title: Drug repurposing for coronavirus (COVID-19): in silico screening of known drugs against coronavirus 3CL hydrolase and protease enzymes

text: In December 2019, COVID-19 epidemic was described in Wuhan, China, and the infection has spread widely affecting hundreds of thousands. Herein, an effort was made to identify commercially available drugs in order to repurpose them against coronavirus by the means of structure-based virtual screening. In addition, ZINC15 library was used to identify novel leads against main proteases. Human TMPRSS2 3D structure was first generated using homology modeling approach. Our molecular docking study showed four potential inhibitors against Mpro enzyme, two available drugs (Talampicillin and Lurasidone) and two novel drug-like compounds (ZINC000000702323 and ZINC000012481889). Moreover, four promising inhibitors were identified against TMPRSS2; Rubitecan and Loprazolam drugs, and compounds ZINC000015988935 and ZINC000103558522. ADMET profile showed that the hits from our study are safe and drug-like compounds. Furthermore, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation and binding free energy calculation using the MM-PBSA method was performed to calculate the interaction energy of the top-ranked drugs.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.


title: Liver Enzyme Elevation in Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Cross-Sectional Study

text: INTRODUCTION: Elevated liver enzyme levels are observed in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, these features have not been characterized. METHODS: Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Zhejiang Province, China, from January 17 to February 12, 2020, were enrolled. Liver enzyme level elevation was defined as alanine aminotransferase level >35 U/L for men and 25 U/L for women at admission. Patients with normal alanine aminotransferase levels were included in the control group. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, and patients symptomatic with SARS-CoV-2 infection were defined as patients with COVID-19. Epidemiological, demographic, clinical, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were collected and compared. RESULTS: Of 788 patients with COVID-19, 222 (28.2%) patients had elevated liver enzyme levels (median [interquartile range {IQR}] age, 47.0 [35.0-55.0] years; 40.5% women). Being male, overweight, and smoking increased the risk of liver enzyme level elevation. The liver enzyme level elevation group had lesser pharyngalgia and more diarrhea than the control group. The median time from illness onset to admission was 3 days for liver enzyme level elevation groups (IQR, 2-6), whereas the median hospitalization time for 86 (38.7%) discharged patients was 13 days (IQR, 11-16). No differences in disease severity and clinical outcomes were noted between the groups. DISCUSSION: We found that 28.2% of patients with COVID-19 presented with elevated liver enzyme levels on admission, which could partially be related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Male patients had a higher risk of liver enzyme level elevation. With early medical intervention, liver enzyme level elevation did not worsen the outcomes of patients with COVID-19.


Special dermatological presentation of paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome related to COVID-19: erythema multiforme


title: Differences of SARS-CoV-2 Shedding Duration in Sputum and Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimens Among Adult Inpatients With COVID-19

text: BACKGROUND: The viral shedding duration of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has not been fully defined. Consecutive detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from respiratory tract specimens is essential for determining duration of virus shedding and providing evidence to optimize the clinical management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the shedding durations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the upper and lower respiratory tract specimens? What are their associated risk factors? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 68 patients with COVID-19 admitted to Wuhan Taikang Tongji Hospital and Huoshenshan Hospital from February 10, 2020, to March 20, 2020, were recruited. Consecutive SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection from paired specimens of nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and sputum were carried out. The clinical characteristics of patients were recorded for further analysis. RESULTS: SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected from NPSs in 48 patients (70.6%), and from sputum specimens in 30 patients (44.1%). The median duration of viral shedding from sputum specimens (34 days; interquartile range [IQR], 24-40) was significantly longer than from NPSs (19 days; IQR, 14-25; P < .001). Elderly age was an independent factor associated with prolonged virus shedding time of SARS-CoV-2 (hazard ratio, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.01-2.93). It was noteworthy that in 9 patients, the viral RNA was detected in sputum after NPS turned negative. Chronic lung disease and steroids were associated with virus detection in sputum, and diabetes mellitus was associated with virus detection in both NPS and sputum. INTERPRETATION: These findings may impact a test based clearance discharge criteria given patients with COVID-19 may shed virus longer in their lower respiratory tracts, with potential implication for prolonged transmission risk. In addition, more attention should be given to elderly patients who might have prolonged viral shedding duration.


Hyperactive Delirium Requires More Aggressive Management in Patients With COVID-19: Temporarily Rethinking "Low and Slow"


title: Stem cell therapy: a potential approach for treatment of influenza virus and coronavirus-induced acute lung injury

text: Acute lung injury (ALI), an increasingly devastating human disorder, is characterized by a multitude of lung changes arising from a wide variety of lung injuries. Viral infection is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in ALI and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients. In particular, influenza virus, coronavirus, and other respiratory viruses circulate in nature in various animal species and can cause severe and rapidly spread human infections. Although scientific advancements have allowed for rapid progress to be made to understand the pathogenesis and develop therapeutics after each viral pandemic, few effective methods to treat virus-induced ALI have been described. Recently, stem cell therapy has been widely used in the treatment of various diseases, including ALI. In this review, we detail the present stem cell-based therapeutics for lung injury caused by influenza virus and the outlook for the future state of stem cell therapy to deal with emerging influenza and coronaviruses.


docid: sywcwcwb

title: New Methanol Poisoning Outbreaks in Iran Following COVID-19 Pandemic


Mini organs reveal how the coronavirus ravages the body


title: A Comprehensive Review on Tocilizumab in COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

text: Currently, the world is facing the pandemic of a novel strain of beta-coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is the most devastating complication of SARS-CoV-2. It was indicated that cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and dominantly IL-6 play a central role in the pathophysiology of ARDS related to the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Despite the global emergency of the disease, at this time, there are no proven therapies for the management of the disease. Tocilizumab is a potential recombinant monoclonal antibody against IL-6 and currently is under investigation for the management of ARDS in patients with COVID-19. Given these points, we reviewed the current evidence regarding the potential therapeutic role of tocilizumab and its important clinical issues in the treatment of ARDS related to COVID-19. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


Selective trunk block (SeTB): a simple alternative to hybrid brachial plexus block techniques for proximal humeral fracture surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic


title: Supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disability during the first 100 days of the COVID-19 outbreak in the USA

text: BACKGROUND: It is unknown how the novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the current acute respiratory illness COVID-19 pandemic that has infected millions of people, affects people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD). The aim of this study is to describe how individuals with IDD have been affected in the first 100 days of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Shortly after the first COVID-19 case was reported in the USA, our organisation, which provides continuous support for over 11 000 individuals with IDD, assembled an outbreak committee composed of senior leaders from across the health care organisation. The committee led the development and deployment of a comprehensive COVID-19 prevention and suppression strategy, utilising current evidence-based practice, while surveilling the global and local situation daily. We implemented enhanced infection control procedures across 2400 homes, which were communicated to our employees using multi-faceted channels including an electronic resource library, mobile and web applications, paper postings in locations, live webinars and direct mail. Using custom-built software applications enabling us to track patient, client and employee cases and exposures, we leveraged current public health recommendations to identify cases and to suppress transmission, which included the use of personal protective equipment. A COVID-19 case was defined as a positive nucleic acid test for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. RESULTS: In the 100-day period between 20 January 2020 and 30 April 2020, we provided continuous support for 11 540 individuals with IDD. Sixty-four per cent of the individuals were in residential, community settings, and 36% were in intermediate care facilities. The average age of the cohort was 46 ± 12 years, and 60% were male. One hundred twenty-two individuals with IDD were placed in quarantine for exhibiting symptoms and signs of acute infection such as fever or cough. Sixty-six individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and their average age was 50. The positive individuals were located in 30 different homes (1.3% of total) across 14 states. Fifteen homes have had single cases, and 15 have had more than one case. Fifteen COVID-19-positive individuals were hospitalised. As of 30 April, seven of the individuals hospitalised have been discharged back to home and are recovering. Five remain hospitalised, with three improving and two remaining in intensive care and on mechanical ventilation. There have been three deaths. We found that among COVID-19-positive individuals with IDD, a higher number of chronic medical conditions and male sex were characteristics associated with a greater likelihood of hospitalisation. CONCLUSIONS: In the first 100 days of the COVID-19 outbreak in the USA, we observed that people with IDD living in congregate care settings can benefit from a coordinated approach to infection control, case identification and cohorting, as evidenced by the low relative case rate reported. Male individuals with higher numbers of chronic medical conditions were more likely to be hospitalised, while most younger, less chronically ill individuals recovered spontaneously at home.


title: Neurosurgical Practice During the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic: A Worldwide Survey

text: BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has consistently changed medical practice throughout specialties, regardless of their contribution in facing the disease itself. We surveyed neurosurgeons worldwide to investigate the situation they are experiencing. METHODS: A 17-question, web-based survey was administered to neurosurgeons worldwide through the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies and the Neurosurgery Cocktail from March 28 to April 5, 2020, by web link or e-mail invitation. Questions were divided into 3 subgroups: general information, health system organization, and institutional plans for the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak. Collected data were initially elaborated using SurveyMonkey software. Country-specific data were extracted from the World Health Organization website. Statistical analysis was performed using R, version 3.6.3. RESULTS: Of the 446 respondents, most were from Italy (20%), India (19%), and Pakistan (5%). Surgical activity was significantly reduced in most centers (79%) and dedicated in-hospital routes were created for patients with SARS-CoV-2 (58%). Patient screening was performed only when there were symptoms (57%) and not routinely before surgery (18%). The preferred methods included a nasopharyngeal swab and chest radiograph. Health professionals were rarely screened (20%) and sometimes, even if SARS-CoV-2 positive, were asked to work if asymptomatic (26%). Surgical planning was changed in most institutions (92%), whereas indications were modified for nonurgent procedures (59%) and remained unchanged for subarachnoid hemorrhages (85%). CONCLUSIONS: Most neurosurgeons worldwide reported work reorganization and practices that respond to current international guidelines. Differences in practice might be related to the perception of the pandemic and significant differences in the health systems. Sharing data and experiences will be of paramount importance to address the present moment and challenges in the near future.


