title: Rapid Utilization of Telehealth in a Comprehensive Cancer Center as a Response to COVID-19

text: Background: The emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020 created unprecedented challenges in the provision of scheduled ambulatory cancer care. As a result, there has been a renewed focus on video consultations as a means to continue ambulatory care. Objective: To characterize the increase in video visits at the University of California, San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center in response to COVID-19 and compare demographics/appointment data from January 1, 2020 and in the 3 weeks after transition to video visits. Methods: Demographics and appointment data (dates, visit types, and departments) were abstracted from the Electronic Health Record reporting database. Video visits were performed using a HIPAA-compliant video conferencing platform with a pre-existing workflow. Results: In 17 departments and divisions at the Cancer Center, 2,284 video visits were performed in the pre-COVID-19 period (average 208 {+/-} 75 per week) and 3,015 performed in the 3-week post-COVID-19 period (average 1,005 {+/-} 149 per week). The proportion of video visits increased from 7-18% to 54-68%, between the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods without any disparity based on race/ethnicity, primary language, or insurance Conclusions: In a remarkably brief period of time, we rapidly scaled the utilization of telehealth in response to COVID-19 and maintained access to complex oncologic care at a time of social distancing.


title: The epidemiology and therapeutic options for the COVID-19

text: An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a disease caused by novel pneumonia virus, has affected over 200 countries and regions worldwide With the increasing quantity of patients and deaths, WHO declared it as a global pandemic currently, indicating the third large-scale epidemic coronavirus has appeared since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in the twenty-first century Considering its great harm, researchers throughout the world have been chasing to exploit the pathophysiology, characteristics and potential remedies of COVID-19 for better battling the outbreak Therefore, the current study has revisited advances of the virology, epidemiology, clinical features, therapeutic options and prevention of COVID-19 Also note that the features of asymptomatic carriers have also been explored


title: The natural history and transmission potential of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

text: Background: Little is known about the natural history of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection or its contribution to infection transmission. Methods: We conducted a prospective study at a quarantine centre for COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We enrolled quarantined people with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, collecting clinical data, travel and contact history, and saliva at enrolment and daily nasopharyngeal throat swabs (NTS) for RT-PCR testing. We compared the natural history and transmission potential of asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals. Results: Between March 10th and April 4th, 2020, 14,000 quarantined people were tested for SARS-CoV-2; 49 were positive. Of these, 30 participated in the study: 13(43%) never had symptoms and 17(57%) were symptomatic. 17(57%) participants acquired their infection outside Vietnam. Compared with symptomatic individuals, asymptomatic people were less likely to have detectable SARS-CoV-2 in NTS samples collected at enrolment (8/13 (62%) vs. 17/17 (100%) P=0.02). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 20/27 (74%) available saliva; 7/11 (64%) in the asymptomatic and 13/16 (81%) in the symptomatic group (P=0.56). Analysis of the probability of RT-PCR positivity showed asymptomatic participants had faster viral clearance than symptomatic participants (P<0.001 for difference over first 19 days). This difference was most pronounced during the first week of follow-up. Two of the asymptomatic individuals appeared to transmit the infection to up to four contacts. Conclusions: Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection is common and can be detected by analysis of saliva or NTS. NTS viral loads fall faster in asymptomatic individuals, but they appear able to transmit the virus to others.


title: Adjoint-based Data Assimilation of an Epidemiology Model for the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020

text: Data assimilation is used to optimally fit a classical epidemiology model to the Johns Hopkins data of the Covid-19 pandemic. The optimisation is based on the confirmed cases and confirmed deaths. This is the only data available with reasonable accuracy. Infection and recovery rates can be infered from the model as well as the model parameters. The parameters can be linked with government actions or events like the end of the holiday season. Based on this numbers predictions for the future can be made and control targets specified. With other words: We look for a solution to a given model which fits the given data in an optimal sense. Having that solution, we have all parameters.


title: Psychological consequences of the Flint Water Crisis: A systematic review.

text: Given the COVID-19 outbreak, these unprecedented times pose many urgent dilemmas about how to support the mental health of communities. The goal of this research is to summarize existing literature on the mental health impact of the recent Flint Water Crisis. In March 2020, we searched five databases for literature exploring the psychological consequences of the crisis. Main findings were extracted. 132 citations were screened and eleven included in the review. Results suggest a negative psychological effect caused by the water crisis, including anxiety and health worries, exacerbated by lowered trust in public health officials, uncertainty about the long-term impacts of the crisis, financial hardships, stigma, and difficulties seeking help. There was evidence that concerns about tap water continued even after the state of emergency was lifted. With a possible compounded effect to residents of Flint with the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the results highlight the need for more resources for psychological health interventions in Flint as well as a need for local governments and health authorities to regain the trust of those affected by the Flint Water Crisis.


title: Epidemic Trend Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in SAARC Countries Using Modified SIR (M-SIR) Predictive Model

text: A novel coronavirus causing the severe and fatal respiratory syndrome was identified in China, is now producing outbreaks in more than two hundred countries around the world, and became pandemic by the time. In this article, a modified version of the well known mathematical epidemic model Susceptible (S)- Infected (I)- Recovered (R) is used to analyze the epidemic's course of COVID-19 in eight different countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). To achieve this goal, the parameters of the SIR model are identified by using publicly available data for the corresponding countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Based on the prediction model we estimated the epidemic trend of COVID-19 outbreak in SAARC countries for 20 days, 90 days, and 180 days respectively. An SML (short-mid-long) term prediction model has been designed to understand the early dynamics of COVID-19 Epidemic in the south-east Asian region. The maximum and minimum basic reproduction number (R0 = 1.33 and 1.07) for SAARC countries are predicted to be in Pakistan and Bhutan. We equate simulation results with real data in the SAARC countries on the COVID-19 outbreak, and model potential countermeasure implementation scenarios. Our results should provide policymakers with a method for evaluating the impacts of possible interventions, including lockdown and social distancing, as well as testing and contact tracking.


