title: Not all world leaders use Twitter in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: impact of the way of Angela Merkel on psychological distress, behaviour and risk perception

text: At a time of growing governmental restrictions and 'physical distancing' in order to decelerate the spread of COVID-19, psychological challenges are increasing. Social media plays an important role in maintaining social contact as well as exerting political influence. World leaders use it not only to keep citizens informed but also to boost morale and manage people's fears. However, some leaders do not follow this approach; an example is the German Chancellor. In a large online survey, we aimed to determine levels of COVID-19 fear, generalized anxiety, depression, safety behaviour, trust in government and risk perception in Germany. A total of 12 244 respondents participated during the period of restraint and the public shutdown in March 2020. Concurrent with the German Chancellor's speech, a reduction of anxiety and depression was noticeable in the German population. It appears that, in addition to using social media platforms like Twitter, different-and sometimes more conservative-channels for providing information can also be effective.


title: A Case for Participatory Disease Surveillance of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India

text: The coronavirus disease pandemic requires the deployment of novel surveillance strategies to curtail further spread of the disease in the community. Participatory disease surveillance mechanisms have already been adopted in countries for the current pandemic. India, with scarce resources, good telecom support, and a not-so-robust heath care system, makes a strong case for introducing participatory disease surveillance for the prevention and control of the pandemic. India has just launched Aarogya Setu, which is a first-of-its-kind participatory disease surveillance initiative in India. This will supplement the existing Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme in India by finding missing cases and having faster aggregation, analysis of data, and prompt response measures. This newly created platform empowers communities with the right information and guidance, enabling protection from infection and reducing unnecessary contact with the overburdened health care system. However, caution needs to be exercised to address participation from digitally isolated populations, ensure the reliability of data, and consider ethical concerns such as maintaining individual privacy.


COVID 19 and training in the UK- Correspondence


title: Prone Position in Management of COVID-19 Patients;a Commentary

text: SARS-CoV-2 virus causes a pneumonia that was identified through fever, dyspnea, and acute respiratory symptoms and named COVID-19 This disease exacerbates in a number of patients and causes pulmonary edema, multi-organ failure, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) Prevalence of ARDS among COVID-19 patients has been reported to be up to 17% Among the introduced treatment methods for management of ARDS patients, prone position can be used as an adjuvant therapy for improving ventilation in these patients Here we reviewed the literature regarding the role of prone position in management of COVID-19 patients


Call of duty: neuro-oncology outpatient management during the COVID-19 pandemic in Milan, ITALY


title: Use of SARS-CoV-2-infected deceased organ donors: Should we always "just say no?"

text: In the context of a rapidly evolving pandemic, multiple organizations have released guidelines stating that all organs from potential deceased donors with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection should be deferred, including from otherwise medically eligible donors found to have mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 discovered on routine donor screening. In this article, we critically examine the available data on the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through organ transplantation. The isolation of SARS-CoV-2 from nonlung clinical specimens, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in autopsy specimens, previous experience with the related coronaviruses SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and the vast experience with other common RNA respiratory viruses are all addressed. Taken together, these data provide little evidence to suggest the presence of intact transmissible SARS-CoV in organs that can potentially be transplanted, specifically liver and heart. Other considerations including ethical, financial, societal, and logistical concerns are also addressed. We conclude that, for selected patients with high waitlist mortality, transplant programs should consider accepting heart or liver transplants from deceased donors with SARS-CoV-2 infection.


"Please doctor, could you tell him that I love him?": Letter from plastic surgeons at the COVID-19 warfront


Implications of SARS CoV-2 positivity in amniotic membranes for ophthalmologists


What Is Needed to Make Interventional Radiology Ready for COVID-19? Lessons from SARS-CoV Epidemic


Efficacy of face masks depends on spatial relation between host and recipient and who is being protected


Chest computed tomography in children with COVID-19


Observations about sexual and other routes of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) transmission and its prevention


title: Addressing the Impact of COVID-19 on the Residency Application Process Through a Virtual Subinternship

text: Senior medical students are facing an unparalleled experiential gap left by COVID-19 restrictions. Due to a shared commitment to safety, equity, and well-being, away rotations are actively being discouraged or even prohibited. As a result, students transitioning to residency encounter reduced clinical training experiences and decreased access to advising, mentorship, and research opportunities. In addition, limited exposure to residency life across subspecialties and institutions poses unique challenges during the current residency application cycle. The otolaryngology-head and neck surgery community has met these unprecedented challenges by producing diverse electronic resources for specialty-specific clinical education, as well as discussing ways to increase access to advising. In this commentary, we review these initiatives and propose an institutional virtual event as a platform for meeting goals previously achieved by visiting subinternships.


Asymptomatic Spread of COVID-19 in 97 Patients at a Skilled Nursing Facility


title: CoVID-19 insights from transfusion medicine

text: The emergence of CoVID-19 infection in the first months of 2020 resulted in a massive surge in admissions to hospitals and intensive care units due to the nature of the respiratory pathophysiology. In some countries, health care systems were rapidly overwhelmed, while in others their hospitals coped with the first wave and all patients received the level of care needed, depending upon both the containment measured and the level of development of the heath care systems.


title: Mentality and behavior in COVID-19 emergency status in Japan: Influence of personality, morality and ideology

text: The COVID-19 pandemic began in December 2019 and severely influenced society. In response, the Japanese government declared a state of emergency on 7th April in seven prefectures. The study conducted an immediate survey on 8th April to record the response of the general public to the first emergency status due to epidemics. The study hypothesized that personality traits, moral foundation, and political ideology can influence people's mentality, cognition, and behavior toward COVID-19. Based on a nationwide dataset of 1856 respondents (male = 56.3%, Mage = 46.7, emergency regions = 49.9%), the study found that personality, morality, and ideology altered mental health status and motivated behaviors toward COVID-19. Neuroticism and avoiding harm involved cognition and behavior through various means. The study also found significant differences among demographic groups. Results are informative and contributive to the governance and management of, and aid for, individual responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: An Evaluation of Cleaning Practices at a Teaching Hospital

text: BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the role of hospital-acquired infections in spreading epidemics. Adequately cleaning surfaces in patient rooms is an essential part of this fight to reduce the spread. Traditional audits, however, are insufficient. This study assesses surface cleaning practices using UV marker technology and the extent to which this technology can help improve cleaning audits and practices. METHODS: 144 audits (1,235 surfaces) were retrieved. UV marker cleaning audits conducted at a major teaching hospital in 2018 after implementing a new cleaning protocol. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with cleaning staff and supervisors. RESULTS: On average, 63% of surfaces were appropriately cleaned. Toilet handles (80%) and toilet seats underside (83%) scored highest while main room sink fixtures (54%), light switch (55%) and bedrails (56%) scored lowest. Training, staffing and time constraints may play a role in low cleaning rates. DISCUSSION: The high-touch patient surfaces in the bedroom remain neglected and a potential source of infections. UV marker audits provided an objective measure of cleaning practices that managers and staff were unaware of. CONCLUSION: UV markers audits can play a key role in revealing deficiencies in cleaning practices and help in raising awareness of these deficiencies and improving cleaning practices.


Aspiration Pneumonia or COVID-19 Infection: A Diagnostic Challenge


Challenges in evaluating SARS-CoV-2 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic


title: Auxiliary Signal-Guided Knowledge Encoder-Decoder for Medical Report Generation

text: Beyond the common difficulties faced in the natural image captioning, medical report generation specifically requires the model to describe a medical image with a fine-grained and semantic-coherence paragraph that should satisfy both medical commonsense and logic. Previous works generally extract the global image features and attempt to generate a paragraph that is similar to referenced reports; however, this approach has two limitations. Firstly, the regions of primary interest to radiologists are usually located in a small area of the global image, meaning that the remainder parts of the image could be considered as irrelevant noise in the training procedure. Secondly, there are many similar sentences used in each medical report to describe the normal regions of the image, which causes serious data bias. This deviation is likely to teach models to generate these inessential sentences on a regular basis. To address these problems, we propose an Auxiliary Signal-Guided Knowledge Encoder-Decoder (ASGK) to mimic radiologists' working patterns. In more detail, ASGK integrates internal visual feature fusion and external medical linguistic information to guide medical knowledge transfer and learning. The core structure of ASGK consists of a medical graph encoder and a natural language decoder, inspired by advanced Generative Pre-Training (GPT). Experiments on the CX-CHR dataset and our COVID-19 CT Report dataset demonstrate that our proposed ASGK is able to generate a robust and accurate report, and moreover outperforms state-of-the-art methods on both medical terminology classification and paragraph generation metrics.


