title: Imaging features and mechanisms of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19): Study Protocol Clinical Trial (SPIRIT Compliant)

text: INTRODUCTION: A novel coronavirus, tentatively designated as 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), now called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, emerged in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019 and which continues to expand. On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) named the disease coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). On February 28, WHO increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at a global level. The COVID-19 poses significant threats to international health.Computed tomography (CT) has been an important imaging modality in assisting in the diagnosis and management of patients withCOVID-19. Some retrospective imaging studies have reported chest CT findings of COVID-19 in the past 2 months, suggesting that several CT findings may be characteristic. To our knowledge, there has been no prospective multicentre imaging study of COVID-19 to date.We proposed a hypothesis: There are some specific CT features on Chest CT of COVID-19 patients. And the mechanism of these CT features is explicable based on pathological findings. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the specific CT features of COVID-19 and the formation mechanism of these CT features. METHOD: This study is a prospective multicenter observational study. We will recruit 100 patients with COVID-19 at 55 hospitals. All patients undergo chest CT examination with the same scan protocol. The distribution and morphology of lesions on chest CT, clinical data will be recorded. A number of patients will be pathologically examined after permission is granted. The data of these three aspects will be analyzed synthetically. DISCUSSION: This study will help us to identify the chest CT features of COVID-19 and its mechanism. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This retrospective study was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of West China Hospital of Sichuan University (No. 2020-140). Written informed consent will be obtained from all study participants prior to enrollment in the study. To protect privacy of participants, all private information were kept anonymous. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal and will be disseminated electronically and in print regardless of results.


title: COVID-19 Outbreak in North Italy: An Overview on Dentistry. A Questionnaire Survey

text: This survey assessed the symptoms/signs, protective measures, awareness, and perception levels regarding COVID-19 among dentists in Lombardy, Italy. Moreover, an analysis of the answers gathered in areas with different prevalence of the disease was carried out. All Lombardy's dentists were sent an online ad hoc questionnaire. The questionnaire was divided into four domains: personal data, precautionary measures (before patient arrival; in the waiting room; in the operating room), awareness, and perception. Three thousand five hundred ninety-nine questionnaires were analyzed. Five hundred two (14.43%) participants had suffered one or more symptoms referable to COVID-19. Thirty-one subjects were positive to the virus SARS-CoV-2 and 16 subjects developed the disease. Only a small number of dentists (n = 72, 2.00%) were confident of avoiding infection; dentists working in low COVID-19 prevalence areas were more confident than those working in the Milan area and high prevalence area (61.24%, 61.23%, and 64.29%, p < 0.01 respectively). The level of awareness was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the Milan area (71.82%) than in the other areas. This survey demonstrated that dentists in the COVID-19 highest prevalence area, albeit reported to have more symptoms/signs than the rest of the sample, were the ones who adopted several precautionary measures less frequently and were the more confident of avoiding infection.


COVID-19 and the liver: the perils of non-peer reviewed science in times of a pandemic


title: COVID-19 - Toward a comprehensive understanding of the disease

text: The evidence on the pathophysiology of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infection is rapidly growing. Understanding why some patients suffering from COVID-19 are getting so sick, while others are not, has become an informal imperative for researchers and clinicians around the globe. The answer to this question would allow rationalizing the fear surrounding this pandemic. Understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19 relies on an understanding of interplaying mechanisms, including SARS-CoV-2 virulence, human immune response, and complex inflammatory reactions with coagulation playing a major role. An interplay with bacterial co-infections, as well as the vascular system and microcirculation affected throughout the body should also be examined. More importantly, a compre-hensive understanding of pathological mechanisms of COVID-19 will increase the efficacy of therapy and decrease mortality. Herewith, presented is the current state of knowledge on COVID-19: beginning from the virus, its transmission, and mechanisms of entry into the human body, through the pathological effects on the cellular level, up to immunological reaction, systemic and organ presentation. Last but not least, currently available and possible future therapeutic and diagnostic options are briefly commented on.


title: Multicenter Evaluation of the QIAstat-Dx Respiratory Panel for Detection of Viruses and Bacteria in Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimens

text: The QIAstat-Dx Respiratory Panel (QIAstat-Dx RP) is a multiplex in vitro diagnostic test for the qualitative detection of 20 pathogens directly from nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) specimens. The assay is performed using a simple sample-to-answer platform with results available in approximately 69 min. The pathogens identified are adenovirus, coronavirus 229E, coronavirus HKU1, coronavirus NL63, coronavirus OC43, human metapneumovirus A and B, influenza A, influenza A H1, influenza A H3, influenza A H1N1/2009, influenza B, parainfluenza virus 1, parainfluenza virus 2, parainfluenza virus 3, parainfluenza virus 4, rhinovirus/enterovirus, respiratory syncytial virus A and B, Bordetella pertussis, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae This multicenter evaluation provides data obtained from 1,994 prospectively collected and 310 retrospectively collected (archived) NPS specimens with performance compared to that of the BioFire FilmArray Respiratory Panel, version 1.7. The overall percent agreement between QIAstat-Dx RP and the comparator testing was 99.5%. In the prospective cohort, the QIAstat-Dx RP demonstrated a positive percent agreement of 94.0% or greater for the detection of all but four analytes: coronaviruses 229E, NL63, and OC43 and rhinovirus/enterovirus. The test also demonstrated a negative percent agreement of ≥97.9% for all analytes. The QIAstat-Dx RP is a robust and accurate assay for rapid, comprehensive testing for respiratory pathogens.


The Impact of COVID-19 on Italy: A Lesson for the Future


Safe bronchodilator treatment in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients: A single center experience


title: Drawing on Kinship Care Support for Older People during a Pandemic (COVID-19): Practice Considerations for Social Workers in Ghana

text: Undoubtedly, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought both systemic, practice changes and limitations to social workers' commitment to the welfare of vulnerable populations such as older people. A golden preventive rule of the COVID-19 pandemic; maintaining physical and social distancing, has limited social workers' direct practice support for older people who are considered as an at-risk population. Within jurisdictions such as Ghana where kinship care practices are culturally engrained, social workers should promote kinship care support as substitute mechanisms and pathways to safeguard or meet the welfare needs of older people.


Government advice needed on TB testing during Covid-19 outbreak


title: Review of COVID-19 Antibody Therapies

text: Under the global health emergency caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), efficient and specific therapies are urgently needed. Compared with traditional small-molecular drugs, antibody therapies are relatively easy to develop and as specific as vaccines in targeting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and thus attract much attention in the past few months. This work reviews seven existing antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein with three-dimensional (3D) structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank. Five antibody structures associated with SARS-CoV are evaluated for their potential in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2. The interactions of these antibodies with the S protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) are compared with those of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and RBD complexes. Due to the orders of magnitude in the discrepancies of experimental binding affinities, we introduce topological data analysis (TDA), a variety of network models, and deep learning to analyze the binding strength and therapeutic potential of the aforementioned fourteen antibody-antigen complexes. The current COVID-19 antibody clinical trials, which are not limited to the S protein target, are also reviewed.


title: Psychological support in times of COVID-19: the Essen community-based CoPE concept

text: The SARS CoV-2-virus (COVID-19) pandemic is pushing national and international structures to their limits. Little is known about treatment options to combat the novel virus, but the same applies to the effects of COVID-19 on people's mental health. In Germany, as in many other countries, governmental actions impact peoples' individual freedom. These highly necessary actions to slow down the spread of the virus, however, are a burden to the community. We established a structured concept to support psychological burdened people in Essen, which is located in the Ruhr area, a metropolitan region with more than 5.1 million inhabitants in the heart of the federal state North Rhine Westphalia. The psychological burden following the spread of the virus and individual restrictions should not be neglected.


Preparing for the COVID-19 Pandemic: Our Experience in New York


docid: rcjphklc

title: COVID-19: The Italian Viral "Gerocide" of the 21 st Century


title: A Survey of County Health Departments of Kansas Regarding COVID-19

text: Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 virus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) causing COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) initially was identified in China in December 2019 It has resulted in a pandemic with increasing spread of the virus in the U S The county health departments around U S are spearheading the response to contain the spread of this virus Methods: This project was a survey of county health departments in the state of Kansas with data collection period from April 15 to April 24, 2020 This study evaluated the staffing, resources, and funding of these health departments and how it was affecting the efforts to contain COVID-19 Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the responses Results: A total of 75% of the county health departments in Kansas responded to the survey In 89% of locations, the staffing had not increased Most health departments had an average of five people and the four largest ones had 30 to 98 staff working on COVID-19 Most locations used the Kansas Department of Health and Environment criteria for testing and used a combination of state or private laboratories The results of the tests were available three days or longer in 62% and after five days in 14% of sites All locations were active in contact tracing, but most had one to three people for this purpose and in 90% the contact tracing interview was via phone calls There was no change in funding in 21% and decreased funding in 8 5% of health departments Most locations had an average of five nasopharyngeal swabs on the day of the survey The most common needs expressed were help to increase testing capability, more public education, more personal protective equipment, increased personnel, and assistance with contract tracing Conclusion: There is an urgent need in Kansas to increase support to county health departments for testing capability, personal protective equipment, increased number of staff, increased help with contact tracing, and especially increase support for public education


Childcare for Radiology Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: No Small Matter


