title: Accessibility and site suitability for healthcare services using GIS-based hybrid decision-making approach: a study in Murshidabad, India

text: Healthcare accessibility and site suitability analysis is an elongated and complex task that requires evaluation of different decision factors. The main objective of the present study was to develop a hybrid decision-making approach with geographic information systems to integrate spatial and non-spatial data to form a weighted result. This study involved three-tier analyses for assessing accessibility and selecting suitable sites for healthcare facilities, and analysing shortest-path network. The first tier of analysis stressed the spatial distance, density and proximity from existing healthcare to find more deprived and inaccessible areas in term of healthcare facilities. The result revealed that spatial discrepancy exists in the study area in term of access to healthcare facilities and for achieving equal healthcare access, it is essential to propose new plans. Thus, require finding suitable sites for put forward new healthcare service, which was highlighted in the second tier of analysis based on land use land cover, distancing to road and rail, proximity to residential areas, and weighted overlay of accessibility as decision factors. Finally, in the third tier of analysis, the most suitable site among the proposed healthcare was identified using the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution. The road network analysis was also performed in this study to determine the shortest and fastest route from these healthcare facilities to connect with district medical hospital. The present study found some suitable sites throughout the district on inaccessible zones where people are deprived from better healthcare facilities. This attempt will highly helpful for preparing a spatial decision support system which assists the health authorities regarding the healthcare services in inaccessible, underprivileged, and rural areas. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s41324-020-00330-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


The state of ophthalmology medical student education in the United States: An update


Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine Overdose


Nutricion Clínica en tiempos de COVID-19


Wildlife Disease Ecology, K. Wilson, A. Fenton, D. Tompkins (Eds.), Cambridge University Press (2019). 690pp., $115.00 (Hardback), $59.99 (Paperback), $48.00 (eBook), ISBN: 9781316479964 (Online), 9781107136564 (Hardback), 9781316501900 (Paperback), 9781316997055 (eBook)


Neurology during the pandemic. Is COVID-19 changing the organisation of Neurology Departments?()


Telemedicine in a post-COVID world: How eConsults can be used to augment an allergy practice


COVID-19: ¿y ahora qué?


Sharing a single ventilator (“in vitro”)


COVID-19 Y NEUROINFECCIONES CONCOMITANTES


Five variable that rule your life – Home mortgage and biostatistical power


Considerations when Characterizing Adolescent Neurocognitive Development


Early experience with Severely Burned COVID-19 patients at the National Reference Center for Adult Major Burns in Chile


Healing the Healer


MANIFESTACIÓN GASTROINTESTINAL EXCLUSIVA COMO FORMA DE PRESENTACIÓN DE INFECCIÓN POR CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)


L’éducation thérapeutique du patient et la médecine narrative


Vascular Surgery Education during COVID-19 pandemic


Effectiveness of Implementing Take-Home Kits for Specimen Collection in a Clinical Trial


docid: ciuynofm

title: National Governance of Public Health Responses in a Pandemic?

text: The world is currently facing the worst pandemic in a century and we were caught unprepared. COVID-19 has proven highly contagious and with severe consequences that are still unfolding. As of 16 April 2020, there were over 2 million confirmed cases and over 136,000 related deaths reported worldwide. Over 1 million of those confirmed cases were in the preceding 14 days, with the USA accounting for nearly half of those. Furthermore, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is now warning that the world is about to suffer the worst economic recession since the Great Depression in the 1920s.


Jesus Vaquero, MD, PhD, 1950–2020


Hydroxychloroquine-associated QT interval prolongation


Mitteilungen der ÖWAW


Evaluation of potential therapies for COVID-19 global pandemic


title: The easy weaponization of social media: why profit has trumped security for U.S. companies

text: American-based social media companies have become active players in digital war, both by accident of design and a subsequent failure to address the threat due to concerns over profits. Discussions about the negative role of social media in society generally address the myriad problems wrought by social media, including electoral manipulation, foreign disinformation, trolling, and deepfakes, as unfortunate side effects of a democratizing technology. This article argues that the design of social media fosters information warfare. With its current composition and lack of regulation, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are active agents of disinformation, their destructive force in society outweighing their contributions to democracy. While this is not by deliberate design, the twin forces of capitalism and a lack of regulation of the world’s largest social media platforms have led to a situation in which social media are a key component of information war around the globe. This means that scholarly discussions should shift away from questions of ethics or actions (or lack thereof) on the part of social media companies to a frank focus on the security risk posed to democracy by social media.


title: NATO enlargement and US grand strategy: a net assessment

text: NATO did not dissolve following the Soviet Union’s collapse and the end of the Cold War. Instead, the alliance expanded, in stages—from 16 members at its Cold War peak to 30 in 2020. While NATO enlargement alone did not cause the deterioration of US–Russian relations, it did contribute significantly to that outcome. Champions of NATO expansion aver that it maintains peace in Europe and promotes democracy in East-Central Europe. They add that Russia has nothing to fear. But Russia’s leaders have always seen NATO expansion differently. The article also examines NATO’s enlargement as it relates to US post-Cold War grand strategy. It contends the policy reflects the abiding US commitment to maintaining its global primacy, which, in part, is ensured by perpetuating Europe’s dependence on the USA for an elemental need: security. We conclude by considering the future of NATO and Europe.


Demand for potentially hazardous COVID-19 treatments


Prednisone: Coronavirus disease 2019: case report


BVASK-Mitteilungen


UMC: use appropriate COVID-19-related terms for ICSRs


Abemaciclib/fulvestrant: Leucopenia and Covid-19: case report


AGA-Mitteilungen


Talent management in Covid-19 crisis: how Dubai manages and sustains its global talent pool


2020 CIS Annual Meeting: Immune Deficiency & Dysregulation North American Conference


To free ourselves we must feed ourselves


Native food systems impacted by COVID


Pandemic shows deep vulnerabilities


title: Natural Products as Fungicide and Their Role in Crop Protection

text: Seeking solutions from nature for solving one and all problems is the age-old practice for mankind, and natural products are proved to be the most effective one for keeping up the balance of development as well as the “healthy, wealthy, and well” condition of mother nature. Fungal pathogens are proved to be a common and popular contaminant of agroecosystem that approximately causes 70–80% of total microbial crop loss. To meet the proper global increasing need of food products as a result of population explosion, managing agricultural system in an eco-friendly and profitable manner is the prime target; thus the word “sustainable agriculture” plays it part, and this package is highly effective when coupled with nature-derived fungicidal products that can minimize the event of fungal infections in agrarian ecosystem. Present study enlists the most common and effective natural products that might be of plant or microbial origin, their mode of action, day-by-day development of phytopathogenic resistance against the prevailing fungicides, and also their role in maintenance of sustainability of agricultural practices with special emphasis on their acceptance over the synthetic or chemical one. A large number of bioactive compounds ranging from direct plant (both cryptogams algae and moss and phanerogams)-derived natural extracts, essential oil of aromatic plants, and low-molecular-weight antimicrobial compounds known as phytoalexins to secondary metabolites that are both volatile and nonvolatile organic compounds of microbes (fungal and actinobacterial members) residing inside the host tissue, called endophyte, are widely used as agricultural bioweapons. The rhizospheric partners of plant, mycorrhizae, are also a prime agent of this chemical warfare and protect their green partners from fungal invaders and emphasize the concept of “sustainable agriculture.”


Reflections on Mortgage Keynesianism: Applying Prasad’s (2012) Abundance and the Paradox of Poverty in the United States to Contemporary China


Increasing accessibility in COVID-19 clinical trials


Droit et santé mentale


docid: kserwhgs

title: Solar ultraviolet radiation sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2


Africa's struggle with inadequate COVID-19 testing


docid: cwfxugtx

title: Start as we mean to go on


La situación de la enfermería en el mundo y la Región de las Américas en tiempos de la pandemia de COVID-19


title: Large-scale assessments and their effects: The case of mid-stakes tests in Ontario

text: This paper analyzes the nature and perceived effects of mid-stakes testing (known as the EQAO) in Ontario, Canada. Ontario’s mid-stakes tests were meant to ensure accountability and transparency, and assure system-wide improvement, while avoiding the negative effects and perverse incentives of their high-stakes counterparts. The paper provides new evidence from two projects covering almost a 10-year time-span in 10 of Ontario’s 72 school districts. It shows that even though mid-stakes testing is milder in its manifestations and effects than high-stakes testing, concerns remain about the need for and side effects of such testing. The findings concern two periods of Ontario educational reform. In the first period, with a specific focus on improving performance in literacy and mathematics, administrators and special education support staff felt that the assessments raised teachers’ expectations and sense of urgency leading to steady improvements in measured achievement, but that there was also evidence of negative effects, especially on paying undue attention to “bubble” students just below the threshold for minimum proficiency. In the second reform period focused on broad excellence, well-being and equity as inclusion, mid-stakes tests were perceived as having more widespread negative effects. These included teaching to the test, cultural bias, avoidance of innovation, dilemmas of whether to include highly vulnerable students in the testing process or not, and emotional ill-being among students and teachers. The paper concludes that Ontario’s twentieth century system of large scale, mid-stakes assessment has not kept pace with its twenty first century commitments to deeper learning and stronger well-being.


Letter from the Editor, “Thank you”, Michael J. Droller, M.D.


