title: Identification and characterization of Jingmen tick virus in rodents from Xinjiang, China

text: Jingmen tick virus (JMTV) is a recently identified virus which provides an unexpected connection between segmented and unsegmented RNA viruses. Recent investigations reveal that JMTV including JMTV-like virus (Alongshan virus) could be associated with human disease, suggesting the significance of JMTV in public health. To better understand the genetic diversity and host range of JMTV, a total of 164 rodents representing 8 species were collected in Qapqal Xibe county of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China, and were screened for JMTVs using RT- PCR. Consequently, JMTV was identified in 42 rodents including 23 Microtus arvalis voles (24.5%), 9 Apodemus uralensis mice (29.0%), 5 Mus musculus mice, 1 Rhombomys opimus gerbil, 1 Meriones tamariscinus gerbil, 1 Meriones libycus gerbil, 1 Cricetulus migratorius hamster and 1 Microtus gregalis vole. Interestingly, nearly complete genome sequences were successfully recovered from 7 JMTV positive samples. Although the newly identified rodent JMTVs were closely related to those previously identified in ticks from China, based on the phylogenetic analysis of the S1, S2 and S3 segments, the newly identified rodent viruses clustered into two genetic groups. One group comprised of viruses only found in M. arvalis, while another group included viruses from A. uralensis, C. migratorius and M. gregalis. However, all rodent viruses clustered together in the S4 tree. Considering rodents live in close proximity to humans, more efforts are needed to investigate the role of rodents in the evolution and transmission of JMTV in nature.


title: Aesthetic presence: The role of the arts in the education of creative arts therapists in the classroom and online

text: Literature about the integral role of the arts in learning is widely available, but much less has been written about how the arts and aesthetics support education in the creative arts therapies, particularly in the online learning environment. This article introduces the concept of aesthetic presence within the Community of Inquiry pedagogical model in line with values espoused within a Universal Design for Learning framework. The authors contextualize this concept with examples of how attention to the use of aesthetic and multimedia strategies in the classroom and in the online learning environment may foster openness and connection, encourage flexibility, humor, critical thinking, and animate and facilitate conversations about emergent and emotionally difficult themes while increasing accessibility for different kinds of learners.


"Questionable" peer review in the publishing pandemic during the time of COVID-19: implications for policy makers and stakeholders


docid: dryijhmn

title: Coinfection of Influenza Virus and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2)


title: Modelling spatial variations of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Africa

text: Clinical and epidemiological evidence has been advanced for human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus rampaging the world since late 2019. Outliers in the human-to-human transmission are yet to be explored. In this study, we examined the spatial density and leaned statistical credence to the global debate. We constructed spatial variations of clusters that examined the nexus between COVID-19 attributable deaths and confirmed cases. We rely on publicly available data on confirmed cases and death across Africa to unravel the unobserved factors, that could be responsible for the spread of COVID-19. We relied on the dynamic system generalised method of moment estimation procedure and found a ~0.045 Covid19 deaths as a result of confirmed cases in Africa. We accounted for cross-sectional dependence and found a basis for the strict orthogonal relationship. Policy measures were discussed.


Clinical characteristics and prognosis in cancer patients with COVID-19: A single center's retrospective study


title: Identification of Antiviral Drug Candidates against SARS-CoV-2 from FDA-Approved Drugs

text: Drug repositioning is the only feasible option to immediately address the COVID-19 global challenge. We screened a panel of 48 FDA-approved drugs against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which were preselected by an assay of SARS-CoV. We identified 24 potential antiviral drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Some drug candidates showed very low 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s), and in particular, two FDA-approved drugs-niclosamide and ciclesonide-were notable in some respects.


title: Evaluation of two automated and three rapid lateral flow immunoassays for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies

text: INTRODUCTION: Several SARS-CoV-2 immunoassays have been developed recently. The purpose of this study was to assess the performance of five immunoassays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. METHODS: Two quantitative automated immunoassays (Maglumi™2019-n-Cov IgG and IgM and Euroimmun Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgA assays) and three lateral flow rapid tests were performed. This retrospective study included 200 residual sera from patients and healthy volunteers. Case serum samples (n = 128) were obtained from COVID-19 patients confirmed by RT-qPCR and CT-scan. Days since onset of symptoms was collected from their medical records. Control non-SARS-CoV-2 samples (n = 72) were obtained from anonymous stored residual serum samples. RESULTS: Maglumi™ IgG/IgM tests showed overall less sensitivity than Euroimmun IgG/IgA test (84.4 % versus 64.3 %). Both tests showed similar specificities of IgG at 99 % and 100 %, respectively. The results from the lateral flow assays were easily interpretable with unambiguous coloured reading bands. The overall sensitivity of the three tests was similar (around 70 %) without any significant differences. The sensitivity of the three lateral flow assays and also of the serological quantitative assays increased during the second week after symptom onset and all reached similar values (91 %-94 %) after 14 days. CONCLUSION: This study shows accurate and equivalent performance of the five serological antibody assays (ELISA, CLIA and three lateral flow tests) in detecting SARS-CoV-2 antibodies 14 days after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. This is compatible with their application in specific clinical contexts and in determining epidemiological strategies for the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: The effect of the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic on college students in Wuhan

text: OBJECTIVE: This study explored a multiple mediation model in Wuhan's college students. Positive thinking and resilience were identified as mediators between 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) victimization experiences and mental health. METHOD: The sample included 384 from 4 universities in Wuhan, China. Four structured instruments were applied to the college students, including scale of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus victimization experience, scale of the positive thinking, scale of the resilience, and scale of the mental health. The responses were scored using a 5-point Likert scale. Structural equation models were used to construct measurement and structural models. RESULTS: The findings confirmed that the 2019-nCoV victimization experience was a negative predictor of mental health; positive thinking and resilience were strong mediators between 2019-nCoV victimization experience and mental health. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that a complete model was significant because positive thinking compensated for resilience. Notably, these 2 strong mediators will vastly resist the negative influences of 2019-nCoV victimization experience on mental health in Wuhan's college students until the end of the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


title: Attaining the quadruple aim of worker well-being in the CovID-19 crisis: Competing ethical priorities

text: The COVID-19 pandemic presents ethical challenges to health care organizations and society as a whole regarding protection from a lethal communicable disease In traditional medical ethics, we make an appeal to the duty of the professional to serve in the face of personal peril At the same time, health care organizations are obligated to furnish protective equipment and provide a safe workplace in order to mitigate risk The ethical calculus of utility, or greatest good for the greatest number, supplies some guidance in situations of scarce resources by sustaining as large a presence of front line workers through prevention or therapeutic intervention to combat disease Determinations of utility do not absolve health care organizations of a duty to protect and avert future crises through better planning A misguided pursuit of efficiency has resulted in excessive burden of risk for health workers providing direct patient care and for workers in supporting roles There is an important duty to plan to lessen such risk in future pandemics


Management of nutritional consultations in local clinics during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic


title: Haldane Phase in Spin-1 Bosons with a Flat Band

text: We demonstrate that the Haldane phase can be realized with ultracold spin-1 atoms loaded on a lattice which has a flat band at the bottom of the band structure. The many-body ground state of the model Hamiltonian is exactly solvable in a special case, which turns out to serve as a representative of the Haldane phase. In this system, the Haldane phase is protected by $\mathbb{Z}_2 \times \mathbb{Z}_2$ spin rotation symmetry or time-reversal symmetry. Depending on several parameters, the Hamiltonian can either be in a gapped Haldane or a gapless critical phase. In a certain limit, the phase diagram is determined analytically by perturbation theory, while for general cases, the phase diagram is studied numerically by the variational uniform matrix product state (VUMPS) algorithm.


title: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Radiology Research Enterprise: Radiology Scientific Expert Panel

text: The current COVID-19 crisis continues to grow and has resulted in marked changes to clinical operations. In parallel with clinical preparedness, universities have shut down the majority of scientific research activities. Radiology researchers are currently grappling with these challenges that will continue to affect current and future imaging research. The purpose of this article is to describe the collective experiences of a diverse international group of academic radiology research programs in managing their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The acute response at six distinct institutions will first be described, exploring common themes, challenges, priorities, and practices. This will be followed by reflections about the future of radiology research in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.