Lymphocytopenia and Radiotherapy Treatment Volumes in the Time of COVID-19


title: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome ;Коронавирусная инфекция (COVID-19) и синдром диссеминированного внутрисосудистого свертывания

text: COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the beta coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which became widespread worldwide in 2020 In most severe patients, the clinical picture begins with respiratory failure, then progressing to polyorgan failure The most adverse prognostic sign is the development of coagulopathy Based on the analysis of clinical data available to date, 71 4% of those who died and 0 6% of those who survived showed signs of explicit disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome (DIC-syndrome) Monitoring of D-dimer, prothrombin time (PT), platelet and fibrinogen count are important for determining treatment and indications for hospitalization among patients with COVID-19 If these parameters deteriorate, more "aggressive" intensive care should be performed Lowmolecular weight heparin (LMWH) should be administered to all patients with diagnosed COVID-19 infection (including non-critical patients) who require hospitalization if these patients have no contraindications for LMWH ;COVID-19 – инфекционное заболевание, вызываемое бета- коронавирусом SARS-CoV-2, которое получило распространение по всему миру в 2020 году У большинства тяжелых пациентов клиническая картина начинается с дыхательной недостаточности, в последующем прогрессирующей вплоть до полиорганной недостаточности Самым неблагоприятным прогностическим признаком является развитие коагулопатии На основании анализа доступных на сегодняшний день клинических данных у 71,4% погибших и у 0,6% выживших имелись признаки явного ДВС-синдрома Мониторинг D-димера, протромбинового времени (ПВ), количества тромбоцитов и фибриногена важен для определения показаний к назначению лечения и госпитализации у пациентов с COVID-19 При ухудшении этих параметров должна проводиться более «агрессивная» реанимационная помощь Низкомолекулярный гепарин (НМГ) следует назначать всем пациентам с диагностированной инфекцией COVID-19 (включая некритических больных), которым требуется госпитализация, при отсутствии у данных больных противопоказаний к НМГ


title: Impact of COVID-19 on Pediatric Asthma: Practice Adjustments and Disease Burden

text: BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether asthma may affect susceptibility or severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children and how pediatric asthma services worldwide have responded to the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric asthma services and on disease burden in their patients. METHODS: An online survey was sent to members of the Pediatric Asthma in Real Life think tank and the World Allergy Organization Pediatric Asthma Committee. It included questions on service provision, disease burden, and the clinical course of confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection among children with asthma. RESULTS: Ninety-one respondents, caring for an estimated population of more than 133,000 children with asthma, completed the survey. COVID-19 significantly impacted pediatric asthma services: 39% ceased physical appointments, 47% stopped accepting new patients, and 75% limited patients' visits. Consultations were almost halved to a median of 20 (interquartile range, 10-25) patients per week. Virtual clinics and helplines were launched in most centers. Better than expected disease control was reported in 20% (10%-40%) of patients, whereas control was negatively affected in only 10% (7.5%-12.5%). Adherence also appeared to increase. Only 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported among the population; the estimated incidence is not apparently different from the reports of general pediatric cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Children with asthma do not appear to be disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Outcomes may even have improved, possibly through increased adherence and/or reduced exposures. Clinical services have rapidly responded to the pandemic by limiting and replacing physical appointments with virtual encounters.


Assessment of Treatment response to Sirolimus in pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis by longitudinal quantification of cystic changes using automated post-processing of chest CT-data


Recomendaciones para cirugía en pacientes con patologías oncológicas durante la pandemia COVID-19


docid: mmfrgopf

title: Why are most COVID-19 infection curves linear?

text: Many countries have passed their first COVID-19 epidemic peak. Traditional epidemiological models describe this as a result of non-pharmaceutical interventions that pushed the growth rate below the recovery rate. In this new phase of the pandemic many countries show an almost linear growth of confirmed cases for extended time-periods. This new containment regime is hard to explain by traditional models where infection numbers either grow explosively until herd immunity is reached, or the epidemic is completely suppressed (zero new cases). Here we offer an explanation of this puzzling observation based on the structure of contact networks. We show that for any given transmission rate there exists a critical number of social contacts, $D_c$, below which linear growth and low infection prevalence must occur. Above $D_c$ traditional epidemiological dynamics takes place, as e.g. in SIR-type models. When calibrating our corresponding model to empirical estimates of the transmission rate and the number of days being contagious, we find $D_c\sim 7.2$. Assuming realistic contact networks with a degree of about 5, and assuming that lockdown measures would reduce that to household-size (about 2.5), we reproduce actual infection curves with a remarkable precision, without fitting or fine-tuning of parameters. In particular we compare the US and Austria, as examples for one country that initially did not impose measures and one that responded with a severe lockdown early on. Our findings question the applicability of standard compartmental models to describe the COVID-19 containment phase. The probability to observe linear growth in these is practically zero.


Human Immunodeficiency Virus Phylogenetics in the United States-and Elsewhere


A cascade of causes that led to the COVID-19 tragedy in Italy and in other European Union countries


People power: How India is attempting to slow the coronavirus


Perioperative Echocardiography: Key Considerations During the Coronavirus Pandemic


title: The role of a Coronavirus disease 2019 pharmacist: an Australian perspective

text: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly impacted healthcare services around the world. Pharmacists are front-line healthcare professionals and integral members of the healthcare team. The deployment of a specialized 'COVID pharmacist' within our institution has demonstrated that the skills of the pharmacist can be adapted, expanded and utilized to alleviate the pressure of doctor shortages, reduce healthcare worker exposure to infected patients, contribute to therapeutic decisions and work collaboratively to tackle the challenges faced during this pandemic. This commentary details an Australian hospital pharmacy response to the COVID-19 pandemic, describing the unique clinical and practical contributions made by a specialized COVID pharmacist in our institution.


title: Tracheostomy in the COVID-19 era: global and multidisciplinary guidance

text: Global health care is experiencing an unprecedented surge in the number of critically ill patients who require mechanical ventilation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The requirement for relatively long periods of ventilation in those who survive means that many are considered for tracheostomy to free patients from ventilatory support and maximise scarce resources. COVID-19 provides unique challenges for tracheostomy care: health-care workers need to safely undertake tracheostomy procedures and manage patients afterwards, minimising risks of nosocomial transmission and compromises in the quality of care. Conflicting recommendations exist about case selection, the timing and performance of tracheostomy, and the subsequent management of patients. In response, we convened an international working group of individuals with relevant expertise in tracheostomy. We did a literature and internet search for reports of research pertaining to tracheostomy during the COVID-19 pandemic, supplemented by sources comprising statements and guidance on tracheostomy care. By synthesising early experiences from countries that have managed a surge in patient numbers, emerging virological data, and international, multidisciplinary expert opinion, we aim to provide consensus guidelines and recommendations on the conduct and management of tracheostomy during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: High-Throughput Transcription-mediated amplification on the Hologic Panther is a highly sensitive method of detection for SARS-CoV-2

text: BACKGROUND: As the demand for laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 increases, additional varieties of testing methodologies are being considered. While real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has performed as the main method for virus detection, other methods are becoming available, including transcription mediated amplification (TMA). The Hologic Aptima SARS-CoV-2 Assay utilizes TMA as a target amplification mechanism, and it has only recently received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). OBJECTIVES: We sought to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the Aptima SARS-CoV-2 Assay to RTPCR as a means of SARS-CoV-2 detection in a diagnostic setting. STUDY DESIGN: We performed a limit-of-detection study (LoD) to assess the analytical sensitivity of TMA and RT-PCR. This preceded a comparison of the methods using previously evaluated clinical specimens (nasopharyngeal swabs) using 116 human specimens tested by both methodologies. Specimens included sixty-one (61) specimens found reactive by real-time PCR, fifty-one (51) found non-reactive, and four (4) deemed inconclusive. RESULTS: The Aptima SARS-CoV-2 Assay showed a markedly higher analytical sensitivity than RT-PCR by LoD study. Evaluation of clinical specimens resulted in fewer inconclusive results by the SARS-CoV-2 assay, leading to potentially higher clinical sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS: Higher analytical sensitivity may explain TMA's ability to ascertain for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genome in human specimens deemed inconclusive by real-time PCR. TMA provides an effective, highly sensitive means of detection of SARS-CoV-2 in nasopharyngeal specimens.


title: Operating during COVID-19: Is there a risk of viral transmission from surgical smoke during surgery?

text: Summary: The World Health Organization declared a pandemic when coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) started to sweep the globe. Growing concerns for the safety of health care workers was raised when up to 80% of people with COVID-19 showed mild or no symptoms at all. Some surgical procedures will be inevitable during the pandemic, and proper safety measures must be in place to avoid transmission risks. Surgical smoke is a common by-product from the use of energy devices in the operating room. The effects of surgical smoke have been studied for more than 40 years, and potential health hazards have been reported. Chemicals, carcinogens and biologically active materials, such as bacteria and viruses, have been isolated in surgical smoke. To ensure the safety of operating room personnel, we must consider whether there is any concern of viral transmission from the inhalation of surgical smoke.


title: Knowledge synthesis from 100 million biomedical documents augments the deep expression profiling of coronavirus receptors

text: The COVID-19 pandemic demands assimilation of all available biomedical knowledge to decode its mechanisms of pathogenicity and transmission. Despite the recent renaissance in unsupervised neural networks for decoding unstructured natural languages, a platform for the real-time synthesis of the exponentially growing biomedical literature and its comprehensive triangulation with deep omic insights is not available. Here, we present the nferX platform for dynamic inference from over 45 quadrillion possible conceptual associations extracted from unstructured biomedical text, and their triangulation with Single Cell RNA-sequencing based insights from over 25 tissues. Using this platform, we identify intersections between the pathologic manifestations of COVID-19 and the comprehensive expression profile of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2. We find that tongue keratinocytes and olfactory epithelial cells are likely under-appreciated targets of SARS-CoV-2 infection, correlating with reported loss of sense of taste and smell as early indicators of COVID-19 infection, including in otherwise asymptomatic patients. Airway club cells, ciliated cells and type II pneumocytes in the lung, and enterocytes of the gut also express ACE2. This study demonstrates how a holistic data science platform can leverage unprecedented quantities of structured and unstructured publicly available data to accelerate the generation of impactful biological insights and hypotheses.


