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Preoperative Sleep Quality And Adverse Pain Outcomes After Total Hip Arthroplasty. | BACKGROUND Sleep disturbance is thought to aggravate acute postoperative pain. The influence of preoperative sleep problems on pain control in the long-term and development of chronic postsurgical pain is largely unknown. METHODS This prospective, observational study aimed to examine the links between preoperative sleep disturbance (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI) and pain severity (Brief Pain Inventory, BPI) 6 months postoperative (primary outcome), objective measures of pain and postoperative pain control variables (secondary outcomes). Patients (n=52) with disabling osteoarthritis (OA) pain undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) were included. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed preoperatively on the day of surgery to evaluate pain objectively. Clinical data, as well as measures of sleep quality and pain, were obtained preoperatively and longitudinally over a six-month period. RESULTS Preoperatively, sleep disturbance (i.e., PSQI score >5) occurred in 73.1% (n=38) of THA patients, and pain severity was high (BPI pain severity 5.4±1.3). Regression models, adjusting for relevant covariates, showed that preoperative PSQI score predicted pain severity 6 months postoperative (β=0.091 (95% CI 0.001-0.181), p=0.048, R2 =0.35). Poor sleep quality was associated with increased pressure pain sensitivity and impaired endogenous pain inhibitory capacity (R2 range 0.14-0.33, all p´s <0.04). Moreover, preoperative sleep disturbance predicted increased opioid treatment during the first 24 hours after surgery (unadjusted β=0.009 (95% CI 0.002-0.015) mg/kg, p=0.007, R2 =0.15). CONCLUSIONS Preoperative sleep disturbance is prevalent in THA patients, is associated with objective measures of pain severity, and independently predicts immediate postoperative opioid treatment and poorer long-term pain control in patients who have undergone THA. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Analysis of anaesthesia services to calculate national need and supply of anaesthetics in Switzerland during the COVID-19 pandemic | BACKGROUND: In Switzerland, details of current anaesthesia practice are unknown. However, they are urgently needed to manage anaesthesia drug supply in times of drug shortages due to the pandemic. METHODS: We surveyed all Swiss anaesthesia institutions in April 2020 to determine their annual anaesthesia activity. Together with a detailed analysis on anaesthetic drug use of a large, representative Swiss anaesthesia index institution, calculations and projections for the annual need of anaesthetics in Switzerland were made. Only those drugs have been analysed that are either being used very frequently or that have been classified critical with regard to their supply by the pharmacy of the index institution or the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. RESULTS: The response rate to our questionnaire was 98%. Out of the present 188 Swiss anaesthesia institutions, 185 responded. In Switzerland, the annual number of anaesthesias was 1'071'054 (12'445 per 100'000 inhabitants) with a mean anaesthesia time of 2.03 hours. Teaching hospitals (n = 54) performed more than half (n = 572'231) and non-teaching hospitals (n = 103) provided almost half of all anaesthesias (n = 412'531). Thereby, private hospitals conducted a total of 290'690 anaesthesias. Finally, office-based anaesthesia institutions with mainly outpatients (n = 31) administered 86'292 anaesthesias. Regarding type of anaesthesia provided, two thirds were general anaesthesias (42% total intravenous, 17% inhalation, 8% combined), 20% regional and 12% monitored anaesthesia care. Projecting for example the annual need for propofol in anaesthesia, Switzerland requires 48'573 L of propofol 1% which corresponds to 5'644 L propofol 1% per 100'000 inhabitants every year. CONCLUSIONS: To actively manage anaesthesia drug supply in the context of the current pandemic, it is mandatory to have a detailed understanding of the number and types of anaesthesias provided. On this basis, the Swiss annual consumption of anaesthetics could be projected and the replenishment organized. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Thrombocytopenia with acute ischemic stroke and bleeding in a patient newly vaccinated with an adenoviral vector‐based COVID‐19 vaccine | We describe the first Danish case of presumed inflammatory and thrombotic response to vaccination with an adenoviral (ChAdOx1) vector‐based COVID‐19 vaccine (AZD1222). The case describes a 60‐year‐old woman who was admitted with intractable abdominal pain 7 days after receiving the vaccine. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed bilateral adrenal hemorrhages. On the following day, she developed a massive right‐sided ischemic stroke and magnetic resonance imaging angiography showed occlusion of the right internal carotid artery. The ischemic area was deemed too large to offer reperfusion therapy. During admission, blood tests showed a remarkable drop in platelet counts from 118,000 to 5000 per μl and a substantial increase in D‐dimer. The patient died on the sixth day of hospitalization. Blood tests revealed platelet factor 4 reactive antibodies, imitating what is seen in heparin‐induced thrombocytopenia. This may be a novel immune‐mediated response to the vaccine. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Diabetes and COVID-19: The potential role of mTOR | Diabetes is the most frequent comorbidity among patients with COVID-19. COVID-19 patients with diabetes have a more severe prognosis than patients without diabetes. However, the etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying this more unfavorable outcome in these patients are not clear. Probably the etiopathogenetic mechanisms underlying diabetes could represent a favorable substrate for a greater development of the inflammatory process already dysregulated in COVID-19 with a more severe evolution of the disease. In the attempt to shed light on the possible etiopathogenetic mechanisms, we wanted to evaluate the possible role of mTOR (mammalian Target Of Rapamycin) pathway in this context. We searched the PubMed and Scopus databases to identify articles involving diabetes and the mTOR pathway in COVID-19. The mTOR pathway could be involved in this etiopathogenetic mechanism, in particular, the activation and stimulation of this pathway could favor an inflammatory process that is already dysregulated in itself, while its inhibition could be a way to regulate this dysregulated inflammatory process. However, much remains to be clarified about the mechanisms of the mTOR pathway and its role in COVID-19. The aim of this review is to to understand the etiopathogenesis underlying COVID-19 in diabetic patients and the role of mTOR pathway in order to be able to search for new weapons to deal with this disease. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Modelling the health and economic impacts of different testing and tracing strategies for COVID-19 in the UK | Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is resurgent in the UK and health and economic costs of the epidemic continue to rise. There is a need to understand the health and economic costs of different courses of action. Methods: We combine modelling, economic analysis and a user-friendly interface to contrast the impact and costs of different testing strategies: two levels of testing within the current test-trace-isolate (TTI) strategy (testing symptomatic people, tracing and isolating everyone) and a strategy where TTI is combined with universal testing (UT;i.e. additional population testing to identify asymptomatic cases). We also model effective coverage of face masks. Results: Increased testing is necessary to suppress the virus after lockdown. Partial reopening accompanied by scaled-up TTI (at 50% test and trace levels), full isolation and moderately effective coverage of masks (30% reduction in overall transmission) can reduce the current resurgence of the virus and protect the economy in the UK. Additional UT from December 2020 reduces the epidemic dramatically by Jan 2021 when combined with enhanced TTI (70% test-trace levels) and full isolation. UT could then be stopped;continued TTI would prevent rapid recurrence. This TTI+UT combination can suppress the virus further to save ~20,000 more lives and avoid ~£90bn economic losses, though costs ~£8bn more to deliver. We assume that all traced and lab-confirmed cases are isolated. The flexible interface we have developed allows exploration of additional scenarios, including different levels of reopening of society after the second lockdown in England as well as different levels of effective mask coverage. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that increased TTI is necessary to suppress the virus and protect the economy after the second lockdown in England. Additional UT from December 2020 reduces the epidemic dramatically by Jan 2021 and could then be stopped, as continued TTI would prevent rapid recurrence. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Prediction of COVID-19 Infected Cases Using ARIMA: A Case Study | The continuing pandemic situation of novel corona virus (COVID19) is a major communal apprehension all over the world Since December’2019, the world has experi | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Clinical time course of COVID-19, its neurological manifestation and some thoughts on its management | Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. COVID-19 runs its course in two phases, the initial incubation phase and later clinical symptomatic phase. Patients in the initial incubation phase often have insidious clinical symptoms, but they are still highly contagious. At the later clinical symptomatic phase, the immune system is fully activated and the disease may enter the severe infection stage in this phase. Although many patients are known for their respiratory symptoms, they had neurological symptoms in their first 1-2 days of clinical symptomatic phase, and ischaemic stroke occurred 2 weeks after the onset of the clinical symptomatic phase. The key is to prevent a patient from progressing to this severe infection from mild infection. We are sharing our experience on prevention and management of COVID-19. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Human metapneumovirus - what we know now | Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a leading cause of acute respiratory infection, particularly in children, immunocompromised patients, and the elderly. HMPV, which is closely related to avian metapneumovirus subtype C, has circulated for at least 65 years, and nearly every child will be infected with HMPV by the age of 5. However, immunity is incomplete, and re-infections occur throughout adult life. Symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory viral infections, ranging from mild (cough, rhinorrhea, and fever) to more severe (bronchiolitis and pneumonia). The preferred method for diagnosis is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction as HMPV is difficult to culture. Although there have been many advances made in the past 16 years since its discovery, there are still no US Food and Drug Administration-approved antivirals or vaccines available to treat HMPV. Both small animal and non-human primate models have been established for the study of HMPV. This review will focus on the epidemiology, transmission, and clinical manifestations in humans as well as the animal models of HMPV pathogenesis and host immune response. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Migrant Agricultural Workers' Health, Safety and Access to Protections: A Descriptive Survey Identifying Structural Gaps and Vulnerabilities in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada | In this paper, we provide descriptive data that characterize the health, safety, and social care environment of migrant agricultural workers in British Columbia, Canada. Through the administration of surveys (n = 179), we gathered information in three domains: (1) living and working conditions;(2) barriers to rights, health, safety and advocacy/reporting;(3) accessibility of services. Our study confirms what predominantly qualitative studies and Ontario-based survey data indicate in terms of health, legal, and social barriers to care and protection for this population. Our findings also highlight the prevalence of communication barriers and the limited degree of confidence in government authorities and contact with support organizations this population faces. Notably, survey respondents expressed a strong intention to report concerns/issues to authorities while simultaneously reporting that they lacked the knowledge to initiate such complaints. These findings call into question government responses that task the agricultural industry with addressing access and service gaps that may be more effectively addressed by government agencies and service providers. In order to improve supports and protections for migrant agricultural workers, policies and practices should be implemented that: (1) empower workers to independently access health, social, and legal protections and limit workers' dependence on their employers when help-seeking;(2) provide avenues for increased proactive inspections, anonymous reporting, alternative housing/employment and meaningful 2-way communication with regulators so that the burden of reporting is lessened for this workforce;(3) systematically address breaches in privacy, translation, and adequate workplace injury assessments in the healthcare system. Ultimately, the COVID-19 context has put into sharper focus the complex gaps in health, social and legal services and protections for migrant agricultural workers. The close chronology of our data collection with this event can help us understand the factors that have resulted in so much tragedy among this workforce. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Relationship between screen time among children and lower economic status during elementary school closures due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic | BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine whether the extended use of a variety of digital screen devices was associated with lower economic status and other environmental factors among Korean elementary school children and their caregivers during school closures precipitated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: A total of 217 caregivers of children 7–12 years of age from Suwon, Korea, were recruited and asked to respond to a self-administered questionnaire in June 2020. The questionnaire addressed demographic information and children’s use of digital media, in addition to their caregivers. The t-test was used for continuous variables, and the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for variables measured on an interval scale. A multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of significant correlative factors on screen time in children as predictors. RESULTS: Children with lower household incomes demonstrated a higher frequency and longer duration of smartphone and tablet personal computer use compared to those from higher income households. Children of households in which incomes decreased after COVID-19 used smartphones and tablet PCs more often and for longer durations. Children from households that experienced decreased income(s) after COVID-19 used personal computers more often and for a longer duration, and children from low-income families engaged in longer screen time on smartphones. A change in primary caregiver(s) may have increased children’s screen time on smartphones. CONCLUSION: Lower household income was associated with longer screen time among children, and poor mental health among caregivers during school closures precipitated the COVID-19 pandemic. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
The Diagnostic and Prognostic Potential of the B-Cell Repertoire in Membranous Nephropathy | Membranous nephropathy (MN), an autoimmune glomerular disease, is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adults. In current clinical practice, the diagnosis is dependent on renal tissue biopsy. A new method for diagnosis and prognosis surveillance is urgently needed for patients. In the present study, we recruited 66 MN patients before any treatment and 11 healthy control (HC) and analyzed multiple aspects of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) repertoire of these samples using high-throughput sequencing. We found that the abnormalities of CDR-H3 length, hydrophobicity, somatic hypermutation (SHM), and germ line index were progressively more prominent in patients with MN, and the frequency of IGHV3-66 in post-therapy patients was significantly lower than that in pre-therapy patients. Moreover, we found that the IGHV3-38 gene was significantly related to PLA2R, which is the most commonly used biomarker. The most important discovery was that several IGHV, IGHD transcripts, CDR-H3 length, and SHM rate in pre-therapy patients had the potential to predict the therapeutic effect. Our study further demonstrated that the IGH repertoire could be a potential biomarker for prognosis prediction of MN. The landscape of circulating B-lymphocyte repertoires sheds new light on the detection and surveillance of MN. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
The growing amplification of social media: measuring temporal and social contagion dynamics for over 150 languages on Twitter for 2009–2020 | Working from a dataset of 118 billion messages running from the start of 2009 to the end of 2019, we identify and explore the relative daily use of over 150 languages on Twitter. We find that eight languages comprise 80% of all tweets, with English, Japanese, Spanish, Arabic, and Portuguese being the most dominant. To quantify social spreading in each language over time, we compute the ‘contagion ratio’: The balance of retweets to organic messages. We find that for the most common languages on Twitter there is a growing tendency, though not universal, to retweet rather than share new content. By the end of 2019, the contagion ratios for half of the top 30 languages, including English and Spanish, had reached above 1—the naive contagion threshold. In 2019, the top 5 languages with the highest average daily ratios were, in order, Thai (7.3), Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, and Catalan, while the bottom 5 were Russian, Swedish, Esperanto, Cebuano, and Finnish (0.26). Further, we show that over time, the contagion ratios for most common languages are growing more strongly than those of rare languages. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Metabolic tumour volume on 18F-FDG PET/CT predicts extended pathological T stages in patients with renal cell carcinoma at staging. | We evaluated the predictive value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake on positron emission tomography/CT (PET/CT) for extended pathological T (pT) stages (≥ pT3a) in Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients at staging. Thirty-eight RCC patients who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT at staging, followed by radical nephrectomy between September 2016 and September 2018, were included in this prospective study. Patients were classified into two groups (limited pT stage: stage T1/2, n = 17; extended pT stage: T3/4, n = 21). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify clinicopathological and metabolic variables to predict extended pT stages. 18F-FDG metabolic parameters were compared in relation to International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grade and lymphovascular invasion (LVI). In univariate analysis, maximum standardised uptake value, metabolic tumour volume (MTV), and ISUP grade were significant. In multivariate analysis, MTV was the only significant factor of extended pT stages. With a cut-off MTV of 21.2, an area under the curve was 0.944, which was higher than 0.824 for clinical T stages (p = 0.037). In addition, high MTV, but not tumour size, was significantly correlated with aggressive pathologic features (ISUP grade and LVI). High glycolytic tumour volume on 18F-FDG PET/CT in RCC patients at staging is predictive of extended pT stages which could aid decision-making regarding the best type of surgery. