 106) by QFT-GIT. We observed a strong concordance of 81.2% (k = 0.612) between the two IGRAs. The QFT-GIT results were affected by low CD4(+) cell count (p = 0.013), while A.TB results were not. A.TB was also performed in patients with active TB (n = 65) and patients with active TB and HIV co-infection (n = 79). The sensitivity of A.TB in these groups was 80.0% and 81.0%, respectively.The A.TB results were not affected by low CD4(+) cell count in the co-infected cohort. With further evaluation, A.TB may prove to be a valuable tool for diagnosing TB in HIV-infected patients.