AST and ALT elevations had also been reported in patients with SARS caused by SARS-CoV. (37) Several case reports have described severe LFT abnormalities (18,38,39) or acute-on-chronic (40,41) liver failure in patients with COVID-19. Zhang et al. (33) reported that 1 of 82 deceased patients with COVID-19 had a hepatic cause of death, although it was not clear whether this patient had pre-existing liver disease.Elevated ALP was reported in 2%-5% of patients, (5,11,25,42) and elevated GGT was reported in 13%-54% of patients (weighted average: 23%). (5,11,19,42) The prevalence of total bilirubin elevations ranged between 1% and 18% of patients with COVID-19 on admission. (4,5,15,16,18,25,35,43) It should be realized, aRtICle INFoRMatIoN:
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Background
Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) affect millions of individuals worldwide. Rehabilitation interventions could support individuals during the recovery phase of COVID-19, but a comprehensive understanding of this new disease and its associated needs is crucial. This qualitative study investigated the experience of individuals who had been hospitalized for COVID-19, focusing on those needs and difficulties they perceived as most urgent.
Methods
This naturalistic qualitative study was part of a single-center mix-method cross-sectional study (REACT) conducted in Italy during the first peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The qualitative data collection took place through a telephone interview conducted 3 months after hospital discharge. The experience of individuals discharged after hospitalization for COVID-19 was investigated through the main research question – “Tell me, how has it been going since you were discharged?”. Two secondary questions investigated symptoms, activities, and participation. Data were recorded and transcribed verbatim within 48 h. An empirical phenomenological approach was used by the researchers, who independently analyzed the data and, through consensus, developed an interpretative model to answer the research question. Translation occurred after data was analyzed.
Results
During the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, 784 individuals with COVID-19 were discharged from the hospitals of the Local Health Authority of the Province of Reggio Emilia (Italy); 446 were excluded due to the presence of acute or chronic conditions causing disability other than COVID-19 (n. 339), inability to participate in the study procedures (n. 56), insufficient medical documentation to allow for screening (n. 21), discharge to residential facilities (n. 25), and pregnancy (n. 5). Overall, 150 individuals consented to participate in the REACT study, and 56 individuals (60.7% male, average age 62.8 years ±11.8) were interviewed in June–July 2020, up to data saturation.
Persistent symptoms, feelings of isolation, fear and stigma, emotional distress, a fatalistic attitude, and return to (adapted) life course were the key themes that characterized the participants’ experience after hospital discharge.
Conclusions
The experience as narrated by the participants in this study confirms the persistence of symptoms described in PASC and highlights the sense of isolation and psychological distress. These phenomena may trigger a vicious circle, but the participants also reported adaptation processes that allowed them to gradually return to their life course. Whether all individuals are able to rapidly activate these mechanisms and whether rehabilitation can help to break this vicious circle by improving residual symptoms remain to be seen.
Trial registration
ClinicalTrials.com NCT04438239.
BackgroundScaling up neonatal care facilities in developing countries can improve survival of newborns. Recently, the only tertiary neonatal care facility in Suriname transitioned to a modern environment in which interventions to improve intensive care were performed. This study evaluates impact of this transition on referral pattern and outcomes of newborns.MethodsA retrospective chart study amongst newborns admitted to the facility was performed and outcomes of newborns between two 9-month periods before and after the transition in March 2015 were compared.ResultsAfter the transition more intensive care was delivered (RR 1.23; 95% CI 1.07–1.42) and more outborn newborns were treated (RR 2.02; 95% CI 1.39–2.95) with similar birth weight in both periods (P=0.16). Mortality of inborn and outborn newborns was reduced (RR 0.62; 95% CI 0.41–0.94), along with mortality of sepsis (RR 0.37; 95% CI 0.17–0.81) and asphyxia (RR 0.21; 95% CI 0.51–0.87). Mortality of newborns with a birth weight <1000 grams (34.8%; RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.43–1.90) and incidence of sepsis (38.8%, 95% CI 33.3–44.6) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (12.5%, 95% CI 6.2–23.6) remained high after the transition.ConclusionsAfter scaling up intensive care at our neonatal care facility more outborn newborns were admitted and survival improved for both in- and outborn newborns. Challenges ahead are sustainability, further improvement of tertiary function, and prevention of NEC and sepsis.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12887-017-0941-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Bile acids participate in the intestinal emulsion, digestion, and absorption of lipids and fat-soluble vitamins. When present in high concentrations, as in cholestatic liver diseases, bile acids can damage cells and cause inflammation. After the discovery of bile acids receptors about two decades ago, bile acids are considered signaling molecules. Besides regulating bile acid, xenobiotic, and nutrient metabolism, bile acids and their receptors have shown immunomodulatory properties and have been proposed as therapeutic targets for inflammatory diseases of the liver. This review focuses on bile acid–related signaling pathways that affect inflammation in the liver and provides an overview of the preclinical and clinical applications of modulators of these pathways for the treatment of cholestatic and autoimmune liver diseases.
CFLD is an umbrella term referring to a wide variety of liver manifestations with variable clinical needs and consequences. CFLD with portal hypertension is the most severe form of CFLD due to its significant implications on morbidity and mortality. The clinical relevance of other CFLI is uncertain. Consensus on CFLD definitions is essential to validate new diagnostic tools and therapeutic outcome measures.
Norfloxacin and adriamycin were tested alone and in combination for bactericidal activity against different strains of gram-negative bacteria. The antitumoral effect of a combination of norfloxacin and adriamycin was determined in mice bearing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma and in mice bearing P 388 leukemia. No interference with the antibacterial activity of norfloxacin or with the antitumoral activity of adriamycin was observed.
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