title: Moral medical decision-making: Colliding sacred values in response to COVID-19 pandemic

text: In responding to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), health-care workers have been exposed to a range of traumatic experiences, including the management of ventilators; provision of treatment; and issues with access to and the use of personal protective equipment. In this commentary, we use recent research on military decision-making to outline the damaging psychological effects of experiences that violate deeply held values. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


title: Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vs Patients With Influenza

text: Importance: It is uncertain whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke than would be expected from a viral respiratory infection. Objective: To compare the rate of ischemic stroke between patients with COVID-19 and patients with influenza, a respiratory viral illness previously associated with stroke. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at 2 academic hospitals in New York City, New York, and included adult patients with emergency department visits or hospitalizations with COVID-19 from March 4, 2020, through May 2, 2020. The comparison cohort included adults with emergency department visits or hospitalizations with influenza A/B from January 1, 2016, through May 31, 2018 (spanning moderate and severe influenza seasons). Exposures: COVID-19 infection confirmed by evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in the nasopharynx by polymerase chain reaction and laboratory-confirmed influenza A/B. Main Outcomes and Measures: A panel of neurologists adjudicated the primary outcome of acute ischemic stroke and its clinical characteristics, mechanisms, and outcomes. We used logistic regression to compare the proportion of patients with COVID-19 with ischemic stroke vs the proportion among patients with influenza. Results: Among 1916 patients with emergency department visits or hospitalizations with COVID-19, 31 (1.6%; 95% CI, 1.1%-2.3%) had an acute ischemic stroke. The median age of patients with stroke was 69 years (interquartile range, 66-78 years); 18 (58%) were men. Stroke was the reason for hospital presentation in 8 cases (26%). In comparison, 3 of 1486 patients with influenza (0.2%; 95% CI, 0.0%-0.6%) had an acute ischemic stroke. After adjustment for age, sex, and race, the likelihood of stroke was higher with COVID-19 infection than with influenza infection (odds ratio, 7.6; 95% CI, 2.3-25.2). The association persisted across sensitivity analyses adjusting for vascular risk factors, viral symptomatology, and intensive care unit admission. Conclusions and Relevance: In this retrospective cohort study from 2 New York City academic hospitals, approximately 1.6% of adults with COVID-19 who visited the emergency department or were hospitalized experienced ischemic stroke, a higher rate of stroke compared with a cohort of patients with influenza. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and to investigate possible thrombotic mechanisms associated with COVID-19.


title: Expert recommendations for the care of newborns of mothers with COVID-19

text: This article presents expert recommendations for assisting newborn children of mothers with suspected or diagnosed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The consensus was developed by five experts with an average of 20 years of experience in neonatal intensive care working at a reference university hospital in Brazil for the care of pregnant women and newborns with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Despite the lack of scientific evidence regarding the potential for viral transmission to their fetus in pregnant mothers diagnosed with or suspected of COVID-19, it is important to elaborate the lines of care by specialists from hospitals caring for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases to guide multidisciplinary teams and families diagnosed with the disease or involved in the care of pregnant women and newborns in this context. Multidisciplinary teams must be attentive to the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 so that decision-making is oriented and assertive for the management of the mother and newborn in both the hospital setting and at hospital discharge.


title: A systematic review on use of aminoquinolines for the therapeutic management of COVID-19: Efficacy, safety and clinical trials

text: Recent global outbreak of the pandemic caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) emphasizes the urgent need for novel antiviral therapeutics. It can be supplemented by utilization of efficient and validated drug discovery approaches such as drug repurposing/repositioning. The well reported and clinically used anti-malarial aminoquinoline drugs (chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine) have shown potential to be repurposed to control the present pandemic by inhibition of COVID-19. The review elaborates the mechanism of action, safety (side effects, adverse effects, toxicity) and details of clinical trials for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine to benefit the clinicians, medicinal chemist, pharmacologist actively involved in controlling the pandemic and to provide therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 infection.


title: "Exercise with facemask; Are we handling a devil's sword?" - A physiological hypothesis

text: Straying away from a sedentary lifestyle is essential, especially in these troubled times of a global pandemic to reverse the ill effects associated with the health risks as mentioned earlier. In the view of anticipated effects on immune system and prevention against influenza and Covid-19, globally moderate to vigorous exercises are advocated wearing protective equipment such as facemasks. Though WHO supports facemasks only for Covid-19 patients, healthy "social exercisers" too exercise strenuously with customized facemasks or N95 which hypothesized to pose more significant health risks and tax various physiological systems especially pulmonary, circulatory and immune systems. Exercising with facemasks may reduce available Oxygen and increase air trapping preventing substantial carbon dioxide exchange. The hypercapnic hypoxia may potentially increase acidic environment, cardiac overload, anaerobic metabolism and renal overload, which may substantially aggravate the underlying pathology of established chronic diseases. Further contrary to the earlier thought, no evidence exists to claim the facemasks during exercise offer additional protection from the droplet transfer of the virus. Hence, we recommend social distancing is better than facemasks during exercise and optimal utilization rather than exploitation of facemasks during exercise.


title: Melatonin-triggered post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications of ADAMTS1 coordinately retard tumorigenesis and metastasis of renal cell carcinoma

text: A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) family are widely implicated in tissue remodeling events manifested in cancer development. ADAMTS1, the most fully characterized ADAMTS, plays conflicting roles in different cancer types; however, the role of ADAMTS1 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. Herein, we found that ADAMTS1 is highly expressed in RCC tissues compared to normal renal tissues, and its expression was correlated with an advanced stage and a poor prognosis of RCC patients. In vitro, we observed higher expression of ADAMTS1 in metastatic (m)RCC cells compared to primary cells, and manipulation of ADAMTS1 expression affected cell invasion and clonogenicity. Results from protease array showed that ADAMTS1 is modulated by melatonin through mechanisms independent of the MT1 receptor in mRCC cells, and overexpression of ADAMTS1 relieved the invasion/clonogenicity and growth/metastasis inhibition imposed by melatonin treatment in vitro and in an orthotopic xenograft model. The human microRNA (miR) OneArray showed that miR-181d and miR-let-7f were induced by melatonin and respectively targeted the 3'-UTR and non-3'UTR of ADAMTS1 to suppress its expression and mRCC invasive ability. Clinically, RCC patients with high levels of miR-181d or miR-let-7f and a low level of ADAMTS1 had the most favorable prognoses. In addition, ubiquitin/proteasome-mediated degradation of ADAMTS1 can also be triggered by melatonin. Together, our study indicates that ADAMTS1 may be a useful biomarker for predicting RCC progression. The novel convergence between melatonin and ADAMTS1 post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation provides new insights into the role of melatonin-induced molecular regulation in suppressing RCC progression.


Coronavirus and the race to distribute reliable diagnostics


Healthcare workers' and students' knowledge regarding the transmission, epidemiology and symptoms of COVID-19 in 41 cities of Bolivia and Colombia


docid: pifjdjrp

title: Covid-19: Mental health services must be boosted to deal with "tsunami" of cases after lockdown


Early pulmonary rehabilitation for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: Experience from an intensive care unit outside of the Hubei province in China


title: Anticoagulant treatment is associated with decreased mortality in severe coronavirus disease 2019 patients with coagulopathy

text: BACKGROUND: A relatively high mortality of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is worrying, and the application of heparin in COVID-19 has been recommended by some expert consensus because of the risk of disseminated intravascular coagulation and venous thromboembolism. However, its efficacy remains to be validated. METHODS: Coagulation results, medications, and outcomes of consecutive patients being classified as having severe COVID-19 in Tongji hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The 28-day mortality between heparin users and nonusers were compared, as was a different risk of coagulopathy, which was stratified by the sepsis-induced coagulopathy (SIC) score or D-dimer result. RESULTS: There were 449 patients with severe COVID-19 enrolled into the study, 99 of them received heparin (mainly with low molecular weight heparin) for 7 days or longer. D-dimer, prothrombin time, and age were positively, and platelet count was negatively, correlated with 28-day mortality in multivariate analysis. No difference in 28-day mortality was found between heparin users and nonusers (30.3% vs 29.7%, P = .910). But the 28-day mortality of heparin users was lower than nonusers in patients with SIC score ≥4 (40.0% vs 64.2%, P = .029), or D-dimer >6-fold of upper limit of normal (32.8% vs 52.4%, P = .017). CONCLUSIONS: Anticoagulant therapy mainly with low molecular weight heparin appears to be associated with better prognosis in severe COVID-19 patients meeting SIC criteria or with markedly elevated D-dimer.


