title: Depression Detection with Multi-Modalities Using a Hybrid Deep Learning Model on Social Media

text: Social networks enable people to interact with one another by sharing information, sending messages, making friends, and having discussions, which generates massive amounts of data every day, popularly called as the user-generated content. This data is present in various forms such as images, text, videos, links, and others and reflects user behaviours including their mental states. It is challenging yet promising to automatically detect mental health problems from such data which is short, sparse and sometimes poorly phrased. However, there are efforts to automatically learn patterns using computational models on such user-generated content. While many previous works have largely studied the problem on a small-scale by assuming uni-modality of data which may not give us faithful results, we propose a novel scalable hybrid model that combines Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Units (BiGRUs) and Convolutional Neural Networks to detect depressed users on social media such as Twitter-based on multi-modal features. Specifically, we encode words in user posts using pre-trained word embeddings and BiGRUs to capture latent behavioural patterns, long-term dependencies, and correlation across the modalities, including semantic sequence features from the user timelines (posts). The CNN model then helps learn useful features. Our experiments show that our model outperforms several popular and strong baseline methods, demonstrating the effectiveness of combining deep learning with multi-modal features. We also show that our model helps improve predictive performance when detecting depression in users who are posting messages publicly on social media.


title: How to perform a nasopharyngeal swab in adults and children in the COVID-19 era

text: The nasopharyngeal swab is currently the main testing method used to diagnose COVID-19. The principle is to collect respiratory cells infected by the virus and to use the RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription - Polymerase Chain Reaction) technique to detect the RNA of the virus. The false negative rate is high, about 30%, which can mainly be explained by an incorrect execution of the technique may increase the false negative rate and decrease the test's sensitivity. The aim of this note is to help healthcare providers to perform this test correctly in adults and children.


In 1969 man landed on the moon, how can we also eradicate COVID-19?


title: Covid-19: factors associated with emotional distress and psychological morbidity in spanish population./ COVID-19: Factores asociados al malestar emocional y morbilidad psiquica en poblacion espanola

text: OBJECTIVE: The socio-health emergency caused by COVID-19 may have a significant psychological impact on the population For this reason, it is necessary to identify especially vulnerable social groups and protective factors that may reduce this impact, which was the objective of this study METHODS: Using snowball sampling approach, 1,596 people residing in Spain during the lockdown answered an online questionnaire that included information on sociodemographic variables, symptoms, and contact with the disease, risk perception, precautionary measures to prevent infection and coping strategies during lockdown Psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and mental health status with the Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) Simple linear regression models were performed to analyze the associations between the study variables and the psychological impact of the pandemic and the mental health of the participants RESULTS: Of all respondents, 24 7% reported a moderate or severe psychological impact, and 48 8% showed mental health problems Women, students and the population with a lower level of economic income, in addition to those having less available space per person in the household presented a more significant psychological impact and worse mental health Living with someone from the high-risk vulnerable group, and anticipating the adverse economic effects of social-health crisis raised the emotional distress and psychological morbidity Precautionary measures to prevent infection did not present a connection to the psychological impact of the pandemic;however, several coping strategies did help to reduce it CONCLUSIONS: These findings outline the existence of especially vulnerable social groups to the impact of the pandemic, and suggest lines of action that help reduce the psychosocial consequences of COVID-19 OBJETIVO: La emergencia socio-sanitaria provocada por la COVID-19 puede tener un importante impacto psicologico en la poblacion Por este motivo, resulta necesario identificar los grupos sociales especialmente vulnerables al impacto de la pandemia y los factores de proteccion que pueden reducirlo, lo que constituyo el objetivo de este estudio METODOS: Mediante muestreo tipo bola de nieve, 1 596 personas residentes en Espana durante la cuarentena contestaron un cuestionario online que incluyo informacion sobre variables sociodemograficas, sintomas y contacto con la enfermedad, percepcion del riesgo, conductas para prevenir el contagio y estrategias para afrontar la cuarentena El impacto psicologico se evaluo mediante la Escala de Impacto de Evento-Revisada (IES-R), y el estado de salud mental con el Cuestionario de Salud General de Goldberg (GHQ-12) Mediante diferentes modelos de regresion lineal simple se analizo la relacion de las variables del estudio con el impacto psicologico de la pandemia y la salud mental de los participantes RESULTADOS: El 24,7% de los participantes presento un impacto psicologico moderado o severo y el 48,8% mostro deterioro de la salud mental Las mujeres, los estudiantes y la poblacion con menor nivel de ingresos economicos, ademas de con menos espacio disponible por persona en la vivienda, presentaron mayor impacto psicologico y peor salud mental Convivir con personas de riesgo y prever los efectos economicos negativos de la crisis socio-sanitaria elevaron el malestar emocional y la morbilidad psiquica Aunque las medidas para prevenir el contagio no se relacionaron con el impacto psicologico, determinadas estrategias de afrontamiento si ayudaron a reducirlo CONCLUSIONES: Estos hallazgos perfilan la existencia de determinados grupos sociales especialmente sensibles al impacto de la pandemia, y sugieren lineas de accion que ayuden a reducir las secuelas psicosociales de la COVID-19


title: [Covid-19: factors associated with emotional distress and psychological morbidity in spanish population.]

text: OBJECTIVE: The socio-health emergency caused by COVID-19 may have a significant psychological impact on the population For this reason, it is necessary to identify especially vulnerable social groups and protective factors that may reduce this impact, which was the objective of this study METHODS: Using snowball sampling approach, 1,596 people residing in Spain during the lockdown answered an online questionnaire that included information on sociodemographic variables, symptoms, and contact with the disease, risk perception, precautionary measures to prevent infection and coping strategies during lockdown Psychological impact was assessed using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and mental health status with the Goldberg's General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) Simple linear regression models were performed to analyze the associations between the study variables and the psychological impact of the pandemic and the mental health of the participants RESULTS: Of all respondents, 24 7% reported a moderate or severe psychological impact, and 48 8% showed mental health problems Women, students and the population with a lower level of economic income, in addition to those having less available space per person in the household presented a more significant psychological impact and worse mental health Living with someone from the high-risk vulnerable group, and anticipating the adverse economic effects of social-health crisis raised the emotional distress and psychological morbidity Precautionary measures to prevent infection did not present a connection to the psychological impact of the pandemic;however, several coping strategies did help to reduce it CONCLUSIONS: These findings outline the existence of especially vulnerable social groups to the impact of the pandemic, and suggest lines of action that help reduce the psychosocial consequences of COVID-19


title: Patients of COVID-19 may benefit from sustained Lopinavir-combined regimen and the increase of Eosinophil may predict the outcome of COVID-19 progression

text: OBJECTIVES: To explore the epidemiological information, clinical characteristics, therapeutic outcomes and temporal progression of laboratory findings in 2019-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients exposed to lopinavir. METHODS: We collected data from ten COVID-19 patients admitted between January 22, 2020 and February 11, 2020 at Xixi hospital in Hangzhou, China. RESULTS: Of ten patients, secondary, tertiary and quartus patients emerged; the incubation period was 3-7 days. Mainly initial symptoms were cough and low fever (37.3-38.0°C). An asymptomatic case presented normal radiography, the others had ground glass opacities. All cases (three transferred, seven discharged) were exposed to lopinavir on initial hospitalization. Three patients stopped lopinavir because of adverse effects, two of them deteriorated, one was hospitalized longer than others who with sustained lopinavir use. Levels of potassium, albumin, and lymphocytes were low, but increased persistently after treatment. Eosinophil values were low on initial hospitalization, then all returned to normal before discharge. Viral load of SARS-CoV-2, radiography and eosinophil improved continuously in 3-14, 6-8 and 7-9 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing eosinophils may be an indicator of COVID-19 improvement. The COVID-19 patients may benefit from sustained lopinavir use. More research on a larger scale is needed to verify these points.


docid: lgzihbsp

title: Posttraumatic stress symptoms and attitude toward crisis mental health services among clinically stable patients with COVID-19 in China


Bracing the storm: infection control for endoscopy trainees during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City


docid: nxetztma

title: Cyberpsychology research and COVID-19

text: â¢Research in cyberpsychology is needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.â¢COVID-19 elicits new challenges for cyrberpsychology research.â¢Online technologies will be part of the solution to mitigate the crisis.


title: Inducción de tormenta de citocinas en pacientes infectados con SARS- CoV-2 y desarrollo de COVID-19: Tiene el tracto gastrointestinal alguna relación en la gravedad?