Proposed resumption of surgery algorithm after the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 pandemic


title: A strategy for finding people infected with SARS-CoV-2: optimizing pooled testing at low prevalence

text: Suppressing SARS-CoV-2 will likely require the rapid identification and isolation of infected individuals, on an ongoing basis. RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) tests are accurate but costly, making regular testing of every individual expensive. The costs are a challenge for all countries and particularly for developing countries. Cost reductions can be achieved by combining samples and testing them in groups. We propose an algorithm for grouping subsamples, prior to testing, based on the geometry of a hypercube. At low prevalence, this testing procedure uniquely identifies infected individuals in a small number of tests. We discuss the optimal group size and explain why, given the highly infectious nature of the disease, parallel searches are preferred. We report proof of concept experiments in which a positive sample was detected even when diluted a hundred-fold with negative samples. Using these methods, the costs of mass testing could be reduced by a factor of ten to a hundred or more. If infected individuals are quickly and effectively quarantined, the prevalence will fall and so will the costs of regularly testing everyone. Such a strategy provides a possible pathway to the longterm elimination of SARS-CoV-2. Field trials of our approach are now under way in Rwanda and initial data from these are reported here.


title: Magnetic Immunoassays: A Review of Virus and Pathogen Detection Before and Amidst the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19)

text: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a threat to the global healthcare system and economic security. As of July 2020, no specific drugs or vaccines are yet available for COVID-19, fast and accurate diagnosis for SARS-CoV-2 is essential in slowing down the spread of COVID-19 and for efficient implementation of control and containment strategies. Magnetic immunoassay is a novel and emerging topic representing the frontiers of current biosensing and magnetics areas. The past decade has seen rapid growth in applying magnetic tools for biological and biomedical applications. Recent advances in magnetic materials and nanotechnologies have transformed current diagnostic methods to nanoscale and pushed the detection limit to early stage disease diagnosis. Herein, this review covers the literatures of magnetic immunoassay platforms for virus and pathogen detections, before COVID-19. We reviewed the popular magnetic immunoassay platforms including magnetoresistance (MR) sensors, magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Magnetic Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic kits are also reviewed aiming at developing plug-and-play diagnostics to manage the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak as well as preventing future epidemics. In addition, other platforms that use magnetic materials as auxiliary tools for enhanced pathogen and virus detections are also covered. The goal of this review is to inform the researchers of diagnostic and surveillance platforms for SARS-CoV-2 and their performances.


INTRODUCTION: Simultaneous mechanical ventilation of several patients with a single ventilator might reduce the deficit of these devices for the care of patients with acute respiratory failure due to Covid-19. OBJECTIVE: To communicate the results of a mechanical ventilation exercise with a ventilator in a lung simulator, and simultaneously in two and four. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were observed between programmed, recorded and measured positive end-expiratory pressure, mean airway pressure and peak pressure, except when simultaneously ventilating four lung simulators. CONCLUSIONS: Simultaneous mechanical ventilation should be implemented by medical personnel with experience in the procedure, be restricted to two patients and carried out in the intensive care unit.


Estimating the Maximum Capacity of COVID-19 Cases Manageable per Day Given a Health Care System's Constrained Resources


title: Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric SARS-CoV-2 infections in China: A multicenter case series

text: BACKGROUND: As of April 18, 2020, over 2,000,000 patients had been diagnosed with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) globally, and more than 140,000 deaths had been reported. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of adult patients have been documented recently. However, information on pediatric patients is limited. We describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients to provide valuable insight into the early diagnosis and assessment of COVID-19 in children. METHODS AND FINDINGS: This retrospective, observational study involves a case series performed at 4 hospitals in West China. Thirty-four pediatric patients with COVID-19 were included from January 27 to February 23, 2020. The final follow-up visit was completed by March 16, 2020. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics were analyzed on the basis of demographic data, medical history, laboratory tests, radiological findings, and treatment information. Data analysis was performed for 34 pediatrics patients with COVID-19 aged from 1 to 144 months (median 33.00, interquartile range 10.00-94.25), among whom 14 males (41%) were included. All the patients in the current study presented mild (18%) or moderate (82%) forms of COVID-19. A total of 48% of patients were noted to be without a history of exposure to an identified source. Mixed infections of other respiratory pathogens were reported in 16 patients (47%). Comorbidities were reported in 6 patients (18%). The most common initial symptoms were fever (76%) and cough (62%). Expectoration (21%), vomiting (12%), and diarrhea (12%) were also reported in a considerable portion of cases. A substantial increase was detected in serum amyloid A for 17 patients (among 20 patients with available data; 85%) and in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein for 17 patients (among 29 patients with available data; 59%), whereas a decrease in prealbumin was noticed in 25 patients (among 32 patients with available data; 78%). In addition, significant increases in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase and α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase were detected in 28 patients (among 34 patients with available data; 82%) and 25 patients (among 34 patients with available data; 74%), respectively. Patchy lesions in lobules were detected by chest computed tomographic scans in 28 patients (82%). Ground-glass opacities, which were a typical feature in adults, were rare in pediatric patients (3%). Rapid radiologic progression and a late-onset pattern of lesions in the lobules were also noticed. Lesions in lobules still existed in 24 (among 32 patients with lesions; 75%) patients that were discharged, although the main symptoms disappeared a few days after treatment. All patients were discharged, and the median duration of hospitalization was 10.00 (8.00-14.25) days. The current study was limited by the small sample size and a lack of dynamic detection of inflammatory markers. CONCLUSIONS: Our data systemically presented the clinical and epidemiological features, as well as the outcomes, of pediatric patients with COVID-19. Stratified analysis was performed between mild and moderate cases. The findings offer new insight into early identification and intervention in pediatric patients with COVID-19.


title: Lessons Never Learned: Crisis and gender-based violence

text: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes underlying inequalities in our socio-economic and health systems, such as gender-based violence (GBV). In emergencies, particularly ones that involve quarantine, GBV often increases. Policymakers must utilize community expertise, technology and existing global guidelines to disrupt these trends in the early stages of the COVID-19 epidemic. Gender norms and roles relegating women to the realm of care work puts them on the frontlines in an epidemic, while often excluding them from developing the response. It is critical to value women's roles in society and include their voices in the decision-making process to avoid unintended consequences and ensure a comprehensive response that caters to the needs of the most vulnerable groups.


title: Meeting the Potential Emergency Global Drug Supply Challenge of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19

text: This paper provides an overview of the current global market and manufacturing landscape for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). The capacity and capabilities of global producers to meet the potential demand for treating patients inflicted with COVID-19 by the novel corona virus SARS-CoV-2, should HCQ's efficacy be established by more definitive clinical trials, is also assessed. Given the large existing manufacturing base and abundance of raw materials for HCQ, the supply challenge can be met with considerable efforts and international cooperation. Preemptive and coordinated emergency efforts among global governments, regulatory agencies, chemical and pharmaceutical industries are imperative for meeting the surge in demand.


title: Acute limb ischemia in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

text: OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to determine the incidence, characteristics, and clinical outcomes of patients with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who had presented with and been treated for acute limb ischemia (ALI) during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. METHODS: We performed a single-center, observational cohort study. The data from all patients who had tested positive for COVID-19 and had presented with ALI requiring urgent operative treatment were collected in a prospectively maintained database. For the present series, successful revascularization of the treated arterial segment was defined as the absence of early (<30 days) re-occlusion or major amputation or death within 24 hours. The primary outcomes were successful revascularization, early (≤30 days) and late (≥30 days) survival, postoperative (≤30 days) complications, and limb salvage. RESULTS: We evaluated the data from 20 patients with ALI who were positive for COVID-19. For the period from January to March, the incidence rate of patients presenting with ALI in 2020 was significantly greater than that for the same months in 2019 (23 of 141 [16.3%] vs 3 of 163 [1.8%]; P < .001)]. Of the 20 included patients, 18 were men (90%) and two were women (10%). Their mean age was 75 ± 9 years (range, 62-95 years). All 20 patients already had a diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia. Operative treatment was performed in 17 patients (85%). Revascularization was successful in 12 of the 17 (70.6%). Although successful revascularization was not significantly associated with the postoperative use of intravenous heparin (64.7% vs 83.3%; P = .622), no patient who had received intravenous heparin required reintervention. Of the 20 patients, eight (40%) had died in the hospital. The patients who had died were significantly older (81 ± 10 years vs 71 ± 5 years; P = .008). The use of continuous postoperative systemic heparin infusion was significantly associated with survival (0% vs 57.1%; P = .042). CONCLUSIONS: In our preliminary experience, the incidence of ALI has significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Italian Lombardy region. Successful revascularization was lower than expected, which we believed was due to a virus-related hypercoagulable state. The use of prolonged systemic heparin might improve surgical treatment efficacy, limb salvage, and overall survival.


Community Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Among Patients With Influenzalike Illnesses Presenting to a Los Angeles Medical Center in March 2020


title: Risk Communication During COVID-19

text: During the unprecedented times caused by the novel coronavirus disease 2019, there is rapidly evolving information and guidance. However, a focus must also be on proper and effective risk communication. This is especially the case during pandemics that have high rates of infection, significant morbidity, lack of therapeutic measures, and rapid increases in cases, all of which apply to the current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. A consequence of poor risk communication and heightened risk perception is hoarding behavior, which can lead to lack of medications and personal protective equipment. One potential way to ensure appropriate risk communication is using social media channels, and ensuring an ongoing consistent media presence. Another important step is to include all stakeholders including members of the allergy community in broader public health messaging. As we continue to face unprecedented times in the allergy community, an understanding and appreciation of risk communication will be essential as we communicate with, and inform, our patients, and our colleagues, moving forward.