How to Have Sex in an Epidemic Redux: Reinforcing HIV Prevention in the COVID-19 Pandemic


title: Engineering Crowdsourced Stream Processing Systems

text: A crowdsourced stream processing system (CSP) is a system that incorporates crowdsourced tasks in the processing of a data stream. This can be seen as enabling crowdsourcing work to be applied on a sample of large-scale data at high speed, or equivalently, enabling stream processing to employ human intelligence. It also leads to a substantial expansion of the capabilities of data processing systems. Engineering a CSP system requires the combination of human and machine computation elements. From a general systems theory perspective, this means taking into account inherited as well as emerging properties from both these elements. In this paper, we position CSP systems within a broader taxonomy, outline a series of design principles and evaluation metrics, present an extensible framework for their design, and describe several design patterns. We showcase the capabilities of CSP systems by performing a case study that applies our proposed framework to the design and analysis of a real system (AIDR) that classifies social media messages during time-critical crisis events. Results show that compared to a pure stream processing system, AIDR can achieve a higher data classification accuracy, while compared to a pure crowdsourcing solution, the system makes better use of human workers by requiring much less manual work effort.


title: COVID-19 and gastroenterology: clinical insights and recommendations for gastroenterology care providers

text: While the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, we are beginning to understand the role the gastrointestinal tract plays in the disease and the impact of the infection on the care of patients with gastrointestinal (GI) and liver diseases. We review the data and understanding around the virus related to the digestive tract, impact of the pandemic on delivery of GI services and daily gastroenterology clinical practice, and the effects on patients with pre-existing GI diseases.


title: Networks in a World Unknown: Public WhatsApp Groups in the Venezuelan Refugee Crisis

text: By early March 2020, five million Venezuelans had fled their home country after its complete economic and institutional collapse, and over 1.6 million have migrated to Colombia. Migrants struggle to start their lives over in Colombia, having arrived with few economic resources, and often no legal documentation, in cities with little to offer them. Venezuelan migrants, however, rely heavily on mobile phones and social media networks as lifelines for information, opportunities, and resources -- making WhatsApp both a critical tool for migrants' settlement and integration, as well as an invaluable source of data through which we can better understand migrant experiences. This thesis explores the dynamics of public WhatsApp groups used by Venezuelan migrants to Colombia, and what they can tell us about how migrants use and share information. We center our research on information spread and trust, especially as they intersect with concentration and geographic heterogeneity within groups. We analyze messages and memberships broadly, then explore interaction within groups, fake news and economic scams, and effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Our results have a range of policy implications, from reflections on Colombia's decision to shut its borders amidst the coronavirus pandemic, to understandings of how aid organizations can effectively share information over social media channels.


title: Upper respiratory tract sampling in COVID-19

text: INTRODUCTION: To review the present literature on upper respiratory tract sampling in COVID-19 and provide recommendations to improve healthcare practices and directions in future studies. METHODS: Twelve relevant manuscripts were sourced from a total of 7288 search results obtained using PubMed, Medline and Google Scholar. The search keywords used were COVID-19, nasopharyngeal, oropharyngeal, swabs, SARS and CoV2. Original manuscripts were obtained and analysed by all authors. The review included manuscripts which have not undergone rigorous peer-review process in view of the magnitude of the topic discussed. RESULTS: The viral load of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the upper respiratory tract was significantly higher during the first week and peaked at 4-6 days after onset of symptoms, during which it can be potentially sampled. Nasopharyngeal swab has demonstrated higher viral load than oropharyngeal swab, where the difference in paired samples is best seen at 0-9 days after the onset of illness. Sensitivity of nasopharyngeal swab was higher than oropharyngeal swabs in COVID-19 patients. Patient self-collected throat washing has been shown to contain higher viral load than nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swab, with significantly higher sensitivity when compared with paired nasopharyngeal swab. RECOMMENDATIONS: Routine nasopharyngeal swab of suspected COVID-19 infection should take anatomy of the nasal cavity into consideration to increase patient comfort and diagnostic yield. Routine oropharyngeal swab should be replaced by throat washing which has demonstrated better diagnostic accuracy, and it is safe towards others.


Corrigendum to: A 55-Day-Old Female Infant Infected With 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease: Presenting With Pneumonia, Liver Injury, and Heart Damage


How to expedite early-phase SARS-CoV-2 vaccine trials in pandemic setting-A practical perspective


How to expedite early phase SARS-CoV-2 vaccine trials in pandemic setting - a practical perspective


title: Olfactory Dysfunction: A Highly Prevalent Symptom of COVID-19 With Public Health Significance

text: OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic affecting millions of individuals, killing hundreds of thousands. Although typically described with characteristic symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath, greater understanding of COVID-19 has revealed myriad clinical manifestations. Olfactory dysfunction (OD)-hyposmia and anosmia-has recently been recognized as an important symptom of COVID-19 and increasingly gained traction as a public health tool for identifying COVID-19 patients, in particular otherwise asymptomatic carriers who, unawares, may be major drivers of disease spread. The objective of this study is to review the scientific evidence about anosmia in COVID-19. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. REVIEW METHODS: Comprehensive literature search of primary studies pertinent to the objectives of this review using the chosen data sources. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence shows that OD is highly prevalent in COVID-19, with up to 80% of patients reporting subjective OD and objective olfactory testing potentially showing even higher prevalence. OD is frequently accompanied by taste dysfunction. Up to 25% of COVID-19 patients may experience sudden-onset OD as the first symptom. A large proportion of COVID-19 OD cases may resolve over the period of a few weeks. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Sudden anosmia should be considered a symptom of COVID-19. Assessing for sudden-onset anosmia may increase sensitivity of COVID-19 screening strategies, in particular for identifying patients at the earliest stages of disease. Since many cases of OD due to COVID-19 may resolve in the short term, conservative management, including observation, is reasonable, while advanced imaging is unnecessary.


title: Performance Assessment of SARS-CoV-2 PCR Assays Developed by WHO Referral Laboratories

text: A reliable diagnostic assay is crucial to early detect new COVID-19 cases and limit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization has published several diagnostic molecular approaches developed by referral laboratories, including Charité (Germany), HKU (Hong Kong), China CDC (China), US CDC (United States), and Institut Pasteur, Paris (France). We aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of these different RT-PCR assays using SARS-CoV-2 cell culture supernatants and clinical respiratory samples. Overall, the different RT-PCR assays performed well for SARS-CoV-2 detection and were all specific except the N Charité (Germany), and N2 US CDC (United States) assays. RdRp Institut Pasteur (IP2, IP4), N China CDC, and N1 US CDC were found to be the most sensitive assays. The data presented herein are of prime importance to facilitate the equipment choice of diagnostic laboratories, as well as for the development of marketed tests.


How do we fight against novel coronaviruses : Japan's strategy with the members of the Council of Experts


SARS-COV-2 and biomimetics: What saves the planet will save our health


title: Escalating infection control response to the rapidly evolving epidemiology of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong

text: OBJECTIVE: To describe the infection control preparedness measures undertaken for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 (previously known as 2019 novel coronavirus) in the first 42 days after announcement of a cluster of pneumonia in China, on December 31, 2019 (day 1) in Hong Kong. METHODS: A bundled approach of active and enhanced laboratory surveillance, early airborne infection isolation, rapid molecular diagnostic testing, and contact tracing for healthcare workers (HCWs) with unprotected exposure in the hospitals was implemented. Epidemiological characteristics of confirmed cases, environmental samples, and air samples were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: From day 1 to day 42, 42 of 1,275 patients (3.3%) fulfilling active (n = 29) and enhanced laboratory surveillance (n = 13) were confirmed to have the SARS-CoV-2 infection. The number of locally acquired case significantly increased from 1 of 13 confirmed cases (7.7%, day 22 to day 32) to 27 of 29 confirmed cases (93.1%, day 33 to day 42; P < .001). Among them, 28 patients (66.6%) came from 8 family clusters. Of 413 HCWs caring for these confirmed cases, 11 (2.7%) had unprotected exposure requiring quarantine for 14 days. None of these was infected, and nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was not observed. Environmental surveillance was performed in the room of a patient with viral load of 3.3 × 106 copies/mL (pooled nasopharyngeal and throat swabs) and 5.9 × 106 copies/mL (saliva), respectively. SARS-CoV-2 was identified in 1 of 13 environmental samples (7.7%) but not in 8 air samples collected at a distance of 10 cm from the patient's chin with or without wearing a surgical mask. CONCLUSION: Appropriate hospital infection control measures was able to prevent nosocomial transmission of SARS-CoV-2.


title: U.S. academic research funding stays healthy despite pandemic

text: The article offers information on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the U S academic research It discusses the increase of the federal spending on academic research during the pandemic, along with information on the National Institutes of Health provides about two-thirds of all federal funding for academic research


Keeping an Eye on COVID-19: An Ophthalmologist's Perspective


Is it time to consider an income guarantee for the period that patients with COVID-19 spend in isolation: an Indian perspective


title: Epilepsy self-management during a pandemic: Experiences of people with epilepsy

text: The purpose of this descriptive study was to, from the perspective of adult people with epilepsy (PWE) and caregivers of PWE, explore the effects of the current pandemic and resulting societal changes on epilepsy self-management. Ninety-four respondents completed a mixed-methods quantitative and qualitative survey focused on their epilepsy self-management experiences during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Respondents noted significant disruption in epilepsy self-management. Lack of ability to obtain medications or see epilepsy providers, as well as increased stress, social isolation, and changes in routine were all reported as troublesome, and more than one-third of the sample reported an increase in seizure frequency since the onset of the pandemic. Suggestions are given regarding how to support PWE during future COVID-19 outbreaks and to better prepare PWE and their caregivers for any life-altering events, such as a pandemic, with robust self-management skills that will allow them to maintain the highest level of function possible.