text: Los coronavirus son una extensa familia de virus;algunos pueden ser causa de diversas enfermedades humanas, que van desde el resfriado común hasta el síndrome respiratorio agudo severo La enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) es causada por el coronavirus zoonótico SARS-CoV-2, y comenzó en China en diciembre de 2019 En marzo de 2020, la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) lo declaró una pandemia mundial Esta enfermedad tiene un gran espectro de signos y síntomas, predominantemente se presenta con tos y fiebre, lo que resulta en una proporción de pacientes que desarrollan síndrome de dificultad respiratoria aguda (SDRA) Se ha planteado que la afectación pulmonar grave por el virus puede ser causada también por hiperinflamación y un cuadro similar a la linfohistiocitosis hemofagocítica (HLH), el cual es un síndrome clínico provocado por una respuesta inadecuada del sistema inmunológico a un desencadenante, sea infec-cioso, neoplásico, metabólico o reumatológico, que resulta en una reacción inflamatoria desproporcionada Esta respuesta inmune altamente activada causa una liberación exagerada o tormenta de citocinas respon-sable del cuadro clínico De allí la importancia de revisar el concepto actual y su desenlace en COVID-19 Recientemente se han publicado artículos en los que se sugiere que la presencia de síntomas gastrointesti-nales se ha asociado a COVID 19 con mayores indicadores de gravedad, lo que motiva al gastroenterólogo a explorar cómo el sistema digestivo podría impactar en esta hiperinflamación (AU)Coronaviruses are an extensive family of viruses, some of them can produce different kind of human diseases, ranging from the common cold to severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 zoonotic coronavirus and started in China in December 2019 In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic This disease has a wide spectrum of signs and symptoms, predominantly presenting with cough and fever, resulting in a proportion of patients who develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) It has been argued that severe lung involvement by the virus may also be caused by hyperinflammation and a condition similar to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocyto-sis (HLH), which is a clinical syndrome caused by an inadequate response of the immune system to a trigger, whether infectious, neoplastic, metabolic, or rheumatologic, leading to a disproportionate inflammatory reac-tion This activated immune response producing an exaggerated release or storm of cytokines responsible for this disease There are recently publications suggesting that the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms is associated with COVID 19 disease with higher indicators of severity, which motivates the gastroenterologist to explore how the digestive system could impact this hyperinflammation


title: Google Dataset Search by the Numbers

text: Scientists, governments, and companies increasingly publish datasets on the Web. Google's Dataset Search extracts dataset metadata -- expressed using schema.org and similar vocabularies -- from Web pages in order to make datasets discoverable. Since we started the work on Dataset Search in 2016, the number of datasets described in schema.org has grown from about 500K to almost 30M. Thus, this corpus has become a valuable snapshot of data on the Web. To the best of our knowledge, this corpus is the largest and most diverse of its kind. We analyze this corpus and discuss where the datasets originate from, what topics they cover, which form they take, and what people searching for datasets are interested in. Based on this analysis, we identify gaps and possible future work to help make data more discoverable.


title: COVID-19 and telemedicine in hemophilia in a patient with severe hemophilia A and orthopedic surgery

text: We describe the case of a patient with severe hemophilia A who underwent major orthopedic surgery managed postoperatively by telemedicine (TM). The case is a splendid example of the implementation of TM and good collaboration between a Comprehensive Hemophilia Treatment Center (CHTC) and a local hospital.


Aprendiendo en casa durante la pandemia del Covid-19, una iniciativa de estudiantes de latinoamerica./ Aprendiendo en casa durante la pandemia del Covid-19, una iniciativa de estudiantes de latinoamerica./ [Learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic: An initiative of Latin American students]


Rho kinase inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 induced acute respiratory distress syndrome: Support from Bartter's and Gitelman's syndrome patients


docid: vnmyogcw

title: The Visual Social Distancing Problem

text: One of the main and most effective measures to contain the recent viral outbreak is the maintenance of the so-called Social Distancing (SD). To comply with this constraint, workplaces, public institutions, transports and schools will likely adopt restrictions over the minimum inter-personal distance between people. Given this actual scenario, it is crucial to massively measure the compliance to such physical constraint in our life, in order to figure out the reasons of the possible breaks of such distance limitations, and understand if this implies a possible threat given the scene context. All of this, complying with privacy policies and making the measurement acceptable. To this end, we introduce the Visual Social Distancing (VSD) problem, defined as the automatic estimation of the inter-personal distance from an image, and the characterization of the related people aggregations. VSD is pivotal for a non-invasive analysis to whether people comply with the SD restriction, and to provide statistics about the level of safety of specific areas whenever this constraint is violated. We then discuss how VSD relates with previous literature in Social Signal Processing and indicate which existing Computer Vision methods can be used to manage such problem. We conclude with future challenges related to the effectiveness of VSD systems, ethical implications and future application scenarios.


title: Understanding novel COVID-19: Its impact on organ failure and risk assessment for diabetic and cancer patients

text: The current pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 originated from Wuhan, China. It is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with significant mortality and morbidity rate. The severe risk factors are commonly detected in patients of older age and with medical comorbidities like cancer and diabetes. Scientists and doctors have scrambled to gain knowledge about the novel virus and its pathophysiology in order to discover possible therapeutic regimens and vaccines for COVID-19. The therapeutic strategies like targeting the viral genome emphasize the promising approach to target COVID-19. Additionally, blocking the receptor, ACE2 via the neutralizing antibodies for viral escape that prevents it from entering into the cells provides another therapeutic regimen. In this review article, we have presented the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection in comorbid patients and discussed organ failure caused by this virus. Based on the data available from the scientific literature and ongoing clinical trials, we have focused on therapeutic strategies. We hope that we would fill the gaps that puzzled the researchers and clinicians with the best of our knowledge collected for the betterment of the patients for the coming future.


docid: fwjezlux

title: The role of Angiology and Vascular Surgery in the COVID-19 pandemic

text: The New Coronavirus Epidemic (2019-nCoV), discovered in the city of Wuhan, China, in December 2019, presents mainly with pulmonary pneumonia that is preceded by fever, cough and myalgia. However, as the disease spread globally and the number of hospitalizations increased exponentially, it was noted that most serious patients hospitalized by COVID-19 have laboratory changes worthy of attention, such as lymphopenia, neutrophilia, increased time of prothrombin and increased levels of D-dimer. Due to these changes proving to be crucial for the mortality and morbidity rates in this subset of infected people, several studies focusing on the pathophysiology, mainly hematological, of the disease appear every day. Deepening these studies, several published works have shown SarsCoV-2 infection to the installation of a prothrombotic state in hospitalized patients, which leads to the potential occurrence of thrombotic or arterial events in this cohort. Thus, in order to understand how the departments of Angiology and Vascular Surgery are acting in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, this work aims to gather studies that reveal from protocols applied in vascular services in the current situation, until to the role of vascular surgeons and angiologists in the clinical and surgical management of patients infected or not, as a way of helping and clarifying this specialty during the context of a pandemic due to the new coranavirus. For the selection of works, the following search criteria were used: "Coronavirus and venous thrombosis", "Coronavirus and thrombosis", "COVID-19 and venous thrombosis" and "COVID-19 Coronavirus and thrombosis".


title: The diagnosis of pandemic coronavirus pneumonia: A review of radiology examination and laboratory test

text: Since the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), epidemic prevention strategies have been implemented worldwide. For the sake of controlling the infectious coronavirus pneumonia, early diagnosis and quarantine play an imperative role. Currently, the mainstream diagnostic methods are imaging and laboratory diagnosis, which differ in their efficacy of diagnosis. To compare the detection rate, we reviewed numerous literature on pneumonia caused by coronaviruses (SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2) and analyzed two different ways of diagnosis. The results showed that the detection rate of computed tomography (CT) diagnosis was significantly higher than that of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) (P = 0.00697). Still, clinicians should combine radiology and laboratory methods to achieve a higher detection rate, so that instant isolation and treatment could be effectively conducted to curb the rampant spread of the epidemic.


title: Analyzing COVID-19 on Online Social Media: Trends, Sentiments and Emotions

text: At the time of writing, the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has caused severe impacts on society, economy and people's daily lives. People constantly express their opinions on various aspects of the pandemic on social media, making user-generated content an important source for understanding public emotions and concerns. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive analysis on the affective trajectories of the American people and the Chinese people based on Twitter and Weibo posts between January 20th, 2020 and May 11th 2020. Specifically, by identifying people's sentiments, emotions (i.e., anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, surprise) and the emotional triggers (e.g., what a user is angry/sad about) we are able to depict the dynamics of public affect in the time of COVID-19. By contrasting two very different countries, China and the Unites States, we reveal sharp differences in people's views on COVID-19 in different cultures. Our study provides a computational approach to unveiling public emotions and concerns on the pandemic in real-time, which would potentially help policy-makers better understand people's need and thus make optimal policy.


Anthony Fauci, MD, on COVID-19 Vaccines, Schools, and Larry Kramer


High-resolution computed tomography features of 17 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 in Sichuan province, China


title: A contemporary review on pathogenesis and immunity of COVID-19 infection

text: Emerging of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised interests in the field of biology and pathogenesis of coronaviruses; including interactions between host immune reactions specific, and viral factors. Deep knowledge about the interaction between coronaviruses and the host factors could be useful to provide a better support for the disease sufferers and be advantageous for managing and treatment of the lung infection caused by the virus. At this study, we reviewed the updated information on the pathogenesis of the COVID-19 and the immune responses toward it, with a special focus on structure, genetics, and viral accessory proteins, viral replication, viral receptors, the human immune reactions, cytopathic effects, and host-related factors.


title: How Does COVID-19 impact Students with Disabilities/Health Concerns?

text: The impact of COVID-19 on students has been enormous, with an increase in worries about fiscal and physical health, a rapid shift to online learning, and increased isolation. In addition to these changes, students with disabilities/health concerns may face accessibility problems with online learning or communication tools, and their stress may be compounded by additional risks such as financial stress or pre-existing conditions. To our knowledge, no one has looked specifically at the impact of COVID-19 on students with disabilities/health concerns. In this paper, we present data from a survey of 147 students with and without disabilities collected in late March to early April of 2020 to assess the impact of COVID-19 on these students' education and mental health. Our findings show that students with disabilities/health concerns were more concerned about classes going online than their peers without disabilities. In addition, students with disabilities/health concerns also reported that they have experienced more COVID-19 related adversities compared to their peers without disabilities/health concerns. We argue that students with disabilities/health concerns in higher education need confidence in the accessibility of the online learning tools that are becoming increasingly prevalent in higher education not only because of COVID-19 but also more generally. In addition, educational technologies will be more accessible if they consider the learning context, and are designed to provide a supportive, calm, and connecting learning environment.


