Objectives Severe or critical COVID-19 is associated with intensive care unit admission, increased secondary infection rate, and would lead to significant worsened prognosis. Risks and characteristics relating to secondary infections in severe COVID-19 have not been described. Methods Severe and critical COVID-19 patients from Shanghai were included. We collected lower respiratory, urine, catheters, and blood samples according to clinical necessity and culture and mNGS were performed. Clinical and laboratory data were archived. Results We found 57.89% (22/38) patients developed secondary infections. The patient receiving invasive mechanical ventilation or in critical state has a higher chance of secondary infections (P<0.0001). The most common infections were respiratory, bloodstream and urinary infections, and in respiratory infections, the most detected pathogens were gram-negative bacteria (26, 50.00%), following by gram-positive bacteria (14, 26.92%), virus (6, 11.54%), fungi (4, 7.69%), and others (2, 3.85%). Respiratory Infection rate post high flow, tracheal intubation, and tracheotomy were 12.90% (4/31), 30.43% (7/23), and 92.31% (12/13) respectively. Secondary infections would lead to lower discharge rate and higher mortality rate. Conclusion Our study originally illustrated secondary infection proportion in severe and critical COVID-19 patients. Culture accompanied with metagenomics sequencing increased pathogen diagnostic rate. Secondary infections risks increased after receiving invasive respiratory ventilations and intravascular devices, and would lead to a lower discharge rate and a higher mortality rate.

Introduction: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are a new class of drugs used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs) are the most frequently reported treatment-related AEs for GLP-1 RAs. We aim to evaluate the effect of GLP-1 RAs on the incidence of GI AEs of T2DM. Materials and Methods: The overview of the GI events of GLP-1 RAs has been performed on relevant publications through the literature search, such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov The manufacturer was contacted regarding unpublished data. We analyzed direct and indirect comparisons of different treatments using Bayesian network meta-analysis. Results: Taspoglutide 30 mg once weekly (TAS30QW) and lixisenatide 30 lg twice daily (LIX30BID) were ranked the top two drugs in terms of GI AEs versus placebo. The odds ratios of nausea and vomiting for TAS30QW were 11.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.89, 46.9) and 51.7 (95% CI, 7.07, 415), respectively, and that of diarrhea was 4.93 (95% CI, 1.75, 14.7) for LIX30BID. Conclusions: Our study found all GLP-1 RA dose regimens significantly increased the incidence of GI AEs, compared with placebo or conventional treatment. The occurrence of GI AEs was different with diverse dose regimens of GLP-1 RAs. TAS30QW had the maximum probability to occur nausea and vomiting, whereas LIX30BID had the maximum probability to cause development of diarrhea versus other treatments.

Xinjiang, China is an endemic area for Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) but the seroprevalence of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and risk factors remain undefined. In this study, antibodies to one KSHV latent protein (ORF73) and two KSHV lytic proteins (ORF65 and ORF-K8.1) were examined in 2,228 subjects from the general population and 37 subjects infected with HIV-1 in Xinjiang, and 560 subjects from the general population in Hubei, a low KS incidence region. The serostatus of a serum sample was defined based on positive results in any one of the three serologic assays. The seroprevalence of KSHV in the general population was higher in Xinjiang than in Hubei (19.2% vs 9.5%; odds ratios [OR], 2.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68-3.08; P < 0.001). Among the ethnic groups in Xinjiang, 68 (15.8%) Han, 182 (20.7%) Uygur, 140 (19.9%) Hazakh, 9 (33.3%) Xibo, and 29 (16.8%) Hui were KSHV-seropositive, respectively. Compared to the Han, the latter groups had an increase in the risk of KSHV of 62.2%, 63.8%, 180.1% and 30.2% (P = 0.003, 0.004, 0.018, and 0.286, respectively). Subjects aged < 20, 20-50, and > 50 had a seroprevalence of KSHV of 11.8%, 17.9% and 24.6%, respectively. Compared to subjects aged < 20, the latter groups had an increase in the risk of KSHV of 63.3% and 144.5% (P = 0.009 and < 0.001, respectively). Subjects infected with HIV-1 in Xinjiang had a seroprevalence of KSHV of 43.2%, and a 220% increase in the risk of KSHV compared to the general population (P < 0.001). Similar results were obtained when the seroprevalence of KSHV was analyzed with any single or two of the three serologic assays alone. Genotyping identified 3 unique sequences clustered in the A clade. This study indicates that Xinjiang has a high seroprevalence of KSHV. Geographic location, ethnicity, age and HIV-1 infection are risk factors. Serologic and genotyping results suggest the introduction of KSHV into Xinjiang by specific ethnic groups.