title: Molecular Characterization of Ebselen Binding Activity to SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease

text: The Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) urgently calls for the design of drugs directed against this new virus. Given its essential role in proteolytic processing, the main protease Mpro has been identified as an attractive candidate for drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and similar coronaviruses. Recent high-throughput screening studies have identified a set of existing, small-molecule drugs as potent Mpro inhibitors. Amongst these, Ebselen (2-Phenyl-1,2-benzoselenazol-3-one), a glutathione peroxidase mimetic seleno-organic compound, is particularly attractive. Recent experiments suggest that its effectiveness is higher than that of other molecules that also act at the enzyme catalytic site. By relying on extensive simulations with all-atom models, in this study we examine at a molecular level the potential of Ebselen to decrease Mpro catalytic activity. Our results indicate that Ebselen exhibits a distinct affinity for the catalytic site cavity of Mpro. In addition, our molecular models reveal a second, previously unkown binding site for Ebselen in the dimerization region localized between the II and III domains of the protein. A detailed analysis of the free energy of binding indicates that the affinity of Ebselen to this second binding site is in fact significantly larger than that to the catalytic site. A strain analysis indicates that Ebselen bound between the II-III domains exerts a pronounced allosteric effect that regulates catalytic site access through surface loop interactions, and induces a displacement and reconfiguration of water hotspots, including the catalytic water, which could interfere with normal enzymatic function. Taken together, these findings provide a framework for the future design of more potent and specific Mpro inhibitors, based on the Ebselen scaffold, that could lead to new therapeutic strategies for COVID-19.


Ethics in the age of COVID-19


Case of acute arthritis following SARS-CoV-2 infection


Worldwide Effect of COVID-19 on Physical Activity: A Descriptive Study


Covid-19: planning a future that focuses on sustainability, health, and social value


title: Correction to: Evaluating the efficacy and safety of human anti-SARS-CoV-2 convalescent plasma in severely ill adults with COVID-19: A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

text: An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.


Diabetes Care at the Times of Transition and COVID-19 Pandemics (Ukrainian Experience)


title: Respiratory advice for the non-respiratory physician in the time of COVID-19

text: COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 beta-coronavirus, has changed clinical practice in a matter of weeks. Among the physician specialties, respiratory physicians have been at the forefront of the response to this new challenge. Here we provide advice for non-respiratory physicians on the ward-based care of patients with this disease. This includes recommendations on hydration, thromboprophylaxis, nutritional support and on the importance of the early detection of deterioration, setting ceilings of care and use of anticipatory drugs where appropriate. We also discuss oxygen support modalities, proning, safe working practices and a new approach to multi-professional working. We include references to a number of important research studies.


Thrombocytopenia and coagulation disorders due to COVID 19 infection with concomitant cardiovascular diseases requiring anti-platelet and anticoagulant therapy, which strategy?


docid: onxosato

title: The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on domestic violence: The dark side of home isolation during quarantine

text: Domestic violence is a global public health problem. It takes many different forms and leads to significant physical and psychological consequences for the victim and the whole family. Situations that may prompt episodes of violence in the family include stress, emotional disappointment, economic factors, bad and cramped housing, and alcohol or drug abuse. How does the government's forced home isolation to contain Covid-19 infections impact on this type of abuse? Numerous articles have reported a decrease in reports of domestic violence since quarantine began but how reliable is these data? Is it a potential wake-up call for public institutions? We discuss the risks associated with quarantine measures during the pandemic and suggest the measures to prevent and improve the reporting of abuse cases.


title: Evaluation of Chemical Protocols for Inactivating SARS-CoV-2 Infectious Samples

text: Clinical samples collected in coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), patients are commonly manipulated in biosafety level 2 laboratories for molecular diagnostic purposes. Here, we tested French norm NF-EN-14476+A2 derived from European standard EN-14885 to assess the risk of manipulating infectious viruses prior to RNA extraction. SARS-CoV-2 cell-culture supernatant and nasopharyngeal samples (virus-spiked samples and clinical samples collected in COVID-19 patients) were used to measure the reduction of infectivity after 10 minute contact with lysis buffer containing various detergents and chaotropic agents. A total of thirteen protocols were evaluated. Two commercially available formulations showed the ability to reduce infectivity by at least 6 log 10, whereas others proved less effective.


title: From high volume to "zero" proctology: Italian experience in the COVID era

text: PURPOSE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic hit Italy early and strongly, challenging the whole health care system. Proctological patients and surgeons are experiencing a previously unseen change in care with unknown repercussion. Here we discuss the proctological experience of 4 Italian hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Following remote brainstorming, the authors summarised their experience in managing proctological patients during the COVID-19 pandemics and put forward some practical observations to further investigate. RESULTS: The 4 hospitals shifted from a high-volume proctological activity to almost "zero" visits and surgery. Every patient accessing the hospital must respect a specific COVID-19 protocol. Proctological patients can be stratified based on presentation and management considerations into (1) neoplastic patients, the only allowed to be surgically treated, (2) the ones requiring urgent care, operated only in highly selected cases and (3) the stable, already known patients, managed remotely. Changes in the clinical management of the proctological disease are presented together with some considerations to be explored. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of scientific evidence, these practical considerations may be valuable to proctological surgeons starting to face the COVID-19 pandemics. Beside the more clinical considerations, this crisis produced unexpected consequences such as an improvement of the therapeutic alliance and a shift towards telemedicine that may be worth exploring also in the post-COVID-19 era.


title: Real-time monitoring the transmission potential of COVID-19 in Singapore, March 2020

text: BACKGROUND: As of March 31, 2020, the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic that started in China in December 2019 is now generating local transmission around the world. The geographic heterogeneity and associated intervention strategies highlight the need to monitor in real time the transmission potential of COVID-19. Singapore provides a unique case example for monitoring transmission, as there have been multiple disease clusters, yet transmission remains relatively continued. METHODS: Here we estimate the effective reproduction number, Rt, of COVID-19 in Singapore from the publicly available daily case series of imported and autochthonous cases by date of symptoms onset, after adjusting the local cases for reporting delays as of March 17, 2020. We also derive the reproduction number from the distribution of cluster sizes using a branching process analysis that accounts for truncation of case counts. RESULTS: The local incidence curve displays sub-exponential growth dynamics, with the reproduction number following a declining trend and reaching an estimate at 0.7 (95% CI 0.3, 1.0) during the first transmission wave by February 14, 2020, while the overall R based on the cluster size distribution as of March 17, 2020, was estimated at 0.6 (95% CI 0.4, 1.02). The overall mean reporting delay was estimated at 6.4 days (95% CI 5.8, 6.9), but it was shorter among imported cases compared to local cases (mean 4.3 vs. 7.6 days, Wilcoxon test, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The trajectory of the reproduction number in Singapore underscores the significant effects of successful containment efforts in Singapore, but it also suggests the need to sustain social distancing and active case finding efforts to stomp out all active chains of transmission.


title: PCR Assays Turned Positive in 25 Discharged COVID-19 Patients

text: We report the observation that 14.5% of COVID-19 patients had positive RT-PCR testing again after discharge. We describe correlations between laboratory parameters and treatment duration (r= -0.637; p=0.002) and time to virus recrudescence (r= 0.52; p=0.008) respectively, suggesting the need for additional measures to confirm illness resolution in COVID-19 patients.


title: When altruists cannot help: the influence of altruism on the mental health of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic

text: BACKGROUND: The positive predictive effect of altruism on physical and psychological well-being has been extensively demonstrated in previous studies, but few studies have examined the effect of altruism on negative mental health outcomes when altruists cannot perform altruistic behaviours. This study explored the influence of altruism on negative affect and mental health (anxiety and depressive symptoms) during the COVID-19 pandemic while people self-isolated at home in China. METHOD: University students were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional online survey during the outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Self-reported perceived risk, altruism, negative affect, anxiety and depressive symptoms were measured using the Self-Report Altruism Scale (SRA scale), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9). A structural equation model was used to analyse the mediating and moderating effects on mental health. RESULTS: The final sample comprised 1346 Chinese participants (Mage = 19.76 ± 2.23 years, 73% female). Overall, the higher the risk the participants perceived, the more negative affect they exhibited (ß = 0.16, p < .001), and thus, the more anxious and depressed they felt (ß = 0.134, p < .001); however, this relationship between risk perception and negative affect was moderated by altruism. In contrast to previous studies, the increase in negative affect associated with the increased perceived risk was pronounced among individuals with high altruism (t = 7.68, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with high altruism exhibited more negative affect than those with low altruism, which indirectly increased their anxiety and depressive symptoms. These findings enrich theories of altruism and provide valuable insight into the influence of altruism on mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.


