Lancet
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Effective antiviral agents are needed to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection. We assessed the antiviral potential of recombinant interferons against two clinical isolates of SARS-CoV--FFM-1, from Frankfurt patients, and Hong Kong--replicated in Vero and Caco2 cells. ⋯ Interferon gamma was slightly better than interferon alpha in Vero cell cultures, but was completely ineffective in Caco2 cell cultures. Interferon beta could be useful alone or in combination with other antiviral drugs for the treatment of SARS.
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The worldwide outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is associated with a newly discovered coronavirus, SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). We did clinical and experimental studies to assess the role of this virus in the cause of SARS. ⋯ Replication in SARS-CoV-infected macaques of pneumonia similar to that in human beings with SARS, combined with the high prevalence of SARS-CoV infection in SARS patients, fulfill the criteria required to prove that SARS-CoV is the primary cause of SARS.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Validation of the paediatric logistic organ dysfunction (PELOD) score: prospective, observational, multicentre study.
Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome is more frequent than death in paediatric intensive care units. Estimation of the severity of this syndrome could be a useful additional outcome measure in clinical trials in such units. We aimed to validate the paediatric logistic organ dysfunction (PELOD) score and estimate its validity when recorded daily (dPELOD). ⋯ PELOD and dPELOD scores are valid outcome measures of the severity of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in paediatric intensive care units; their use should significantly reduce the sample size required to complete clinical trials in critically ill children.