Adapting Head and Neck Cancer Management in the Time of COVID-19


title: Risk factors associated with COVID-19 infection: a retrospective cohort study based on contacts tracing

text: This study aimed to estimate the attack rates, and identify the risk factors of COVID-19 infection. Based on a retrospective cohort study, we investigated 11,580 contacts of COVID-19 cases in Guangdong Province from 10 January to 15 March 2020. All contacts were tested by RT-PCR to detect their infection of SARS-COV-2. Attack rates by characteristics were calculated. Logistic regression was used to estimate the risk factors of infection for COVID-19. A total of 515 of 11,580 contacts were identified to be infected with SARS-COV-2. Compared to young adults aged 20-29 years, the infected risk was higher in children (RR: 2.59, 95%CI: 1.79-3.76), and old people aged 60-69 years (RR: 5.29, 95%CI: 3.76-7.46). Females also had higher infected risk (RR: 1.66, 95%CI: 1.39-2.00). People having close relationship with index cases encountered higher infected risk (RR for spouse: 20.68, 95%CI: 14.28-29.95; RR for non-spouse family members: 9.55, 95%CI: 6.73-13.55; RR for close relatives: 5.90, 95%CI: 4.06-8.59). Moreover, contacts exposed to index case in symptomatic period (RR: 2.15, 95%CI: 1.67-2.79), with critically severe symptoms (RR: 1.61, 95%CI: 1.00-2.57), with symptoms of dizzy (RR: 1.58, 95%CI: 1.08-2.30), myalgia (RR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.15-1.94), and chill (RR: 1.42, 95%CI: 1.05-1.92) had higher infected risks. Children, old people, females, and family members are susceptible of COVID-19 infection, while index cases in the incubation period had lower contagiousness. Our findings will be helpful for developing targeted prevention and control strategies to combat the worldwide pandemic.


docid: kehtqups

title: Understanding Knowledge and Behaviors Related to CoViD-19 Epidemic in Italian Undergraduate Students: The EPICO Study

text: Background: On February 2020, the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) epidemic began in Italy. In order to contain the spread of the virus, the Italian government adopted emergency measures nationwide, including closure of schools and universities, workplaces and subsequently lockdown. This survey was carried out among Italian undergraduates to explore their level of knowledge about the epidemic and the behaviors they adopted during the lockdown. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was administered to the students attending three Italian universities. Results: A good level of knowledge about the epidemic and its control was registered in the sample, mainly among students attending life sciences degree courses. The majority of the students did not modify their diet and smoking habits, while a great part of the sample reported a decrease in physical activity (PA). Conclusions: Students from life sciences courses showed a higher awareness regarding the infection and the control measures. The lockdown caused an important reduction of PA. Preventive interventions should transform the restrictive measures also as an opportunity to improve lifestyle.


The SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak: Diagnosis, Infection Prevention, and Public Perception


title: COVID-19 and older people in Asia: Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia calls to actions

text: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has casted a huge impact on global public health and the economy. In this challenging situation, older people are vulnerable to the infection and the secondary effects of the pandemic and need special attention. To evaluate the impacts of COVID-19 on older people, it is important to balance the successful pandemic control and active management of secondary consequences. These considerations are particularly salient in the Asian context, with its diversity among countries in terms of sociocultural heritage, healthcare setup and availability of resources. Thus, the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia summarized the considerations of Asian countries focusing on responses and difficulties in each country, impacts of health inequity related to the COVID-19 pandemic and proposed recommendations for older people, which are germane to the Asian context. More innovative services should be developed to address the increasing demands for new approaches to deliver healthcare in these difficult times and to establish resilient healthcare systems for older people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; 9999: n/a-n/a.


docid: vdazvwpr

title: Migrant workers and COVID-19

text: OBJECTIVES: Daily numbers of COVID-19 in Singapore from March to May 2020, the cause of a surge in cases in April and the national response were examined, and regulations on migrant worker accommodation studied. METHODS: Information was gathered from daily reports provided by the Ministry of Health, Singapore Statues online and a Ministerial statement given at a Parliament sitting on 4 May 2020. RESULTS: A marked escalation in the daily number of new COVID-19 cases was seen in early April 2020. The majority of cases occurred among an estimated 295 000 low-skilled migrant workers living in foreign worker dormitories. As of 6 May 2020, there were 17 758 confirmed COVID-19 cases among dormitory workers (88% of 20 198 nationally confirmed cases). One dormitory housing approximately 13 000 workers had 19.4% of residents infected. The national response included mobilising several government agencies and public volunteers. There was extensive testing of workers in dormitories, segregation of healthy and infected workers, and daily observation for fever and symptoms. Twenty-four dormitories were declared as 'isolation areas', with residents quarantined for 14 days. New housing, for example, vacant public housing flats, military camps, exhibition centres, floating hotels have been provided that will allow for appropriate social distancing. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted migrant workers as a vulnerable occupational group. Ideally, matters related to inadequate housing of vulnerable migrant workers need to be addressed before a pandemic.


title: Modelling the second wave of COVID-19 infections in France and Italy via a Stochastic SEIR model

text: COVID-19 has forced quarantine measures in several countries across the world. These measures have proven to be effective in significantly reducing the prevalence of the virus. To date, no effective treatment or vaccine is available. In the effort of preserving both public health as well as the economical and social textures, France and Italy governments have partially released lockdown measures. Here we extrapolate the long-term behavior of the epidemics in both countries using a Susceptible-Exposed-Infected-Recovered (SEIR) model where parameters are stochastically perturbed to handle the uncertainty in the estimates of COVID-19 prevalence. Our results suggest that uncertainties in both parameters and initial conditions rapidly propagate in the model and can result in different outcomes of the epidemics leading or not to a second wave of infections. Using actual knowledge, asymptotic estimates of COVID-19 prevalence can fluctuate of order of ten millions units in both countries.


Regulating drugs, medical devices, and diagnostic tests in the European Union: early lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic?


Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on spinal pathology: single center first impression


Disinformation, Misinformation and Inequality-Driven Mistrust in the Time of COVID-19: Lessons Unlearned from AIDS Denialism


Management of Traumatic Spinal Fracture in Patient with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Situation


Evidence of mother-to-newborn infection with COVID-19


title: Out of Hospital Management of LVAD Patients During COVID-19 Outbreak

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic touching thousands of patients all around the world. Patients supported with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) are usually affected by long-standing cardiovascular diseases and subjected to variations of the normal cardiovascular physiology, thus requiring an even closer monitoring during the COVID-19 outbreak. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic reduction of routine clinical activities and a consequent risk of looser connections between LVAD patients and their referring center. Potential deleterious effects of such a situation can be delayed recognition of LVAD-related complications, misdiagnosis of COVID-19 and impaired social and psychological well-being for patents and families. As one of the largest LVAD programs worldwide, we designed a sustainable and enforceable telemonitoring algorithm which can be easily adapted to every LVAD center so to maintain optimal quality of care of LVAD patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Pain Management Best Practices from Multispecialty Organizations During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Public Health Crises-Evaluating the Risk of Infection Associated with Corticosteroid Injections


Tuberculosis and HIV responses threatened by COVID-19


title: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells in obstetrical and gynecological diseases

text: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous group of myeloid-origin cells which have immunosuppressive activities in several conditions, such as cancer and inflammation. Recent research has also associated MDSCs with numerous obstetrical and gynecological diseases. During pregnancy, MDSCs accumulate to ensure maternal-fetal immune tolerance, whereas they are decreased in patients who suffer from early miscarriage or preeclampsia. While the etiology of endometriosis is still unknown, abnormal accumulation of MDSCs in the peripheral blood and peritoneal fluid, alongside an increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been observed in these patients, which is central to the cellular immune regulations by MDSCs. Additionally, the regulation of MDSCs observed in tumors is also applicable to gynecologic neoplasms, including ovarian cancer and cervical cancer. More recently, emerging evidence has shown that there are high levels of MDSCs in premature ovarian failure (POF) and in vitro fertilization (IVF), but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. In this review, the generation and mechanisms of MDSCs are summarized. In particular the modulation of these cells in immune-related obstetrical and gynecological diseases is discussed, including potential treatment options targeting MDSCs.


title: Emerging evidence for neuropsycho-consequences of COVID-19

text: The pandemic novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global concern in which respiratory system is not the only one involved. Previous researches have presented the common clinical manifestations including respiratory symptoms (i.e., fever and cough), fatigue and myalgia. However, there is limited evidence for neurological and psychological influences by SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we discuss the common neurological manifestations of COVID-19 including acute cerebrovascular disease (i.e., cerebral hemorrhage) and muscle ache. Possible viral transmission to the nervous system may occur via circulation, an upper nasal transcribrial route and/or conjunctival route. Also, we cannot ignore the psychological influence on the public, medical staff and confirmed patients. Dealing with public psychological barriers and performing psychological crisis intervention are an important part of public health interventions.


Reopening Schools in the Time of Pandemic: Look to the School Nurses


title: Spectrum of chest computed tomographic (CT) findings in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients in India

text: PURPOSE: To report the spectrum of chest computed tomographic (CT) imaging findings in coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) infected Indian patients. METHODS: This was a prospective descriptive study comprising 147 consecutive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive patients who underwent CT chest. Prevalence, distribution, extent and type of abnormal lung findings were recorded. RESULTS: Among the total study cohort of 147 patients, 104 (70.7 %) were males and 43 (29.3 %) were females with mean age of 40.9â¯±â¯17.2 years (range 24-71 years). We observed lung parenchymal abnormalities in 51 (34.7 %) cases whereas 96 (65.3 %) RT-PCR positive cases had a normal chest CT. Only 12.2 % of the patients were dyspneic, 6.1 % had desaturation, 7.4 % had increased respiratory rate and 10.9 % had comorbidities. Among the patients with abnormal CT findings bilateral 39/51 (76.5 %), multilobar (88.2 %) lung involvement with a predominant peripheral and posterior distribution was commonly observed. With regards to the type of opacity, ground glass opacity (GGO) was the dominant abnormality found in all 51 (100 %) cases. Pure GGO was observed in 15 (29.4 %), GGO with crazy paving pattern was seen in 15 (29.4 %) and GGO mixed with consolidation was noted in 21(41.2 %). Peri-lesional or intralesional segmental or subsegmental pulmonary vessel enlargement was observed in 36 (70.6 %) cases. CONCLUSION: In this study population predominantly with mild symptoms and few comorbidities, two-thirds of RT-PCR positive patients had a normal chest CT; whereas the remaining patients showed typical findings of predominant GGOs with a bilateral distribution and peripheral predominance.


