Artificial intelligence computed tomography helps evaluate the severity of COVID-19 patients: A retrospective study.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) is a noninvasive imaging approach to assist the early diagnosis of pneumonia. However, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shares similar imaging features with other types of pneumonia, which makes differential diagnosis problematic. Artificial intelligence (AI) has been proven successful in the medical imaging field, which has helped disease identification.

Prognosis-related classification and dynamic monitoring of immune status in patients with sepsis: A prospective observational study.

Background: The dynamic monitoring of immune status is crucial to the precise and individualized treatment of sepsis. In this study, we aim to introduce a model to describe and monitor the immune status of sepsis and to explore its prognostic value.

Methods: A prospective observational study was carried out in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, enrolling septic patients admitted between July 2016 and December 2018.

MicroRNA-145 plays a role in mitochondrial dysfunction in alveolar epithelial cells in lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) causes substantial mortalities. Alveolar epithelium is one of the main sites of cell injuries in ARDS. As an important kind of microRNAs (miRNAs), microRNA-145 (miR-145) has been studied in various diseases, while its role in ARDS has not been investigated.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of community-acquired pneumonia in autoimmune disease-induced immunocompromised host: A retrospective observational study.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in autoimmune diseases (AID)-induced immunocompromised host (ICH) had a high incidence and poor prognosis. However, only a few studies had determined the clinical characteristics of these patients. Our study was to explore the characteristics and predictors of mortality in CAP patients accompanied with AID-induced ICH.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of serous body cavity effusions in patients with sepsis: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Cavity effusion is common in patients with infectious diseases. However, the incidence rate and characteristics of serous cavity effusions (SCE) in septic patients are not clear to date. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence and characteristics of SCE in septic patients and to explore the correlations between the bloody effusions and the illness severity/prognosis in septic patients.

Trametinib, a novel MEK kinase inhibitor, suppresses lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α production and endotoxin shock.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), one of the most prominent pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), activates macrophages, causing release of toxic cytokines (i.e. tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α) that may provoke inflammation and endotoxin shock.

Effects of hypothermia on the liver in a swine model of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Background: The study aimed to explore the effects of hypothermia state induced by 4 ºC normal saline (NS) on liver biochemistry, enzymology and morphology after restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in swine.

Methods: After 4 minutes of ventricular fibrillation (VF), standard CPR was carried out. Then the survivors were divided into two groups: low temperature group and normal temperature group.

Misdiagnosis of aortic dissection: experience of 361 patients.

Aortic dissection (AD) is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate diagnosis and surgical correction. Patients with acute AD usually present clinically with an insignificant medical history, leading to a high probability of misdiagnosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the number of misdiagnoses of patients with AD in order to understand this problem and to avoid future misdiagnosis in the emergency department.

Association of genetic variants in the IRAK-4 gene with susceptibility to severe sepsis.

Background: The association of genetic variation in the IRAK-1 gene with sepsis outcome has been proved. However, few studies have addressed the impact of the IRAK-4 gene variants on sepsis risk. This study aimed to determine whether the polymorphisms in the IRAK-4 gene are associated with susceptibility to and prognosis of severe sepsis in the Chinese Han ethnic population.

LPS pretreatment ameliorates multiple organ injuries and improves survival in a murine model of polymicrobial sepsis.

Objective: The endotoxin tolerance phenotype is characterized with decreased inflammation and increased phagocytosis. We hypothesized that endotoxin tolerance would provide protective effects on experimental sepsis with multiple organ injuries induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).

Methods: Endotoxin tolerance was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats with daily intraperitoneal injection of either 0.

[Predictors of peri-operative mortality in patients with aortic dissection].

Objective: To analyze the peri-operative risk factors of mortality in patients with aortic dissection (AD).

Methods: Between January 2003 and June 2008, 361 AD patients at our hospital were enrolled. Their demographics, history, clinical characteristics and laboratory examinations were retrospectively analyzed.

Ischemia-modified albumin measured with ultra-filtration assay in early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.

Background: Patients with acute chest pain remain a great diagnostic challenge to emergency physicians. Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a recently developed biomarker of transient myocardial ischemia. IMA has already been licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration for diagnosis of suspected myocardial ischemia.