Editorial, Authors Reply: Neurological Impact of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Practical Considerations for the Neuroscience Community


title: COVID-19 and Company Knowledge Graphs: Assessing Golden Powers and Economic Impact of Selective Lockdown via AI Reasoning

text: In the COVID-19 outbreak, governments have applied progressive restrictions to production activities, permitting only those that are considered strategic or that provide essential services. This is particularly apparent in countries that have been stricken hard by the virus, with Italy being a major example. Yet we know that companies are not just isolated entities: They organize themselves into intricate shareholding structures --- forming company networks --- distributing decision power and dividends in sophisticated schemes for various purposes. One tool from the Artificial Intelligence (AI) toolbox that is particularly effective to perform reasoning tasks on domains characterized by many entities highly interconnected with one another is Knowledge Graphs (KG). In this work, we present a visionary opinion and report on ongoing work about the application of Automated Reasoning and Knowledge Graph technology to address the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the network of Italian companies and support the application of legal instruments for the protection of strategic companies from takeovers.


The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and implications for clinical practice


Differentiating COVID-19 Pneumonia from Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE): Therapeutic Implications


Challenges and Lessons for Managing Glaucoma during COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from Asia


title: Outcomes in Patients With Hyperglycemia Affected by COVID-19: Can We Do More on Glycemic Control?

text: OBJECTIVE: An important prognostic factor in any form of infection seems to be glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes. There is no information about the effects of tight glycemic control on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes in patients with hyperglycemia. Therefore, we examined the effects of optimal glycemic control in patients with hyperglycemia affected by COVID-19. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Fifty-nine patients with COVID-19 hospitalized with moderate disease were evaluated. On the basis of admission glycemia >7.77 mmol/L, patients were divided into hyperglycemic and normoglycemic groups. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and D-dimer levels were evaluated at admission and weekly during hospitalization. The composite end point was severe disease, admission to an intensive care unit, use of mechanical ventilation, or death. RESULTS: Thirty-four (57.6%) patients were normoglycemic and 25 (42.4%) were hyperglycemic. In the hyperglycemic group, 7 (28%) and 18 (72%) patients were diagnosed with diabetes already before admission, and 10 (40%) and 15 (60%) were treated without and with insulin infusion, respectively. The mean of glycemia during hospitalization was 10.65 ± 0.84 mmol/L in the no insulin infusion group and 7.69 ± 1.85 mmol/L in the insulin infusion group. At baseline, IL-6 and D-dimer levels were significantly higher in the hyperglycemic group than in the normoglycemic group (P < 0.001). Even though all patients were on standard treatment for COVID-19 infection, IL-6 and D-dimer levels persisted higher in patients with hyperglycemia during hospitalization. In a risk-adjusted Cox regression analysis, both patients with hyperglycemia and patients with diabetes had a higher risk of severe disease than those without diabetes and with normoglycemia. Cox regression analysis evidenced that patients with hyperglycemia treated with insulin infusion had a lower risk of severe disease than patients without insulin infusion. CONCLUSIONS: Insulin infusion may be an effective method for achieving glycemic targets and improving outcomes in patients with COVID-19.


Return to play after COVID-19: a sport cardiologist's view


Barrier Shields: Not Just for Intubations in Today's COVID-19 World?


Tocilizumab for Hemophagocytic Syndrome in a Kidney Transplant Recipient With COVID-19


Use of face masks in dermatology department during the COVID-19 outbreak


title: Prevention and management of COVID-19 among patients with diabetes: an appraisal of the literature

text: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as one of the greatest challenges faced by humankind in the recent past. People with diabetes and related comorbidities are at increased risk of its complications and of COVID-19-related death. Older age, multi-morbidity, hyperglycaemia, cardiac injury and severe inflammatory response are predictors of poor outcome. The complex interplay between COVID-19, diabetes and the effects of related therapies is being explored. Most patients experience a mild illness with COVID-19, while people with diabetes are at increased risk of severe disease. Optimising glycaemic control and adopting measures to prevent disease spread are critical aspects. The management of mild disease is supportive, while very many immunomodulatory and antiviral therapies are being investigated for the treatment of severe disease. Several of these agents have specific considerations for use in people with diabetes. Since mass population lockdowns are considered a key step in controlling disease spread, it follows that, in addition to the direct vulnerability to severe COVID-19, people with diabetes can be affected by limited access to healthcare, insulin, other medications and blood glucose monitoring equipment. Measures to prevent disease spread at the individual and community level are the key to mitigating the rapidly escalating pandemic, while agents for chemoprophylaxis and vaccines are being explored. People with diabetes should be recognised as a vulnerable group for complicated disease and are at risk during times of disturbed social systems. Strategies are needed to safeguard the health of patients with diabetes during the pandemic. This review summarises the current knowledge and perceived challenges for prevention and management of COVID-19 in people with diabetes.


Border closure for island nations? Analysis of pandemic and bioweapon-related threats suggests some scenarios warrant drastic action


title: Eosinopenia and elevated C-reactive protein facilitate triage of COVID-19 patients in fever clinic: a retrospective case-control study

text: Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently a pandemic affecting over 200 countries. Many cities have established designated fever clinics to triage suspected COVID-19 patients from other patients with similar symptoms. However, given the limited availability of the nucleic acid test as well as long waiting time for both the test and radiographic examination, the quarantine or therapeutic decisions for a large number of mixed patients were often not made in time. We aimed to identify simple and quickly available laboratory biomarkers to facilitate effective triage at the fever clinics for sorting suspected COVID-19 patients from those with COVID-19-like symptoms. Methods: We collected clinical, etiological, and laboratory data of 989 patients who visited the Fever Clinic at Wuhan Union Hospital, Wuhan, China, from Jan 31 to Feb 21. Based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) nucleic acid testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection, they were divided into two groups: SARS-CoV-2-positive patients as cases and SARS-CoV-2-negative patients as controls. We compared the clinical features and laboratory findings of the two groups, and analyzed the diagnostic performance of several laboratory parameters in predicting SARS-CoV-2 infection and made relevant comparisons to the China diagnosis guideline of having a normal or decreased number of leukocytes (≤9â¢5 109/L) or lymphopenia (<1â¢1 109/L). Findings: Normal or decreased number of leukocytes (≤9â¢5 109/L), lymphopenia (<1â¢1 109/L), eosinopenia (<0â¢02 109/L), and elevated hs-CRP (≥4 mg/L) were presented in 95â¢0%, 52â¢2%, 74â¢7% and 86â¢7% of COVID-19 patients, much higher than 87â¢2%, 28â¢8%, 31â¢3% and 45â¢2% of the controls, respectively. The eosinopenia produced a sensitivity of 74â¢7% and specificity of 68â¢7% for separating the two groups with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0â¢717. The combination of eosinopenia and elevated hs-CRP yielded a sensitivity of 67â¢9% and specificity of 78â¢2% (AUC=0â¢730). The addition of eosinopenia alone or the combination of eosinopenia and elevated hs-CRP into the guideline-recommended diagnostic parameters for COVID-19 improved the predictive capacity with higher than zero of both net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Interpretation: The combination of eosinopenia and elevated hs-CRP can effectively triage suspected COVID-19 patients from other patients attending the fever clinic with COVID-19-like initial symptoms. This finding would be particularly useful for designing triage strategies in an epidemic region having a large number of patients with COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases while limited medical resources for nucleic acid tests and radiographic examination. Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Major Scientific and Technological Innovation Projects of Hubei Province (MSTIP).


title: Facial pressure ulcers in COVID-19 patients undergoing prone positioning: How to prevent an underestimated epidemic?

text: Prone positioning is an adjuvant therapy used to treat COVID-19 pneumonia complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, prolonged pressure on facial skin at the level of the bony structures may be responsible for facial pressure ulcers. In the context of severe COVID-19 pneumonia, we hypothesized that hypoxemia, microvascular injury and thrombosis can increase the risk of pressure ulcers. We described two cases in order to emphasize the risk of facial pressure ulcers as a result of prone positioning, so as to discuss their physiopathology and highlight the importance of appropriate preventive measures.


title: CODA-19: Reliably Annotating Research Aspects on 10,000+ CORD-19 Abstracts Using a Non-Expert Crowd

text: This paper introduces CODA-19, a human-annotated dataset that codes the Background, Purpose, Method, Finding/Contribution, and Other sections of 10,966 English abstracts in the COVID-19 Open Research Dataset. CODA-19 was created by 248 crowd workers from Amazon Mechanical Turk within 10 days, achieving a label quality comparable to that of experts. Each abstract was annotated by nine different workers, and the final labels were obtained by majority vote. The inter-annotator agreement (Cohen's kappa) between the crowd and the biomedical expert (0.741) is comparable to inter-expert agreement (0.788). CODA-19's labels have an accuracy of 82.2% when compared to the biomedical expert's labels, while the accuracy between experts was 85.0%. Reliable human annotations help scientists to understand the rapidly accelerating coronavirus literature and also serve as the battery of AI/NLP research, but obtaining expert annotations can be slow. We demonstrated that a non-expert crowd can be rapidly employed at scale to join the fight against COVID-19.


title: Collisions of three-component vector solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates

text: Ultracold gases provide an unprecedented level of control for the investigation of soliton dynamics and collisions. We present a scheme for deterministically preparing pairs of three-component solitons in a Bose-Einstein condensate. Our method is based on local spin rotations which simultaneously imprint suitable phase and density distributions. This enables us to observe striking collisional properties of the vector degree of freedom which naturally arises for the coherent nature of the emerging multi-component solitons. We find that the solitonic properties in the quasi-one-dimensional system are quantitatively described by the integrable repulsive three-component Manakov model.