title: Supramolecular Organization Predicts Protein Nanoparticle Delivery to Neutrophils for Acute Lung Inflammation Diagnosis and Treatment

text: Acute lung inflammation has severe morbidity, as seen in COVID-19 patients. Lung inflammation is accompanied or led by massive accumulation of neutrophils in pulmonary capillaries (“margination”). We sought to identify nanostructural properties that predispose nanoparticles to accumulate in pulmonary marginated neutrophils, and therefore to target severely inflamed lungs. We designed a library of nanoparticles and conducted an in vivo screen of biodistributions in naive mice and mice treated with lipopolysaccharides. We found that supramolecular organization of protein in nanoparticles predicts uptake in inflamed lungs. Specifically, nanoparticles with agglutinated protein (NAPs) efficiently home to pulmonary neutrophils, while protein nanoparticles with symmetric structure (e.g. viral capsids) are ignored by pulmonary neutrophils. We validated this finding by engineering protein-conjugated liposomes that recapitulate NAP targeting to neutrophils in inflamed lungs. We show that NAPs can diagnose acute lung injury in SPECT imaging and that NAP-like liposomes can mitigate neutrophil extravasation and pulmonary edema arising in lung inflammation. Finally, we demonstrate that ischemic ex vivo human lungs selectively take up NAPs, illustrating translational potential. This work demonstrates that structure-dependent interactions with neutrophils can dramatically alter the biodistribution of nanoparticles, and NAPs have significant potential in detecting and treating respiratory conditions arising from injury or infections.


Erste Hilfe: COVID-19-Leitlinien des European Resuscitation Council


title: Efficient network immunization under limited knowledge

text: Targeted immunization or attacks of large-scale networks has attracted significant attention by the scientific community. However, in real-world scenarios, knowledge and observations of the network may be limited thereby precluding a full assessment of the optimal nodes to immunize (or remove) in order to avoid epidemic spreading such as that of current COVID-19 epidemic. Here, we study a novel immunization strategy where only n nodes are observed at a time and the most central between these n nodes is immunized (or attacked). This process is continued repeatedly until 1-p fraction of nodes are immunized (or attacked). We develop an analytical framework for this approach and determine the critical percolation threshold pc and the size of the giant component P∞ for networks with arbitrary degree distributions P(k). In the limit of n→∞ we recover prior work on targeted attack, whereas for n=1 we recover the known case of random failure. Between these two extremes, we observe that as n increases, pc increases quickly towards its optimal value under targeted immunization (attack) with complete information. In particular, we find a new scaling relationship between |pc(∞) -pc (n)| and n as |pc(∞) -pc (n)|~n-1exp(-α n). For Scale-free (SF) networks, where P(k)~k-γ,2<γ<3), we find that pc has a transition from zero to non-zero when n increases from n=1 to order of logN (N is the size of network). Thus, for SF networks, knowledge of order of logN nodes and immunizing them can reduce dramatically an epidemics.


title: The need for consensus on the effective approach to control covid-19 outbreak

text: Background: A recent study has discussed ways of China's success in overcoming COVID-19, presenting three concerns that occur in China that should also be addressed by each country, namely regarding emergency response measures; mobilize resources quickly; encourage people to have participated in the actions taken. Among the approaches taken by China, three ways consisting of lockdown; the willingness of people to be patient in obeying the actions taken; distancing; in our view, it is further urged to be the similar consensus adopted by each country as at least the three basic principles that required for in the strategy against the COVID-19 outbreak. Vietnam can be a representative example to discuss, understand and realize the importance of these three basic principles enough to say that it also supports them as the first country to date, to our knowledge, with all sufferers of COVID-19 successfully cured at one time, discussing what essentially has not been analyzed concerning the traditional epidemiological approach known to effectively control the transmission of an outbreak. Main text: Vietnam has responded timely by immediately announced the state of national health emergency and implemented a partial quarantine or lockdown policy with initially only a ban on coming from and going out to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau and the people in Vietnam, unspeakably, are patient and spread out or distanced. These actions of the Vietnamese seem to have had arguably an impact on all COVID-19 sufferers successfully cured in one time and the absence of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection that lasted for some time. Conclusions: The recent study who thereafter concludes the need for global coordination in interventions and responses to the outbreak by reflecting lessons from China has demonstrated the implications supporting our view of the need for a consensus similarly by each authority regarding at least the three basic principles that required for to be performed in controlling the outbreak transmission, COVID-19, in the form of the lockdown, patience in facing outbreak situations, and distancing that all of those performed simultaneously.


title: A yeast BiFC-seq method for genome-wide interactome mapping

text: Genome-wide physical protein-protein interaction (PPI) mapping remains a major challenge for current technologies. Here, we report a high-efficiency yeast bimolecular fluorescence complementation method coupled with next-generation DNA sequencing (BiFC-seq) for interactome mapping. We applied this technology to systematically investigate an intraviral network of Ebola virus (EBOV). Two-thirds (9/13) of known interactions of EBOV were recaptured and five novel interactions were discovered. Next, we used BiFC-seq method to map the interactome of the tumor protein p53. We identified 97 interactors of p53 with more than three quarters are novel. Furthermore, in more complex background, we screened potential interactors by pooling two BiFC-libraries together, and revealing a network of 229 interactions among 205 proteins. These results show that BiFC-seq is a highly sensitive, rapid and economical method in genome-wide interactome mapping.