COVID-19 diffusion capability is its worst, unpredictable chracateristic. How to visit a patient from a distance


An Early Warning Score to predict ICU admission in COVID-19 positive patients


title: Clinical features, laboratory characteristics, and outcomes of patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Early report from the United States

text: Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2), is an ongoing pandemic that has already affected millions of patients worldwide, and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality burden. Although the clinical and laboratory characteristics of this illness have been reported in patients from China and Europe, data are scant in the United States. Methods We extracted data regarding all patients hospitalized at our hospital with COVID-19 infection between March 1 and April 4, 2020. Presenting signs and symptoms, laboratory and imaging findings, treatment, and complications were recorded from electronic medical records (EMRs). The primary composite endpoint was admission to intensive care unit (ICU), shock, or death. Results We had a total of 43 patients tested for COVID-19 at the emergency room (ER) or during hospitalization, 16 (37%) of whom were admitted with COVID-19 infection. The mean age was 65.5 years and 75% were males. The most common presenting symptoms were fever (94%), cough (88%), and dyspnea (81%). A loss of smell and taste sensations were reported by three (19%) patients. Low oxygen saturation was present in 38% of patients, whilst 31% were hypotensive on admission. Hyponatremia (50%), elevated C-reactive protein (CRP; 100%), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; 80%) were common. Acute renal failure, myocardial injury, and elevation in aminotransferases occurred in 69%, 19%, and 38% patients, respectively. The primary composite endpoint occurred in 50% of patients. A total of three patients died; all were aged 70 years or older. Conclusions Laboratory abnormalities and acute renal failure were common in hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV2 infection in our center. Admission to ICU and mechanical ventilation were common.


What evidence-based medicine researchers can do to help clinicians fighting COVID-19?


Cancer Center Recommendations to Mitigate COVID-19 Impact in Patients With Cancer: Low-Resource Settings Version


title: Novel Coronavirus Infection in Hospitalized Infants Under 1 Year of Age in China

text: Previous studies suggest that COVID-19 is more likely to infect older adult men, particularly those with chronic comorbidities 2-4 Few infections in children have been reported We identified all infected infants in China and described demographic, epidemiologic, and clinical features


title: Human Mobility in Response to COVID-19 in France, Italy and UK

text: The policies implemented to hinder the COVID-19 outbreak represent one of the largest critical events in history. The understanding of this process is fundamental for crafting and tailoring post-disaster relief. In this work we perform a massive data analysis, through geolocalized data from 13M Facebook users, on how such a stress affected mobility patterns in France, Italy and UK. We find that the general reduction of the overall efficiency in the network of movements is accompanied by geographical fragmentation with a massive reduction of long-range connections. The impact, however, differs among nations according to their initial mobility structure. Indeed, we find that the mobility network after the lockdown is more concentrated in the case of France and UK and more distributed in Italy. Such a process can be approximated through percolation to quantify the substantial impact of the lockdown.


Should qualitative RT-PCR be used to determine release from isolation of COVID-19 patients?


docid: fekaerfk

title: How mental health services are adapting to provide care in the pandemic


Benign course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a series of pediatric oncology patients


title: Digital health management during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Opportunities, barriers, and recommendations

text: UNSTRUCTURED: During the COVID-19 crisis, digital technologies have become a major route for accessing remote care. Therefore, the need to ensure that these tools are safe and effective has never been greater. We raise five calls to action to ensure the safety, availability and long-term sustainability of theseDuring the COVID-19 crisis, digital technologies have become a major route for accessing remote care. Therefore, the need to ensure that these tools are safe and effective has never been greater. We raise five calls to action to ensure the safety, availability and long-term sustainability of these technologies: (1) Due diligence: Remove harmful health apps from app stores; (2) Data insights: Use relevant health data insights from high-quality digital tools to inform the greater response to COVID-19; (3) Freely available resources: Make high-quality digital health tools available without charge, where possible and for as long as possible, especially to those who are most vulnerable; (4) Digital transitioning: Transform conventional offline mental health services to make them digitally available; and (5) Population self-management: Encourage governments and insurers to work with developers to look at how digital health management could be subsidised or funded. We believe this should be carried out at the population level, rather than at a prescription level.


Covid-19 exposes weaknesses in European response to outbreaks


The urge to implement and expand telepsychiatry during the COVID-19 crisis: Early career psychiatrists' perspective


COVID-19 Pandemic: Considerations for Safe Medication Use in Older Adults with Multimorbidity and Polypharmacy


docid: xtnoudku

title: State Estimation-Based Robust Optimal Control of Influenza Epidemics in an Interactive Human Society

text: This paper presents a state estimation-based robust optimal control strategy for influenza epidemics in an interactive human society in the presence of modeling uncertainties. Interactive society is influenced by the random entrance of individuals from other human societies whose effects can be modeled as a non-Gaussian noise. Since only the number of exposed and infected humans can be measured, states of the influenza epidemics are first estimated by an extended maximum correntropy Kalman filter (EMCKF) to provide a robust state estimation in the presence of the non-Gaussian noise. An online quadratic program (QP) optimization is then synthesized subject to a robust control Lyapunov function (RCLF) to minimize susceptible and infected humans, while minimizing and bounding the rates of vaccination and antiviral treatment. The joint QP-RCLF-EMCKF meets multiple design specifications such as state estimation, tracking, pointwise control optimality, and robustness to parameter uncertainty and state estimation errors that have not been achieved simultaneously in previous studies. The uniform ultimate boundedness (UUB)/convergence of error trajectories is guaranteed using a Lyapunov stability argument. The soundness of the proposed approach is validated on the influenza epidemics of an interactive human society with a population of 16000. Simulation results show that the QP-RCLF-EMCKF achieves appropriate tracking and state estimation performance. The robustness of the proposed controller is finally illustrated in the presence of modeling error and non-Gaussian noise.


title: The Phylogeography of MERS-CoV in Hospital Outbreak-Associated Cases Compared to Sporadic Cases in Saudi Arabia

text: This study compared the phylogeography of MERS-CoV between hospital outbreak-associated cases and sporadic cases in Saudi Arabia. We collected complete genome sequences from human samples in Saudi Arabia and data on the multiple risk factors of human MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia reported from 2012 to 2018. By matching each sequence to human cases, we identified isolates as hospital outbreak-associated cases or sporadic cases. We used Bayesian phylogenetic methods including temporal, discrete trait analysis and phylogeography to uncover transmission routes of MERS-CoV isolates between hospital outbreaks and sporadic cases. Of the 120 sequences collected between 19 June 2012 and 23 January 2017, there were 64 isolates from hospital outbreak-associated cases and 56 from sporadic cases. Overall, MERS-CoV is fast evolving at 7.43 × 10-4 substitutions per site per year. Isolates from hospital outbreaks showed unusually fast evolutionary speed in a shorter time-frame than sporadic cases. Multiple introductions of different MERS-CoV strains occurred in three separate hospital outbreaks. MERS-CoV appears to be mutating in humans. The impact of mutations on viruses transmissibility in humans is unknown.


Use of triiodothyronine to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients: a new clinical trial


COVID-19 pandemic: stop panic abandonment of household pets


Adverse skin reactions among healthcare workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak: a survey in Wuhan and its surrounding regions


An algorithm for managing QT prolongation in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients treated with either chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine in conjunction with azithromycin: Possible benefits of intravenous lidocaine


title: A snapshot of European neurosurgery December 2019 vs. March 2020: just before and during the Covid-19 pandemic

text: BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or Covid-19), which began as an epidemic in China and spread globally as a pandemic, has necessitated resource management to meet emergency needs of Covid-19 patients and other emergent cases. We have conducted a survey to analyze caseload and measures to adapt indications for a perception of crisis. METHODS: We constructed a questionnaire to survey a snapshot of neurosurgical activity, resources, and indications during 1 week with usual activity in December 2019 and 1 week during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in March 2020. The questionnaire was sent to 34 neurosurgical departments in Europe; 25 departments returned responses within 5 days. RESULTS: We found unexpectedly large differences in resources and indications already before the pandemic. Differences were also large in how much practice and resources changed during the pandemic. Neurosurgical beds and neuro-intensive care beds were significantly decreased from December 2019 to March 2020. The utilization of resources decreased via less demand for care of brain injuries and subarachnoid hemorrhage, postponing surgery and changed surgical indications as a method of rationing resources. Twenty departments (80%) reduced activity extensively, and the same proportion stated that they were no longer able to provide care according to legitimate medical needs. CONCLUSION: Neurosurgical centers responded swiftly and effectively to a sudden decrease of neurosurgical capacity due to relocation of resources to pandemic care. The pandemic led to rationing of neurosurgical care in 80% of responding centers. We saw a relation between resources before the pandemic and ability to uphold neurosurgical services. The observation of extensive differences of available beds provided an opportunity to show how resources that had been restricted already under normal conditions translated to rationing of care that may not be acceptable to the public of seemingly affluent European countries.


COVID-19 and orthopaedic and trauma surgery


title: A critical review: traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Stephania tetrandra S. Moore (Fen Fang Ji)

text: Abstract: Stephania tetrandra S. Moore (S. tetrandra) is distributed widely in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia and Africa. The root of this plant is known in Chinese as "Fen Fang Ji". It is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat arthralgia caused by rheumatism, wet beriberi, dysuria, eczema and inflamed sores. Although promising reports have been published on the various chemical constituents and activities of S. tetrandra, no review comprehensively summarizes its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology. Therefore, the review aims to provide a critical and comprehensive evaluation of the traditional use, phytochemistry, pharmacological properties, pharmacokinetics and toxicology of S. tetrandra in China, and meaningful guidelines for future investigations.