title: The contribution of globular clusters to cosmic reionization

text: We study the escape fraction of ionizing photons (f_esc) in two cosmological zoom-in simulations of galaxies in the reionization era with halo mass M_halo~10^10 and 10^11 M_sun (stellar mass M*~10^7 and 10^9 M_sun) at z=5 from the Feedback in Realistic Environments project. These simulations explicitly resolve the formation of proto-globular clusters (GCs) self-consistently, where 17-39% of stars form in bound clusters during starbursts. Using post-processing Monte Carlo radiative transfer calculations of ionizing radiation, we compute f_esc from cluster stars and non-cluster stars formed during a starburst over ~100 Myr in each galaxy. We find that the averaged f_esc over the lifetime of a star particle follows a similar distribution for cluster stars and non-cluster stars. Clusters tend to have low f_esc in the first few Myrs, presumably because they form preferentially in more extreme environments with high optical depths; the f_esc increases later as feedback starts to disrupt the natal cloud. On the other hand, non-cluster stars formed between cluster complexes or in the compressed shell at the front of a superbubble can also have high f_esc. We find that cluster stars on average have comparable f_esc to non-cluster stars. This result is robust across several star formation models in our simulations. Our results suggest that the fraction of ionizing photons from proto-GCs to cosmic reionization is comparable to the cluster formation efficiency in high-redshift galaxies and hence proto-GCs likely contribute an appreciable fraction of photons but are not the dominant sources for reionization.


title: Examining COVID-19 Forecasting using Spatio-Temporal Graph Neural Networks

text: In this work, we examine a novel forecasting approach for COVID-19 case prediction that uses Graph Neural Networks and mobility data. In contrast to existing time series forecasting models, the proposed approach learns from a single large-scale spatio-temporal graph, where nodes represent the region-level human mobility, spatial edges represent the human mobility based inter-region connectivity, and temporal edges represent node features through time. We evaluate this approach on the US county level COVID-19 dataset, and demonstrate that the rich spatial and temporal information leveraged by the graph neural network allows the model to learn complex dynamics. We show a 6% reduction of RMSLE and an absolute Pearson Correlation improvement from 0.9978 to 0.998 compared to the best performing baseline models. This novel source of information combined with graph based deep learning approaches can be a powerful tool to understand the spread and evolution of COVID-19. We encourage others to further develop a novel modeling paradigm for infectious disease based on GNNs and high resolution mobility data.


title: Robustness analysis in an inter-cities mobility network: modeling municipal, state and federal initiatives as failures and attacks

text: Motivated by the challenge related to the COVID-19 epidemic and the seek for optimal containment strategies, we present a robustness analysis into an inter-cities mobility complex network. We abstract municipal initiatives as nodes' failures and the federal actions as targeted attacks. The geo(graphs) approach is applied to visualize the geographical graph and produce maps of topological indexes, such as degree and vulnerability. A Brazilian data of 2016 is considered a case study, with more than five thousand cities and twenty-seven states. Based on the Network Robustness index, we show that the most efficient attack strategy shifts from a topological degree-based, for the all cities network, to a topological vulnerability-based, for a network considering the Brazilian States as nodes. Moreover, our results reveal that individual municipalities' actions do not cause a high impact on mobility restrain since they tend to be punctual and disconnected to the country scene as a whole. Oppositely, the coordinated isolation of specific cities is key to detach entire network areas and thus prevent a spreading process to prevail.


The challenges of dental care provision in patients with learning disabilities and special requirements during COVID-19 pandemic


title: Gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and pancreatic manifestations of COVID-19

text: There is an increasing number of confirmed cases and deaths caused by the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) contributing to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. At this point, the need for further disease characterization is critical. COVID-19 is well established as a respiratory tract pathogen; however, recent studies have shown an increasing number of patients reporting gastrointestinal manifestations such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. The time from onset of gastrointestinal symptoms to hospital presentation is often delayed compared to that of respiratory symptoms. It has been noted that SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in fecal matter for an extended period of time, even after respiratory samples have tested negative and patients are asymptomatic. In this article, SARS-CoV-2 and its disease COVID-19 will be reviewed with consideration of the latest literature about gastrointestinal symptomatology, the mechanisms by which the virus may inflict damage, and the possibility of viral replication contributing to a fecal-oral route of transmission.


title: Andrology and penile cancer. Recommendations during COVID-19 pandemia./ Andrologia y cancer de pene. Recomendaciones durante la pandemia COVID-19

text: PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic which has affected Spain since the beginning of 2020 compels us to determine recomendations for the practice of Andrology in present times MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web search is carried out in English and Spanish and a joint proposal is defined by experts in Andrology from different regions of Spain RESULTS: Most diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in Andrology can be safey postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic Online consultations and outpatient surgeries must be encouraged Andrologic emergencies and penile cancer management should be considered high priority, and should be diagnosed and treated promptly even in the most severe phases of the pandemic INTRODUCCION: La pandemia COVID-19 que ha afectado a Espana desde comienzos de 2020 obliga a definir unas recomendaciones para la practica de la Andrologia en la actualidad MATERIAL Y METODOS: Se realiza una busqueda web en ingles y espanol y se define una propuesta conjunta por parte de expertos en Andrologia de distintas regiones de Espana RESULTADOS: La mayor parte de los procedimientos diagnosticos y terapeuticos en Andrologia pueden ser demorados con seguridad durante la pandemia COVID-19 Se debe fomentar la consulta telematica y lacirugia ambulatoria Las urgencias andrologicas y el manejo del cancer de pene deben considerarse una prioridad alta, diagnosticandose y tratandose con brevedadi ncluso en las fases mas severas de la pandemia


title: [Andrology and penile cancer. Recommendations during COVID-19 pandemia.]

text: PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic which has affected Spain since the beginning of 2020 compels us to determine recomendations for the practice of Andrology in present times MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web search is carried out in English and Spanish and a joint proposal is defined by experts in Andrology from different regions of Spain RESULTS: Most diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in Andrology can be safey postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic Online consultations and outpatient surgeries must be encouraged Andrologic emergencies and penile cancer management should be considered high priority, and should be diagnosed and treated promptly even in the most severe phases of the pandemic


title: Pathological features of 78 metastatic or multicentric neoplasms involving the central nervous system in dogs/ Aspectos patológicos e distribuição de 78 neoplasias metastáticas ou multicêntricas envolvendo o sistema nervoso central de caninos

text: Secondary neoplasms affecting the central nervous system (CNS) may occur through blood flow or direct extension. This condition occurrence has increased both due to a longer life expectancy of dogs, as well as with the employment of chemotherapeutics, which may increase the survival period and, thus, the odds of the occurrence of metastasis. The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological features, such as the age, breed and sex of the animals affected, as well as the gross and microscopic findings of the metastasis from neoplasms involving the CNS of 78 dogs, and, based on the data, estimate the occurrence and frequency of the metastatic or multicentric neoplasms. Females (71.79%) were most affected than males, with an average age of 9.5-years-old and a median of 10-years-old. Most of the cases had a multifocal distribution (73.07%), and epithelial neoplasms (50%) were the most common. Telencephalon was the most affected neuroanatomical region (61.1%). Mammary neoplasms were the most frequent (47.44%), followed by hemangiosarcoma (19.23%), lymphoma (10.26%) and melanoma (6.41%). Less common neoplasms included osteosarcoma, histiocytic sarcoma and lung carcinoma (2.56%). Mammary neoplasms were mainly composed of anaplastic and micropapillary carcinomas, of which only multifocal microscopic lesions were observed.(AU)


title: Structure of understory bird communities in Atlantic Forest Remnants in Northeastern Brazil/ Estrutura das comunidades de aves de remanescentes de Mata Atlântica no nordeste do Brasil

text: The Atlantic Forest in the State of Paraíba integrates the Pernambuco Center of Endemism. The present work investigated understory bird communities of three of its remnants using ten mist nets installed at eight different points of the forest understory of each area. We captured 333 birds of 44 species and 19 families. Bird richness and abundance did not differ between the three remnants (KW = 6.08; p = 0.04 and KW = 10.54; p = 0.004). The composition was little similar among them, and each area presented high species diversity and evenness. The most captured species were Arremon taciturnus (n = 40), Chiroxiphia pareola (n = 32) and Conopophaga melanops (n = 28). C. melanops has a local threat status of vulnerable and is considered endemic. Endangered and endemic species each represented 15.91% of the captures. Both Reserva Biológica Guaribas areas had the highest number of threatened species, while Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Engenho Gargaú showed the highest number of endemic and understory insectivorous species, which indicates a better quality status in comparison to the other two. These results show the importance of the remnants to bird conservation in Northeastern Brazil.(AU)


Modeling SARS-CoV-2 Positivity Using Laboratory Data: Timing Is Everything


In reply to Drs Magrini, Mazzola, Greco, Alongi, Buglione


title: Cytokine Release Syndrome in COVID-19 Patients, A New Scenario for an Old Concern: The Fragile Balance between Infections and Autoimmunity

text: On 7 January 2020, researchers isolated and sequenced in China from patients with severe pneumonitis a novel coronavirus, then called SARS-CoV-2, which rapidly spread worldwide, becoming a global health emergency. Typical manifestations consist of flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, fatigue, and dyspnea. However, in about 20% of patients, the infection progresses to severe interstitial pneumonia and can induce an uncontrolled host-immune response, leading to a life-threatening condition called cytokine release syndrome (CRS). CRS represents an emergency scenario of a frequent challenge, which is the complex and interwoven link between infections and autoimmunity. Indeed, treatment of CRS involves the use of both antivirals to control the underlying infection and immunosuppressive agents to dampen the aberrant pro-inflammatory response of the host. Several trials, evaluating the safety and effectiveness of immunosuppressants commonly used in rheumatic diseases, are ongoing in patients with COVID-19 and CRS, some of which are achieving promising results. However, such a use should follow a multidisciplinary approach, be accompanied by close monitoring, be tailored to patient's clinical and serological features, and be initiated at the right time to reach the best results. Autoimmune patients receiving immunosuppressants could be prone to SARS-CoV-2 infections; however, suspension of the ongoing therapy is contraindicated to avoid disease flares and a consequent increase in the infection risk.


title: Rhabdomyolysis as Potential Late Complication Associated with COVID-19

text: We describe a patient in Wuhan, China, with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection who had progressive pulmonary lesions and rhabdomyolysis with manifestations of lower limb pain and fatigue. Rapid clinical recognition of rhabdomyolysis symptoms in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection can be lifesaving.


