Pneumonia caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection emerged in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. By Feb. 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named the disease resulting from infection with SARS-CoV-2 as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 represents a spectrum of clinical manifestations that typically include fever, dry cough, and fatigue, often with pulmonary involvement. SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and most individuals within the population at large are susceptible to infection. Wild animal hosts and infected patients are currently the main sources of disease which is transmitted via respiratory droplets and direct contact. Since the outbreak, the Chinese government and scientific community have acted rapidly to identify the causative agent and promptly shared the viral gene sequence, and have carried out measures to contain the epidemic. Meanwhile, recent research has revealed critical aspects of SARS-CoV-2 biology and disease pathogenesis; other studies have focused on epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, management, as well as drug and vaccine development. This review aims to summarize the latest research findings and to provide expert consensus. We will also share ongoing efforts and experience in China, which may provide insight on how to contain the epidemic and improve our understanding of this emerging infectious disease, together with updated guidance for prevention, control, and critical management of this pandemic.

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Background: Preliminary evidence from some studies suggests that taurolidine-citrate locks decrease catheter-related bacteremia (CRB), which is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients using intravascular catheters. No previous study has sought to summarize existing evidence on the use of taurolidine-citrate locks. A systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken to determine whether taurolidine-citrate was more effective than heparin in the prevention of CRB. Methods: The major English (PubMed, EBSCO, Web of Science and OVID) and Chinese (CBM, CNKI, VIP and Wanfang Data) healthcare databases were searched for randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safety of taurolidine-citrate lock solution (TCLS) and heparin lock solution in the prevention of CRB. Results: Three studies involving 236 patients with a total of 34,984 catheter days were included. The use of TCLS significantly decreased the risk of CRB (relative risk = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.25-0.89) and Gram-negative bacterial infection. There was no significant difference in Gram-positive infections and exit-site infections. Conclusions: Catheter locking with TCLS reduced the risk of CRB and Gram-negative bacterial infection. Adverse events include thrombotic events.

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Live three-dimensional echocardiography (L3DE) is an important breakthrough in the field of medical ultrasound. It will provide a great potential tool for clinical diagnosis and treatment. In this article, the authors first review the bottlenecks in 3D cardiac imaging and the technical principles of L3DE that have been used to overcome some of these problems. We then discuss the scanning methods, clinical usefulness, and the future of L3DE, drawing on our experiences in examining 124 human patients and in conducting animal verification studies with a live 3D ultrasound system.

Rapid advances in graphics computing and micro-engineering have offered new techniques for prenatal cardiac imaging. Some of them can be non-invasively applied to both clinical and laboratory settings, including dynamic three-dimensional echocardiography, myocardial Doppler imaging, harmonic ultrasound imaging, and B-flow sonography. With clinical constraints, a few others have been mainly used in laboratories, such as endoscopic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and biomicroscopy. Appropriate use and co-use of these new tools will not only provide unique information for better clinical assessment of fetal cardiac disease but also offer new ways to improved understanding of cardiovascular development and pathogenesis.