COVID-19 in Liver Transplant Recipients: An Initial Experience from the U.S. Epicenter


title: The Covid19Impact Survey: Assessing the Pulse of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain via 24 questions

text: In this paper, we describe the results of analyzing a large-scale survey, called the Covid19Impact survey, to assess citizens feedback on four areas related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: social contact behavior, financial impact, working situation and health status. A total of 24 questions cover the areas of demographics, their home situation, social contact behavior, personal economic impact, their workplace situation and their health. The survey was responded to by 156,614 participants between the evening of March 28th and April 2nd, 2020. Such a large response enables us to gain new insights, as well as an unprecedented glimpse at respondents personal experiences and concerns during the current COVID-19 pandemic. From the analysis, we draw several implications for the design of public policies related to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.


The Covid-19 pandemic and people with disability


docid: dciouayo

title: Trend analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic in China and the rest of the world

text: The recent epidemic of Coronavirus (COVID-19) that started in China has already been"exported"to more than 140 countries in all the continents, evolving in most of them by local spreading. In this contribution we analyze the trends of the cases reported in all the Chinese provinces, as well as in some countries that, until March 15th, 2020, have more than 500 cases reported. Notably and differently from other epidemics, the provinces did not show an exponential phase. The data available at the Johns Hopkins University site seem to fit well an algebraic sub-exponential growing behavior as was pointed out recently. All the provinces show a clear and consistent pattern of slowing down with growing exponent going nearly zero, so it can be said that the epidemic was contained in China. On the other side, the more recent spread in countries like, Italy, Iran, and Spain show a clear exponential growth, as well as other European countries. Even more recently, US -which was one of the first countries to have an individual infected outside China (Jan 21st, 2020)- seems to follow the same path. We calculate the exponential growth of the most affected countries, showing the evolution along time after the first local case. We identify clearly different patterns in the analyzed data and we give interpretations and possible explanations for them. The analysis and conclusions of our study can help countries that, after importing some cases, are not yet in the local spreading phase, or have just started.


Coronavirus 2019 Video Conferencing: Preserving Resident Education with Online Meeting Platforms


Impact of cancelling foundation year rotations due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK


docid: xyeevstm

title: Recovery of severely ill COVID-19 patients by intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment: A case series

text: INTRODUCTION: During the recent months, COVID-19 has turned to a global crisis claiming high mortality and morbidity among populations. Despite the high prevalence of the disease, it has currently no definitive treatment. We here reported the effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration in severely ill COVID-19 patients diagnosed based on PCR and radiology tests. CASE PRESENTATION: Five severely ill COVID-19 patients in whom standard treatments failed were administrated with IVIG which prevented the deterioration of clinical symptoms. All the patients were treated with high-dose IVIG (0.3-0.5 g/kg) for 5 consecutive days so that no patient would receive lower than 25 g of the drug. All the patients showed a desirable therapeutic response and were discharged from the hospital with a stable clinical condition after being recovered. CONCLUSION: Treatment with IVIG at the therapeutic dose of 0.3-0.5 g/kg can improve the clinical condition and O2 saturation and prevent the progression of pulmonary lesions in COVID-19 patients with severe symptoms in whom standard treatments have failed.


title: Impact of COVID-19 on liver function: results from an internal medicine unit in Northern Italy

text: Little is known regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clinical spectrum in non-Asian populations. We herein describe the impact of COVID-19 on liver function in 100 COVID-19 consecutive patients (median age 70 years, range 25-97; 79 males) who were admitted to our internal medicine unit in March 2020. We retrospectively assessed liver function tests, taking into account demographic characteristics and clinical outcome. A patient was considered as having liver injury when alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was > 50 mU/ml, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) > 50 mU/ml, or total bilirubin > 1.1 mg/dl. Spearman correlation coefficient for laboratory data and bivariable analysis for mortality and/or need for intensive care were assessed. A minority of patients (18.6%) were obese, and most patients were non- or moderate-drinkers (88.5%). Liver function tests were altered in 62.4% of patients, and improved during follow-up. None of the seven patients with known chronic liver disease had liver decompensation. Only one patient developed acute liver failure. In patients with altered liver function tests, PaO2/FiO2 < 200 was associated with greater mortality and need for intensive care (HR 2.34, 95% CI 1.07-5.11, p = 0.033). To conclude, a high prevalence of altered liver function tests was noticed in Italian patients with COVID-19, and this was associated with worse outcomes when developing severe acute respiratory distress syndrome.


Death threats after a trial on chloroquine for COVID-19


title: Prevision of multidisciplinary head and neck cancer survivorship care during the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic

text: The 2019 Coronavirus Pandemic challenges the delivery of care for patients with head and neck cancer. An important aspect of this care has been the evolution of enhanced survivorship services, which include surveillance for recurring cancer and prevention of second primaries. The application of evidence-based approaches to the identification and management of treatment and tumor-related toxicities has embraced the use of validated patient-reported outcomes instruments, health promotion, and care coordination. In this manuscript, we describe how our multidisciplinary team of survivorship providers has accommodated to the need to provide patients with social distancing while acknowledging the importance of continued care during treatment and through the spectrum of survivorship.


Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers and cardiovascular disease


title: Privacy in Crisis: A study of self-disclosure during the Coronavirus pandemic

text: We study observed incidence of self-disclosure in a large dataset of Tweets representing user-led English-language conversation about the Coronavirus pandemic in the month between March 1 and April 3, 2020. Using an unsupervised approach to detection of voluntary disclosure of personal information, we provide early evidence that situational factors surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic may impact individuals' privacy calculus. Text analyses reveal topical shift toward supportiveness and support-seeking in self-disclosing conversation on Twitter. We run a comparable analysis of Tweets from Hurricane Harvey to provide context for observed effects and suggest opportunities for further study.


title: Infección por coronavirus en pacientes con diabetes

text: Diabetes mellitus is a complex, multifactorial, chronic disease characterized by impaired metabolism of glucose, fats and proteins Patients who suffer from it frequently have hyperglycemia and coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death The comorbidities associated with diabetes are overweight and obesity, systemic arterial hypertension, atherogenic dyslipidemia and in some patients peripheral vascular disease, kidney damage, neuropathy and retinopathy Chronic lack of control of the disease is associated with increased susceptibility to infections, which generally have few symptoms, but hyperglycemia is generally magnified, which worsens the course of infections Since December 2019, when the disease caused by one of the coronaviruses (coronavirus 2 of severe acute respiratory syndrome, SARS-CoV-2) was identified and has been called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), there have been some reports that associate the presence of diabetes with an increased risk of mortality In this review article we have focused on four specific points: 1) epidemiology of the prevalence and mortality of COVID 19 in the general population and in the population with type 2 diabetes mellitus;2) pathophysiology related to the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to receptors in subjects with diabetes;3) the immune response induced by SARS-CoV-2, and 4) the outpatient and hospital treatment recommended in patients with diabetes who become infected with SARS-CoV-2


Chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis of COVID-19


A map of SARS-CoV-2 and host cell interactions


title: Updates on the Pharmacology of Chloroquine against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Perspective on its Use in the General and Geriatric Population

text: BACKGROUND: Chloroquine has been used to treat malaria for more than 70 years. Its safety profile and costeffectiveness are well-documented. Scientists have found that chloroquine has in vitro activity against novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Currently, chloroquine has been adopted in the Protocol for Managing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) (Version 7) issued by China National Health Commission for clinically managing COVID-19. OBJECT: This review will focus on the antiviral mechanism, effectiveness and safety, dosage and DDIs of chloroquine, for the purpose to provide evidence-based support for rational use of chloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19. Methodï¼Use the search terms 'chloroquine' linked with 'effectiveness', 'safety', 'mechanism', 'drug-drug interaction (DDIs)' or other terms respectively to search relevant literature through PubMed. RESULT: After searching, we found literature about antivirus mechanism, dosage, DDIs of chloroquine. However, studies of effectiveness and safety on chloroquine treatment of COVID-19 for the general and geriatric patients are not enough. CONCLUSION: According to literature reports, chloroquine has been proved to have anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect in vitro and the potential mechanism of chloroquine in vivo. Pharmacokinetic characteristics and DDIs study are helpful to guide rational drug use in general and geriatric patients. Although there have been reports of successful clinical application of chloroquine in treatment COVID-19ï¼more clinical test data are still needed to prove its effectiveness and safety.


title: Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic

text: The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused significant strain on medical centers resources. Thus, concerns about the reducing and management of COVID-19 are on the rise, as there is need to provide diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, and follow-ups during the pandemic. Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically and quickly altered how medical practitioners provide care to patients. Medical centers are now responding to COVID-19 through rapid adoption of digital tools and technologies such as telemedicine and virtual care which refer to the delivery of healthcare services digital or at a distance using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for treatment of patients. Telemedicine is expected to deliver timely care while minimizing exposure to protect medical practitioners and patients. Accordingly, a rapid literature review was conducted, and 35 research studies published from 2019 to May 2020 were employed to provide theoretical and practical evidence on the significance of using telemedicine and virtual care for remote treatment of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article provides practical guide based on how to use telemedicine and virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study provides implication on the potentials of consolidating virtual care solutions in the near future towards contributing to integrate digital technologies into healthcare.