COVID-19 pandemic for Pediatric Health Care: disadvantages and opportunities


title: AFP-LSE: Antifreeze Proteins Prediction Using Latent Space Encoding of Composition of k-Spaced Amino Acid Pairs

text: Species living in extremely cold environments resist the freezing conditions through antifreeze proteins (AFPs). Apart from being essential proteins for various organisms living in sub-zero temperatures, AFPs have numerous applications in different industries. They possess very small resemblance to each other and cannot be easily identified using simple search algorithms such as BLAST and PSI-BLAST. Diverse AFPs found in fishes (Type I, II, III, IV and antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs)), are sub-types and show low sequence and structural similarity, making their accurate prediction challenging. Although several machine-learning methods have been proposed for the classification of AFPs, prediction methods that have greater reliability are required. In this paper, we propose a novel machine-learning-based approach for the prediction of AFP sequences using latent space learning through a deep auto-encoder method. For latent space pruning, we use the output of the auto-encoder with a deep neural network classifier to learn the non-linear mapping of the protein sequence descriptor and class label. The proposed method outperformed the existing methods, yielding excellent results in comparison. A comprehensive ablation study is performed, and the proposed method is evaluated in terms of widely used performance measures. In particular, the proposed method demonstrated a high Matthews correlation coefficient of 0.52, F-score of 0.49, and Youden's index of 0.81 on an independent test dataset, thereby outperforming the existing methods for AFP prediction.


title: Head and neck oncologic surgery in the COVID-19 pandemic: Our experience in a deep south tertiary care center

text: INTRODUCTION: The ongoing worldwide pandemic due to COVID-19 has forced drastic changes on the daily lives of the global population. This is most notable within the health care sector. The current paper outlines the response of the head and neck oncologic surgery (HNS) division within our academic otolaryngology department in the state of Alabama. METHODS: Data with regard to case numbers and types were obtained during the pandemic and compared with time matched data. Our overall approach to managing previously scheduled and new cases, personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization, outpatient clinic, and resident involvement is summarized. DISCUSSION: Our HNS division saw a 55% reduction in surgical volume during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We feel that an early and cohesive strategy to triaging surgical cases, PPE usage, and minimizing exposure of personnel is essential to providing care for HNS patients during this pandemic.


Suppressing the Epidemic in New South Wales


title: Defining Essential Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

text: COVID-19 is a rapidly growing global pandemic caused by a novel coronavirus. With no vaccine or definitive treatment, public health authorities have recommended a strategy of "social distancing," reducing individual interaction, canceling elective procedures, and limiting nonessential services. Health care providers must determine what procedures are considered "elective," balancing risk of treatment delays with that of coronavirus exposure to patient, family, and providers. Given critical periods for language development and the long-term impact of auditory deprivation, some audiologic and otologic services should be considered essential. In this article, we describe the experience of a quaternary referral pediatric hospital in Seattle, the epicenter of COVID-19 in the United States, and share strategies for risk minimization employed by Seattle Children's Hospital. We hope that this work can be a reference for other centers continuing care for children who are deaf and hard of hearing during the COVID-19 and future resource-limiting crises.


Addressing Hearing Loss to Improve Communication During the COVID-19 Pandemic


title: Airway Management for Endoscopic Laryngotracheal Stenosis Surgery During COVID-19

text: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic presents unique challenges for surgical management of laryngotracheal stenosis. High viral concentrations in the upper aerodigestive tract, the ability of the virus to be transmitted by asymptomatic carriers and through aerosols, and the need for open airway access during laryngotracheal surgery create a high-risk situation for airway surgeons, anesthesiologists, and operating room personnel. While some surgical cases of laryngotracheal stenosis may be deferred, patients with significant airway obstruction or progressing symptoms often require urgent surgical intervention. We present best practices from our institutional experience for surgical management of laryngotracheal stenosis during this pandemic, including preoperative triage, intraoperative airway management, and personal protective measures.


Increased risk of ocular injury seen during lockdown due to COVID-19


Rheumatic disease and COVID-19


Atypical pneumonia diagnosed as coronavirus disease 2019 by a serologic test (patient -1 in Poland)


title: Efficacy of glutathione therapy in relieving dyspnea associated with COVID-19 pneumonia: A report of 2 cases

text: Purpose: Infection with COVID-19 potentially can result in severe outcomes and death from "cytokine storm syndrome", resulting in novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) with severe dyspnea, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), fulminant myocarditis and multiorgan dysfunction with or without disseminated intravascular coagulation. No published treatment to date has been shown to adequately control the inflammation and respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19, apart from oxygen therapy and assisted ventilation. We evaluated the effects of using high dose oral and/or IV glutathione in the treatment of 2 patients with dyspnea secondary to COVID-19 pneumonia. Methods: Two patients living in New York City (NYC) with a history of Lyme and tick-borne co-infections experienced a cough and dyspnea and demonstrated radiological findings consistent with novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP). A trial of 2â¯g of PO or IV glutathione was used in both patients and improved their dyspnea within 1â¯h of use. Repeated use of both 2000 mg of PO and IV glutathione was effective in further relieving respiratory symptoms. Conclusion: Oral and IV glutathione, glutathione precursors (N-acetyl-cysteine) and alpha lipoic acid may represent a novel treatment approach for blocking NFKappaB and addressing "cytokine storm syndrome" and respiratory distress in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.


No more "social distancing" but practice physical separation


title: Aggregated COVID-19 suicide incidences in India: Fear of COVID-19 infection is the prominent causative factor

text: Many Indian COVID-19 suicide cases are turning the press-media attention and flooding in the social media platforms although, no particular studies assessed the COVID-19 suicide causative factors to a large extent. Therefore, the present study presents 69 COVID-19 suicide cases (aged 19 to 65 years; 63 cases were males). The suicide causalities are included as follows - fear of COVID-19 infection (n=21), followed by financial crisis (n=19), loneliness, social boycott and pressure to be quarantine, COVID-19 positive, COVID-19 work-related stress, unable to come back home due to lockdown, unavailability of alcohol etc. Considering the extreme psychological impacts related to COVID-19, there emerges a need for countrywide extensive tele-mental health care services.


title: Disparate Patterns of Movements and Visits to Points of Interests Located in Urban Hotspots across U.S. Metropolitan Cities during COVID-19

text: We examined the effect of social distancing on changes in visits to urban hotspot points of interest. Urban hotspots, such as central business districts, are gravity activity centers orchestrating movement and mobility patterns in cities. In a pandemic situation, urban hotspots could be potential superspreader areas as visits to urban hotspots can increase the risk of contact and transmission of a disease among a population. We mapped origin-destination networks from census block groups to points of interest (POIs) in sixteen cities in the United States. We adopted a coarse-grain approach to study movement patterns of visits to POIs among the hotspots and non-hotspots from January to May 2020. Also, we conducted chi-square tests to identify POIs with significant flux-in changes during the analysis period. The results showed disparate patterns across cities in terms of reduction in POI visits to hotspot areas. The sixteen cities are divided into two categories based on visits to POIs in hotspot areas. In one category, which includes the cities of, San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago, we observe a considerable decrease in visits to POIs in hotspot areas, while in another category, including the cites of, Austin, Houston, and San Diego, the visits to hotspot areas did not greatly decrease during the social distancing period. In addition, while all the cities exhibited overall decreasing visits to POIs, one category maintained the proportion of visits to POIs in the hotspots. The proportion of visits to some POIs (e.g., Restaurant and Other Eating Places) remained stable during the social distancing period, while some POIs had an increased proportion of visits (e.g., Grocery Stores). The findings highlight that social distancing orders do yield disparate patterns of reduction in movements to hotspots POIs.


title: COVID-19 and the Otolaryngologist: Preliminary Evidence-Based Review

text: The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has rapidly swept across the world since its identification in December 2019. Otolaryngologists are at unique risk due to the close contact with mucus membranes of the upper respiratory tract and have been among the most affected healthcare workers in Wuhan, China. We present information on COVID-19 management relevant to otolaryngologists on the frontlines of this pandemic and provide preliminary guidance based on practices implemented in China and other countries and practical strategies deployed at Stanford University. Laryngoscope, 2020.


Resuming liver transplantation amid the COVID-19 pandemic


title: Text as data: a machine learning-based approach to measuring uncertainty

text: The Economic Policy Uncertainty index had gained considerable traction with both academics and policy practitioners. Here, we analyse news feed data to construct a simple, general measure of uncertainty in the United States using a highly cited machine learning methodology. Over the period January 1996 through May 2020, we show that the series unequivocally Granger-causes the EPU and there is no Granger-causality in the reverse direction


Correction to Lancet Infect Dis 2020; published online March 23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30162


Handheld Ultrasound Devices: An Emerging Technology to Reduce Viral Spread during the Covid-19 Pandemic


title: Pulmonary Pathology of Early Phase COVID-19 Pneumonia in a Patient with a Benign Lung Lesion

text: AIMS: An ongoing outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) diseases (COVID-19) has been spreading in multiple countries. One of the reasons for the rapid spread is that the virus can be transmitted from infected individuals without symptoms. Revealing the pathological features of early phase COVID-19 pneumonia is important to the understanding of its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to explore pulmonary pathology of early phase COVID-19 pneumonia in a patient with a benign lung lesion. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed the pathological changes of lung tissue from a 55-year-old female patient with early phase SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this case, right lower lobectomy was performed for a benign pulmonary nodule. Detailed clinical, laboratory and radiological data were also described. This case was confirmed to have preoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection by real-time RT-PCR and RNA in situ hybridization on surgically removed lung tissues. Histologically, COVID-19 pneumonia was characterized by exudative inflammation. The closer to the visceral pleura, the more severe the exudation of monocytes and lymphocytes. Perivascular inflammatory infiltration, intraalveolar multinucleated giant cells, pneumocyte hyperplasia and intracytoplasmic viral-like inclusion bodies were seen. However, fibrinous exudate and hyaline membrane formation, which were typical pulmonary features of SARS pneumonia, were not evident in this case. Immunohistochemical staining results showed that an abnormal accumulation of CD4+ helper T lymphocytes and CD163+ M2 macrophages in the lung tissue. CONCLUSION: The results highlighted the pulmonary pathological changes of early phase SARS-CoV-2 infection and suggested a role of immune dysfunction in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 pneumonia.