Hypertension and coronavirus disease 2019: what do we really know?


Love in the time of coronavirus


Where do we stand with antithrombotic prophylaxis in patients with COVID-19?


Teledermatology during COVID 19 pandemic: ethical and legal considerations about the principles of treatment prescription and privacy


Teledermatology during COVID-19 pandemic: Ethical and legal considerations about the principles of treatment prescription and privacy


title: COVID-19 in the Americas: We Are in This Together

text: COVID-19 has upended the world's healthcare infrastructures and its economies, casting a glaring light on the failings and flaws already in place, all suffered unequally. This has forced leaders and the public at large to face the stark contrast between human society as it exists and the society that is possible, with both the world's majority and the planet leaping to the top of a new agenda...an agenda as urgently needed as a new vaccine.


title: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 and Antihypertensives (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers and Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors) in Coronavirus Disease 2019

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is being defined as the worst pandemic disease of modern times. Several professional health organizations have published position papers stating that there is no evidence to change the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in the management of elevated blood pressure in the context of avoiding or treating COVID-19 infection. In this article, we review the evidence on the relationship between the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and COVID-19 infection. In agreement with current guidelines, patients with hypertension should continue taking antihypertensive medications as prescribed without interruption. Because ACEIs and ARBs are also used to retard the progression of chronic kidney disease, we suggest that these recommendations also apply to the use of these agents in chronic kidney disease. No differences generally exist between ARBs and ACEIs in terms of efficacy in decreasing blood pressure and improving other outcomes, such as all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, and end-stage renal disease. The ACEIs are associated with cough secondary to accumulation of bradykinin and angioedema, and withdrawal rates due to adverse events are lower with ARBs. Given their equal efficacy but fewer adverse events, ARBs could potentially be a more favorable treatment option in patients with COVID-19 at higher risk for severe forms of disease.


title: Changes in Gambling Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Web Survey Study in Sweden

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed everyday life, and policy makers have raised concerns about possible changes in gambling patterns during the pandemic. This study aimed to examine whether self-reported gambling has increased during the pandemic, and to examine potential correlates of such a change. This general population survey study in Sweden collected self-report data from 2016 web survey members (51 percent men, nine percent moderate-risk/problem gamblers). Correlates of increased gambling and increased gambling specifically due to COVID-19-related cancellation of sports were calculated. Four percent reported an overall gambling increase during the pandemic. The proportion of individuals reporting an increase, compared to individuals reporting a decrease, was markedly higher for online casinos (0.62), online horse betting (0.76) and online lotteries (0.73), and lower for sports betting (0.11). Overall, gambling increases were independently associated with gambling problems and increased alcohol consumption. In the sub-group, where there was an increase in specific gambling types in response to cancelled sports betting events, rates of gambling problems were high. In conclusion, only a minority report increased gambling in response to the pandemic, but this group has markedly higher gambling problems and changes in alcohol consumption, and may represent a sub-group with a particularly high vulnerability. This calls for preventive action in people with higher gambling risks in response to the pandemic.


Use of telemedicine to provide clinical pharmacy services during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic


Psychological impact of coronavirus outbreak on borderline personality disorder from the perspective of mentalizing model: A case report


title: Covid-19: A view from New York

text: I live in New York City, identified as the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. My view differs from that of many of the millions living in this large metropolitan area who are poor. I am not rich, but I am privileged: I have a retirement income for which I have saved all my working life and I have no debts. I am isolated in my apartment having food delivered. But what if I require hospitalization, from Covid-19 or another medical condition? New York State has guidelines for allocation of scarce ventilators in times of scarcity. The guidelines reject advanced age as a criterion for triage because it discriminates against the elderly. Other proposals contend that priority should be given to those who have not yet ;lived a full life. Allocation guidelines set a priority on saving the most lives, but hard choices remain within that broadly defined goal. Key words: Covid-19 pandemic, New York epicenter, resource allocation, age-based selection, shortage of ventilators, triage committee.


title: Design of a Self-powered Smart Mask for COVID-19

text: Usage of a face mask has become mandatory in many countries after the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, and its usefulness in combating the pandemic is a proven fact. There have been many advancements in the design of a face mask and the present treatise describes a face mask in which a simple textile triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) serves the purpose of filtration of SARS-CoV-2. The proposed mask is designed with multilayer protection sheets, in which the first two layers act as triboelectric (TE) filter and the outer one is a smart filter. The conjugated effect of contact electrification, and electrostatic induction of the proposed smart mask are effective in inactivating the span of virus-ladden aerosols in a bidirectional way. Five pairs of triboseries fabrics i.e. nylon - polyester, cotton - polyester, poly(methyl methacrylate) - PVDF, lylon - PVDF and polypropylene - polyester have been optimized in this study in terms of their effective tribo-electric charge densities as 83.13, 211.48, 38.62, 69 and 74.25 nC/m2, respectively. This smart mask can be used by a wide range of people because of its simple mechanism, self-driven (harvesting mechanical energy from daily activities, e.g. breathing, talking, or other facial movements functionalities, and effective filtration efficiency and thus, it is expected to be potentially beneficial to slow down the devastating impact of COVID-19.


Caring for Caregivers during COVID-19


title: COVID-19 and renin-angiotensin system inhibition: role of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) - Is there any scientific evidence for controversy?

text: Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers are extensively used worldwide to treat many cardiovascular disorders, where they are effective in reducing both mortality and morbidity. These drugs are known to induce an increased expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 acts as receptor for the novel SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) which raising the important issue of possible detrimental effects that RAS blockers could exert on the natural history and pathogenesis of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and associated excessive inflammation, myocarditis and cardiac arrhythmias. We review the current knowledge on the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 infection and RAS blockers and suggest a scientific rationale for continuing RAS blockers therapy in patients with COVID-19 infection.


Orientierungshilfen in der Corona-Krise  Die Ad-hoc-Empfehlung des Deutschen Ethikrats und die Klinisch-ethischen Empfehlungen von sieben Fachgesellschaften aus der Medizin


title: Acute maculopapular eruption in Covid-19 patient: A case report

text: We report the case of a positive COVID-19 patient who presented to our hospital for a maculopapular skin rash which appeared 7 days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. He was 34 years old and nothing relevant was recorded at his previous anamnesis. The patient was hospitalized for 3 days and received systemic therapy with steroid, antihistamines, tocilizumab, and hydroxicloroquine. On the third day of the hospitalization the cutaneous rash had almost completely disappeared.


[â .Current Treatment Strategies for Transplant-Eligible Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma]


title: A COVID-19 case report from asymptomatic contact: implication for contact isolation and incubation management

text: BACKGROUND: As of 2 March, 2020, at least 80 151 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases were reported in China. Most of the patients had a history of visiting Hubei Province or contacting with people who had ever stayed in or passed by Hubei Province or were exposed to symptoms. Some patients got infected through only asymptomatic contact. This study aimed to report the epidemic features and lab identification of a patient confirmed with COVID-19 infection through only asymptomatic contact. CASE PRESENTATION: A 44-year-old man, who lived in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China until 6 March 2020, suffered from cough on 27 January 2020. Fever symptoms appeared on 28 January, with a maximum temperature of 38.8 °C, accompanied by cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, muscle ache, joint ache, and other symptoms. The symptoms continued until he was hospitalized on 30 January. Coronavirus conventional polymerase chain reaction assay was positive for the throat swab sample. The patient, along with his wife and son, drove from Nanchang to back to Honghu City, Hubei Province, on 23 January 2020. After staying with his parents and brother's family for 3 days, the patient drove back to Nanchang and arrived on 25 January. On the way back home, they stopped by Tongshan service area, Hubei Province, without any close contact with other people. After arriving home in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, none of them left their residence. In addition, his parents stayed at home for 20 days with his younger brother's family before they got back. His younger brother and one of his brother's children visited Wuhan on 5 January and came home on 6 January 2020. CONCLUSIONS: This report suggested that, in the early phase of COVID-19 pneumonia, routine screening could miss patients who were virus carriers. Highlighting travel history is of paramount importance for the early detection and isolation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 cases.


title: The Covid-19 pandemic's effects on poor rural dwellers in sub-Saharan Africa: A case study of access to basic clean water, sanitary systems and hand-washing facilities

text: The fear of the invisible but prevalent Coronavirus (COVID-19), disease cannot be overemphasized since there is the potential possibility of it wiping out the entire world population within a few months if adequate and quick steps are not taken to curb this menace, and the sub-Saharan African (SSAn) region is no exception. It is evident that water, as an essential daily commodity, has long been in a state of emergency in SSAn nations, which is largely attributed to decades of neglect by the successive governments, because it has not been possible to separate the existing bond between water, health, livelihood and the economy. The laudable Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) proposed by the United Nations had yet to achieve the stated objective of improving the standards of living and health conditions of the rural communities in the SSAn region before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. This failure has been masked by a sort of delusion in which the people of this region are subjected to the hardship of searching for clean and healthy water in their own ponds, rivers, streams and shallow hand-dug local wells on a continuous basis. Less than 17% of the rural population in all the SSAn communities can access basic hand-washing facilities and sanitation systems. The total water productivity, as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per cubic meter of total freshwater withdrawn, for the people was less than 5 GDP.


title: Cancer Labs Pivot to Battle COVID-19

text: As cancer researchers shutter their labs to comply with COVID-19-related work restrictions, some are turning their attention, resources, and technical know-how to the challenge of tackling the deadly coronavirus.