title: Current State of Knowledge About SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Disease in Pregnant Women

text: During any epidemic of infectious diseases, pregnant women constitute an extremely sensitive group due to altered physiology and immune functions, and thus altered susceptibility to infection. With regard to the management of pregnant COVID-19 patients, in addition to the treatment of the infection itself, which is not that different from generally accepted principles, it is interesting to consider which obstetric procedures should be used to minimize the adverse effects on mother and child. Questions arise concerning the continuation of pregnancy, how to terminate the pregnancy, the possibility of virus transmission through the placenta, isolation of the newborn after birth, and breastfeeding. The aim of this study was to review the current state of knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease in pregnant women. Because the epidemic began in China, most of the available literature comes from studies conducted there. The studies used to prepare this review article are the first non-randomized studies containing small groups of examined women. They do not provide clear indications, but show that in an epidemic situation, special care should be taken in pregnancy management, making decisions about termination of pregnancy, and handling of the newborn baby to minimize the risk of subsequent health consequences. Further analysis is needed on the incidence of COVID-19 among pregnant women and its consequences. This will allow us to develop recommendations on how to deal with patients in the future in case of repeated epidemic emergencies.


title: Expression of SARS-CoV-2 Entry Molecules ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in the Gut of Patients With IBD

text: BACKGROUND: Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have intestinal inflammation and are treated with immune-modulating medications. In the face of the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic, we do not know whether patients with IBD will be more susceptible to infection or disease. We hypothesized that the viral entry molecules angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) are expressed in the intestine. We further hypothesized that their expression could be affected by inflammation or medication usage. METHODS: We examined the expression of Ace2 and Tmprss2 by quantitative polymerase chain reacion in animal models of IBD. Publicly available data from organoids and mucosal biopsies from patients with IBD were examined for expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. We conducted RNA sequencing for CD11b-enriched cells and peripheral and lamina propria T-cells from well-annotated patient samples. RESULTS: ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were abundantly expressed in the ileum and colon and had high expression in intestinal epithelial cells. In animal models, inflammation led to downregulation of epithelial Ace2. Expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 was not increased in samples from patients with compared with those of control patients. In CD11b-enriched cells but not T-cells, the level of expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in the mucosa was comparable to other functional mucosal genes and was not affected by inflammation. Anti-tumor necrosis factor drugs, vedolizumab, ustekinumab, and steroids were linked to significantly lower expression of ACE2 in CD11b-enriched cells. CONCLUSIONS: The viral entry molecules ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are expressed in the ileum and colon. Patients with IBD do not have higher expression during inflammation; medical therapy is associated with lower levels of ACE2. These data provide reassurance for patients with IBD.


docid: jbpkxllx

title: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Considerations for the Competitive Athlete


Editorial. Neurosurgery in the storm of COVID-19: suggestions from the Lombardy region, Italy (ex malo bonum)


title: Arctic Oscillation: possible trigger of COVID-19 outbreak

text: The current COVID-19 pandemic is having detrimental consequences worldwide. The pandemic started to develop strongly by the end of January and beginning of February 2020, first in China with subsequent rapid spread to other countries with new epicenters of the outbreaks concentrated mainly within the 30-50 degrees North latitudinal band (e.g., South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Spain). Simultaneously, an unusual persistent anticyclonic situation prevailing at latitudes around 40 degrees North was observed on global scale, in line with an anomalously strong positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation. This atypical situation could have resulted in favorable meteorological conditions for a quicker spread of the virus over the latitude band detailed above. This possible connection needs further attention in order to understand the meteorological and climatological factors related to the COVID-19 outbreak, and for anticipating the spatio-temporal distribution of possible future pandemics.


title: Telehealth in the Context of COVID-19: Changing Perspectives in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States

text: BACKGROUND: On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic. On that date, there were 134,576 reported cases and 4981 deaths worldwide. By March 26, 2020, just 2 weeks later, reported cases had increased four-fold to 531,865, and deaths increased five-fold to 24,073. Older people are both major users of telehealth services and are more likely to die as a result of COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the extent that Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, during the 2 weeks following the pandemic announcement, sought to promote telehealth as a tool that could help identify COVID-19 among older people who may live alone, be frail, or be self-isolating, and give support to or facilitate the treatment of people who are or may be infected. METHODS: This paper reports, for the 2-week period previously mentioned and immediately prior, on activities and initiatives in the three countries taken by governments or their agencies (at national or state levels) together with publications or guidance issued by professional, trade, and charitable bodies. Different sources of information are drawn upon that point to the perceived likely benefits of telehealth in fighting the pandemic. It is not the purpose of this paper to draw together or analyze information that reflects growing knowledge about COVID-19, except where telehealth is seen as a component. RESULTS: The picture that emerges for the three countries, based on the sources identified, shows a number of differences. These differences center on the nature of their health services, the extent of attention given to older people (and the circumstances that can relate to them), the different geographies (notably concerned with rurality), and the changes to funding frameworks that could impact these. Common to all three countries is the value attributed to maintaining quality safeguards in the wider context of their health services but where such services are noted as sometimes having precluded significant telehealth use. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing changes and may help to establish telehealth more firmly in its aftermath. Some of the changes may not be long-lasting. However, the momentum is such that telehealth will almost certainly find a stronger place within health service frameworks for each of the three countries and is likely to have increased acceptance among both patients and health care providers.


Lesiones pernióticas y acrales en España durante el confinamiento por COVID: análisis retrospectivo de 12 casos./ Lesiones pernióticas y acrales en España durante el confinamiento por COVID: análisis retrospectivo de 12 casos./ Chilblain and Acral Purpuric Lesions in Spain during Covid Confinement: Retrospective Analysis of 12 Cases


Mind the gap: The hospital breakroom


title: Influence of COVID-19 pandemic on hospitalizations at the tertiary dermatology department in south-west Poland

text: New virus SARS-Cov-2 infection has spread over the world affecting all daily activities, including functioning of health services. Due to pandemic, many hospitals were ordered to re-organize their work. The aim of the current report was to evaluate the influence of COVID-19 pandemic on the hospitalizations at the tertiary dermatology department in south-west Poland. Two corresponding periods of 2019 and 2020 were compared in aspect of number of hospitalizations, sex, and age profile of inpatients. We clearly showed a significant reduction of hospitalized patients during the pandemic period, with marked reduction of female patients. Moreover, the significant decrease of admissions to dermatology ward was observed within children and patients older than 70 years. Patients with chronic inflammatory dermatoses (eg, atopic dermatitis, eczemas, lichen planus, pityriasis rubra pilaris) were less often hospitalized during the pandemic period. In contrast, patients suffering from dermatitis due to substances taken internally, erysipelas, syphilis, and primary cutaneous lymphomas constituted significantly higher rate of hospitalized subjects in the year 2020.


title: COVID-19 and toxicity from potential treatments: Panacea or poison

text: Since December 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been increasingly spreading from its origin in Wuhan, China to many countries around the world eventuating in morbidity and mortality affecting millions of people. This pandemic has proven to be a challenge given that there is no immediate cure, no vaccine is currently available and medications or treatments being used are still undergoing clinical trials. There have already been examples of self-medication and overdose. Clearly, there is a need to further define the efficacy of treatments used in the management of COVID-19. This evidence needs to be backed by large randomised-controlled clinical trials. In the meantime, there will no doubt be further off-label use of these medications by patients and practitioners and possibly related toxicity.


title: American Indian Reservations and COVID-19: Correlates of Early Infection Rates in the Pandemic

text: OBJECTIVE: To determine the household and community characteristics most closely associated with variation in COVID-19 incidence on American Indian reservations in the lower 48 states. DESIGN: Multivariate analysis with population weights. SETTING: Two hundred eighty-seven American Indian Reservations and tribal homelands (in Oklahoma) and, as of April 10, 2020, 861 COVID-19 cases on these reservation lands. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The relationship between rate per 1000 individuals of publicly reported COVID-19 cases at the tribal reservation and/or community level and average household characteristics from the 2018 5-Year American Community Survey records. RESULTS: By April 10, 2020, in regression analysis, COVID-19 cases were more likely by the proportion of homes lacking indoor plumbing (10.83, P = .001) and were less likely according to the percentage of reservation households that were English-only (-2.43, P = .03). Household overcrowding measures were not statistically significant in this analysis (-6.40, P = .326). CONCLUSIONS: Failure to account for the lack of complete indoor plumbing and access to potable water in a pandemic may be an important determinant of the increased incidence of COVID-19 cases. Access to relevant information that is communicated in the language spoken by many reservation residents may play a key role in the spread of COVID-19 in some tribal communities. Household overcrowding does not appear to be associated with COVID-19 infections in our data at the current time. Previous studies have identified household plumbing and overcrowding, and language, as potential pandemic and disease infection risk factors. These risk factors persist. Funding investments in tribal public health and household infrastructure, as delineated in treaties and other agreements, are necessary to protect American Indian communities.


title: Collateral benefits on other respiratory infections during fighting COVID-19

text: PURPOSE: Influenza virus infection is associated with a high disease burden. COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become a pandemic outbreak since January 2020. Taiwan has effectively contained COVID-19 community transmission. We aimed to validate whether fighting COVID-19 could help to control other respiratory infections in Taiwan. METHOD: We collected week-case data of severe influenza, invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae disease and death toll from pneumonia among 25 calendar weeks of the influenza season for four years (2016-2020), which were reported to Taiwan CDC. Trend and slope differences between years were compared. RESULT: A downturn trend of severe influenza, invasive S. pneumoniae disease and the death toll from pneumonia per week in 2019/2020 season and significant trend difference in comparison to previous seasons were noted, especially after initiation of several disease prevention measures to fight potential COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan. CONCLUSIONS: Fighting COVID-19 achieved collateral benefits on significant reductions of severe influenza burden, invasive S. pneumoniae disease activity, and the death toll from pneumonia reported to CDC in Taiwan.