Donor heart selection during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study


Supporting people with diabetes during a pandemic


title: [Application and thinking of health standards related to medical care and health information etc. in prevention and control of COVID-19]

text: Objective: To compare the technical elements of health standards for nosocomial infection control, health protection, health information, and health emergency and biosafety in the context of the prevention and control of COVID-19, and provide support for the further optimization of the epidemic prevention and control guidelines. Methods: Above mentioned health standards used in COVID-19 prevention and control were collected for a systematic comparison with "Guidelines for Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in Medical Institutions" (the 1st Edition) from the perspective of technical elements. Results: The application scope and technical elements of the current health standards basically meet the needs for the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic. Conclusions: The implementation of the current health standards can provide strong technical support for the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic. The experience obtained in the epidemic prevention and control can also contribute to the further revision and improvement of the health standards.


title: Visualising COVID-19 Pandemic Risk through Network Connectedness

text: With the domestic and international spread of the COVID-19, much attention has been given to estimating pandemic risk. We propose the use of a novel application of a well-established scientific approach, network analysis, to provide a direct visualisation (the infographics in Figures 1 and 2) of the COVID-19 pandemic risk. By showing visually the degree of connectedness between different regions based on reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, we demonstrate that network analysis provides a relatively simple yet powerful way to estimate the pandemic risk.


Caution Warranted: Using the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Model for Predicting the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic


title: The influenza virus, SARS-CoV-2, and the airways: Clarification for the otorhinolaryngologist

text: The influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 cause trivial upper and severe lower respiratory infections (Influenza virus 290,000 to 650,000 deaths/year). These viruses come into contact with the airways either by direct projection, by secondary inhalation of airborne droplets, or by handling (fomites). The objective of this article is to clarify the mechanisms of production and penetration of droplets of secretions emitted during all expiratory phenomena likely to transport these viruses and come into contact with the respiratory mucosa. The droplets>5µm follow the laws of ballistics, those<5µm follow Brownian motion and remain suspended in the air. The aerosols of droplets are very heterogeneous whether the subject is healthy or sick. During an infectious period, not all droplets contain viral RNA. If these RNAs are detectable around patients, on surfaces, and in the ambient air at variable distances according to the studies (from 0.5m to beyond the patient's room), this is without prejudice to the infectious nature (viability) of the virus and the minimum infectious dose. There is a time lag between the patient's infectious period and that of RNA detection for both viruses. Subsequently, the inhaled particles must meet the laws of fluid dynamics (filtration) to settle in the respiratory tree. All of this partly explains the contagiousness and the clinical expression of these two viruses from the olfactory cleft to the alveoli.


title: Pulmonary embolism in COVID-19: ventilation and perfusion computer tomography

text: This is an illustrated case about CT ventilation and perfusion in Covid patient.


title: Coronavirus Disease 2019 Return to Work Guidance and Recommendations for Vestibular Clinicians

text: As states begin issuing progressive deconfinement guidelines, hospitals and institutions are starting to reopen for elective procedures and consultations. Vestibular clinicians are opening their practices to evaluate, test, or treat patients with dizziness and balance problems. The following document, requested by the American Balance Society, collates the current information about the virus, including transmission from asymptomatic carriers, decontamination, and other safety protocols, and provides a return to work guidance for clinicians caring for this population of patients, promoting provider, patient, and staff safety.


title: No evidence of SARS-Cov-2 infection by PCR or serology in children with pseudochilblain

text: Despite its aggressive clinical course, leading to 6.4% fatality rate as of May 25, 2020 (https://qap.ecdc.europa.eu/public/extensions/COVID-19/COVID-19.html), COVID-19 turned out to be only marginally aggressive in children. In a report from Lombardy, 18/88 COVID-19 hospitalized adults (20%) had developed cutaneous manifestations: erythematous rash, widespread urticarial, and chickenpox-like vesicles. Trunk was the main involved region. Itching was low or absent and usually lesions healed in few days. An unexpected outbreak of acute pseudochilblain skin lesions is being reported from different countries and related to COVID-19.


Dramatic reduction of psychiatric emergency consultations during lockdown linked to COVID-19 in Paris and suburbs


Comment on "Organ-protective effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and its effect on the prognosis of COVID-19"


Clinical presentations and outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infected pneumonia in pregnant women and health status of their neonates


Medical certification of cause of death for COVID-19


Reply to "COVID-19 can present with a rash and be mistaken for dengue": Petechial rash in a patient with COVID-19 infection


Outpatient Treatment at Home for Medicare Beneficiaries During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic


title: In-hospital management of persons with haemophilia and COVID-19: practical guidance

text: A new disease (COVID-19) caused by a coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that appeared in China at the end of 2019 is currently spreading globally. This emerging virus is mainly responsible for respiratory tract infections and potentially fatal pneumonia, mainly in more frail patients. Persons with haemophilia of variable severity and from all parts of the world will likely be infected and develop COVID-19. We here propose practical guidance for the in-hospital specific management of haemophilia persons with COVID-19 including their possible transfer to intensive care unit. Rapid identification of the haemophilia status, undelayed and regular liaison with the haemophilia team, proper therapy with factor concentrates or alternative treatments appear instrumental to prevent haemophilia-related complications in this setting. Information of patients and their families about COVID-19, psychological support and good appreciation of the impact of haemophilia on therapeutic decisions including end of life directives are also addressed.


title: [Exploration of omics mechanism and drug prediction of coronavirus-induced heart failure based on clinical bioinformatics]

text: Objective: Present study investigated the mechanism of heart failure associated with coronavirus infection and predicted potential effective therapeutic drugs against heart failure associated with coronavirus infection. Methods: Coronavirus and heart failure were searched in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and omics data were selected to meet experimental requirements. Differentially expressed genes were analyzed using the Limma package in R language to screen for differentially expressed genes. The two sets of differential genes were introduced into the R language cluster Profiler package for gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto gene and genome encyclopedia (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. Two sets of intersections were taken. A protein interaction network was constructed for all differentially expressed genes using STRING database and core genes were screened. Finally, the apparently accurate treatment prediction platform (EpiMed) independently developed by the team was used to predict the therapeutic drug. Results: The GSE59185 coronavirus data set was searched and screened in the GEO database, and divided into wt group, ΔE group, Δ3 group, Δ5 group according to different subtypes, and compared with control group. After the difference analysis, 191 up-regulated genes and 18 down-regulated genes were defined. The GEO126062 heart failure data set was retrieved and screened from the GEO database. A total of 495 differentially expressed genes were screened, of which 165 were up-regulated and 330 were down-regulated. Correlation analysis of differentially expressed genes between coronavirus and heart failure was performed. After cross processing, there were 20 GO entries, which were mainly enriched in virus response, virus defense response, type â interferon response, Î³ interferon regulation, innate immune response regulation, negative regulation of virus life cycle, replication regulation of viral genome, etc . There are 5 KEGG pathways, mainly interacting with tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, cytokine and receptor interaction, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, human giant cells viral infection related. All differentially expressed genes were introduced into the SREING online analysis website for protein interaction network analysis, and core genes such as signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, IL-10, IL17, TNF, interferon regulatory factor 9, 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1, mitogen-activated protein kinase 3, radical s-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2, c-x-c motif chemokine ligand 10, caspase 3 and other genes were screened. The drugs predicted by EpiMed's apparent precision treatment prediction platform for disease-drug association analysis are mainly TNF-α inhibitors, resveratrol, ritonavir, paeony, retinoic acid, forsythia, and houttuynia cordata. Conclusions: The abnormal activation of multiple inflammatory pathways may be the cause of heart failure in patients after coronavirus infection. Resveratrol, ritonavir, retinoic acid, amaranth, forsythia, houttuynia may have therapeutic effects. Future basic and clinical research is warranted to validate present results and hypothesis.


Correction for Li et al., "Discovery of Bat Coronaviruses through Surveillance and Probe Capture-Based Next-Generation Sequencing"


National survey of Canadian Retina Society members on guidelines for ophthalmic care during the COVID-19 crisis: Canadian Retina Research Network (CR2N) COVID-19 Steering Committee analysis


title: Collective resilience in times of crisis: Lessons from the literature for socially effective responses to the pandemic

text: Most countries worldwide have taken restrictive measures and called on their population to adopt social distancing behaviours to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when several European countries are releasing their lockdown measures, new uncertainties arise regarding the further evolution of a crisis becoming multifaceted, as well as the durability of public determination to face and contain it. In this context, the sustained social efficacy of public health measures will depend more than ever on the level of acceptance across populations called on to temporarily sacrifice daily freedoms, while economic insecurity grows and social inequalities become more blatant. We seek to develop a framework for analysing how the requirements of 'social distancing' can be reconciled with the conditions that allow for the maintaining, or even strengthening, of social cohesion, mutual solidarity, and a sense of collective efficacy, throughout the crisis. To reach this goal, we propose a summary of relevant findings and pragmatic policy principles derived from them.