Coronavirus Disease 2019 Emergency and Cancer in the South of Italy: What's New for the Oncologist?


title: The transmissibility of novel Coronavirus in the early stages of the 2019-20 outbreak in Wuhan: Exploring initial point-source exposure sizes and durations using scenario analysis

text: Background: The current novel coronavirus outbreak appears to have originated from a point-source exposure event at Huanan seafood wholesale market in Wuhan, China. There is still uncertainty around the scale and duration of this exposure event. This has implications for the estimated transmissibility of the coronavirus and as such, these potential scenarios should be explored. Methods: We used a stochastic branching process model, parameterised with available data where possible and otherwise informed by the 2002-2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, to simulate the Wuhan outbreak. We evaluated scenarios for the following parameters: the size, and duration of the initial transmission event, the serial interval, and the reproduction number (R0). We restricted model simulations based on the number of observed cases on the 25th of January, accepting samples that were within a 5% interval on either side of this estimate. Results: Using a pre-intervention SARS-like serial interval suggested a larger initial transmission event and a higher R0 estimate. Using a SARs-like serial interval we found that the most likely scenario produced an R0 estimate between 2-2.7 (90% credible interval (CrI)). A pre-intervention SARS-like serial interval resulted in an R0 estimate between 2-3 (90% CrI). There were other plausible scenarios with smaller events sizes and longer duration that had comparable R0 estimates. There were very few simulations that were able to reproduce the observed data when R0 was less than 1. Conclusions: Our results indicate that an R0 of less than 1 was highly unlikely unless the size of the initial exposure event was much greater than currently reported. We found that R0 estimates were comparable across scenarios with decreasing event size and increasing duration. Scenarios with a pre-intervention SARS-like serial interval resulted in a higher R0 and were equally plausible to scenarios with SARs-like serial intervals.


title: Whiteness is not contained

text: The emergence of COVID-19, or the Coronavirus, has sparked a wave of anti-Asian attacks around the world. The cultural logic that does not distinguish among Asian cultural and ethnic groups, as well as the need to find scapegoats, reignites the trope of the “Yellow Peril.” The Yellow Peril is deeply entwined with whiteness and this forum calls for more interrogation of the ways that whiteness reinscribes its position-locally and globally.


title: Lilly to test baricitinib against COVID-19

text: Eli Lilly and Company and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will study baricitinib, a Lilly rheumatoid arthritis drug, as a potential treatment for people with COVID-19 It’s thought that baricitinib’s anti-inflammatory effect could help reduce the cytokine storm that COVID-19 can trigger in patients Ruxolitinib, a cancer treatment from Novartis and Regeneron, is also being tested for its potential to dampen the cytokine storm


title: The Effect of Ultraviolet C Radiation Against SARS-CoV-2 Inoculated N95 Respirators

text: Since March 31st 2020, during the height of the pandemic, we have decontaminated thousands of 3M 1860 respirators with Ultraviolet C (UVC) for our frontline workers. There is no published peer-reviewed data regarding the dose required to effectively disinfect SARS-CoV-2 on N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). Four different locations (facepiece and strap) on 5 different N95 FFR models (3M 1860, 8210, 8511, 9211; Moldex 1511) were inoculated with a 10 L drop of SARS-CoV-2 viral stock (8 x 107 TCID50/mL). The outside-facing and wearer-facing surfaces of the respirators were each irradiated with a dose of 1.5 J/cm2 UVC (254 nm). Viable SARS-CoV-2 was quantified by a median tissue culture infectious dose assay (TCID50). UVC delivered using a dose of 1.5 J/cm2, to each side, was an effective method of decontamination for the facepieces of 3M 1860 and Moldex 1511, and for the straps of 3M 8210 and the Moldex 1511. This dose is an appropriate decontamination method to facilitate reuse of respirators for healthcare personnel when applied to certain models/materials. Increasing the dose may improve decontamination for the other models and straps; however, UVC radiation can degrade certain polymers in a dose dependent manner, and the effects may vary greatly between different models. Therefore, fit-testing of UVC decontaminated respirators must be performed each time a new model and/or dose is introduced into the healthcare system.


title: Electrophysiology in the time of coronavirus: coping with the great wave.

text: Aims: To chart the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity of interventional electrophysiology services in affected regions. Methods: We reviewed the electrophysiology laboratory records in 3 affected cities: Wenzhou in China, Milan in Italy and London, United Kingdom. We interviewed electrophysiologists in each centre to gather information on the impact of the pandemic on working patterns and on the health of staff members. Results: There was a striking decline in interventional electrophysiology activity in each of the centres. The decline occurred within a week of the recognition of widespread community transmission of the virus in each region and shows a striking correlation with the national figures for new diagnoses of COVID-19 in each case. During the period of restriction, work-flow dropped to <5% of normal, consisting of emergency cases only. In 2 of 3 centres, electrophysiologists were redeployed to perform emergency work outside electrophysiology. Among the centres studied, only Wenzhou has seen a recovery from the restrictions in activity. Following an intense nationwide program of public health interventions, local transmission of COVID-19 ceased to be detectable after February 18th allowing the electrophysiology service to resume with a strict testing regime for all patients. Conclusion: Interventional electrophysiology is vulnerable to closure in times of great social difficulty including the COVID-19 pandemic. Intense public health intervention can permit suppression of local disease transmission allowing resumption of some normal activity.


docid: deogedac

title: Shift of percolation thresholds for epidemic spread between static and dynamic small-world networks

text: The aim of the study was to compare the epidemic spread on static and dynamic small-world networks. The network was constructed as a 2-dimensional Watts-Strogatz model (500x500 square lattice with additional shortcuts), and the dynamics involved rewiring shortcuts in every time step of the epidemic spread. The model of the epidemic is SIR with latency time of 3 time steps. The behaviour of the epidemic was checked over the range of shortcut probability per underlying bond 0-0.5. The quantity of interest was percolation threshold for the epidemic spread, for which numerical results were checked against an approximate analytical model. We find a significant lowering of percolation thresholds for the dynamic network in the parameter range given. The result shows that the behaviour of the epidemic on dynamic network is that of a static small world with the number of shortcuts increased by 20.7 +/- 1.4%, while the overall qualitative behaviour stays the same. We derive corrections to the analytical model which account for the effect. For both dynamic and static small-world we observe suppression of the average epidemic size dependence on network size in comparison with finite-size scaling known for regular lattice. We also study the effect of dynamics for several rewiring rates relative to latency time of the disease.