Covid-19: International staff are considered vital to NHS's efforts, survey finds


Rapid mobilisation of research in response to covid-19: a paradigm for the future


title: A Note on the Evolution of Covid-19 in Italy

text: We employ methods largely exploited in Physics, in the analysis of the evolution of dynamical systems, to study the pattern of the Covid-19 infection in Italy. The techniques we employ are based on the use of logistic function and of its derivative, namely the Hubbert function. The latter is exploited to give a prediction on the number of infected per day. We also mention the possibility of taking advantage from other mathematical tools based e.g. on the Gompertz equation and make some comparison on the different predictive capabilities.


Guidance in an uncertain world


title: A Multi-Dimensional Big Data Storing System for Generated COVID-19 Large-Scale Data using Apache Spark

text: The ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had burst out in Wuhan China, specifically in December 2019. COVID-19 has caused by a new virus that had not been identified in human previously. This was followed by a widespread and rapid spread of this epidemic throughout the world. Daily, the number of the confirmed cases are increasing rapidly, number of the suspect increases, based on the symptoms that accompany this disease, and unfortunately number of the deaths also increase. Therefore, with these increases in number of cases around the world, it becomes hard to manage all these cases information with different situations; if the patient either injured or suspect with which symptoms that appeared on the patient. Therefore, there is a critical need to construct a multi-dimensional system to store and analyze the generated large-scale data. In this paper, a Comprehensive Storing System for COVID-19 data using Apache Spark (CSS-COVID) is proposed, to handle and manage the problem caused by increasing the number of COVID-19 daily. CSS-COVID helps in decreasing the processing time for querying and storing COVID-19 daily data. CSS-COVID consists of three stages, namely, inserting and indexing, storing, and querying stage. In the inserting stage, data is divided into subsets and then index each subset separately. The storing stage uses set of storing-nodes to store data, while querying stage is responsible for handling the querying processes. Using Apache Spark in CSS-COVID leverages the performance of dealing with large-scale data of the coronavirus disease injured whom increase daily. A set of experiments are applied, using real COVID-19 Datasets, to prove the efficiency of CSS-COVID in indexing large-scale data.


Low dose radiation therapy for COVID-19 pneumonia: A double-edged sword


Limited transmissibility of coronavirus (SARS-1, MERS, and SARS-2) in certain regions of Africa


Reply to Letter to the Editor: "Don't judge too RAShly: the multifaceted role of the renin-angiotensin system and its therapeutic potential in COVID-19"


title: Data as evidence

text: In an earlier article, Gordon Drummond summarized ongoing changes in how statistics are being used in experimental physiology. He described the near-ubiquitous use of the P value, cautioning against declaring an analysis 'statistically significant'. He mentioned alternative approaches, including Bayesian and likelihood approaches. This article focuses on the latter approach, although I initially take another look at the P value. Then the likelihood approach is introduced with a very artificial example to enable the concept to be grasped easily. Next, a more realistic example is described, with associated calculations. A further example using real categorical data is explained, showing how it relates to and is superior to the oft-used χ2 test. A final discussion reveals that the likelihood approach, although mathematically and statistically accurate, is poorly supported by literature and training.


The COVID-19 pandemic: we are all in this together


title: Organ function support in patients with coronavirus disease 2019: Tongji experience

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious disease and a serious threat to human health. COVID-19 can cause multiple organ dysfunction, such as respiratory and circulatory failure, liver and kidney injury, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and thromboembolism, and even death. The World Health Organization reports that the mortality rate of severe-type COVID-19 is over 50%. Currently, the number of severe cases worldwide has increased rapidly, but the experience in the treatment of infected patients is still limited. Given the lack of specific antiviral drugs, multi-organ function support treatment is important for patients with COVID-19. To improve the cure rate and reduce the mortality of patients with severe- and critical-type COVID-19, this paper summarizes the experience of organ function support in patients with severe- and critical-type COVID-19 in Optical Valley Branch of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China. This paper systematically summarizes the procedures of functional support therapies for multiple organs and systems, including respiratory, circulatory, renal, hepatic, and hematological systems, among patients with severe- and critical-type COVID-19. This paper provides a clinical reference and a new strategy for the optimal treatment of COVID-19 worldwide.


title: Reducing food waste in residential complexes using a pilot-scale on-site system

text: A pilot-scale on-site system combining biological treatment and a drying stage was applied to achieve mass reduction of food waste (FW) at an urban residential complex. The effectiveness of biodegrading the organic portion of FW via microorganisms existing in FW improved by 38.80% by controlling rates of FW loading and air-flow. In one stage of the on-site biological treatment, the major bacterial community was identified to be mesophilic and facultative; Lactobacillus was the most dominant genus, accounting for 78.1% of bacterial community. Total mass reduction of FW approached 90.15% by increasing removal of both moisture and the organic portion of FW. In addition, the solids and liquids of the final by-products have the potential to be recycled into resources such as fertilizer, a bio-solid refuse fuel or external carbon sources for wastewater treatment plants. The proposed decentralized system offers practical and environmental approaches for FW management in residential complexes.


Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with persistent negative CT findings


title: COVID-19 in Refractory Myasthenia Gravis- A Case Report of Successful Outcome

text: This is a brief report of a patient who has refractory Myasthenia Gravis, on multiple long-term immunosuppressive therapies and contracted COVID-19 during this 2020 pandemic. She was quarantined for total of 14 days and recovered successfully without any complications (no myasthenia exacerbation or crisis, no COVID-19 related complications), with no changes to her immunosuppressive therapy. Treatment of MG patients with COVID-19 needs to be tailored to individual patient.


Pulmonary Pathology of Early Phase 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia


title: Is copper beneficial for COVID-19 patients?

text: Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for both pathogens and the hosts during viral infection. Cu is involved in the functions of critical immune cells such as T helper cells, B cells, neutrophils natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages. These blood cells are involved in the killing of infectious microbes, in cell-mediated immunity and the production of specific antibodies against the pathogens. Cu-deficient humans show an exceptional susceptibility to infections due to the decreased number and function of these blood cells. Besides, Cu can kill several infectious viruses such as bronchitis virus, poliovirus, human immunodeficiency virus type 1(HIV-1), other enveloped or nonenveloped, single- or double-stranded DNA and RNA viruses. Moreover, Cu has the potent capacity of contact killing of several viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Since the current outbreak of the COVID-19 continues to develop, and there is no vaccine or drugs are currently available, the critical option is now to make the immune system competent to fight against the SARS-CoV-2. Based on available data, we hypothesize that enrichment of plasma copper levels will boost both the innate and adaptive immunity in people. Moreover, owing to its potent antiviral activities, Cu may also act as a preventive and therapeutic regime against COVID-19.


title: The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on substance use: Implications for prevention and treatment

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought major challenges to healthcare systems and public health policies globally, as it requires novel treatment and prevention strategies to adapt for the impact of the pandemic. Individuals with substance user disorders (SUD) are at risk population for contamination due to multiple factors-attributable to their clinical, psychological and psychosocial conditions. Moreover, social and economic changes caused by the pandemic, along with the traditional difficulties regarding treatment access and adherence-will certainly worsen during this period, therefore aggravate their condition. In addition, this population are potential vectors of transmission. In that sense, specific strategies for prevention and treatment must be discussed. health care professionals dealing with SUD must be aware of the risks and challenges they will meet during and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Addiction care must be reinforced, instead of postponed, in order to avoid complications of both SUD and COVID-19 and to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.


docid: mcfcgioc

title: Managing sickle cell patients with COVID-19 infection: the need to pool our collective experience


title: Neurofilaments: neurobiological foundations for biomarker applications

text: Interest in neurofilaments has risen sharply in recent years with recognition of their potential as biomarkers of brain injury or neurodegeneration in CSF and blood. This is in the context of a growing appreciation for the complexity of the neurobiology of neurofilaments, new recognition of specialized roles for neurofilaments in synapses and a developing understanding of mechanisms responsible for their turnover. Here we will review the neurobiology of neurofilament proteins, describing current understanding of their structure and function, including recently discovered evidence for their roles in synapses. We will explore emerging understanding of the mechanisms of neurofilament degradation and clearance and review new methods for future elucidation of the kinetics of their turnover in humans. Primary roles of neurofilaments in the pathogenesis of human diseases will be described. With this background, we then will review critically evidence supporting use of neurofilament concentration measures as biomarkers of neuronal injury or degeneration. Finally, we will reflect on major challenges for studies of the neurobiology of intermediate filaments with specific attention to identifying what needs to be learned for more precise use and confident interpretation of neurofilament measures as biomarkers of neurodegeneration.


title: Less social emergency departments: implementation of workplace contact reduction during COVID-19

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to rapid changes in community and healthcare delivery policies creating new and unique challenges to managing ED pandemic response efforts. One example is the practice of social distancing in the workplace as an internationally recommended non-pharmaceutical intervention to reduce transmission. While attention has been focused on public health measures, healthcare workers cannot overlook the transmission risk they present to their colleagues and patients. Our network of three EDs are all high traffic areas for both patients and staff, which makes the limitation of close person-to-person contact particularly difficult to achieve. To design, implement and communicate contact reduction changes in the ED workplace, our COVID-19 task force formalised a set of multidisciplinary recommendations that enumerated concrete ways to reduce healthcare worker transmission to coworkers and to patients from ED patient arrival to discharge. We also addressed staff-to-staff contact reduction strategies when not performing direct patient care. We describe our conceptual approach and successful implementation of workplace distancing.