title: Aesthetic dermatology procedures in coronavirus days

text: BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19), which causes coronavirus disease 2019, is highly contagious and a particularly popular problem in all around the world and also in all departments of every hospital. AIMS: Protecting the well-being of the aesthetic dermatologists while providing a sufficient workforce is vital for pandemic planning. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In this article, we will discuss this problem from an aesthetic dermatology aspect and we will review whether these procedures are safe or not.


title: Heparin 2.0: A New Approach to the Infection Crisis

text: In April 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for certain medical devices to be used in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (CO-VID-19). This included extracorporeal blood purification devices. This narrative review will give a brief overview regarding some of the extracorporeal devices that could be used to treat COVID-19 patients, including the Seraph® 100 Microbind® Affinity Blood Filter, produced by ExThera Medical (Martinez, CA, USA), first licensed in the European Economic Area in 2019. The Seraph® 100 contains ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene beads with end point-attached heparin and is approved for the reduction of pathogens from the bloodstream either as a single agent or as an adjunct to conventional anti-infective agents. Bacteria, viruses, fungi, and toxins have been shown to bind to the immobilized heparin in a similar way to the interaction with heparan sulfate on the cell surface. This binding is nonreversible and as such, the pathogens are removed from the bloodstream. In this review, we describe the pathophysiological basis and rationale for using heparin for pathogen removal from the blood as well as exploring the technology behind the adaptation of heparin to deprive it of its systemic anticoagulant activity. In addition, we summarize the in vitro data as well as the available preclinical testing and published clinical reports. Finally, we discuss the enormous potential of this technology in an era of increasing antibiotic resistance and high mortality associated with sepsis and consider the application of this as a possible treatment option for COVID-19.


title: Criticism of the Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine

text: This piece at Forbes by Bill Haseltine has set off a lot of comment – it’s a look at the Oxford group’s vaccine candidate as compared to the SinoVac candidate, and you may recall (background here) that these are the two teams that have separately reported that their vaccines appear to protect rhesus monkeys from infection after exposure to the coronavirus Haseltine has some criticisms of the Oxford data, and as you will see from that link to his name, his opinions deserve to be taken seriously So what’s going on? Update: here’s the take on this at BioCentury Looking at the preprint on the Oxford results, Haseltine has a problem with the claim that the monkeys were protected from infection by a dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 The key data are in the preprint’s Figure 3 The Oxford team checked for viral RNA several different ways One was using bronchoaveolar lavage (BAL fluid), a sampling technique that involves running a bronchoscope down into the lungs and washing out aveolar spaces – a pretty darn invasive assay, which is why you don’t hear about it all that much compared to the still-not-so-nonivasive nose swabs BAL fluid of the virus-exposed unvaccinated animals showed coronavirus genomic RNA throughout the study, and viral subgenomic RNA (more indicative of active replication) at days 3 and 5 after exposure Meanwhile, the vaccinated animals showed the genomic RNA in only two monkeys, and no subgenomic RNA at all


title: COVID-19 in Italian pediatric patients: the experience of a tertiary children's hospital

text: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 has spread worldwide since its onset in Wuhan in December 2019. In Italy COVID-19 rapidly increased in February 2020 and by 12 May 2020, 2.0 % of the confirmed cases were under 18 years and 3.7% of those had been hospitalized. This case series report reviews the demographic characteristics, clinical course, laboratory findings, radiologic features and treatment of children admitted with COVID-19 to a tertiary care hospital in Italy.


docid: pkcwhfqj

title: 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pneumonia: Serial Computed Tomography Findings

text: From December 2019, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia (formerly known as the 2019 novel Coronavirus [2019-nCoV]) broke out in Wuhan, China. In this study, we present serial CT findings in a 40-year-old female patient with COVID-19 pneumonia who presented with the symptoms of fever, chest tightness, and fatigue. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 infection confirmed by real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. CT showed rapidly progressing peripheral consolidations and ground-glass opacities in both lungs. After treatment, the lesions were shown to be almost absorbed leaving the fibrous lesions.


The line starts to form for a coronavirus vaccine


title: Lung Ultrasound in Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure Reduces Conventional Imaging and Health Care Provider Exposure to COVID-19

text: Lung ultrasound gained a leading position in the last year as an imaging technique for the assessment and management of patients with acute respiratory failure. In coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), its role may be of further importance because it is performed bedside and may limit chest X-ray and the need for transport to radiology for computed tomography (CT) scan. Since February 21, we progressively turned into a coronavirus-dedicated intensive care unit and applied an ultrasound-based approach to avoid traditional imaging and limit contamination as much as possible. We performed a complete daily examination with lung ultrasound score computation and systematic search of complications (pneumothorax, ventilator-associated pneumonia); on-duty physicians were free to perform CT or chest X-ray when deemed indicated. We compared conventional imaging exams performed in the first 4 wk of the COVID-19 epidemic with those in the same time frame in 2019: there were 84 patients in 2020 and 112 in 2019; 64 and 22 (76.2% vs. 19.6%, p < 0.001) had acute respiratory failure, respectively, of which 55 (85.9%) were COVID-19 in 2020. When COVID-19 patients in 2020 were compared with acute respiratory failure patients in 2019, the median number of chest X-rays was 1.0 (1.0-2.0) versus 3.0 (1.0-4.0) (pâ¯=â¯0.0098); 2 patients 2 (3.6%) versus 7 patients (31.8%) had undergone at least one thoracic CT scan (pâ¯=â¯0.001). A self-imposed ultrasound-based approach reduces the number of chest X-rays and thoracic CT scans in COVID-19 patients compared with patients with standard acute respiratory failure, thus reducing the number of health care providers exposed to possible contamination and sparing personal protective equipment.


Community Pharmacists in Taiwan at the Frontline Against the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic: Gatekeepers for the Rationing of Personal Protective Equipment


Status and situation of postgraduate medical students in China under the influence of COVID-19


title: How accurate is self-testing?

text: The UK has embarked on a programme of self-testing for coronavirus, but can swabs taken at home be trusted? Michael Brooks reports.


The importance of credible information about contact lens wear during pandemic


Guiding Principles for Cancer Surgery during the COVID-19 Pandemic


The association of SARS-CoV-2 infection and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis without prominent clinical pulmonary symptoms


title: Impact of COVID-19 on thyroid cancer surgery and adjunct therapy

text: COVID-19 has profoundly modified the way healthcare is delivered. Jordan imposed lockdown and restrictive policies between March 17 and May 20, 2020. We aimed to assess the impact of such measures on thyroid cancer treatment plans. In the specified period, 12 patients were scheduled for surgery. Since papillary carcinoma was the preoperative diagnosis in all cases, radioactive iodine ablation (RIA) therapy was also planned 3-4 weeks following surgery after withdrawing thyroxine and achieving a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) level > 30 mU/L. Thyroxine withdrawal is the routine method applied for RIA in Jordan as it is less costly compared to the rapid method of exogenous stimulation using recombinant TSH. All surgical procedures were performed without delay since all patients were asymptomatic per flu-like illness and came from a region of low COVID-19 prevalence. These included total thyroidectomy (n = 11), bilateral therapeutic central compartment neck dissection (n = 7), lateral compartment neck dissection (n = 5). However, the RIA treatment plan was altered considerably according to the period in which they were operated. 6 out of the 7 patients operated in March changed to the stimulated method of RIA at a considerable additional extra cost. The seventh patient and the April patient opt to delay RIA until after lockdown. The remaining cases (operated in May) followed the usual withdrawal method as restrictions were due to an end. The restrictive measures applied during COVID-19 did not affect the safe and timely delivery of surgical care. However, it added a financial and psychological burden to the entire cancer management plan.


title: A cross-sectional community-based observational study of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in the greater Indianapolis area

text: The Asymptomatic novel CORonavirus iNfection (ACORN) study was designed to investigate the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in the asymptomatic adult population of the Indianapolis metropolitan area, to follow individuals testing positive for the development of symptoms, and to understand duration of positive test results. ACORN is a cross-sectional community-based observational study of adult residents presenting asymptomatic for COVID-like illness, defined as the self-reported absence of the following three symptoms in the last 7 days: fever (≥100°F), new-onset or worsening cough, and new-onset or worsening shortness of breath. SARS-CoV-2 infection was determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in nasopharyngeal swab samples. SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence was expressed as a point estimate with 95% confidence interval (CI). Test results are reported for 2953 participants who enrolled and underwent nasopharyngeal swab testing between 7 April 2020 and 16 May 2020. Among tested participants, 91 (3.1%; 95% CI: 2.5%-3.7%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Overall, baseline characteristics, medical history, and infection risk factors were comparable between SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative participants. Within the ongoing 14-day follow-up period for positive participants, 58 (71.6%) of 81 assessed participants remained asymptomatic while others (n = 23, 28.4%) reported one or more symptoms. Indiana had "Stay-at-Home" orders in place during nearly the entire test period reported here, yet 3.1% of asymptomatic participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. These results indicate screening questions had limited predictive utility for testing in an asymptomatic population and suggest broader testing strategies are needed. Importantly, these findings underscore that more research is needed to understand the viral transmission and the role asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals play in this global pandemic.