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Cacao Pod Husk Flour as an Ingredient for Reformulating Frankfurters: Effects on Quality Properties | The cocoa pod husk is considered a source of dietary fiber with a high content of water-soluble pectins, bioactive compounds which should be viewed as a by-product with the potential to be incorporated into food. This study aimed to investigate the effect of adding different cocoa pod husk flour (CPHF) levels as a starch replacement for reformulating frankfurters. Results showed that the addition of 1.5 and 3.0% pod husk proportionally increased the frankfurter’s fiber content by 0.49 ± 0.08 and 0.96 ± 0.19 g/100 g, which is acceptable for a product that does not contain fiber. Textural properties and sensory characteristics were affected when substituting the starch with CPHF, either totally or partially, although these samples had higher water content, hardness, and adhesiveness while springiness decreased. Non-adverse effects of nitrite on polyphenolic compounds content were evidenced in samples enriched with CPHF. The incorporation of CPHF did not significantly affect the color parameters (ΔE < 3). Finally, the panelists indicated a sensation of the unsalted sausage, suggesting that CPHF may have natural mucoadhesion properties. In conclusion, in formulated meat products such as sausages, plant co-products such as cacao pod husks could be a valid new ingredient to improve technological parameters, functional characteristics, and stability. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation | PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To summarize pediatric palliative care (PPC) research from 2016 to 2021 as it intersects with pediatric oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). RECENT FINDINGS: Children and adolescents with cancer who receive PPC have improved quality of life (QOL), symptom burden, advance care planning discussions, rates of hospice enrollment, home deaths, and receive less intensive therapy at the end-of-life (EOL). Parents report improved QOL and preparation for EOL. Though barriers to PPC utilization exist, new clinical models, oncology team education, and growing family awareness are leading to culture change. PPC within pediatric oncology is considered a standard of care. Families are accepting of PPC, as most wish for their children to live as well as possible for as long as possible. Although PPC remains underutilized, PPC should work collaboratively with pediatric oncology and HSCT teams to improve QOL and EOL outcomes of patients with cancer and their families. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Reply to: Epidemiological evidence for an association between higher influenza vaccine uptake in the elderly and lower COVID‐19 deaths in Italy | We read with great interest the paper by Marín-Hernández and colleagues on the potential interplay between seasonal influenza vaccination and COVID-19 outcome in Italy This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Estimation of R0 for the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany from Excess Mortality | For SARS-CoV-2, R0 calculations report usually 2-3, biased by PCR testing increases. Covid-19-induced excess mortality is less biased. We used data from Robert Koch Institute on Covid incidence, deaths, and PCR tests and excess mortality to determine early, policy-free R0 estimates with a serial interval of 4.7 days. The PCR-based R0 value was 2.56 (95% CI 2.52-2.60) for Covid-19 cases and 2.03 (95%CI 1.96-2.10) for Covid-19-related deaths. As the number of PCR tests increased, R0 values were corrected accordingly, yielding 1.86 for Covid-19 cases and 1.47 for Covid-19 deaths, excess deaths were 1.34 (95% CI 1.32-1.37). R0 is much lower than previously thought. This fits the observed seasonal pattern of infection across Europe in 2020-2021, including emergence of more contagious escape variants such as delta. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Two years of SARS-CoV-2 infection (2019–2021): structural biology, vaccination, and current global situation | The deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected more than 259,502,031 confirmed cases with 5,183,003 deaths in 223 countries during the last 22 months (Dec 2019–Nov 2021), whereas approximately 7,702,859,718, vaccine doses have been administered (WHO: https://covid19.who.int/) as of the 24th of Nov 2021. Recent announcements of test trial completion of several new vaccines resulted in the launching of immunization for the common person around the globe highlighting a ray of hope to cope with this infection. Meanwhile, genetic variations in SARS-CoV-2 and third layer of infection spread in numerous countries emerged as a stronger prototype than the parental. New and parental SARS-CoV-2 strains appeared as a risk factor for other pre-existing diseases like cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders, kidney, liver, heart, and eye injury. This situation requires more attention and re-structuring of the currently developed vaccines and/or drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although a decline in COVID-19 infection has been reported globally, an increase in COVID-19 cases in the subcontinent and east Mediterranean area could be alarming. In this review, we have summarized the current information about the SARS-CoV-2 biology, its interaction and possible infection pathways within the host, epidemiology, risk factors, economic collapse, and possible vaccine and drug development. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Plant Virus Diversity and Evolution | Historically, the majority of plant virology focused on agricultural systems. Recent efforts have expanded our knowledge of the true diversity of plant viruses by studying those viruses that infect wild, undomesticated plants. Those efforts have provided answers to basic ecological questions regarding viruses in the wild, and insights into evolutionary questions, regarding the origins of viruses. While much work has been done, we have merely scratched the surface of the diversity that is estimated to exist. In this chapter we discuss the state of our knowledge of virus diversity, both in agricultural systems as well as in native wild systems, the border between these two systems and how viruses adapt and move across this border into an artificial, domesticated environment. We look at how this diversity has affected our outlook on viruses as a whole, shifting our past view of viruses as purely antagonistic entities of destruction to one where viruses are in a mutually beneficial relationship with their hosts. Additionally, we discuss the current work that plant virology has put forth regarding the evolutionary mechanisms, the life histories, and the deep evolution of viruses. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Research on enterprise knowledge service based on semantic reasoning and data fusion | In the era of big data, the field of enterprise risk is facing considerable challenges brought by massive multisource heterogeneous information sources. In view of the proliferation of multisource and heterogeneous enterprise risk information, insufficient knowledge fusion capabilities, and the low level of intelligence in risk management, this article explores the application process of enterprise knowledge service models for rapid responses to risk incidents from the perspective of semantic reasoning and data fusion and clarifies the elements of the knowledge service model in the field of risk management. Based on risk data, risk decision making as the standard, risk events as the driving force, and knowledge graph analysis methods as the power, the risk domain knowledge service process is decomposed into three stages: prewarning, in-event response, and postevent summary. These stages are combined with the empirical knowledge of risk event handling to construct a three-level knowledge service model of risk domain knowledge acquisition-organization-application. This model introduces the semantic reasoning and data fusion method to express, organize, and integrate the knowledge needs of different stages of risk events; provide enterprise managers with risk management knowledge service solutions; and provide new growth points for the innovation of interdisciplinary knowledge service theory. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Syndemic in a pandemic: An autoethnography of a COVID survivor | This paper provides my personal experience as a COVID‐19 survivor during and postrecovery periods. The stigma that my children and I underwent exposed us to the fragility of a social system that we struggle with all through our life to remain a part of. My story revealed a strong symbiotic relationship between the disease (COVID‐19) and the patient's low acceptance in society, primarily attributed to misinformation and xenophobia around the COVID‐19. This autoethnography speaks for several other COVID survivors who met with the same fate of being discriminated against and stigmatized. As a COVID patient and survivor, the traumatic experience was creating a fear psychosis in me, the effect of which I presume will stay beyond COVID‐19. This condition of a syndemic seems to linger and negatively affect my outlook toward society. If COVID survivors develop a syndemic condition in a pandemic situation, it will require significant efforts to reserve it or sometimes even become irreversible. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
A Shadow Based Low-Cost Hand Movement Recognition System for Human Computer Interaction | TIn this paper, we propose and implement a real-time hand motion detection system which uses shadows projected by hand and detected by low cost Light Dependent Resistor (LDR). The main advantage of the shadow approach is real-time recognition and its application in Post COVID 19 world where contactless interactions are required. Our proposed approach uses 2D hand motion shadows to determine sequence of light blocking the LDRs and thus making the system less complex and less compute intensive compared to 3D image recognition based systems. The accuracy of the proposed system is tested under various lighting conditions and 82-95\% accuracy is observed under normal lighting conditions. © 2021 IEEE. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Unforeseen consequences of the COVID pandemic | The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged health care systems around the world to provide safe and effective care. Best outcomes require the interplay of "staff, space, stuff, and systems" to fight the spread of infectious disease as described by Paul Farmer 1 . This involves multidisciplinary care of critically ill patients, prioritization of admissions to ensure sufficient beds for the sickest, mitigation of risk, and establishment of reliable supply lines for ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE), while research accelerates to develop effective vaccinations and treatments in parallel. Healthcare teams must gather and synthesize information, make complex decisions, and finally, implement care plans for the individual patient. Healthcare leaders must do the same to implement plans for the system at large. A failure of any of these critical drivers will derail efforts to achieve optimal outcomes. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Virus specificity of the antiviral state induced by IFN gamma correlates with resistance to MHV 3 infection | A comparative study was carried out to investigate the correlation between the antiviral effect induced in macrophages by IFN gamma and the resistance of A/J and BALB/c mice to an experimental infection of MHV 3, MHV 4, and MHVA 59. Both mouse strains were resistant to intraperitoneal infection with MHV 4 or MHVA 59 and only the A/J mice showed resistance to MHV 3, the BALB/c mice being fully susceptible to this virus infection. Comparable growth kinetics, for all three viruses, were observed in both mouse strains, except for the MHV 3 growth in BALB/c mice, where the virus titre increased to a peak on day 2, remaining high until day 4 when the mice died of acute hepatitis. The IFN gamma titres in the peritoneum of mice preceded and correlated with the virus growth, higher titres being found in MHV 3 infected BALB/c mice. The highest titre was always observed 24 to 48 h after infection. Among viral strains grown in cultured macrophages, higher titres were always observed in cultures infected with MHVA 59, followed by MHV 3 and the lowest those infected with MHV 4. The macrophage activation by IFN gamma-induced a partial restriction of virus growth only in MHV 3 infected A/J mouse macrophages. A virus specificity of the IFN gamma-induced antiviral state was shown to be in direct correlation with the resistance of mice to MHV 3 infection. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Regulating monocyte infiltration and differentiation: Providing new therapies for colorectal cancer patients with COVID-19 | The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a significant challenge for clinicians, especially for immunocompromised cancer patients. By analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on the immune microenvironment of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients at the tissue level and single-cell level, we found that CRC patients are more easily infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), but promotion of infiltration and differentiation of monocytes makes them more likely to develop severe COVID-19. Because of the continuing activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and C-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) signaling pathways in monocytes, imbalance of macrophage polarization can aggravate the cytokine release syndrome. Therefore, regulating the infiltration and differentiation of monocytes is helpful for the treatment of COVID-19 in CRC patients. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Und plötzlich geht immer mehr per Video: EBM-Honorar | Obwohl die Videosprechstunde zu einem Standard-Werkzeug des Vertragsarztes werden soll, waren die Bedingungen zunächst eher mager. Mittlerweile wurden die Honorare aber aufgebessert — zuletzt noch einmal im Zuge der COVID-19-Pandemie. Was mittlerweile geht, zeigen wir hier. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Michigan Plan for Appropriate Tailored Healthcare in Pregnancy Prenatal Care Recommendations: A Practical Guide for Maternity Care Clinicians. | Prenatal care is an important preventive service designed to improve the health of pregnant patients and their infants. Prenatal care delivery recommendations have remained unchanged since 1930, when the 12-14 in-person visit schedule was first established to detect preeclampsia. In 2020, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, convened a panel of maternity care experts to determine new prenatal care delivery recommendations. The panel recognized the need to include emerging evidence and experience, including significant changes in prenatal care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-existing knowledge of the importance of individualized care plans, the promise of telemedicine, and the significant influence of social and structural determinants of health (SSDoH) on pregnancy outcomes. Recommendations were derived using the RAND-UCLA appropriateness method, a rigorous e-Delphi method, and are designed to extend beyond the acute public health crisis. The resulting Michigan Plan for Appropriate Tailored Healthcare in pregnancy (MiPATH) includes recommendations for key aspects of prenatal care delivery: (1) the recommended number of prenatal visits, (2) the frequency of prenatal visits, (3) the role of monitoring routine pregnancy parameters (blood pressure, fetal heart tones, weight, and fundal height), (4) integration of telemedicine into routine care, and (5) inclusion of (SSDoH). Resulting recommendations demonstrate a new approach to prenatal care delivery that incorporates medical, SSDoH, and patient preferences, to develop individualized prenatal care delivery plans. The purpose of this document is to outline the new MiPATH recommendations and to provide practical guidance on implementing them in routine practice. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
The regional (re)allocation of migrants during the Great Lockdown in Italy | This paper presents first-hand evidence of the impact of Covid-19 on the re-allocation of migrants. I use monthly data on the migrants in reception centres and on daily arrivals in Italy during the period from October 2017 to October 2020, combined with information on Covid-19 cases across Italian regions. I employ a difference-in-differences design, finding that the presence of migrants decreased approximately 7% points more in regions highly exposed to the pandemic as compared to those less affected by Covid-19. In practice, migrants in second-line reception centres are reduced by approximately 381 units when considering a region less affected by the pandemic, and by around 2150 units in regions severely hit by the Covid-19 outbreak. Finally, back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that in more affected regions, such an unusual reallocation of migrants implies potential savings in the range of 60–94 million euros, corresponding to about a 30–90% reduction in spending on migrant, refugee, and asylum seekers in these regions, whereas the reduction is of roughly 3–6% in less exposed areas. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40888-022-00262-y. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
TLR7 ligation augments hematopoiesis in Rps14 (uS11) deficiency via paradoxical suppression of inflammatory signalling. | Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a haematological malignancy characterised by blood cytopenias and predisposition to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Therapies for MDS are lacking, particularly those that impact the early stages of disease. We developed a model of MDS using zebrafish using knockout of Rps14, the primary mediator of the anaemia associated with del (5q) MDS. These mutant animals display dose- and age-dependent abnormalities in haematopoiesis, culminating in bone marrow failure with dysplastic features. We utilized rps14 knockdown to undertake an in vivo small molecule screen to identify compounds that ameliorate the MDS phenotype, identifying imiquimod, an agonist of TLR7 and TLR8. Imiquimod alleviates anaemia by promoting haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell expansion and erythroid differentiation, the mechanism of which is dependent on TLR7 ligation and Myd88. TLR7 activation in this setting paradoxically promoted an anti-inflammatory gene signature indicating crosstalk between pro-inflammatory pathways endogenous to Rps14 loss and NFkappaB pathway via TLR7. Finally, we show that in highly purified human bone marrow samples from anaemic patients, imiquimod leads to an increase in erythroid output from myelo-erythroid progenitors and common myeloid progenitors. Our findings have both specific implications for the development of targeted therapeutics for del (5q) MDS and wider significance identifying a potential role for TLR7 ligation in modifying anaemia. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Prevalence and factors associated with covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in Maranhão, Brazil | OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with hesitancy in getting the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in Maranhão, Brazil. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional population-based study conducted from October 19 to 30, 2020. The estimates were calculated based on clustering, stratification, and non-response. A three-stage sampling was adopted, considering stratum, census tracts, and domicile. After systematic analysis, thirty sectors were selected in each stratum, totaling 150 sectors. Each sector contained a fixed number of 34 households, thus totaling 5,100 households. One individual within each household (resident for at least six months and aged one year or more) was selected by a simple random sampling. We questioned participants about their vaccination intention. Univariate association between independent variables and the outcome were verified using descriptive analysis (weighted frequencies) and Pearson's chi-square test (p < 0.05). Robust multivariate analysis was performed using a three-level hierarchical model. RESULTS: We found 17.5% (95%CI 16.1-19.1%) of the 4,630 individuals interviewed to report hesitancy to be vaccinated against covid-19. After final model adjustment, vaccination hesitancy was statistically higher among residents of the cities of Imperatriz (24.0%;RP = 1.48;IC95% 1.09-2.02) and municipalities of the Grande Ilha de São Luís (20.7%;RP = 1.34;95%CI 1.02-1.76), female individuals (19.8%;RP = 1.44;95%CI 1.20-1.75), older adults (22.8%;RP = 1.79;IC95% 1.30-2.46), evangelicals (24.1%;RP = 1.49;95%CI 1.24-1.79), and those without reported symptoms (18.6%;RP = 1.24;95%CI 1.02-1.51). We found no statistical differences for other socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, as well as variables related to the labor market, behaviors, and health conditions of the interviewees. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in Maranhão and its association with individual, contextual, and clinical factors enable us to identify the groups and contexts of greatest resistance, requiring special attention from public strategies to ensure wide vaccination. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Mood Disorders and Outcomes of COVID-19 Hospitalizations | OBJECTIVE: The authors sought to characterize the association between prior mood disorder diagnosis and hospital outcomes among individuals admitted with COVID-19 to six Eastern Massachusetts hospitals. METHODS: A retrospective cohort was drawn from the electronic health records of two academic medical centers and four community hospitals between February 15 and May 24, 2020. Associations between history of mood disorder and in-hospital mortality and hospital discharge home were examined using regression models among any hospitalized patients with positive tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). RESULTS: Among 2,988 admitted individuals, 717 (24.0%) had a prior mood disorder diagnosis. In Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, and hospital site, presence of a mood disorder prior to admission was associated with greater in-hospital mortality risk beyond hospital day 12 (crude hazard ratio=2.156, 95% CI=1.540, 3.020; fully adjusted hazard ratio=1.540, 95% CI=1.054, 2.250). A mood disorder diagnosis was also associated with greater likelihood of discharge to a skilled nursing facility or other rehabilitation facility rather than home (crude odds ratio=2.035, 95% CI=1.661, 2.493; fully adjusted odds ratio=1.504, 95% CI=1.132, 1.999). CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized individuals with a history of mood disorder may be at risk for greater COVID-19 morbidity and mortality and are at increased risk of need for postacute care. Further studies should investigate the mechanism by which these disorders may confer elevated risk. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