Teledermatology in the era of COVID-19: Experience of an academic department of dermatology


Can we operate our patients without fear during the period of COVID-19 infection?


title: Looking out for myself: Exploring the relationship between conspiracy mentality, perceived personal risk, and COVID-19 prevention measures

text: OBJECTIVES: This research examined how conspiracy mentality may affect compliance with preventive health measures necessary to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and the underlying motivations to comply. DESIGN AND METHOD: We conducted two cross-sectional studies (Study 1 N = 762, Study 2 N = 229) on a French population, measuring conspiracy mentality, compliance with preventive health measures, and perceived risks related to COVID-19. We also measured motivations to comply with preventive measures in Study 2. RESULTS: We show that people high in conspiracy mentality are likely to engage in non-normative prevention behaviours (Study 1), but are less willing to comply with extreme preventive behaviours that are government-driven (Study 2). However, we demonstrate that a perceived risk to oneself (risk of death) and a motivation to protect oneself can act as a suppressor: Conspiracy mentality is linked with an increase in the perception of risk to oneself, which, in turn, is associated with normative compliance. We also find that perceived risk of death explains the relationship between conspiracy mentality and non-normative prevention behaviours. CONCLUSIONS: Our studies showcase how people high in conspiracy theorizing may (dis)engage with prevention behaviours, but that perceived risk and motivation to protect oneself could increase these individuals' compliance.


title: Plan de contingencia para los servicios de medicina intensiva frente a la pandemia COVID-19./ Plan de contingencia para los servicios de medicina intensiva frente a la pandemia COVID-19./ Contingency plan for the intensive care services for the COVID-19 pandemic

text: In January 2020, the Chinese authorities identified a new virus of the Coronaviridae family as the cause of several cases of pneumonia of unknown aetiology. The outbreak was initially confined to Wuhan City, but then spread outside Chinese borders. On 31 January 2020, the first case was declared in Spain. On 11 March 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. On 16 March 2020, there were 139 countries affected. In this situation, the Scientific Societies SEMICYUC and SEEIUC have decided to draw up this Contingency Plan to guide the response of the Intensive Care Services. The objectives of this plan are to estimate the magnitude of the problem and identify the necessary human and material resources. This is to provide the Spanish Intensive Medicine Services with a tool to programme optimal response strategies.


title: Plan de contingencia para los servicios de medicina intensiva frente a la pandemia COVID-19./ Plan de contingencia para los servicios de medicina intensiva frente a la pandemia COVID-19./ Contingency Plan for the Intensive Care Services for the COVID-19 pandemic

text: In January 2020, the Chinese authorities identified a new virus of the Coronaviridae family as the cause of several cases of pneumonia of unknown aetiology. The outbreak was initially confined to Wuhan City, but then spread outside Chinese borders. On 31 January 2020, the first case was declared in Spain. On 11 March 2020, The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. On 16 March 2020, there were 139 countries affected. In this situation, the Scientific Societies SEMICYUC and SEEIUC, have decided to draw up this Contingency Plan to guide the response of the Intensive Care Services. The objectives of this plan are to estimate the magnitude of the problem and identify the necessary human and material resources. This is to provide the Spanish Intensive Medicine Services with a tool to programme optimal response strategies.


title: A Spatial Markov Chain Cellular Automata Model for the Spread of Viruses

text: We consider a Spatial Markov Chain model for the spread of viruses. The model is based on the principle to represent a graph connecting nodes, which represent humans. The vertices between the nodes represent relations between humans. In this way, a graph is connected in which the likelihood of infectious spread from person to person is determined by the intensity of interpersonal contact. Infectious transfer is determined by chance. The model is extended to incorporate various lockdown scenarios.


title: Risk Factors Associated with Clinical Outcomes in 323 COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients in Wuhan, China

text: BACKGROUND: With evidence of sustained transmission in more than 190 countries, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a global pandemic. Data are urgently needed about risk factors associated with clinical outcomes. METHODS: A retrospective review of 323 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan was conducted. Patients were classified into three disease severity groups (non-severe, severe, and critical), based on initial clinical presentation. Clinical outcomes were designated as favorable and unfavorable, based on disease progression and response to treatments. Logistic regression models were performed to identify risk factors associated with clinical outcomes, and log-rank test was conducted for the association with clinical progression. RESULTS: Current standard treatments did not show significant improvement in patient outcomes. By univariate logistic regression analysis, 27 risk factors were significantly associated with clinical outcomes. Multivariate regression indicated age over 65 years (p<0.001), smoking (p=0.001), critical disease status (p=0.002), diabetes (p=0.025), high hypersensitive troponin I (>0.04 pg/mL, p=0.02), leukocytosis (>10 x 109/L, p<0.001) and neutrophilia (>75 x 109/L, p<0.001) predicted unfavorable clinical outcomes. By contrast, the administration of hypnotics was significantly associated with favorable outcomes (p<0.001), which was confirmed by survival analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Hypnotics may be an effective ancillary treatment for COVID-19. We also found novel risk factors, such as higher hypersensitive troponin I, predicted poor clinical outcomes. Overall, our study provides useful data to guide early clinical decision making to reduce mortality and improve clinical outcomes of COVID-19.


title: Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 are associated with greater disease severity

text: OBJECTIVES: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) has been proposed to play a role in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathophysiology. We aim to evaluate our implementation of a local protocol for treatment of VDD among patients hospitalized for COVID-19; to assess the prevalence of VDD among COVID-19 inpatients, and examine potential associations with disease severity and fatality. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a retrospective interim audit of a local clinical care pathway for 134 inpatients with COVID-19. Prevalence of VDD, compliance with local treatment protocol and relationship of baseline serum 25(OH)D with markers of COVID-19 severity and fatality were analysed. RESULTS: 55.8% of eligible patients received Colecalciferol replacement, albeit not all according to the suggested protocol. Patients admitted to ITU were younger than those managed on medical wards (61.1 years ± 11.8 vs. 76.4 years ± 14.9, respectively, p<0.001), with greater prevalence of hypertension, higher baseline respiratory rate, National Early Warning Score-2 and C-Reactive protein level. While mean serum 25(OH)D levels were comparable (p=0.3), only 19% of ITU patients had 25(OH)D levels greater than 50 nmol/L vs. 39.1% of non-ITU patients (p=0.02). However, there was no association with fatality, potentially due to small sample size and prompt diagnosis and treatment of VDD. CONCLUSIONS: Higher prevalence of VDD was observed in patients requiring ITU admission compared to patients managed on medical wards. Larger prospective studies and/or clinical trials are needed to validate and extend our observations.


title: Effect of non-pharmaceutical interventions to contain COVID-19 in China

text: On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic1. The strategies based on non-pharmaceutical interventions that were used to contain the outbreak in China appear to be effective2, but quantitative research is still needed to assess the efficacy of non-pharmaceutical interventions and their timings3. Here, using epidemiological data on COVID-19 and anonymized data on human movement4,5, we develop a modelling framework that uses daily travel networks to simulate different outbreak and intervention scenarios across China. We estimate that there were a total of 114,325 cases of COVID-19 (interquartile range 76,776-164,576) in mainland China as of 29 February 2020. Without non-pharmaceutical interventions, we predict that the number of cases would have been 67-fold higher (interquartile range 44-94-fold) by 29 February 2020, and we find that the effectiveness of different interventions varied. We estimate that early detection and isolation of cases prevented more infections than did travel restrictions and contact reductions, but that a combination of non-pharmaceutical interventions achieved the strongest and most rapid effect. According to our model, the lifting of travel restrictions from 17 February 2020 does not lead to an increase in cases across China if social distancing interventions can be maintained, even at a limited level of an on average 25% reduction in contact between individuals that continues until late April. These findings improve our understanding of the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions on COVID-19, and will inform response efforts across the world.


Prone positioning in management of COVID-19 hospitalized patients


The COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges for the Neurosurgeons and Neurologists


Clinical and demographic characteristics of patients dying from COVID-19 in Italy vs China


title: Epidemiological data from the COVID-19 outbreak, real-time case information

text: Cases of a novel coronavirus were first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, in December 2019 and have since spread across the world. Epidemiological studies have indicated human-to-human transmission in China and elsewhere. To aid the analysis and tracking of the COVID-19 epidemic we collected and curated individual-level data from national, provincial, and municipal health reports, as well as additional information from online reports. All data are geo-coded and, where available, include symptoms, key dates (date of onset, admission, and confirmation), and travel history. The generation of detailed, real-time, and robust data for emerging disease outbreaks is important and can help to generate robust evidence that will support and inform public health decision making.