The importance of designing and implementing participatory surveillance system: An approach as early detection and prevention of novel coronavirus (2019-nCov)


Challenges and opportunities for graduate students in public health during the COVID-19 pandemic


Negative-Pressure Aerosol Cover for COVID-19 Tracheostomy


title: Overview of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Treatment Updates and Advances

text: In late December 2019, several cases of pneumonia with unknown cause were reported in Wuhan, China, and this new type of pneumonia spread rapidly to across provinces during the subsequent weeks. The pathogen was identified quickly and was named as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The infectious disease caused by this virus is referred to as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Within months, it has caused a global pandemic and posed a major threat to public health worldwide. As of May 23, 2020, 5,252,452 patients have been confirmed to have the disease, and 339,026 deaths have been reported. Multiple therapeutic trials are ongoing, and some promising results have been released. A vaccine would provide the most effective approach to fight the virus by preventing infection, but none are currently available. To control the COVID-19 outbreak, large-scale measures have been applied to reduce human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Susceptible populations, including older adults, children, and health care providers, warrant particular attention to avoid transmission and infection. This review introduces current understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection and treatment strategies, emphasizing the relevant challenges associated with prevention, diagnosis, and management.


Atypical erythema multiforme palmar plaques lesions due to Sars-Cov-2


title: Identification of SARS-CoV RBD-targeting monoclonal antibodies with cross-reactive or neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2

text: SARS-CoV-2-caused COVID-19 cases are growing globally, calling for developing effective therapeutics to control the current pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV recognize angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor via the receptor-binding domain (RBD). Here, we identified six SARS-CoV RBD-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (nAbs) that cross-reacted with SARS-CoV-2 RBD, two of which, 18F3 and 7B11, neutralized SARS-CoV-2 infection. 18F3 recognized conserved epitopes on SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 RBDs, whereas 7B11 recognized epitopes on SARS-CoV RBD not fully conserved in SARS-CoV-2 RBD. The 18F3-recognizing epitopes on RBD did not overlap with the ACE2-binding sites, whereas those recognized by 7B11 were close to the ACE2-binding sites, explaining why 7B11 could, but 18F3 could not, block SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-2 RBD binding to ACE2 receptor. Our study provides an alternative approach to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection using anti-SARS-CoV nAbs.


Review of Societal Recommendations Regarding Management of Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic


And now for something completely different: from 2019-nCoV and COVID-19 to 2020-nMan


Guiding airway management and personal protective equipment for COVID-19 intubation teams


Biologics for patients affected by hidradenitis suppurativa in the COVID-19 era: data from a referral center of Southern Italy


title: RetinaMask: A Face Mask detector

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 has affected the world seriously. One major protection method for people is to wear masks in public areas. Furthermore, many public service providers require customers to use the service only if they wear masks correctly. However, there are only a few research studies about face mask detection based on image analysis. In this paper, we propose RetinaFaceMask, which is a high-accuracy and efficient face mask detector. The proposed RetinaFaceMask is a one-stage detector, which consists of a feature pyramid network to fuse high-level semantic information with multiple feature maps, and a novel context attention module to focus on detecting face masks. In addition, we also propose a novel cross-class object removal algorithm to reject predictions with low confidences and the high intersection of union. Experiment results show that RetinaFaceMask achieves state-of-the-art results on a public face mask dataset with $2.3\%$ and $1.5\%$ higher than the baseline result in the face and mask detection precision, respectively, and $11.0\%$ and $5.9\%$ higher than baseline for recall. Besides, we also explore the possibility of implementing RetinaFaceMask with a light-weighted neural network MobileNet for embedded or mobile devices.


Covid-19: trainees will not move jobs in April


Use of contemporary live tele-video conferencing for continuing surgical training at the time of COVID-19 pandemic


docid: gakvwvgm

title: Alternative Global Health Security Indexes for Risk Analysis of COVID-19

text: Given the volume of research and discussion on the health, medical, economic, financial, political, and travel advisory aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, it is essential to enquire if an outbreak of the epidemic might have been anticipated, given the well-documented history of SARS and MERS, among other infectious diseases. If various issues directly related to health security risks could have been predicted accurately, public health and medical contingency plans might have been prepared and activated in advance of an epidemic such as COVID-19. This paper evaluates an important source of health security, the Global Health Security Index (2019), which provided data before the discovery of COVID-19 in December 2019. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate how countries might have been prepared for a global epidemic, or pandemic, and acted accordingly in an effective and timely manner. The GHS index numerical scores are calculated as the arithmetic (AM), geometric (GM), and harmonic (HM) means of six categories, where AM uses equal weights for each category. The GHS Index scores are regressed on the numerical score rankings of the six categories to check if the use of equal weights of 0.167 in the calculation of the GHS Index using AM is justified, with GM and HM providing a check of the robustness of the arithmetic mean. The highest weights are determined to be around 0.244-0.246, while the lowest weights are around 0.186-0.187 for AM. The ordinal GHS Index is regressed on the ordinal rankings of the six categories to check for the optimal weights in the calculation of the ordinal Global Health Security (GHS) Index, where the highest weight is 0.368, while the lowest is 0.142, so the estimated results are wider apart than for the numerical score rankings. Overall, Rapid Response and Detection and Reporting have the largest impacts on the GHS Index score, whereas Risk Environment and Prevention have the smallest effects. The quantitative and qualitative results are different when GM and HM are used.


Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic: Hopes Ride High on Targeting Known Drugs against Unkown


Helping Africa to breathe when COVID-19 strikes


Surfing the Waves of the COVID-19 Pandemic As A Cardiovascular Clinician


BRAF-Mutated Metastatic Colon Cancers During COVID-19 Pandemic


Towards precision management of cardiovascular patients with COVID-19 to reduce mortality


Coronavirus shows how UK must act quickly before being shut out of Europe's health protection systems


title: A review of spatial causal inference methods for environmental and epidemiological applications

text: The scientific rigor and computational methods of causal inference have had great impacts on many disciplines, but have only recently begun to take hold in spatial applications. Spatial casual inference poses analytic challenges due to complex correlation structures and interference between the treatment at one location and the outcomes at others. In this paper, we review the current literature on spatial causal inference and identify areas of future work. We first discuss methods that exploit spatial structure to account for unmeasured confounding variables. We then discuss causal analysis in the presence of spatial interference including several common assumptions used to reduce the complexity of the interference patterns under consideration. These methods are extended to the spatiotemporal case where we compare and contrast the potential outcomes framework with Granger causality, and to geostatistical analyses involving spatial random fields of treatments and responses. The methods are introduced in the context of observational environmental and epidemiological studies, and are compared using both a simulation study and analysis of the effect of ambient air pollution on COVID-19 mortality rate. Code to implement many of the methods using the popular Bayesian software OpenBUGS is provided.


title: COVID-19 patients' clinical characteristics, discharge rate, and fatality rate of meta-analysis

text: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical data, discharge rate, and fatality rate of COVID-19 patients for clinical help. The clinical data of COVID-19 patients from December 2019 to February 2020 were retrieved from four databases. We statistically analyzed the clinical symptoms and laboratory results of COVID-19 patients and explained the discharge rate and fatality rate with a single-arm meta-analysis. The available data of 1994 patients in 10 literatures were included in our study. The main clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients were fever (88.5%), cough (68.6%), myalgia or fatigue (35.8%), expectoration (28.2%), and dyspnea (21.9%). Minor symptoms include headache or dizziness (12.1%), diarrhea (4.8%), nausea and vomiting (3.9%). The results of the laboratory showed that the lymphocytopenia (64.5%), increase of C-reactive protein (44.3%), increase of lactic dehydrogenase (28.3%), and leukocytopenia (29.4%) were more common. The results of single-arm meta-analysis showed that the male took a larger percentage in the gender distribution of COVID-19 patients 60% (95% CI [0.54, 0.65]), the discharge rate of COVID-19 patients was 52% (95% CI [0.34,0.70]), and the fatality rate was 5% (95% CI [0.01,0.11]).


G6PD and chloroquine: Selecting the treatment against SARS-CoV-2?


title: Arbidol: A potential antiviral drug for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 by blocking trimerization of the spike glycoprotein

text: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is a global public health emergency, and new therapeutics are needed. This article reports the potential drug target and mechanism of action of Arbidol (umifenovir) to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Molecular dynamics and structural analysis were used to show how Arbidol targets the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and impedes its trimerization, which is key for host cell adhesion and hijacking, indicating the potential of Arbidol to treat COVID-19. It is hoped that knowledge of the potential drug target and mechanism of action of Arbidol will help in the development of new therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2.