The response of Milan's Emergency Medical System to the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy


docid: kzcezivw

title: Would ACEIs/ARBs be beneficial for COVID-19 patients without hypertension?


title: Opinions on the corona virus disease 2019

text: The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has drawn much attention lately It has the characteristics of hidden infection sources, diverse transmission channels, great differences in clinical characteristics and limited diagnostic methods Additionally, the population is generally susceptible, and no specific medicines are available now, therefore, the prevention and control of the disease faces greater challenges Mastering the characteristics of it for comprehensive prevention and control is the main strategy against the disease This article systematically expounded the latest understanding of the disease


The Effects of COVID-19 on Academic Activities and Surgical Education in Italy


title: A pilot study of the antiviral activity of anionic and cationic polyamidoamine dendrimers against the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus

text: The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging virus that causes infection with a potentially fatal outcome. Dendrimers are highly branched molecules that can be added to antiviral preparations to improve their delivery, as well as their intrinsic antiviral activity. Studies on identifying anti-MERS-CoV agents are few. Three types of polyanionic dendrimers comprising the terminal groups sodium carboxylate (generations 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5), hydroxyl (generations 2, 3, 4, and 5), and succinamic acid (generations 2, 3, 4, and 5) and polycationic dendrimers containing primary amine (generations 2, 3, 4, and 5) were used to assess their antiviral activity with the MERS-CoV plaque inhibition assay. The hydroxyl polyanionic set showed a 17.36% to 29.75% decrease in MERS-CoV plaque formation. The most potent inhibition of MERS-CoV plaque formation was seen by G(1.5)-16COONa (40.5% inhibition), followed by G(5)-128SA (39.77% inhibition). In contrast, the cationic dendrimers were cytotoxic to Vero cells. Polyanionic dendrimers can be added to antiviral preparations to improve the delivery of antivirals, as well as the intrinsic antiviral activity.


docid: vufygjcc

title: Molecular docking studies on Jensenone from eucalyptus essential oil as a potential inhibitor of COVID 19 corona virus infection

text: COVID-19, a member of corona virus family is spreading its tentacles across the world due to lack of drugs at present. However, the main viral proteinase (Mpro/3CLpro) has recently been regarded as a suitable target for drug design against SARS infection due to its vital role in polyproteins processing necessary for coronavirus reproduction. The present in silico study was designed to evaluate the effect of Jensenone, a essential oil component from eucalyptus oil, on Mpro by docking study. In the present study, molecular docking studies were conducted by using 1-click dock and swiss dock tools. Protein interaction mode was calculated by Protein Interactions Calculator.The calculated parameters such as binding energy, and binding site similarity indicated effective binding of Jensenone to COVID-19 proteinase. Active site prediction further validated the role of active site residues in ligand binding. PIC results indicated that, Mpro/ Jensenone complexes forms hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bond interactions and strong ionic interactions. Therefore, Jensenone may represent potential treatment potential to act as COVID-19 Mpro inhibitor. However, further research is necessary to investigate their potential medicinal use.


title: Vitamin D Supplementation in Influenza and COVID-19 Infections Comment on: "Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths" Nutrients 2020, 12(4), 988

text: There is an ongoing debate on the use of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the risk of influenza and COVID-19 infections and deaths. A recently published article highlights a relationship between vitamin D supplementation and reduced risk of COVID-19 and influenza. This comment aims to discuss the evidence on the use of Vitamin D in people who are at risk of developing COVID-19, focusing on safety issues of the Vitamin D supplementation.


What the Diamond Princess taught the world about covid-19


title: Covid-19: analysis of a modified SEIR model, a comparison of different intervention strategies and projections for India

text: Modeling accurately the evolution and intervention strategies for the Covid-19 pandemic is a challenging problem. We present here an analysis of an extended Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model that accounts for asymptomatic carriers, and explore the effect of different intervention strategies such as social distancing (SD) and testing-quarantining (TQ). The two intervention strategies (SD and TQ) try to reduce the disease reproductive number $R_0$ to a target value $R_0^{\rm target}<1$, but in distinct ways, which we implement in our model equations. We find that for the same target $R_0^{\rm target}<1$, TQ is more efficient in controlling the pandemic than lockdowns that only implement SD. However, for TQ to be effective, it has to be based on contact tracing and the ratio of tests/day to the number of new cases/day has to be scaled with the mean number of contacts of an infectious person, which would be high in densely populated regions with low levels of SD. We point out that, apart from $R_0$, an important quantity is the largest eigenvalue of the linearised dynamics which provides a more complete understanding of the disease progression, both pre- and post- intervention, and explains observed data for many countries. Weak intervention strategies (that reduce $R_0$ but not to a value less than $1$) can reduce the peak values of infections and the asymptotic affected population. We provide simple analytic expressions for these in terms of the disease parameters and apply them in the Indian context to obtain heuristic projections for the course of the pandemic. We find that the predictions strongly depend on the assumed fraction of asymptomatic carriers.


COVID-19 and alcohol in Australia: Industry changes and public health impacts


Anticipating the 'Second Wave' of Health Care Strain in COVID19 Pandemic


COVID-19 platform trial delivers


Interrogation of the safety and efficacy of home-use light-based devices


title: Pharmacological (or Synthetic) and Nutritional Agonists of PPAR-Î³ as Candidates for Cytokine Storm Modulation in COVID-19 Disease

text: The cytokine storm is an abnormal production of inflammatory cytokines, due to the over-activation of the innate immune response. This mechanism has been recognized as a critical mediator of influenza-induced lung disease, and it could be pivotal for COVID-19 infections. Thus, an immunomodulatory approach targeting the over-production of cytokines could be proposed for viral aggressive pulmonary disease treatment. In this regard, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-Î³, a member of the PPAR transcription factor family, could represent a potential target. Beside the well-known regulatory role on lipid and glucose metabolism, PPAR-Î³ also represses the inflammatory process. Similarly, the PPAR-Î³ agonist thiazolidinediones (TZDs), like pioglitazone, are anti-inflammatory drugs with ameliorating effects on severe viral pneumonia. In addition to the pharmacological agonists, also nutritional ligands of PPAR-Î³, like curcuma, lemongrass, and pomegranate, possess anti-inflammatory properties through PPAR-Î³ activation. Here, we review the main synthetic and nutritional PPAR-Î³ ligands, proposing a dual approach based on the strengthening of the immune system using pharmacological and dietary strategies as an attempt to prevent/treat cytokine storm in the case of coronavirus infection.


SARS-CoV-2 infection of kidney organoids prevented with soluble human ACE2


Unexpected severe thrombocytopenia in the COVID-19 positive parturient


title: A comprehensive analysis of bio-inspired design of femoral stem on primary and secondary stabilities using mechanoregulatory algorithm

text: The coated porous section of stem surface is initially filled with callus that undergoes osseointegration process, which develops a bond between stem and bone, lessens the micromotions and transfers stresses to the bone, proximally. This phenomenon attributes to primary and secondary stabilities of the stems that exhibit trade-off the stem stiffness. This study attempts to ascertain the influence of stem stiffness on peri-prosthetic bone formation and stress shielding when in silico models of solid CoCr alloy and Ti alloy stems, and porous Ti stems (53.8 GPa and 31.5 GPa Young's moduli) were implanted. A tissue differentiation predictive mechanoregulation algorithm was employed to estimate the evolutionary bond between bone and stem interfaces with 0.5-mm- and 1-mm-thick calluses. The results revealed that the high stiffness stems yielded higher stress shielding and lower micromotions than that of low stiffness stems. Contrarily, bone formation around solid Ti alloy stem and porous Ti 53.8 GPa stem was augmented in 0.5-mm- and 1-mm-thick calluses, respectively. All designs of stems exhibited different rates of bone formation, diverse initial micromotions and stress shielding; however, long-term bone formation was coherent with different stress shielding. Therefore, contemplating the secondary stability of the stems, low stiffness stem (Ti 53.8 GPa) gave superior biomechanical performance than that of high stiffness stems.


title: Rapid Deployment of Chiropractic Telehealth at 2 Worksite Health Centers in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Observations from the Field

text: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to describe the rapid deployment of telehealth, particularly real time video conference, for chiropractic services as a response to COVID-19. METHODS: Two health centers at 2 campuses of a large California corporation have chiropractic care integrated into physical medicine services. Care was suspended beginning on March 17, 2020 to prevent spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) among patients and staff. On March 19, the Governor of California issued a stay at home order. With musculoskeletal problems being common in the employee patient population, telehealth services were quickly developed to continue chiropractic care for patients. Using existing infrastructure, several members of the health center team developed chiropractic telehealth operations within 2 days. RESULTS: Musculoskeletal telehealth services included examinations, risk assessment, advice, and rehabilitative exercises. These telehealth visits facilitated care that would have otherwise been unavailable to employees. Patients reported that the appointments were helpful, addressed their concerns, and provided a safe method to see their doctor. Regular interprofessional teamwork and relations between the clinic operator and client company were key contributors to operationalizing this service in our integrated healthcare environment. CONCLUSION: We were able to quickly implement real time video conferencing and other forms of telehealth for chiropractic services at 2 worksite health centers. This paper includes information and insights to providers about setting up similar telehealth systems so they may also provide this benefit for patients in their communities during pandemics or disasters.


docid: noivngrq

title: From Bad to Worse: Airline Boarding Changes in Response to COVID-19

text: Airlines have introduced a back-to-front boarding process in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is motivated by the desire to reduce passengers' likelihood of passing close to seated passengers when they take their seats. However, our prior work on the risk of Ebola spread in airplanes suggested that the driving force for increased exposure to infection transmission risk is the clustering of passengers while waiting for others to stow their luggage and take their seats. In this work, we examine whether the new boarding processes lead to increased or decreased risk of infection spread. We also study the reasons behind the risk differences associated with different boarding processes. We accomplish this by simulating the new boarding processes using pedestrian dynamics and compare them against alternatives. Our results show that back-to-front boarding roughly doubles the infection exposure compared with random boarding. It also increases exposure by around 50% compared to a typical boarding process prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. While keeping middle seats empty yields a substantial reduction in exposure, our results show that the different boarding processes have similar relative strengths in this case as with middle seats occupied. We show that the increased exposure arises from the proximity between passengers moving in the aisle and while seated. Our results suggest that airlines either revert to their earlier boarding process or adopt the better random process.


