No abstract

Objective Hypercytokines cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID‐19 patients, which is the main reason for ICU treatment and the leading cause of death in COVID‐19 patients. Cytokine storm is a critical factor in the development of ARDS. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of Oxiris filter in the treatment of COVID‐19 patients. Materials and Methods Five patients with COVID‐19 who received CRRT in Henan provincial people's hospital between January 23, 2019, and March 28, 2020, were enrolled in this study. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), oxygenation index (PaO 2 /FiO 2 ), renal function, C‐reactive protein (CRP), cytokines, procalcitonin (PCT), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ (APACHE Ⅱ), sequential organ failure score (SOFA) and prognosis were compared after CRRT. Results Five COVID‐19 patients, 3 males and 2 females, aged (70.2±19.6) years, were enrolled. After treatment, HR (101.4±14.08 vs 83.8±6.22 bpm/min), CRP (183±25.21 vs 93.78±70.81 mg/L), IL‐6 (3234.49 (713.51,16038.36) vs 181.29 (82.24,521.39) pg/ml), IL‐8 (154.86 (63.97,1476.1) vs 67.19 (27.84,85.57) pg/ml), and IL‐10 (17.43 (9.14,41.22) vs 4.97 (2.39, 8.70) pg/ml), APACHE Ⅱ (29±4.92 vs. 18.4±2.07), SOFA (17.2±1.92 vs. 11.2±3.4) significantly decreased (p < 0.05), while MAP (75.8±4.92 vs. 85.8±6.18 mmHg), PaO 2 /FiO 2 (101.2±7.49 vs. 132.6±26.15 mmHg) significantly increased (p < 0.05). Among the 5 patients, negative conversion of nucleic acid test was found in 3 cases, while 2 cases died. No adverse events occurred during the treatment. Conclusion Our study observed a reduced level of overexpressed cytokines, stabilization of hemodynamic status, and staged improvement of organ function during the treatment with Oxiris filter.

Recent population studies suggest that the use of artemisinin is associated with reduced incidence and improved prognosis of certain cancers. In the current study, we assessed the effect of artemisinin on gastric cancer cells (AGS and MKN74 cells). We found that artemisinin inhibited growth and modulated expression of cell-cycle regulators in these cells. Treatment with artemisinin was also associated with induction of p27 kip1 and p21 kip1, two negative cell-cycle regulators. Furthermore, we revealed that artemisinin treatment led to an increased expression of p53. Taken together, these results provide evidence for a mechanism that may contribute to the antineoplastic effects of artemisinin suggested by recent population studies and justify further work to explore potential roles for it in gastric cancer prevention and treatment.

No abstract