title: COVID-19 Waves: Importance of Accumulative Mortality per Million Inhabitants

text: The reported number of new cases underestimates the real spread of COVID-19 pandemic because of non-tested asymptomatic people and limited global access to reliable diagnostic tests. In this context, COVID-19 mortality with confirmed diagnosis becomes an attractive source of information to be included in the analysis of perspectives and proposals. Objective data are required to calculate the capacity of resources provided by health systems. New strategies are needed to stabilize or minimize the mortality surge. However, we will not afford this goal until more alternatives were available. We still need an effective treatment, an affordable vaccine, or a collective achievement of sufficient immunity (reaching up to 70% of the whole population). At any time, the arriving waves of the pandemic are testing the capacity of governments. The health services struggle to keep the plateau in a steady-state below 100 deaths per million inhabitants. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the alternatives and supplies based on the current and near-future expected demands imposed by the number of deaths by COVID-19. Estimating COVID-19 mortality in various scenarios with the gradual release of social constraints will help predict the magnitude of those arriving waves.


title: Cost-effectiveness analysis of genetic diagnostic strategies for Lynch syndrome in Italy

text: Lynch syndrome (LS) is an autosomal dominant condition caused by pathogenic variants in mismatch repair (MMR) genes that predispose individuals to different malignancies, such as colorectal cancer (CRC) and endometrial cancer. Current guidelines recommended testing for LS in individuals with newly diagnosed CRC to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality in relatives. Economic evaluations in support of such approach, however, are not available in Italy. We developed a decision-analytic model to analyze the cost-effectiveness of LS screening from the perspective of the Italian National Health System. Three testing strategies: the sequencing of all MMR genes without prior tumor analysis (Strategy 1), a sequential IHC and MS-MLPA analysis (Strategy 2), and an age-targeted strategy with a revised Bethesda criteria assessment before IHC and methylation-specific MLPA for patients ≥ than 70 years old (Strategy 3) were analyzed and compared to the "no testing" strategy. Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) in relatives after colonoscopy, aspirin prophylaxis and an intensive gynecological surveillance were estimated through a Markov model. Assuming a CRC incidence rate of 0.09% and a share of patients affected by LS equal to 2.81%, the number of detected pathogenic variants among CRC cases ranges, in a given year, between 910 and 1167 depending on the testing strategy employed. The testing strategies investigated, provided one-time to the entire eligible population (CRC patients), were associated with an overall cost ranging between 1,753,059.93-10,388,000.00. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of the Markov model ranged from 941.24 /QALY to 1,681.93 /QALY, thus supporting that "universal testing" versus "no testing" is cost-effective, but not necessarily in comparison with age-targeted strategies. This is the first economic evaluation on different testing strategies for LS in Italy. The results might support the introduction of cost-effective recommendations for LS screening in Italy.


Supplements for COVID-19: A modifiable environmental risk


title: Early phylogenetic estimate of the effective reproduction number of SARS-CoV-2

text: To reconstruct the evolutionary dynamics of the 2019 novel-coronavirus recently causing an outbreak in Wuhan, China, 52 SARS-CoV-2 genomes available on 4 February 2020 at Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data were analyzed. The two models used to estimate the reproduction number (coalescent-based exponential growth and a birth-death skyline method) indicated an estimated mean evolutionary rate of 7.8 × 10-4 subs/site/year (range, 1.1 × 10-4 -15 × 10-4 ) and a mean tMRCA of the tree root of 73 days. The estimated R value was 2.6 (range, 2.1-5.1), and increased from 0.8 to 2.4 in December 2019. The estimated mean doubling time of the epidemic was between 3.6 and 4.1 days. This study proves the usefulness of phylogeny in supporting the surveillance of emerging new infections even as the epidemic is growing.


Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Children: What Pediatric Health Care Clinicians Need to Know


A coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in a hospital and hospital closure: A note


docid: eqqdbeyu

title: Validation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Italian Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale

text: Background: The advent of COVID-19 worldwide has led to consequences for people's health, both physical and psychological, such as fear and anxiety. This is the case in Italy, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic. Given the heightened fear concerning COVID-19 in Italy., the present study analyzed the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Methods: The sample comprised 250 Italian participants who were administered Italian versions of the FCV-19S, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Severity Measure for Specific Phobia-Adult (SMSP-A). Several psychometric tests were performed to investigate the validity and reliability of the test including confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Analysis of the data showed satisfactory psychometric characteristics and confirmed the scale's unidimensional properties. The seven FCV-19S items had acceptable correlations with the test total (from .443 to .784). Furthermore, the loadings on the factor were significant and strong (from .684 to .897). The internal consistency was very good (α = .871). Construct validity for the FCV-19S was supported by significant and positive correlations with the HADS (r=.649) and SMSP-A (r=.703). Conclusions: The Italian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale is valid and reliable in assessing fear of COVID-19 among the general Italian population.


title: Stroke and mechanical thrombectomy in patients with COVID-19: technical observations and patient characteristics

text: BACKGROUND: COVID-19 infections have been shown to be associated with a range of thromboembolic disease. OBJECTIVE: To describe our endovascular experience in a consecutive series of patients with COVID-19 who presented with large vessel occlusions, and to describe unique findings in this population. METHODS: Mechanical thrombectomy was performed on five consecutive patients with COVID-19 with large vessel occlusions. A retrospective study of these patients was performed. Patient demographics, laboratory values, mechanical thrombectomy technique, and clinical and angiographic outcomes were reviewed. RESULTS: Four patients with COVID-19 presented with anterior circulation occlusions and one patient with COVID-19 presented with both anterior and posterior circulation occlusions. All patients had coagulation abnormalities. Mean patient age was 52.8 years. Three patients presented with an intracranial internal carotid artery occlusion. Two patients presented with an intracranial occlusion and a tandem thrombus in the carotid bulb. One patient presented with an occlusion in both the internal carotid and basilar arteries. Clot fragmentation and distal emboli to a new vascular territory were seen in two of five (40%) patients, and downstream emboli were seen in all five (100%) patients. Patient clinical outcome was generally poor in this series of patients with COVID-19 large vessel occlusion. CONCLUSION: Our series of patients with COVID-19 demonstrated coagulation abnormalities, and compared with our previous experience with mechanical thrombectomy in large vessel occlusion, this group of patients were younger, had tandem or multiple territory occlusions, a large clot burden, and a propensity for clot fragmentation. These patients present unique challenges that make successful revascularization difficult.


title: Disability and quality of life before and during the COVID-19 outbreak: A cross-sectional study in inflammatory bowel disease patients

text: Background/Aim: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disorder affecting patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) which adds to their disability. Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HRQoL of IBD patients. We aimed to evaluate HRQoL in IBD patient's pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic using the IBD-disk questionnaire and explore associations between socio demographic factors, disease types, severity and impaired HRQoL in patients with IBD. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care centre in Saudi Arabia between November 2019 and March 2020 at the outpatient IBD clinics. The HRQoL of patients was assessed using the 10-item IBD-disk questionnaire. Results: A total of 59 IBD patients (40 Crohn's disease, 19 Ulcerative colitis) with a mean disease duration of 3.5 years were included. Most of the patients (77.97%) were on biologics while 35.59% were on immune modulators, 16.94% on 5-ASA, and 3.38% were on corticosteroids. There was no difference between any of the 10 IBD-disk variables pre and post-COVID-19 pandemic apart from the perception of body image, where there was a slightly more negative perception with an increase from 2.53 to 3.39 (P = 0.05) There was no significant difference in HRQoL between patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in any of domains. Conclusion: The current study showed that disability and HRQoL appears to be unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic among our cohort, however further studies with longer follow up and larger sample size is needed.


Cutaneous manifestations in COVID-19: a first perspective


There is nothing new under the sun: ageism and intergenerational tension in the age of the COVID-19 outbreak


docid: ivjjhthx

title: Treatment of nasal bridge ulceration related to protective measures for the COVID-19 epidemic


Detailed hemodynamics of fulminant myocarditis caused by COVID-19


title: Moral injury in the wake of coronavirus: Attending to the psychological impact of the pandemic

text: Moral injury is a helpful lens through which we can better understand and prepare for the downstream psychosocial impact faced by health care providers during the coronavirus pandemic. Moral injury is psychological weight caused by a transgression of one's own or shared morals and values and can manifest as guilt, shame, inability to self-forgive, demoralization, and, in the worst case, self-harming behaviors. Given the morally challenging and life-threatening decisions our health care workers need to make daily in the face of consistent and ongoing death and loss, it is important to prepare for moral injury and the psychological toll by offering psychological support early and as often as needed at both the personal and institutional level. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).


docid: svfszyot

title: A framework for assessing glaucoma progression using structural and functional indices jointly

text: PURPOSE: While many tests and indices are available to identify glaucoma progression, using them in combinations may decrease overall specificity. The aim of this study was to develop a framework for assessing glaucoma progression using structural and functional indices jointly for a fixed specificity. METHODS: The study included 337 eyes of 207 patients with ocular hypertension or primary open-angle glaucoma selected from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study or the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation Study. All patients had at least 9 visits. Each visit had retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) and mean sensitivity from static automated perimetry (SAP MS) measured within a one-month window. Simple linear regression was applied to assess deterioration in each index for series of 5 to 9 visits. To identify progression using the two indices jointly, marginal significance levels set at a specificity of 95% were derived for two criteria: ANY (worsening on either RNFLT or SAP MS) and ALL (worsening on both RNFLT and SAP MS). Positive rate (percentage of eyes flagged as progressing) was determined individually for each index, as well as for the ANY and ALL criteria. RESULTS: Compared to SAP MS, RNFLT had higher positive rates (15% to 45%) for all series lengths. For the joint analyses, the positive rate was on average 12% higher for the ANY criterion compared to the ALL criterion. While RNFLT-alone had comparable positive rates and time-to-detection as the ANY criterion, each uniquely identified a subset of eyes (Kappa = 0.55 to 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a simple framework for assessing glaucoma progression with data from two tests jointly, without compromising specificity. This framework can be extended to include two or more parameters, can accommodate global or regional indices, and can eventually be used with novel parameters identified as predictive of glaucoma progression.