Spine Surgery and COVID-19: Challenges and Strategies from the Front Lines


Psychosis in Patients in COVID-19-Related Quarantine: A Case Series


Outpatient hydroxychloroquine prescribing at a large academic health system during the COVID-19 pandemic


title: Viral Load Kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in First Two Patients in Korea

text: As of February 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak started in China in December 2019 has been spreading in many countries in the world. With the numbers of confirmed cases are increasing, information on the epidemiologic investigation and clinical manifestation have been accumulated. However, data on viral load kinetics in confirmed cases are lacking. Here, we present the viral load kinetics of the first two confirmed patients with mild to moderate illnesses in Korea in whom distinct viral load kinetics are shown. This report suggests that viral load kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 may be different from that of previously reported other coronavirus infections such as SARS-CoV.


title: Community-acquired viral respiratory infections amongst hospitalized inpatients during a COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore: co-infection and clinical outcomes

text: AIMS: During the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, co-circulation of other common respiratory viruses can potentially result in co-infections; however, reported rates of co-infections for SARS-CoV-2 vary. We sought to evaluate the prevalence and etiology of all community acquired viral respiratory infections requiring hospitalization during an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, with a focus on co-infection rates and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Over a 10-week period, all admissions to our institution, the largest tertiary hospital in Singapore, were screened for respiratory symptoms, and COVID-19 as well as a panel of common respiratory viral pathogens were systematically tested for. Information was collated on clinical outcomes, including requirement for mechanical ventilation and in hospital mortality. RESULTS: One-fifth (19.3%, 736/3807) of hospitalized inpatients with respiratory symptoms had a PCR-proven viral respiratory infection; of which 58.5% (431/736) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 42.2% (311/736) tested positive for other common respiratory viruses. The rate of co-infection with SARS-CoV-2 was 1.4% (6/431); all patients with co-infection had mild disease and stayed in communal settings. The in-hospital mortality rate and proportion of COVID-19 patients requiring invasive ventilation was low, at around 1% of patients; these rates were lower than patients with other community-acquired respiratory viruses admitted over the same period (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Even amidst an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, common respiratory viruses still accounted for a substantial proportion of hospitalizations. Coinfections with SARS-CoV-2 were rare, with no observed increase in morbidity or mortality.


title: Pathology and Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 Associated with Fatal Coronavirus Disease, United States

text: An ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Characterization of the histopathology and cellular localization of SARS-CoV-2 in the tissues of patients with fatal COVID-19 is critical to further understand its pathogenesis and transmission and for public health prevention measures. We report clinicopathologic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic findings in tissues from 8 fatal laboratory-confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the United States. All cases except 1 were in residents of long-term care facilities. In these patients, SARS-CoV-2 infected epithelium of the upper and lower airways with diffuse alveolar damage as the predominant pulmonary pathology. SARS-CoV-2 was detectable by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy in conducting airways, pneumocytes, alveolar macrophages, and a hilar lymph node but was not identified in other extrapulmonary tissues. Respiratory viral co-infections were identified in 3 cases; 3 cases had evidence of bacterial co-infection.


Oral lesions of herpes zoster in COVID-19 patients or truly associated to the disease?


text: In response to the report of Carreras-Presas et al. (2020) in which they present 3 cases with vesico-bullous oral lesions associated with SARS-Cov-2 infection and with very interesting findings, however we cannot consider the possibility that findings be intrinsic related to COVID-19 disease. The first two cases presented did not have laboratory confirmation of COVID-19 infection, but the authors reported that these patients had compatible signs and symptoms.


title: Collateral damage of COVID-19 pandemic: Delayed medical care

text: During the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency room visits have drastically decreased for non-COVID conditions such as appendicitis, heart attack, and stroke. Patients may be avoiding seeking medical attention for fear of catching the deadly condition or as an unintended consequence of stay-at-home orders. This delay in seeking care can lead to increased morbidity and mortality, which has not been figured in the assessment of the extent of damage caused by this pandemic. This case illustrates an example of "collateral damage" caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. What would have been a standard ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with timely and successful stenting of a dominant right coronary artery occlusion, became a much more dangerous postinfarction ventricular septal defect; all because of a 2-day delay in seeking medical attention by an unsuspecting patient.


title: Blood cell counts and lymphocyte subsets of patients admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic: a prospective cohort study

text: Aberrant blood cell counts, most prominently lymphopenia, have been identified as markers of the degree of severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (Terpos et al, 2020; Yang et al, 2020; Wan et al, 2020; Wang et al, 2020; Zhao et al, 2020). However, most of these studies lack comparison to a COVID-19 negative, contemporary control group. Additionally, the longitudinal composition and dynamics of lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients are insufficiently characterized.


Immunoglobulins or convalescent plasma to tackle COVID-19: buying time to save lives - current situation and perspectives


title: Prevalence and Recovery From Olfactory and Gustatory Dysfunctions in Covid-19 Infection: A Prospective Multicenter Study

text: BACKGROUND: Covid-19 is defined by an association of multiple symptoms, including frequently reported olfactory and gustatory disorders. OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of these neurosensory impairments in patients with Covid-19, and to assess short-term recovery. METHODS: We performed a multicenter case series study during the Covid-19 epidemic. All patients presenting a RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included, whether hospitalized or treated at home. To analyze the prevalence and features of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions, a phone interview was conducted 5 days after the positive PCR result. The questionnaire was submitted again 10 days later to patients having reported olfactory and gustatory disorders, in order to assess their recovery. RESULTS: 115 patients were included in our study. 81 patients (70%) reported olfactory and gustatory disorders without nasal obstruction or rhinorrhea. These impairments were more frequently reported in the female population, young people, and house-bound patients with mild symptomatic forms. Short-term recovery assessed at Day 15 was complete for 64% of the patients, and incomplete in 33%. Median recovery time was 15 days (4-27 days) after olfactory or gustatory symptom onset. CONCLUSION: Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to Covid-19 are frequently reported and prevalent in mild symptomatic forms of the disease. Recovery in most cases seems rapid and complete.


title: Repurposing minocycline for COVID-19 management: mechanisms, opportunities, and challenges

text: INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has rapidly grown into a public health emergency that has placed the national health systems as well as scientific research communities under enormous pressures. Drug repurposing or repositioning is a well-known strategy that seeks to deploy existing licensed drugs for newer indications and provides the quickest possible transition from bench to clinics for unmet therapeutic needs. Given the current, urgent, and dire need for effective therapies against novel coronavirus-19, this approach is particularly appealing. AREAS COVERED: Here, we review the significant anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiviral properties of minocycline as potential mechanisms for efficacy against the novel coronavirus and highlight the promises and pitfalls of this approach. EXPERT OPINION: As compared to other agents being investigated for COVID-19, minocycline offers distinct advantages in terms of potential efficacy in patients with life-threatening acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and myocardial injury, well-known safety and interaction profile, relatively low costs, and widespread availability. We call upon public and private funders to facilitate urgent and rigorous research efforts before evidence-based recommendations for its widespread use can be made.


COVID-19 pandemic - is virtual urology clinic the answer to keeping the cancer pathway moving?


title: The reliability and validity of the International Spinal Cord Injury Quality of Life Basic Data set in people with spinal cord injuries from a middle-income country: a psychometric study of the Thai version

text: STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVES: To examine psychometric properties, including internal consistency, construct validity, and test-retest reliability, of the Thai version of the International Spinal Cord Injury (ISCI) Quality of Life Basic Data Set (QoL-BDS). SETTING: Outpatient rehabilitation clinic, urodynamic clinic, and rehabilitation ward at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital. METHODS: Participants were assigned to complete two assessment tools, the Thai version of QoL-BDS which consisted of three single items on satisfaction with life as a whole, physical health and psychological health, and the Thai version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) completed by face to face interview. After 2 weeks, the participants were evaluated the QoL-BDS again via telephone interviewing to assess test-retest reliability. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty people with spinal cord injury (SCI) were included in the study. Of all participants, 103 people had a traumatic SCI. The mean (SD) age was 43.0 (13.1) years and the median (IQR) time after SCI was 7.5 (1-14) years. The Thai version of QoL-BDS had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89), fair to good construct validity (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of 0.43-0.57, p < 0.01) and good to excellent test-retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.73-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: The Thai version of QoL-BDS had acceptable psychometric properties. As it is concise, QoL-BDS should be encouraged in healthcare providers to investigate QoL in people with SCI, especially in middle-income countries.


