Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
-
The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has brought an unprecedented impact upon the global economy and public health. Although the SARS-CoV-2 virology has been gradually investigated, measures to combat this new threat in public health are still absent. ⋯ Several major breakthroughs have been made through the identification of the genetic sequence and structural/non-structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2, which enabled the development of RNA-, DNA-based vaccines, subunit vaccines, and attenuated viral vaccines. In this review article, we present an overview of the recent advances of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the challenges that may be encountered in the development process, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches that may help in effectively countering COVID-19.
-
Artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and telemedicine are deeply involved in our daily life and have also been extensively applied in the medical field, especially in ophthalmology. Clinical ophthalmologists are required to perform a vast array of image exams and analyze images containing complicated information, which allows them to diagnose the disease type and grade, make a decision on remedy, and predict treatment outcomes. ⋯ In spite of these issues, AI has indeed become an irresistible trend and is widely used by medical specialists in their daily routines in what we can call now, the era of AI. This review will encompass those issues and focus on recent research on the AI application in ophthalmology and telemedicine.
-
The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has spread across the world, causing causalities and inflicting chronic complications in those who survive the infection. Disruptions in the immune system and lowered physical levels caused by quarantine protocols are the major causes of chronic dysfunction and impaired life independency, especially in elderly patients. ⋯ Adequate education and coping strategies can lessen the potential infection complications and improve the quality of life. Acknowledging the possible benefits and risks of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug usage in chronic pain patients, and the supplementation of vitamin D may also aid in treating post-infected patients.
-
Review Comparative Study
New COVID-19 saliva-based test: How good is it compared to the current nasopharyngeal or throat swab test?
As of April 15, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency use authorization to a first saliva test for diagnosis of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, the device developed by RUCDR Infinite Biologics laboratory, Rutgers University. A key feature that distinguishes the saliva-based test from nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal (throat) swabs is that this kit allows self-collection and can spare healthcare professionals to be at risk during collecting nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal samples, thereby preserving personal protective equipment for use in patient care rather than sampling and testing. ⋯ Nonetheless, a comparison of saliva-based assay with current swab test is needed to understand what and how we can benefit from this newly developed assay. Therefore, in this mini-review article, we aimed to summarize the current and emerging tools, focusing on diagnostic power of different clinical sampling and specimens.
-
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in the world. However, recent studies have found that patients with pulmonary ground-glass opacity (GGO) have a better prognosis. Considering its low invasiveness, sublobar resection may be an appropriate treatment of choice. ⋯ The different localization technique is suitable for different kind nodular position. For patients with pure pulmonary GGO, annual low dose CT checkup is suitable. If the tumor size or solid part of the tumors increased gradually, adequate sublobar resection after tumor localization technique may provide good prognosis and preserve more pulmonary function of the patients.