BACKGROUND: Traditional methods for cardiopulmonary assessment of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pose risks to both patients and examiners. This necessitates a remote examination of such patients without sacrificing information quality. RESEARCH QUESTION: The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility of a 5G-based robotassisted remote ultrasound system in examining patients with COVID-19 and to establish an examination protocol for telerobotic ultrasound scanning. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-three patients with COVID-19 were included and divided into two groups. Twelve were nonsevere cases, and 11 were severe cases. All patients underwent a 5G-based robot-assisted remote ultrasound system examination of the lungs and heart following an established protocol. Distribution characteristics and morphology of the lung and surrounding tissue lesions, left ventricular ejection fraction, ventricular area ratio, pericardial effusion, and examination-related complications were recorded. Bilateral lung lesions were evaluated by using a lung ultrasound score. RESULTS: The remote ultrasound system successfully and safely performed cardiopulmonary examinations of all patients. Peripheral lung lesions were clearly evaluated. Severe cases of COVID-19 had significantly more diseased regions (median [interquartile range], 6.0 [2.0-11.0] vs 1.0 [0.0-2.8]) and higher lung ultrasound scores (12.0 [4.0-24.0] vs 2.0 [0.0-4.0]) than nonsevere cases of COVID-19 (both, P < .05). One nonsevere case (8.3%; 95% CI, 1.5-35.4) and three severe cases (27.3%; 95% CI, 9.7-56.6) were complicated by pleural effusions. Four severe cases (36.4%; 95% CI, 15.2-64.6) were complicated by pericardial effusions (vs 0% of nonsevere cases, P < .05). No patients had significant examination-related complications. INTERPRETATION: Use of the 5G-based robot-assisted remote ultrasound system is feasible and effectively obtains ultrasound characteristics for cardiopulmonary assessment of patients with COVID-19. By following established protocols and considering medical history, clinical manifestations, and laboratory markers, this system might help to evaluate the severity of COVID-19 remotely.

Apoptosis of HGC-27 induced by oridonin may be associated with differential expression of Apaf-1, caspase-3 and cytochrome c, which are highly dependent upon the mitochondrial pathway.

To date, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has infected millions of people worldwide. Ultrasound plays an indispensable role in the diagnosis, monitoring, and follow‐up of patients with COVID‐19. In this study, we used a robotic tele‐echography system based on a 5G communication network for remote diagnosis. The system has great potential for lung, heart, and vasculature information, medical staff protection, and resource sharing, can be a valuable tool for treating patients during the pandemic, and can be expected to expand to more specialized fields.

Increasing evidence demonstrates that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs), a type of non-coding small RNA, can regulate tumor cell migration, invasion and metastasis, and may therefore serve a major function in the occurrence and development of tumors. The present study investigated the effect of miR-383 on the proliferation, migration and invasion of colon cancer HT-29 and LoVo cell lines. The expression of miR-383 in colon cancer and adjacent non-tumor tissues was examined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. MiR-383 upregulation was stimulated by transfection with a miR-383 mimic. Cell proliferation was measured with MTT and colony formation assays, and cell migration and invasion potential were examined by Transwell chamber assays. A proliferating-inducing ligand (APRIL), myeloid cell leukemia-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 protein expression was analyzed by western blotting. The expression of miR-383 was decreased in colon cancer tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues (P<0.05). Transfection with a miR-383 mimic suppressed proliferation and inhibited cell migration and invasion in HT-29 and LoVo colon cancer cell lines. Overexpression of miR-383 in HT-29 and LoVo cells resulted in the suppression of APRIL protein expression. In conclusion, miR-383 was downregulated in colon cancer. The upregulation of miR-383 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of colon cancer cells, potentially through the regulation of target gene APRIL.