Forgotten key players in public health: news media as agents of information and persuasion during the COVID-19 pandemic


COVID-19: preparing for superspreader potential among Umrah pilgrims to Saudi Arabia


SARS-CoV-2 infection: the same virus can cause different cutaneous manifestations


Recommendation from Peking Union Medical College Hospital for urgent hemodialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic


title: Expression of ACE2 in Human Neurons Supports the Neuro-Invasive Potential of COVID-19 Virus

text: The recent outbreak of 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by a novel coronavirus, has now spread quickly worldwide. Like the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), this novel type of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has been demonstrated to utilize angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as an entry point to the cells. There is a growing body of reports indicating that COVID-19 patients, especially those in severe condition, exhibit neurological symptoms, thus supporting the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 could infect and damage neurons within the central nervous system in humans. Using human pluripotent stem cells-derived neurons, here we show the expression of ACE2 in human neurons via immunocytochemistry. From this perspective, we elaborate on the idea that the neuro-invasive potential of SARS-CoV-2 should be considered as a possible contributory factor, as well as a therapeutic target, for the severe respiratory symptoms in critical COVID-19 cases.


title: In and Beyond COVID-19: US Academic Pharmaceutical Science and Engineering Community Must Engage to Meet Critical National Needs

text: The supply of affordable, high-quality pharmaceuticals to US patients has been on a critical path for decades. In and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, this critical path has become tortuous. To regain reliability, reshoring of the pharmaceutical supply chain to the USA is now a vital national security need. Reshoring the pharmaceutical supply with old know-how and outdated technologies that cause inherent unpredictability and adverse environmental impact will neither provide the security we seek nor will it be competitive and affordable. The challenge at hand is complex akin to redesigning systems, including corporate and public research and development, manufacturing, regulatory, and education ones. The US academic community must be engaged in progressing solutions needed to counter emergencies in the COVID-19 pandemic and in building new methods to reshore the pharmaceutical supply chain beyond the pandemic.


Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on dermatology services: Dermatology in isolation


Reply to: "Current smoking is not associated with COVID-19"


Policies and procedures for personal protective equipment: Does inconsistency increase risk of contamination and infection?


The network effect: studying COVID-19 pathology with the Human Cell Atlas


title: The Impact of COVID-19 on European Health Care and Urology Trainees

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has had rapid and inevitable effects on health care systems and the training and work plans of urology residents. Smart learning is a valuable strategy for maintaining the learning curve of residents.


Optometry in times of pandemic: Spanish flu (1919) versus COVID-19 (2020)


title: The nasal tent: an adjuvant for performing endoscopic endonasal surgery in the Covid era and beyond

text: PURPOSE: To propose a cost-effective reproducible barrier method to safely perform endoscopic endonasal surgery during the Covid-19 pandemic. METHODS: This manuscript highlights the use of a clear, cost-effective disposable plastic sheet that is draped as a tent over the operating area to contain aerolization of particles. This is then connected to a suction to remove airborne particles and thus reduce transmission of the virus. CONCLUSION: The use of a nasal tent is a simple and affordable method to limit particle spread during high-risk aerolisation procedures during the Covid era and beyond.


title: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 Infection and Patients With Lung Cancer: The Potential Role of Interleukin-17 Target Therapy

text: The coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak is evolving rapidly worldwide. The lungs are the target of the primary infection and patients with lung cancer seem to have a poor prognosis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported investigation of a possible role of interleukin-17 target therapy in patients with lung cancer and concomitant severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 infection.


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title: Cerebral ischemic and hemorrhagic complications of coronavirus disease 2019

text: BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 is associated with neurological manifestations including stroke. OBJECTIVES: We present a case series of coronavirus disease 2019 patients from two institutions with acute cerebrovascular pathologies. In addition, we present a pooled analysis of published data on large vessel occlusion in the setting of coronavirus disease 2019 and a concise summary of the pathophysiology of acute cerebrovascular disease in the setting of coronavirus disease 2019. METHODS: A retrospective study across two institutions was conducted between 20 March 2020 and 20 May 2020, for patients developing acute cerebrovascular disease and diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019. We performed a literature review using the PubMed search engine. RESULTS: The total sample size was 22 patients. The mean age was 59.5 years, and 12 patients were female. The cerebrovascular pathologies were 17 cases of acute ischemic stroke, 3 cases of aneurysm rupture, and 2 cases of sinus thrombosis. Of the stroke and sinus thrombosis patients, the mean National Institute of Health Stroke Scale was 13.8 ± 8.0, and 16 (84.2%) patients underwent a mechanical thrombectomy procedure. A favorable thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score was achieved in all patients. Of the 16 patients that underwent a mechanical thrombectomy, the mortality incidence was five (31.3%). Of all patients (22), three (13.6%) patients developed hemorrhagic conversion requiring decompressive surgery. Eleven (50%) patients had a poor functional status (modified Rankin Score 3-6) at discharge, and the total mortality incidence was eight (36.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite timely intervention and favorable reperfusion, the mortality rate in coronavirus disease 2019 patients with large vessel occlusion was high in our series and in the pooled analysis. Notable features were younger age group, involvement of both the arterial and venous vasculature, multivessel involvement, and complicated procedures due to the clot consistency and burden.


title: How to restart? An agent-based simulation model towards the definition of strategies for COVID-19"second phase"in public buildings

text: Restarting public buildings activities in the"second phase"of COVID-19 emergency should be supported by operational measures to avoid a second virus spreading. Buildings hosting the continuous presence of the same users and significant overcrowd conditions over space/time (e.g. large offices, universities) are critical scenarios due to the prolonged contact with infectors. Beside individual's risk-mitigation strategies performed (facial masks), stakeholders should promote additional strategies, i.e. occupants' load limitation (towards"social distancing") and access control. Simulators could support the measures effectiveness evaluation. This work provides an Agent-Based Model to estimate the virus spreading in the closed built environment. The model adopts a probabilistic approach to jointly simulate occupants' movement and virus transmission according to proximity-based and exposure-time-based rules proposed by international health organizations. Scenarios can be defined in terms of building occupancy, mitigation strategies and virus-related aspects. The model is calibrated on experimental data ("Diamond Princess"cruise) and then applied to a relevant case-study (a part of a university campus). Results demonstrate the model capabilities. Concerning the case-study, adopting facial masks seems to be a paramount strategy to reduce virus spreading in each initial condition, by maintaining an acceptable infected people's number. The building capacity limitation could support such measure by potentially moving from FFPk masks to surgical masks use by occupants (thus improving users' comfort issues). A preliminary model to combine acceptable mask filters-occupants' density combination is proposed. The model could be modified to consider other recurring scenarios in other public buildings (e.g. tourist facilities, cultural buildings).


title: Artificial intelligence approach fighting COVID-19 with repurposing drugs

text: Background: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 193,825 deaths during the past few months. A quick-to-be-identified cure for the disease will be a therapeutic medicine that has prior use experiences in patients in order to resolve the current pandemic situation before it could become worsening. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is hereby applied to identify the marketed drugs with potential for treating COVID-19. Material and methods: An AI platform was established to identify potential old drugs with anti-coronavirus activities by using two different learning databases; one consisted of the compounds reported or proven active against SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2, human immunodeficiency virus, influenza virus, and the other one containing the known 3C-like protease inhibitors. All AI predicted drugs were then tested for activities against a feline coronavirus in in vitro cell-based assay. These assay results were feedbacks to the AI system for relearning and thus to generate a modified AI model to search for old drugs again. Results: After a few runs of AI learning and prediction processes, the AI system identified 80 marketed drugs with potential. Among them, 8 drugs (bedaquiline, brequinar, celecoxib, clofazimine, conivaptan, gemcitabine, tolcapone, and vismodegib) showed in vitro activities against the proliferation of a feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) virus in Fcwf-4 cells. In addition, 5 other drugs (boceprevir, chloroquine, homoharringtonine, tilorone, and salinomycin) were also found active during the exercises of AI approaches. Conclusion: Having taken advantages of AI, we identified old drugs with activities against FIP coronavirus. Further studies are underway to demonstrate their activities against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and in vivo at clinically achievable concentrations and doses. With prior use experiences in patients, these old drugs if proven active against SARS-CoV-2 can readily be applied for fighting COVID-19 pandemic.


Pathogenesis of COVID-19 from a cell biology perspective


title: Development of a Palliative Care Toolkit for the COVID-19 Pandemic

text: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to high numbers of critically ill and dying patients in need of expert management of dyspnea, delirium, and serious illness communication. The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus-2 creates surges of infected patients requiring hospitalization and puts palliative care programs at risk of being overwhelmed by patients, families, and clinicians seeking help. In response to this unprecedented need for palliative care, our program sought to create a collection of palliative care resources for nonpalliative care clinicians. A workgroup of interdisciplinary palliative care clinicians developed the Palliative Care Toolkit, consisting of a detailed chapter in a COVID-19 online resource, a mobile and desktop Web application, one-page guides, pocket cards, and communication skills training videos. The suite of resources provides expert and evidence-based guidance on symptom management including dyspnea, pain, and delirium, as well as on serious illness communication, including conversations about goals of care, code status, and end of life. We also created a nurse resource hotline staffed by palliative care nurse practitioners and virtual office hours staffed by a palliative care attending physician. Since its development, the Toolkit has helped us disseminate best practices to nonpalliative care clinicians delivering primary palliative care, allowing our team to focus on the highest-need consults and increasing acceptance of palliative care across hospital settings.


title: Regulatory consideration on preparation and clinical use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma

text: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), spreading from Wuhan to worldwide has been emerged since December 2019. Although scientists and researchers have been racing to develop specific therapeutic agents or vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 since the identification of the agent, either a drug or a vaccine has not been approved to treat or to prevent COVID-19 up to date. On the base of historical experiences, Convalescent Plasma (CP), a passive antibody therapy, has been evaluated as a hopeful and potential therapeutic option since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Immune plasma had been used previously for the treatment of H1N1 influenza virus, SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV epidemics successfully. In this scope competent authorities are responsible to set up certain principles and criteria for the collection and clinical use of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP). This document has been prepared to aid both for the convalescent plasma suppliers and the clinicians. The first part encompasses the supply of CCP and the second part lead the clinical use of CCP for the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19 infection. Turkish Ministry of Health developed a guide on collection and clinical use of CCP and created a web-based monitoring system to follow-up the patients treated with convalescent plasma in universal. This follow-up process is thought to be crucial for the creation and development of current and future treatment modalities. This guide would be a pathfinder for clinicians and/or institutions those eager to conduct CCP treatment more effectively.


