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The recovery process of COVID-19 patients is unclear. Some recovered patients complain of continued shortness of breath. Vasculopathy has been reported in COVID-19, stressing the importance of probing pulmonary microstructure and function at the alveolar-capillary interface. While computed tomography (CT) detects structural abnormalities, little is known about the impact of disease on lung function. 129 Xe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique uniquely capable of assessing ventilation, microstructure, and gas exchange. Using 129 Xe MRI, we found that COVID-19 patients show a higher rate of ventilation defects (5.9% versus 3.7%), unchanged microstructure, and longer gas-blood exchange time (43.5 ms versus 32.5 ms) compared with healthy individuals. These findings suggest that regional ventilation and alveolar airspace dimensions are relatively normal around the time of discharge, while gas-blood exchange function is diminished. This study establishes the feasibility of localized lung function measurements in COVID-19 patients and their potential usefulness as a supplement to structural imaging. 

Abstract Overlapping geographical occurrence, history of traditional use, confusion in species identification, and morphological resemblances among various species are some considerations that necessitate the importance of qualitative analysis for efficient quality control and safer botanical products. This paper provides detailed morpho-anatomies of the leaves and stems of Tinospora cordifolia, Tinospora crispa, and Tinospora sinensis, and stems of Tinospora baenzigeri. Microscopy studies of the selected Tinospora species revealed key diagnostic features that can help distinguish the closely related species of Tinospora as well as to detect any adulteration or substitution in the raw materials. HPTLC profiles of the authenticated plant materials, as well as commercial products claiming to contain Tinospora, were compared to distinguish T. crispa from other closely related species and to establish an efficient method to assess the identity and quality of the products using qualified chemical markers. HPTLC chromatograms of both plant samples and dietary supplements were compared with six reference marker compounds. The analysis revealed that borapetoside B and C were useful to identify T. crispa while tinosineside A was found to be characteristic to authenticate the T. sinensis products.