GESTIÓN DE LOS EQUIPOS DE ENFERMERÍA DE UCI DURANTE LA PANDEMIA COVID-19


Covid-19 “Fulminant Myocarditis” Successfully Treated With Temporary Mechanical Circulatory Support


Anlagen und Produkte


Die zweite Meinung


KBV: Schnelle Rückkehr zur Regelversorgung


Schutzausrüstung Marke Eigenbau: Coronavirus stellt Dermatologen vor Herausforderungen


"Praxen können effizienter organisiert werden": Dermatologie bleibt Vorreiter bei der Telemedizin


BVDD begrüßt Corona-Appell des Virchowbundes


Experten empfehlen: Gelassen bleiben!: Coronavirus und Psoriasis: Was Sie jetzt wissen müssen


Lockerung der Einschränkungen: Wie geht es weiter?


Hygienemaßnahmen: BVDD fordert Pauschale von der PKV


Virus bremst Berufspolitik aus: Korbmodell zum Auflichtmikroskop liegt wegen Corona auf Eis


Bidirectional Relationships of Sleep and Work


Images in Emergency Medicine: Painful Foot Lesions in a COVID Patient


Repurposing traditional immunomodulators to target the inflammatory burden of atherosclerosis()


Whole Health Learning: The Revolutionary Child of Integrative Health and Education


Performing Structural Heart Disease Interventions During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic – But What Are the Downsides?


Performance measurement in dynamic environments


title: Apocalypse Now!: From Freud, Through Lacan, to Stiegler’s Psychoanalytic ‘Survival Project

text: The objective of this article is to explore the value of psychoanalysis in the early twenty-first century through reference to Freud, Lacan, and Stiegler’s work on computational madness. In the first section of the article I consider the original objectives of psychoanalysis through reference to what I call Freud’s ‘normalisation project’, before exploring the critique of this discourse concerned with the defence of oedipal law through a discussion of the post-modern ‘individualisation project’ set out by Deleuze and Guattari and others. Tracking the development of ‘the individualisation project’ in history, I consider its connections with the cybernetic theories of Wiener and Shannon in the psycho-cyber-utopianism of the 1990s, before moving on to consider the other side of the psychoanalytic-cybernetic interaction through a discussion of Jacques Lacan’s rereading of Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle in the second section of the article. In reading Lacan’s seminar on Freudian drive in terms of the cybernetic repression of death, I set up the conclusion to the article which involves a discussion of Bernard Stiegler’s ‘survival project’ that relies on a recognition of the limit of death in order to produce human significance and oppose the madness of our contemporary computational reality.


Van face to face naar zorg op afstand: De ggz na de coronacrisis


Coronacrisis toont uitdagingen samenleving


Ambities zorgverzekeraars blijven staan: Inkoopbeleid met een disclaimer


Joep Verbugt


C O N N Y: Helder


Voorkom burn-out en PTSS


Kort: opvallende Nieuwsberichten, feiten en cijfers


The more exposure to media information about COVID-19, the more distressed you will feel


Actualités législatives, réglementaires et bibliographiques


Die Auswirkungen der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie auf die Sporttraumatologie


Reply to: ‘NAFLD or comorbidities, that is the question’


title: An Ontology for Collaborative Decision Making

text: This article focuses on an ontology construction for collaborative decision making. To do this, a state of the art on collaborative decision-making, on ontology engineering and on collaboration engineering has been done. An eight-step ontology development methodology was adopted and implemented to build the ontology. A corpus made up of more than seventy-seven (77) documents was the starting point for the extraction of terms from the ontology and the UML (Unified Modeling Language) language served as a description language of our ontology. This ontology is intended to be the starting point for a facilitation support system in a Collaborative Decision Making process. The aim of the work is to produce a new system according the “Facilitator in the box” paradigm.


title: Inferring Personality Types for Better Automated Negotiation

text: Automated negotiation between computational agents or between agents and humans has been a subject of active research with a focus on obtaining better quality solutions within reasonable time frames. The critical issue negotiators face during automated negotiation is that a negotiator may not always know the personality type of the opponent. Studies show that having information about the opponent improves the outcome of negotiation in general. However, unless there is prior knowledge, learning the opponent type in the limited amount of time or number of rounds in a negotiation is a difficult task. In this paper, we use a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) based modeling to perform better modeling of the opponent personality type. In particular, we focus on modeling the opponent into four different types to showcase that a better understanding of personality type can improve the outcome of automated negotiation. Our experiments performed using data sets generated from the IAGO software showcase that we indeed obtain better negotiation outcomes with a higher classification accuracy of the opponent personality type.


docid: ffpwuddg

title: A Novel Conflict Resolution Model Based on the Composition of Probabilistic Preferences

text: The purpose of this paper is to develop a four-stage conflict resolution model. In the first stage, a multicriteria model is developed for each of the conflicting parties, taken as decision makers (DMs) facing evaluations of a set of alternatives according to proper criteria. In the second stage, the composition of probabilistic preferences (CPP) methodology is applied to identify the best alternative for each of the conflicting parties. In the third stage, negotiation is carried out to remove alternatives and to focus on the subset of best alternatives for the group of DMs. The fourth stage consists of applying CPP again to choose one among the remaining alternatives. The model is illustrated by means of applying it to a real-world conflict in Brazil, related to implementation of the New Recife Project. The main features of the model are that it allows the DMs (i) to understand differences and proximities among the positions of each of them, (ii) to strategically reduce the initial set of alternatives, (iii) to advance in their positions towards a common goal, and (iv) to construct a unique final solution quickly.


title: A Novel Method for Eliminating Redundant Option Statements in the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution

text: The option prioritization is the most effective preference ranking approach within the framework of the graph model for conflict resolution, in which a set of option statements for each decision maker (DM) involved in a dispute is determined by individual judgments. Inevitably, some option statements may be unnecessary or redundant. To address the redundancy of option statements, a novel option statement reduction method as well as an effective reduction algorithm is developed in this research based on the rough set theory. Furthermore, the Elmira conflict is utilized to show how the proposed option statement reduction method can be employed for efficiently eliminating redundant option statements of DMs.


title: Alternatives vs. Time – Measuring the Force of Distinct Sources of Bargaining Power

text: This study aims to deepen the understanding of the drivers of bargaining power in negotiations and in particular the role of best alternatives (BATNA) and time pressure. Previous experimental negotiation research mainly focused on the power of BATNA and the influence of the context on the negotiation outcome, raising the question as to whether BATNA is indeed the only relevant power lever in negotiations. Especially game theorists have shown that time-related costs have a decisive influence on negotiation outcomes. The study proposes a framework to actually measure and compare the relevance and force of different power levers in a simulated distributive buyer-seller negotiation. The results suggest that time pressure can be as influential as an alternative; however, students and professionals seem to react differently to power manipulations. Whereas the student sample was significantly influenced by time pressure but not by alternatives, the opposite could be observed in the professional group. The findings question the common belief that alternatives are the key driver of power in negotiations.


title: Influence Among Preferences and Its Transformation to Behaviors in Groups: An Agent-Based Modeling and Simulation of Fertility Intention and Behavior

text: We consider settings of group decision and negotiation where agents’ preferences (such as intentions, beliefs and opinions) are influenced by each other and thus their behaviors are possibly changed. We build a multi-agent system (MAS(IITIB)) in the context of social networks to model the mutual influence among agents’ intentions and the transformation from agents’ intentions to their behaviors in groups. On the micro level of individual agents, we construct the self-evolution rule of agents’ intentions and the generation, constraint and termination rule of agents’ behaviors; on the macro level of networked structure, we describe the mutual influence on intentions among agents, which can be diversified in both strength and polarity. We detail this multi-agent system and run experiments and simulations using the interaction of fertility intentions and the generation of fertility behaviors in families as example. Two experimental programs are designed: one is to adjust the initial fertility intentions of prospective parents, and the other is to adjust the range of weight of influence among family members, to investigate the effects on the childbearing behavior and the number of newborn children in the long-term. This study intends to provide modeling bases for the dynamics of preferences and behaviors due to mutual influence among agents in groups, particularly for the study of fertility intention and behavior in families, and more broadly, the forecast of population growth and effects of fertility policy. It is an innovative try of distributed artificial intelligence (multi-agent system) in the field of demography and public policy, and provides with a new bottom-to-up perspective and unconventional agent-based method.


docid: keeifbnw

title: Manipulability of Majoritarian Procedures in Two-Dimensional Downsian Model

text: For the two-dimensional Downsian model the degree of manipulability of 16 known aggregation procedures, based on the majority relation, is evaluated using the Nitzan-Kelly index. Extended preferences for multi-valued choices are used to evaluate the fact of manipulation. Individual manipulability of agents is considered, when manipulating agent moves its ideal point over the plane. The range of possible manipulating positions of the agents is restricted to some rectangle on the two-dimensional coordinate space, within the feasible area of positions of alternatives and agents. The preferences of agents are assumed to be linear orders, constructed by the proximity of the alternatives to the agents, ordered according to Euclidean distance. The computer calculations, using Monte-Carlo simulations has been performed for 3, 4, and 5 alternatives and for even number of agents from 4 to 20. 100 thousands profiles were generated for each number of alternatives – number of agents case. The results of the simulations show that there are groups of procedures with relatively low degree of manipulability for all of the considered multiple-choice extensions.