Cutaneous lupus erythematosus patients in a high-epidemic COVID-19 area, Bergamo, Italy


title: Neurological Implications of COVID-19 Infections

text: The magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic will result in substantial neurological disease, whether through direct infection (rare), para-infectious complications (less rare), or critical illness more generally (common). Here, we raise the importance of stringent diagnosis and data collection regarding neurological complications of COVID-19; we urge caution in the over-diagnosis of neurological disease where it does not exist, but equally strongly encourage the concerted surveillance for such conditions. Additional to the direct neurological complications of COVID-19 infection, neurological patients are at risk of harm from both structural limitations (such as number of intensive care beds), and a hesitancy to treat with certain necessary medications given risk of nosocomial COVID-19 infection. We therefore also outline the specific management of patients with neuroinflammatory diseases in the context of the pandemic. This article describes the implications of COVID-19 on neurological disease and advertises the Neurocritical Care Society's international data collection collaborative that seeks to align data elements.


The behavioral pattern of patients with frontotemporal dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic


title: Mobility Based SIR Model For Pandemics -- With Case Study Of COVID-19

text: In the last decade, humanity has faced many different pandemics such as SARS, H1N1, and presently novel coronavirus (COVID-19). On one side, scientists are focusing on vaccinations, and on the other side, there is a need to propose models that can help us in understanding the spread of these pandemics as it can help governmental and other concerned agencies to be well prepared, especially from pandemics, which spreads faster like COVID-19. The main reason for some epidemic turning into pandemics is the connectivity among different regions of the world, which makes it easier to affect a wider geographical area, often worldwide. In addition, the population distribution and social coherence in the different regions of the world is non-uniform. Thus, once the epidemic enters a region, then the local population distribution plays an important role. Inspired by these ideas, we proposed a mobility-based SIR model for epidemics, which especially takes into account pandemic situations. To the best of our knowledge, this model is first of its kind, which takes into account the population distribution and connectivity of different geographic locations across the globe. In addition to presenting the mathematical proof of our model, we have performed extensive simulations using synthetic data to demonstrate our model's generalizability. To demonstrate the wider scope of our model, we used our model to forecast the COVID-19 cases for Estonia.


title: Characterization of SETD1A haploinsufficiency in humans and Drosophila defines a novel neurodevelopmental syndrome

text: Defects in histone methyltransferases (HMTs) are major contributing factors in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Heterozygous variants of SETD1A involved in histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) methylation were previously identified in individuals with schizophrenia. Here, we define the clinical features of the Mendelian syndrome associated with haploinsufficiency of SETD1A by investigating 15 predominantly pediatric individuals who all have de novo SETD1A variants. These individuals present with a core set of symptoms comprising global developmental delay and/or intellectual disability, subtle facial dysmorphisms, behavioral and psychiatric problems. We examined cellular phenotypes in three patient-derived lymphoblastoid cell lines with three variants: p.Gly535Alafs*12, c.4582-2_4582delAG, and p.Tyr1499Asp. These patient cell lines displayed DNA damage repair defects that were comparable to previously observed RNAi-mediated depletion of SETD1A. This suggested that these variants, including the p.Tyr1499Asp in the catalytic SET domain, behave as loss-of-function (LoF) alleles. Previous studies demonstrated a role for SETD1A in cell cycle control and differentiation. However, individuals with SETD1A variants do not show major structural brain defects or severe microcephaly, suggesting that defective proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitors is unlikely the single underlying cause of the disorder. We show here that the Drosophila melanogaster SETD1A orthologue is required in postmitotic neurons of the fly brain for normal memory, suggesting a role in post development neuronal function. Together, this study defines a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by dominant de novo LoF variants in SETD1A and further supports a role for H3K4 methyltransferases in the regulation of neuronal processes underlying normal cognitive functioning.


docid: vghauzfu

title: [Consideration on improving public health emergency management ability of current medical health system]

text: COVID-19 is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Direct economic loss is expected to be much more than that of SARS outbreak in 2003. The risk factors of COVID-19 epidemic at the early stage incluede the misjudgment of the epidemic, delay in reporting this emerging infectious disease, nosocomial infection-caused transmission of the virus into local communities, and weak public health interventions. The infection rate (or the incidence) reflects the prophylactic effect in population. Case fatality reflects the therapeutic effect of clinical intervention. There were sufficient medical resources at the national top levels accumulated in Wuhan. Furthermore, medical professionals and sufficient medical supplies from other provinces have been assigned to join in the fighting against the epidemic in Wuhan. However, the case fatality in Wuhan has being kept the highest in China, indicating that clinical treatment for this virus-caused emerging infectious disease, whose pathogenesis remains to be elucidated, had a limited effect in controlling this epidemic. The unusual, extremely costly public health interventions including the temporarily city quarantine and transportation ban issued by the central government are crucial in controlling this epidemic. The control of epidemic indicates the importance of public health measures but also reflected its insufficient capacity in China. Recently, profit-seeking mechanism run in Chinese health service system disorganized the balance of clinical service and public health service patterns in China, promoting the vicious circle of "attaching importance to clinical treatment and despising disease prophylaxis" , damaging the infrastructure of public health capacity, thus contributing to the formation of the inevitability in various fortuities of public health emergency. To strength the capacity of our medical service system to respond to public health emergency efficiently, two key issues should be considered. First, public health service, which should be fixed as the health section of the governments' public services by the law, must be greatly improved to meet the increasing health needs of the publics. Second, the vicious circle of profit-seeking-caused "attaching importance to clinical treatment and despising disease prophylaxis" should be immediately broken to optimize the national health service system in China by increasing the investment in public health service.


title: Ibuprofen and thromboembolism in SARS-COV2

text: Recent and developing literature has begun reporting on the incidence of thromboembolic events associated with COVID-19. Klok et al. analysed 184 SARS-CoV2-positive ICU patients in two Dutch University Hospitals, reporting an incidence of thrombotic complications to be 31%, with Pulmonary Embolism (PE) comprising 81% of these complications. [1] Moreover, Cui et al. reports on a population of 81 ICU patients at the Union Hospital, Wuhan, an incidence of 25% in VTE, also possibly related to worse prognosis.[2] Wang et al. collected data from 1026 COVID-19 positive patients in 31 provincial administrative regions in China and found 40% of the patients as high risk for VTE according to the Padua Prediction Score, with 11% being predicted to go on developing VTE. [3] Other reports and studies have also discussed the role of acute PE in COVID-19. Recent studies have also reported and advised on the use of prophylactic Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH) in COVID-19 patients, to prevent the severe outcomes associated with thromboembolic complications.


Serratia marcescens outbreak in the intensive care unit during the COVID-19 pandemic: A paradoxical risk?


COVID infection and sentinel lymph node procedure for melanoma: Management in a dermato-oncology center in a high-risk pandemic area


title: [Analysis of variation and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 genome]

text: OBJECTIVE: To analyze the evolution and variation of SARS-CoV-2 during the epidemic starting at the end of 2019. METHODS: We downloaded the full-length genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 from the databases of GISAID and NCBI. Using the software for bioinformatics including MEGA-X, BEAST, and TempEst, we constructed the genomic evolution tree, inferred the time evolution signal of the virus, calculated the tMRCA time of the virus and analyzed the selection pressure of the virus during evolution. RESULTS: The phylogenetic tree showed that SARS-CoV-2 belonged to the Sarbecovirus subgenus of ß Coronavirus genus together with bat coronavirus BetaCoV/bat/Yunnan/RaTG13/2013, bat-SL-CoVZC45, bat-SL-CoVZXC21 and SARS-CoV. The genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from the ongoing epidemic showed a weak time evolution signal with an average tMRCA time of 73 days (95% CI: 38.9-119.3 days). No positive time evolution signal was found between SARS-CoV-2 and BetaCoV/bat/Yunnan/RaTG13/2013, but the former virus had a strong positive temporal evolution relationship with bat-SL-CoVZC45 and SARS-CoV. The major cause for mutations of SARS-CoV-2 was the pressure of purification selection during the epidemic. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 may have emerged as early as November, 2019, originating most likely from bat-associated coronavirus. This finding may provide evidence for tracing the sources and evolution of the virus.


