Background: Since mid-December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia-like diseases caused by a novel coronavirus, now designated COVID-19 by the WHO, emerged in Wuhan city and rapidly spread throughout China. Here we identify the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in a cohort of patients in Shanghai.Methods: Cases were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR and were analysed for demographic, clinical, laboratory and radiological features. Results:Of 198 patients, the median duration from disease onset to hospital admission was 4 days. The mean age of the patients was 50.1 years, and 51.0% patients were male. The most common symptom was fever. Less than half of the patients presented with respiratory systems including cough, sputum production, itchy or sore throat, shortness of breath, and chest congestion. 5.6% patients had diarrhoea. On admission, T lymphocytes were decreased in 45.8% patients. Ground glass opacity was the most common radiological finding on chest computed tomography. 9.6% were admitted to the ICU because of the development of organ dysfunction. Compared with patients not treated in ICU, patients treated in the ICU were older, had longer waiting time to admission, fever over 38.5 o C, dyspnoea, reduced T lymphocytes, elevated neutrophils and organ failure. Conclusions:In this single centre cohort of COVID-19 patients, the most common symptom was fever, and the most common laboratory abnormality was decreased blood T cell counts. Older age, male, fever over 38.5 o C, symptoms of dyspnoea, and underlying comorbidity, were the risk factors most associated with severity of disease. MethodsPatients. We obtained epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory and management data from the medical records of patients infected with SARS-Cov-2. On Jan 20, 2020, the first human case of in Shanghai was confirmed. Since then all hospitals in Shanghai have opened special fever clinics to screen suspected patients, and laboratory confirmed patients were then admitted to a single designated hospital in Shanghai (Shanghai Public Health Clinical Centre). Laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 was done by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Throat-swab specimens from the upper respiratory tract were obtained from all patients at admission and maintained in viral transport medium. COVID-19 was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR using the same protocol as described previously 3 . Confirmed patients were hospitalized into negative pressure wards for further medical observation and treatment. We collected data from patients who were admitted from Jan. 20 up to Feb. 15. All the data collected from the included cases have been shared with the WHO. Data Collection. Epidemiological exposure data, patient characteristics, clinical symptoms, laboratory and imaging findings and medical history were extracted from electronic medical records and analysed by licensed physicians. Laboratory data were recorded in standardized form. Initial investigations included a complete blood count, routine urinalysis, blood gases, coagulation...

Background: M1 macrophage plays an important role in inflammatory reaction. In this study, potential anti-inflammatory effect of Phyllolobium chinense Fisch flavonoids (PCFF) was assessed via Zebrafish acute inflammation model in vivo and LPS-induced proinflammatory M1 macrophage model in vitro. Methods:The quality control of P. chinense Fisch flavonoids (PCFF) was analyzed by HPLC. Anti-inflammatory effect of PCFF on the acute injured zebrafish was evaluated by the migration of fluorescence labeled macrophages and neutrophils, and the gene expression of inflammatory factors. In addition, the anti-inflammatory mechanism of PCFF was investigated by the related gene expression and related signaling pathway regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-induced pro-inflammatory M1 RAW264.7 macrophage.Results: P. chinense Fisch flavonoids (PCFF) markedly suppressed macrophage and neutrophil migration and iNOS gene expression in acute injured zebrafish with tail-cutting. PCFF significantly inhibited NO overproduction and iNOS gene overexpression in LPSsitimulated pro-inflammatory M1 RAW264.7 macrophages. What's more, PCFF could evidently decrease p65 protein production, but had no effect on the production of P38, JNK and ERK1/2 proteins. Conclusion: P. chinense Fisch flavonoids (PCFF) have a remarkable inhibitory effect on the inflammatory response in acute injured zebrafish and LPS-stimulated M1 RAW264.7 macrophage. The pharmacological mechanism may be related to the regulation of NO overproduction and the inhibition of NF-kB/iNOS signaling pathway.

Hypertension is a global health concern. Although the pharmacological treatment has obvious antihypertensive effects, there are still some limitations on management of hypertension by drug therapy alone. In recent years, the nonpharmacological therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has gradually become an important mean to help the prevention and treatment of hypertension in some Eastern countries. In this review, the nonpharmacological TCM therapies, including acupuncture, tuina, Tai Chi, and auricular-plaster, are covered along with the mechanism.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) seriously endangers global public health. Pupingqinghua prescription (PPQH) is an herbal formula from traditional Chinese medicine used for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of PPQH in Chinese participants infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.Methods: A total of 873 SARS-CoV-2 (Omicron)-infected patients were included. Among them, the patients were divided into the PPQH group (653 cases) and LHQW group (220 cases) according to different medications. The effectiveness indicators (hematological indicators, Ct values of novel Coronavirus nucleic acid tests, and viral load-shedding time) and safety indicators (liver and kidney function and adverse events) were analyzed.Results: There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics between the PPQH group and the LHQW group, except the gender; After the treatment, the levels of IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, NK cells, and INF-α of the patients in the PPQH group showed a downward trend (p < 0.05); The viral load shedding time was 5.0 (5.0, 7.0) in the PPQH group and 5.0 (4.0, 7.0) in the LHQW group; both PPQH and LHQW can shorten the duration of symptoms of fever, cough, and sore throat. The re-positive rate of COVID-19 test was 1.5 % in the PPQH group and 2.3 % in the LHQW group. In terms of safety, the levels of γ-GTT decreased significantly (p < 0.01); gastrointestinal reaction was the primary adverse reaction, and the reaction rate was 4.7 % in the PPQH group and 9.5 % in the LHQW group.Conclusion: PPQH can shorten the length of hospital stay and improve clinical symptoms of patients with SARS-COV-2 (Omicron), and it also has a good safety profile.

Work-related musculoskeletal injuries are one of the major occupational health issues of the workers, especially low back pain (LBP). The aim of this study was to survey the prevalence of LBP among manufacturing workers and to identify associations of individual and work-related factors with LBP. A cross-sectional questionnaire study was performed with 1173 participating manufacturing workers. The questionnaire included individual factors, psychosocial and physical exposures, and musculoskeletal discomfort. It was analyzed by logistic regression and structural equation modeling (SEM). The 1-year prevalence of LBP among Chinese manufacturing workers was 33.6%. Logistic regression analysis showed that job tenure, awkward postures, vibration and job demand were positively—while social support and job control were negatively associated with LBP (p < 0.05). The SEM results indicated that, as shown in other studies, job types, job tenure, postural load, high job demand, low job control and vibration were directly associated with LBP, but also that job types, high job demand, low social support and vibration may have indirect effects on LBP—mediated by postural load.