title: PredictRV: A Prediction Based Strategy for Negotiations with Dynamically Changing Reservation Value

text: Negotiation is an important component of the interaction process among humans. With increasing automation, autonomous agents are expected to take over a lot of this interaction process. Much of automated negotiation literature focuses on agents having a static and known reservation value. In situations involving dynamic environments e.g., an agent negotiating on behalf of a human regarding a meeting, agents can have a reservation value (RV) that is a function of time. This leads to a different set of challenges that may need additional reasoning about the concession behavior. In this paper, we build upon Negotiation algorithms such as ONAC (Optimal Non-Adaptive Concession) and Time-Dependent Techniques such as Boulware which work on settings where the reservation value of the agent is fixed and known. Although these algorithms can encode dynamic RV, their concession behavior and hence the properties they were expected to display would be different from when the RV is static, even though the underlying negotiation algorithm remains the same. We, therefore, propose to use one of Counter, Bayesian Learning with Regression Analysis or LSTM model on top of each algorithm to develop the PredictRV strategy and show that PredictRV indeed performs better on two different metrics tested on two different domains on a variety of parameter settings.


title: Analysis of Disputed Territories in the Barents Sea

text: As a result of the global warming, the situation in the Barents Sea leads to several important consequences. Firstly, oil and gas drilling becomes much easier than before. Therefore, it may raise the level of discussions on disputed shelf zones where the deposits are located, especially near to Norway-Russia sea border. Secondly, oil and gas excavation leads to potential threats to fishing by changing natural habitats, which in turn can create serious damage to the economies. We construct a model, which helps to highlight potential disputed territories and analyze preferences of the countries interested in fossil fuels and fish resources. We also compare different scenarios of resource allocation with allocation by current agreement.


title: Decidio: A Pilot Implementation and User Study of a Novel Decision-Support System

text: In this work, we add to the rich history of decision-support system research by implementing and evaluating a pilot implementation of a novel system, which we call Decidio. Our tool was integrated into a pre-existing decision-making process regularly conducted by 9 teams of undergraduate students. We find an overall positive response to Decidio based on the results of a tool evaluation survey that we conducted after our experiment. Furthermore, we conduct a Big-Five Factor personality survey of participants and associate personalities with interactions recorded by our tool. We find that the students who demonstrate leadership behaviors through their interactions score higher in extraversion and lower in conscientiousness than other students. Our analysis also reveals that agreeableness is strongly correlated with dissimilarity between group ranking outcomes and initially indicated individual preferences.


title: A Characterization for Procedural Choice Based on Dichotomous Preferences Over Criteria

text: Many lessons for procedural choice have been provided by axiomatic studies of decision procedures. However, there appears to be a gap between these axiomatic studies and the actual determination of appropriate procedures, as an axiomatic characterization does not directly answer which axiom should be appropriate—particularly when there is no agreement on the relative desirability of criteria. The present study proposes a formal model of procedural choice based on preferences over criteria (PCBPC). Specifically, we focus on the aggregation rule that maps a dichotomous preference profile over criteria for decision procedures to a nonempty set of decision procedures. We prove that the counting rule, which chooses the decision procedures with greatest supports, is the unique aggregation rule that satisfies anonymity (A), neutrality (N), strict monotonicity (SM), and partition consistency (PC), where PC is proposed based on the idea that representations of equivalent criteria in different ways should not affect the results. Two distinct standpoints for PCBPC are highlighted: one is to regard criteria as atomic, i.e., inseparable, objects and the other as composite, i.e., separable, objects. The difference between them is made explicit with two impossibility theorems showing the inconsistency between unanimity in the former standpoint and A (or PC) in the latter standpoint.


title: Influence Across Agents and Issues in Combinatorial and Collective Decision-Making

text: We consider settings of combinatorial and collective decision-making where a set of agents make choices on a set of issues in sequence based on their preferences over a set of alternatives for each issue. While agents have their initial preferences on issues, they may influence others and be influenced by others, consequently changing their preferences or choices on these issues in the process of decision-making. Though the influence among multiple agents making decisions on one issue and the dependency (influence) among multiple issues decided by one agent have been fully discussed in previous work, the influence from multiple sources across both agents and issues in the context of combinatorial and collective decision-making has been ignored. In this paper, we proposed a preliminary framework to address the influence transcending multiple agents and multiple issues with two rules: weighted influence and one dominant influence.


title: Decision Rule Aggregation Approach to Support Group Decision Making

text: The Dominance-based Rough Set Approach (DRSA) is an innovative preference learning approach. It takes as input a set of objects (learning set) described with respect to a collection of condition and decision attributes. It generates a set of if-then decision rules. Initial versions of dominance based rough set approximation methods assume a single decision maker. Furthermore, the proposed extensions to group decision making mainly use an input oriented aggregation strategy, which requires a high level of agreement between the decision makers. In this paper, we propose an output oriented aggregation strategy to coherently combine different sets of decision rules obtained from different decision makers. The proposed aggregation algorithm is illustrated by using real-world data relative to a business school admission where two decision makers are involved. Results show that aggregation algorithm is able to reproduce the individual assignments of students with a very limited preferential information loss.


title: Nash Stability in a Multi-objective Graph Model with Interval Preference Weights: Application to a US-China Trade Dispute

text: In many real-world conflict situations, decision-makers (DMs) integrate multiple objectives rather than considering just one objective or dimension. A multi-objective graph model (MOGM) is proposed to balance each DM’s objectives in both two-DM and multi-DM conflicts. To identify Nash stability in MOGMs, a comprehensive preference matrix with weight parameters on objectives is developed for each DM, along with a unilateral move matrix including preference weights (UMP). Then, considering the subjective uncertainty of DMs, interval numbers are used to represent the degree of uncertainty of preference. Subsequently, Nash equilibria and interval Nash equilibria are developed for MOGMs, and the dependence of these equilibria on weights is shown. To illustrate how MOGM can be applied in practice and provide valuable strategic insights, it is used to investigate a US-China trade dispute model. The stability results suggest potential strategic resolutions of bilateral trade disputes, and how DMs can attain them. The case analysis process suggests that a peaceful settlement of the dispute may be achievable.


A Safe Return


Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,


docid: cjmbkofv

title: Medizinische Apps – Möglichkeiten bei Pruritus

text: BACKGROUND: Apps have become part of our daily lives. Apps for pruritus could also play a role in the management of symptoms. AIM: The aim of this article is to review existing apps for pruritus. In addition, we will discuss whether these apps have been validated and how and which offers might still be lacking. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The two largest app stores as well as PubMed and Google were searched for apps regarding pruritus. Relevant medical apps were documented and categorized with respect to their functions. PubMed was searched to identify validation studies. RESULTS: In total 21 apps for pruritus were identified. Of those 12 explicitly focused on pruritus, while 8 included pruritus as a symptom of an underlying disease (especially eczema and urticaria). The following app categories were derived: medical history of chronic pruritus, assessment of pruritus in clinical trials, assessment of nocturnal pruritus, information about pruritus, and diseases with pruritus as a symptom. Three of the apps with explicit focus on pruritus have been scientifically validated. DISCUSSION: There are different apps for pruritus available. Most apps which explicitly focus on pruritus are aimed at physicians and scientists, while apps for diseases with pruritus as a symptom are more patient-centered. Due to technological advances, apps and wearables could improve management of pruritus in the future.


Dear Dermatoethicist: Web-Based Dermatology Residency Interviews in the Time of COVID-19


Commentary: Primum non nocere


Building the Pyramids


Protecting health-care professionals and workers (other than COVID-19 management facilities) from contamination during COVID-19 pandemic (March 26, 2020 – India)


India and COVID – 19 Pandemic - Standing at Crossroad!!!!!


title: Low-income countries are more immune to COVID-19: A misconception

text: OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has hit countries such as Italy, Spain, France, UK, and the USA with great force, whereas the number of cases in countries such as India and most parts of Africa is comparatively lower. Such observation has made many people believe that the low-income countries may be more immune to COVID-19. Theories such as warm climate, weaker strain of the virus, and cross-protection by malaria have been popularly put forward. One such interesting theory is that since the general people of the low- income countries are mostly habituated to dwell in lesser hygienic condition and with lesser medical attention throughout their lifetime; hence, they have naturally acquired better immunity and more resilience against many infective diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We sought to investigate the above claim by comparing the case fatality rate (CFR) as well as number of cases per million population versus the gross domestic product at purchasing power parity per capita of different countries. RESULTS: We found that while the number of cases showed a slight decline in the lower-income countries, the CFR was independent of the financial condition of the country. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the theory of better immunity in economically poor countries is a misconception. We suggest that people must come out of these misconceptions and resort to strict home isolation.


title: The effect of COVID-19 on global population and its fatality rate: Retrospective study by online database

text: OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a current new virulent disease rising its transmission and fatality with each passing day in the worldwide population. COVID-19 is emerged as a respiratory infection and a suspicious origin of animals and transmission to human in Wuhan, China on December 2019. Later this, the virus was transmitted from person to person through droplets and contacts. The World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China have taken immediate action to reduce transmission and fatality associated with COVID-19 as minimum as possible. However, action has failed to stop transmission of COVID-19 from China to other countries. Since there was no chain break of the virus, the chances are more to increase the case number and fatality. Hence, the study has been designed to perceive the current effect of COVID-19 on the global population and its fatality. The study also focused on review related to treatment for COVID-19. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Online database of epidemic disease COVID-19 cases number was collected from www.channelnewsasia.com on 7(th) April 2020. This data was used to observe the past and present circumstances in the global population and its fatality. The effect of treatment on COVID-19 was reviewed from the few databases of clinical trials (antiviral and antibacterial drugs). RESULTS: The online data are used to observe a significant increase ratio of COVID-19 cases and its fatality rate in worldwide as well as country wise. The COVID-19 cases are high in the United States (27.5%), whereas the fatality rate is high in Italy (12.47%). The prevalence of COVID-19 is expected to be reaching 4 million by the end of April 2020 and the fatality rate also might be reached high. CONCLUSION: We have come to the conclusion that the effect of COVID-19 on the global population is significantly increased and the fatality rate also elevated (2.48% to 5.52%). The hydroxychloroquine-azithromycin combination treatment has shown significant improvement in patients with COVID-19 compared to treat with other drugs.