An Exploratory Study of Disaster Risk Management Mobile Applications in Pandemic Periods | Pandemic is known for primary major disaster in the human life. It is not only affecting the health, but also its consequences leading to the decline of countries socio-economic status for longer period of time. Though the countries have developed better health systems to prevent the pandemic, it is highly necessary to handle and manage the situation without major loss to health and wealth during the period. Computational intelligence technologies can help the citizen and the government in effectively managing the pandemic situations. There are many actors involved in this Disaster Risk Management (DRM) cycle for better coordination and service. This research study focuses on the different mobile applications in need for this emergent timing. The requirements for each of these applications are narrated with future challenges and implementation directions. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Management strategies in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction | The diagnosis and therapy of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remain challenging. Currently, there are ongoing discussions on whether the diagnosis of HFpEF should be based solely on left ventricular ejection fraction, which may not account for the heterogeneity of HFpEF syndrome. This aspect has been addressed by the recently proposed HFA-PEFF and the H2FPEF algorithms, which take numerous diagnostic modalities into account to establish the diagnosis of HFpEF. Moreover, this review focuses on the adequate treatment of comorbidities and risk factors in HFpEF that should be an essential part of any HFpEF therapy. Furthermore, the management of fluid level in HFpEF patients is pointed out, as it plays an important role in symptom control. In addition, the value of LCZ696 therapy in HFpEF is discussed. Although LCZ696 had neutral effects in the large PARAGON-HF trial, it had previously been granted an extended indication by the Food and Drug Administration. Since the publication of the EMPEROR-Preserved trial, empagliflozin now represents the first drug to significantly improve the prognosis of HFpEF patients. Therefore, the role of SGLT2 inhibitors in HFpEF management is highlighted. Overall, this review aims to enhance the knowledge on the diagnostic processes and best treatments available for HFpEF patients. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
A study of longitudinal mobile health data through fuzzy clustering methods for functional data: The case of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in childhood | The use of mobile communication devices in health care is spreading worldwide. A huge amount of health data collected by these devices (mobile health data) is nowadays available. Mobile health data may allow for real-time monitoring of patients and delivering ad-hoc treatment recommendations. This paper aims at showing how this may be done by exploiting the potentialities of fuzzy clustering techniques. In fact, such techniques can be fruitfully applied to mobile health data in order to identify clusters of patients for diagnostic classification and cluster-specific therapies. However, since mobile health data are full of noise, fuzzy clustering methods cannot be directly applied to mobile health data. Such data must be denoised prior to analyzing them. When longitudinal mobile health data are available, functional data analysis represents a powerful tool for filtering out the noise in the data. Fuzzy clustering methods for functional data can then be used to determine groups of patients. In this work we develop a fuzzy clustering method, based on the concept of medoid, for functional data and we apply it to longitudinal mHealth data on daily symptoms and consumptions of anti-symptomatic drugs collected by two sets of patients in Berlin (Germany) and Ascoli Piceno (Italy) suffering from allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. The studies showed that clusters of patients with similar changes in symptoms were identified opening the possibility of precision medicine. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
About the Acceptance of Wearing Face Masks in Times of a Pandemic | Wearing face masks in times of COVID-19 is one of the essential keystones for effectively decreasing the rate of new infections and thus for mitigating the negative consequences for individuals as well as for society. Acceptance of wearing masks is still low in many countries, making it extremely difficult to keep the pandemic at bay. In an experimental study, participants (N = 88) had to assess how strange they felt when wearing a face mask while being exposed to displays of groups of varying numbers of mask wearers. Three different types of face masks were shown: simple homemade masks, FFP2 masks, and loop scarfs. The higher the frequency of people wearing masks in the displayed social group, the less strange the participants felt about themselves, an essential precondition for accepting wearing masks. This effect of a descriptive social norm was particularly effective when people saw others wearing less intrusive masks, here, simple homemade masks. © The Author(s) 2021. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Bovine coronavirus in neonatal calf diarrhoea in Iran | Partial gene sequencing for the bovine coronavirus at the World Genebank is available for many countries, which are distributed unevenly in five continents, but so far, no sequencing of strains has been recorded in Iran. One hundred ninety‐four stool samples from calves with diarrhoea less than one‐month old were collected from five different geographical regions of country in order to detect coronavirus and characterize it if coronavirus was found. Samples were screened for the presence of BCoV by using a commercially available ELISA kit. Furthermore, RT‐PCR was carried out on positive samples for confirmation of the presence of N and S specific genes. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis was carried out following RT‐PCR tests. 7.2% of samples, were positive for BCoV and all stool samples from the South‐West, Northeast and West regions of Iran were negative. The results showed that all the strains of coronavirus identified in Iran were completely in independent clusters and that they did not stand in the same cluster as any of the strains identified in other parts of the world. The strains from Iran were quite different from strains in other parts of the world but from the point of similarity these viruses showed some similarities to the European strains, such as those found in France, Croatia, Denmark and Sweden. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Application of quantitative PCR for the detection of microorganisms in water | The occurrence of microorganisms in water due to contamination is a health risk and control thereof is a necessity. Conventional detection methods may be misleading and do not provide rapid results allowing for immediate action. The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method has proven to be an effective tool to detect and quantify microorganisms in water within a few hours. Quantitative PCR assays have recently been developed for the detection of specific adeno- and polyomaviruses, bacteria and protozoa in different water sources. The technique is highly sensitive and able to detect low numbers of microorganisms. Quantitative PCR can be applied for microbial source tracking in water sources, to determine the efficiency of water and wastewater treatment plants and act as a tool for risk assessment. Different qPCR assays exist depending on whether an internal control is used or whether measurements are taken at the end of the PCR reaction (end-point qPCR) or in the exponential phase (real-time qPCR). Fluorescent probes are used in the PCR reaction to hybridise within the target sequence to generate a signal and, together with specialised systems, quantify the amount of PCR product. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (q-RT-PCR) is a more sensitive technique that detects low copy number RNA and can be applied to detect, e.g. enteric viruses and viable microorganisms in water, and measure specific gene expression. There is, however, a need to standardise qPCR protocols if this technique is to be used as an analytical diagnostic tool for routine monitoring. This review focuses on the application of qPCR in the detection of microorganisms in water. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Personalized prescription of ACEI/ARBs for hypertensive COVID-19 patients | The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an international effort to develop and repurpose medications and procedures to effectively combat the disease. Several groups have focused on the potential treatment utility of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) for hypertensive COVID-19 patients, with inconclusive evidence thus far. We couple electronic medical record (EMR) and registry data of 3,643 patients from Spain, Italy, Germany, Ecuador, and the US with a machine learning framework to personalize the prescription of ACEIs and ARBs to hypertensive COVID-19 patients. Our approach leverages clinical and demographic information to identify hospitalized individuals whose probability of mortality or morbidity can decrease by prescribing this class of drugs. In particular, the algorithm proposes increasing ACEI/ARBs prescriptions for patients with cardiovascular disease and decreasing prescriptions for those with low oxygen saturation at admission. We show that personalized recommendations can improve patient outcomes by 1.0% compared to the standard of care when applied to external populations. We develop an interactive interface for our algorithm, providing physicians with an actionable tool to easily assess treatment alternatives and inform clinical decisions. This work offers the first personalized recommendation system to accurately evaluate the efficacy and risks of prescribing ACEIs and ARBs to hypertensive COVID-19 patients. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Advantage of fat-derived CD73 positive cells from multiple human tissues, prospective isolated mesenchymal stromal cells | Somatic stem cells have been isolated from multiple human tissues for their potential usefulness in cell therapy. Currently, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are prepared after several passages requiring a few months of cell culture. In this study, we used a prospective isolation method of somatic stem cells from gestational or fat tissues, which were identified using CD73 antibody. CD73-positive population from various tissues existed individually in flowcytometric pattern, especially subcutaneous fat- and amniotic-derived cells showed the highest enrichment of CD73-positive cells. Moreover, the cell populations isolated with the prospective method showed higher proliferative capacity and stem cell marker expression, compared to the cell populations which isolated through several passages of culturing whole living cells: which we named “conventional method” in this paper. Furthermore, the therapeutic potential of CD73-positive cells was evaluated in vivo using a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis. After intranasal administration, murine CD73-positive cells reduced macrophage infiltration and inhibited fibrosis development. These results suggest that further testing using CD73-positive cells may be beneficial to help establish the place in regenerative medicine use. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Intrathoracic extrapleural air mimicking pneumothorax: Secondary to barotrauma in COVID-19 | This case illustrates a potential complication of mechanical ventilation in COVID patients, which can mimic as a pneumothorax on chest X-rays. Recognizing this complication in critically ventilated patients is important to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention, which can further add to the patient's morbidity and increase the duration of hospital stay. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Mindfulness in Health Education: From Physical to Virtual Presence during the Pandemic, an Anthropological Study in Spain | Research on traditional mindfulness-based interventions supports the position that they are effective in treating psychological problems and benefiting healthy people. However, more research is needed on the effectiveness of online interventions, a field that is growing and developing rapidly, especially with the onset of the pandemic, as many meditation groups have moved into cyberspace. There is little research on the difficulties that these groups face and the effectiveness of online mindfulness practice. In this work, we analyze the effects of the transition from training with physical presence to virtual training in mindfulness during the lockdown and subsequent period of social distancing due to SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we analyze the changes in the means and the methodology and the effects of the transition to virtual presence;finally, we evaluate the results obtained through both training models. The investigation was carried out in a center where face-to-face training has been provided for twelve years and that, with the onset of the pandemic, moved its practice groups to cyberspace. The methodology is anthropological and is supported by quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results show that online training breaks the traditional chrono-topo complex and opens up new access possibilities, but limits bodily practices, decreases the intensity of the experience, and slows down the pace of learning. However, the effectiveness is maintained by showing equivalent result rates at the end of the training. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Violence Against Healthcare: A Public Health Issue beyond Conflict Settings. | A 3-year analysis released in August 2021 by the WHO indicated that more than 700 healthcare workers and patients have died (2,000 injured) as a result of attacks against health facilities since 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the risks even worse for doctors, nurses, and support staff, unfortunately. According to the latest figures from the International Committee of the Red Cross, 848 COVID-19-related violent incidents were recorded in 2020, and this is likely an underrepresentation of a much more widespread phenomenon. In response to rises in COVID-19-related attacks against healthcare, some countries have taken action. In Algeria, for instance, the penal code was amended to increase protection for healthcare workers against attacks and to punish individuals who damage health facilities. In the United Kingdom, the police, crime, sentencing, and courts bill proposed increased the maximum penalty from 12 months to 2 years in prison for anyone who assaults an emergency worker. Measures taken by countries represent a good practical way to counteract this crisis within COVID-19. However, we stress the importance of primary prevention with the use of communication: social media and other communication channels are fundamentally important to combat violence against health professionals, both to inform the population with quality data and to disseminate campaigns to prevent these acts. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Cohort Profile: Chinese Color Nest Project | The ongoing CCNP was established to plot normative growth curves for brain structure and function across the human lifespan, and link age-related changes in brain imaging measures with psycho-behavioral functions at the behavioral, cognitive and emotional levels using an accelerated longitudinal design. It comprises three phases: developmental CCNP (devCCNP: 6-20 years), standardizing CCNP (stdCCNP: 20-60 years) and aging CCNP (ageCCNP: 60-90 years). The devCCNP started in 2013 and has successfully acquired CCNP-SWU data with three repeated measurements ( the trial stage of devCCNP), and accumulated CCNP-CAS baseline data (the second stage of devCCNP). CCNP-SWU consists of 201 age-sex stratified schoolchildren at enrollment (100 children followed up for 2.5 years at 1.25-year intervals) while CCNP-CAS has been recruiting participants since July 2018, and has collected data from 133 eligible children so far. A T1-weighted MRI and two resting functional MRI scans were acquired across three waves in CCNP-SWU with the same imaging protocols on a Siemens Trio 3T scanner at Southwest University in Chongqing, China. CCNP-SWU obtained longitudinal biophysical, social, behavioral and cognitive data via parent-reported questionnaires, self-reported questionnaires, behavioral assessment, as well as E-Prime computer tasks. Data were collected on the impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning and daily life from 46 children between March and May 2020. Children’s emotional states during COVID-19 pandemic were also measured. Data are accessed by researchers and collaborators of CCNP upon agreement with the principal investigator. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