The EU and the social determinants of health in a post-COVID world


title: Differentiable Segmentation of Sequences

text: Segmented models are widely used to describe non-stationary sequential data with discrete change points. Their estimation usually requires solving a mixed discrete-continuous optimization problem, where the segmentation is the discrete part and all other model parameters are continuous. A number of estimation algorithms have been developed that are highly specialized for their specific model assumptions. The dependence on non-standard algorithms makes it hard to integrate segmented models in state-of-the-art deep learning architectures that critically depend on gradient-based optimization techniques. In this work, we formulate a relaxed variant of segmented models that enables joint estimation of all model parameters, including the segmentation, with gradient descent. We build on recent advances in learning continuous warping functions and propose a novel family of warping functions based on the two-sided power (TSP) distribution. TSP-based warping functions are differentiable, have simple closed-form expressions, and can represent segmentation functions exactly. Our formulation includes the important class of segmented generalized linear models as a special case, which makes it highly versatile. We use our approach to model the spread of COVID-19 by segmented Poisson regression, perform logistic regression on Fashion-MNIST with artificial concept drift, and demonstrate its capacities for phoneme segmentation.


Reply to "Anticoagulant treatment is associated with decreased mortality in severe coronavirus disease 2019 patients with coagulopathy"


Clinical characteristics of dermatologic manifestations of COVID-19 infection: case series of 15 patients, review of literature, and proposed etiological classification


Nuclear cardiology in the COVID-19 pandemic era


title: Prioritizing elective cardiovascular procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic: The cardiovascular medically necessary, time-sensitive procedure scorecard

text: BACKGROUND: Following the surge of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, government regulations, and recommendations from professional societies have conditioned the resumption of elective surgical and cardiovascular (CV) procedures on having strategies to prioritize cases because of concerns regarding the availability of sufficient resources and the risk of COVID-19 transmission. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the use of a scoring system for standardized triage of elective CV procedures. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of patients scheduled for elective CV procedures that were prioritized ad hoc to be either performed or deferred when New Jersey state orders limited the performance of elective procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients in both groups were scored using our proposed CV medically necessary, time-sensitive (MeNTS) procedure scorecard, designed to stratify procedures based on a composite measure of hospital resource utilization, risk of COVID-19 exposure, and time sensitivity. RESULTS: A total of 109 scheduled elective procedures were either deferred (n = 58) or performed (n = 51). The median and mean cumulative CV MeNTS scores for the group of performed cases were significantly lower than for the deferred group (26 (interquartile range (IQR) 22-31) vs. 33 (IQR 28-39), p < .001, and 26.4 (SE 0.34) vs. 32.9 (SE 0.35), p < .001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The CV MeNTS procedure score was able to stratify elective cases that were either performed or deferred using an ad hoc strategy. Our findings suggest that the CV MeNTS procedure scorecard may be useful for the fair triage of elective CV cases during the time when available capacity may be limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Lived experiences of the corona survivors (patients admitted in COVID wards): A narrative real-life documented summaries of internalized guilt, shame, stigma, anger

text: COVID-19 pandemic has emerged as a disaster for the human beings. All the Governments across the globe have been preparing to deal with this medical emergency, which is known to be associated with mortality in about 5% of the sufferers. Gradually, it is seen that, many patients with COVID-19 infection have mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. Due to the risk of infecting others, persons with COVID-19 infection are kept in isolation wards. Because of the isolation, the fear of death, and associated stigma, many patients with COVID-19 infection go through mental distress. In this report, we discuss the experience of 3 persons diagnosed with COVId-19 infection and admitted to the COVID ward.


Race to find COVID-19 treatments accelerates


title: Spatial Modeling of COVID-19: Greece and Andalusia as Case Examples

text: We examine the spatial modeling of the outbreak of COVID-19 in two regions: the country of Greece and the autonomous community of Andalusia in Spain. We start with an ODE version of a SEIHARD model that we optimize to obtain relevant parameters for these regions. Subsequently, spatially distributed versions of the corresponding models in the form of convection-reaction-diffusion equations are considered. We show that these models bear significant potential towards capturing the spatial expansion of the pandemic and veins of future work are considered to that effect.


title: The otolaryngologist's and anesthesiologist's collaborative role in a pandemic: A large quaternary pediatric center's experience with COVID-19 preparation and simulation

text: There has been a rapid global spread of a novel coronavirus, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which originated in Wuhan China in late 2019. A serious threat of nosocomial spread exists and as such, there is a critical necessity for well-planned and rehearsed processes during the care of the COVID-19 positive and suspected patient to minimize transmission and risk to healthcare providers and other patients. Because of the aerosolization inherent in airway management, the pediatric otolaryngologist and anesthesiologist should be intimately familiar with strategies to mitigate the high-risk periods of viral contamination that are posed to the environment and healthcare personnel during tracheal intubation and extubation procedures. Since both the pediatric otolaryngologist and anesthesiologist are directly involved in emergency airway interventions, both specialties impact the safety of caring for COVID-19 patients and are a part of overall hospital pandemic preparedness. We describe our institutional approach to COVID-19 perioperative pandemic planning at a large quaternary pediatric hospital including operating room management and remote airway management. We outline our processes for the safe and effective care of these patients with emphasis on simulation and pathways necessary to protect healthcare workers and other personnel from exposure while still providing safe, effective, and rapid care.


title: A COVID-19 testing and triage algorithm for psychiatric units: One hospital's response to the New York region's pandemic

text: Psychiatric patients are at high risk for contracting COVID-19, and inpatient psychiatric units face substantial risks of institutional outbreaks. Here, the authors describe an algorithm for testing and triage in a large psychiatric facility designed to prevent local COVID-19 transmission. The algorithm is based on expert opinion and clinical experience between March and April of 2020, during which the institution cared for 47 COVID-19 positive psychiatric inpatients. The implementation of the algorithm is designed to mitigate COVID-19 transmission, preserve the safest and least restrictive treatment environment for psychiatric inpatients, and provide a model adaptable to other institutional settings.


title: Análise comparativa entre isolamento microbiológico convencional e PCR para detecção de Salmonella spp. em produtos cárneos

text: Salmonella spp. está entre os principais agentes causadores de doenças de origem alimentar no mundo, representando um sério problema para saúde pública, portanto, a fiscalização de alimentos deve contar com métodos sensíveis e eficientes para detecção deste rnicro-organismo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi realizar uma análise comparativa entre o isolamento microbiológico convencional e Reação em Cadeia Polimerase (PCR) para detecção de Salmonella spp. em produtos cárneos. Foram analisadas 22 amostras recebidas pela Agência Estadual de Defesa Sanitária Animal e Vegetal de Mato Grosso do Sul, sendo duas amostras de carne in natura resfriada, duas de charque, duas de mortadela, duas de salsichão e 14 de linguiça frescal. O cultivo microbiológico foi realizado conforme as normas vigentes no Brasil e para a PCR foram utilizados 1,5mL de solução salina peptonada tamponada a 1% e 1,5mL dos caldos Rappaport Vassiliadis (RSV) e Selenito Cistina (SC) de cada amostra. No método convencional não foram detectadas amostras positivas, enquanto na PCR, das 22 amostras, 13 foram positivas (59,1%). O caldo SC e solução salina permitiram melhor detecção do DNA de Salmonella spp., principalmente para as amostras de linguiça frescal, que apresentaram maior número de positivos. As duas amostras de salsichão e mortadela provenientes do caldo Rappaport Vassiliadis e uma de salsichão do caldo SC tiveram o DNA degradado, não sendo possível determinar se realmente estavam contaminadas pela bactéria. Não foi observada correlação entre a data de fabricação dos produtos e a data do início dos testes para detecção de Salmonella spp. De acordo com os resultados obtidos a PCR foi superior ao método microbiológico convencional para detecção de Salmonella spp. em produtos cárneos, apesar do protocolo de extração de DNA escolhido não ter sido eficiente para algumas amostras de salsichão e mortadela.(AU)


Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of COVID-19 patients with pre-existing cirrhosis: a multicentre cohort study


docid: gllnyqzu

title: Adaptation of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Its Association with Psychological Distress and Life Satisfaction in Turkey

text: The world is currently experiencing a pandemic of an infectious disease called COVID-19 which has drawn global intensive attention. While global attention is largely focusing on the effects of the coronavirus on physical health, the impacts of the coronavirus on psychological health cannot be overlooked. Therefore, this study aims to adapt the Fear of COVID-19 Scale into Turkish and investigate the relationships between fear of COVID-19, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Data were collected by convenience sampling method, which allowed us to reach total 1304 participants, aged between 18 and 64 years, from 75 cities in Turkey. In the adaptation process of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, confirmatory factor analysis, Item Response Theory, convergent validity, and reliability (Cronbach's α, McDonald's ω, Guttmann's λ6, and composite reliability) analyses were performed. Additionally, the mediating role of psychological distress on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and life satisfaction was tested. The uni-dimensionality of the 7-item scale was confirmed on a Turkish sample. Item Response Theory revealed that all items were coherent and fit with the model. The results indicated that the Turkish version of the scale had satisfactory reliability coefficients. The fear of COVID-19 was found to be associated with psychological distress and life satisfaction. Results indicated that the Turkish version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale had strong psychometric properties. This scale will allow mental health professionals to do research on the psychological impacts of COVID-19 in Turkey.