title: Does the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin vaccine provide protection from COVID-19?

text: OBJECTIVE: The novel coronavirus pandemic is ravaging throughout the world. It has infected more than 1.2 million people and killed more than 64,000. Frantic research is underway to find prevention and cure. Of late, Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) has been speculated as a possible protection from COVID-19. We sought to investigate the evidence behind the claim. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data were collected regarding the total number of COVID-19 cases per million and total number of COVID-19 deaths per million in various countries. The BCG vaccination policies of these countries were also obtained. RESULTS: It was seen that the countries with no universal BCG policy had a mean 1272.9 (median 795) cases per million and 80.7 deaths (median 18) per million population. On the contrary, the countries with a universal BCG vaccination policy had a mean 131.2 (median 40) cases per million and 4 deaths (median 1) per population. The difference is highly significant (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The data strongly support the hypothesis that BCG may offer protection from COVID-19. Heterologous protection offered by BCG through production of trained immunity, epigenetic reprogramming of monocytes, non-specific activation of NK cells, and increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines (particularly, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha and interleukin 1 beta) production may be the mechanism behind its cross- protection against the novel coronavirus.


title: Has India met this enemy before? From an eternal optimist’s perspective: SARS-CoV-2

text: OBJECTIVE: We are presently going through a historic and unprecedented crisis for humanity with SARS-CoV-2 causing immense damage to life and world economics. It has been 3 months, since we had the first cluster in China and we felt the need to look into certain regional patterns of transmission of the virus with respect to some distinctive living conditions, incidence of malaria, the genomics of different strains, and its impact on severity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data for 107 countries was compiled and correlation analysis was done between incidence of malaria and number of SARS-CoV-2 cases. Possibility of genetic similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and reported zoonotic RNA viruses found associated previously with some Plasmodium species was explored by utilizing NCBI database. RESULTS: We found a significant inverse correlation between SARS-CoV-2 disease burden and incidence of Malaria. Our analysis also showed that a 12 base pair region encoding a part of surface glycoprotein of SARS- CoV-2 aligned with the Plasmodium associated zoonotic viral genome. CONCLUSION: Our analysis suggests a significantly lower SARS-CoV-2 disease burden in Malaria endemic regions and an inverse correlation with incidence of Malaria. The possibility of a pre-existing immunological memory for SARS-CoV-2 in Indians is possible and needs to be explored further


title: Role of Nasopharyngeal lactate dehydrogenase as a possible economical mass screening test for the detection and segregation of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) cases in India

text: COVID-19 pandemic is affecting almost every country in the world. Every country must test all the individuals with suspected clinical presentation of COVID-19. Unfortunately, the symptoms are mild and often the incubation period is 5–7 days. Hence, the detection of COVID-19 takes time and is costly even, many resource-constrained nations are not testing their citizens due to cost incurred. That is why we need an economical mass screening test to detect and help the health-care system to segregate cases needing their attention. Nasopharyngeal lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is raised in viral upper respiratory infections, it can be easily tested and raised serum LDH in addition to nasopharyngeal LDH can predict stormy outcome of disease. Such prediction will help health-care system for effective resource allocation.


title: Role of poly (ADP) ribose polymerase-1 inhibition by nicotinamide as a possible additive treatment to modulate host immune response and prevention of cytokine storm in COVID-19

text: COVID-19 is rapidly spreading contagious disease spreading across the world. Patients at risk are elderly people and those with comorbidity. Early studies done on Chinese patients who suggest cytokine storm to be responsible for lung injury. We need to understand the mechanism of modulating such robust response of immunity and resultant cytokine storm. We suggest nicotinamide, a potential poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, as a supportive treatment for the prevention of cytokine storm from injuring the lung parenchyma. Nicotinamide supplementation albeit at high dose may modulate outcome in COVID-19. Nicotinamide was used previously to reduce ventilator-induced lung injury and lung injury due to hypoxia. Nicotinamide congeners are used to treat chronic lung disease like tuberculosis. Certainly, nicotinamide is effective pharmacotherapy in lung injury – whether acute or chronic. Other measures used in treating COVID-19 are focusing on targeting interleukin-6 – a cytokine responsible for mayhem, while few are targeting granulocyte-macrophage colony- stimulating factor. We suggest targeting PARP in addition to other measures to block cytokines. By inhibiting PARP course of COVID-19 may be altered. Understanding the pathophysiology of acute lung injury is crucial. PARP plays a pivotal role on cytokine release in response to any lung injury ranging from viral infection to hypoxia. Various antiviral defenses and immune response need to be studied in detail.


Global COVID-19 snapshot with focus on top five


title: Coronavirus: Hotspot on coronavirus disease 2019 in India

text: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) or also known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been recognized as the cause of respiratory infection in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in late December 2019. As of April 5, 2020, this epidemic had spread to worldwide with 12,03,485 confirmed cases, including 62,000 deaths. The World Health Organization has declared it a Global Public Health Crisis. Coronavirus causes respiratory illness coughing, sneezing, breathlessness, and fever including pneumonia. The disease is transmitted person to person through infected droplets. At present, the research on novel coronavirus is still in the primary stage. Based on the published study, we thoroughly summarize the history and origin, microbiology and taxonomy, mode of transmissions, target receptor, clinical features, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment about COVID-19. This short report writes in hope for providing platform to community and researcher dealings against with the novel coronavirus and providing a reference for further studies.


docid: zykknzel

title: Reaction-diffusion on random spatial networks with scale-free jumping rates via effective medium theory

text: We study epidemic processes using a metapopulation approach on the line featuring random transport rates between arbitrarily distant sites. An average transport network is found using a recently developed variant of the effective medium approximation (EMA) that is capable of dealing with these long-range connections. Using a Feynman-Kac argument in the effective medium, we derive an estimate on the size of the infected domain, and reproduce the known result of its exponential growth in time. We hereby demonstrate the applicability of long-range EMA to dynamical processes on networks more intricate than simple diffusion.


docid: mzyihmct

title: Relevance of backtracking paths in recurrent-state epidemic spreading on networks

text: The understanding of epidemics on networks has greatly benefited from the recent application of message-passing approaches, which allow us to derive exact results for irreversible spreading (i.e., diseases with permanent acquired immunity) in locally treelike topologies. This success has suggested the application of the same approach to recurrent-state epidemics, for which an individual can contract the epidemic and recover repeatedly. The underlying assumption is that backtracking paths (i.e., an individual is reinfected by a neighbor he or she previously infected) do not play a relevant role. In this paper we show that this is not the case for recurrent-state epidemics since the neglect of backtracking paths leads to a formula for the epidemic threshold that is qualitatively incorrect in the large size limit. Moreover, we define a modified recurrent-state dynamics which explicitly forbids direct backtracking events and show that this modification completely upsets the phenomenology.


title: Epidemic spreading and aging in temporal networks with memory

text: Time-varying network topologies can deeply influence dynamical processes mediated by them. Memory effects in the pattern of interactions among individuals are also known to affect how diffusive and spreading phenomena take place. In this paper we analyze the combined effect of these two ingredients on epidemic dynamics on networks. We study the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) and the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) models on the recently introduced activity-driven networks with memory. By means of an activity-based mean-field approach, we derive, in the long-time limit, analytical predictions for the epidemic threshold as a function of the parameters describing the distribution of activities and the strength of the memory effects. Our results show that memory reduces the threshold, which is the same for SIS and SIR dynamics, therefore favoring epidemic spreading. The theoretical approach perfectly agrees with numerical simulations in the long-time asymptotic regime. Strong aging effects are present in the preasymptotic regime and the epidemic threshold is deeply affected by the starting time of the epidemics. We discuss in detail the origin of the model-dependent preasymptotic corrections, whose understanding could potentially allow for epidemic control on correlated temporal networks.


title: Epidemic spreading with awareness diffusion on activity-driven networks

text: Acknowledging the significance of awareness diffusion and behavioral response in contagion outbreaks has been regarded as an indispensable prerequisite for a complete understanding of epidemic spreading. Recent studies from the research community have accumulated overwhelming evidence for the incessantly evolving structure of the underlying networks. Thus there is an impelling need to capture the interplay between the epidemic spreading and awareness diffusion on time-varying networks. In this paper, we consider a behavioral model in which susceptible individuals become alert and adopt a preventive behavior under the local risk perception characterized by a decision-making threshold. The impact of awareness diffusion on the epidemic threshold is investigated under the framework of activity-driven network. Results show that the local epidemic situation in risk perception and the duration of preventive effect are crucial for raising the epidemic threshold. The analytical results are corroborated by Monte Carlo simulations.


title: Social contagion models on hypergraphs

text: Our understanding of the dynamics of complex networked systems has increased significantly in the last two decades. However, most of our knowledge is built upon assuming pairwise relations among the system's components. This is often an oversimplification, for instance, in social interactions that occur frequently within groups. To overcome this limitation, here we study the dynamics of social contagion on hypergraphs. We develop an analytical framework and provide numerical results for arbitrary hypergraphs, which we also support with Monte Carlo simulations. Our analyses show that the model has a vast parameter space, with first- and second-order transitions, bistability, and hysteresis. Phenomenologically, we also extend the concept of latent heat to social contexts, which might help understanding oscillatory social behaviors. Our work unfolds the research line of higher-order models and the analytical treatment of hypergraphs, posing new questions and paving the way for modeling dynamical processes on higher-order structures.