Stress management interventions for college students in the context of the COVID‐19 pandemic


title: The German COVID-19 Survey on Mental Health: Primary Results

text: Abstract First cases of COVID-19 were reported in Wuhan, China in early December 2019. Preliminary data from China indicated a substantial impact on mental health by the pandemic and its associated lockdown measures. Such measures are unprecedented for the majority of people and may affect their lives tremendously. The current survey was developed to assess mental health in response to the lockdown in Germany. Methods We conducted a web-based self-report survey including various aspects of mental health (e.g. PHQ-D, PHQ-4, WHO-5 and comparative questions on a 5-point Likert scale concerning sleep, irritability & interpersonal violence). First wave data were taken during the height of lockdown measures in Germany from 1 April to 15 April 2020. Results A total of 3,545 volunteers took part in this cross-sectional survey. Mean age was 40.36 years (SD = 11.70; 83.1% female, 15.2% male). Acute or chronic disease was reported by 36.7% (physical) and 24.7% (mental) of subjects. Participants scored mild severity distress in the PHQ stress module. Depression and anxiety as assessed by PHQ-4 was significantly higher than in reference samples. The mean well-being score (WHO-5) was 50.7, thus pointing towards possible signs of depression. Furthermore, we found significant gender differences for anxiety and depression with women showing higher levels. 45.3% of participants reported worsened sleep, increased levels of irritation, anger and aggression compared to pre-pandemic times. Most importantly, 5% of all participants reported experiencing interpersonal violence (IPV). Discussion This is one of the first and largest surveys on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in a European society reflecting a relatively well educated and financially secure sample. Yet, there is evidence for a substantial mental burden with increased levels of stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance and irritability. Most importantly and also most concerning is the finding of a one-month prevalence of 5% IPV. We think it is of vital importance to continuously monitor the mental health of the general public during this pandemic and its aftermath and to carefully screen for IPV and its risk factors such as stress, sleep problems and anger.


title: A comparative study of isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods for SARS-CoV-2 detection at point of care

text: The COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has broken out of control all over the globe and put the majority of the world under lockdown. There have been no specific antiviral medications for SARS-CoV-2 while vaccines are still under development. Thus, rapid diagnosis and necessary public health measures are currently key parts to contain the pandemic. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is the gold standard method for SARS-CoV-2 detection. However, this method is not suitable for point-of-care (POC) diagnosis because of the timeconsuming procedure, the requirements of biosafety conditions and expensive equipment. In this study, the colorimetric isothermal nucleic acid amplification tests (iNAATs) for SARS-CoV-2 based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), cross-priming amplification (CPA), and polymerase spiral reaction (PSR) were developed and compared. The three methods exhibited similar performance with the limit of detection (LOD) as low as just 1 copy per reaction when evaluated on the synthetic DNA fragments. The results can be read with naked eyes within 30 minutes without crossreactivity to closely related coronaviruses. When tested with SARS-CoV-2 extracted genomic-RNA, LAMP outperformed both CPA and PSR assays. Moreover, the direct detection of SARS-CoV-2 in simulated patient samples (oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs) by colorimetric iNAATs was also successful. Further preparation of the lyophilized reagents for LAMP reactions revealed that the freeze-dried, ready-to-use kit maintained the sensitivity and LOD value of the liquid assays. These results strongly indicate that the colorimetric lyophilized LAMP test kit developed herein is highly suitable for detecting SARS-CoV-2 at POC.


title: Laparoscopic or robotic intraoperative management to minimize aerosol dispersion: Adaptations to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

text: The coronavirus infection, also known as SARS-COV2, has proven to be potentially fatal, representing a major global health problem. Its spread after its origin in the city of Wuhan, China has resulted in a pandemic with the collapse of the health system in several countries, some with enormous social impact and expressive number of deaths as seen in Italy and Spain. Extreme intra and extra-hospital measures have been implemented to decrease the transmission and dissemination of the COVID-19. Regarding the surgical practice, a huge number of procedures considered non-essential or elective were cancelled and postponed until the pandemic is resolved. However, urgent and oncological procedures have been carried out. In this publication, we highlight and teach adaptations to be made with commonly used materials in laparoscopy to help prevent the spread and contamination of the healthcare team assisting surgical patients.


title: Transmission potential of COVID-19 in Iran

text: We estimated the reproduction number of 2020 Iranian COVID-19 epidemic using two different methods: R0 was estimated at 4.4 (95% CI, 3.9, 4.9) (generalized growth model) and 3.50 (1.28, 8.14) (epidemic doubling time) (February 19 - March 1) while the effective R was estimated at 1.55 (1.06, 2.57) (March 6-19).


title: Pulmonary and Cardiac Pathology in Covid-19: The First Autopsy Series from New Orleans

text: SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread across the United States, causing extensive morbidity and mortality, though the histopathologic basis of severe disease cases has yet to be studied in detail. Over the past century, autopsy has contributed significantly to our understanding of numerous disease processes, but for several reasons, autopsy reports following deaths related to SARS-CoV-2 have thus far been limited across the globe. We report on the relevant cardiopulmonary findings in the first series of autopsies in the United States, with the cause of death being due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. These cases identify key pathologic states potentially contributing to severe disease and decompensation in these patients.