Using Telehealth Groups to Combat Loneliness in Older Adults Through COVID-19


Might the many positive COVID19 subjects in Italy have been caused by resident bat-derived zoonotic ß-coronaviruses instead of the Wuhan (China) outbreak?


docid: ihoqlyiw

title: POCUS to Guide Fluid Therapy in COVID-19


Pregnancy and Pandemic Disease


Single cell transcriptome revealed SARS-CoV-2 entry genes enriched in colon tissues and associated with coronavirus infection and cytokine production


docid: deccnjsn

title: Dialysis Care for Undocumented Immigrants With Kidney Failure in the COVID-19 Era: Public Health Implications and Policy Recommendations


Letter to the Editor: Support Through Social Networks of e-Health in Adults with Primary Immunodeficiencies During COVID-19 Pandemic


title: [Practice and thinking of acute respiratory infection surveillance for the response of emerging respiratory diseases in Shanghai]

text: Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention has implemented an active comprehensive surveillance project of acute respiratory infections in adults in Shanghai, including influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). By testing and identifying a variety of respiratory pathogens, it was found that influenza viruses were the main pathogens in 172 ILI cases in 2019. The positive rates of influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus, influenza A (H3N2) virus and influenza B virus Victoria lineage were 30.81%, 14.53% and 30.55%, respectively. The positive detection of influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus peaked in the first quarter. The positive rate of enterovirus/human rhinovirus was 6.40%, with a positive detection peak in the third quarter, while the positive rate of adenovirus was 4.65% with a positive detection peak in the second quarter of the year. Two human coronavirus (HCoV)-OC43 positive samples, 1 HCoV-HKU1 positive sample and 1 HCoV-NL63 positive sample were detected, respectively, and no HCoV-229E positive sample was detected. The detection rate of Staphylococcus aureus was 17.44%, and the detection rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae was 9.88%. Influenza viruses were also the main pathogens in 1 447 SARI cases. The positive rates of influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus, influenza A (H3N2) virus and influenza B virus Victoria lineage were 5.46%, 1.73% and 0.30%, respectively. The positive detection of influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus (17.50%) peaked in the first quarter. The total positive detection rate of enterovirus/human rhinovirus was 2.97%, the positive detection peaked in the first quarter. The positive rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae was 3.25% and the positive rate of Legionella was 1.04%. 5 HCoV-229E positive samples, 10 HCoV-OC43 positive samples, 7 HCoV-HKU1 positive samples and 6 HCoV-NL63 positive samples were detected. Eight strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 4 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 3 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae were detected after cultures. By implementing the active surveillance, we not only detected a case of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in time, but also preliminary understood the pathogenic spectrum characteristics and seasonality of ILI and SARI in Shanghai. In recent years, the surveillance methods have been continuously improved and the number of sentinel hospitals has increased gradually. In particular, for the response to COVID-19, the Surveillance Information Reporting System of Acute Respiratory Infection based on HIS system has been promoted to cover the whole city, which might lay a foundation for the active surveillance and early warning of emerging infectious diseases in the future.


title: Implementation of rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigenic testing in a laboratory without access to molecular methods: Experiences of a general hospital

text: BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 Ag (Antigen) Respi-Strip assay is a new immunochromatographic diagnostic tool recently available for antigenic diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. The proposed sensitivity is not higher than 60 %, but its high specificity allows both quick decisions for the management of patients and confirmation by molecular diagnosis for only negative tests. However, from the first tests performed, we suspected that the sensitivity observed with routine use was much lower than that announced by the manufacturer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a period of one month, we compared the negative results obtained with the COVID-19 Ag Respi-Strip kit with those obtained from qRT-PCR performed in a laboratory qualified for the molecular diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. All samples tested were naso-pharyngeal smears from UTM-RT medium. RESULTS: Of 774 patients tested, 714 negative samples were sent for confirmation, and 159 were found to be positive by qRT-PCR. The median positive percentage agreement was 23.9 % (95 % CI: 14.2 %-38.2 %). The Cohen's kappa score was 0.35. CONCLUSION: Using this immunochromatographic assay as a triage test did not significantly reduce the number of samples outsourced for COVID-19 confirmation by qRT-PCR. In addition, even if the turn-around time is short, the assay is completely manual, which is not suitable for large volumes of routine samples. The sensitivity of this rapid test is poor, and improvements are needed to enhance its performance.


Asymptomatic coronavirus infection: MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)


Localising an asset-based COVID-19 response in Ecuador


Peaceful Goodbyes: Providing End-of-Life Care to Patients with COVID-19


title: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Unhealthy Eating in Populations with Obesity

text: OBJECTIVE: To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patronage to unhealthy eating establishments in populations with obesity. METHODS: Anonymized movement data accounting for roughly 10% of devices in the United States at 138,989 unhealthy eating locations from December 1st 2019 through April 2020 and the percentage of adults with obesity, the poverty rate, and the food environment index in 65% of United States counties were collected and merged. A cluster corrected Poisson spline regression was performed predicting patronage by day, the percentage of adults with obesity in the establishment's county, the county's poverty rate, and its food environment index, as well as their interactions. RESULTS: Patronage to unhealthy eating establishments was higher where there was a higher percentage of the adult population with obesity. A similar pattern was observed for counties with a lower food environment index. These disparities appear to have increased as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest unhealthy eating patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic are higher in already at-risk populations. Policy makers can use these findings to motivate interventions and programs aimed at increasing healthy food intake in at-risk communities during crises.


title: Chest CT and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): A Critical Review of the Literature to Date

text: OBJECTIVE. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a global pandemic. Studies in the radiology literature have suggested that CT might be sufficiently sensitive and specific in diagnosing COVID-19 when used in lieu of a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test; however, this suggestion runs counter to current society guidelines. The purpose of this article is to critically review some of the most frequently cited studies on the use of CT for detecting COVID-19. CONCLUSION. To date, the radiology literature on COVID-19 has consisted of limited retrospective studies that do not substantiate the use of CT as a diagnostic test for COVID-19.


title: Suggestions casted to the novel coronavirus nucleic acid amplification test from viral pneumonia pathogenesis/ 中华检验医学杂志

text: An outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), results in Coronavirus disease that began in Wuhan, China, has spread rapidly with cases now confirmed in multiple countries. Nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), represent by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) plays an important role in disease diagnosis and treatment evaluation. The test results by RT-PCR have attracted much attention recently. As understanding to this novel pathogen is still limited, it would be much help to combine the knowledge about its pathogenesis to judge the test results, in addition to review the quality control in laboratory. This review will focus on understanding the specific RT-PCR performance of the 2019-nCoV, under the background of viral pneumonia. The purpose of this review is to add value to NAAT of 2019-nCoV, with combined knowledge of epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics and pre-analysis quality control from viral pneumonia.


title: Best Practice Recommendations for Pediatric Otolaryngology during the COVID-19 Pandemic

text: OBJECTIVE: To review the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on pediatric otolaryngology and provide recommendations for the management of children during the COVID-19 pandemic. DATA SOURCES: Clinical data were derived from peer-reviewed primary literature and published guidelines from national or international medical organizations. Preprint manuscripts and popular media articles provided background information and illustrative examples. METHODS: Included manuscripts were identified via searches using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar, while organizational guidelines and popular media articles were identified using Google search queries. Practice guidelines were developed via consensus among all authors based on peer-reviewed manuscripts and national or international health care association guidelines. Strict objective criteria for inclusion were not used due to the rapidly changing environment surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and a paucity of rigorous empirical evidence. CONCLUSIONS: In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical care must be judiciously allocated to treat the most severe conditions while minimizing the risk of long-term sequelae and ensuring patient, physician, and health care worker safety. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The COVID-19 pandemic will have a profound short- and long-term impact on health care worldwide. Although the full repercussions of this disease have yet to be realized, the outlined recommendations will guide otolaryngologists in the treatment of pediatric patients in the face of an unprecedented global health crisis.


title: Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Patients With COVID-19: Pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, or Something Else?

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents a very heterogeneous disease. Some aspects of COVID-19 pneumonia question the real nature of ground glass opacities and its consolidative lesions. It has been hypothesized that COVID-19 lung involvement could represent not only a viral effect but also an immune response induced by the infection, causing epithelial/endothelial lesions and coagulation disorders. We report 3 cases of COVID-19 pneumonia in which contrast-enhanced ultrasound was suggestive of consolidations with perfusion defects, at least in part caused by ischemic or necrotic changes and not only by inflammatory or atelectasis events.


COVID-19 and Asthma, the Good or the Bad?


title: Impacts of COVID-19 control measures on tropospheric NO$_2$ over China, South Korea and Italy

text: Tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO$_2$) concentrations are strongly affected by anthropogenic activities. Using space-based measurements of tropospheric NO$_2$, here we investigate the responses of tropospheric NO$_2$ to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) over China, South Korea, and Italy. We find noticeable reductions of tropospheric NO$_2$ columns due to the COVID-19 controls by more than 40% over E. China, South Korea, and N. Italy. The 40% reductions of tropospheric NO$_2$ are coincident with intensive lockdown events as well as up to 20% reductions in anthropogenic nitrogen oxides (NO$_x$) emissions. The perturbations in tropospheric NO$_2$ diminished accompanied with the mitigation of COVID-19 pandemic, and finally disappeared within around 50-70 days after the starts of control measures over all three nations, providing indications for the start, maximum, and mitigation of intensive controls. This work exhibits significant influences of lockdown measures on atmospheric environment, highlighting the importance of satellite observations to monitor anthropogenic activity changes.


title: Saudi Society for Cardiac Surgeons consensus document on COVID-19, April 1, 2020

text: The COVID-19 pandemic represents an international health crisis that is challenging to all governments. Health practitioners in different fields have a duty to guide people and governments to achieve safe health practices. The Saudi Society for Cardiac Surgeons recognizes that it is difficult to establish evidence-based guidelines for safe cardiac surgery practices in such a crisis because this is an unprecedented health pandemic. So we decided to work with our colleagues in other societies by reviewing different recommendations and safe practices issued by different health organizations and scientific societies. The aim was to come up with recommendations that could guide hospitals, physicians, and other members of the healthcare team on the best available practices that are applicable to our community and that will not only ensure optimum patient care delivery but also protect healthcare workers from the risk of infection and aid the national effort in containing and managing this worldwide pandemic.