title: Impact of the distribution of recovery rates on disease spreading in complex networks

text: We study a general epidemic model with arbitrary recovery rate distributions. This simple deviation from the standard setup is sufficient to prove that heterogeneity in the dynamical parameters can be as important as the more studied structural heterogeneity. Our analytical solution is able to predict the shift in the critical properties induced by heterogeneous recovery rates. We find that the critical value of infectivity tends to be smaller than the one predicted by quenched mean-field approaches in the homogeneous case and that it can be linked to the variance of the recovery rates. Our findings also illustrate the role of dynamical-structural correlations, where we allow a power-law network to dynamically behave as a homogeneous structure by an appropriate tuning of its recovery rates. Overall, our results demonstrate that heterogeneity in the recovery rates, eventually in all dynamical parameters, is as important as the structural heterogeneity.


title: Minimal percolating sets for mutating infectious diseases

text: This paper is dedicated to the study of the interaction between dynamical systems and percolation models, with views toward the study of viral infections whose virus mutate with time. Recall that [Formula: see text]-bootstrap percolation describes a deterministic process where vertices of a graph are infected once [Formula: see text] neighbors of it are infected. We generalize this by introducing [Formula: see text]-bootstrap percolation, a time-dependent process where the number of neighboring vertices that need to be infected for a disease to be transmitted is determined by a percolation function [Formula: see text] at each time [Formula: see text]. After studying some of the basic properties of the model, we consider smallest percolating sets and construct a polynomial-timed algorithm to find one smallest minimal percolating set on finite trees for certain [Formula: see text]-bootstrap percolation models.


title: Spectral properties and the accuracy of mean-field approaches for epidemics on correlated power-law networks

text: We present a comparison between stochastic simulations and mean-field theories for the epidemic threshold of the susceptible-infected-susceptible model on correlated networks (both assortative and disassortative) with a power-law degree distribution [Formula: see text]. We confirm the vanishing of the threshold regardless of the correlation pattern and the degree exponent [Formula: see text]. Thresholds determined numerically are compared with quenched mean-field (QMF) and pair quenched mean-field (PQMF) theories. Correlations do not change the overall picture: The QMF and PQMF theories provide estimates that are asymptotically correct for large sizes for [Formula: see text] , while they only capture the vanishing of the threshold for [Formula: see text] , failing to reproduce quantitatively how this occurs. For a given size, PQMF theory is more accurate. We relate the variations in the accuracy of QMF and PQMF predictions with changes in the spectral properties (spectral gap and localization) of standard and modified adjacency matrices, which rule the epidemic prevalence near the transition point, depending on the theoretical framework. We also show that, for [Formula: see text] , while QMF theory provides an estimate of the epidemic threshold that is asymptotically exact, it fails to reproduce the singularity of the prevalence around the transition.


title: Close and ordinary social contacts: How important are they in promoting large-scale contagion?

text: An outstanding problem of interdisciplinary interest is to understand quantitatively the role of social contacts in contagion dynamics. In general, there are two types of contacts: close ones among friends, colleagues and family members, etc., and ordinary contacts from encounters with strangers. Typically, social reinforcement occurs for close contacts. Taking into account both types of contacts, we develop a contact-based model for social contagion. We find that, associated with the spreading dynamics, for random networks there is coexistence of continuous and discontinuous phase transitions, but for heterogeneous networks the transition is continuous. We also find that ordinary contacts play a crucial role in promoting large-scale spreading, and the number of close contacts determines not only the nature of the phase transitions but also the value of the outbreak threshold in random networks. For heterogeneous networks from the real world, the abundance of close contacts affects the epidemic threshold, while its role in facilitating the spreading depends on the adoption threshold assigned to it. We uncover two striking phenomena. First, a strong interplay between ordinary and close contacts is necessary for generating prevalent spreading. In fact, only when there are propagation paths of reasonable length which involve both close and ordinary contacts are large-scale outbreaks of social contagions possible. Second, abundant close contacts in heterogeneous networks promote both outbreak and spreading of the contagion through the transmission channels among the hubs, when both values of the threshold and transmission rate among ordinary contacts are small. We develop a theoretical framework to obtain an analytic understanding of the main findings on random networks, with support from extensive numerical computations. Overall, ordinary contacts facilitate spreading over the entire network, while close contacts determine the way by which outbreaks occur, i.e., through a second- or first-order phase transition. These results provide quantitative insights into how certain social behaviors can emerge and become prevalent, which has potential implications not only to social science but also to economics and political science.


Masks and COVID-19


Just a little bit more patience…


docid: gmreoipg

title: Editor’s Perspectives – June 2020


Shotgun drug repurposing biotechnology to tackle epidemics and pandemics


Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on Neurological Surgery Care and Education; Our Experience from Iran


Editorial – The future depends on how we choose to behave


title: The European Response to COVID-19: From Regulatory Emulation to Regulatory Coordination?

text: Due to its borderless nature, COVID-19 has been a matter of common European interest since its very first detection on the continent. Yet this pandemic outbreak has largely been handled as an essentially national matter. Member States adopted their own different, uncoordinated and at times competing national responses according to their distinctive risk analysis frameworks, with little regard for the scientific and management advice provided by the European Union (EU), notably its dedicated legal framework for action on cross-border health threats. To justify such an outcome as the inevitable consequence of the EU’s limited competence in public health is a well-rehearsed yet largely inaccurate argument that calls for closer scrutiny.


Reply to Peng He, Xiaohui Wang, and Hao Li’s Letter to the Editor re: Yu Xiao, Kaiyu Qian, Yongwen Luo, et al. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in Renal Failure Patients: A Potential Covert Source of Infection. Eur Urol. In press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2020.03.025


title: Herausforderungen für die pflegerische Versorgung in der stationären Altenhilfe: Corona-Pandemie 2020

text: Der Ausbruch der COVID-19-Pandemie hat die Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens mit großer Wucht getroffen. Eine besonders gefährdete Gruppe sind ältere, multimorbide Menschen in Alten- und Pflegeheimen. Die Autoren möchten in diesem Beitrag auf die wichtigsten Herausforderungen aus der pflegewissenschaftlichen und -praktischen Perspektive eingehen und kritische Denkanstöße für den Umgang mit der Pandemie geben.


title: Preiskommunikation in Krisenunternehmen – eine Betrachtung aus Praxis-Sicht

text: Unternehmenskrisen werden meist von Preiskrisen begleitet. Der Preis als „Fieberthermometer“ offenbart Probleme, wie etwa mangelnde Wettbewerbsstärke oder nicht marktgerechte Angebote, häufig schon bevor die Krise insgesamt sichtbar wird. In der Krise selbst führt ein erheblicher Liquiditätsdruck nicht selten zu weiteren Preissenkungen. Dass sich die „Macht“ der Kunden und des Wettbewerbs gegenüber einem geschwächten Gegner vergrößert, verschärft die Herausforderung für das Management. Dieser Beitrag stellt ein systematisches Vorgehen zur Preiskommunikation in Krisenunternehmen vor, das mit der Definition der Preisziele und preispolitischen Maßnahmen beginnt und daraus den Stil und die Kanäle der Preiskommunikation ableitet. Dabei wird insbesondere auf die liquiditätsgetriebene Kurz- und die am Unternehmenswert und der nachhaltigen Rentabilität orientierte Mittelfristperspektive Bezug genommen.


title: Epidemic spreading on time-varying multiplex networks

text: Social interactions are stratified in multiple contexts and are subject to complex temporal dynamics. The systematic study of these two features of social systems has started only very recently, mainly thanks to the development of multiplex and time-varying networks. However, these two advancements have progressed almost in parallel with very little overlap. Thus, the interplay between multiplexity and the temporal nature of connectivity patterns is poorly understood. Here, we aim to tackle this limitation by introducing a time-varying model of multiplex networks. We are interested in characterizing how these two properties affect contagion processes. To this end, we study susceptible-infected-susceptible epidemic models unfolding at comparable timescale with respect to the evolution of the multiplex network. We study both analytically and numerically the epidemic threshold as a function of the multiplexity and the features of each layer. We found that higher values of multiplexity significantly reduce the epidemic threshold especially when the temporal activation patterns of nodes present on multiple layers are positively correlated. Furthermore, when the average connectivity across layers is very different, the contagion dynamics is driven by the features of the more densely connected layer. Here, the epidemic threshold is equivalent to that of a single layered graph and the impact of the disease, in the layer driving the contagion, is independent of the multiplexity. However, this is not the case in the other layers where the spreading dynamics is sharply influenced by it. The results presented provide another step towards the characterization of the properties of real networks and their effects on contagion phenomena.


title: Effects of Network Structure, Competition and Memory Time on Social Spreading Phenomena

text: Online social media has greatly affected the way in which we communicate with each other. However, little is known about what fundamental mechanisms drive dynamical information flow in online social systems. Here, we introduce a generative model for online sharing behavior that is analytically tractable and that can reproduce several characteristics of empirical micro-blogging data on hashtag usage, such as (time-dependent) heavy-tailed distributions of meme popularity. The presented framework constitutes a null model for social spreading phenomena that, in contrast to purely empirical studies or simulation-based models, clearly distinguishes the roles of two distinct factors affecting meme popularity: the memory time of users and the connectivity structure of the social network.