title: A Collaborative Approach using Ridge-Valley Minutiae for More Accurate Contactless Fingerprint Identification

text: Contactless fingerprint identification has emerged as an reliable and user friendly alternative for the personal identification in a range of e-business and law-enforcement applications. It is however quite known from the literature that the contactless fingerprint images deliver remarkably low matching accuracies as compared with those obtained from the contact-based fingerprint sensors. This paper develops a new approach to significantly improve contactless fingerprint matching capabilities available today. We systematically analyze the extent of complimentary ridge-valley information and introduce new approaches to achieve significantly higher matching accuracy over state-of-art fingerprint matchers commonly employed today. We also investigate least explored options for the fingerprint color-space conversions, which can play a key-role for more accurate contactless fingerprint matching. This paper presents experimental results from different publicly available contactless fingerprint databases using NBIS, MCC and COTS matchers. Our consistently outperforming results validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for more accurate contactless fingerprint identification.


title: Personalized Risk-Benefit Ratio Adaptation of Breast Cancer Care at the Epicenter of COVID-19 Outbreak

text: Northern Italy has been one of the European regions reporting the highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. The pandemic spread has challenged the National Health System, requiring reallocation of most of the available health care resources to treat COVID-19-positive patients, generating a competition with other health care needs, including cancer. Patients with cancer are at higher risk of developing critical illness after COVID-19 infection. Thus, mitigation strategies should be adopted to reduce the likelihood of infection in all patients with cancer. At the same time, suboptimal care and treatments may result in worse cancer-related outcome. In this article, we attempt to estimate the individual risk-benefit balance to define personalized strategies for optimal breast cancer management, avoiding as much as possible a general untailored approach. We discuss and report the strategies our Breast Unit adopted from the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak to ensure the continuum of the best possible cancer care for our patients while mitigating the risk of infection, despite limited health care resources. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Managing patients with breast cancer during the COVID-19 outbreak is challenging. The present work highlights the need to estimate the individual patient risk of infection, which depends on both epidemiological considerations and individual clinical characteristics. The management of patients with breast cancer should be adapted and personalized according to the balance between COVID-19-related risk and the expected benefit of treatments. This work also provides useful suggestions on the modality of patient triage, the conduct of clinical trials, the management of an oncologic team, and the approach to patients' and health workers' psychological distress.


title: Removal of boron from water by GO/ZIF-67 hybrid material adsorption

text: With the development of the boron industry, boron pollution is getting more and more serious, and excessive boron will harm human health. In this paper, graphene oxide was used as a template to prepare ZIF-67, and GO/ZIF-67 was successfully prepared. GO/ZIF-67 was used for the first time to remove boron from water. SEM, XRD, and other characterization methods were used to confirm the structure. The adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherm, adsorption thermodynamics, and adsorption mechanism of boron by GO/ZIF-67 were studied in this paper. The adsorption capacity of GO/ZIF-67 for boron is up to 66.65 mg·g-1 at 25 °C, and adsorption process reaches equilibrium in 400 min. Adsorption kinetics indicates that the adsorption process conforms to the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, and adsorption thermodynamics indicates that the adsorption process is a spontaneous endothermic process controlled by entropy change. The adsorption capacity of boron by GO/ZIF-67 does not decrease significantly after four cycles. The adsorption of boron by GO/ZIF-67 has both chemical and physical adsorption. From Zeta potential and adsorption kinetics, it can be seen that there is physical adsorption during the adsorption process and boron mainly has positive charge on the surface of GO/ZIF-67 and graphene oxide hydroxyl bonding. Based on the adsorption thermodynamics and XPS, it is known that there is chemisorption during the adsorption process, and mainly the combination of boron and cobalt sites.


Preventing COVID-19 collateral damage


Letter to the Editor on "An Imperative Need for Research on the Role of Environmental Factors in Transmission of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)", Back to Basics


Blood clots and TAM receptor signalling in COVID-19 pathogenesis


title: Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 at 8 Weeks Postinfection in Asymptomatic Patients

text: We compared levels of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 neutralizing antibodies in recovery plasma from 7 completely asymptomatic coronavirus disease patients with those in symptomatic patients in South Korea. We found that serologic diagnostic testing was positive for 71% (5/7) of completely asymptomatic patients, but neutralizing antibody response occurred in all 7 patients.


Therapeutic plasma exchange as a routine therapy in septic shock and as an experimental treatment for COVID-19: we are not sure


title: Occurrence, prevention, and management of the psychological effects of emerging virus outbreaks on healthcare workers: rapid review and meta-analysis

text: OBJECTIVE: To examine the psychological effects on clinicians of working to manage novel viral outbreaks, and successful measures to manage stress and psychological distress. DESIGN: Rapid review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed/Medline, PsycInfo, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Google Scholar, searched up to late March 2020. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR STUDY SELECTION: Any study that described the psychological reactions of healthcare staff working with patients in an outbreak of any emerging virus in any clinical setting, irrespective of any comparison with other clinicians or the general population. RESULTS: 59 papers met the inclusion criteria: 37 were of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), eight of coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19), seven of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), three each of Ebola virus disease and influenza A virus subtype H1N1, and one of influenza A virus subtype H7N9. Of the 38 studies that compared psychological outcomes of healthcare workers in direct contact with affected patients, 25 contained data that could be combined in a pairwise meta-analysis comparing healthcare workers at high and low risk of exposure. Compared with lower risk controls, staff in contact with affected patients had greater levels of both acute or post-traumatic stress (odds ratio 1.71, 95% confidence interval 1.28 to 2.29) and psychological distress (1.74, 1.50 to 2.03), with similar results for continuous outcomes. These findings were the same as in the other studies not included in the meta-analysis. Risk factors for psychological distress included being younger, being more junior, being the parents of dependent children, or having an infected family member. Longer quarantine, lack of practical support, and stigma also contributed. Clear communication, access to adequate personal protection, adequate rest, and both practical and psychological support were associated with reduced morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Effective interventions are available to help mitigate the psychological distress experienced by staff caring for patients in an emerging disease outbreak. These interventions were similar despite the wide range of settings and types of outbreaks covered in this review, and thus could be applicable to the current covid-19 outbreak.


Three Reasons to Focus on Patient and Family Engagement During the COVID-19 Pandemic


Corona Virus Disease 2019, a growing threat to children?


Optimizing psychiatric care during the COVID-19 pandemic


title: Vicarious traumatization in the general public, members, and non-members of medical teams aiding in COVID-19 control

text: Since December 2019, more than 79,000 people have been diagnosed with infection of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). A large number of medical staff was sent to Wuhan city and Hubei province to aid COVID-19 control. Psychological stress, especially vicarious traumatization caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, should not be ignored. To address this concern, the study employed a total of 214 general public and 526 nurses (i.e., 234 front-line nurses and 292 non-front-line nurses) to evaluate vicarious traumatization scores via a mobile app-based questionnaire. Front-line nurses are engaged in the process of providing care for patients with COVID-19. The results showed that the vicarious traumatization scores for front-line nurses including scores for physiological and psychological responses, were significantly lower than those of non-front-line nurses (P < 0.001). Interestingly, the vicarious traumatization scores of the general public were significantly higher than those of the front-line nurses (P < 0.001); however, no statistical difference was observed compared to the scores of non-front-line nurses (P > 0.05). Therefore, increased attention should be paid to the psychological problems of the medical staff, especially non-front-line nurses, and general public under the situation of the spread and control of COVID-19. Early strategies that aim to prevent and treat vicarious traumatization in medical staff and general public are extremely necessary.


title: Estimating the undetected infections in the Covid-19 outbreak by harnessing capture-recapture methods

text: OBJECTIVES: A major open question, affecting the decisions of policy makers, is the estimation of the true number of Covid-19 infections. Most of them are undetected, because of a large number of asymptomatic cases. We provide an efficient, easy to compute and robust lower bound estimator for the number of undetected cases. METHODS: A modified version of the Chao estimator is proposed, based on the cumulative time-series distributions of cases and deaths. Heterogeneity has been addressed by assuming a geometrical distribution underlying the data generation process. An (approximated) analytical variance of the estimator has been derived to compute reliable confidence intervals at 95% level. RESULTS: A motivating application to the Austrian situation is provided and compared with an independent and representative study on prevalence of Covid-19 infection. Our estimates match well with the results from the independent prevalence study, but the capture-recapture estimate has less uncertainty involved as it is based on a larger sample size. Results from other European countries are mentioned in the discussion. The estimated ratio of the total estimated cases to the observed cases is around the value of 2.3 for all the analyzed countries. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed method answers to a fundamental open question: "How many undetected cases are going around?". CR methods provide a straightforward solution to shed light on undetected cases, incorporating heterogeneity that may arise in the probability of being detected.