Fangcang shelter hospitals in COVID-19 pandemic: the practice and its significance


Impact of Gaucher disease on COVID-19


Effect of regular intravenous immunoglobulin therapy on prognosis of severe pneumonia in patients with COVID-19


title: Author Correction: Dual-energy CT perfusion imaging for differentiating WHO subtypes of thymic epithelial tumors

text: An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.


title: Reducing mortality and morbidity in patients with severe COVID-19 disease by advancing ongoing trials of Mesenchymal Stromal (stem) Cell (MSC) therapy - Achieving global consensus and visibility for cellular host-directed therapies

text: As of May 17th 2020, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused 307,395 deaths worldwide, out of 3,917,366 cases reported to the World Health Organization. No specific treatments for reducing mortality or morbidity are yet available. Deaths from COVID-19 will continue to rise globally until effective and appropriate treatments and/or vaccines are found. In search of effective treatments, the global medical, scientific, pharma and funding communities have rapidly initiated over 500 COVID-19 clinical trials on a range of antiviral drug regimens and repurposed drugs in various combinations. A paradigm shift is underway from the current focus of drug development targeting the pathogen, to advancing cellular Host-Directed Therapies (HDTs) for tackling the aberrant host immune and inflammatory responses which underlie the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and high COVID-19 mortality rates. We focus this editorial specifically on the background to, and the rationale for, the use and evaluation of mesenchymal stromal (Stem) cells (MSCs) in treatment trials of patients with severe COVID-19 disease. Currently, the ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) report a combined 28 trials exploring the potential of MSCs or their products for treatment of COVID-19. MSCs should also be trialed for treatment of other circulating WHO priority Blueprint pathogens such as MERS-CoV which causes upto 34% mortality rates. It's about time funding agencies invested more into development MSCs per se, and also for a range of other HDTs, in combination with other therapeutic interventions. MSC therapy could turn out to be an important contribution to bringing an end to the high COVID-19 death rates and preventing long-term functional disability in those who survive disease.


title: Changes in population movement make COVID-19 spread differently from SARS

text: This comment discusses the contribution of population movement to the spread of COVID-19, with a reference to the spread of SARS 17 years ago. We argue that the changing geography of migration, the diversification of jobs taken by migrants, the rapid growth of tourism and business trips, and the longer distance taken by people for family reunion are what make the spread of COVID-19 so differently from that of SARS. These changes in population movement are expected to continue. Hence, new strategies in disease prevention and control should be taken accordingly, which are also proposed in the comment.


title: Laboratory findings of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

text: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic first broke out in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and has now spread worldwide. Laboratory findings have been only partially described in some observational studies. To date, more comprehensive systematic reviews of laboratory findings on COVID-19 are missing. We performed a systematic review with a meta-analysis to assess laboratory findings in patients with COVID-19. Observational studies from three databases were selected. We calculated pooled proportions and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) using the random-effects model meta-analysis. A total of 1106 articles were identified from PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI (China), and other sources. After screening, 28 and 7 studies were selected for a systematic review and a meta-analysis, respectively. Of the 4,663 patients included, the most prevalent laboratory finding was increased C-reactive protein (CRP; 73.6%, 95% CI 65.0-81.3%), followed by decreased albumin (62.9%, 95% CI 28.3-91.2%), increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (61.2%, 95% CI 41.3-81.0%), decreased eosinophils (58.4%, 95% CI 46.5-69.8%), increased interleukin-6 (53.1%, 95% CI 36.0-70.0%), lymphopenia (47.9%, 95% CI 41.6-54.9%), and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH; 46.2%, 95% CI 37.9-54.7%). A meta-analysis of seven studies with 1905 patients showed that increased CRP (OR 3.0, 95% CI: 2.1-4.4), lymphopenia (OR 4.5, 95% CI: 3.3-6.0), and increased LDH (OR 6.7, 95% CI: 2.4-18.9) were significantly associated with severity. These results demonstrated that more attention is warranted when interpreting laboratory findings in patients with COVID-19. Patients with elevated CRP levels, lymphopenia, or elevated LDH require proper management and, if necessary, transfer to the intensive care unit.


title: Traditional Chinese herbal medicine for novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

text: No one expected that the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) would spread globally at the time of overshooting in Wuhan, China In Japan, it has not spread all at once from the initial infection phase of the Diamond Princess, a returnee from Wuhan, but recently the danger of overshoot has been alarmed For unknown infections, specialists in infectious diseases and respiratory organs are trying various drugs in clinical settings, and basic researchers are devoted to elucidating the onset mechanism and developing new drugs and vaccines I've thought it plausible to mention Kampo medicine However, as the spread of infection became apparent, there were more opportunities to be asked about Kampo treatment by people who were transferred overseas, who had a family of returnees, or who had an underlying disease At the request of Mr Lu Xin Xin of National Chinese Medicine Administration Bureau, which is a government agency specializing in traditional Chinese medicine, we interviewed Wumatsu 1st Secretary and Party Shikatsu 2nd Secretary who are in charge of science and technology of the Chinese Embassy The role of Kampo in Japan was discussed First of all, it is necessary to understand the situation in each country, and the members of the Cabinet Secretariat research study “Survey of demonstrability for the preparation of evidence of Oriental medicine for the realization of the“ Asia health concept ”in China and South Korea in 2019・ I decided to get information from a traditional medicine expert in Taiwan At that point, the guidelines of traditional medicine for COVID-19 in each country were immediately sent Especially in China, traditional medical treatment is incorporated into the guidelines of government agencies In this paper, I would like to summarize the contents and describe what Kampo medicine can do as a countermeasure against COVID-19 in Japan


Detection of serum IgM and IgG for COVID-19 diagnosis


title: News&Views: The distance rule in times of Corona

text: The paper discussed the recent findings of Lydia Bourouiba and her group (MIT) on disease spreading, in the context of the Corona pandemic.


title: Herpes Zoster (shingles) complicating the course of COVID19 infection

text: Different skin presentations and patterns of cutaneous signs were reported in COVID19 patients. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection is responsible for two very common skin conditions. Varicella (chichkenpox) is the initial presentation for infection with VZV and is characterized by a diffuse vesicular rash. It is after this initial attack, that VZV remains latent in the dorsal root ganglia before reactivating to present as herpes zoster (HZ) in middle age groups. Cutaneous skin findings remain to be emerging every day as a marker or a complication of COVID 19. We report a case of HZ complication in a 44 years old COVID 19 positive male.


Additional safety consideration for azithromycin in the management of SARS-CoV-2 infection


title: Molecular docking and dynamic simulations for antiviral compounds against SARS-CoV-2: A computational study

text: The aim of this study was to develop an appropriate anti-viral drug against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. An immediately qualifying strategy would be to use existing powerful drugs from various virus treatments. The strategy in virtual screening of antiviral databases for possible therapeutic effect would be to identify promising drug molecules, as there is currently no vaccine or treatment approved against COVID-19. Targeting the main protease (pdb id: 6LU7) is gaining importance in anti-CoV drug design. In this conceptual context, an attempt has been made to suggest an in silico computational relationship between US-FDA approved drugs, plant-derived natural drugs, and Coronavirus main protease (6LU7) protein. The evaluation of results was made based on Glide (Schrödinger) dock score. Out of 62 screened compounds, the best docking scores with the targets were found for compounds: lopinavir, amodiaquine, and theaflavin digallate (TFDG). Molecular dynamic (MD) simulation study was also performed for 20 ns to confirm the stability behaviour of the main protease and inhibitor complexes. The MD simulation study validated the stability of three compounds in the protein binding pocket as potent binders.


title: The Effect of COVID-19 on Youth Mental Health

text: The purposes of this study was to assess the youth mental health after the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) occurred in China two weeks later, and to investigate factors of mental health among youth groups. A cross-sectional study was conducted two weeks after the occurrence of COVID-19 in China. A total of 584 youth enrolled in this study and completed the question about cognitive status of COVID-19, the General Health Questionnaire(GHQ-12), the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and the Negative coping styles scale. Univariate analysis and univariate logistic regression were used to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 on youth mental health. The results of this cross-sectional study suggest that nearly 40.4% the sampled youth were found to be prone to psychological problems and 14.4% the sampled youth with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Univariate logistic regression revealed that youth mental health was significantly related to being less educated (OR = 8.71, 95%CI:1.97-38.43), being the enterprise employee (OR = 2.36, 95%CI:1.09-5.09), suffering from the PTSD symptom (OR = 1.05, 95%CI:1.03-1.07) and using negative coping styles (OR = 1.03, 95%CI:1.00-1.07). Results of this study suggest that nearly 40.4% of the youth group had a tendency to have psychological problems. Thus, this was a remarkable evidence that infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, may have an immense influence on youth mental health. Therefor, local governments should develop effective psychological interventions for youth groups, moreover, it is important to consider the educational level and occupation of the youth during the interventions.


Challenges to testing COVID-19 in conflict zones: Yemen as an example


Resilience of the restructured obstetric anaesthesia training programme during the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore


Outpatient Management of the Kidney Transplant Recipient during the SARS-CoV-2 Virus Pandemic


title: Resilience in the time of pandemic: The experience of community pharmacists during COVID-19

text: BACKGROUND: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a significant disruption of the practice of pharmacy. Importantly, in many parts of the world, this disruption occurred literally overnight, requiring pharmacists to demonstrate significant adaptability and resiliency in order to manage continuing and in some cases expanding needs of patients. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this research was to characterize how community pharmacy in Ontario (Canada) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic of winter/spring 2020, in particular in understanding what factors may influence or predict resiliency of individual practitioners and their workplaces. METHODS: One-on-one interviews mediated through technology (Microsoft Teams) were used, following a semi-structured interview protocol. Verbatim transcripts were produced and analyzed by two independent researchers, using an inductive coding process to identify and characterize themes. RESULTS: A total of 21 pharmacists participated in this study. Six themes were identified: a) use of and comfort with technology; b) early adoption of corporate and professional guidance; c) workplaces that emphasized task-focus rather than multi-tasking were more resilient; d) scheduling methods and practices in the workplace are important for personal resilience; e) dedicated specialty staff allowed pharmacists to focus on their work; and f) provision of personal protective equipment was essential. CONCLUSIONS: Traditionally, resilience in professional practice has been characterized as a personal, not a workplace, issue. This study suggests that personal resiliency for pharmacists requires substantial workplace support; further work in this area is required to better understand how pharmacists adapt to complex and difficult situations such as pandemics.