title: Disease Localization in Multilayer Networks

text: We present a continuous formulation of epidemic spreading on multilayer networks using a tensorial representation, extending the models of monoplex networks to this context. We derive analytical expressions for the epidemic threshold of the susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) and susceptible-infected-recovered dynamics, as well as upper and lower bounds for the disease prevalence in the steady state for the SIS scenario. Using the quasistationary state method, we numerically show the existence of disease localization and the emergence of two or more susceptibility peaks, which are characterized analytically and numerically through the inverse participation ratio. At variance with what is observed in single-layer networks, we show that disease localization takes place on the layers and not on the nodes of a given layer. Furthermore, when mapping the critical dynamics to an eigenvalue problem, we observe a characteristic transition in the eigenvalue spectra of the supra-contact tensor as a function of the ratio of two spreading rates: If the rate at which the disease spreads within a layer is comparable to the spreading rate across layers, the individual spectra of each layer merge with the coupling between layers. Finally, we report on an interesting phenomenon, the barrier effect; i.e., for a three-layer configuration, when the layer with the lowest eigenvalue is located at the center of the line, it can effectively act as a barrier to the disease. The formalism introduced here provides a unifying mathematical approach to disease contagion in multiplex systems, opening new possibilities for the study of spreading processes.


title: Spreading Processes in Multiplex Metapopulations Containing Different Mobility Networks

text: We propose a theoretical framework for the study of spreading processes in structured metapopulations, with heterogeneous agents, subjected to different recurrent mobility patterns. We propose to represent the heterogeneity in the composition of the metapopulations as layers in a multiplex network, where nodes would correspond to geographical areas and layers account for the mobility patterns of agents of the same class. We analyze classical epidemic models within this framework and obtain an excellent agreement with extensive Monte Carlo simulations. This agreement allows us to derive analytical expressions of the epidemic threshold and to face the challenge of characterizing a real multiplex metapopulation, the city of Medellín in Colombia, where different recurrent mobility patterns are observed depending on the socioeconomic class of the agents. Our framework allows us to unveil the geographical location of those patches that trigger the epidemic state at the critical point. A careful exploration reveals that social mixing between classes and mobility crucially determines these critical patches and, more importantly, it can produce abrupt changes of the critical properties of the epidemic onset.


title: Contact-Based Model for Epidemic Spreading on Temporal Networks

text: We present a contact-based model to study the spreading of epidemics by means of extending the dynamic message-passing approach to temporal networks. The shift in perspective from node- to edge-centric quantities enables accurate modeling of Markovian susceptible-infected-recovered outbreaks on time-varying trees, i.e., temporal networks with a loop-free underlying topology. On arbitrary graphs, the proposed contact-based model incorporates potential structural and temporal heterogeneities of the contact network and improves analytic estimations with respect to the individual-based (node-centric) approach at a low computational and conceptual cost. Within this new framework, we derive an analytical expression for the epidemic threshold on temporal networks and demonstrate the feasibility of this method on empirical data.


title: How COVID-19 has exposed inequalities in the UK food system: The case of UK food and poverty

text: This article draws upon our perspective as academic-practitioners working in the fields of food insecurity, food systems, and inequality to comment, in the early stages of the pandemic and associated lockdown, on the empirical and ethical implications of COVID-19 for socio-economic inequalities in access to food in the UK. The COVID-19 pandemic has sharpened the profound insecurity of large segments of the UK population, an insecurity itself the product of a decade of ‘austerity’ policies. Increased unemployment, reduced hours, and enforced self-isolation for multiple vulnerable groups is likely to lead to an increase in UK food insecurity, exacerbating diet-related health inequalities. The social and economic crisis associated with the pandemic has exposed the fragility of the system of food charity which, at present, is a key response to growing poverty. A vulnerable food system, with just-in-time supply chains, has been challenged by stockpiling. Resultant food supply issues at food banks, alongside rapidly increasing demand and reduced volunteer numbers, has undermined many food charities, especially independent food banks. In the light of this analysis, we make a series of recommendations. We call for an immediate end to the five week wait for Universal Credit and cash grants for low income households. We ask central and local government to recognise that many food aid providers are already at capacity and unable to adopt additional responsibilities. The government’s - significant - response to the economic crisis associated with COVID-19 has underscored a key principle: it is the government’s responsibility to protect population health, to guarantee household incomes, and to safeguard the economy. Millions of households were in poverty before the pandemic, and millions more will be so unless the government continues to protect household incomes through policy change.


title: Coronavirus questions that will not go away: interrogating urban and socio-spatial implications of COVID-19 measures

text: The highly contagious coronavirus and the rapid spread of COVID-19 disease have generated a global public health crisis, which is being addressed at various local and global scales through social distancing measures and guidelines. This is coupled with debates about the nature of living and working patterns through intensive utilisation of information and telecommunication technologies, leading to the social and institutional acceptability of these patterns as the ‘new normal.’ The primary objective of this article is to instigate a discourse about the potential contribution of architecture and urban design and planning in generating knowledge that responds to pressing questions about future considerations of post pandemic architecture and urbanism. Methodologically, the discussion is based on a trans-disciplinary framework, which is utilised for conceptual analysis and is operationalized by identifying and discoursing design and planning implications. The article underscores relevant factors; originates insights for areas where future research will be critically needed, through key areas: a) Issues related to urban dynamics are delineated from the perspective of urban and human geography, urban design and planning, and transportation engineering; b) Questions that pertain to socio-spatial implications and urban space/ urban life dialectics stem from the field of environmental psychology; and c) Deliberations about new environments that accommodate new living/working styles supervene from ethnographical and anthropological perspectives. The article concludes with an outlook that captures key aspects of the needed synergy between architectural and urban education, research, and practice and public health in a post pandemic virtual and global world.


Mediterranean Journal of Rheumatology March 2020 Highlights


Acrylic Box Versus Plastic Sheet Covering on Droplet Dispersal During Extubation in COVID-19 Patients


Barrier Devices for Reducing Aerosol and Droplet Transmission in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Alternative Solutions


Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN) News page


Nurses play a key role in meeting various human health challenges: —An exclusive interview with Xinjuan Wu, President of the Chinese Nursing Association


Air pollution reduction and mortality benefit during the COVID-19 outbreak in China


Are you really a Sanctuary City?


COVID-19 zeigt Nerven


title: Advance Care Planning — eine Chance für ambulant tätige Ärzte: Corona-Pandemie 2020

text: Die COVID-19-Pandemie geht mit schweren Atemwegserkrankungen einher, die insbesondere bei älteren Menschen oft Entscheidungen über eine Krankenhauseinweisung mit möglicher Intensivtherapie erfordern. Hierbei besteht die Gefahr, dass Behandlungsentscheidungen getroffen werden, die medizinisch nicht angemessen oder vom Patienten nicht (mehr) gewünscht sind. Mit welchen Maßnahmen Sie dies vermeiden können, lesen Sie in diesem Beitrag.


COVID-19 and importance of environmental sustainability


title: Raising Regional Academic Voices (Alongside Data) in Higher Education (HE) Debate

text: As agendas for data-driven measures of excellence dominate policy in UK Higher Education (HE), we argue that the generic structure of national policy frameworks virtually silences regional voices. This furthers a territorially agnostic discourse about universities, downplays institutional history and purpose, risks concealing innovative practices, and fails to tackle entrenched inequalities. In response, we point to the value of live, place-based debate in HE institutions to highlight distributional inequity, raise local voices and connect these with national policy. Yet even as we compiled this article about HE debate, the Covid-19 pandemic took hold globally, cancelling face-to-face meetings, by necessity. We therefore draw on a postdigital perspective, as we share our individual dialogues in support of debate, via collective writing, against this new backdrop of social distancing and widespread uncertainty. We may not currently be able to convene our Midlands HE Policy Network (MHEPN) debates in person, but we can voice the essential part that regional universities play in connecting global technological and biological change, with local social projects, citizens and industry. Postdigital theory offers one route to understanding that Covid-19 does not sit apart from other political economic challenges in HE and beyond, that we need to debate simultaneously.


Call for Papers, Issue 1/2022: Digital Entrepreneurship: Opportunities, Challenges, and Impacts


docid: iqpykieh

title: COVID-19 in Argentine agriculture: global threats, local contradictions and possible responses


Response to COVID in Délįnę, NT: reconnecting with our community, our culture and our past after the pandemic


title: Wie ernähre ich mich am besten in Zeiten der Corona-Pandemie?: COVID-19 und Ernährungsmedizin

text: Die aktuelle Corona-Pandemie betrifft nahezu alle Bereiche der Medizin und des täglichen Lebens. Dementsprechend häufig tauchen Fragen zum Stellenwert der Ernährung auf, z. B. welche Ernährung einen Schutz vor der Corona-Infektion bieten kann und welche Bedeutung die Ernährung im Krankheitsverlauf hat.


title: Chemical composition, in-vitro antibacterial and antioxidant activities of Syzygium aromaticum essential oil

text: The aims of this study were to investigate the chemical composition, in-vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Syzygium aromaticum essential oil. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation. The GC–MS/GC–FID was used for determination of essential oil composition. The antioxidant activity was determined by DPPH radical scavenging assay and reducing power. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the broth microdilution method against six enteropathogens bacteria isolated from diarrhea of young calves. The results of the study revealed an average yield of the essential oil of 11.6% ± 0.97 (w/w). About 65 components were identified and quantified. Eugenol was the major compound of the studied essential oil (78.72%) followed by β-caryophyllene (8.82%) and eugenyl acetate (8.74%). The antioxidant activity by DPPH assay showed IC50 value of 4.82 ± 0.06 × 10(−2) µg/mL, while the reducing power assay have resulted an EC50 value of 3.47 ± 0.2 × 10(−2) µg/mL. The results showed that the essential oil exhibited an MIC at 1.36 mg/mL to 2.72 mg/ml and MBC at 5.45 mg/mL to 10.9 mg/mL against all tested bacteria. The present investigation revealed that Syzygium aromaticum essential oil exhibited a good in-vitro antioxidant and moderate in-vitro antibacterial activities.