title: Estimating COVID-19 Antibody Seroprevalence in Santa Clara County, California. A re-analysis of Bendavid et al.

text: A recent study by Bendavid et al. claimed that the rate of infection of COVID-19 in Santa Clara county was between 2.49% and 4.16%, 50-85 times higher than the number of officially confirmed cases. The statistical methodology used in that study overestimates of rate of infection given the available data. We jointly estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the test kit along with rate of infection with a simple Bayesian model, arriving at lower estimates of the rate of COVID-19 in Santa Clara county. Re-analyzing their data with our model, we find that the rate of infection was likely between 0.27% and 3.21%.


title: Affected medical services in Iwate prefecture in the absence of a COVID-19 outbreak

text: The Japanese government has declared a national emergency and travel entry ban since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began. As of June 19, 2020, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iwate, a prefecture of Japan. Here, we analyzed the excess deaths as well as the number of patients and medical earnings due to the pandemic from prefectural hospitals located in Iwate. From January to March 2020, the excess death rates per month were not significantly higher than the past-year average. Compared to January 2020, the numbers of both outpatients and inpatients in April 2020 showed a 5.2% and 6.1% decrease, respectively. Accordingly, the amount of medical earnings of both outpatients and inpatients in April 2020 showed a 3.0% and 6.3% decrease, respectively. Present analysis demonstrated that there were no excess deaths due to "unidentified" COVID-19 infections in Iwate; however, hospital budgetary management has been affected by the emergency declaration. Regardless of COVID-19 infection spread, it may be difficult to maintain daily medical services if such low service activity continues in the existing hospitals. Additional longitudinal studies will be necessary to evaluate the effects of social restrictions on hospital management, but the true demand of regional medical services may emerge after this outbreak.


COVID-19, what we learn from experience?


title: Effect of Heat inactivation on Real-Time Reverse Transcription PCR of the SARS-COV-2 Detection

text: Background: Real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) is commonly used to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection. Heat inactivation prior to nucleic acid isolation may allow safe testing, while the effects of heat inactivation on SARS-CoV-2 rRT-PCR detection result need to be determined. Methods: 14 positive nasopharyngeal swab specimens were inactivated at 56{degrees}C for 30min, 56{degrees}C for 60min, 60{degrees}C for 30min, 60{degrees}C for 75min, and 100{degrees}C for 10min, and another 2 positive nasopharyngeal swab specimens were also inactivated at 100{degrees}C for 10min, 100{degrees}C for 30min, 100{degrees}C for 60min, after which the samples were isolated and detected by rRT-PCR. Results: All 14 heat treated samples remained positive. The range of threshold cycle (Ct) values observed when detecting ORF1a/b was 27.228-34.011 in heat-treated samples, while 25.281-34.861 in unheated samples, and the range of threshold cycle (Ct) values observed at the time of detecting N was 25.777-33.351 in heat-treated samples, while 24.1615-35.433 in unheated samples, on basis of which it showed no statistical difference otherwise a good correlation of Ct values between the heat-inactivated samples and the untreated samples. However, the 2 samples inactivated at 100{degrees}C 30min, 100{degrees}C 60min turned into negative. Conclusions: Heat inactivation at 56{degrees}C for 30min, 56{degrees}C for 60min, 60{degrees}C for 30min, 60{degrees}C for 75min, and 100{degrees}C for 10min shall not affect the detection results of Real-Time Reverse Transcription PCR of the SARS-COV2. Furthermore, it is recommended to inactive nasopharyngeal swab specimens 10min at 100{degrees}C before RNA extraction in consideration of efficiency and reliable results. Key Words: SARS-CoV-2, Heat Inactivation, rRT-PCR, Comparison


Treating Cancer Patients in China During the COVID-19 Pandemic


title: Multi-omic profiling of primary mouse neutrophils reveals a pattern of sex and age-related functional regulation

text: Neutrophils are the most abundant white blood cells in humans and constitute one of the first lines of defense in the innate immune response. Neutrophils are extremely short-lived cells, which survive less than a day after reaching terminal differentiation. Thus, little is known about how organismal aging, rather than the daily cellular aging process, may impact neutrophil biology. In addition, accumulating evidence suggests that both immunity and organismal aging are sex-dimorphic. Here, we describe a multi-omic resource of mouse primary bone marrow neutrophils from young and old female and male mice, at the transcriptomic, metabolomic and lipidomic levels. Importantly, we identify widespread age-related and sex-dimorphic regulation of ‘omics’ in neutrophils, specifically regulation of chromatin. Using machine-learning, we identify candidate molecular drivers of age-related and sex-dimorphic transcriptional regulation of neutrophils. We leverage our resource to predict increased levels/release of neutrophil elastase in male mice. To date, this dataset represents the largest multi-omics resource for the study of neutrophils across biological sex and ages. This resource identifies molecular states linked to neutrophil characteristics linked to organismal age or sex, which could be targeted to improve immune responses across individuals.