COVID control strategy--is there any light at the end of the tunnel? | Context: India has been witnessing a huge surge of COVID-19 cases, with increasing number of new cases and deaths daily There is yet no effective vaccine, drug or strategy to combat this disease Various models of COVID-19 trend and management have been put forward by different researchers, yet no prediction has yet turned out to be close to the reality Aims: To find an effective public health strategy against COVID control Settings and Design: Ahmedabad district in Gujarat Methods and Material: Ahmedabad Model for control of COVID-19 based on Ct threshold has been put forth which stresses upon the fact that higher viral load (super-spreaders) could be an important determinant in spreading infections in the community | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Sedentary Behaviors and Physical Activity of Italian Undergraduate Students during Lockdown at the Time of CoViD-19 Pandemic | Background: From March to May 2020, lockdown measures were adopted in Italy to contain the epidemic of the novel Coronavirus. People were forced to restrict their movement and social contacts, therefore having a higher risk of inactivity. This study, carried out among Italian undergraduates, explored their sedentary and physical activities (PA) during the lockdown with respect to their previous habits. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was administered once to students attending three Italian universities after the end of lockdown. Results: A total of 1430 students (mean age 22.9 ± 3.5 years, 65.5% females) completed the questionnaire. All the sedentary behaviors increased significantly, and all the physical activities decreased significantly during the lockdown. Time spent using electronic devices showed the highest increase (+52.4 min/day), and walking the greatest decrease (-365.5 min/week). Being younger than 22 years old, female, and previously active, attending the universities of Naples and Rome and having at least one graduate parent were associated with the achievement of recommended levels of PA even during the lockdown. Conclusions: This study highlights the reduction of PA among Italian undergraduates in the course of home-confinement due to the CoViD-19 pandemic. The practice of adequate PA during the lockdown was mainly associated with the previous adoption of an active lifestyle. Promoting active lifestyles during the non-pandemic period may have had positive effects also in case of lockdown. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
The Blood Supply Management amid the COVID-19 Outbreak | Abstract Due to the government’s early intervention such as mass lock-down and curtailment strategies towards mass gatherings, amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the organization of the voluntary blood donation camps have been suspended. It’s most significant impact on the blood community has been a dramatic reduction in the number of blood donors. Therefore, our blood stock has almost dried up and put our inventory in a state of jeopardy. Additionally, all the elective surgeries and non-urgent clinical interventions have also been deferred during this time. This has led to a drop in the blood collection, demand as well as the issue at our blood center. With this background, we intended to assess the effect of this lock-down on our blood supply management particularly in two phases [phase-I prior to outbreak] and phase-II [during the outbreak]. Transitioning back to normal conditions would most likely depend on the extent and the time duration of this pandemic and associated behavioural change, which is anticipated to remain in effect well beyond the original estimates. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Disinfection technology and strategies for COVID-19 hospital and bio-medical waste management | The isolation wards, institutional quarantine centers, and home quarantine are generating a huge amount of bio-medical waste (BMW) worldwide since the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The personal protective equipment, testing kits, surgical facemasks, and nitrile gloves are the major contributors to waste volume. Discharge of a new category of BMW (COVID-waste) is of great global concern to public health and environmental sustainability if handled inappropriately. It may cause exponential spreading of this fatal disease as waste acts as a vector for SARS-CoV-2, which survives up to 7 days on COVID-waste (like facemasks). Proper disposal of COVID-waste is therefore immediately requires to lower the threat of pandemic spread and for sustainable management of the environmental hazards. Henceforth, in the present article, disinfection technologies for handling COVID-waste from its separate collection to various physical and chemical treatment steps have been reviewed. Furthermore, policy briefs on the global initiatives for COVID-waste management including the applications of different disinfection techniques have also been discussed with some potential examples effectively applied to reduce both health and environmental risks. This article can be of great significance to the strategy development for preventing/controlling the pandemic of similar episodes in the future. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Application of recombinant severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus nucleocapsid protein for the detection of SFTSV-specific human IgG and IgM antibodies by indirect ELISA | BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease that was first reported in China in 2011. It is caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV) which is a member of the Phlebovirus genus in the Bunyaviridae family. SFTSV has been classified as a BSL3 pathogen. There is a need to develop safe and affordable serodiagnostic methods for proper clinical management of infected patients. METHODS: The full length nucleocapsid (N) gene of SFTSV Yamaguchi strain was amplified by RT-PCR and cloned to an expression vector pQE30. The recombinant (r) SFTSV-N protein was expressed by using Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression system and purified under native conditions. rSFTSV-N protein based indirect IgG and IgM enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems were established to detect specific human IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. One hundred fifteen serum samples from clinically suspected-SFTS patients were used to evaluate the newly established systems and the results were compared with the total antibody detecting sandwich ELISA system. RESULTS: The native form of recombinant (r) SFTSV-N protein was expressed and purified. Application of the rSFTSV-N protein based indirect IgG ELISA to the 115 serum samples showed results that perfectly matched those of the total antibody sandwich ELISA with a sensitivity and specificity of 100 %. The rSFTSV-N protein based indirect IgM ELISA missed 8 positive samples that were detected by the total antibody sandwich ELISA. The sensitivity and specificity of rSFTSV-N-IgM capture ELISA were 90.59 and 100 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The rSFTSV-N protein is highly immunoreactive and a good target for use as an assay antigen in laboratory diagnosis. Its preparation is simpler in comparison with that used for the total antibody sandwich system. Our rSFTSV-N protein-based IgG and IgM ELISA systems have the advantage of distinguishing two types of antibodies and require small volume of serum sample only. They are safe to use for diagnosis of SFTS virus infection and especially fit in large-scale epidemiological investigations. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Life, death, and the state on the latest junctions of the political and the sacred | The author postulates that the recently widely discussed alternatives to the state as a political form and to specific states—empire, terrorist networks, transnational corporations, and international organizations—shared the qualities of transboundariness and extraterritoriality, while the state’s substantive feature had always been territoriality which helped it survive many conflicts. The first political effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is also global and transnational, is the revitalization of the state and especially its territorial dimension, that is, its right to establish and strengthen external and internal borders. Yet another, more important political effect of the pandemic is that the state has regained its sacred (in the sociological sense of the word) status and the role of the “salvation operator,” which it had had primordially and which temporarily receded into the background due to the widespread perception of the state exclusively as a “service structure.” The author believes that this return will significantly affect the course and outcome of another emerging conflict—between the state and digital platforms that are rapidly acquiring all the features of the sacred, in Durkheim’s interpretation of the term. The author concludes that it is the new junctions between the political and the sacred that will determine the further development of the world and the state. © 2021, Foreign Policy Research Foundation. All rights reserved. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Favipiravir and its potentials in COVID-19 pandemic: An update | The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths and hundreds of millions of confirmed infections worldwide. This pandemic has prompted researchers to produce medications or vaccines to reduce or stop the progression and spread of this disease. A variety of previously licensed and marketed medications are being tested for the treatment and recurrence of SARS-CoV2, including favipiravir (Avigan). Favipiravir was recognized as an influenza antiviral drug in Japan in 2014, and has been known to have a potential in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2, in addition to its broad therapeutic safety scope. Favipiravir was recently approved and officially used in many countries worldwide. Our review provides insights and up-to-date knowledge of the current role of favipiravir in the treatment of COVID-19 infection, focusing on preclinical and ongoing clinical trials, evidence of its efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19, side effects, anti-viral mechanism, and the pharmacokinetic properties of the drug in the treatment of COVID-19. Due to its teratogenic effects, favipiravir cannot be offered to expectant or pregnant mothers. The practical efficacy of such an intervention regimen will depend on its dose, treatment duration, and cost as well as difficulties in application. © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Resource-efficient and renewable energy transition in the five least developed countries of Asia: a post-COVID-19 assessment | The economic fallout from COVID-19 resulted in an economic slowdown and a contraction in economic output, changed economic structures, and reduced financial inflows in the five least developed countries (LDCs) of Asia–Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Myanmar, and Nepal. This policy brief discusses these impacts in light of the LDC-graduation procedures of the United Nations together with the challenges that these countries face meeting their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and the environment-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 7, 12, and 13). The economic slowdown in Bangladesh, Lao PDR, and Myanmar and a contraction in economic output in Cambodia and Nepal has increased poverty in the five LDCs and is putting pressure on biomass resources in the rural areas of these countries. The change in the structures of their economies, which threatens to reverse processes of economic modernization in these LDCs, is undermining two decades of progress regarding the efficient use of natural resources and the associated reduction in greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions per unit of gross domestic product (GDP). A decline in financial inflows such as remittances, foreign direct investment, and official development assistance (ODA) is also a risk to both short- and long-term prospects of further investment in renewable energy generation and low GHG-emissions technologies. This policy brief suggests policies that target technical interventions and incentivize small-scale renewable energy technologies that are less susceptible to microeconomic and macroeconomic impacts from external shocks such as COVID-19. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B virus in antenatal care and maternity services, Mozambique | OBJECTIVE: To pilot an intervention on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in an antenatal care and maternity unit in Maputo, Mozambique, during 2017–2019. METHODS: We included HBV in the existing screening programme (for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis) for pregnant women at their first consultation, and followed mother–child dyads until 9 months after delivery. We referred women who tested positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) for further tests, including hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) and HBV viral load. According to the results, we proposed tenofovir for their own health or for PMTCT. We administered birth-dose HBV vaccine and assessed infant HBV status at 9 months. FINDINGS: Of 6775 screened women, 270 (4.0%) were HBsAg positive; in those for whom data were available, 24/265 (9.1%) were HBeAg positive and 14/267 (5.2%) had a viral load of > 200 000 IU/mL. Ninety-eight (36.3%) HBsAg-positive women were HIV coinfected, 97 of whom were receiving antiretroviral treatment with tenofovir. Among HIV-negative women, four had an indication for tenofovir treatment and four for tenofovir PMTCT. Of 217 exposed liveborn babies, 181 (83.4%) received birth-dose HBV vaccine, 160 (88.4%) of these < 24 hours after birth. At the 9-month follow-up, only one out of the 134 tested infants was HBV positive. CONCLUSION: Our nurse-led intervention highlights the feasibility of integrating PMTCT of HBV into existing antenatal care departments, essential for the implementation of the triple elimination initiative. Universal birth-dose vaccination is key to achieving HBV elimination. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Disnea persistente en varón de 60 años tras infección aguda por SARS-CoV-2 | Varón de 60 años, exfumador desde hace más de 20 años, sin otros hábitos tóxicos ni otros antecedentes de interés. En septiembre de 2020 presenta una clínica de tos seca, acompañada de una disnea de moderados-grandes esfuerzos de nueva aparición, junto con anosmia y ageusia. El paciente es diagnosticado de infección aguda por SARS-CoV-2 el 08/09/2020 mediante PCR en exudado nasofaríngeo, recomendando aislamiento domiciliario durante 10 días y manteniendo un seguimiento telefónico. A finales de octubre es remitido a la consulta de medicina interna por tos seca y disnea persistentes, 8 semanas después del diagnóstico de infección por SARS-CoV-2. No presentaba fiebre, dolor torácico, ortopnea, palpitaciones, edemas ni ninguna otra sintomatología en la anamnesis por órganos y aparatos. En la exploración física tenía un índice de masa corporal (IMC) de 37,8kg/m2. Se encontraba afebril, eupneico en reposo, con una SatO2 basal del 97%, una frecuencia cardíaca (FC) de 94 lpm y una tensión arterial (TA) de 125/75mm Hg. No se observó ingurgitación yugular y la auscultación cardiopulmonar era normal. La exploración abdominal no presentaba datos patológicos y en los miembros inferiores (MMII) no se apreciaron edemas ni signos de trombosis venosa profunda (TVP). Se le hizo caminar a paso ligero aproximadamente 200m, presentando disnea grado 7-8 en la escala de Borg y una SatO2 del 88%, con una FC de 116 lpm. Aportaba una analítica básica que incluía velocidad de sedimentación globular (VSG), proteína C reactiva (RCP), ferritina, creatina-quinasa (CK) y tirotropina (TSH) con valores normales salvo un dímero D de 1,1mg/l (normal inferior a 0,5mg/l). Se realizó una radiografía de tórax, en la que presentaba un discreto aumento de la trama broncovascular en la base pulmonar izquierda, sin evidencia de infiltrados parenquimatosos. El electrocardiograma (ECG) se encontraba en ritmo sinusal con intervalos y eje dentro de límites normales y sin alteraciones de la repolarización. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Outcomes of COVID-19 in Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplant Recipients: A Single Institution Observational Study | Intro: Hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (HSCT) recipients are considered to be at high risk for poor outcomes following COVID-19 infection given their co-morbidities and immunosuppression. Sharma et al published the CIBMTR observational report data that showed that recipients of allogeneic HSCT who contract COVID-19 have poor overall survival with a 30-day mortality of 32%. That being said, there have been relatively few studies that look into the effect of COVID-19 on HSCT recipients in the setting of in vivo T cell depletion protocols. With the increased use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) based GVHD prophylaxis regimens for our match related and match unrelated HSCT recipients since 2018 at our institution, we are interested to see if our COVID-19 outcomes differ from those published in the CIBMTR report. Methods: This is a single institution retrospective analysis evaluating outcomes of HSCT recipients who were diagnosed with COVID-19 between March 2020 and April 2021. Patients 18 years or older who underwent HSCT and subsequently contracted COVID-19 were included in the data collection. Demographic data including age, type of hematologic malignancy, conditioning regimen, GVHD prophylaxis, date of COVID-19 infection, with pre- and post-COVID-19 infection labs were obtained. Our primary endpoint in this retrospective analysis was non-relapse mortality within 30 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. Results: There were 21 patients at our institution who had undergone HSCT and subsequently contracted COVID-19. The most common primary disease types were acute lymphoblastic leukemia (33.3%), acute myeloid leukemia (23.8%), and myelodysplastic syndrome (19.0%). The median age of our patient population was 53 years (range, 24-66). 6 of the patients received match related allografts. 7 received cells from match unrelated donors. 7 received cells from haploidentical donors. 1 patient had received an autologous stem cell transplant. Of the remaining 20 allo-HSCT recipients, 14 of them (70.0%) received myeloablative conditioning regimens, whereas 6 (30.0%) received reduced intensity or non-myeloablative regimens. Our GVHD prophylaxis regimens were PTCy/Tacro/MMF (12 pts, 60.0%) and Tacro/MTX (8 pts, 40.0%). Patient demographics and outcomes are found on Tables 1 and 2. Our patients were diagnosed with COVID-19 a median 469 days post-transplant, with 8 patients (38.1%) diagnosed with COVID-19 within 1 year of transplant. 11 of the patients (52.4%) received steroids following their diagnosis with COVID-19. Of the 20 allo-HSCT recipients with confirmed COVID-19 infection, 1 passed away 20 days after the diagnosis was made. This gives us a 5.0% case fatality rate attributable to COVID-19 in our population in our allo-HSCT population. 16 of the 20 patients were symptomatic at the time of diagnosis (80.0%). 7 of the 20 patients (35.0%) were hospitalized for a median of 7 days (range, 5-17 days), with 2 requiring ICU level of care. The one patient who passed away tested positive for COVID-19 177 days post-transplant and was hospitalized approximately 7 days after diagnosis, where he was intubated on hospital day 4 and ultimately passed away on hospital day 13. The patient had received Tacro/MTX for GVHD prophylaxis. Discussion: Although this is a small sample size, our data suggests that our allo-HSCT recipients who contracted COVID-19 have had generally good short-term outcomes. Our study is limited by the small number of patients who got infected with COVID-19, particularly those within 1-year post-transplant. Furthermore, we acknowledge it is difficult to claim that the PTCy based GVHD prophylaxis regimens for our HSCT recipients were solely responsible for their improved outcomes since 40% of allo-HSCT recipients did not get PTCy for GVHD prophylaxis. However, we believe it would be valuable to evaluate in a prospective analysis. We are currently evaluating if a COVID-19 diagnosis has any effect on long term transplant related complications and outcomes in this population. Figure 1 Disclosures Chaudhary: Angeles Therapeutics: Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Founder, Patents & Royalties: Cell therapy ; Celldex: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Moderna: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Pancella: Consultancy; Oncotartis: Consultancy; Athelas: Consultancy, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; TCR2: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Allogene: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Yaghmour: Novartis: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Speakers Bureau; Alexion: Speakers Bureau; Astellas: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Jazz: Speakers Bureau; Agios: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Sound Dr -- A database of Respiratory Sound and Baseline System for COVID-19 Detection (preprint)/ en | As the COVID-19 pandemic significantly affect every aspects of human life, it is urgent to provide a data for further researches. We, therefore, introduce a dataset named Sound Dr Database which provides not only quality sounds of coughing and breathing but also metadata for relevant-respiratory illness or diseases. Creating proof-of-concept systems is effective for the detection of abnormalities in the respiratory sounds of patients. These solutions will serve as effective tools to assist physicians in diagnosing respiratory disorders. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Hematologic Adaptation to Mask Wearing During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first identified in December 2019 in China, and resulted in an ongoing pandemic. Starting at April 12, 2020, in an intent to stop the spread of the virus, Israelis were obligated to wear a face mask. Mask-wearing over the mouth and nose creates a hard-to-ventilate space which might accumulate CO2 and induce relative hypoxia, possibly facilitating substantial hematologic changes.We sought to study the association of mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic and hematological and obstetrical outcomes among singleton gestations.Methods: Obstetrical outcome and laboratory results of women admitted for delivery throughout the mask-wearing period were compared to those delivering during two pre-pandemic control groups- i) the parallel period in 2019 and ii) a larger cohort of pre-pandemic years (March 2011-April 2020).Findings: Overall, 1,939 women delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with the pre-pandemic period, the mean hemoglobin and fibrinogen levels were significantly higher during the mask-wearing period [12.15±1.1 vs. 11.96±1.2, p<0.001 and 472±10 3 .6 vs. 448±85.1 (mg/dL), p<0.001, respectively]. Platelets levels were lower [200±56.0 vs. 206±57.5 (K/microL), p<0.001]. The rate of delivery<34 weeks of gestation was lower during the mask-wearing period [1.1% vs. 2%, OR-0.57 (95% CI, 0.37-0.88), p=0.01], while cesarean delivery and postpartum hemorrhage rates were higher [[26.7% vs. 24.4%, OR- 1.13 (95% CI, 1.02-1.25), p=0.022 and 4.1% vs. 2.8%, OR- 1.5 (95% CI 1.2-1.8), p=0.001, respectively], Conclusion: Compared to the pre-pandemic period, women delivering in the pandemic period had higher levels of hemoglobin and fibrinogen and lower levels of platelets. These hematologic changes may be the result of a hard-to-ventilate space created by wearing a mask during the COVID-19 period. It remains to be determined whether the observed lower rates of preterm birth and higher rates of postpartum hemorrhage are associated with these hematologic changes.Funding: No external funding.Declaration of Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.Ethics Approval Statement: Institutional review board approval was obtained for this retrospective study on March 30,2020 (# 7068-20-SMC). | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Combinatorial therapeutic plan for COVID-19 treatment armed up with antiviral, antiparasitic, cell-entry inhibitor, and immune-boosters | SARS-CoV-2, or novel coronavirus, is causing the fatal and contagious coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) affecting thousands of people every single day. Researchers are continuously searching for any possible cure and/or vaccine, but no conclusive report is available till date. Like many others, we realize that a rapid, immediate, and elaborate strategy must be adopted to protect mankind. To avoid the time-loss due to clinical trials, we have tested some FDA-approved drugs to combat COVID-19. We accessed information from public databases and publications, and studied the mechanism of infection of SARS-CoV-2 and the interactions of various drugs with SARS-CoV-2 proteins in silico. We found a few antivirals and antiparasitic drugs to interact with important SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Particularly Galidesivir, Remdesivir, and Pirodavir are the chosen antiviral drugs;and Proguanil, Mefloquine, and Artesunate are the chosen antiparasitic drugs. In addition, inhibitors to prevent host-cell entry and a few supportive immuneboosters can be used in different combinations. Our study proposes a four-way attack to this fatal virus for the possible management of COVID-19 armed up with an antiviral, an antiparasitic drug, a cell-entry inhibitor, and a few supportive immune-boosters, which can be used in different combinations in different groups of people. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
How to “Start Small and Just Keep Moving Forward”: Mixed Methods Results From a Stepped-Wedge Trial to Support Evidence-Based Processes in Local Health Departments | BACKGROUND: Local health departments (LHDs) in the United States are charged with preventing disease and promoting health in their respective communities. Understanding and addressing what supports LHD's need to foster a climate and culture supportive of evidence-based decision making (EBDM) processes can enhance delivery of effective practices and services. METHODS: We employed a stepped-wedge trial design to test staggered delivery of implementation supports in 12 LHDs (Missouri, USA) to expand capacity for EBDM processes. The intervention was an in-person training in EBDM and continued support by the research team over 24 months (March 2018–February 2020). We used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate: (1) individuals' EBDM skills, (2) organizational supports for EBDM, and (3) administered evidence-based interventions. LHD staff completed a quantitative survey at 4 time points measuring their EBDM skills, organizational supports, and evidence-based interventions. We selected 4 LHDs with high contact and engagement during the intervention period to interview staff (n = 17) about facilitators and barriers to EBDM. We used mixed-effects linear regression to examine quantitative survey outcomes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded through a dual independent process. RESULTS: Overall, 519 LHD staff were eligible and invited to complete quantitative surveys during control periods and 593 during intervention (365 unique individuals). A total of 434 completed during control and 492 during intervention (83.6 and 83.0% response, respectively). In both trial modes, half the participants had at least a master's degree (49.7–51.7%) and most were female (82.1–83.8%). No significant intervention effects were found in EBDM skills or in implementing evidence-based interventions. Two organizational supports scores decreased in intervention vs. control periods: awareness (−0.14, 95% CI −0.26 to −0.01, p < 0.05) and climate cultivation (−0.14, 95% CI −0.27 to −0.02, p < 0.05) but improved over time among all participants. Interviewees noted staff turnover, limited time, resources and momentum as challenges to continue EBDM work. Setting expectations, programmatic reviews, and pre-existing practices were seen as facilitators. CONCLUSIONS: Challenges (e.g., turnover, resources) may disrupt LHDs' abilities to fully embed organizational processes which support EBDM. This study and related literature provides understanding on how best to support LHDs in building capacity to use and sustain evidence-based practices. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Effect of Prunella vulgaris polysaccharides on cultured orbit fibroblasts in vitro from patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. | To observe the effect of Prunella vulgaris polysaccharides (PVP) on cultured orbit fibroblasts in vitro from patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). PVP at different concentrations were used to treat different groups of fibroblasts from TAO patients and normal persons. Dexamethasone (Dex) was used as a positive control drug, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was used as a positive stimulant. The effects of PVP on the proliferation of orbital fibroblasts, the secretion of hyaluronic acid (HA), the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1/CD54) and apoptosis in orbital fibroblasts were determined. The experimental results showed when the concentration of PVP was greater than 400 μg/mL, it could significantly inhibit the proliferation of orbital fibroblasts from patients with TAO (P < 0.05). However, no definite inhibitory effect was observed in the orbital fibroblasts from the normal people. Dex could significantly inhibit the proliferation of orbital fibroblasts from patients with TAO and the normal people (P < 0.05). In contrast, every concentration of IFN-γ could promote the orbital fibroblasts from patients with TAO and the normal people proliferation. No groups had statistically significant stimulatory effect on HA secretion by orbital fibroblasts from normal people (P > 0.05). But the Dex group, IFN-γ+PVP-1600 group and IFN-γ+Dex group could significantly inhibit the secretion of HA from orbital fibroblasts of TAO patients. And there were no groups had statistically significant stimulatory effect on the expression of ICAM-1/CD54 in orbital fibroblasts from TAO patients (P > 0.05). PVP and Dex at all concentrations could significantly promote orbital fibroblast co-cultured with IFN-γ apoptosis (P < 0.05). But without IFN-γ, PVP and Dex at all concentrations could only significantly promote orbital fibroblast from TAO patients apoptosis (P < 0.05). These results suggest that PVP exerts its therapeutic effect by inhibiting the proliferation of orbital fibroblasts and promoting the apoptosis of orbital fibroblasts in TAO patients. In addition, in this process, HA secretion is suppressed. But the participation of IFN-γ is required. This effect is similar to that of Dex. And in the MTT experiment, the efficacy of PVP showed selectivity for TAO patients. This is different from Dex. This may be a feature of PVP that deserves attention. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
ANTIMICROBIAL PROPERTIES OF TiO2 NANOCOMPOSITE COATING | Packaging plays important part of the visual communication and in consumer’s choice of purchasing goods. To enhance visual appearance, packaging material is often coated. Beside enhancement of visual appearance, additional coating often improves other packaging properties. The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the importance of the antimicrobial properties of goods that encounter consumers. During purchasing, consumer first meets the packaging making it significant in the consumer’s protection. The aim of this research is to determine antimicrobial properties of nanocomposite coating which includes nanosized TiO2. For the purpose of the research a set of offset cardboard prints was coated with nanocomposite coating composed of water-based varnish (WD) and nanoscale TiO2 particles. The prepared samples were characterized by determining CIE L*a*b* coordinates of primary colours (CMYK), detecting colour fading after the accelerated ageing process by density measurements and by determining inhibition of microorganisms’ growth by using smear test. The change in chroma affected by UV radiation (accelerated ageing) is most visible on yellow samples while both, cyan and magenta proved to be more resistant to UV radiation. UV radiation did not cause significant change on the L* coordinate of black, although its values were affected with initial varnishing as TiO2 is also used as a white pigment. Although increase of the TiO2 concentration in nanocomposite causes increase of the colour change, only the one with the highest concentration (2%) proved to be unacceptable. On the other hand, as the beneficial effects of nanocomposites increase with increase of the TiO2 concentration, the nanocomposite with 1% of TiO2 should be the choice. © 2021 NANOCON Conference Proceedings - International Conference on Nanomaterials. All rights reserved. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Telemedicine in reproductive medicine—implications for technology and clinical practice | The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the rapid adoption of telemedicine in most medical practices. This series of articles address issues that are often not well considered, such as the types of technological platforms available, the effects of telemedicine on staffing, space requirements, and the financial impact of remote visits. In addition, the limits of telemedicine compared to in-office visits are discussed, as well as the effects on trainees and possibilities for the future. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Impact of SARS-CoV-2 lockdown and de-escalation on air-quality parameters | The SARS-CoV-2 health crisis has temporarily forced the lockdown of entire countries. This work reports the short-term effects on air quality of such unprecedented paralysis of industry and transport in different continental cities in Spain, one of the countries most affected by the virus and with the hardest confinement measures. The study takes into account sites with different sizes and diverse emission sources, such as traffic, residential or industrial emissions. This work reports new field measurement data for the studied pandemic period and assesses the air quality parameters within the historic trend of each pollutant and site. Thus, 2013-2020 data series from ground-air quality monitoring networks have been analysed to find out statistically significant changes in atmospheric pollutants during March-June 2020 due to this sudden paralysis of activity. The results show substantial concentration drops of primary pollutants, including NOx, CO, BTX, NMHC and NH3. Particulate matter changes were smaller due to the existence of other natural sources. During the lockdown the ozone patterns were different for each studied location, depending on the VOCs-NOx ratios, with concentration changes close to those expected from the historical series in each site and not statistically attributable to the health crisis effects. Finally, the gradual de-escalation and progressive increase of traffic density within cities reflects a slow recovery of primary pollutants. The results and conclusions for these cities, with different sizes and population, and specific emission sources, may serve as a behavioural model for other continental sites and help understand future crises. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Temporal data series of COVID-19 epidemics in the USA, Asia and Europe suggests a selective sweep of SARS-CoV-2 Spike D614G variant | The COVID-19 pandemic started in Wuhan, China, and caused the worldwide spread of the RNA virus SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Because of its mutational rate, wide geographical distribution, and host response variance this coronavirus is currently evolving into an array of strains with increasing genetic diversity. Most variants apparently have neutral effects for disease spread and symptoms severity. However, in the viral Spike protein, which is responsible for host cell attachment and invasion, an emergent variant, containing the amino acid substitution D to G in position 614 (D614G), was suggested to increase viral infection capability. To test whether this variant has epidemiological impact, the temporal distributions of the SARS-CoV-2 samples bearing D or G at position 614 were compared in the USA, Asia and Europe. The epidemiological curves were compared at early and late epidemic stages. At early stages, where containment measures were still not fully implemented, the viral variants are supposed to be unconstrained and its growth curves might approximate the free viral dynamics. Our analysis shows that the D614G prevalence and the growth rates of COVID-19 epidemic curves are correlated in the USA, Asia and Europe. Our results suggest a selective sweep that can be explained, at least in part, by a propagation advantage of this variant, in other words, that the molecular level effects of D614G have sufficient impact on population transmission dynamics as to be detected by differences in rate coefficients of epidemic growth curves. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Risk for Non-AIDS-Defining and AIDS-Defining Cancer of Early Versus Delayed Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy : A Multinational Prospective Cohort Study | BACKGROUND: Immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of CD4 cell count reduces risk for AIDS and non-AIDS-related events in asymptomatic, HIV-positive persons and is the standard of care. However, most HIV-positive persons initiate ART when their CD4 count decreases below 500 × 109 cells/L. Consequences of delayed ART on risk for non-AIDS-defining and AIDS-defining cancer, one of the most common reasons for death in HIV, are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the long-term risk difference for cancer with the immediate ART strategy. DESIGN: Multinational prospective cohort study. SETTING: The D:A:D (Data collection on Adverse events of anti-HIV Drugs) study, which included HIV-positive persons from Europe, Australia, and the United States. PARTICIPANTS: 8318 HIV-positive persons with at least 1 measurement each of CD4 cell count and viral load while ART-naive (study period, 2006 to 2016). MEASUREMENTS: The parametric g-formula was used, with adjustment for baseline and time-dependent confounders (CD4 cell count and viral load), to assess the 10-year risk for non-AIDS-defining and AIDS-defining cancer of immediate versus deferred (at CD4 counts <350 and <500 × 109 cells/L) ART initiation strategies. RESULTS: During 64 021 person-years of follow-up, 231 cases of non-AIDS-defining cancer and 272 of AIDS-defining cancer occurred among HIV-positive persons with a median age of 36 years (interquartile range, 29 to 43 years). With immediate ART, the 10-year risk for non-AIDS-defining cancer was 2.97% (95% CI, 2.37% to 3.50%) and that for AIDS-defining cancer was 2.50% (CI, 2.37% to 3.38%). Compared with immediate ART initiation, the 10-year absolute risk differences when deferring ART to CD4 counts less than 500 × 109 cells/L and less than 350 × 109 cells/L were 0.12 percentage point (CI, -0.01 to 0.26 percentage point) and 0.29 percentage point (CI, -0.03 to 0.73 percentage point), respectively, for non-AIDS-defining cancer and 0.32 percentage point (CI, 0.21 to 0.44 percentage point) and 1.00 percentage point (CI, 0.67 to 1.44 percentage points), respectively, for AIDS-defining cancer. LIMITATION: Potential residual confounding due to observational study design. CONCLUSION: In this young cohort, effects of immediate ART on 10-year risk for cancer were small, and further supportive data are needed for non-AIDS-defining cancer. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Oversight Committee. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Multivariate spatio-temporal analysis of the global COVID-19 pandemic | The Covid-19 pandemic has caused significant mortality and disruption on a global scale not seen in living memory. Understanding the spatial and temporal vectors of transmission as well as similarities in the trajectories of recorded cases and deaths across countries can aid in understanding the benefit or otherwise of varying interventions and control strategies on virus transmission. It can also highlight emerging globa trends as they occur. Data on number of cases and deaths across the globe have been made available through a variety of databases and provide a wide range of opportunities for the application of multivariate statistical methods to extract information on similarity or difference from them. Here we conduct spatial and temporal multivariate statistical analyses of global Covid-19 cases and deaths for the period spanning January to August 2020, using a variety of distance based multivariate methods to cluster countries according to similar temporal trends in cases and deaths resulting from COVID-19. We also use novel air passenger data as a proxy for movement between countries. The air passenger movement can act as an important vector of transmission and thus scaling covariance matrices before conducting dimension reduction techniques can account for known structures in the data and help highlight important residual spatial and/or temporal trends that may then be attributable to the success of interventions or other cultural differences. Global temporal structure is found to be of significantly more importance than local spatial structure in terms of global dynamics. Our results highlight a significant global change in case and mortality daynamics from early-August, consistent in timing with the emergence of new strains with highger levels of transmission. We propose the methodology offers great potential in real-time analysis of complex, noisy spatio-temporal data and the extraction of emerging changes in pandemic dynamics that can support policy and decision makers. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Genomic Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Immunocompromised Patient, Ireland | We examined virus genomic evolution in an immunocompromised patient with prolonged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Genomic sequencing revealed genetic variation during infection: 3 intrahost mutations and possible superinfection with a second strain of the virus. Prolonged infection in immunocompromised patients may lead to emergence of new virus variants. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