Cover Illustration: "Lockdown" mural, Bath Street, Glasgow, by the.rebel.bearUnshackling Plastic Surgery from COVID-19


Coronavirus disease 2019 and transplantation: The combination of lopinavir/ritonavir and hydroxychloroquine is responsible for excessive tacrolimus trough level and unfavorable outcome


Interfascial plane blocks as shortcut alternatives for regional anesthesia and pain management for SARS-CoV-2 days: Not deeper, not longer. Be safe for everyone


title: [Value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in the classification diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019]

text: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in classification of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 72 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the critical ward of Cancer Center of Union Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan from February to March in 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: moderate type (non-severe group) and severe/critical type (severe group). The results of white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophil count (NEU), lymphocyte count (LYM), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and D-dimer were collected at the 2nd day after admission from the two groups, and the NLR was calculated. The diagnostic value of WBC, NEU, LYM, IL-6, D-dimer and NLR on COVID-19 classification was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: A total of 72 COVID-19 patients were enrolled, among whom 52 were moderate, 17 were severe, and 3 were critical. The most common clinical manifestations of patients were fever (70.8%), cough (36.1%), chest tightness and breathlessness (37.5%), diarrhea (15.3%), fatigue (15.3%), vomiting and nausea (11.1%), occasionally accompanied by acute dyspnea (2.8%), and only one patient had no clinical symptom (1.4%). The levels of WBC, NEU, IL-6, D-dimer and NLR in the severe group were significantly higher than those in the non-severe group [WBC (×109/L): 7.81±3.65 vs. 5.34±1.69, NEU (×109/L): 5.83±3.13 vs. 3.24±1.53, IL-6 (ng/L): 133.63 (71.09, 249.61) vs. 28.05 (6.41, 101.24), D-dimer (mg/L): 0.86 (0.31, 2.56) vs. 0.33 (0.20, 0.71), NLR: 6.14±4.75 vs. 2.66±1.93, all P < 0.05], and the level of LYM was significantly lower than that in the non-severe group (×109/L: 1.09±0.56 vs. 1.49±0.74, P < 0.05). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the areas under ROC curve (AUC) of WBC, NEU, LYM, IL-6, D-dimer and NLR for COVID-19 classification were 0.790 [95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.684-0.897), 0.869 (95%CI was 0.789-0.949), 0.719 (95%CI was 0.592-0.847), 0.790 (95%CI was 0.682-0.898), 0.676 (95%CI was 0.526-0.827), and 0.888 (95%CI was 0.814-0.963) respectively. The AUC of NLR was the highest, which was of high diagnostic value; when the optimum cut-off value of NLR was 3.00, the sensitivity was 100%, and the specificity was 73.1%. CONCLUSIONS: NLR can be used as a biomarker to predict classification of COVID-19 patients independently, which can provide a theoretical basis for the classification management of COVID-19 patients.


Diversity of clinical appearance of cutaneous manifestations in the course of COVID-19


title: A new species of Copionodon lacking a free orbital rim (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)

text: A new species of the copionodontine genus Copionodon is described from the upper reaches of a tributary to the rio Paraguaçu in the Diamantina Plateau, Bahia State, northeastern Brazil. This species represents the northernmost occurrence of the subfamily yet known. The new species can be readily recognized by its large eye without a free orbital rim. Other characters such as the entirely cartilaginous second hypobranchial, and the uniformly broad irregular midlateral dark band further diagnose the new taxon. Its particular combination of characters is superficially intermediate between Copionodon and Glaphyropoma. Detailed analysis, however, indicates that it forms a monophyletic group with species of Copionodon and therefore it should be included in that genus.(AU)


title: The anti-viral facet of anti-rheumatic drugs: Lessons from COVID-19

text: The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has posed the world at a pandemic risk. Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which causes pneumonia, requires intensive care unit hospitalization in about 10% of cases and can lead to a fatal outcome. Several efforts are currently made to find a treatment for COVID-19 patients. So far, several anti-viral and immunosuppressive or immunomodulating drugs have demonstrated some efficacy on COVID-19 both in vitro and in animal models as well as in cases series. In COVID-19 patients a pro-inflammatory status with high levels of interleukin (IL)-1B, IL-1 receptor (R)A and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α has been demonstrated. Moreover, high levels of IL-6 and TNF-α have been observed in patients requiring intensive-care-unit hospitalization. This provided rationale for the use of anti-rheumatic drugs as potential treatments for this severe viral infection. Other agents, such as hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine might have a direct anti-viral effect. The anti-viral aspect of immunosuppressants towards a variety of viruses has been known since long time and it is herein discussed in the view of searching for a potential treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.


title: Accelerating drug repurposing for COVID-19 via modeling drug mechanism of action with large scale gene-expression profiles

text: The novel coronavirus disease, named COVID-19, emerged in China in December 2019, and has rapidly spread around the world. It is clearly urgent to fight COVID-19 at global scale. The development of methods for identifying drug uses based on phenotypic data can improve the efficiency of drug development. However, there are still many difficulties in identifying drug applications based on cell picture data. This work reported one state-of-the-art machine learning method to identify drug uses based on the cell image features of 1024 drugs generated in the LINCS program. Because the multi-dimensional features of the image are affected by non-experimental factors, the characteristics of similar drugs vary greatly, and the current sample number is not enough to use deep learning and other methods are used for learning optimization. As a consequence, this study is based on the supervised ITML algorithm to convert the characteristics of drugs. The results show that the characteristics of ITML conversion are more conducive to the recognition of drug functions. The analysis of feature conversion shows that different features play important roles in identifying different drug functions. For the current COVID-19, Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine achieve antiviral effects by inhibiting endocytosis, etc., and were classified to the same community. And Clomiphene in the same community inibited the entry of Ebola Virus, indicated a similar MoAs that could be reflected by cell image.


Comparison of the diagnostic performance with whole blood and plasma of four rapid antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2


Covid-19 may present with acute abdominal pain


title: Coronovirus infection as a novel delusional topic

text: Delusional topics tend to rapidly incorporate popular hot topical issues. Thus, the current coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has rapidly reached delusional themes in patients with psychiatric disorders. Here we present the clinical case of a Spanish woman with bipolar disorder that included coronavirus infection in her delusional themes even faster than the real infection reached mainland Spain.


title: B-cell engineering: A promising approach towards vaccine development for COVID-19

text: With the number of cases crossing six million (and more than three hundred and seventy thousand deaths) worldwide, there is a dire need of a vaccine (and repurposing of drugs) for SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19). It can be argued that a vaccine may be the most efficient way to contain the spread of this disease and prevent its future onset. While many attempts are being made to design and develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, pertinent technological hitches do exist. That is perhaps one of the reasons that we don't have vaccine for coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-1 and MERS). Recently developed CRISPR-mediated genome editing approach can be repurposed into a cell-modification endeavor in addition to (and rather than) correcting defective parts of genome. With this premise, B-cells can be engineered into universal donor, antigen specific, perpetually viable, long lasting, non-oncogenic, relatively benign, antibody producing cells which may serve as an effective vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 and, by the same rationale, other viruses and pathogens.


title: Prevention and control strategies of new coronavirus pneumonia in general hospitals/ 重庆医学

text: The new coronavirus pneumonia has been listed as one of the Class B infectious disease but is managed as Class A infectious disease. To prevent and control its spread in hospitals, the outpatient department is the first key gate. Based on the relevant diagnosis and treatment strategies of the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, combined with the actual situation of the hospital's epidemic prevention and control work, this article formulated comprehensive prevention and control strategies from the perspective of the patients and staffs. From the aspects of organization and leadership, medical epidemic prevention, pre-screening and screening, process formulation, admission management, cleaning and disinfection, epidemic report, prevention and control supervision, personnel and material deployment, patient education, comprehensive management, personnel management and psychological support and so on, advice and guidance on prevention and control of this infectious disease in outpatient department of hospital were provided.


title: Exploration of alternative supply chains and distributed manufacturing in response to COVID-19; a case study of medical face shields

text: Quarantine conditions arising as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) have had a significant impact on global production-rates and supply chains. This has coincided with increased demands for medical and personal protective equipment such as face shields. Shortages have been particularly prevalent in western countries which typically rely upon global supply chains to obtain these types of device from low-cost economies. National calls for the repurposing of domestic mass-production facilities have the potential to meet medical requirements in coming weeks, however the immediate demand associated with the virus has led to the mobilisation of a diverse distributed workforce. Selection of appropriate manufacturing processes and underused supply chains is paramount to the success of these operations. A simplified medical face shield design is presented which repurposes an assortment of existing alternative supply chains. The device is easy to produce with minimal equipment and training. It is hoped that the methodology and approach presented is of use to the wider community at this critical time.


Correction to the article "Excess Mortality Estimation During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Data from Portugal", published on Acta Med Port 2020 Jun;33(6):376-383


COVID-19 and suicides: The urban poor in Bangladesh


docid: vzcarfmk

title: ACE2 and COVID-19 and the resulting ARDS

text: This article reviews the correlation between ACE2 and COVID-19 and the resulting acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ACE2 is a crucial component of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). The classical ACE-angiotensin â ¡ (Ang II)-angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R) axis and the ACE2-Ang(1-7)-Mas counter-regulatory axis play an essential role in RAS system. ACE2 antagonises the activation of the classical RAS ACE-Ang II-AT1R axis and protects against lung injury. Similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) also uses ACE2 for cell entry. ARDS is a clinical high-mortality disease which is probably due to the excessive activation of RAS caused by 2019-nCoV infection, and ACE2 has a protective effect on ARDS caused by COVID-19. Because of these protective effects of ACE2 on ARDS, the development of drugs enhancing ACE2 activity may become one of the most promising approaches for the treatment of COVID-19 in the near future. In the meantime, however, the use of RAS blockers such as ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers that inhibit the damaging (ACE-Ang II) arm of the RAS cascade in the lung may also be promising. Trial registration number: NCT04287686.


Chromosome structure at micro-scale


Corona Virus: A Prime Example Of A Wicked Mess