Reflections and discussions: tourism matters in the new normal post COVID-19


title: Awareness and Attitude of Undergraduate Medical Students towards 2019-novel Corona virus

text: OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of medical students towards recently discovered coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). METHODS: This was a cross sectional study conducted on medical students in CMH Lahore Medical College,(LMC), Institute of Dentistry (IOD). A questionnaire containing demographic information, 14 knowledge and eight attitude items was completed by 384 participants. RESULTS: Overall, >90% people were aware about the etiology, mode of transmission and possible symptoms; however, very few of them knew about the in-depth details. Knowledge score revealed that 80% of participants had sufficient knowledge about coronavirus. MBBS students and nursing Students had significantly better knowledge in comparison with other students. In terms of attitude, >80% of students showed positive attitudes among which the nursing students were dominant. CONCLUSION: The medical students of CMH LMC showed a satisfactory level of awareness and attitudes towards COVID-19 with an obvious difference with regard to disciplines. More educational efforts with periodic educational interventions are still needed about the current pandemic.


title: What Do We Need to Know to Improve Diagnostic Testing Methods for the 2019 Novel Coronavirus?

text: There is widespread agreement that reliable, fast, and easy-to-produce diagnostic testing methods that have high sensitivity and specificity are essential for guiding appropriate responses to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak. At the present time, there are important unanswered questions about testing methods for SARS-CoV-2. This review article interprets recent findings related to the principal testing methods used to diagnose SARS-CoV-2, including reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), chest imaging, and immunoassay. We discuss the value and limitations of these approaches and suggest directions for future research that can advance the understanding of diagnostic methods. Addressing areas of uncertainty will improve clinical outcomes and allow more effective policies to be implemented to control the disease.


docid: esuftqmx

title: Comparison of two commercial platforms and a laboratory developed test for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA

text: Mitigation of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic requires reliable and accessible laboratory diagnostic services. We evaluated the performance of one LDT and two commercial tests, cobas(R) SARS-CoV-2 (Roche) and Amplidiag(R) COVID-19 (Mobidiag), for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory specimens. 183 specimens collected from suspected COVID-19 patients were studied with all three methods to compare their performance. In relation to the reference standard, which was established as the result obtained by two of the three studied methods, the positive percent agreement (PPA) was highest for cobas(R) test (100%), followed by Amplidiag(R) test and the LDT (98.9%). The negative percent agreement (NPA) was lowest for cobas(R) test (89.4%), followed by Amplidiag(R) test (98.8%) and the highest value was obtained for LDT (100%). The dilution series conducted for specimens, however, suggests significantly higher sensitivity for the cobas(R) assay in comparison with the other two assays and the low NPA value may be due to the same reason. In general, all tested assays performed adequately. Both the time from sample to result and hands-on time per sample were shortest for cobas(R) test. Clinical laboratories need to be prepared for uninterrupted high-throughput testing during the coming months in mitigation of the pandemic. To secure that, it is of critical importance for clinical laboratories to maintain several simultaneous platforms in their SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing.


title: Identification of spatial variations in COVID-19 epidemiological data using K-Means clustering algorithm: a global perspective

text: Background: Discerning spatial variations of COVID-19 through quantitative analysis operating on the geographically designated datasets relating to socio-demographics and epidemiological data facilitate strategy planning in curtailing the transmission of the disease and focus on articulation of necessary interventions in an informed manner. Methods: K-means clustering was employed on the available country-specific COVID-19 epidemiological data and the influential background characteristics. Country-specific case fatality rates and the average number of people tested positive for COVID-19 per every 10,000 population in each country were derived from the WHO COVID-19 situation report 107, and were used for clustering along with the background characteristics of proportion of countrys population aged >65 years and percentage GDP spent as public health expenditure. Results: The algorithm grouped the 89 countries into cluster 1 and Cluster 2 of sizes 54 and 35, respectively. It is apparent that Americas, European countries, and Australia formed a major part of cluster 2 with high COVID-19 case fatality rate, higher proportion of countrys population tested COVID-19 positive, higher percentage of GDP spent as public health expenditure, and greater percentage of population being more than 65 years of age. Conclusion: In spite of the positive correlation between high public health expenditure (%GDP) and COVID-19 incidence, case fatality rate, the immediate task ahead of most of the low and middle income countries is to strengthen their public health systems realizing that the correlation found in this study could be spurious in light of the underreported number of cases and poor death registration.


COVID-19 Prophylaxis: The Desperate Need for Mankind COMMENT


title: Myocardial injury is associated with in-hospital mortality of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: A single center retrospective cohort study

text: [Background] Since December 2019, a cluster of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and spread rapidly from China to other countries. In-hospital mortality are high in severe cases and cardiac injury characterized by elevated cardiac troponin are common among them. The mechanism of cardiac injury and the relationship between cardiac injury and in-hospital mortality remained unclear. Studies focused on cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients are scarce. [Objectives] To investigate the association between cardiac injury and in-hospital mortality of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. [Methods] Demographic, clinical, treatment, and laboratory data of consecutive confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients admitted in Wuhan No.1 Hospital from 25th December, 2019 to 15th February, 2020 were extracted from electronic medical records and were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to explore the risk factors associated with in-hospital death. [Results] A total of 110 patients with confirmed (n=80) or suspected (n=30) COVID-19 were screened and 48 patients (female 31.3%, mean age 70.58{+/-}13.38 year old) among them with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) test within 48 hours after admission were included, of whom 17 (17/48, 35.4%) died in hospital while 31 (31/48, 64.6%) were discharged or transferred to other hospital. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I was levated in 13 (13/48, 27.1%) patents. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed pulse oximetry of oxygen saturation (SpO2) on admission (HR 0.704, 95% CI 0.546-0.909, per 1% decrease, p=0.007), elevated hs-cTnI (HR 10.902, 95% 1.279-92.927, p=0.029) and elevated d-dimer (HR 1.103, 95%CI 1.034-1.176, per 1mg/L increase, p=0.003) on admission were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. [Conclusions] Cardiac injury defined by hs-cTnI elevation and elevated d-dimer on admission were risk factors for in-hospital death, while higher SpO2 could be seen as a protective factor, which could help clinicians to identify patients with adverse outcome at the early stage of COVID-19.