Investigation on cognition of covid-19 and safety during the pandemic among hospital pharmacy staff


Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Protecting Hospitals From the Invisible


docid: dlhwmhea

title: COVID-19 and neurosurgical training and education: an Italian perspective

text: BACKGROUND: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has an impact also on neurosurgical training and education, especially in most affected countries. We surveyed Italian neurosurgical residents, asking them to provide a brief description and analyze the situation they are experiencing and how the educational system reacted to the pandemic in one of the most affected countries all over the world. METHODS: An 18-question, web-based survey was administered to Italian neurosurgical residents from May 3 to May 11, 2020, by web-link or e-mail invitation. Closed-ended, multiple choice questions were focused on the experience of neurosurgical residents in the last 2 months (from March to May 2020) concerning both clinical and educational aspects. RESULTS: Among 331 Italian neurosurgical residents invited to participate, 192 responded to the survey (58%). According to the participants' responses, in the whole country, only 29.7% of residents were directly involved in the clinical management of COVID-19 patients. Time spent in the clinic and surgical activity was significantly reduced in most of the cases. Educational activities as well as scientific activity and time spent for studying, on the other hand, were reported to be significantly increased by the majority of respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Most Italian neurosurgical residents reported significant changes on both training and education, highlighting a prompt reaction of the educational system in the whole country, regardless the local and regional diffusion of the pandemic.


title: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Neurosurgical Practice in India: Results of an Anonymized National Survey

text: Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for medical professionals throughout the world to tackle the rapidly changing scenario. The objective of this survey was to analyze the change in neurosurgical practice in India following the COVID-19 outbreak and assess its impact on practising neurosurgeons. Materials and Methods: Between May 7th and 23rd, 2020, a validated questionnaire was circulated amongst practising neurosurgeons across the country by social media and e-mails, regarding changes in the patterns of patients seen, adaptations made in their practice, effect on surgeries performed, financial burden, and impact on their personal lives. The responses were kept anonymous and were analyzed for correlations between the changes observed and independent factors such as hospital affiliations, teaching professions, and neurosurgical experience. Results: Our survey showed a drastic fall in the number of neurosurgical patients seen in the outpatient department (OPD) as well as the number of surgeries performed. A drop of 76.25% was seen in OPD patients (P = 0.000) and that of 70.59% in surgeries performed (P = 0.000). There was no uniformity among the neurosurgeons in the number of COVID-19 tests being done before elective/emergency surgery and in the use of protective gear while examining patients. Private practitioners were more affected financially as compared to those in the government sector. The pandemic has affected the research work of 53.23% of all respondents, with those in the teaching profession (70.96%) more affected than those in the non-teaching profession (24.67%). Conclusions: Evidence-based policies, screening COVID-19 tests with better sensitivity, and better-quality personal protective equipment kits in adequate numbers are required to protect our medical professionals from COVID-19. Mental health issues among neurosurgeons may also be an issue, this being a high risk speciality and should be closely watched for.


Temperature and the difference in impact of SARS CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) between tropical and non-tropical regions in Taiwan


Preventing COVID-19 and Its Sequela: "There Is No Magic Bullet... It's Just Behaviors"


Away-from-home food during coronavirus pandemic


Private Equity-Backed Hospital Investments and the Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic


title: Cause-and-effect of linear mechanisms sustaining wall turbulence

text: Despite the nonlinear nature of turbulence, there is evidence that the energy-injection mechanisms sustaining wall turbulence can be ascribed to linear processes. Different scenarios stem from linear stability theory and comprise exponential instabilities of the mean flow, neutral modes, transient growth from non-normal operators, and parametric instabilities from temporal mean-flow variations, among others. These mechanisms, each potentially capable of leading to the observed turbulence structure, are rooted in simplified theories and conceptual arguments. Whether the flow follows any or a combination of them remains unclear. Here, we devise a collection of numerical experiments in which the Navier-Stokes equations are sensibly modified to quantify the role of the different linear mechanisms at low Reynolds number ($Re_\tau\approx180$). We do this by DNS of turbulent channel flows, in which the energy transfer from the streamwise-averaged mean-flow ($\boldsymbol{U}$) to the fluctuating velocities ($\boldsymbol{u}'$) is constrained to preclude a targeted linear mechanism. In contrast to other studies, our approach allows for direct evaluation of cause-and-effect links between the linear energy injection from $\boldsymbol{U}$ to $\boldsymbol{u}'$ in a fully nonlinear setup. We show that turbulence persists when exponential instabilities of the mean flow are suppressed. Removing all exponential instabilities only reduces the turbulent fluctuations by 10%. We also show that the energy transfer from $\boldsymbol{U}$ to $\boldsymbol{u}'$ via transient growth alone, without exponential or parametric instabilities, suffices to sustain turbulence. Finally, we demonstrate that a collection of simulations with frozen-in-time $\boldsymbol{U}$ that only support transient growth provides a faithful representation of the actual time-varying energy transfer from $\boldsymbol{U}$ to $\boldsymbol{u}'$.


African-American COVID-19 Mortality: A Sentinel Event


A modified barrier enclosure to prevent viral aerosol transmission during endotracheal intubation and extubation of patients with coronavirus disease


docid: wvynetna

title: Sex Differences in Severity and Mortality Among Patients With COVID-19: Evidence from Pooled Literature Analysis and Insights from Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis

text: Objective: To conduct a meta-analysis of current studies that examined sex differences in severity and mortality in patients with COVID-19, and identify potential mechanisms underpinning these differences. Methods: We performed a systematic review to collate data from observational studies examining associations of sex differences with clinical outcomes of COVID-19. PubMed, Web of Science and four preprint servers were searched for relevant studies. Data were extracted and analyzed using meta-analysis where possible, with summary data presented otherwise. Publicly available bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) data were analyzed to explore the potential mechanisms underlying the observed association. Results: 39 studies met inclusion criteria, representing 77932 patients, of which 41510 (53.3%) were males. Men were at a markedly increased risk of developing severe cases compared with women. Furthermore, the pooled odds ratio (OR) of mortality for male group compared with the female group indicated significant higher mortality rate for male. Data from scRNA-seq suggest that men have a higher amount of ACE2-expressing pulmonary alveolar type II cells than women. Sex-based immunological differences exist. The expression of androgen receptor (AR) is positively correlated with ACE2, and there is evidence that AR may directly regulate the expression of ACE2. Conclusions: This meta-analysis detected an increased severity and mortality rate in the male populations with COVID-19, which might be attributable to the sex-based differences in cellular compositions and immunological microenvironments of the lung. The host cell receptor ACE2 is likely regulated by AR signaling pathway, which is identified as a potential target for prevention and treatment of SARS-Cov-2 infections in men.


title: Document Classification for COVID-19 Literature

text: The global pandemic has made it more important than ever to quickly and accurately retrieve relevant scientific literature for effective consumption by researchers in a wide range of fields. We provide an analysis of several multi-label document classification models on the LitCovid dataset, a growing collection of 8,000 research papers regarding the novel 2019 coronavirus. We find that pre-trained language models fine-tuned on this dataset outperform all other baselines and that the BioBERT and novel Longformer models surpass all others with almost equivalent micro-F1 and accuracy scores of around 81% and 69% on the test set. We evaluate the data efficiency and generalizability of these models as essential features of any system prepared to deal with an urgent situation like the current health crisis. Finally, we explore 50 errors made by the best performing models on LitCovid documents and find that they often (1) correlate certain labels too closely together and (2) fail to focus on discriminative sections of the articles; both of which are important issues to address in future work. Both data and code are available on GitHub.


title: AYUSH, modern medicine and the Covid-19 pandemic

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed several challenges to the Indian healthcare system. Here, we examine the situation in India considering the moral and ethical imperatives of decision making for public health. Currently, in the absence of proven therapies, empirical evidence is being used for treatment of Covid-19 disease. We find a dual standard of practice. Currently, only modern medicine therapies are used on an empirical basis, however, the same principle is not considered for the use of AYUSH systems. Appropriate use of evidence is required. In the ethics context and in the interest of the larger public good, we suggest the inclusion of simple and safe measures from AYUSH systems in the integrative protocols for prophylaxis and treatment of Covid-19. Keywords: AYUSH systems, Covid-19, pandemic, prophylaxis, evidence, empirical evidence, priority setting, public health decision making, global health emergencies,complementary medicine, integrative healthcare.


title: Phenomenological analysis of the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak dynamics

text: In the wake of the COVID-19 virus outbreak, a brief phenomenological (descriptive, comparative) analysis of the dynamics of the disease spread among different countries is presented. Results indicate that the infection spread dynamics is currently the most pronounced in the USA (confirmed cases are currently doubling every 2.16 days, with a decreasing doubling time tendency), while other countries with the most confirmed cases show different values, and tendencies. The reported number of deaths is currently doubled every 2.28 days in Germany, 2.56 days in France, 2.57 days in Switzerland, 2.59 days in France, and 2.62 days in USA, while only France and USA are currently exhibiting further acceleration (diminishing doubling time).


title: Radiologist-Level COVID-19 Detection Using CT Scans with Detail-Oriented Capsule Networks

text: Radiographic images offer an alternative method for the rapid screening and monitoring of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. This approach is limited by the shortage of radiology experts who can provide a timely interpretation of these images. Motivated by this challenge, our paper proposes a novel learning architecture, called Detail-Oriented Capsule Networks (DECAPS), for the automatic diagnosis of COVID-19 from Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Our network combines the strength of Capsule Networks with several architecture improvements meant to boost classification accuracies. First, DECAPS uses an Inverted Dynamic Routing mechanism which increases model stability by preventing the passage of information from non-descriptive regions. Second, DECAPS employs a Peekaboo training procedure which uses a two-stage patch crop and drop strategy to encourage the network to generate activation maps for every target concept. The network then uses the activation maps to focus on regions of interest and combines both coarse and fine-grained representations of the data. Finally, we use a data augmentation method based on conditional generative adversarial networks to deal with the issue of data scarcity. Our model achieves 84.3% precision, 91.5% recall, and 96.1% area under the ROC curve, significantly outperforming state-of-the-art methods. We compare the performance of the DECAPS model with three experienced, well-trained thoracic radiologists and show that the architecture significantly outperforms them. While further studies on larger datasets are required to confirm this finding, our results imply that architectures like DECAPS can be used to assist radiologists in the CT scan mediated diagnosis of COVID-19.