Finding hope amidst a pandemic


docid: xpqycahi

title: Liebe Kolleginnen und Kollegen,


docid: ffbhqjui

title: Ärzte können auf Finanzhilfe hoffen: COVID-19-Pandemie


Journal Club


COVID-19 im Alter - eine komplexe Herausforderung


COVID-19: Der ultimative Stresstest für Geriatrie


Beatmung geriatrischer Patienten - ein ethisches Dilemma?


Meldungen der DGG


COVID-19 belastet die Psyche des medizinischen Personals


Aus Angst vor Corona nicht zum Arzt?


A New Opportunity


Änderungen zur Leistungsabrechnung


title: Datenschutz und Internet – Es ist kompliziert!

text: Angesichts der zunehmenden Bedeutung des Internets für die private, geschäftliche und staatliche Kommunikation werden dessen Datenschutzdefizite systemrelevant. Die damit einher gehenden Risken lassen sich durch datenschutzrechtliche Vorschriften allein nicht beherrschen. Sie müssen ergänzt werden durch informationstechnische Sicherungen, die bereits beim Systemdesign greifen (Privacy by Design). Zudem müssen das Verbraucher- und Wettbewerbstrecht und die Haftungsregelungen der neuen Situation angepasst werden.


Commentary: Donor lungs allocated to critically ill patients listed urgently: No longer a waste of precious organs?


title: Descriptive Statistics for Summarising Data

text: This chapter discusses and illustrates descriptive statistics. The purpose of the procedures and fundamental concepts reviewed in this chapter is quite straightforward: to facilitate the description and summarisation of data. By ‘describe’ we generally mean either the use of some pictorial or graphical representation of the data (e.g. a histogram, box plot, radar plot, stem-and-leaf display, icon plot or line graph) or the computation of an index or number designed to summarise a specific characteristic of a variable or measurement (e.g., frequency counts, measures of central tendency, variability, standard scores). Along the way, we explore the fundamental concepts of probability and the normal distribution. We seldom interpret individual data points or observations primarily because it is too difficult for the human brain to extract or identify the essential nature, patterns, or trends evident in the data, particularly if the sample is large. Rather we utilise procedures and measures which provide a general depiction of how the data are behaving. These statistical procedures are designed to identify or display specific patterns or trends in the data. What remains after their application is simply for us to interpret and tell the story.


title: A science that knows no country: Pandemic preparedness, global risk, sovereign science

text: This paper examines political norms and relationships associated with governance of pandemic risk. Through a pair of linked controversies over scientific access to H5N1 flu virus and genomic data, it examining the duties, obligations, and allocations of authority articulated around the imperative for globally free-flowing information and around the corollary imperative for a science that is set free to produce such information. It argues that scientific regimes are laying claim to a kind of sovereignty, particularly in moments where scientific experts call into question the legitimacy of claims grounded in national sovereignty, by positioning the norms of scientific practice, including a commitment to unfettered access to scientific information and to the authority of science to declare what needs to be known, as essential to global governance. Scientific authority occupies a constitutional position insofar as it figures centrally in the repertoire of imaginaries that shape how a global community is imagined: what binds that community together and what shared political commitments, norms, and subjection to delegated authority are seen as necessary for it to be rightly governed.


Mitteilungen der GÄCD


Gundrechtliche Freiheiten in Störfällen


Covid-19: round and oval areas of ground-glass opacity


Dernières nouvelles du front


Message from the Chair of the Council on Renal Nutrition


title: Cardiac complications in community-acquired pneumonia and COVID-19

text: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a global health problem with significant morbidity and mortality. Much recent published literature about the infection has indicated that a substantial number of patients with CAP, particularly those ill enough to be admitted to hospital, will suffer a cardiovascular event. While these may include events such as deep venous thrombosis and stroke, most of the events involve the heart and include the occurrence of an arrhythmia (most commonly atrial fibrillation), new onset or worsening of heart failure and acute myocardial infarction. While such cardiac events may occur, for example, in all-cause CAP and CAP due to influenza virus infection, and more recently described with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a significant amount of research work has been investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of these cardiac events in patients with CAP due to Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and, more recently, COVID-19 infections. Such research has identified a number of mechanisms by which these microorganisms may cause cardiovascular events. Importantly, these cardiac events appear not only to be associated with in-hospital mortality, but they also appear to contribute to longer-term mortality of patients with CAP, even after their discharge from hospital. This review will focus initially on studies of cardiovascular events in all-cause CAP and pneumococcal CAP, excluding COVID-19 infection, and then address similar issues in the latter infection.


title: Current evidence for directed and supportive investigational therapies against COVID-19

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health crisis. There is currently a great need for effective and safe therapies directed at the disease, but no drugs are presently registered for use in COVID-19. Several directed therapies have been proposed, and most are still in clinical trials. Currently available published, peer-reviewed results mostly involve small sample sizes with study limitations restricting the interpretation of the findings. Many trials currently published also do not have a control group, limiting the interpretation of the effect of the intervention. Investigational directed therapies as well as investigational supportive therapies against COVID-19 are reviewed here. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine show promise as directed therapies, but current trial results are conflicting. Lopinavir/ritonavir also shows potential, but was started late in the disease course in most trials. No randomised controlled evidence is currently available for remdesivir and favipiravir. Corticosteroid use is not recommended for directed therapy against COVID-19, and the role of tocilizumab is currently unclear, based on limited evidence. Early initiation of investigational directed therapies may provide benefit in selected patients. The results from larger randomised controlled trials will clarify the place of these therapies in COVID-19 treatment.


title: Diagnosis of COVID-19: Considerations, controversies and challenges

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to a novel virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global pandemic that has resulted in over 1.5 million confirmed cases and close to 100 000 deaths. In the majority of symptomatic cases, COVID-19 results in a mild disease predominantly characterised by upper respiratory tract symptoms. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using a nasopharyngeal sample is the mainstay of diagnosis, but there is an ~30% false negative rate early in the disease and in patients with mild disease, and therefore repeat testing may be required. RT-PCR positivity can persist for several days after resolution of symptoms. IgM and IgG antibody responses become positive several days after the onset of symptoms, and robust antibody responses are detectable in the second week of illness. Antibody-based immunoassays have a limited role in the diagnosis of early symptomatic disease. However, their incremental benefit over RT-PCR in the first 2 weeks of illness is currently being clarified in ongoing studies. Such assays may be useful for surveillance purposes. However, their role in potentially selecting individuals who may benefit from vaccination, or as a biomarker identifying persons who could be redeployed into essential employment roles, is being investigated. Rapid antibody-based immunoassays that detect viral antigen in nasopharyngeal samples are being developed and evaluated.


title: Adverse outcome pathways for chemical toxicity and their applications to workers’ health: a literature review

text: OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: Various papers related to the application of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) for the prevention of occupational disease were reviewed. The Internet was used as the primary tool to search for the necessary research data and information, using such online resources as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Scopus, NDSL, and PubMed. The key search terms were “adverse outcome pathway,” “toxicology,” “risk assessment,” “human,” “worker,” “occupational safety and health,” and so on. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The aim of this paper is to explain the use of AOP for the understanding of chemical toxicity as a conceptual means and to predict the toxic mechanism. The tools of AOP have emerged as a forward-looking alternative to the existing chemical risk assessment paradigm. AOP is being applied to the assessment of acute toxicity and to chronic toxic chemicals in the workplace. Not only can it lead to breakthroughs in occupational and environmental cancer prevention, it is also widely used in chemical risk assessment and has led to breakthroughs in the prevention of occupational disease in the workplace.


title: The Association Between Social Isolation and Health: An Analysis of Parent–Adolescent Dyads from the Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating Study

text: We examined the relationship between social isolation and health among parents and their adolescent children. Data came from the 2014 Family Life, Activity, Sun, Health, and Eating Study (FLASHE), a cross-sectional internet study from the National Cancer Institute. Parents and their adolescent children (ages 12–17) completed surveys about demographics, physical activity, and diet; analyses include all dyads in which at least one member provided information for any of the analyzed variables (N = 1851). Actor Partner Interdependence Models in Mplus with demographic covariates tested whether parent and adolescent perceived social isolation (2 items from the UCLA Loneliness Scale) were associated with each person’s self-reported health. Most dyads included a mother (38% mother–daughter, 36% mother–son). Most parents were non-Hispanic White (69%), married/partnered (77%), and reported household income below $100,000 (79%). Both social isolation and self-reported health were significantly correlated between parents and their adolescent children (Pearson correlation = .38 for isolation, .32 for health). There were negative associations between parent isolation and parent health, adolescent isolation and adolescent health, and parent isolation and adolescent health (all ps < .05), but no association between adolescent isolation and parent health. The finding that parents’ social isolation was linked to lower self-reported health not only for themselves but also for their adolescent children highlights the importance of addressing social isolation in clinical social work practice. Family interventions, or interventions to reduce adults’ negative social cognitions or promote social connections, may improve health for both adults and their adolescent children.