COVID-19 Q&A: Keeping a cancer core going


title: Prevención y tratamiento del Covid-19 en la población pediátrica desde una perspectiva familiar y comunitaria./ [Prevention and treatment of Covid-19 in the pediatric population from the family and community perspective]

text: Based on the report on the situation of COVID-19 in Spain, dated April 3, 2020, the confirmed cases amount to 117,710, of which 343 are under 14 years of age (<1%). It is essential to know the specificity of this process in the child population, as well the specific recommendations for proper prevention and care of children during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Our objective is to analyze the scientific evidence on the specific recommendations for pediatric care in cases of COVID-19 from the family and community settings.The main recommendations and preventive measures in primary health care settings and at home have been selected and analyzed from an integrative approach that includes the biopsychosocial aspects of the child during confinement.The importance of caring for children in the face of the disease lies above all in ensuring the correct measures for the prevention of contagion due to the condition of acting as possible carriers during an incubation period of up to 21 days. The recommendation is that children actively participate in routine preventive actions to contain the spread of the disease. At the household level, isolation is an important challenge for families where there are manifestations of uncertainty, fear and helplessness in the face of changes and among the recommendations are establishing routines and order through schedules of activities and leisure together with hygiene measures.Given the rapidity with which the COVID-19 pandemic has occurred, there is little evidence at the moment. Research on prevention and treatment in the pediatric age needs to be developed to improve the available recommendations.


title: Clinical Pharmacology Perspectives on the Antiviral Activity of Azithromycin and Use in COVID-19

text: Azithromycin (AZ) is a broad-spectrum macrolide antibiotic with a long half-life and a large volume of distribution. It is primarily used for the treatment of respiratory, enteric, and genitourinary bacterial infections. AZ is not approved for the treatment of viral infections, and there is no well-controlled, prospective, randomized clinical evidence to support AZ therapy in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Nevertheless, there are anecdotal reports that some hospitals have begun to include AZ in combination with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine (CQ) for treatment of COVID-19. It is essential that the clinical pharmacology (CP) characteristics of AZ be considered in planning and conducting clinical trials of AZ alone or in combination with other agents, to ensure safe study conduct and to increase the probability of achieving definitive answers regarding efficacy of AZ in the treatment of COVID-19. The safety profile of AZ used as an antibacterial agent is well established.1 This work assesses published in vitro and clinical evidence for AZ as an agent with antiviral properties. It also provides basic CP information relevant for planning and initiating COVID-19 clinical studies with AZ, summarizes safety data from healthy volunteer studies, and safety and efficacy data from phase II and phase II/III studies in patients with uncomplicated malaria, including a phase II/III study in pediatric patients following administration of AZ and CQ in combination. This paper may also serve to facilitate the consideration and use of a priori-defined control groups for future research.


Hypofractionation in COVID-19 radiotherapy: A mix of evidence based medicine and of opportunities


Covid-19: GP surgeries close for two weeks after staff test positive


title: Adult congenital heart disease and the COVID-19 pandemic

text: Adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD) may be at high risk in the case of COVID-19. Due to the heterogeneity of ACHD and secondary complications, risk profiles are, however, not uniform. This document aims to give an overview of relevant data and outline our pragmatic approach to disease prevention and management. Based on anatomy and additional physiological factors including symptoms, exercise capacity, heart failure, pulmonary hypertension and cyanosis, we propose a pragmatic approach to categorising patients into low-risk, intermediate-risk and high-risk groups. We regard especially patients with complex cyanotic conditions, those with palliated univentricular hearts, heart failure, severe valvular disease or pulmonary hypertension as high-risk patients. To avoid infection, we recommend self-isolation and exemption from work for these cohorts. Infected ACHD patients with low or moderate risk and without signs of deterioration may be remotely followed and cared for at home while in self isolation. High-risk patients or those with signs of respiratory or cardiovascular impairment require admission ideally at a tertiary ACHD centre. Especially patients with complex, cyanotic disease, heart failure and arrhythmias require particular attention. Treatment in patients with cyanotic heart disease should be guided by the relative degree of desaturation compared with baseline and lactate levels rather than absolute oxygen saturation levels. Patients with right heart dilatation or dysfunction are potentially at increased risk of right heart failure as mechanical ventilation and acute respiratory distress syndrome can lead to increase in pulmonary arterial pressures.


How Might Social Distancing Impact Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Trans and Two-Spirit Men in Canada?


A probable atypical skin manifestation of COVID-19 infection


title: Moral Injury in Times of COVID-19

text: Health care providers are facing increased risk of moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic because of changes in clinical practice and resource allocation procedures. Health care systems that employ a proactive approach in mitigating the lasting effects of moral distress will fare better in the long run. Psychologists are well poised to apply timely psychological first aid to the crisis needs of patients, colleagues, and even themselves. Key interventions are detailed, including creating and promoting safety, calmness, connectedness, self-efficacy, and hope.


title: Contact Tracing Mobile Apps for COVID-19: Privacy Considerations and Related Trade-offs

text: Contact tracing is an essential tool for public health officials and local communities to fight the spread of novel diseases, such as for the COVID-19 pandemic. The Singaporean government just released a mobile phone app, TraceTogether, that is designed to assist health officials in tracking down exposures after an infected individual is identified. However, there are important privacy implications of the existence of such tracking apps. Here, we analyze some of those implications and discuss ways of ameliorating the privacy concerns without decreasing usefulness to public health. We hope in writing this document to ensure that privacy is a central feature of conversations surrounding mobile contact tracing apps and to encourage community efforts to develop alternative effective solutions with stronger privacy protection for the users. Importantly, though we discuss potential modifications, this document is not meant as a formal research paper, but instead is a response to some of the privacy characteristics of direct contact tracing apps like TraceTogether and an early-stage Request for Comments to the community. Date written: 2020-03-24 Minor correction: 2020-03-30


title: Addressing trauma and stress in the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and the promise of integrated primary care

text: Integrated primary care settings are ideal locations for treatment of posttraumatic stress concerns as primary care is the principal access point for mental health treatment in the United States. The COVID-19 global pandemic will increase the necessity of posttraumatic stress-related psychological care for vulnerable populations and frontline providers through traditional and virtual methods; integrated primary care settings are rapidly adapting to meet this need. Integrating more behavioral health clinicians into primary care clinics will provide better access to whole-person care when it is needed most. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


Cytokine release syndrome in severe COVID-19


docid: ppcdyhkt

title: The Greek study in the effects of colchicine in COvid-19 complications prevention (GRECCO-19 study): Rationale and study design

text: OBJECTIVE: Colchicine has been utilized safely in a variety of cardiovascular clinical conditions. Among its potential mechanisms of action is the non-selective inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome which is thought to be a major pathophysiologic component in the clinical course of patients with COVID-19. GRECCO-19 will be a prospective, randomized, open-labeled, controlled study to assess the effects of colchicine in COVID-19 complications prevention. METHODS: Patients with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (under RT PCR) and clinical picture that involves temperature >37.5 oC and at least two out of the: i. sustained coughing, ii. sustained throat pain, iii. Anosmia and/or ageusia, iv. fatigue/tiredness, v. PaO2<95 mmHg will be included. Patients will be randomised (1:1) in colchicine or control group. RESULTS: Trial results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. CONCLUSION: GRECCO-19 trial aims to identify whether colchicine may positively intervene in the clinical course of COVID-19. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04326790).


Liver injury in critically ill patients with COVID-19: a case series


Epidemiologic and Clinical Characteristics of Novel Coronavirus Infections Involving 13 Patients Outside Wuhan, China


title: Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system: The potential role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which initially began in China, has spread to other countries of Asia, Europe, America, Africa and Oceania, with the number of confirmed cases and suspected cases increasing each day. According to recently published research, it was found that the majority of the severe cases were elderly, and many of them had at least one chronic disease, especially cardiovascular diseases. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers (ACEIs/ARBs) are the most widely used drugs for cardiovascular diseases. The clinical effect of ACEIs/ARBs on patients with COVID-19 is still uncertain. This paper describes their potential role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, which may provide useful in the advice of cardiologists and physicians.


title: Impact of COVID-19 on Canadian medical oncologists and cancer care: Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists survey report

text: Background: The covid-19 pandemic has presented unprecedented professional and personal challenges for the oncology community. Under the auspices of the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists, we conducted an online national survey to better understand the impact of the pandemic on the medical oncology community in Canada. Methods: An English-language multiple-choice survey, including questions about demographics, covid-19 risk, use of personal protective equipment (ppe), personal challenges, and chemotherapy management was distributed to Canadian medical oncologists. The survey was open from 30 March to 4 April 2020, and attracted 159 responses. Results: More than 70% of medical oncologists expressed moderate-to-extreme concern about personally contracting covid-19 and about family members or patients (or both) contracting covid-19 from them. Despite that high level of concern, considerable variability in the use of ppe in direct cancer care was reported at the time of this survey, with 33% of respondents indicating no routine ppe use at their institutions and 69% indicating uncertainty about access to adequate ppe. Of the respondents, 54% were experiencing feelings of nervousness or anxiety on most days, and 52% were having feelings of depression or hopelessness on at least some days. Concern about aging parents or family and individual wellness represented the top personal challenges identified. The management of cancer patients has been affected, with adoption of telemedicine reported by 82% of respondents, and cessation of clinical trial accrual reported by 54%. The 3 factors deemed most important for treatment decision-making wereâ cancer prognosis and anticipated benefit from treatment,â risk of treatment toxicity during scarce health care access, andâ patient risk of contracting covid-19. Conclusions: This report describes the results of the first national survey assessing the impact of the covid-19 on Canadian medical oncologists and how they deliver systemic anticancer therapies. We hope that these data will provide a framework to address the challenges identified.