Respiratory Parameters in Patients With COVID-19 After Using Noninvasive Ventilation in the Prone Position Outside the Intensive Care Unit


title: Guidelines for primary health care-based telemental health in a low-to middle-income country: the case of Lebanon

text: Significant efforts have been conducted to improve access to Mental Health Services (MHS) and reduce the burden of Mental Health Disorders (MHD) in Low-to Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). However, important challenges to accessing MHS still exist and limit improvements. Telemental Health (TMH), a modality that delivers remote MHS provides an ideal solution to complement existing efforts; however, there are limited reports on its implementation in developing countries such as Lebanon. This study presents the first roadmap for TMH applicability in Lebanon, with a focus on the Primary Health Care (PHC) setting, which has international relevance. We review existing guidelines and contextualise them to the Lebanese setting by addressing essential components for implementation. In specific, we shed light on 6 aspects: (1) patient population, (2) technological guidelines, (3) clinical guidelines, (4) administrative guidelines, (5) workforce, and (6) monitoring and evaluation. In addition, we acknowledge the important role of governmental efforts in setting the infrastructural and regulatory aspects for TMH practice. We provide guidance for public health professionals, government officials, and clinicians looking to adopt TMH practice in Lebanon or other countries with similar development and cultural landscapes.


docid: mmfbuapa

title: Las estadísticas sanitarias y la invisibilidad por sexo y de género durante la epidemia de COVID-19./ [Health statistics and invisibility by sex and gender during the COVID-19 epidemic]

text: Reports on COVID-19 from the Spanish Health Ministry are valuable, but incomplete, with the perverse effect that the susceptibility to COVID-19 by sex is unclear. Prevalence of COVID-19 by sexes differs between countries. The trend in Spain shows an unequal pattern, initially more frequent in men, but women outnumbered them from March 31, after two weeks lockdown. Infections are more frequent in women than in men in close contact with probable/confirmed COVID-19 cases. Consistent with deaths in men, they are hospitalized more frequently than women: Significant gender differences in signs/symptoms can drive this pattern, already observed in other pathologies. In late April, excess mortality is the same in women (67%) than in men (66%). But, lack of exhaustive information on deaths from COVID-19 in non-hospitalized patients may contribute to lower notification of deaths in women. Invisibility of data by sex and gender is probably affecting negatively women with COVID -19 more than men.


title: Macrophage activation syndrome in children with Kawasaki disease: diagnostic and therapeutic approaches

text: BACKGROUND: Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a rare, life-threatening complication of Kawasaki disease (KD). Early recognition and treatment of MAS are very important, but sometimes it is difficult to distinguish MAS from a severe form of KD. DATA SOURCES: A PubMed search was performed in Clinical Queries using the key terms "macrophage activation syndrome or secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)" and "Kawasaki disease". RESULTS: KD patients with MAS show high intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) resistance and coronary complications. Mortality is also as high as MAS in other diseases. Persistent fever greater than 10 days is highly associated with development of MAS in KD. Splenomegaly is observed in more than two-thirds of KD patients with MAS. Thrombocytopenia is often the earliest laboratory finding of MAS. Hyperferritinemia is highly specific and sensitive for detecting MAS in KD; so, ferritin levels should be checked if there are unexplained clinical exacerbations in KD patients. Given the under-recognition of MAS in KD, it is prudent to consider resistant KD as occult/subclinical MAS. Many KD patients with MAS have good outcomes on immune modulators. However, if KD patients fulfill the HLH-2004 diagnostic criteria, they may undergo longer and more intensive treatment than needed. CONCLUSIONS: The possible existence of MAS should be taken into account when a KD patient shows persistent fever, splenomegaly, thrombocytopenia, hyperferritinemia, or IVIG resistance. The under-diagnosis of MAS in patients with KD is an important issue to be addressed. Therapeutically, however, there is a possibility of over-treatment of MAS in patients with KD.


title: Ripresa dell'attività sportiva in seguito a pandemia COVID-19. Come comportarsi?/ [Return to sport after the COVID-19 pandemic. How to behave?]

text: Italy, and all the world, has recently faced the arduous battle against the spread of a new coronavirus: SARS-CoV-2. This unexpected pandemic dramatically upended all areas of life, leading to a profound change in priorities, both in the medical as well as the social-economic field; and sports is no exception. Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic also walloped the world of sports. Every aspect of sports has been affected, leading professional and amateur leagues to stop their activities, in order to limit the spread of the virus, a painful but mandatory choice. Even the most popular sports in the world had to deal with the massive global threat of SARS-CoV-2. The Italian Sports Medical Federation (FMSI) has recently drawn up a protocol to be implemented when teams will receive from the authorities the permission to return to competitive activities. The purpose of this paper is to deepen the FMSI indications and allow wider dissemination and understanding.


title: Estimating the burden of United States workers exposed to infection or disease: A key factor in containing risk of COVID-19 infection

text: INTRODUCTION: With the global spread of COVID-19, there is a compelling public health interest in quantifying who is at increased risk of contracting disease. Occupational characteristics, such as interfacing with the public and being in close quarters with other workers, not only put workers at high risk for disease, but also make them a nexus of disease transmission to the community. This can further be exacerbated through presenteeism, the term used to describe the act of coming to work despite being symptomatic for disease. Quantifying the number of workers who are frequently exposed to infection and disease in the workplace, and understanding which occupational groups they represent, can help to prompt public health risk response and management for COVID-19 in the workplace, and subsequent infectious disease outbreaks. METHODS: To estimate the number of United States workers frequently exposed to infection and disease in the workplace, national employment data (by Standard Occupational Classification) maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was merged with a BLS O*NET survey measure reporting how frequently workers in each occupation are exposed to infection or disease at work. This allowed us to estimate the number of United States workers, across all occupations, exposed to disease or infection at work more than once a month. RESULTS: Based on our analyses, approximately 10% (14.4 M) of United States workers are employed in occupations where exposure to disease or infection occurs at least once per week. Approximately 18.4% (26.7 M) of all United States workers are employed in occupations where exposure to disease or infection occurs at least once per month. While the majority of exposed workers are employed in healthcare sectors, other occupational sectors also have high proportions of exposed workers. These include protective service occupations (e.g. police officers, correctional officers, firefighters), office and administrative support occupations (e.g. couriers and messengers, patient service representatives), education occupations (e.g. preschool and daycare teachers), community and social services occupations (community health workers, social workers, counselors), and even construction and extraction occupations (e.g. plumbers, septic tank installers, elevator repair). CONCLUSIONS: The large number of persons employed in occupations with frequent exposure to infection and disease underscore the importance of all workplaces developing risk response plans for COVID-19. Given the proportion of the United States workforce exposed to disease or infection at work, this analysis also serves as an important reminder that the workplace is a key locus for public health interventions, which could protect both workers and the communities they serve.


title: Cobalt-60 and electron beam irradiation induced lipid oxidation on largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

text: BACKGROUND: Irradiation can cause lipid oxidation of fish. This study aimed to examine the effect of radiation (method, dose, and dose rate) on the acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) content, and fatty acid profile of fresh and freeze-dried largemouth bass fleshes. RESULTS: The AV, PV and TBARS presented dose dependent increase in fish meat for both cobalt-60 (60 Co) and electron beam (EB) irradiation. With a 6 kGy of radiation, all measured indices in 60 Co group were significantly higher than those in EB group (P<0.05 or P<0.01). With a 3 kGy of radiation, the AV, PV and TBARS in 200 Gy/min dose rate group were significantly lower than those in 2 Gy/min and 80 Gy/min groups (P<0.05). After 60 Co irradiation, the AV, PV and TBARS in most of fresh samples were significantly higher than those in freeze-dried samples (P<0.01). And 60 Co radiation decreased the unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) content in fresh samples and increased the UFA content in freeze-dried samples. Our study indicated that 60 Co irradiation, particularly at a low dose rate, accelerated lipid oxidation in fish meat. A large amount of muscle moisture enhances the amount of UFA loss in fish meat during 60 Co irradiation. CONCLUSION: Low dose (3 kGy) of EB irradiation, high dose rate (200 Gy/min) of 60 Co irradiation or freeze-drying treatment can alleviate the lipid oxidation of largemouth bass meat. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


COVID-19 and Health Disparities: the Reality of "the Great Equalizer"


Smoking in critically ill patients with COVID-19: the Australian experience


docid: hgidpfow

title: Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in covid-19


The eighth alternative to evidence based medicine in the early era of the COVID-19 pandemic: Too much emergency and emotion, too little evidence


An ethical algorithm for rationing life-sustaining treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic


docid: tpnorhik

title: Correction to Lancet Infect Dis 2020; published online March 12. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30174-2


title: [Clinical Management of Lung Cancer Patients during the Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)]

text: Since late December 2019, an outbreak of 2019 novel coronavirus diseases (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China has spread quickly nationwide. With the spread of COVID-19, the routine clinical diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer patients has been disturbed. Due to the systemic immunosuppressive of lung cancer patients caused by the malignancy and anticancer treatments, lung cancer patients are more susceptible to infection than healthy individuals. Furthermore, patients with cancer had poorer prognosis from infection. Lung cancer patients should be the priority group for COVID-19 prevention. The protection provisions and control measures aiming to protect lung cancer patients from COVID-19 have been increasingly concerned. During the COVID-19 outbreak period, it should be carefully differentiated for fever and respiratory symptoms for lung cancer patients receiving anti-tumor treatment, in order to evaluate the risk of COVID-19. Moreover, it is necessary to carry out meticulous and individualized clinical management for lung cancer patients to effectively protect the patients from COVID-19.