The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): Novel Virus, Old Challenges


title: Optimizing your telemedicine visit during the COVID-19 pandemic: Practice guidelines for patients with head and neck cancer

text: The COVID-19 epidemic has resulted in many hospitals and practices to cancel in-person outpatient clinic visits, where head and neck patients receive their critical longitudinal care. Out of necessity, most practices have been encouraged to use telemedicine as a method to maintain a continuum of care with their patients. As a result, the prevalence of telemedicine has grown rapidly during this pandemic, without allowing the physicians and patients to be adequately educated on how best to utilize the services. There is a steep learning curve as we have learned, and our goal is to provide guidelines for both patients and physicians, as well as a valuable patient handout in preparation for their visit.


title: Viral and host factors related to the clinical outcome of COVID-19

text: In December 2019, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by the new coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified in Wuhan (Hubei province, China)1; it soon spread across the world. In this ongoing pandemic, public health concerns and the urgent need for effective therapeutic measures require a deep understanding of the epidemiology, transmissibility and pathogenesis of COVID-19. Here we analysed clinical, molecular and immunological data from 326 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Shanghai. The genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2, assembled from 112 high-quality samples together with sequences in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) dataset, showed a stable evolution and suggested that there were two major lineages with differential exposure history during the early phase of the outbreak in Wuhan. Nevertheless, they exhibited similar virulence and clinical outcomes. Lymphocytopenia, especially reduced CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts upon hospital admission, was predictive of disease progression. High levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 during treatment were observed in patients with severe or critical disease and correlated with decreased lymphocyte count. The determinants of disease severity seemed to stem mostly from host factors such as age and lymphocytopenia (and its associated cytokine storm), whereas viral genetic variation did not significantly affect outcomes.


The American Academy of Dermatology COVID-19 registry: Crowdsourcing dermatology in the age of COVID-19


title: Ribavirin, Remdesivir, Sofosbuvir, Galidesivir, and Tenofovir against SARS-CoV-2 RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp): A molecular docking study

text: AIMS: A new human coronavirus (HCoV), which has been designated SARS-CoV-2, began spreading in December 2019 in Wuhan City, China causing pneumonia called COVID-19. The spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been faster than any other coronaviruses that have succeeded in crossing the animal-human barrier. There is concern that this new virus will spread around the world as did the previous two HCoVs-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-each of which caused approximately 800 deaths in the years 2002 and 2012, respectively. Thus far, 11,268 deaths have been reported from the 258,842 confirmed infections in 168 countries. MAIN METHODS: In this study, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of the newly emerged coronavirus is modeled, validated, and then targeted using different anti-polymerase drugs currently on the market that have been approved for use against various viruses. KEY FINDINGS: The results suggest the effectiveness of Ribavirin, Remdesivir, Sofosbuvir, Galidesivir, and Tenofovir as potent drugs against SARS-CoV-2 since they tightly bind to its RdRp. In addition, the results suggest guanosine derivative (IDX-184), Setrobuvir, and YAK as top seeds for antiviral treatments with high potential to fight the SARS-CoV-2 strain specifically. SIGNIFICANCE: The availability of FDA-approved anti-RdRp drugs can help treat patients and reduce the danger of the mysterious new viral infection COVID-19. The drugs mentioned above can tightly bind to the RdRp of the SARS-CoV-2 strain and thus may be used to treat the disease. No toxicity measurements are required for these drugs since they were previously tested prior to their approval by the FDA.


title: Comprehensive pollution monitoring of the Egyptian Red Sea coast by using the environmental indicators

text: The environmental pollution indicators and multivariate statistical analysis were used to evaluate the potential ecological risk and the contamination of Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cu, Cd, and Co in surface sediments of the Egyptian Red Sea coast. The results revealed that the studied area suffers from high contamination of certain metals such as the Hurghada area (Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni, and Cu), Quseir City area (Cd, Co, Pb, and Ni), and Safaga and Marsa Alam areas (Cd and Pb). Enrichment factor and principal components analysis reported that the pollution sources of Fe, Mn, and Co are related to natural weathering process while Cu, Zn, Ni, and Pb are related to anthropogenic sources as landfill, plastic rubbish, fishing boats, phosphate operations, and tourist activities. Moreover, Co and Cd metals can come from both of natural and anthropogenic sources. The average concentrations of Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, and Co in sediments of the Egyptian Red Sea coast are higher than those in the coasts of the Red Sea (Saudi Arabia), Mediterranean Sea (Egypt and Libya), Bengal bay (India), and the Caspian Sea (Russia). However, the studied metal content is lower than the sediment quality guideline values except for Cd.


title: Epidemiological and clinical characteristics analysis of COVID-19 in the surrounding areas of Wuhan, Hubei Province in 2020

text: AIM: Since December 2019, new COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred and spread around the world. However, the clinical characteristics of patients in other areas around Wuhan, Hubei Province are still unclear. In this study, we performed epidemiological and clinical characteristics analysis on these regional cases. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated COVID-19 patients positively confirmed by nucleic acid Q-PCR at Taihe Hospital from January 16 to February 4, 2020. Their epidemiological, clinical manifestations, and imaging characteristics were analysed. RESULTS: Among the 73 patients studied, 12.3 % developed symptoms after returning to Shiyan from Wuhan, and 71.2 % had a history of close contact with Wuhan personnel or confirmed cases. Among these patients, 9 cases were associated with family clustering. The first main symptoms presented by these patients were fever (84.9 %) and cough (21.9 %). The longest incubation period was 26 days, and the median interval from the first symptoms to admission was 5 days. Of the patients, 67.1 % were originally healthy people with no underlying diseases, others mostly had common comorbidities including hypertension (12.3 %) and diabetes (5.5 %), 10.9 % were current smokers, 30.1 % had low white blood cell counts and 45.2 % showed decreased lymphocytes at the first time of diagnosis. CT scans showed that multiple patchy ground glass shadows outside of the patient lungs were commonly observed, and a single sub-pleural sheet of ground glass shadow with enhanced vascular bundles was also found located under the pleura. Patient follow-up to February 14 presented 38.4 % severe cases and 2.7 % critical cases. After follow-up, the parameter of lymphocyte counts below 0.8 × 109/L cannot be used to predict severe and critical groups from the ordinary group, and a lower proportion of smokers and higher proportion of diabetes patients occur in the poor outcome group. Other co-morbidities are observed but did not lead to poor outcomes. CONCLUSION: The epidemiological characteristics of patients in the area around Wuhan, such as Shiyan, at first diagnosis are described as follows: Patients had histories of Wuhan residences in the early stage and family clustering in the later period. The incubation period was relatively long, and the incidence was relatively hidden, but the virulence was relatively low. The initial diagnosis of the patients was mostly ordinary, and the percentage of critical patients who evolved into the ICU during follow-up is 2.7 %, which is lower than the 26.1 % reported by Wuhan city. According to the Shiyan experience, early diagnosis with multiple swaps of the Q-PCR test and timely treatment can reduce the death rate. Diabetes could be one of the risk factors for progression to severe/critical outcomes. No evidence exists that smoking protects COVID-19 patients from developing to severe/critical cases, and the absolute number of lymphocytes at initial diagnosis could not predict the progression risk from severe to critical condition. Multivariate regression analysis should be used to further guide the allocation of clinical resources.


ESPEN expert statements and practical guidance on clinical nutrition in COVID-19 patients


Reorganization of a large academic hospital to face COVID-19 outbreak: The model of Parma, Emilia-Romagna region, Italy


title: If COVID-19 Becomes Endemic will the Current Dental Guidelines Still Remain Valid?

text: In a recent paper, the authors Jamal et al reviewed various guidelines published by dental societies of the world for the prevention of transmission of COVID-19 virus in the dental care setting during the current pandemic(Jamal et al., 2020). While this review is very interesting, I have a genuine apprehension that these guidelines may not be valid for a long time and very soon new guidelines will be required in the unfortunate event of COVID-19 becoming endemic.


If COVID-19 becomes endemic will the current dental guidelines still remain valid?


title: A Survey of Labor and Delivery Practices in New York City during the COVID-19 Pandemic

text: Recently, a novel coronavirus, precisely severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), that causes the disease novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a worldwide pandemic. Over a million cases have been confirmed in the United States. As of May 5, 2020, New York State has had over 300,000 cases and 24,000 deaths with more than half of the cases and deaths occurring in New York City (NYC). Little is known, however, of how this virus impacts pregnancy. Given this lack of data and the risk for severe disease in this relatively immunocompromised population, further understanding of the obstetrical management of COVID-19, as well as hospital level preparation for its control, is crucial. Guidance has come from expert opinion, professional societies and public health agencies, but to date, there is no report on how obstetrical practices have adapted these recommendations to their local situations. We therefore developed an internet-based survey to elucidate the practices put into place to guide the care of obstetrical patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We surveyed obstetrical leaders in four academic medical centers in NYC who were implementing and testing protocols at the height of the pandemic. We found that all sites made changes to their practices, and that there appeared to be agreement with screening and testing for COVID-19, as well as labor and delivery protocols, for SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. We found less consensus with respect to inpatient antepartum fetal surveillance. We hope that this experience is useful to other centers as they formulate their plans to face this pandemic. KEY POINTS: · Practices changed to accommodate public health needs.. · Most practices are screened for novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on admission.. · Fetal testing in COVID-19 patients varied..