title: Lung biopsy cells transcriptional landscape from COVID-19 patient stratified lung injury in SARS-CoV-2 infection through impaired pulmonary surfactant metabolism

text: Clinical management of COVID-19 is still complicated due to the lack of therapeutic interventions to reduce the breathing problems, respiratory complications and acute lung injury – which are the major complications of most of the mild to critically affected patients and the molecular mechanisms behind these clinical features are still largely unknown. In this study, we have used the RNA-seq gene expression pattern in the COVID-19 affected lung biopsy cells and compared it with the effects observed in typical cell lines infected with SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. We performed functional overrepresentation analyses using these differentially expressed genes to signify the processes/pathways which could be deregulated during SARS-CoV-2 infection resulting in the symptomatic impairments observed in COVID-19. Our results showed that the significantly altered processes include inflammatory responses, antiviral cytokine signaling, interferon responses, and interleukin signaling etc. along with downmodulated processes related to lung’s functionality like-responses to hypoxia, lung development, respiratory processes, cholesterol biosynthesis and surfactant metabolism. We also found that the viral protein interacting host’s proteins involved in similar pathways like: respiratory failure, lung diseases, asthma, and hypoxia responses etc., suggesting viral proteins might be deregulating the processes related to acute lung injury/breathing complications in COVID-19 patients. Protein-protein interaction networks of these processes and map of gene expression of deregulated genes revealed that several viral proteins can directly or indirectly modulate the host genes/proteins of those lung related processes along with several host transcription factors and miRNAs. Surfactant proteins and their regulators SPD, SPC, TTF1 etc. which maintains the stability of the pulmonary tissue are found to be downregulated through viral NSP5, NSP12 that could lead to deficient gaseous exchange by the surface films. Mitochondrial dysfunction owing to the aberration of NDUFA10, NDUFAF5, SAMM50 etc. by NSP12; abnormal thrombosis in lungs through atypical PLAT, EGR1 functions by viral ORF8, NSP12; dulled hypoxia responses due to unusual shift in HIF-1 downstream signaling might be the causative elements behind the acute lung injury in COVID-19 patients. Our study put forward a distinct mechanism of probable virus induced lung damage apart from cytokine storm and advocate the need of further research for alternate therapy in this direction.


title: Reduction in time delay of isolation in COVID-19 cases in South Korea

text: Korean public health authorities raised the public alert to its highest level on February 23, 2020 to mitigate the 2019 novel coronavirus disease epidemic. We have identified that the mean delay from symptom onset to isolation was reduced to one day after raising the alert. Vigilance can reduce this interval.


title: Building a COVID-19 Vulnerability Index

text: COVID-19 is an acute respiratory disease that has been classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Information regarding this particular disease is limited, however, it is known to have high mortality rates, particularly among individuals with preexisting medical conditions. Creating models to identify individuals who are at the greatest risk for severe complications due to COVID-19 will be useful to help for outreach campaigns in mitigating the diseases worst effects. While information specific to COVID-19 is limited, a model using complications due to other upper respiratory infections can be used as a proxy to help identify those individuals who are at the greatest risk. We present the results for three models predicting such complications, with each model having varying levels of predictive effectiveness at the expense of ease of implementation.


title: The COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity for escaping the unsustainable global tourism path

text: The COVID-19 pandemic has halted mobility globally on an unprecedented scale, causing the neoliberal market mechanisms of global tourism to be severely disrupted. In turn, this situation is leading to the decline of certain mainstream business formats and, simultaneously, the emergence of others. Based on a review of recent crisis recovery processes, the tourism sector is likely to rebound from this sudden market shock, primarily because of various forms of government interventions. Nevertheless, although policymakers seek to strengthen the resilience of post-pandemic tourism, their subsidies and other initiatives serve to maintain a fundamentally flawed market logic. The crisis has, therefore, brought us to a fork in the road–giving us the perfect opportunity to select a new direction and move forward by adopting a more sustainable path. Specifically, COVID-19 offers public, private, and academic actors a unique opportunity to design and consolidate the transition towards a greener and more balanced tourism. Tourism scholars, for example, can take a leading role in this by redesigning their curriculum to prepare future industry leaders for a more responsible travel and tourism experience.


title: Consideraciones éticas y médico-legales sobre la limitación de recursos y decisiones clínicas en la pandemia del COVID-19

text: Resumen La pandemia por COVID-19 ha suscitado problemas éticos y médico-legales, entre los que destaca la asignación equitativa de recursos sanitarios, sobre todo en relación a la priorización de pacientes y el racionamiento de recursos. El establecimiento de prioridades está siempre presente en los sistemas sanitarios y depende de la teoría de justicia aplicable en cada sociedad. El racionamiento de recursos ha sido necesario en la pandemia por COVID-19, por lo que se han publicado documentos de consenso para la toma de decisiones sustentadas en cuatro valores éticos fundamentales: maximización de los beneficios, tratar a las personas igualmente, contribuir en la creación de valor social y dar prioridad a la situación más grave. De ellos derivan recomendaciones específicas: maximizar beneficios; priorizar a los trabajadores de la salud; no priorizar la asistencia por orden de llegada; ser sensible a la evidencia científica; reconocer la participación en la investigación y aplicar los mismos principios a los pacientes COVID-19 que a los no-COVID-19. Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has raised ethical and medico-legal problems, which include the equitable allocation of health resources, especially in relation to the prioritization of patients and the rationing of resources. Priority setting is always present in healthcare systems and depends on the theory of justice applicable in each society. Resource rationing has been necessary in the COVID-19 pandemic, and therefore consensus documents have been published for decision-making based on four fundamental ethical values: maximization of benefits, treating people equally, contributing to creating social value and giving priority to the worst off, from which specific recommendations derive: maximize benefits; prioritize health workers; do not prioritize attendance on a first-come, first-served basis; be sensitive to scientific evidence; recognize participation in research and apply the same principles to COVID-19 patients as to non-COVID-19 patients.