title: Biological Activities of Two Major Copaiba Diterpenoids and Their Semi-synthetic Derivatives

text: The oleoresin of Copaifera reticulata Ducke, Fabaceae, is a traditional Brazilian remedy used for a wide range of applications. Commonly named copaiba, the oleoresin has been found to exhibit strong antimicrobial effects in our previous study, which could be attributed to some of its diterpenoid constituents. In order to find new biological activities and to eventually enhance the before observed effects, (−)-polyalthic acid (1) and kaurenoic acid (2), together with eight prepared semi-synthetic derivatives (1a–1c and 2a–2e) were evaluated for their cytotoxic, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Regarding the gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus faecium and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, we found that both the exocylic methylene group and the carboxyl group were crucial for the activity against these two clinically relevant bacterial strains. Investigation of the antifungal activity, in contrast, showed that the carboxyl group is unnecessary for the effect against the dermatophytes Trichophyton rubrum and Cryptococcus neoformans, indicated by low micromolar IC(50) values for both (−)-polyalthic acid diethylamide (1a) as well as (−)-polyalthic acid methyl ester (1b). Apart from studying the biological activity, the structure of one semi-synthetic derivative, compound 1c, is being reported for the first time. During the course of the structure elucidation of the new compound, we discovered inconsistencies regarding the stereochemistry of polyalthic acid and its stereoisomers, which we clarified in the present work. [Figure: see text] ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s43450-020-00002-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


docid: ymbrlaef

title: The future of social media in marketing

text: Social media allows people to freely interact with others and offers multiple ways for marketers to reach and engage with consumers. Considering the numerous ways social media affects individuals and businesses alike, in this article, the authors focus on where they believe the future of social media lies when considering marketing-related topics and issues. Drawing on academic research, discussions with industry leaders, and popular discourse, the authors identify nine themes, organized by predicted imminence (i.e., the immediate, near, and far futures), that they believe will meaningfully shape the future of social media through three lenses: consumer, industry, and public policy. Within each theme, the authors describe the digital landscape, present and discuss their predictions, and identify relevant future research directions for academics and practitioners.


title: Flood inoculation of seedlings on culture medium to study interactions between Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae and kiwifruit

text: Bacterial canker of kiwifruit caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa) is a serious threat to kiwifruit production. Highly virulent strains of Psa biovar3 (Psa3) have spread rapidly to kiwifruit production areas worldwide. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop critical management strategies for bacterial canker based on dissecting the interactions between Psa and kiwifruit. Here, we developed a rapid and reliable flood-inoculation method using kiwifruit seedlings grown on Murashige and Skoog medium. This method has several advantages over inoculation of conventional soil-grown plants. We demonstrated the utility of a kiwifruit seedling assay to study the virulence of Psa biovars and Psa3 virulence factors, including the type III secretion system (T3SS). Kiwifruit seedlings inoculated with Psa3 developed severe necrosis within 1 week, whereas those inoculated with a T3SS-deficient hrcN mutant of Psa3 did not. This method was also useful for analyzing expression profiles of genes involved in Psa3 virulence during infection, and revealed that the expression of genes encoding the T3SS and type III secreted effectors were strongly induced in planta. Our results indicate that the T3SS has an important role in Psa3 virulence, and the flood-inoculation assay using kiwifruit seedling is suitable for analyzing Psa and kiwifruit interactions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10327-020-00916-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.


title: The Role of Portoenterostomy with Aggressive Hilar Dissection in Biliary Tract Tumors: Report of Case Series and Review of the Literature

text: Hepaticojejunostomy is a challenging and complex procedure to be done with confidence in conditions that contain a large number of segmental bile ducts. Portoenterostomy can be defined as the joining of multiple bile ducts into a single cavity using segmenter bile duct ends, stents, and surrounding connective tissues. During surgery, in cases with advanced stage biliary tract tumors that cannot be performed hepatectomy, after aggressive dissections to provide a negative surgical margin, a large number of segmental bile ducts can be revealed and needs to ensure the continuity of bile flow. Here, our clinical series of portoenterostomy (PE) in which we applied in patients who had aggressive hilar dissection and resection for hilar cholangiocarcinomas and biliary tract tumors were discussed. The study included 15 patients who underwent PE for biliary tract tumors and hilar cholangiocarcinomas between 2015 and 2019. Six of the patients had a tumor-negative surgical margin, with a mean follow-up of 14.4 months (range 2 to 28 months). Nine of the patients had a tumor-positive surgical margin, with a mean follow-up of 7.7 months (range 2 to 17 months). Portoenterostomy instead of hepaticojejunostomy in small and multiple biliary radicles and bile duct cancers has been successfully performed in 15 patients of bile duct cancer and Klatskin tumor. In the presence of active inflammation, fibrosis, major bile duct trauma, and thin bile duct radicles, this method, which is described in detail, provides an excellent salvage surgical procedure with less morbidity.


title: A Recombinant Rotavirus Antigen Based on the Coat Protein of Alternanthera Mosaic Virus

text: Thanks to their strong immunostimulating properties and safety for humans, plant viruses represent an appropriate basis for the design of novel vaccines. The coat protein of Alternanthera mosaic virus can form virus-like particles that are stable under physiological conditions and have adjuvant properties. This work presents a recombinant human rotavirus A antigen based on the epitope of rotavirus structural protein VP6, using Alternanthera mosaic virus coat protein as a carrier. An expression vector containing the gene of Alternanthera mosaic virus (MU strain) coat protein fused to the epitope of rotavirus protein VP6 was designed. Immunoblot analysis showed that the chimeric protein was effectively recognized by commercial polyclonal antibodies to rotavirus and therefore is a suitable candidate for development of a vaccine prototype. Interaction of the chimeric recombinant protein with the native coat protein of Alternanthera mosaic virus and its RNA resulted in the formation of ribonucleoprotein complexes that were recognized by anti-rotavirus antibodies.


title: Management of Antimicrobial Agents in Abdominal Organ Transplant Patients in Intensive Care Unit

text: PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Early diagnosis of infections and immediate initiation of appropriate antimicrobials are crucial in the management of patients before and after organ transplantation. We reviewed the most recent literature and guidelines in this field and organized the current recommendations for healthcare professionals caring for critically ill organ transplant recipients. RECENT FINDINGS: The incidence of multidrug-resistant organisms is increasing. Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria comprise about 14% of organisms. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci bloodstream infections are also on the rise, as 20.5% of nosocomial enterococci are now vancomycin-resistant, changing empiric antibiotic selection. Fluconazole-resistant Candida species comprise up to 46% of cases of candidemia in hospitalized patients. Consequently, new guidelines recommend primary use of echinocandins in patients with candidemia who have moderate-to-severe disease. Finally, the incidence of emergence of ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus infection in patients is 5–12%, requiring early recognition and change to alternative regimens in the case of poor response to therapy. SUMMARY: Bloodstream infections are a major cause of mortality and morbidity in solid organ transplantation. Mortality as high as 24% and 50% have been reported with sepsis and septic shock respectively. As such, bloodstream infections should be diagnosed rapidly and intravenous antibiotics should be started immediately. Appropriate resuscitation should be initiated and the number and/or dose of immunosuppressive drugs should be reduced. Proper source control must also be achieved with radiologic drainage or surgical intervention as appropriate. Initial antibiotic treatment of these patients should cover both Gram-positive organisms, especially in the presence of intravascular catheters, and Gram-negative bacteria. Echinocandins like caspofungin should also be considered especially in critically ill patients, particularly if a patient has been on total parenteral nutrition or broad-spectrum antibiotics.


title: Schlaf auf der Intensivstation

text: Many patients are treated in intensive care units daily, often over a long period of time. Sleep plays a role that should not be underestimated for these patients. Sleep disorders are a relevant problem for intensive care patients and lead to a higher prevalence of delirium in these patients and thus to a longer length of stay in the intensive care unit and to a higher mortality. This article tries to show the causes of sleep disorders in intensive care medicine and possible strategies for avoiding sleep disorders in intensive care patients.


Multiple drugs: Various toxicities: 18 case reports


title: From cut-points to key players in co-authorship networks: a case study in ventilator-associated pneumonia research

text: In co-authorship networks, some nodes play the key role of cut-point, facilitating the integration of other authors and favoring connectivity among different research communities. The present study uses bibliometric and network embeddedness indicators to analyze the scientific activity on ventilator-associated pneumonia and the roles of 17 research communities and 30 cut-points therein. In addition to fostering network connectivity and cohesion, cut-points are characterized by other differential features compared to other authors, including a much higher level of productivity and greater participation in leadership positions, higher betweenness values, lower clustering coefficients and higher levels of constraint. The cut-points identified have different characteristics in terms of the connectivity they facilitate between research communities: some cut-points have established weak intercommunity ties in the form of bridges with a single author from a different community; in other cases, they serve as gatekeepers due to their connection with different authors of a community that they link with their own; cut-points may also act as structural folds, that is, actors with an overlapping role between two cohesive communities. The cut-points present very diverse connectivity degrees, with some cut-points whose elimination would provoke severe network fragmentation and others who are responsible for linking far fewer external authors to their network. The cut-points that present both the main mechanisms for obtaining social capital—that is, filling structural holes and participating in cohesive network structures—can be considered key actors/players because their participation is crucial for ensuring both integration into the main research focus of some communities with high research performance and the overall cohesion of a co-authorship network.