title: Hydroxychloroquine and the treatment of Sjogren syndrome, chronic ulcerative stomatitis, and oral lichen planus in the age of COVID-19

text: The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the off-label use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. However, a recent study not only failed to demonstrate HCQ efficacy but also documented a serious side effect of COVID-19 therapy with HCQ: QT prolongation and secondary arrhythmia. HCQ has been used as an off-label drug and deemed safe and effective for the treatment of oral lesions, such as Sjogren syndrome (SS), chronic ulcerative stomatitis (CUS), and oral lichen planus (OLP). Because HCQ may be appropriately used for the off-label treatment of SS, CUS, and OLP, relevant safety concerns regarding HCQ therapy with regard to dosage, drug-to-drug interactions, and QT prolongation and secondary arrhythmia are discussed here. Because of the possibility of decreased pharmacy supplies of HCQ, replacement drugs with respect to patients with SS, CUS, and OLP being successfully treated with HCQ are also discussed.


title: Telemedicine for Outpatient Neurosurgical Oncology Care: Lessons Learned for the Future During the COVID-19 Pandemic

text: BACKGROUND: The coronavirus 2019 (COVD-19) pandemic has drastically disrupted the delivery of neurosurgical care, especially for the already at-risk neuro-oncology population. The sudden change to clinic visits has rapidly spurned the implementation of telemedicine. A recommendation care paradigm of neuro-oncologic patients limited by telemedicine has not been reported. METHODS: A summary of a multi-institution experience detailing the potential benefits, pitfalls, and the necessary considerations to outpatient care of neurosurgical oncology patients. RESULTS: There are limitations and advantages to incorporating telemedicine into the outpatient care of neuro-oncology patients. Telemedicine-specific considerations for each step and stakeholder of the appointment (physician, patient, scheduling, previsit, imaging, and physical examination) are examined. CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine, pushed to prominence during this COVID-19 pandemic, is a powerful and possibly preferential tool for the future of outpatient neuro-oncologic care.


title: Factors associated with the duration of hospitalisation among COVID-19 patients in Vietnam: A survival analysis

text: BACKGROUND: The median duration of hospital stays due to COVID-19 has been reported in several studies on China as 10-13 days. Global studies have indicated that the length of hospitalisation depends on different factors, such as the time elapsed from exposure to symptom onset, and from symptom onset to hospital admission, as well as specificities of the country under study. The goal of this paper is to identify factors associated with the median duration of hospital stays of COVID-19 patients during the second COVID-19 wave that hit Vietnam from 5 March to 8 April 2020. METHOD: We used retrospective data on 133 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 recorded over at least two weeks during the study period. The Cox proportional-hazards regression model was applied to determine the potential risk factors associated with length of hospital stay. RESULTS: There were 65 (48.9%) females, 98 (73.7%) patients 48 years old or younger, 15 (11.3%) persons with comorbidities, 21 (16.0%) severely ill patients and 5 (3.8%) individuals with life-threatening conditions. Eighty-two (61.7%) patients were discharged after testing negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, 51 were still in the hospital at the end of the study period and none died. The median duration of stay in a hospital was 21 (IQR: 16-34) days. The multivariable Cox regression model showed that age, residence and sources of contamination were significantly associated with longer duration of hospitalisation. CONCLUSION: A close look at how long COVID-19 patients stayed in the hospital could provide an overview of their treatment process in Vietnam, and support the country's National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control in the efficient allocation of resources over the next stages of the COVID-19 prevention period.


title: Colorectal cancer patient reported outcome measures during COVID-19

text: The urgent reorganisation of clinical services in response to the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the delivery of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) surgery. Both patients and surgeons had difficult decisions to make including individual risk assessment, issues pertaining to informed consent and the safety of laparoscopic surgery.


title: High-Efficiency Same-Day Approach to Breast Reconstruction During the COVID-19 Crisis

text: PURPOSE: As our hospitals conserve and re-allocate resources during the COVID-19 crisis, there is urgent need to determine how best to continue caring for breast cancer patients. During the time window before the COVID-19 critical peak and particularly thereafter, as hospitals are able to resume cancer operations, we anticipate that there will be great need to maximize efficiency to treat breast cancer. The goal of this study is to present a same-day protocol that minimizes resource utilization to enable hospitals to increase inpatient capacity, while providing care for breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction during the COVID-19 crisis. METHODS: IRB exempt patient quality improvement initiative was conducted to detail the operationalization of a novel same-day breast reconstruction protocol. Consecutive patients having undergone immediate breast reconstruction were prospectively enrolled between February and March of 2020 at Massachusetts General Hospital during the COVID-19 crisis. Peri-operative results and postoperative complications were summarized. RESULTS: Time interval from surgical closure to patient discharge was 5.02 ± 1.29 h. All patients were discharged home, with no re-admissions or emergency department visits. No postoperative complications were observed. CONCLUSION: This report provides an instruction manual to operationalize a same-day breast reconstruction protocol, to meet demands of providing appropriate cancer treatment during times of unprecedented resource limitations. Pre-pectoral implant-based breast reconstruction can be the definitive procedure or be used as a bridge to autologous reconstruction. Importantly, we hope this work will be helpful to our patients and community as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Smell and taste symptom-based predictive model for COVID-19 diagnosis

text: BACKGROUND: The presentation of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) overlaps with common influenza symptoms. There is limited data on whether a specific symptom or collection of symptoms may be useful to predict test positivity. METHODS: An anonymous electronic survey was publicized through social media to query participants with COVID-19 testing. Respondents were questioned regarding 10 presenting symptoms, demographic information, comorbidities, and COVID-19 test results. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify predictors for COVID-19 positivity. Selected classifiers were assessed for prediction performance using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 145 participants with positive COVID-19 testing and 157 with negative results were included. Participants had a mean age of 39 years, and 214 (72%) were female. Smell or taste change, fever, and body ache were associated with COVID-19 positivity, and shortness of breath and sore throat were associated with a negative test result (p < 0.05). A model using all 5 diagnostic symptoms had the highest accuracy with a predictive ability of 82% in discriminating between COVID-19 results. To maximize sensitivity and maintain fair diagnostic accuracy, a combination of 2 symptoms, change in sense of smell or taste and fever was found to have a sensitivity of 70% and overall discrimination accuracy of 75%. CONCLUSION: Smell or taste change is a strong predictor for a COVID-19-positive test result. Using the presence of smell or taste change with fever, this parsimonious classifier correctly predicts 75% of COVID-19 test results. A larger cohort of respondents will be necessary to refine classifier performance.


title: An Evolving Approach to the Laboratory Assessment of COVID-19

text: As the COVID-19 outbreak has evolved in each country, the approach to the laboratory assessment of SARS-CoV-2 infection has had to evolve as well. This review addresses the evolving approach to the laboratory assessment of COVID-19 and discusses how algorithms for testing have been driven, in part, by the demand for testing overwhelming the capacity to accomplish such testing. This review focused on testing in the United States as this testing is evolving whereas in China and other countries such as South Korea testing is widely available and includes both molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2 as well as serological testing using both ELISA methodology and lateral flow immunoassay methodology. Although commercial testing systems are becoming available, there will likely be insufficient numbers of such tests due to high demand. Serological testing will be the next testing issue as the COVID-19 begins to subside. This will allow immunity testing as well as will allow the parameters of the COVID-19 outbreak to be defined. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


docid: lqgcfzps

title: How emergency departments prepare for virus disease outbreaks like COVID-19


title: Strategies to Inform Allocation of Stockpiled Ventilators to Healthcare Facilities During a Pandemic

text: During a severe pandemic, especially one causing respiratory illness, many people may require mechanical ventilation. Depending on the extent of the outbreak, there may be insufficient capacity to provide ventilator support to all of those in need. As part of a larger conceptual framework for determining need for and allocation of ventilators during a public health emergency, this article focuses on the strategies to assist state and local planners to allocate stockpiled ventilators to healthcare facilities during a pandemic, accounting for critical factors in facilities' ability to make use of additional ventilators. These strategies include actions both in the pre-pandemic and intra-pandemic stages. As a part of pandemic preparedness, public health officials should identify and query healthcare facilities in their jurisdiction that currently care for critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation to determine existing inventory of these devices and facilities' ability to absorb additional ventilators. Facilities must have sufficient staff, space, equipment, and supplies to utilize allocated ventilators adequately. At the time of an event, jurisdictions will need to verify and update information on facilities' capacity prior to making allocation decisions. Allocation of scarce life-saving resources during a pandemic should consider ethical principles to inform state and local plans for allocation of ventilators. In addition to ethical principles, decisions should be informed by assessment of need, determination of facilities' ability to use additional ventilators, and facilities' capacity to ensure access to ventilators for vulnerable populations (eg, rural, inner city, and uninsured and underinsured individuals) or high-risk populations that may be more susceptible to illness.


title: Indomethacin and resveratrol as potential treatment adjuncts for SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19

text: The ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19) has led to unprecedented challenges for the global healthcare system. This novel coronavirus disease phenotype ranges from asymptomatic carriage to fulminant cytokine storm with respiratory failure, polyorgan dysfunction and death. Severe disease is characterised by exuberant inflammation resulting from high circulating cytokines such as interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor. These inflammatory mediators are responsible for the detrimental effects on the immune, hematologic, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal and other body systems. In addition to inhibition of viral replication, blunting this inflammatory response before overt cytokine storm is important to improve outcomes. Although there are upcoming promising agents such as remdesivir and convalescent plasma, inexpensive, safe and widely available adjunct treatments to ameliorate disease burden would be welcome. Two potential anti-inflammatory agents include indomethacin, which has been shown in experimental models to decrease canine coronavirus levels in dogs and exhibit antiviral activity against several other viruses and the polyphenol, resveratrol, a potent antioxidant that has shown antiviral activity against several viruses.


