During the Spring Festival of 2022,a sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in Shanghai gripped the nation's attention.Experts such as Professor Qu Jieming from Shanghai Ruijin Hospital and Professor Zhang Wenhong from Huashan Hospital led medical staff in combating the pandemic.As a homegrown Shanghai medical device enterprise,Asclepius Meditec resolutely shouldered the social responsibility entrusted to it,actively cooperating with government leadership and coordinating medical resources to fight against COVID-19.
In 2020,during the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan,the hydrogen-oxygen nebulizer was proven to alleviate symptoms such as dyspnea,cough,and expectoration in COVID-19 patients,making a significant contribution.During the rampant spread of COVID-19,the hydrogen-oxygen nebulizer returned to the battlefield,and simultaneously,Professors Qu Jieming,Zhang Wenhong,and Song Yuanlinconducted"a prospective,multicenter,randomized controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the hydrogen-oxygen nebulizer as an adjuvant therapy for novel coronavirus pneumonia(COVID-19),"once again verifyingthe safety and efficacy of the hydrogen-oxygen nebulizer as an adjuvant therapy for COVID-19.The research results have been published recently.
Without further ado,let's get straight to the key points.
List of participating research institutions—a gathering of stars:
[Trial Process]
A total of 76 subjects were recruited for this study,with 12 subjects failing screening.The enrolled subjects were randomly divided into a hydrogen-oxygen group(32 subjects)and an oxygen group(32 subjects).On the basis of receiving standard treatment,subjects in the hydrogen-oxygen group received hydrogen-oxygen inhalation therapy,inhaling a mixed gas via nasal cannula at a flow rate of 3 L/min(for at least 7 hours per day);while the oxygen group received oxygen inhalation therapy(Figure 1).Enrolled subjects underwent treatment and visits,including a screening visit(within 3 days before enrollment),randomization and treatment visit(Day 0),and post-treatment visits on Day 1,Day 2,Day 3,Day 5,Day 7,Day 10,and a discharge visit.
Figure 1 Study Flowchart
Statistical analysis showed that,except for gender and height,there was no statistically significant difference in the baseline data between the two groups of subjects(prior to receiving hydrogen-oxygen or oxygen therapy,there was no significant difference in the baseline data between the two patient groups).The baseline data are as follows:
The main symptoms of patients before enrollment were cough,followed by expectoration,and there was also no statistical significance before enrollment:
[Trial Results]
The results of this study show that,compared with oxygen inhalation alone,inhaling hydrogen-oxygen mixture can shorten the time for SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid to turn negative,reduce the levels of inflammatory factors,alleviate lung lesions,thereby reducing the occurrence of early severe cases.
(1)The effect of inhaling hydrogen-oxygen mixture on the negative conversion rate of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid.We found:The time to negative conversion in the hydrogen-oxygen group was shorter than that in the oxygen inhalation group,and the cumulative negative conversion rate in the hydrogen-oxygen group gradually increased after the third day.
Figure 2 Analysis of Viral Shedding Time
(2)The effect of inhaling hydrogen-oxygen mixture on inflammatory markers.Interleukin-6(Figure A below):
On day 3,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 22.8%decrease from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 59.8%increase from baseline.
On day 5,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 20.1%decrease from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 13.1%decrease from baseline.Lymphocyte count(Figure B below):
On day 3,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 61.1%increase from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 51.0%increase from baseline.
On day 5,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 62.5%increase from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 62.6%increase from baseline.Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte absolute count ratio(Figure C below):
On day 3,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 16.8%decrease from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 19.8%decrease from baseline.
On day 5,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 20.0%decrease from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 20.3%increase from baseline.Lymphocyte percentage(Figure D below):
On day 3,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 67.4%increase from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 42.4%increase from baseline.
On day 5,the hydrogen-oxygen inhalation group showed a 69.1%increase from baseline,while the oxygen inhalation group showed a 31.1%increase from baseline.
Figure 3 Changes in inflammatory markers(A)IL-6 levels,(B)Lymphocyte count,(C)Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio,(D)Lymphocyte percentage
(3)Effect of hydrogen/oxygen inhalation on lung lesions.On day 7,more patients in the hydrogen-oxygen group showed regression of lung lesions compared to the oxygen inhalation group(Figure 4,p=0.711).
Figure 4 Changes in chest CT images:lesion absorption greater than 50%compared to baseline(score:3 points),between 10%and 50%(score:2 points),less than 10%(score:1 point),and progression of lung lesions(score:-3 points).
Discussion:
The study demonstrates a beneficial trend of hydrogen-oxygen therapy in COVID-19 patients,but limitations remain.Due to the rapidly evolving pandemic situation,the study enrolled a relatively small number of participants.The limited sample size only suggests an anti-inflammatory trend following hydrogen-oxygen inhalation.
Looking back:
Hydrogen has been demonstrated to possess antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,hormone-regulating,and anti-apoptotic properties.The use of hydrogen can reduce the destructive cytokine storm and lung injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 in the early stages of COVID-19,thereby lowering the incidence of severe disease.
Looking ahead:
Asclepius Meditec,in collaboration with clinical experts,has once again contributed to validating the safety and efficacy of hydrogen-oxygen inhalation for COVID-19 treatment.Hydrogen-oxygen inhalation may offer a promising adjunctive therapy for patients with COVID-19.[1]Shi M M,Chen Y T,Wang X D,et al.The efficacy of hydrogen/oxygen therapy favored the recovery of omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant infection:results of a multicenter,randomized,controlled trial[J].Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition,2023:23-32.