title: Laboratory readiness and response for novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in expert laboratories in 30 EU/EEA countries, January 2020

text: Timely detection of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection cases is crucial to interrupt the spread of this virus. We assessed the required expertise and capacity for molecular detection of 2019-nCoV in specialised laboratories in 30 European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries. Thirty-eight laboratories in 24 EU/EEA countries had diagnostic tests available by 29 January 2020. A coverage of all EU/EEA countries was expected by mid-February. Availability of primers/probes, positive controls and personnel were main implementation barriers.


title: Association of diabetes mellitus with disease severity and prognosis in COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study

text: AIMS: The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China, and was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Diabetes is an established risk associated with poor clinical outcomes, but the association of diabetes with COVID-19 has not been reported yet. METHODS: In this cohort study, we retrospectively reviewed 258 consecutive hospitalized COVID-19 patients with or without diabetes at the West Court of Union Hospital in Wuhan, China, recruited from January 29 to February 12, 2020. The clinical features, treatment strategies and prognosis data were collected and analyzed. Prognosis was followed up until March 12, 2020. RESULTS: Of the 258 hospitalized patients (63 with diabetes) with COVID-19, the median age was 64 years (range 23-91), and 138 (53.5%) were male. Common symptoms included fever (82.2%), dry cough (67.1%), polypnea (48.1%), and fatigue (38%). Patients with diabetes had significantly higher leucocyte and neutrophil counts, and higher levels of fasting blood glucose, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB at admission compared with those without diabetes. COVID-19 patients with diabetes were more likely to develop severe or critical disease conditions with more complications, and had higher incidence rates of antibiotic therapy, non-invasive and invasive mechanical ventilation, and death (11.1% vs. 4.1%). Cox proportional hazard model showed that diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 3.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09, 12.21) and fasting blood glucose (aHR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.31) were associated with the fatality due to COVID-19, adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased disease severity and a higher risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19.


Re: SARS-CoV-2 testing and outcomes in the first 30 days after the first case of COVID-19 at an Australian children's hospital


Implications for Telehealth in a Postpandemic Future: Regulatory and Privacy Issues


From the editors: The COVID-19 crisis and its implications for pediatric surgeons


title: RadioGraphics Update: Medical 3D Printing for the Radiologist

text: Editor's Note.-Articles in the RadioGraphics Update section provide current knowledge to supplement or update information found in full-length articles previously published in RadioGraphics. Authors of the previously published article provide a brief synopsis that emphasizes important new information such as technological advances, revised imaging protocols, new clinical guidelines involving imaging, or updated classification schemes. Articles in this section are published solely online and are linked to the original article.


title: COVID-19 pandemic perception in adults with celiac disease: an impulse to implement the use of telemedicine: COVID-19 and CeD

text: Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes severe complications and deaths all over the world. COVID-19 also has indirect effects from the lockdown and the possible lack of food. We aimed to evaluate the perception of this in Celiac Disease (CeD) patients who require a lifelong gluten-free diet as a therapy. Methods: We invited by e-mail CeD adult patients from the University of Salerno (Campania, South Italy) and the University of Padua (Veneto, North Italy) to answer an ad hoc COVID-19 survey. Results: We sent the web survey to 651 email addresses and we received 276 answers (42,4%). CeD patients did not feel more vulnerable because they had CeD (not at all 56.6%)and they did not worry much about the possible shortness of gluten-free food during the epidemic(not at all 48.5%)The most worried were the elderly patients, patients with other comorbidities and females. Finally, CeD patients were happy with remote consultations and explicitly asked to have them. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted a proportion of patients with CeD; in particular, women, elderly patients, patients with other comorbidities. COVID-19, although a challenging experience from the medical and the psychological point of view, has offered an opportunity to practice, on a large-scale, a remote consultation approach for CeD healthcare.


title: COVID-19 pandemic perception in adults with celiac disease: an impulse to implement the use of telemedicine

text: BACKGROUND: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes severe complications and deaths all over the world. COVID-19 also has indirect effects from the lockdown and the possible lack of food. We aimed to evaluate the perception of this in Celiac Disease (CeD) patients who require a lifelong gluten-free diet as a therapy. METHODS: We invited by e-mail CeD adult patients from the University of Salerno (Campania, South Italy) and the University of Padua (Veneto, North Italy) to answer an ad hoc COVID-19 survey. RESULTS: We sent the web survey to 651 email addresses and we received 276 answers (42,4%). CeD patients did not feel more vulnerable because they had CeD (not at all 56.6%) and they did not worry much about the possible shortness of gluten-free food during the epidemic (not at all 48.5%). The most worried were the elderly patients, patients with other comorbidities and females. Finally, CeD patients were happy with remote consultations and explicitly asked to have them. DISCUSSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted a proportion of patients with CeD; in particular, women, elderly patients, patients with other comorbidities. COVID-19, although a challenging experience from the medical and the psychological point of view, has offered an opportunity to practice, on a large-scale, a remote consultation approach for CeD healthcare.


Chest CT Findings and Clinical Conditions of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)


Impact of COVID-19 on Traditional Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention Efforts - CORRIGENDUM


title: Molecular docking, simulation and MM-PBSA studies of nigella sativa compounds: a computational quest to identify potential natural antiviral for COVID-19 treatment

text: Nigella sativa or black seed is used as a medicinal plant around the globe. Oil and seeds have a long tradition of folklore use in various medicinal and food systems. The conventional therapeutic use of Nigella sativa, in different ways, has been reported in several studies to treat different diseases including influenza, headache, hypertension, diabetes, inflammation, eczema, fever, cough, asthma, bronchitis, and fever. Based on previously reported potential therapeutic uses of N. sativa compounds, and keeping in mind the dire need of time for the development of potent antiviral, a combined docking, ADMET properties calculation, molecular dynamics, and MM-PBSA approaches were applied in the current study to check the therapeutic potentials of N. sativa chief constituents against COVID-19. Among the studied compounds, we found that dithymoquinone (DTQ), with binding affinity of -8.6 kcal/mol compared to a positive control (chloroquine, -7.2 kcal/mol) , has the high potential of binding at SARS-CoV-2:ACE2 interface and thus could be predicted as a plausible inhibitor to disrupt viral-host interactions. Molecular dynamics simulation of 100 ns well complemented binding affinity of the compound and revealed strong stability of DTQ at the docked site. Additionally, MM-PBSA also affirms the docking results. Compound DTQ of the present study, if validated in wet lab experiments, could be used to treat COVID-19 and could serve as a lead in the future for development of more effective natural antivirals against COVID-19. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.


title: Early postmortem brain MRI findings in COVID-19 non-survivors

text: OBJECTIVES: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is considered to have potential neuro-invasiveness that might lead to acute brain disorders or contribute to respiratory distress in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study investigates the occurrence of structural brain abnormalities in non-survivors of COVID-19 in a virtopsy framework. METHODS: In this prospective, monocentric, case series study, consecutive patients who fulfilled the following inclusion criteria benefited from an early postmortem structural brain MRI: death <24 hours, SARS-CoV-2 detection on nasopharyngeal swab specimen, chest computerized tomographic (CT) scan suggestive of COVID-19, absence of known focal brain lesion, and MRI compatibility. RESULTS: Among the 62 patients who died from COVID-19 from 31/03/2020 to 24/04/2020 at our institution, 19 decedents fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Parenchymal brain abnormalities were observed in 4 decedents: subcortical micro- and macro-bleeds (2 decedents), cortico-subcortical edematous changes evocative of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES, one decedent), and nonspecific deep white matter changes (one decedent). Asymmetric olfactory bulbs were found in 4 other decedents without downstream olfactory tract abnormalities. No brainstem MRI signal abnormality was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Postmortem brain MRI demonstrates hemorrhagic and PRES-related brain lesions in non-survivors of COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2-related olfactory impairment seems to be limited to olfactory bulbs. Brainstem MRI findings do not support a brain-related contribution to respiratory distress in COVID-19.


title: Biological and Epidemiological Trends in the Prevalence and Mortality due to Outbreaks of Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 Medical education during pandemics: a UK perspective

text: The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) infection outbreak has posed a major threat to international health system and economy This study is aimed at investigating the biological and epidemiological trends in the prevalence and mortality due to outbreaks of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections The data on the global outbreak of COVID-19, were obtained from World Health Organization (WHO), Worldometer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and research institutes The information was also recorded from research documents published in global scientific journals indexed in Pub Med and Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science on the trends in the prevalence and mortality due to COVID-19 infection outbreaks The results show rising trends in the transmission, prevalence and mortality rate due to coronavirus COVID-19 During the period of December 29, 2019 through March 31, 2020, it has infected 750890 people worldwide, resulting in 36405 deaths with a mortality rate of 4 84% The infections were more frequent among male gender with above 60 years of age The mean growth rate index for total number of cases from January 23 to March 31, 2020 was 1 20 and growth rate index for mortality rate was 1 12 There was a positive association between the prevalence and mortality rate (R2=0 996) The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is highly contagious and has affected a large number of people worldwide It is still spreading with mutable prevalence and mortality outbreak trends The global health officials have taken priority measures to prevent the further outbreaks of this emerging pathogen across the globe However, the rising number of cases and mortality risk estimates are demonstrating that enhanced public health mediations, good hygienic conditions, social distancing and movement limitations may control the COVID-19 epidemics


title: Biological and Epidemiological Trends in the Prevalence and Mortality due to Outbreaks of Novel Coronavirus COVID-19

text: The novel coronavirus (Covid-19) infection outbreak has posed a major threat to international health system and economy. This study is aimed at investigating the biological and epidemiological trends in the prevalence and mortality due to outbreaks of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infections. The data on the global outbreak of COVID-19, were obtained from World Health Organization (WHO), Worldometer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and research institutes. The information was also recorded from research documents published in global scientific journals indexed in Pub Med and Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science on the trends in the prevalence and mortality due to COVID-19 infection outbreaks. The results show rising trends in the transmission, prevalence and mortality rate due to coronavirus COVID-19. During the period of December 29, 2019 through March 31, 2020, it has infected 750890 people worldwide, resulting in 36405 deaths with a mortality rate of 4.84%. The infections were more frequent among male gender with above 60 years of age. The mean growth rate index for total number of cases from January 23 to March 31, 2020 was 1.20 and growth rate index for mortality rate was 1.12. There was a positive association between the prevalence and mortality rate (R2=0.996). The novel coronavirus COVID-19 is highly contagious and has affected a large number of people worldwide. It is still spreading with mutable prevalence and mortality outbreak trends. The global health officials have taken priority measures to prevent the further outbreaks of this emerging pathogen across the globe. However, the rising number of cases and mortality risk estimates are demonstrating that enhanced public health mediations, good hygienic conditions, social distancing and movement limitations may control the COVID-19 epidemics.