title: Clinical findings of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Jiangsu province, China: A retrospective, multi-center study

text: Limited data are available for clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outside Wuhan. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 and identify the risk factors for severe illness of COVID-19 in Jiangsu province, China. Clinical data of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were retrospectively collected in 8 hospitals from 8 cities of Jiangsu province, China. Clinical findings of COVID-19 patients were described and risk factors for severe illness of COVID-19 were analyzed. By Feb 10, 2020, 202 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were enrolled. The median age of patients was 44.0 years (interquartile range, 33.0-54.0). 55 (27.2%) patients had comorbidities. At the onset of illness, the common symptoms were fever (156 [77.2%]) and cough (120 [59.4%]). 66 (32.7%) patients had lymphopenia. 193 (95.5%) patients had abnormal radiological findings. 11 (5.4%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit and none of the patients died. 23 (11.4%) patients had severe illness. Severe illness of COVID-19 was independently associated with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR], 9.219; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.731 to 31.126; P<0.001) and a known history of type 2 diabetes (OR, 4.326; 95% CI, 1.059 to 17.668; P = 0.041). In this case series in Jiangsu Province, COVID-19 patients had less severe symptoms and had better outcomes than the initial COVID-19 patients in Wuhan. The BMI ≥ 28 kg/m2 and a known history of type 2 diabetes were independent risk factors of severe illness in patients with COVID-19.


Effects of mindfulness and meaning in life on psychological distress in Chinese university students during the COVID-19 epidemic: A chained mediation model


Household studies provide key insights on the transmission of, and susceptibility to, SARS-CoV-2


Coronavirus: Stay proactive


title: Mining the Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients in China: Analysis of Social Media Posts

text: BACKGROUND: In December 2019, pneumonia cases of unknown origin were reported in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Identified as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the number of cases grew rapidly by human-to-human transmission in Wuhan. Social media, especially Sina Weibo (a major Chinese microblogging social media site), has become an important platform for the public to obtain information and seek help. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of suspected or laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients who asked for help on Sina Weibo. METHODS: We conducted data mining on Sina Weibo and extracted the data of 485 patients who presented with clinical symptoms and imaging descriptions of suspected or laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19. In total, 9878 posts seeking help on Sina Weibo from February 3 to 20, 2020 were analyzed. We used a descriptive research methodology to describe the distribution and other epidemiological characteristics of patients with suspected or laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) infection. The distance between patients' home and the nearest designated hospital was calculated using the geographic information system ArcGIS. RESULTS: All patients included in this study who sought help on Sina Weibo lived in Wuhan, with a median age of 63.0 years (IQR 55.0-71.0). Fever (408/485, 84.12%) was the most common symptom. Ground-glass opacity (237/314, 75.48%) was the most common pattern on chest computed tomography; 39.67% (167/421) of families had suspected and/or laboratory-confirmed family members; 36.58% (154/421) of families had 1 or 2 suspected and/or laboratory-confirmed members; and 70.52% (232/329) of patients needed to rely on their relatives for help. The median time from illness onset to real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing was 8 days (IQR 5.0-10.0), and the median time from illness onset to online help was 10 days (IQR 6.0-12.0). Of 481 patients, 32.22% (n=155) lived more than 3 kilometers away from the nearest designated hospital. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that patients seeking help on Sina Weibo lived in Wuhan and most were elderly. Most patients had fever symptoms, and ground-glass opacities were noted in chest computed tomography. The onset of the disease was characterized by family clustering and most families lived far from the designated hospital. Therefore, we recommend the following: (1) the most stringent centralized medical observation measures should be taken to avoid transmission in family clusters; and (2) social media can help these patients get early attention during Wuhan's lockdown. These findings can help the government and the health department identify high-risk patients and accelerate emergency responses following public demands for help.


title: Construction of 5G all-wireless network and information system for cabin hospitals

text: The epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, China, in early 2020. In an effort to curb the spread of the epidemic, the government has requisitioned a variety of venues and plant buildings and built more than 20 cabin hospitals to receive patients with mild symptoms within 48 hours. Under this circumstance, we worked out a 5G all-wireless solution to divide the overall network system of the cabin hospital into multiple network units by function. While ensuring good signal coverage of the local unit, each network unit was independently connected to the host hospital's data center over a virtual private network (VPN) tunnel built on the 5G wireless network. Our successful experience with the application of this 5G + VPN all-wireless network system well points to the bright prospect of 5G wireless network. In addition, the 5G + VPN solution can also be used for multihospital network interconnection and rapid network recovery during the failure of wired network.


The hidden inequalities of COVID-19


title: Preparedness and Preventive Behaviors for a Pandemic Disaster Caused by COVID-19 in Serbia

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The disease was first detected in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, in December 2019 and has since spread globally, especially to Europe and North America, resulting in the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic disaster of 2019-2020. Although most cases have mild symptoms, there is some progression to viral pneumonia and multi-organ failure and death. More than 4.6 million cases have been registered across 216 countries and territories as of 19 April 2020, resulting in more than 311,000 deaths. Risk to communities with continued widespread disease transmission depends on characteristics of the virus, including how well it spreads between people; the severity of resulting illness; and the medical or other measures available to control the impact of the virus (for example, vaccines or medications that can treat the illness) and the relative success of these. In the absence of vaccines or medications, non-pharmaceutical interventions were the most important response strategy based on community interventions such as person-to-person distancing, mask-wearing, isolation and good personal hygiene (hand-washing)-all of which have been demonstrated can reduce the impact of this seemingly unstoppable globally spreading natural disaster. This paper presents the results of quantitative research regarding the level of citizen preparedness for disasters caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Serbia. The survey was conducted using a questionnaire that was requested and then collected online among 975 respondents during disaster in April 2020. The questionnaire examined citizens' basic socio-economic and demographic characteristics, their knowledge, preparedness, risk perception and preventive measures taken individually and as a community to prevent the death and widespread transmission of novel coronavirus disease 2019 in the Republic of Serbia. Based on the findings that there are major differences in the public's perception of risks posed by communicable disease threats such as presented by COVID-19, emergency management agencies should use these differences to develop targeted strategies to enhance community and national preparedness by promoting behavioral change and improving risk management decision-making.


Bearing the brunt of covid-19: older people in low and middle income countries


Tracheostomy care during COVID 19 pandemic in a head and neck oncology unit


Keep Calm and Log On: Telemedicine for COVID-19 Pandemic Response


docid: mthkrswe

title: Optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow in the isolation ward for patients with coronavirus disease 2019

text: Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow in isolation wards for patients with coronavirus disease 2019. Methods: The infusion management group optimized the intravenous infusion workflow based on Hamer's Process Reengineering Theory and applied it to the treatment of patients with coronavirus disease 2019. The work efficiency, patients' satisfaction and economic indicators before and after optimization were compared. Results: After the infusion workflow was optimized, average times for preparation drugs and intravenous admixture, and patients' waiting time decreased from 4.84 min, 4.03 min, and 34.33 min to 3.50 min, 2.60 min, and 30.87 min, respectively, patients' satisfaction increased from 66.7% to 93.3%, and the cost of personal protective equipment (PPE) decreased from 46.67 sets and 186.6 CNY per day to 36.17 sets and 144.6 CNY, with statistical significance. Conclusion: The optimization of the intravenous infusion workflow can effectively decrease the cost of PPE while improving the efficiency of infusion and patients' satisfaction.


title: SARS-CoV-2 infection of the liver directly contributes to hepatic impairment in patients with COVID-19

text: BACKGROUND: Liver enzyme abnormality is common in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Whether or not SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to liver damage per se remains unknown. Here we reported the clinical characteristics and liver pathological manifestations of COVID-19 patients with liver enzyme abnormality. METHODS: We received 156 patients diagnosed of COVID-19 from two designated centers in China, and compared clinical features between patients with elevated aminotransferase or not. Postmortem liver biopsies were obtained from two cases who had elevated aminotransferase. We investigated the patterns of liver impairment by electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, TUNEL assay, and pathological studies. RESULTS: 64 of 156 (41.0%) COVID-19 patients had elevated aminotransferase. The median levels of ALT were 50 U/L vs. 19 U/L, respectively, AST were 45.5 U/L vs. 24 U/L, respectively in abnormal and normal aminotransferase groups. The liver enzyme abnormality was associated with disease severity, as well as a series of laboratory tests including higher A-aDO2, higher GGT, lower albumin, decreased CD4+ T cells and B lymphocytes. Ultrastructural examination identified typical coronavirus particles characterized by spike structure in cytoplasm of hepatocytes in two COVID-19 cases. SARS-CoV-2 infected hepatocytes displayed conspicuous mitochondrial swelling, endoplasmic reticulum dilatation, and glycogen granule decrease. Histologically, massive hepatic apoptosis and a certain binuclear hepatocytes were observed. Taken together, both ultrastructural and histological evidence indicated a typical lesion of viral infection. Immunohistochemical results showed scanty CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes. No obvious eosinophil infiltration, cholestasis, fibrin deposition, granuloma, massive central necrosis, or interface hepatitis were observed. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 infection in liver is a crucial cause of hepatic impairment in COVID-19 patients. Hence, a surveillance of viral clearance in liver and long outcome of COVID-19 is required.