eHealth for service delivery in conflict: a narrative review of the application of eHealth technologies in contemporary conflict settings | The role of eHealth in conflict settings is increasingly important to address geographic, epidemiologic and clinical disparities. This study categorizes various forms of eHealth usage in conflict and aims to identify gaps in evidence to make recommendations for further research and practice. The analysis was carried out via a narrative hermeneutic review methodology. Articles that fulfilled the following screening criteria were reviewed: (1) describing an eHealth intervention in active conflict or ongoing insurgency, (2) an eHealth intervention targeting a conflict-affected population, (3) an e-learning platform for delivery in conflict settings and (4) non-interventional descriptive reviews relating to eHealth in conflict. Of the 489 papers eligible for screening, 46 merited final inclusion. Conflict settings described include Somalia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, Chechnya, Gaza and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thirty-six studies described specific eHealth initiatives, while the remainder were more generic review papers exploring general principles. Analysis resulted in the elucidation of three final categories of current eHealth activity in conflict-affected settings: (1) eHealth for clinical management, (2) e-learning for healthcare in conflict and (3) eHealth for information management in conflict. Obvious disparities in the distribution of technological dividends from eHealth in conflict are demonstrated by this review. Conflict-affected populations are predominantly subject to ad hoc and voluntary initiatives delivered by diaspora and civil society organizations. While the deployment of eHealth technologies in conflict settings is increasingly normalized, there is a need for further clarification of global norms relating to practice in this context. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Griffithsin protects mice from genital herpes by preventing cell-to-cell spread. | Griffithsin, which binds N-linked glycans on gp120 to prevent HIV entry, has the most potent HIV-1 inhibitory activity described for any antiviral lectin and is being developed for topical preexposure prophylaxis. The current studies were designed to further assess its potential by exploring its activity against herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), a cofactor for HIV acquisition, in vitro and in a murine model. Safety was evaluated by examining its impact on epithelial barrier integrity in polarized cultures and testing whether repeated intravaginal dosing potentiates the susceptibility of mice to genital herpes. Griffithsin displayed modest inhibitory activity against HSV-2 if present during viral entry but completely blocked plaque formation if present postentry, reduced plaque size, and prevented cell-to-cell spread. These in vitro findings translated to significant protection against genital herpes in mice treated with 0.1% griffithsin gel. Griffithsin, but not placebo gel, prevented viral spread (visualized with a luciferase-expressing virus), significantly reduced disease scores, and resulted in greater survival (P < 0.05, log rank test). Protection persisted when HSV-2 was introduced in seminal plasma. Although griffithsin triggered a small decline in transepithelial electrical resistance in polarized cultures, this did not translate to any significant increase in the ability of HIV to migrate from the apical to the basolateral chamber nor to an increase in susceptibility to HSV-2 in mice treated with griffithsin gel for 7 days. These findings demonstrate that griffithsin inhibits HSV-2 by a unique mechanism of blocking cell-to-cell spread and support its further development for HIV and HSV-2 prevention. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Transmissibility and transmission of respiratory viruses | Human respiratory virus infections lead to a spectrum of respiratory symptoms and disease severity, contributing to substantial morbidity, mortality and economic losses worldwide, as seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. Belonging to diverse families, respiratory viruses differ in how easy they spread (transmissibility) and the mechanism (modes) of transmission. Transmissibility as estimated by the basic reproduction number (R(0)) or secondary attack rate is heterogeneous for the same virus. Respiratory viruses can be transmitted via four major modes of transmission: direct (physical) contact, indirect contact (fomite), (large) droplets and (fine) aerosols. We know little about the relative contribution of each mode to the transmission of a particular virus in different settings, and how its variation affects transmissibility and transmission dynamics. Discussion on the particle size threshold between droplets and aerosols and the importance of aerosol transmission for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza virus is ongoing. Mechanistic evidence supports the efficacies of non-pharmaceutical interventions with regard to virus reduction; however, more data are needed on their effectiveness in reducing transmission. Understanding the relative contribution of different modes to transmission is crucial to inform the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions in the population. Intervening against multiple modes of transmission should be more effective than acting on a single mode. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychological Distress of Medical Students in Japan: Cross-sectional Survey Study | BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected medical education. However, little data are available about medical students' distress during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide details on how medical students have been affected by the pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 717 medical students participated in the web-based survey. The survey included questions about how the participants' mental status had changed from before to after the Japanese nationwide state of emergency (SOE). RESULTS: Out of 717 medical students, 473 (66.0%) participated in the study. In total, 29.8% (141/473) of the students reported concerns about the shift toward online education, mostly because they thought online education would be ineffective compared with in-person learning. The participants' subjective mental health status significantly worsened after the SOE was lifted (P<.001). Those who had concerns about a shift toward online education had higher odds of having generalized anxiety and being depressed (odds ratio [OR] 1.97, 95% CI 1.19-3.28) as did those who said they would request food aid (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.16-3.44) and mental health care resources (OR 3.56, 95% CI 2.07-6.15). CONCLUSIONS: Given our findings, the sudden shift to online education might have overwhelmed medical students. Thus, we recommend that educators inform learners that online learning is not inferior to in-person learning, which could attenuate potential depression and anxiety. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Real-time Conformational Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 Spikes on Virus Particles | SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) mediates entry into cells and is critical for vaccine development against COVID-19. Structural studies have revealed distinct conformations of S, but real-time information that connects these structures, is lacking. Here we apply single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) imaging to observe conformational dynamics of S on virus particles. Virus-associated S dynamically samples at least four distinct conformational states. In response to hACE2, S opens sequentially into the hACE2-bound S conformation through at least one on-path intermediate. Conformational preferences of convalescent plasma and antibodies suggest mechanisms of neutralization involving either competition with hACE2 for binding to RBD or allosteric interference with conformational changes required for entry. Our findings inform on mechanisms of S recognition and conformations for immunogen design. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Intra-host evolution during SARS-CoV-2 persistent infection | Prolonged infection of SARS-CoV-2 represents a challenge to the development of effective public health policies to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The reason why some people have persistent infection and how the virus survives for so long are still not fully understood. For this reason, we aimed to investigate the intra-host evolution of SARS-CoV-2 during persistent infection. Thirty-three patients who remained RT-PCR positive in the nasopharynx for at least 16 days were included in this study. Complete SARS-CoV-2 sequences were obtained for each patient at two time points. Phylogenetic, populational, and computational analysis of viral sequences confirmed persistent infection with evidence for a transmission cluster in health care professionals that shared the same workplace. A high number of missense variants targeting crucial structural and non-structural proteins such as Spike and Helicase was found. Interestingly, longitudinal acquisition of substitutions in Spike protein mapped many SARS-CoV-2 predicted T cell epitopes. Furthermore, the mutational profiles observed were suggestive of RNA editing enzyme activities, indicating innate immune mechanisms of the host cell. Viral quasispecies analysis corroborates persistent infection mainly by increasing richness and nucleotide diversity over time. Altogether, our findings highlight a dynamic and complex landscape of host and pathogen interaction during persistent infection suggesting that the host's innate immunity shapes the increase of intra-host diversity with possible implications for therapeutic strategies and public health decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Pseudorabies virus infection in hunting dogs in Oita, Japan: Report from a prefecture free from Aujeszky’s disease in domestic pigs | We isolated two pseudorabies virus (PRV) isolates (designated OT-1 and OT-2) from two hunting dogs exhibiting neurological manifestations after eating the flesh of wild boar hunted in Oita prefecture, Kyushu Island, Japan. The isolates corresponded to a previously reported PRV (MY-1 strain) isolated from a hunting dog in neighboring Miyazaki prefecture, and it clustered into genotype II based on the glycoprotein C sequence. Our results suggest that this common PRV strain may have been maintained in wild boars on Kyushu Island even though domestic pigs in this area have attained an Aujeszky’s disease-free status. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
The omnipresence of risk and associated harms in secure and forensic mental health services in England and Wales | Current legislation and policy frameworks regulating the detention and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in England and Wales are predicated on the assumption that a minority of patients have enduring violent tendencies and pose a serious long-term risk to the safety of others. This paper seeks to consider the manner in which notions of risk and the imperative to contain and minimise the potential for harm, present and impact patients in secure and forensic mental health settings. Within this, we consider how mental health stigma and Beck’s concept of the Risk Society can affect the thoughts and actions of those who may be held accountable for rare but potentially serious harmful events. We consider what changes may need to be enacted within secure and forensic mental health services to reduce the incidence and severity of consequent risks of harm to patients and their mental health recovery. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Clinical efficacy of Methylprednisolone and the combined use of Lopinavir/Ritonavir with Arbidol in treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 | OBJECTIVE: This study aims to comparatively analyze the therapeutic efficacy upon multiple medication plans over Lopinavir/Ritonavir (LPV/r), Arbidol (ARB) and Methylprednisolone on patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19). METHODS: Totally 75 COVID‐19 patients admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 22, 2020 to February 29, 2020 were recruited and grouped based on whether or not LPV/r and ARB were jointly used and whether or not Methylprednisolone was used. Indexes including body temperature, time for nucleic acid negative conversion, hospital stays and laboratory indexes were examined and compared. RESULTS: For all patients, there were no significant differences in the change of body temperature, the time for negative conversion and hospital stays whether LPV/r and ARB were jointly used or not. While for severe and critically severe patients, Methylprednisolone noticeably reduced the time for negative conversion. Meanwhile, the clinical efficacy was superior on patients receiving Methylprednisolone within 3 days upon admission, and the duration of hospital stays was much shorter when Methylprednisolone was given at a total dose of 0‐400 mg than a higher dose of >400 mg if all patients received a similar dose per day. Nonetheless, no significant changes across hepatic, renal and myocardial function indexes were observed. CONCLUSION: LPV/r combined with ARB produced no noticeably better effect on COVID‐19 patients relative to the single agent treatment. Additionally, Methylprednisolone was efficient in severe and critically severe cases, and superior efficacy could be realized upon its early, appropriate and short‐term application. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Anti-Androgen and Anti-Hypoxia Treatment for Severe COVID-19 Patients (preprint) | The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) raised a global pandemic and caused over 4.2 million deaths worldwide. However, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 patients. In this study, we noticed that male COVID-19 patients had a higher severe rate than females, and IL-6 levels act as an independent risk factor for COVID-19 patients. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we identified a macrophage and a fibroblast cell clusters that secreted IL-6 in COVID-19 lungs were specific in COVID-19 lung microenvironment. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), transcriptional factors (TFs) prediction and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) revealed that the macrophage and fibroblast inducing the cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) in severe COVID-19 patients, and the trinity of AR, HIF-1α and YY1 regulates the progression of CSS. Our results firstly explained the mechanism of sex disproportion of COVID-19 and provided a novel rationale for combined therapeutic approach for COVID-19 treatment. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Folk Classification and Factor Rotations: Whales, Sharks, and the Problems With the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP). | The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP) uses factor analysis to group people with similar self-reported symptoms (i.e., like-goes-with-like). It is hailed as a significant improvement over other diagnostic taxonomies. However, the purported advantages and fundamental assumptions of HiTOP have received little, if any scientific scrutiny. We critically evaluated five fundamental claims about HiTOP. We conclude that HiTOP does not demonstrate a high degree of verisimilitude and has the potential to hinder progress on understanding the etiology of psychopathology. It does not lend itself to theory-building or taxonomic evolution, and it cannot account for multifinality, equifinality, or developmental and etiological processes. In its current form, HiTOP is not ready to use in clinical settings and may result in algorithmic bias against underrepresented groups. We recommend a bifurcation strategy moving forward in which the DSM is used in clinical settings while researchers focus on developing a falsifiable theory-based classification system. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
21st Century Good Neighbor Program: An Easily Generalizable Program to Reduce Social Isolation in Older Adults | Aim: In this once-in-a-lifetime humanitarian crisis, what does it mean to be a good neighbor? It means that as a community, we must address loneliness and barriers to care faced by vulnerable populations such as older adults. We share an inexpensive longitudinal experiential service-learning program implemented by health professions and undergraduate student volunteers that aims to help alleviate loneliness in older adults while imparting meaningful experiences to volunteers. Intervention Design and Setting: The 21st Century Good Neighbor Program is an observational cohort study of an experiential service-learning program started in May 2020, and this article shares the results collected after 1 year. This longitudinal, weekly phone call program was conducted in a single community setting in the Midwestern part of the United States. Older adults over the age of 60 served by a local community service agency (CSA) were invited to participate. Volunteers consisted of students 18 or older. Student volunteers made regular phone calls to a pair of older adults throughout the course of 1 year following standardized call scripts. The loneliness of the older adults was measured by volunteers using the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Assessment. Results: 261 older adults were engaged in conversations with a volunteer. A total of 1,391 calls were accepted by older adults and the median length of a welcomed call was 11 min. The average baseline loneliness score was 4.156 ± 1.41 and the prevalence of social isolation was 19.5%. There was no significant change in the UCLA loneliness score in the first year of follow up. However, a majority of volunteers (88%) agreed or strongly agreed that the program had a positive impact on them. In addition, the program identified 257 issues older adults faced that required follow-up. The most prevalent concerns referred to the community service agency by volunteers were issues related to utilities, food and transportation access. Conclusion: The 21st Century Good Neighbor Program is a unique intervention in which student volunteers and older adults paired by a community service agency forge relationships though a longitudinal phone call-based program. This easy-to-implement program provides another layer of support to identify and refer issues that impact social determinants of health. The added benefit of volunteer satisfaction in the setting of COVID 19 pandemic is heartening. We hope to continue to study the impact of this intervention on social isolation in this vulnerable population. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
[Detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus RNA in autopsy tissues with in situ hybridization]. | OBJECTIVE To explore the distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in SARS autopsy tissues at the molecular level. METHODS In situ hybridization was used to detect the expression and location of SARS-CoV RNA polymerase gene in autopsy tissues from SARS-Cov-infected subjects, including the lung, spleen, lymph nodes, pituitary, pancreas, parathyroid, adrenal glands, gastrointestinal tract, skin, brain, liver, kidney, blood vessels, striated muscles of the limbs, bone marrow, heart, ovary, uterus and testicles. RESULT SARS-CoV RNA was detected in the cytoplasm of the alveolar epithelia, infiltrating mononuclear phagocytes in the lungs, serous gland epithelium of the trachea/bronchus, monocytes in the spleen and lymph nodes, acinar cells in the pancreas, acidophilic cells in the parathyroid and pituitary, adrenal cortical cells, epithelia of the alimentary tracts, gastric parietal cells, sweat gland cells, brain neurons, hepatocytes near the central vein, epithelia of the distal renal tubules, bone marrow promyelocytes, and endothelia of the small veins. CONCLUSIONS SARS-CoV invades various organs of the body and distributes in a similar fashion to CD13, the receptor of human coronavirus 229E. The detection of SARS-CoV in the sweat glands, alimentary tracts and epithelia of the distal convoluted tubules of the kidney may help identify the transmission routes of SARS-CoV. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Microvascular thrombosis: experimental and clinical implications | A significant amount of clinical and research interest in thrombosis is focused on large vessels (eg, stroke, myocardial infarction, deep venous thrombosis, etc.); however, thrombosis is often present in the microcirculation in a variety of significant human diseases, such as disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombotic microangiopathy, sickle cell disease, and others. Further, microvascular thrombosis has recently been demonstrated in patients with COVID-19, and has been proposed to mediate the pathogenesis of organ injury in this disease. In many of these conditions, microvascular thrombosis is accompanied by inflammation, an association referred to as thromboinflammation. In this review, we discuss endogenous regulatory mechanisms that prevent thrombosis in the microcirculation, experimental approaches to induce microvascular thrombi, and clinical conditions associated with microvascular thrombosis. A greater understanding of the links between inflammation and thrombosis in the microcirculation is anticipated to provide optimal therapeutic targets for patients with diseases accompanied by microvascular thrombosis. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
How the ARCH Project has Contributed to the Development of the ASEAN Regional Collaboration Mechanism on Disaster Health Management. | OBJECTIVE This paper aims to clarify how the Project for Strengthening the ASEAN Regional Capacity on Disaster Health Management (ARCH Project) strengthened regional collaboration mechanisms on disaster health management (DHM) in ASEAN. METHODS The political process and the relevant documents of the ARCH Project were reviewed. RESULTS The ARCH Project established the Regional Coordination Committee as a coordination platform for providing strategic direction to the project and strengthening the regional coordination of DHM. Also, the Project Working Groups and Sub-Working Groups were set up as implementation bodies for the project activities with representatives of ASEAN Member States (AMS). With support from DHM experts of Japan and Thailand, a series of discussions were conducted for the development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the Coordination of International Emergency Medical Teams (I-EMTs), regional tools, and collective measures supporting AMS to overcome challenges, and thereby meeting the minimum requirements set by the WHO EMT Initiative. The progress and outputs of the ARCH Project are subsequently elevated to the ASEAN Health Sector for endorsement, the updates are further shared to the Joint Task Force to Promote Synergy with Other Relevant ASEAN Bodies on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (JTF-HADR) for the implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN One Response. The initiation of the ARCH Project in July 2016 has resulted in the development of the ASEAN regional collaboration framework, including the establishment of the Regional Coordination Committee on Disaster Health Management (RCCDHM), the SOP for ASEAN I-EMT coordination, and regional tools, such as forms for Medical Record for Emergency and Disaster and Health Needs Assessment. Moreover, further discussions on ASEAN Collective Measures that aim to support AMS to meet the WHO EMT minimum standards and strengthening I-EMT coordination capacity were also conducted. As adopted by the ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting (AHMM) in 2019, the RCCDHM was established as one of the mechanisms to operationalize the Plan of Action to implement the ASEAN Leaders' Declaration on DHM. CONCLUSION The contribution of the ARCH Project to strengthen the ASEAN regional capacity in DHM has enhanced the regional coordination platform, with a formalization of RCCDHM as ASEAN's official regional mechanism, and of the on-going integration process of the SOP for EMT coordination into the ASEAN SASOP. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Achievement of Clinical Learning Outcomes and Associated Factors Among Midwifery and Nursing Undergraduate Students of Jimma University, Ethiopia | BACKGROUND: Effective achievement of clinical learning outcomes indicates the success of the clinically oriented educational program including midwifery and nursing. In contrast, studies reported poor achievement of clinical competence in different health sciences programs in the country. Thus, this study aimed to determine the status of achievement of clinical learning outcomes and associated factors among midwifery and nursing students of Jimma University, Ethiopia. METHODS: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 25 to 30, 2021 among 147 midwifery and nursing students of Jimma University selected by simple random sampling technique. Data were collected by a semi-structured, pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire, entered into EpiData version 4.2, and analyzed by SPSS version 23. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were done to test the association. The odds ratio at 95% confidence interval (CI) and P-value < 0.05 was used to ascertain statistical significance. RESULTS: Only 65 (44.2%) participants achieved their clinical learning outcomes. Being a third year student (AOR 3.38; 95% CI = 1.5, 7.5) at p-value = 0.003, having good practice of COVID-19 preventive measures (AOR 2.25; 95% CI = 1.01, 5) at p-value = 0.047, perceived high students load in clinical teaching site (AOR 4.9; 95% CI = 1.6, 14.7) at p-value = 0.005, and students motivation to their clinical learning (AOR 3.1; 95% CI = 1.4, 6.63) at p-value = 0.004 were factors positively associated with achievement of clinical learning outcomes. CONCLUSION: Less than half of midwifery and nursing students of Jimma University had achieved their clinical learning outcomes. Therefore, the students, clinical teachers, and all concerned bodies should struggle their best to enhance good practice of COVID-19 preventive measures, students motivation to their clinical learning, and facilitate clinical learning in clinical teaching site with high students load for better achievement of clinical learning outcomes. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Miniature Joint System for Disease Modeling and Drug Testing | Diseases of the knee joint such as osteoarthritis (OA) affect all joint elements. An in vitro human cell-derived microphysiologica system capable of simulating intraarticular tissue crosstalk is desirable for studying etiologies/pathogenesis of joint diseases and testing potential therapeutics. Herein, a human mesenchymal stem cell-derived miniature joint system (miniJoint) is generated, in which engineered osteochondral complex, synovial-like fibrous tissue, and adipose tissue are integrated into a microfluidics-enabled bioreactor. This novel design facilitates different tissues communicating while still maintaining their respective phenotypes. The miniJoint exhibits physiologically relevant changes when exposed to interleukin-1ß mediated inflammation, which are similar to observations in joint diseases in humans. The potential of the miniJoint in predicting in vivo efficacy of drug treatment is confirmed by testing the "therapeutic effect" of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, naproxen, as well as four other potential disease-modifying OA drugs. The data demonstrate that the miniJoint recapitulates complex tissue interactions, thus providing a robust organ chip model for the study of joint pathology and the development of novel therapeutic interventions. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Digital health approaches for the lifestyle management of osteoarthritis | Purpose: As a chronic condition, self-management via education and lifestyle treatments, such as exercise/physical activity and weight loss, is integral to minimizing pain and improving physical function in people with OA. However, OA care is suboptimal world-wide with under-use of lifestyle treatments a major problem. There are numerous barriers to uptake of, and adherence to, lifestyle treatments. One major barrier is difficulty accessing clinicians and/or enabling resources (due to geography, lack of clinicians, cost, inconvenience, or disability and more recently due to restrictions bought on by the COVID-19 pandemic). However, given the high adoption rate of computers, mobile devices and internet globally, digital health approaches provide opportunities for delivering lifestyle treatments remotely to people with OA and supporting them to self manage. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the research relating to the use of digital health approaches for the lifestyle management of OA. Methods: A narrative review was undertaken with a focus on evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Qualitative studies were also included to provide a more detailed understanding of patients’ and clinicians’ experiences and factors that may influence implementation. Although there are a variety of digital health approaches, those of most interest for this presentation were telehealth, mobile health and apps, web-based platforms, and wearable devices. Research related to digital health approaches for rehabilitation post joint replacement for OA was not covered. Results: A limited number of RCTs have investigated digital health approaches for lifestyle management in people with OA and most have been performed in those with knee OA. Of these RCTs, most have investigated care delivered via telehealth, either telephone or videoconference or internet-based programs. The focus has been on education and exercise/physical activity. There is some evidence that such interventions can reduce pain, improve function and increase physical activity compared to usual care or education control although this is not necessarily consistent across studies. Furthermore, adherence to internet-based programs without any clinician input can be problematic. Few studies have included cost-effectiveness analyses nor moderator analyses to explore patient subgroups who may respond best. Adequately-powered non-inferiority trial designs are needed to establish whether OA care delivered by telehealth or in person result in equivalent patient outcomes. Qualitative studies show that patients and clinicians describe mostly positive experiences but barriers to implementation exist. While many patient-facing apps available in the marketplace may be useful for OA, relatively few are specifically designed for OA. For example, a 2019 review (Choi et al. Health Informatics J. 2019) located only 23 such mobile apps. There is, however, a lack of research into the development and evaluation of apps for OA management. Conclusions: There is some evidence to show that digital health approaches for lifestyle management of OA are feasible, generally acceptable to patients and clinicians, and may be effective ways of improving patient outcomes. However, further high quality research is needed and with longer term follow up to confirm. This is particularly important given that the adoption of digital health services around the world has been dramatically accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This presents an opportunity to build on this momentum and drive innovation in research-informed digitally-enabled models of OA care. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Viral Integration and Consequences on Host Gene Expression | Upon cell infection, some viruses integrate their genome into the host chromosome, either as part of their life cycle (such as retroviruses), or incidentally. While possibly promoting long-term persistence of the virus into the cell, viral genome integration may also lead to drastic consequences for the host cell, including gene disruption, insertional mutagenesis and cell death, as well as contributing to species evolution. This review summarizes the current knowledge on viruses integrating their genome into the host genome and the consequences for the host cell. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
The performance of point-of-care antibody test for COVID-19 diagnosis in a tertiary hospital in Bandung, Indonesia | INTRODUCTION: We aim to describe the performance of combined IgM and IgG point-of-care antibody test (POC-Ab) (Wondfo®) compared to real-time reverse transcriptase (rRT-PCR) (Allplex™ 2019-nCoV Assay) in detecting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODOLOGY: We compared POC-Ab with rRT-PCR results among patients in a tertiary hospital from January to March 2020 in Bandung, Indonesia. We selected presumptive COVID-19 patients with positive rRT-PCR consecutively and 20 patients with negative rRT-PCR results were selected randomly from the same group of patients as controls. We described the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) with corresponding 95% confidence interval using serum and capillary blood samples. We also tested POC-Ab using non-COVID-19 (confirmed dengue and typhoid) patients' sera. RESULTS: Twenty-seven patients with positive rRT-PCR result and 20 negative controls were included (68.1% males, mean age 46 (SD: 15.4)). Using the serum, the sensitivity of the POC-Ab was 63.0% (42.4-80.6), specificity was 95.0% (75.1-99.9), PPV was 94.4% (72.7-99.8), NPV was 65.5% (45.7-82.1). A subset of 20 patients was tested using a capillary blood sample. The accuracy of the capillary blood sample is lower compared to serum (50.0% vs. 78.7%). None of the non-COVID-19 sera tested were reactive. CONCLUSIONS: POC-Ab for COVID-19 has a high specificity with no false-positive result in non-COVID-19 sera. Therefore, it can be used to guide diagnostic among symptomatic patients in resource limited settings. Given its low sensitivity, patients with high suspicion of COVID-19 but non-reactive result should be prioritized for rRT-PCR testing. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Effects of Remotely Supervised Physical Activity on Health Profile in Frail Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol | BACKGROUND: Frailty is considered a major public health challenge of the 21st century, characterized by the decline of multiform body functions. Physical activity may be the most effective intervention to delay frailty. This study aims to verify the effect of remotely supervised physical activity on health profile in community-dwelling frail older adults. DESIGN: This is a multicenter, three-blind, two-arm, and cohort randomized controlled study. METHODS: The intelligent exercise rehabilitation management system (IERMS) is an integrated digital platform that involves evaluation, guidance, monitoring, and feedback. A total of 120 participants aged ≥ 65 years and diagnosed as frailty on the FRAIL scale will be recruited and randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 will receive a 12-week IERMS-based intervention, and Group 2 will receive the usual care. Data will be collected at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks. The primary outcome is the physical function, and secondary outcomes include gait parameters, psychology, and cognition measurements. Analyses will be performed using DSS statistics, version 25. P < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant. CONCLUSION: We believe that intervention plays a positive role in delaying the frailty. If our program is effective, we will provide a viable means to promote healthy aging in primary healthcare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR2100052286; Pre-results. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Risk stratification for COVID-19 hospitalization: a multivariable model based on gradient-boosting decision trees | BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased demand for health care resources and, in some cases, shortage of medical equipment and staff. Our objective was to develop and validate a multivariable model to predict risk of hospitalization for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: We used routinely collected health records in a patient cohort to develop and validate our prediction model. This cohort included adult patients (age ≥ 18 yr) from Ontario, Canada, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid by polymerase chain reaction between Feb. 2 and Oct. 5, 2020, and were followed up through Nov. 5, 2020. Patients living in long-term care facilities were excluded, as they were all assumed to be at high risk of hospitalization for COVID-19. Risk of hospitalization within 30 days of diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was estimated via gradient-boosting decision trees, and variable importance examined via Shapley values. We built a gradient-boosting model using the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithm and compared its performance against 4 empirical rules commonly used for risk stratifications based on age and number of comorbidities. RESULTS: The cohort included 36 323 patients with 2583 hospitalizations (7.1%). Hospitalized patients had a higher median age (64 yr v. 43 yr), were more likely to be male (56.3% v. 47.3%) and had a higher median number of comorbidities (3, interquartile range [IQR] 2–6 v. 1, IQR 0–3) than nonhospitalized patients. Patients were split into development (n = 29 058, 80.0%) and held-out validation (n = 7265, 20.0%) cohorts. The gradient-boosting model achieved high discrimination (development cohort: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve across the 5 folds of 0.852; validation cohort: 0.8475) and strong calibration (slope = 1.01, intercept = −0.01). The patients who scored at the top 10% captured 47.4% of hospitalizations, and those who scored at the top 30% captured 80.6%. INTERPRETATION: We developed and validated an accurate risk stratification model using routinely collected health administrative data. We envision that modelling such risk stratification based on routinely collected health data could support management of COVID-19 on a population health level. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Utilidad y aceptación del seguimiento telefónico de un asistente virtual a pacientes COVID-19 tras el alta | La COVID-19 ha supuesto una gran sobrecarga para el sistema sanitario, y ha sido necesario poner en marcha herramientas nuevas para realizar el seguimiento no presencial de los pacientes y garantizar la calidad de sus cuidados. Se evalúa la utilidad y aceptación de los pacientes de un cuidador virtual diseñado para su seguimiento tras el alta hospitalaria por COVID-19. El asistente virtual, con tecnología de voz e inteligencia artificial, realizó llamadas telefónicas a las 48 horas, 7, 15 y 30 días del alta, formulando 5 preguntas sobre su estado de salud. Si la contestación era afirmativa, generaba una alerta que se transfería a un profesional sanitario. Se incluyeron 100 pacientes en el proyecto. Se generaron 85 alertas en 45 de los pacientes, la mayoría de ellas al mes del alta; el 94% lo resolvió enfermería telefónicamente. La satisfacción de los pacientes con el cuidador virtual fue alta. COVID-19 has placed a significant burden on the healthcare system, making it necessary to implement new tools that allow patients to be monitored remotely and guarantee quality and continuity of care. The usefulness and acceptance by patients of a virtual caregiver designed for follow-up in the month following hospital discharge for COVID-19 are evaluated. The virtual assistant, based on voice and artificial intelligence technology, made telephone calls at 48 hours, seven days, 15 days, and 30 days after discharge and asked five questions about the patient’s health. If the answer to any of the questions was affirmative, it generated an alert that was transferred to a healthcare professional One hundred patients were included in the project and 85 alerts were generated in 45 of the patients, most at one month after hospital discharge. The nursing staff resolved 94% of them by telephone. Patient satisfaction with the virtual caregiver was high. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Drug-drug interactions between COVID-19 treatments and antipsychotics drugs: integrated evidence from 4 databases and a systematic review | RATIONALE: Management of anxiety, delirium, and agitation cannot be neglected in coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Antipsychotics are usually used for the pharmacological management of delirium, and confusion and behavioral disturbances. The concurrent use of treatments for COVID-19 and antipsychotics should consider eventual drug-drug interactions OBJECTIVE: To systematically review evidence-based available on drug-drug interactions between COVID-19 treatments and antipsychotics. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Three databases were consulted: Lexicomp® Drug Interactions, Micromedex® Solutions Drugs Interactions, and Liverpool© Drug Interaction Group for COVID-19 therapies. To acquire more information on QT prolongation and Torsade de Pointes (TdP), the CredibleMeds® QTDrugs List was searched. The authors made a recommendation agreed to by consensus. Additionally, a systematic review of drug-drug interactions between antipsychotics and COVID-19 treatment was conducted. RESULTS: The main interactions between COVID-19 drugs and antipsychotics are the risk of QT-prolongation and TdP, and cytochromes P450 interactions. Remdesivir, baricinitib, and anakinra can be used concomitantly with antipsychotics without risk of drug-drug interaction (except for hematological risk with clozapine and baricinitib). Favipiravir only needs caution with chlorpromazine and quetiapine. Tocilizumab is rather safe to use in combination with antipsychotics. The most demanding COVID-19 treatments for coadministration with antipsychotics are chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, and lopinavir/ritonavir because of the risk of QT prolongation and TdP and cytochromes interactions. The systematic review provides highly probable drug interaction between lopinavir/ritonavir plus quetiapine and ritonavir/indinavir plus risperidone. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians prescribing antipsychotics should be aware of the likely risk of drug-drug interaction with COVID-19 medication and may benefit from taking into account present recommendations of use to preserve patient safety SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00213-020-05716-4. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Impact of surgical intervention on progression to end-stage renal disease in patients with posterior urethral valve | BACKGROUND: Posterior urethral valve patients present with varied presentations at any age of life and have significant associated morbidity and require long-term follow-up and care. METHODS: This was a single-center ambispective cohort study carried out over a period of 2 years. Patient data regarding the symptoms, investigations, interventions, secondary complications were recorded and were followed up regularly during the study till either normalization of their creatinine level which was maintained up to one-year post-fulguration (non-CKD) or progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring renal transplant. Various clinical factors were then compared between these groups. RESULTS: The age of presentation varies from 6 months antenatal period to a maximum of 34 years. Most common symptom was of lower urinary tract obstruction, followed by recurrent febrile UTI. The interval between disease presentation detection and PU valve fulguration ranged from 6 days to more than 5 years, median duration being 1 month. 85.7% patients had hydroureteronephrosis on initial USG. In VCUG, there was no significant difference found between the presence of reflux and poor renal outcome. Age of presentation greater than 2 years was seen in 52% of patients with CKD compared to only 10% patients in non-CKD group (significant, p value 0.02). Among patients who developed CKD, 60% of patients had PU valve fulguration after one month of disease presentation, while in contrast, among the non-CKD group, 80% of patients had it done within one month of disease presentation. (significant, p value 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Late age of presentation, delayed fulguration with high initial creatinine, and failure of serum creatinine to return to normal after one-month post-fulguration are important risk factors in the progression of the disease to ESRD. Symptomatic improvement after interventions does not correlate with progression to ESRD. The number of interventions also does not predict progression to ESRD. Interventions should be chosen wisely on case to restore near-normal physiology and delay progression to ESRD. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Clinical evaluation of five different automated SARS-CoV-2 serology assays in a cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients | BACKGROUND: The global market for SARS-CoV-2-immunoassays is becoming ever more crowded with antibody-tests of various formats, targets and technologies, careful evaluation is crucial for understanding the implications of individual test results. Here, we evaluate the clinical performance of five automated immunoassays on a set of clinical samples. METHODS: Serum/plasma samples of 75 confirmed COVID-19 patients and 320 pre-pandemic serum samples of healthy blood donors were subjected to two IgG and three total antibody SARS-CoV-2-immunoassays. All test setups were automated workflows. RESULTS: Positivity of assays (onset of symptoms > 10 days) ranged between 68.4 % and 81.6 % (Diasorin 68.4 %, Euroimmun 70.3 %, Siemens 73.7 %, Roche 79.0 % and Wantai 81.6 %). All examined assays demonstrated high specificity of >99 % (Euroimmun, Diasorin: 99.1 %, Wantai: 99.4 %) but only two reached levels above 99.5 % (Roche: 99.7 %, Siemens 100 %). Interestingly, there was no overlap in false positive results between the assays. The strongest correlation of quantitative results was observed between the Diasorin and Euroimmun IgG tests (r2â¯=â¯0.76). Overall, we observed no difference in the distribution of test results between female and male patients (p-values: 0.18-0.87). A significant difference between severely versus critically ill patients was demonstrated for the Euroimmun, Diasorin, Wantai and Siemens assays (p-values:0.041). CONCLUSION: All assays showed good clinical performance. Our data confirm that orthogonal test strategies as recommended by the CDC can enhance clinical specificity. However, the suboptimal rates of test positivity found at time of hospitalization in this cohort underline the importance of molecular diagnostics to rule out/confirm active infection with SARS-CoV-2. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Performance increments without audience: paired data from mixed martial arts fighters during COVID-19 | During COVID-19, athletes have been forced to compete in the absence of audience Athletic and cognitive performance have been shown to be both incremented and decremented when competing either with or without audience, something that has been termed 'social facilitation' The current study sought to investigate this effect in a naturalistic experiment due to the current pandemic, in a sport in which the effect has never been examined;mixed martial arts (MMA) A performance variable was constructed, and data from 86 fighters who competed during COVID-19 were collected and compared to previous competition history In total, 586 bouts were analyzed Data distribution and assumptions were explored in which non-normal distribution was found Subsequently, a test of marginal homogeneity and a Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test were performed The results showed that MMA fighters who won their bout without audience displayed poorer performance's in previous bouts, which were attended by audience The current study further explores the notion of social facilitation effects and suggests there may be a need to pro-actively incorporate training alternatives that could mitigate performance decrements in fighters who are prone to negative effects due to external stimuli, such as an audience However, due to the limited observations in the non-audience condition the study results should be interpreted cautiously and considered highly preliminary | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Smooth or Risky Revisit of an Old Malaria Drug for COVID-19? | Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an old medication for malaria. In addition to handling this parasitic disease, HCQ is also used to treat a number of autoimmune disorders including rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus when other medications are not effective. Recently a new viral infection (COVID-19) is rocking the entire world so much that it has already taken more than 200,000 lives throughout the world within the last two months and the World Health Organization was forced to declare it as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Interestingly, some reports indicate that this wonder drug may be also beneficial for COVID-19 and accordingly, many clinical trials have begun. Here, we discuss different modes of action (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, inhibition of endosomal acidification, suppression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 or ACE2 glycosylation, etc.) of HCQ that might be responsible for its possible anti-COVID-19 effect. On the other hand, this review also makes an honest attempt to delineate mechanisms (increase in vasoconstriction, inhibition of autophagy, depletion of T cells, etc.) indicating how it may aggravate certain conditions and why caution should be taken before granting widespread repurposing of HCQ for COVID-19. Graphical Abstract. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
JParaCrawl v3.0: A Large-scale English-Japanese Parallel Corpus | Most current machine translation models are mainly trained with parallel corpora, and their translation accuracy largely depends on the quality and quantity of the corpora. Although there are billions of parallel sentences for a few language pairs, effectively dealing with most language pairs is difficult due to a lack of publicly available parallel corpora. This paper creates a large parallel corpus for English-Japanese, a language pair for which only limited resources are available, compared to such resource-rich languages as English-German. It introduces a new web-based English-Japanese parallel corpus named JParaCrawl v3.0. Our new corpus contains more than 21 million unique parallel sentence pairs, which is more than twice as many as the previous JParaCrawl v2.0 corpus. Through experiments, we empirically show how our new corpus boosts the accuracy of machine translation models on various domains. The JParaCrawl v3.0 corpus will eventually be publicly available online for research purposes. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Hybrid flexible (HyFlex) seminar delivery – A technical overview of the implementation | This paper investigates a new technology for Hybrid flexible delivery (known as HyFlex), as implemented at King's College London. The relatively novel character of HyFlex, of mixing synchronously on-line and in-room teaching, and the recent changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic mean this use of the technology and teaching model is largely new to the UK. This research evaluated audio quality in the context of a HyFlex technical environment. The paper provides a high-level overview of the process of designing a HyFlex solution and presents a detailed evaluation of the impact of reverberation in relation to the accuracy of automatically generated subtitles and the influence of microphone selection. The paper shows that there was a significant relationship between the reverberation, the audio quality, and the subtitling system, which is important as past studies highlighted audio quality is key for the students' experience. It presents a viable and simple methodology to estimate the audio quality on installed HyFlex systems to improve the students experience in a hybrid teaching environment. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Trainee doctors’ experiences of learning and well-being while working in intensive care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study using appreciative inquiry | OBJECTIVES: Concern about trainee work-related well-being has been raised in recent years and is the subject of several reviews, reports and research studies. This study aimed to understand the experiences of trainees working in a large intensive care unit during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic from an educational and operational perspective in order to highlight what worked and what could be improved. DESIGN: A qualitative study using peer-to-peer semistructured interviews, developed using appreciative inquiry methodology, was conducted during July 2020. Responses were analysed using a thematic analysis technique. SETTING: A large, tertiary intensive care unit in the UK. PARTICIPANTS: All trainees in anaesthesia and intensive care working on the intensive care unit during the first surge were invited to participate. RESULTS: Forty interviews were conducted and four over-arching themes were identified. These were: feeling safe and supported; physical demands; the emotional burden of caring; and a sense of fulfilment, value and personal development. Positive aspects of the organisational response to the pandemic included communication, personal protective equipment supply, team working and well-being support. Suggestions for improvement focused on rest facilities, rota patterns and hierarchies, creating opportunities for reflection and ensuring continued educational and training opportunities despite operational demands. CONCLUSIONS: Trainees described opportunities for learning and fulfilment, as well as challenges, in working through a pandemic. Trainees described their needs and how well these were met during the pandemic. Ideas for improvement most frequently related to basic needs including safety and fatigue, but suggestions also related to supporting learning and development. The appreciative inquiry methodology of the project facilitated effective reflection on positive aspects of trainee experiences. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Mental health status of people isolated due to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome | OBJECTIVES: Isolation due to the management of infectious diseases is thought to affect mental health, but the effects are still unknown. We examined the prevalence of anxiety symptoms and anger in persons isolated during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic both at isolation period and at four to six months after release from isolation. We also determined risk factors associated with these symptoms at four to six months. METHODS: Of 14,992 individuals isolated for 2-week due to having contact with MERS patients in 2015, when MERS was introduced to Korea, 1,692 individuals were included in this study. Anxiety symptoms were evaluated with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale and anger was assessed with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory at four to six months after release from isolation for MERS. RESULTS: Of 1,692 who came in contact with MERS patients, 1,656 were not diagnosed with MERS. Among 1,656, anxiety symptoms showed 7.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.3 to 8.9%) and feelings of anger were present in 16.6% (95% CI, 14.8 to 18.4%) during the isolation period. At four to six months after release from isolation, anxiety symptoms were observed in 3.0% (95%CI, 2.2 to 3.9%). Feelings of anger were present in 6.4% (95% CI, 5.2 to 7.6%). Risk factors for experiencing anxiety symptoms and anger at four to six months after release included symptoms related to MERS during isolation, inadequate supplies (food, clothes, accommodation), social networking activities (email, text, Internet), history of psychiatric illnesses, and financial loss. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health problems at four to six month after release from isolation might be prevented by providing mental health support to individuals with vulnerable mental health, and providing accurate information as well as appropriate supplies, including food, clothes, and accommodation. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
The rate of COVID-19 and associated mortality after elective hip and knee arthroplasty prior to cessation of elective services in UK | AIMS: The primary aim was to assess the rate of postoperative COVID-19 following hip and knee arthroplasty performed in March 2020 in the UK. The secondary aims were to assess whether there were clinical factors associated with COVID-19 status, the mortality rate of patients with COVID-19, and the rate of potential COVID-19 in patients not presenting to healthcare services. METHODS: A multicentre retrospective study was conducted of patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (1 March 2020 to 31 March 2020) with a minimum of 60 days follow-up. Patient demographics, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, procedure type, primary or revision, length of stay (LOS), COVID-19 test status, and postoperative mortality were recorded. A subgroup of patients (n = 211) who had not presented to healthcare services after discharge were contacted and questioned as to whether they had symptoms of COVID-19. RESULTS: Five (0.5%) of 1,073 patients who underwent hip or knee arthroplasty tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 postoperatively. When adjusting for confounding factors, increasing LOS (p = 0.022) was the only significant factor associated with developing COVID-19 following surgery and a stay greater than three days was a reliable predictor with an area under the curve of 81% (p = 0.018). There were three (0.3%) deaths in the study cohort and the overall mortality rate attributable to COVID-19 was 0.09% (n = 1/1,073), with one (20%) of the five patients with COVID-19 dying postoperatively. Of the 211 patients contacted, two had symptoms within two to 14 days postoperatively with a positive predictive value of 31% and it was therefore estimated that one patient may have had undiagnosed COVID-19. CONCLUSION: The rate of postoperative COVID-19 was 0.5% and may have been as high as 1% when accounting for those patients not presenting to healthcare services, which was similar to the estimated population prevalence during the study period. The overall mortality rate secondary to COVID-19 was low (0.09%), however the mortality rate for those patients developing COVID-19 was 20%. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(4):681-688. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |
Barriers to the development of the circular economy in small and medium-sized enterprises in Slovakia | The circular economy is the successor to the current model of the linear economy. Its basic principle is the environmentally acceptable use of resources. At present, it can be understood as an intensively developing megatrend of the business environment. It can be assumed that the competitiveness of companies in the future will be highly dependent on how companies will be able to implement the principles of the circular economy. The article is focused on the analysis of the use of activities of the circular economy in the conditions of small and medium enterprises in Slovakia and on the willingness to finance these activities from the turnover of the company. Based on the conducted questionnaire survey, it was confirmed that smaller companies implement activities of the circular economy more slowly and their willingness to finance these activities is lower compared to larger companies. It can also be stated that if smaller companies carry out activities of the circular economy, these are mostly cost-free or low-cost activities. As the size of the company increases, so does the level of company involvement in the circular economy. The results achieved are similar in several areas to those of the Eurobarometer 2016. It may therefore appear that, despite the various activities of economic policy makers, there has been no shift in this area. However, it should be taken into account that our questionnaire survey was conducted during the Covid 19 virus pandemic, which has a significant impact on the business environment, business decision-making processes. | Please summerize the given abstract to a title |