title: Novel Coronavirus in Cape Town Informal Settlements: Feasibility of Using Informal Dwelling Outlines to Identify High Risk Areas for COVID-19 Transmission From A Social Distancing Perspective

text: BACKGROUND: The challenges faced by the Global South during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic are compounded by the presence of informal settlements, which are typically densely populated and lacking in formalized sanitation infrastructure. Social distancing measures in informal settlements may be difficult to implement due to the density and layout of settlements. This study measures the distance between dwellings in informal settlements in Cape Town to identify the risk of COVID-19 transmission. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to determine if social distancing measures are achievable in informal settlements in Cape Town, using two settlements as an example. We will first examine the distance between dwellings and their first, second, and third nearest neighbors and then identify clusters of dwellings in which residents would be unable to effectively practice social isolation due to the close proximity of their homes. METHODS: Dwellings in the settlements of Masiphumelele and Klipfontein Glebe were extracted from a geographic information system data set of outlines of all informal dwellings in Cape Town. The distance to each dwelling's first, second, and third nearest neighbors was calculated for each settlement. A social distance measure of 2 m was used (buffer of 1 m, as dwellings less than 2 m apart are joined) to identify clusters of dwellings that are unable to effectively practice social distancing in each settlement. RESULTS: The distance to each dwelling's first 3 nearest neighbors illustrates that the settlement of Masiphumelele is constructed in a denser fashion as compared to the Klipfontein Glebe settlement. This implies that implementing social distancing will likely be more challenging in Masiphumelele than in Klipfontein Glebe. However, using a 2-m social distancing measure, it was demonstrated that large portions of Klipfontein Glebe would also be unable to effectively implement social distancing. CONCLUSIONS: Effectively implementing social distancing may be a challenge in informal settlements due to their density. This paper uses dwelling outlines for informal settlements in the city of Cape Town to demonstrate that with a 2 m measure, effective social distancing will be challenging.


title: Coronavirus disease 2019 in children: Current status

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged from China in December 2019. The outbreak further exploded in Europe and America in mid-March 2020 to become a global health emergency. We reviewed recent published articles and on-line open messages on SARS-CoV-2-positive infants and children younger than 20 years of age. Symptoms are usually less severe in children than in adults. Twelve critically or mortally ill children were found in the published or news reports before April 6, 2020. Vertical transmission from the mother to her fetus or neonate has not been proven definitively. However, six early-onset (<7 days) and 3 late-onset neonatal SARS-CoV-2 infections were found in the literature. We also summarized the presentations and contact information of 24 SARS-CoV-2-positive children announced by the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control. Early identification and isolation, adequate management, prevention, and vaccine development are the keys to controlling the disease spread. Clinical physicians should be alert to asymptomatic children with COVID-19. Multidirectional investigations are crucial in the global fight against COVID-19.


[Editor's Note]


COVID-19 : pourquoi tester ? Qui tester ? Comment tester ?


title: Hydroxychloroquine safety: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

text: BACKGROUND: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is currently being examined for COVID-19. No previous meta-analysis has evaluated its side effects versus placebo. We conducted this meta-analysis to compare the safety of HCQ versus placebo. METHODS: Two authors independently searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults comparing the adverse events (AEs) of HCQ versus placebo for any indication. Peto odds ratios (Peto ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated based on random-effects models. The heterogeneity (I2) was assessed using Cochran's Q test. RESULTS: Nine RCTs (eight were double-blind) with a total of 916 patients were included. HCQ caused significantly more skin pigmentation than placebo (Peto OR, 4.64; 95% CI, 1.13 to 19.00; P-valueâ¯=â¯0.033; I2â¯=â¯0%). The increase in other AEs did not reach statistical significance: rash (Peto OR, 1.11; 95% CI, 0.3 to 3.77; P-valueâ¯=â¯0.03; I2â¯=â¯0%); gastrointestinal AEs (Peto OR, 1.43; 95% CI, 0.55 to 3.72; P-valueâ¯=â¯0.46; I2â¯=â¯15.17%); headache (Peto OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 0.65 to 5.78; P-valueâ¯=â¯0.23; I2â¯=â¯9.99%); dizziness (Peto OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 0.49 to 3.52; P-valueâ¯=â¯0.58; I2â¯=â¯0%); fatigue (Peto OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 0.76 to 5.98; P-valueâ¯=â¯0.15; I2â¯=â¯0%); and visual AEs (Peto OR, 1.61; 95% CI, 0.76 to 3.41; P-valueâ¯=â¯0.22; I2â¯=â¯0%). Cardiac toxicity was not reported. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis of RCTs found a significantly higher risk of skin pigmentation in HCQ users versus placebo. More data are needed to evaluate HCQ in the context of COVID-19 treatment.


title: Psychological resilience during the COVID-19 lockdown

text: Some individuals are more psychologically resilient to adversity than others, an issue of great importance during the emerging mental health issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. To identify factors that may contribute to greater psychological resilience during the first weeks of the nation-wide lockdown efforts, we asked 1,004 U.S. adults to complete assessments of resilience, mental health, and daily behaviors and relationships. Average resilience was lower than published norms, but was greater among those who tended to get outside more often, exercise more, perceive more social support from family, friends, and significant others, sleep better, and pray more often. Psychological resilience in the face of the pandemic is related to modifiable factors.


title: Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Infection by the Cyclophilin Inhibitor Alisporivir (Debio 025)

text: Cyclophilins play a key role in the life cycle of coronaviruses. Alisporivir (Debio 025) is a nonimmunosuppressive analogue of cyclosporine with potent cyclophilin inhibition properties. Alisporivir reduced SARS-CoV-2 RNA production in a dose-dependent manner in Vero E6 cells, with a 50% effective concentration (EC50) of 0.46 ± 0.04 µM. Alisporivir inhibited a postentry step of the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. These results justify rapidly conducting a proof-of-concept phase 2 trial with alisporivir in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.


title: Geriatric Care during Public Health Emergencies: Lessons Learned from Novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

text: Geriatric care in public health emergencies is a serious concern, while, high case-fatalities among older adults across the globe in COVID-19 pandemic implies lack of preparedness. Most of the countries irrespective of developing and developed one enormously struggling because of an inchoate response system ignorant of geriatric health needs. Therefore, a robust approach is highly essential that requires an integrated emergency preparedness by addressing geriatric care.


Impact of anticoagulation prior to COVID-19 infection: a propensity score-matched cohort study


Elevation of plasma angiotensin II level is a potential pathogenesis for the critically ill COVID-19 patients


title: Successful guselkumab treatment in a psoriatic patient affected with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, and prosecution during the COVID-19 pandemic

text: Psychomotor delay and intellectual disability are potential limitations in psoriasis management, due to low compliance, and strict dependence from caregivers intervention. We report our successful experience with a 58-year-old woman, who was genetically affected by Cornelia De Lange syndrome, which causes intellectual disability and psychomotor disorders. The patient had been already treated with topical and traditional therapies, without any clinical benefits. Eventually, she adhered to guselkumab treatment. The compliance was excellent, significant improvements were observed after only 3 months of treatment, without adverse effects. During follow-up, the COVID-19 pandemic address concern on the possible increased risk of infection due to immunosuppression. In agreement with current Italian recommendations, risk and benefits profile was discussed with the patient's legal tutor and the decision to continue the treatment was taken. Psoriasis complete clarification was maintained during the most difficult period of the Italian outbreak, allowing the patient to remain safely at home.


Negative Pressure Tent to Reduce Exposure of Health Care Workers to SARS CoV-2 During Aerosol Generating Respiratory Therapies


title: BUDS: Balancing Utility and Differential Privacy by Shuffling

text: Balancing utility and differential privacy by shuffling or \textit{BUDS} is an approach towards crowd-sourced, statistical databases, with strong privacy and utility balance using differential privacy theory. Here, a novel algorithm is proposed using one-hot encoding and iterative shuffling with the loss estimation and risk minimization techniques, to balance both the utility and privacy. In this work, after collecting one-hot encoded data from different sources and clients, a step of novel attribute shuffling technique using iterative shuffling (based on the query asked by the analyst) and loss estimation with an updation function and risk minimization produces a utility and privacy balanced differential private report. During empirical test of balanced utility and privacy, BUDS produces $\epsilon = 0.02$ which is a very promising result. Our algorithm maintains a privacy bound of $\epsilon = ln [t/((n_1 - 1)^S)]$ and loss bound of $c' \bigg|e^{ln[t/((n_1 - 1)^S)]} - 1\bigg|$.


title: Umgang mit psychischer Belastung bei Gesundheitsfachkräften im Rahmen der Covid-19-Pandemie./ [Dealing with psychological distress by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemia]

text: BACKGROUND: In the current COVID-19 pandemia, health workers from all professions are facing great challenges in coping with the crisis. In this situation health professionals are confronted with specific stressors and risks not only for the physical but also for the mental health. OBJECTIVE: This article summarizes the first recommendations for the reduction of stress and psychological burden in health professionals during the current COVID-19 pandemia. METHODS: The recommendations of the World Health Organization, the United Nations and the International Red Cross Society are summarized. Recommendations for the reduction of stress and psychological distress in health professionals as well as important factors that team leaders can consider in order to reduce psychological distress in employees are presented. RESULTS: The normalization of strong emotions and stress, the fulfillment of basic needs, social support, clear communication and distribution of tasks, flexible working hours and the utilization of psychosocial and psychological help without stigmatization seem to be particularly important measures. CONCLUSION: This article presents guidelines for health professionals and team leaders in healthcare that help to maintain mental health during the COVID-19 pandemia.


docid: lhykluue

title: Children are at Risk from COVID-19