Earlier diagnosis improves COVID-19 prognosis: a nationwide retrospective cohort analysis.

Background: Risk of adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients by stratifying by the time from symptom onset to confirmed diagnosis status is still uncertain.

Methods: We included 1,590 hospitalized COVID-19 patients confirmed by real-time RT-PCR assay or high-throughput sequencing of pharyngeal and nasal swab specimens from 575 hospitals across China between 11 December 2019 and 31 January 2020. Times from symptom onset to confirmed diagnosis, from symptom onset to first medical visit and from first medical visit to confirmed diagnosis were described and turned into binary variables by the maximally selected rank statistics method.

The Interactions of Airway Bacterial and Fungal Communities in Clinically Stable Asthma.

Dysbiotic airway microbiota play important roles in the inflammatory progression of asthma, and exploration of airway microbial interactions further elucidates asthma pathogenesis. However, little is known regarding the airway bacterial-fungal interactions in asthma patients. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the sputum bacterial and fungal microbiota from 116 clinically stable asthma patients and 29 healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene and ITS1 sequencing.

Continuous positive airway pressure improves respiratory mechanics and efficiency of neural drive in stable COPD: an exploratory study.

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a major treatment strategy for severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially with respiratory failure. However, it remains inconclusive whether CPAP affects respiratory mechanics and neural drive in stable COPD patients without respiratory failure.

Methods: Twenty-two COPD patients without respiratory failure received CPAP starting from 4 to 10 cmHO in 1 cmHO increments.

Comparison of the clinical characteristics and comprehensive assessments of the 2011 and 2017 GOLD classifications for patients with COPD in China.

Objective: Compared with the 2011 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), there have been significant changes in the 2017 GOLD classification. The purpose of this study was to analyze the changes in clinical characteristics of the new A-B-C-D system and to explore its role in comprehensive assessment of COPD.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 631 stable COPD patients were included in a cross-sectional survey.

[Post-therapeutic change of cathelicidin LL-37 in asthmatics of different inflammatory phenotypes].

Objective: To explore the post-therapeutic change of cathelicidin LL-37 in asthmatics of different inflammatory phenotypes.

Methods: Thirty-four patients with initially diagnosed asthma (asthma group) and 14 normal subjects (control group) were recruited at Nanfang Hospital from August 2009 to August 2010 for this prospective study. Sputum and venous blood samples were collected and analyzed for cell differential.

[Investigation of the level of perceived control of asthma and the factors affecting such perception in South China].

Objective: To investigate the level of the patients perceived control of asthma (PCA) in South China and analyze the risk factors contributing to inadequate PCA.

Methods: A total of 150 asthmatic out-patients consisting of 86 males and 64 females aged 19-65 (38.6∓11.

[Causal analysis of initial misdiagnosis of pulmonary embolism].

Objective: To analyze the causes of initial erroneous diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) to improve the diagnostic efficiency.

Methods: The clinical data of 63 patients with a definite diagnosis of PE were retrospectively analyzed. According to the initial diagnosis, the patients were divided into definite diagnosis group (Group A, 23 cases) and misdiagnosis group (group B, 40 cases).