Therapie von PatientInnen mit COVID-19./ [Management of Patients with COVID-19 - Recommendations from a Palliative Care Perspective]


Viewpoint: The COVID-19 and climate crises


Thoracic radiation therapy during COVID-19: provisional guidelines from a comprehensive cancer center within a pandemic epicenter


The many uncertainties of COVID-19


title: Molecular Mechanism of Evolution and Human Infection with SARS-CoV-2

text: The outbreak of a novel coronavirus, which was later formally named the severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a worldwide public health crisis. Previous studies showed that SARS-CoV-2 is highly homologous to SARS-CoV and infects humans through the binding of the spike protein to ACE2. Here, we have systematically studied the molecular mechanisms of human infection with SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV by protein-protein docking and MD simulations. It was found that SARS-CoV-2 binds ACE2 with a higher affinity than SARS-CoV, which may partly explain that SARS-CoV-2 is much more infectious than SARS-CoV. In addition, the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 has a significantly lower free energy than that of SARS-CoV, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 is more stable and may survive a higher temperature than SARS-CoV. This provides insights into the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 because SARS-like coronaviruses have originated in bats. Our computation also suggested that the RBD-ACE2 binding for SARS-CoV-2 is much more temperature-sensitive than that for SARS-CoV. Thus, it is expected that SARS-CoV-2 would decrease its infection ability much faster than SARS-CoV when the temperature rises. These findings would be beneficial for the disease prevention and drug/vaccine development of SARS-CoV-2.


title: National Geriatric Network Rapidly Addresses Trainee Telehealth Needs in Response to COVID-19

text: BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: COVID-19 has pushed many geriatric healthcare providers to attempt video visits for the first time. While the Veterans Health Administration (VA) is a pioneer in telemedicine, rapid shifts to nearly exclusive use of telehealth for healthcare delivery and changes regarding trainee engagement in telehealth served as the impetus for rapidly assessing telehealth training needs. DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Trainees (n=89) representing 12 disciplines affiliated with VA Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers (GRECCs) were surveyed regarding prior experience conducting video-to-home visits and training needs. RESULTS: Two-thirds had received some telehealth training. However, the majority had never done a video-to-home visit and, regardless of telehealth experience, reported low confidence. Based on open-ended questions exploring training needs, educational resources were rapidly developed and disseminated. INTERVENTION: Within one week of the assessment, a nuts-and-bolts guide regarding remote access, technology requirements, video conferencing platforms, and managing emergencies was sent to the national network of GRECC Associate Directors for Education for dissemination among discipline-specific training directors at their sites. Subsequently, this resource was submitted to the national VA COVID Strong Practices SharePoint site. Additionally, an interdisciplinary team of geriatric specialists with extensive video-to-home experience organized a national webinar, which peaked at just over 700 participants. "GRECC Connect," a network of geriatric specialty teams funded to improve care access for rural older Veterans using telehealth, and Associated Health Training programs at each GRECC, facilitated rapid development and dissemination of both resources. CONCLUSION: We rapidly identified and responded to telehealth training needs of geriatrics trainees to optimize care for rural older adults as part of a rapid response to COVID-19. While the webinar and nuts-and-bolts resources were developed within the VA context, they have demonstrated high demand and broader applicability. Results should continue to inform curriculum development efforts to address telehealth training gaps within and outside the VA. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Histological pattern in COVID-19-induced viral rash


title: SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted via contact and via the air between ferrets

text: SARS-CoV-2, a coronavirus that emerged in late 2019, has spread rapidly worldwide, and information about the modes of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among humans is critical to apply appropriate infection control measures and to slow its spread. Here we show that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted efficiently via direct contact and via the air (via respiratory droplets and/or aerosols) between ferrets, 1 to 3 days and 3 to 7 days after exposure respectively. The pattern of virus shedding in the direct contact and indirect recipient ferrets is similar to that of the inoculated ferrets and infectious virus is isolated from all positive animals, showing that ferrets are productively infected via either route. This study provides experimental evidence of robust transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via the air, supporting the implementation of community-level social distancing measures currently applied in many countries in the world and informing decisions on infection control measures in healthcare settings.


Anti-Chinese sentiment during the 2019-nCoV outbreak


COVID-19 and mental health of older adults in the Philippines: a perspective from a developing country


docid: pxivvytl

title: SARS-CoV-2 viral loads and serum IgA/IgG immune responses in critically ill COVID-19 patients


Hidroxicloroquina y azitromicina: riesgo cardiovascular, prolongación de QTc y muerte súbita en el nuevo escenario de la pandemia por COVID-19/ Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin: cardiovascular risk, QTc prolongation and sudden death in the new COVID-19 outbreak


Timely psychological care for patients with severe mental illness during COVID-19 epidemic


title: Quantitative Relationship between Population Mobility and COVID-19 Growth Rate based on 14 Countries

text: This study develops a framework for quantification of the impact of changes in population mobility due to social distancing on the COVID-19 infection growth rate. Using the Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) epidemiological model we establish that under some mild assumptions the growth rate of COVID-19 deaths is a time-delayed approximation of the growth rate of COVID-19 infections. We then hypothesize that the growth rate of COVID-19 infections is a function of population mobility, which leads to a statistical model that predicts the growth rate of COVID-19 deaths as a delayed function of population mobility. The parameters of the statistical model directly reveal the growth rate of infections, the mobility-dependent transmission rate, the mobility-independent recovery rate, and the critical mobility, below which COVID-19 growth rate becomes negative. We fitted the proposed statistical model on publicly available data from 14 countries where daily death counts exceeded 100 for more than 3 days as of May 6th, 2020. The publicly available Google Mobility Index (GMI) was used as a measure of population mobility at the country level. Our results show that the growth rate of COVID-19 deaths can be accurately estimated 20 days ahead as a quadratic function of the transit category of GMI (adjusted R-squared = 0.784). The estimated 95% confidence interval for the critical mobility is in the range between 36.1% and 47.6% of the pre-COVID-19 mobility. This result indicates that a significant reduction in population mobility is needed to reverse the growth of COVID-19 epidemic. Moreover, the quantitative relationship established herein suggests that a readily available, population-level metric such as GMI can be a useful indicator of the course of COVID-19 epidemic.


title: Effect of VEGFC on lymph flow and inflammation-induced alveolar bone loss

text: The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in the maintenance of tissue fluid homeostasis and the immunological response to inflammation. The effects of lymphatic drainage dysfunction on periodontitis have not been well-studied. Here we show that lymphatic vessel endothelial receptor 1 (LYVE1)+ /podoplanin (PDPN)+ lymphatic vessels (LVs) are increased in the periodontal tissues, with accumulation close to the alveolar bone surface, in two murine periodontitis models: rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-associated periodontitis and ligature-induced periodontitis. Further, PDPN+ / alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA)- lymphatic capillaries are increased, whereas PDPN+ / αSMA+ collecting LVs are decreased significantly in the inflamed periodontal tissues. Both mouse models of periodontitis have delayed lymph flow in periodontal tissues, increased TRAP-positive osteoclasts, and significant alveolar bone loss. Importantly, the local administration of adeno-associated virus for vascular endothelial growth factor C, the major growth factor that promotes lymphangiogenesis, increases the area and number of PDPN+ / αSMA+ collecting LVs, promotes local lymphatic drainage, and reduces alveolar bone loss in both models of periodontitis. Lastly, LYVE1+ / αSMA- lymphatic capillaries are increased, whereas LYVE1+ / αSMA+ collecting LVs are decreased significantly in gingival tissues of patients with chronic periodontitis compared with those of clinically healthy controls. Thus, our findings reveal an important role of local lymphatic drainage in periodontal inflammation-mediated alveolar bone loss. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Putative contributions of circadian clock and sleep in the context of SARS-CoV-2 infection


title: Strategies for prevention and control of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease in the department of kidney transplantation

text: To summarize measures for the prevention and control of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the department of kidney transplantation. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of outpatients and inpatients in the department of kidney transplantation from January 20 to March 1, 2020, and followed up the in-home kidney transplant recipients and those waiting for kidney transplantation through the Internet platform. Our department had formulated detailed prevention and control measures, mainly including kidney transplant outpatient management, kidney transplantation ward management, management of kidney transplant surgery, dialysis management of patients waiting for kidney transplantation, personal protection of medical staff, and follow-up management of discharged patients after kidney transplantation. During the epidemic period, there were no COVID-19 cases among 68 outpatient examined kidney transplant recipients, 32 hospitalized kidney transplant recipients, 19 patients waiting for kidney transplantation in hospital, and 30 medical staff. There were no COVID-19 cases among 160 follow-up recipients after kidney transplantation and 60 patients waiting for kidney transplantation. During the epidemic period, we implemented strict prevention and control measures and adjusted working methods and procedures to ensure safe and orderly work of the department.