Dramatically improved hand hygiene performance rates at time of coronavirus pandemic


title: Prevalence of COVID-19-like symptoms in Italy and Lombardy, March-April 2020, and their implications on cancer prevention, diagnosis and management

text: Two population-based surveys on coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19)-like symptoms were conducted by BVA-Doxa on representative samples of the general population from Italy and its largest region, Lombardy, with over 10 million inhabitants and heavily struck by Covid-19, on 27-30 March and 3-7 April, on a total of 2000 individuals - 353 from Lombardy. Overall, 14.2% of Italians - and 19.6% in Lombardy - reported Covid-19-like symptoms. The estimated prevalence was higher in the young, in smokers, and in Lombardy over the period 20 March to 7 April. Although the influenza season was ended by mid-March, at least part of the symptoms may be not Covid-19 related. Even assuming that only half are, at least 7% of Italians and 10% in Lombardy had been affected by Covid-19. To these, asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic cases have to be added. These estimates are at least one or two orders of magnitude larger than official registered cases. This has major implications for cancer prevention, management and treatment.


Allocating Medical Resources in the Time of Covid-19


title: A Novel Negative Pressure Isolation Device for Aerosol Transmissible COVID-19

text: The Covid-19 pandemic creates a need to protect healthcare workers from patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures which may transmit the SARS CoV-2 virus. Existing personal containment devices (PCDs) may protect healthcare workers (HCWs) from respiratory droplets but not from potentially dangerous respiratory-generated aerosols. We describe a new PCD and its aerosol containment capabilities. The device ships flat and folds into a chamber. With its torso drape and protective arm sleeves mounted, it provides contact, droplet, and aerosol isolation during intubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Significantly improved ergonomics, single-use workflow, and ease of removal distinguish this device from previously published designs.


title: A First Instagram Dataset on COVID-19

text: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak is drastically shaping and reshaping many aspects of our life, with a huge impact on our social life. In this era of lockdown policies in most of the major cities around the world, we see a huge increase in people and professional engagement in social media. Social media is playing an important role in news propagation as well as keeping people in contact. At the same time, this source is both a blessing and a curse as the coronavirus infodemic has become a major concern, and is already a topic that needs special attention and further research. In this paper, we provide a multilingual coronavirus (COVID-19) Instagram dataset that we have been continuously collected since March 30, 2020. We are making our dataset available to the research community at Github. We believe that this contribution will help the community to better understand the dynamics behind this phenomenon in Instagram, as one of the major social media. This dataset could also help study the propagation of misinformation related to this outbreak.


title: Extensive Partnership, Collaboration, and Teamwork is Required to Stop the COVID-19 Outbreak

text: The COVID-19 outbreak is a disaster now throughout the world. To stop this outbreak, we appeal through the paper for extensive partnership, collaboration and teamwork among the all levels of workers such as scientist, doctors, medical professionals, social workers, policy makers, governments, pharmaceutical firms, funding aid agencies to stop the pandemic immediately.


title: Practice Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic

text: On March 14, 2020, the Surgeon General of the United States urged a widespread cessation of all elective surgery across the country. The suddenness of this mandate and the concomitant spread of the COVID-19 virus left many hospital systems, orthopaedic practices, and patients with notable anxiety and confusion as to the near, intermediate, and long-term future of our healthcare system. As with most businesses in the United States during this time, many orthopaedic practices have been emotionally and fiscally devastated because of this crisis. Furthermore, this pandemic is occurring at a time where small and midsized orthopaedic groups are already struggling to cover practice overhead and to maintain autonomy from larger health systems. It is anticipated that many groups will experience financial demise, leading to substantial global consolidation. Because the authors represent some of the larger musculoskeletal multispecialty groups in the country, we are uniquely positioned to provide a framework with recommendations to best weather the ensuing months. We think these recommendations will allow providers and their staff to return to an infrastructure that can adjust immediately to the pent-up healthcare demand that may occur after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this editorial, we address practice finances, staffing, telehealth, operational plans after the crisis, and ethical considerations.


docid: apjwnwky

title: Effects of social distancing and isolation on epidemic spreading: a dynamical density functional theory model

text: For preventing the spread of epidemics such as the coronavirus disease COVID-19, social distancing and the isolation of infected persons are crucial. However, existing reaction-diffusion equations for epidemic spreading are incapable of describing these effects. We present an extended model for disease spread based on combining an SIR model with a dynamical density functional theory where social distancing and isolation of infected persons are explicitly taken into account. The model shows interesting nonequilibrium phase separation associated with a reduction of the number of infections, and allows for new insights into the control of pandemics.


COVID-19: Don't Neglect the Gastrointestinal Tract!


title: COVID-19: Don`t neglect the Gastrointestinal Tract!

text: n/a.


docid: cgotqoxw

title: Classification of the COVID-19 infected patients using DenseNet201 based deep transfer learning

text: Deep learning models are widely used in the automatic analysis of radiological images. These techniques can train the weights of networks on large datasets as well as fine tuning the weights of pre-trained networks on small datasets. Due to the small COVID-19 dataset available, the pre-trained neural networks can be used for diagnosis of coronavirus. However, these techniques applied on chest CT image is very limited till now. Hence, the main aim of this paper to use the pre-trained deep learning architectures as an automated tool to detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 in chest CT. A DenseNet201 based deep transfer learning (DTL) is proposed to classify the patients as COVID infected or not i.e. COVID-19 (+) or COVID (-). The proposed model is utilized to extract features by using its own learned weights on the ImageNet dataset along with a convolutional neural structure. Extensive experiments are performed to evaluate the performance of the propose DTL model on COVID-19 chest CT scan images. Comparative analyses reveal that the proposed DTL based COVID-19 classification model outperforms the competitive approaches.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.


title: The implications of silent transmission for the control of COVID-19 outbreaks

text: Since the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), unprecedented movement restrictions and social distancing measures have been implemented worldwide. The socioeconomic repercussions have fueled calls to lift these measures. In the absence of population-wide restrictions, isolation of infected individuals is key to curtailing transmission. However, the effectiveness of symptom-based isolation in preventing a resurgence depends on the extent of presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission. We evaluate the contribution of presymptomatic and asymptomatic transmission based on recent individual-level data regarding infectiousness prior to symptom onset and the asymptomatic proportion among all infections. We found that the majority of incidences may be attributable to silent transmission from a combination of the presymptomatic stage and asymptomatic infections. Consequently, even if all symptomatic cases are isolated, a vast outbreak may nonetheless unfold. We further quantified the effect of isolating silent infections in addition to symptomatic cases, finding that over one-third of silent infections must be isolated to suppress a future outbreak below 1% of the population. Our results indicate that symptom-based isolation must be supplemented by rapid contact tracing and testing that identifies asymptomatic and presymptomatic cases, in order to safely lift current restrictions and minimize the risk of resurgence.


title: Potential neurological impact of coronaviruses: implications for the novel SARS-CoV-2

text: Coronaviruses (CoV) are viruses widely known to cause severe respiratory distress due to the prominent clinical symptoms presented. These symptoms, which include fever and dry cough, are frequently found in individuals with CoV infection. Neurological manifestations of CoV have often been neglected; however, recent studies have reported neurological consequences of CoV infection. Here, we review these literatures and discuss the neurologic impact of CoV while highlighting potential implications of the novel SARS-CoV-2 in the nervous system. We also discuss the possible routes by which these viruses invade the nervous system and the mechanism by which they may induce neurological damage.