title: Pulmonary embolism in acute medicine: a case-based review incorporating latest guidelines in the COVID-19 era

text: Pulmonary embolism remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the UK, particularly following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), where those infected have an increased prevalence of venous thromboembolic events. The pathophysiology in COVID-19 patients is thought to relate to a thromboinflammatory state within the pulmonary vasculature, triggered by the infection, but other risk factors such as reduced mobility, prolonged immobilisation and dehydration are likely to contribute. Several societies have released comprehensive guidelines emphasising the importance of risk stratification in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. They advocate the use of clinically validated risk scores in conjunction with biochemical and imaging results. Patients with mild disease can now be managed in the outpatient setting and with newly developed therapies, such as catheter-directed thrombolysis, becoming available in more centres, treatment options for those with more severe disease are also expanding. This article presents four theoretical but realistic cases, each diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism, but differing in levels of severity. These demonstrate how the guidelines can be applied in a clinical setting, with particular focus on risk stratification and management.


title: Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Population Mobility under Mild Policies: Causal Evidence from Sweden

text: Sweden has adopted far less restrictive social distancing policies than most countries following the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper uses data on all mobile phone users, from one major Swedish mobile phone network, to examine the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak under the Swedish mild recommendations and restrictions regime on individual mobility and if changes in geographical mobility vary over different socio-economic strata. Having access to data for January-March in both 2019 and 2020 enables the estimation of causal effects of the COVID-19 outbreak by adopting a Difference-in-Differences research design. The paper reaches four main conclusions: (i) The daytime population in residential areas increased significantly (64 percent average increase); (ii) The daytime presence in industrial and commercial areas decreased significantly (33 percent average decrease); (iii) The distance individuals move from their homes during a day was substantially reduced (38 percent decrease in the maximum distance moved and 36 percent increase in share of individuals who move less than one kilometer from home); (iv) Similar reductions in mobility were found for residents in areas with different socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. These results show that mild government policies can compel people to adopt social distancing behavior.


title: All India Ophthalmological Society - Eye Bank Association of India consensus statement on guidelines for cornea and eyebanking during COVID-19 era

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it the huge burden of mortality and morbidity across the world and the added effects of the mandatory lockdown measures to try and control the spread. A number of aspects of healthcare including eye donation and eye collection require adequate safety precautions in place to keep both the involved healthcare workers and patients safe. This paper highlights the consensus-based guidelines by an expert panel on how to restart eye banking and eye collection services and carry out emergency corneal surgeries during this COVID-19 time. These guidelines will be applicable to all eye banks across the country and should help ophthalmologists and eye banking staff to restart eye banking while safeguarding themselves and their patients.


Community engagement in times of COVID-19: Lessons from neo-Vaishnavite practices


title: MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK ;ORTA DOĞU SOLUNUM SENDROMU CORONAVÍRÜSÜ SALGINLARI / MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

text: The aim of this review is to learn about MERS (Middle EastRespiratory Syndrome) and track its increasing occurence since its firstidentification in 2012 The outbreaks of MERS-CoV have a higher fatality rate(34 4%) than the SARS virus(11%) which is also under the Coronavirus family,has become a global threat with 2494 cases and 858 deaths across 27 countriessince it was first diagnosed The virus can be easily transmitted by closecontact and cause hospital based outbreaks, spreading from human to human ;Derlemenin amacı 2012 yılında yeni tanımlanmış MERS (OrtaDoğu Solunum Sendromu) hastalığı etkeni olan MERS-CoV (Orta Doğu SolunumSendromu Coronavirüs) virüsünü tanımak ve günümüze kadar neden olduğu olguartışlarını ortaya koymaktır Aynı Coronavirüs ailesinde yer alan salgın etkeniSARS’dan () daha yüksek fatalite hızına ( 4) sahip MERS-CoV salgınları,ilk tanımlandığından bu yana 27 ülkede, 858 ölüm dahil toplam 2494 olgu ileküresel bir halk sağlığı tehdidi haline gelmiştir Özellikle yakın temas ilebulaşmakta olan MERS-CoV virüsü hastane kaynaklı salgınlara neden olarakinsandan insana yayılabilmektedir


docid: jtyoojte

title: Public Goods From Private Data -- An Efficacy and Justification Paradox for Digital Contact Tracing

text: Debate about the adoption of digital contact tracing (DCT) apps to control the spread of COVID-19 has focussed on risks to individual privacy (Sharma&Bashir 2020, Tang 2020). This emphasis reveals significant challenges to ethical deployment of DCT, but generates constraints which undermine justification to implement DCT. It would be a mistake to view this result solely as the successful operation of ethical foresight analysis (Floridi&Strait 2020), preventing deployment of potentially harmful technology. Privacy-centric analysis treats data as private property, frames the relationship between individuals and governments as adversarial, entrenches technology platforms as gatekeepers, and supports a conception of emergency public health authority as limited by individual consent and considerable corporate influence that is in some tension with the more communitarian values that typically inform public health ethics. To overcome the barriers to ethical and effective DCT, and develop infrastructure and policy that supports the realization of potential public benefits of digital technology, a public resource conception of aggregate data should be developed.


docid: ddvmxifv

title: Forecasting the Future of Urology Practice: A Comprehensive Review of the Recommendations by International and European Associations on Priority Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic

text: CONTEXT: The unprecedented health care scenario caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has revolutionized urology practice worldwide. OBJECTIVE: To review the recommendations by the international and European national urological associations/societies (UASs) on prioritization strategies for both oncological and nononcological procedures released during the current emergency scenario. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Each UAS official website was searched between April 8 and 18, 2020, to retrieve any document, publication, or position paper on prioritization strategies regarding both diagnostic and therapeutic urological procedures, and any recommendations on the use of telemedicine and minimally invasive surgery. We collected detailed information on all urological procedures, stratified by disease, priority (higher vs lower), and patient setting (outpatient vs inpatient). Then, we critically discussed the implications of such recommendations for urology practice in both the forthcoming "adaptive" and the future "chronic" phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Overall, we analyzed the recommendations from 13 UASs, of which four were international (American Urological Association, Confederation Americana de Urologia, European Association of Urology, and Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand) and nine national (from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, The Netherlands, and the UK). In the outpatient setting, the procedures that are likely to impact the future burden of urologists' workload most are prostate biopsies and elective procedures for benign conditions. In the inpatient setting, the most relevant contributors to this burden are represented by elective surgeries for lower-risk prostate and renal cancers, nonobstructing stone disease, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Finally, some UASs recommended special precautions to perform minimally invasive surgery, while others outlined the potential role of telemedicine to optimize resources in the current and future scenarios. CONCLUSIONS: The expected changes will put significant strain on urological units worldwide regarding the overall workload of urologists, internal logistics, inflow of surgical patients, and waiting lists. In light of these predictions, urologists should strive to leverage this emergency period to reshape their role in the future. PATIENT SUMMARY: Overall, there was a large consensus among different urological associations/societies regarding the prioritization of most urological procedures, including those in the outpatient setting, urological emergencies, and many inpatient surgeries for both oncological and nononcological conditions. On the contrary, some differences were found regarding specific cancer surgeries (ie, radical cystectomy for higher-risk bladder cancer and nephrectomy for larger organ-confined renal masses), potentially due to different prioritization criteria and/or health care contexts. In the future, the outpatient procedures that are likely to impact the burden of urologists' workload most are prostate biopsies and elective procedures for benign conditions. In the inpatient setting, the most relevant contributors to this burden are represented by elective surgeries for lower-risk prostate and renal cancers, nonobstructing stone disease, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.


Proctology in the COVID-19 era: handle with care


title: Benchmarking Differentially Private Residual Networks for Medical Imagery

text: Hospitals and other medical institutions often have vast amounts of medical data which can provide significant value when utilized to advance research. However, this data is often sensitive in nature and as such is not readily available for use in a research setting, often due to privacy concerns. In this paper, we measure the performance of a deep neural network on differentially private image datasets pertaining to Pneumonia. We analyze the trade-off between the model's accuracy and the scale of perturbation among the images. Knowing how the model's accuracy varies among different perturbation levels in differentially private medical images can be quite a useful measure for hospitals to know. Furthermore, we also seek to measure the usefulness of local differential privacy for such medical imagery tasks and see if there's room for improvement.