Roles of Clinical Pharmacists in Caring for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease during COVID-19


title: Xanthomonas diversity, virulence and plant-pathogen interactions

text: Xanthomonas spp. encompass a wide range of plant pathogens that use numerous virulence factors for pathogenicity and fitness in plant hosts. In this Review, we examine recent insights into host-pathogen co-evolution, diversity in Xanthomonas populations and host specificity of Xanthomonas spp. that have substantially improved our fundamental understanding of pathogen biology. We emphasize the virulence factors in xanthomonads, such as type III secreted effectors including transcription activator-like effectors, type II secretion systems, diversity resulting in host specificity, evolution of emerging strains, activation of susceptibility genes and strategies of host evasion. We summarize the genomic diversity in several Xanthomonas spp. and implications for disease outbreaks, management strategies and breeding for disease resistance.


COVID19: The need for public health in a time of emergency


Ivermectin and COVID-19: A report in Antiviral Research, widespread interest, an FDA warning, two letters to the editor and the authors' responses


title: Clinical presentation and initial management critically ill patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Brescia, Italy

text: PURPOSE: An ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 that started in Hubei, China has resulted in massive strain on the healthcare infrastructure in Lombardy, Italy. The management of these patients is still evolving. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a single-center observational cohort study of critically ill patients infected with COVID-19. Bedside clinicians abstracted daily patient data on history, treatment, and short-term course. We describe management and a proposed severity scale for treatment used in this hospital. RESULTS: 44 patients were enrolled; with incomplete information on 11. Of the 33 studied patients, 91% were male, median age 64; 88% were overweight or obese. 45% were hypertensive, 12% had been taking an ACE-inhibitor. Noninvasive ventilation was performed on 39% of patients for part or all or their ICU stay with no provider infection. Most patients received antibiotics for pneumonia. Patients also received lopinivir/ritonavir (82%), hydroxychloroquine (79%), and tocilizumab (12%) according to this treatment algorithm. Nine of 10 patients survived their ICU course and were transferred to the floor, with one dying in the ICU. CONCLUSIONS: ICU patients with COVID-19 frequently have hypertension. Many could be managed with noninvasive ventilation, despite the risk of aerosolization. The use of a severity scale augmented clinician management.


title: Perspectives of physicians in general and ophthalmologists in particular about restarting services post-COVID-19 lockdown

text: Purpose: To assess the perspectives of physicians in general and ophthalmologists in particular about restarting elective out-patient (OP) and operating (OT) services after relaxation of lockdown for COVID-19. Methods: An online survey, containing 31 questions, was conducted among medical doctors using a secure Google forms link. The survey was open for 48 hours from 16th-18th April 2020. Results: Responses were received from 556 physicians (including 266 ophthalmologists). About a third (n = 205) wanted to start OP immediately after lockdown. In OP, mask of any kind for patient (60.8%), 3-ply for assistants (52.7%) and N95 for doctors (72.7%) were most common preferences. In OP, 31.5% and 46.6% felt full PPE and gloves alone were sufficient respectively. Ophthalmologists were more likely to start immediately after lockdown compared to other specialists (P = 0.004). Among 299 surgeons, an almost equal number (27%) wanted to start routine OT services immediately and 2 weeks post lockdown. A large majority (76.9%) would mandate COVID-19 tests before elective surgeries. In OT, 34.1% wanted N95 for surgical team and 3-ply for patient, 23.4% wanted 3-ply masks for everyone. 40.5% felt additional personal protective equipment (PPE) is not required and 33.1% felt that full PPE is required for everyone in OT. Ophthalmic surgeons preferred 3-ply masks and were less inclined to use full PPE (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Perspectives of doctors vary, especially with regarding to timing of restarting services and precautions to be taken in the OT. Ophthalmologists may tend to err on the side of taking lesser stringent precautions when restarting services post lockdown.


title: Can Teledentistry Improve the Monitoring of Patients during the Covid-19 Dissemination? A Descriptive Pilot Study

text: The aim of this pilot study was to describe the advantages of telemedicine (TM) in dental practice during the current national emergency condition due to the Covid-19 dissemination. At Department of Oral Surgery and Pathology-Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, regional reference center for Covid-19-two groups of patients were determined: patients with urgent conditions (group U) and patients in follow-up (group F). Both groups were instructed to implement remote consultations using a messaging service (WhatsApp Messenger, WhatsApp Inc., Mountain View, California, USA) to send photos. A total of 418 photos were collected by 57 patients. Thirty-four photos were obtained by five patients in the U group after surgical procedures. All patients sent photos on the established evening, except for two patients who sent two photos outside the set days. In the F group, 384 photos were collected by 52 patients. None of them sent more photos than the number that was established by the protocol. Telemedicine allowed a monitoring of all patients, reducing costs and limiting human contact, decreasing the risk of Covid-19 dissemination.


COVID-19: The environmental implications of shedding SARS-CoV-2 in human faeces


title: Disaster Preparedness and Social Justice in a Public Health Emergency

text: The United States is now experiencing public health catastrophe on a scale we have not seen for more than a century. COVID-19 puts into stark relief our mutual obligations that reflect our interdependence as participants in a common society. Drawing on the work of Amartya Sen concerning famine and related challenges, I discuss the accompanying implications for social justice. Social justice in catastrophe requires strong social insurance structures and legal protections for the most vulnerable people, who would otherwise lack economic resources and political influence to protect their essential interests. Social justice also requires greater and more-sustained attention to disaster preparedness and public health infrastructure-both of which are characteristically neglected, in part because the public health enterprise is identified with politically weak and often stigmatized populations.


title: The role of integrated mental and community physical healthcare trusts in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK

text: For several decades, mental health services within the UK's National Health Service were provided by specialist mental health trusts. More recently many of these trusts have integrated community physical health services into their operations. We describe here how two integrated mental health trusts in England were able to make an enhanced response to the COVID-19 pandemic.


docid: zbkukpdc

title: Unraveling the mystery of Covid-19 cytokine storm: From skin to organ systems

text: COVID-19 is a global pandemic that emerged from Wuhan, China. Besides pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, the disease leads to multisystem involvement in the form of myocarditis, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, gastrointestinal symptoms, hypoxemic brain injury, acute liver, and renal function impairment. There are also reports of cutaneous lesions in form of urticarial and maculopapular rashes, chilblain like fingers and toes (covid feet), livedoid vasculopathy, and chicken-pox like or varicelliform vesicles. Clinically, many of these skin lesions are likely secondary to occlusion of small to medium blood vessels due to microthrombi formation or due to viral laden antigen-antibody immune complexes; and same explanation may hold true for possible hypoxemic injury simultaneously occurring in other vital organs like lungs, heart, brain, and kidneys. The histopathology, immunoflorescence and RT-PCR analysis of skin biopsies can provide useful insights for ascertaining the pathogenesis of this complex viral syndrome. Apparently, it is interplay of disarmed cellular immunity and over-activated humoral immunity that culminates in end-organ changes. The morbidity and mortality can be significantly reduced by upgrading the cellular immunity and downgrading the humoral response; along with prevention of hypoxemic and reperfusion injuries by using antivirals, immunomodulators, antioxidants, anti-platelets, and anticoagulants in judicious and phased manner.


title: Unraveling the mystery of Covid-19 Cytokine storm: From skin to organ systems

text: COVID-19 is a global pandemic that emerged from Wuhan, China. Besides pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, the disease leads to multisystem involvement in the form of myocarditis, arrhythmias, cardiac arrest, gastrointestinal symptoms, hypoxemic brain injury, acute liver and renal function impairment. There are also reports of cutaneous lesions in form of urticarial and maculopapular rashes, chilblain like fingers and toes (covid feet), livedoid vasculopathy and chicken-pox like or varicelliform vesicles. Clinically, many of these skin lesions are likely secondary to occlusion of small to medium blood vessels due to microthrombi formation or due to viral laden antigen-antibody immune complexes; and same explanation may hold true for possible hypoxemic injury simultaneously occurring in other vital organs like lungs, heart, brain and kidneys. The histopathology, immunoflorescence and RT-PCR analysis of skin biopsies can provide useful insights for ascertaining the pathogenesis of this complex viral syndrome. Apparently, it is interplay of disarmed cellular immunity and over-activated humoral immunity that culminates in end-organ changes. The morbidity and mortality can be significantly reduced by upgrading the cellular immunity and downgrading the humoral response; along with prevention of hypoxemic and reperfusion injuries by using antivirals, immunomodulators, antioxidants, anti-platelets and anticoagulants in judicious and phased manner. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


エレン・ブラウン氏との対話 お金の仕組みの摩訶不思議(第9回)新型コロナウイルスで米中戦争開始 メキシコ大統領は新自由主義経済に挑戦


title: Unprecedented pandemic, unprecedented shift, and unprecedented opportunity

text: The COVID-19 pandemic is currently spreading across the world in an unprecedented way. "Social distancing" has become the latest buzzword in the headlines of media covering the COVID-19 pandemic As a result, the widely implemented social distancing measures has generated one unprecedented shift that pushes various types of human social interactions from dominantly offline to dominantly online. This becomes a "new normal" in our daily life. For our research community of studying technology-related behavior, the COVID-19 pandemic provides an unprecedented opportunity to join the worldwide efforts to fight against the current pandemic and Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies calls for studies examining how humans behavior with emerging technologies in extreme events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.