Cull, release or bring them home: Coronavirus crisis forces hard decisions for labs with animals


docid: szdtaklp

title: AAN position statement: The COVID-19 pandemic and the ethical duties of the neurologist

text: Patients, clinicians, and hospitals have undergone monumental changes during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This crisis has forced us to consider the obligations that we neurologists have to our individual patients as well as the greater community. By returning to our fundamental understanding of these duties, we can ensure that we are providing the most ethically appropriate contingency and crisis care possible. We recommend specific adaptations to both the inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as changes to medical and trainee education. Furthermore, we explore the daunting but potentially necessary implementation of scare resource allocation protocols. As the pandemic evolves, we will need to adapt continuously to these rapidly changing circumstances and consider both national and regional standards and variation.


title: Epidemiology of COVID-19 Among Children in China

text: OBJECTIVE: To identify the epidemiological characteristics and transmission patterns of pediatric patients with the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China. METHODS: Nationwide case series of 2135 pediatric patients with COVID-19 reported to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention from January 16, 2020, to February 8, 2020, were included. The epidemic curves were constructed by key dates of disease onset and case diagnosis. Onset-to-diagnosis curves were constructed by fitting a log-normal distribution to data on both onset and diagnosis dates. RESULTS: There were 728 (34.1%) laboratory-confirmed cases and 1407 (65.9%) suspected cases. The median age of all patients was 7 years (interquartile range: 2-13 years), and 1208 case patients (56.6%) were boys. More than 90% of all patients had asymptomatic, mild, or moderate cases. The median time from illness onset to diagnoses was 2 days (range: 0-42 days). There was a rapid increase of disease at the early stage of the epidemic, and then there was a gradual and steady decrease. The disease rapidly spread from Hubei province to surrounding provinces over time. More children were infected in Hubei province than any other province. CONCLUSIONS: Children of all ages appeared susceptible to COVID-19, and there was no significant sex difference. Although clinical manifestations of children's COVID-19 cases were generally less severe than those of adult patients, young children, particularly infants, were vulnerable to infection. The distribution of children's COVID-19 cases varied with time and space, and most of the cases were concentrated in Hubei province and surrounding areas. Furthermore, this study provides strong evidence of human-to-human transmission.


Comment on "Psoriasis, COVID-19, and acute respiratory distress syndrome: Focusing on the risk of concomitant biological treatment"


Managing mental health challenges faced by healthcare workers during covid-19 pandemic


title: Title: The Emergency Medicine Facing the Challenge of Open Science

text: (1) Background: The availability of research datasets can strengthen and facilitate research processes This is specifically relevant in the emergency medicine field due to the importance of providing immediate care in critical situations as the very current Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic is showing to the scientific community This work aims to show which Emergency Medicine journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) currently meet data sharing criteria (2) Methods: This study analyzes the editorial policies regarding the data deposit of the journals in the emergency medicine category of the JCR and evaluates the Supplementary material of the articles published in these journals that have been deposited in the PubMed Central repository (3) Results: It has been observed that 19 out of the 24 journals contained in the emergency medicine category of Journal Citation Reports are also located in PubMed Central (PMC), yielding a total of 5983 articles Out of these, only 9 4% of the articles contain supplemental material Although second quartile journals of JCR emergency medicine category have quantitatively more articles in PMC, the main journals involved in the deposit of supplemental material belong to the first quartile, of which the most used format in the articles is pdf, followed by text documents (4) Conclusion: This study reveals that data sharing remains an incipient practice in the emergency medicine field, as there are still barriers between researchers to participate in data sharing Therefore, it is necessary to promote dynamics to improve this practice both qualitatively (the quality and format of datasets) and quantitatively (the quantity of datasets in absolute terms) in research


CMR and serology to diagnose COVID-19 infection with primary cardiac involvement


title: A rapid advice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia (standard version)

text: In December 2019, a new type viral pneumonia cases occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province; and then named "2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)" by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 12 January 2020. For it is a never been experienced respiratory disease before and with infection ability widely and quickly, it attracted the world's attention but without treatment and control manual. For the request from frontline clinicians and public health professionals of 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia management, an evidence-based guideline urgently needs to be developed. Therefore, we drafted this guideline according to the rapid advice guidelines methodology and general rules of WHO guideline development; we also added the first-hand management data of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. This guideline includes the guideline methodology, epidemiological characteristics, disease screening and population prevention, diagnosis, treatment and control (including traditional Chinese Medicine), nosocomial infection prevention and control, and disease nursing of the 2019-nCoV. Moreover, we also provide a whole process of a successful treatment case of the severe 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia and experience and lessons of hospital rescue for 2019-nCoV infections. This rapid advice guideline is suitable for the first frontline doctors and nurses, managers of hospitals and healthcare sections, community residents, public health persons, relevant researchers, and all person who are interested in the 2019-nCoV.


title: To Protect Health Care Workers Better, To Save More Lives With COVID-19

text: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has thus far caused a total of 81,747 confirmed cases with 3283 deaths in China and more than 370,000 confirmed cases including over 16,000 deaths around the world by March 24, 2020. This issue has received extensive attention from the international community and has become a major public health priority. As the pandemic progresses, it is regrettable to know the health care workers, including anesthesiologists, are being infected constantly. Therefore, we would like to share our firsthand practical experience and perspective in China, focusing on the personal protection of health care workers and the risk factors related to their infection, based on the different stages of the COVID-19 epidemic in China.


title: The Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Outbreak on the Attendance of Patients with Surgical Complaints at a Tertiary Hospital Emergency Department

text: Introduction: Emergency departments (EDs) during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are perceived as possible sources of infection. The effects of COVID-19 on patients presenting to the hospital with surgical complaints remain uncertain. Methods: A single tertiary center retrospective study analysis compared the ED attendance rate and severity of patients with surgical complaints between March 2020 (COVID-19 outbreak) and pre-COVID-19 periods: February 2020 and the same 2 months in 2019 and 2018. Results: Overall, 6,017 patients were included. The mean daily ED visits of patients with nontrauma surgical complaints in the COVID-19 outbreak period declined by 27%-32% (P value <.01) compared with pre-COVID-19 periods. The log number of confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases in Israel in March 2020 was negatively correlated with the number of ED visits (Pearson's r = -0.59, P < .01). The proportion of patients requiring hospitalization increased by up to 8% during the outbreak period (P < .01), and there was a higher proportion of tachycardic patients (20% versus 15.5%, P = .01). The percentage of visits to the ED by men declined by 5% (P < .01). The ED diagnosis distribution significantly changed during COVID-19 (P = .013), with an 84% decrease in the number of patients hospitalized for diverticular disease (P < .05). Conclusion: During the COVID-19 outbreak, the overall number of patients presenting at the ED with surgical complaints decreased significantly, and there was a higher admissions ratio. The extent to which the pandemic affects hospital ED attendance can help health care professionals prepare for future such events. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04338672.


title: Women worry about family, men about the economy: Gender differences in emotional responses to COVID-19

text: Among the critical challenges around the COVID-19 pandemic is dealing with potentially detrimental effects on people's mental health. Designing appropriate interventions and identifying the concerns of those most at risk requires methods that can extract worries, concerns and emotional responses from text data. We examine gender differences and the effect of document length on worries about the ongoing COVID-19 situation. Our findings suggest that i) shorter texts do not offer an as adequate insight into psychological processes as longer texts. We further find ii) marked gender differences in topics concerning emotional responses. Women worried more about their loved ones and severe health concerns while men were more occupied with effects on the economy and society. The findings align with general gender differences in language found elsewhere, but the current unique circumstances likely amplified these effects. We close this paper with a call for more high-quality datasets due to the limitations of Tweet-sized data.


COVID-19: Risk of increase in smoking rates among England's 6 million smokers and relapse among England's 11 million ex-smokers


title: Time Series Analysis and Forecasting of COVID-19 Cases Using LSTM and ARIMA Models

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global public health crisis that has been declared a pandemic by World Health Organization. Forecasting country-wise COVID-19 cases is necessary to help policymakers and healthcare providers prepare for the future. This study explores the performance of several Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models and Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model in forecasting the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Time series of daily cumulative COVID-19 cases were used for generating 1-day, 3-day, and 5-day forecasts using several LSTM models and ARIMA. Two novel k-period performance metrics - k-day Mean Absolute Percentage Error (kMAPE) and k-day Median Symmetric Accuracy (kMdSA) - were developed for evaluating the performance of the models in forecasting time series values for multiple days. Errors in prediction using kMAPE and kMdSA for LSTM models were both as low as 0.05%, while those for ARIMA were 0.07% and 0.06% respectively. LSTM models slightly underestimated while ARIMA slightly overestimated the numbers in the forecasts. The performance of LSTM models is comparable to ARIMA in forecasting COVID-19 cases. While ARIMA requires longer sequences, LSTMs can perform reasonably well with sequence sizes as small as 3. However, LSTMs require a large number of training samples. Further, the development of k-period performance metrics proposed is likely to be useful for performance evaluation of time series models in predicting multiple periods. Based on the k-period performance metrics proposed, both LSTMs and ARIMA are useful for time series analysis and forecasting for COVID-19.


Change in the Incidence of Stillbirth and Preterm Delivery During the COVID-19 Pandemic


title: Critical Care Management of Patients with COVID-19: Early Experience in Thailand

text: Since late December 2019, the world has been challenged with an outbreak of COVID-19. In Thailand, an upper middle-income country with a limited healthcare infrastructure and restricted human resources, nearly 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported as of early May 2020. Public health policies aimed at preventing new COVID-19 cases were very effective in halting the pandemic in Thailand. Case fatality in Thailand has been low (1.7%), at least in part due to early stratification according to risk of disease severity and timely initiation of supportive care with affordable measures. We present our initial experience with COVID-19 in Thailand, focusing on several aspects that may have played a crucial role in curtailment of the pandemic, and elements of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients, including stratification, isolation, and affordable diagnostic approaches and supportive care measures. We also discuss local considerations concerning some proposed experimental treatments.


Scientists' worlds will shrink in the wake of the pandemic