The Heart in the Time of the 'Coronavirus'


No SARS-CoV-2 detected in amniotic fluid in mid-pregnancy


New SARS-like virus in China triggers alarm


docid: cbodxzhn

title: Sparse HP Filter: Finding Kinks in the COVID-19 Contact Rate

text: In this paper, we estimate the time-varying COVID-19 contact rate of a Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model. Our measurement of the contact rate is constructed using data on actively infected, recovered and deceased cases. We propose a new trend filtering method that is a variant of the Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter, constrained by the number of possible kinks. We term it the \emph{sparse HP filter} and apply it to daily data from five countries: Canada, China, South Korea, the UK and the US. Our new method yields the kinks that are well aligned with actual events in each country. We find that the sparse HP filter provides a fewer kinks than the $\ell_1$ trend filter, while both methods fitting data equally well. Theoretically, we establish risk consistency of both the sparse HP and $\ell_1$ trend filters. Ultimately, we propose to use time-varying $\textit{contact growth rates}$ to document and monitor outbreaks of COVID-19.


Covid-19 cases increase steeply in US south and west


title: Institution of a Novel Process for N95 Respirator Disinfection with Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Large Academic Medical Center

text: Personal protective equipment (PPE) has been an invaluable yet limited resource when it comes to protecting healthcare workers against infection during the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In the US, N95 respirator supply chains are severely strained and conservation strategies are needed. A multidisciplinary team at the Washington University School of Medicine, Barnes Jewish Hospital, and BJC Healthcare was formed to implement a program to disinfect N95 respirators. The process described extends the life of N95 respirators using vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) disinfection and allows healthcare workers to retain their own N95 respirator across a large metropolitan healthcare system.


docid: wdhigeii

text: Abstract: Autopsy is of great significance to the elucidation of the pathological changes, pathogeneses and causes of death of corona virus disease 2019 ï¼COVID-19ï¼ and can provide theoretical basis for more scientific and accurate prevention and control of the outbreak. Based on related laws and regulations, such as the Law of the People's Republic of China on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases, the clinical manifestations and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19, and the related guidelines on the prevention and control of the outbreak, combined with the practical work of forensic pathology examination, the Guide to the Forensic Pathology Practice on Death Cases Related to Corona Virus Disease 2019 ï¼COVID-19ï¼ ï¼Trial Draftï¼ has been developed. This guide includes information on the background investigation of the cases, autopsy room requirements, personal prevention and protections, external examinations, autopsy, auxiliary examinations, and so on. This guide can be used as a reference by forensic and pathological examination institutions, as well as examination staff.


Performance of VivaDiag COVID-19 IgM/IgG Rapid Test is inadequate for diagnosis of COVID-19 in acute patients referring to emergency room department


COVID-19 and cancer care


title: Improving Baseline Subtraction for Increased Sensitivity of Quantitative PCR Measurements

text: Motivated by the current COVID-19 health-crisis, we examine the task of baseline subtraction for quantitative polymerase chain-reaction (qPCR) measurements. In particular, we present an algorithm that leverages information obtained from non-template and/or DNA extraction-control experiments to remove systematic bias from amplification curves. We recast this problem in terms of mathematical optimization, i.e. by finding the amount of control signal that, when subtracted from an amplification curve, minimizes background noise. We demonstrate that this approach can yield a decade improvement in sensitivity relative to standard approaches, especially for data exhibiting late-cycle amplification. Critically, this increased sensitivity and accuracy promises more effective screening of viral DNA and a reduction in the rate of false-negatives in diagnostic settings.


title: Update on therapeutic approaches and emerging therapies for SARS-CoV-2 virus

text: The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in over 7,273,958 cases with almost over 413,372 deaths worldwide as per the WHO situational report 143 on COVID-19. There are no known treatment regimens with proven efficacy and vaccines thus far, posing an unprecedented challenge to identify effective drugs and vaccines for prevention and treatment. The urgency for its prevention and cure has resulted in an increased number of proposed treatment options. The high rate and volume of emerging clinical trials on therapies for COVID-19 need to be compared and evaluated to provide scientific evidence for effective medical options. Other emerging non-conventional drug discovery techniques such as bioinformatics and cheminformatics, structure-based drug design, network-based methods for prediction of drug-target interactions, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and phage technique could provide alternative routes to discovering potent Anti-SARS-CoV2 drugs. While drugs are being repurposed and discovered for COVID-19, novel drug delivery systems will be paramount for efficient delivery and avoidance of possible drug resistance. This review describes the proposed drug targets for therapy, and outcomes of clinical trials that have been reported. It also identifies the adopted treatment modalities that are showing promise, and those that have failed as drug candidates. It further highlights various emerging therapies and future strategies for the treatment of COVID-19 and delivery of Anti-SARS-CoV2 drugs.


title: Retrofitting an environmental monitor with a silicon photomultiplier sensor

text: We report on the retrofitting of a standard DP2 environmental radiation monitor replacing the photomultiplier tube with a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). The use of a SiPM has several advantages for a hand-held radiation monitor, including convenient low voltage operation and physical robustness. The SiPM is used to replace the existing photomultiplier tube, and we report the detection efficiency and alpha/beta discrimination performance of the modified probe compared to an unmodified version.


title: Unreported Cases for Age Dependent COVID-19 Outbreak in Japan

text: We investigate the age structured data for the COVID-19 outbreak in Japan. We consider a mathematical model for the epidemic with unreported infectious patient with and without age structure. In particular, we build a new mathematical model and a new computational method to fit the data by using age classes dependent exponential growth at the early stage of the epidemic. This allows to take into account differences in the response of patients to the disease according to their age. This model also allows for a heterogeneous response of the population to the social distancing measures taken by the local government. We fit this model to the observed data and obtain a snapshot of the effective transmissions occurring inside the population at different times, which indicates where and among whom the disease propagates after the start of public mitigation measures.


title: Prolonged SARS-CoV-2 shedding and mild course of COVID-19 in a patient after recent heart transplantation

text: In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, organ transplant recipients are considered to be at high risk for an unfavorable outcome. However, in particular the role of immunosuppression in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains undetermined. Here, we present a 62-year-old male COVID-19 patient with recent heart transplantation who developed only mild symptoms, but had prolonged virus shedding, and summarize the available data on COVID-19 in cardiac allograft recipients. Initially the patient presented with a transient episode of fever and sore throat but no other symptoms, in particular no cough or dyspnea at rest. After diagnosis, immunosuppression was continued unchanged. On day 7, his temperature increased again with concurrent mild rise of C-reactive protein, IL-6, and pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels. Hydroxychloroquine was started and continued for 7 days. While the patient no longer had clinical symptoms 20 days after initial presentation, virus culture of throat swabs on days 18 and 21 confirmed active virus replication and SARS-CoV-2 PCR remained positive on day 35 with copy numbers similar to the onset of infection. In conclusion, the immunosuppression regimen in transplant recipients with mild COVID-19-associated symptoms may be continued unchanged. However, it may contribute to delayed virus polymerase chain reaction conversion and thus possible prolonged infectivity.


docid: csvrhimj

title: COVID-19 Transmission in Dental Practice: Brief Review of Preventive Measures in Italy

text: The outbreak and diffusion of SARS-CoV-2, responsible for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has caused an emergency in the health system worldwide. After a first development in Wuhan, China, the virus spread in other countries, with Italy registering the second highest number of cases in Europe on the 7th of April 2020 (135,586 in total). The World Health Organization declared the pandemic diffusion of COVID-19, and restrictive measures to limit contagion have been taken in several countries. The virus has a predominantly respiratory transmission through aerosol and droplets. The importance of infection control is therefore crucial in limiting the effects of virus diffusion. We aim to discuss the risks related to dental practice and current recommendations for dental practitioners. A literature search was performed to retrieve articles on the management of COVID-19 diffusion in dental practice. The documented clinical experience, the measures of professional prevention, and the actual Italian situation were reported and described. Four articles were retrieved from the literature search. Among the eligible articles, 3 reported measures to contrast COVID-19 diffusion. The infection management protocols suggested were reviewed. Finally, recommendations based on the Italian experience in terms of patient triage, patients' entrance into the practice, dental treatment, and after-treatment management are reported and discussed. COVID-19 is a major emergency worldwide, which should not be underestimated. Due to the rapidly evolving situation, further assessment of the implications of COVID-19 outbreak in dental practice is needed.


title: Society of Robotic Surgery Review: Recommendations Regarding the Risk of COVID-19 Transmission During Minimally Invasive Surgery

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty regarding the safety and appropriate utilization of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) during this current outbreak. Surgical governing bodies such as Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and the Royal Colleges of Surgery of Great Britain and Ireland have made statements regarding the possibility of COVID-19 release into CO2 insufflant during MIS. The basis for this concern is prior evidence in the literature of other viral pathogen release during laparoscopic surgery. The recommendations are correctly based on caution given the lack of understanding of how COVID-19 compares to other viruses with regard to transmission and presence in CO2 during MIS. In this review we have investigated the available literature on COVID-19 transmission during MIS, address the implications of current and previously published recommendations and discuss steps to mitigate COVID-19 transmission during MIS for staff and patient safety.


Type I and type III interferon in opposition?


Covid-19: EU states report 60% rise in emergency calls about domestic violence