docid: wsinsafy

title: Group Testing Performance Evaluation for SARS-CoV-2 Massive Scale Screening and Testing

text: The capacity of current molecular testing convention does not allow high-throughput and community level scans of COVID-19 infections. The diameter in current paradigm of shallow tracing is unlikely to reach the silent clusters that might be as important as the symptomatic cases in the spread of the disease. Group testing is a feasible and promising approach when the resources are scarce and when a relatively low prevalence regime is observed on the population. We employed group testing with a sparse random pooling scheme and conventional group test decoding algorithms both for exact and inexact recovery. Our simulations showed that significant reduction in per case test numbers (or expansion in total test numbers preserving the number of actual tests conducted) for very sparse prevalence regimes is available. Currently proposed COVID-19 group testing schemes offer a gain up to 10X scale-up. There is a good probability that the required scale up to achieve massive scale testing might be greater in certain scenarios. We investigated if further improvement is available, especially in sparse prevalence occurrence where outbreaks are needed to be avoided by population scans. Our simulations show that sparse random pooling can provide improved efficiency gains compared to row-column group testing or Reed-Solomon error correcting codes. Therefore, we propose that special designs for different scenarios could be available and it is possible to scale up testing capabilities significantly.


title: Security of supply, strategic storage and Covid19: Which lessons learnt for renewable and recycled carbon fuels, and their future role in decarbonizing transport?

text: The present work analyses the lessons learnt from the Covid19 (Coronavirus) pandemic that could possibly apply to the energy sector, with a special focus to decarbonizing transport. Distinguishing between short/medium- and medium/long-term options, the scope is to discuss how issues such energy security, energy storage and energy system resilience should deserve more attention. Today, fuel demand has fallen to unprecedented levels, with jet fuel demand being the most affected one. Oil price is at the lowest values recorded for many years while on 20 April it even reached a negative price in the US for the first time in history. While in the short-term low oil prices would be attractive, the long-term negative consequences could be very relevant, with significant associated costs for the EU economy and Member states (MS) related to the collapse of demand and to the socio-economic impacts. New measures should thus be considered in the post Covid19 strategy. In particular, while in a short- to medium-term view the oil sector will require specific support measures to overcome the economic and physical shock brought in by the pandemic, in a medium to long-term perspective domestic sources such as Renewable and Recycled Carbon Fuels (RRCF) should be regarded as a way to secure energy supply, leading to significant technical and economic advantages. Thus, EU should allocate adequate resources in the post-Covid recovery plans to definitely allow the transition to renewable energy sources and particularly to bio-based economy and stainable transport fuels. Decarbonisation of transport through RRCF and economic recovery do not compete, but rather represent a win-win solution in a well-designed and sustainable implementation strategy, especially when low or zero interest-rate investments are foreseen. The EU should take the opportunity to match the UN SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) and EU Green Deal goals with the need to inject economic and financial resources into the real economy improving the socio-economic conditions of EU populations. Both agroforestry and RRCF industry are ready to produce (biomass) or source (waste) the feedstocks as well as the technologies, systems and components needed by the industry along the whole value chain. The roadmap to cleaner transport fuels thus represent an evident opportunity to meet climate, economic and societal post-Covid19 goals, in a win-win-win approach.


title: Characteristics and outcomes of pregnant women hospitalised with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in the UK: a national cohort study using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS)

text: Objective: To describe a national cohort of pregnant women hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the UK, identify factors associated with infection and describe outcomes, including transmission of infection, for mother and infant. Design: Prospective national population-based cohort study using the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS). Setting: All 194 obstetric units in the UK Participants: 427 pregnant women admitted to hospital with confirmed Sars-CoV-2 infection between 01/03/2020 and 14/04/2020. 694 comparison women who gave birth between 01/11/2017 and 31/10/2018. Main outcome measures: Incidence of maternal hospitalisation, infant infection. Rates of maternal death, level 3 critical care unit admission, preterm birth, stillbirth, early neonatal death, perinatal death; odds ratios for infected versus comparison women. Results: Estimated incidence of hospitalisation with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy 4.9 per 1000 maternities (95%CI 4.5-5.4). The median gestation at symptom onset was 34 weeks (IQR 29-38). Black or other minority ethnicity (aOR 4.49, 95%CI 3.37-6.00), older maternal age (aOR 1.35, 95%CI 1.01-1.81 comparing women aged 35+ with those aged 30-34), overweight and obesity (aORs 1.91, 95%CI 1.37-2.68 and 2.20, 95%CI 1.56-3.10 respectively compared to women with a BMI<25kg/m2) and pre-existing comorbidities (aOR 1.52, 95%CI 1.12-2.06) were associated with admission with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy. 247 women (58%) gave birth or had a pregnancy loss; 180 (73%) gave birth at term. 40 (9%) hospitalised women required respiratory support. Twelve infants (5%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, six of these infants within the first 12 hours after birth. Conclusions: The majority of pregnant women hospitalised with SARS-CoV-2 were in the late second or third trimester, supporting guidance for continued social distancing measures in later pregnancy. Most had good outcomes and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to infants was uncommon. The strong association between admission with infection and black or minority ethnicity requires urgent investigation and explanation. Study Registration: ISRCTN 40092247


title: Investigation of a radial toolpath in single point incremental forming

text: Abstract Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is a sheet material forming process recognized for its potential performance in low to medium volume production due to precluding the need for high-investment stamping dies. This process forms blanks instead through the use of local deformations, traditionally imposed utilizing a hemispherically-shaped tool. The dieless nature of this process makes it ideal at low volumes; however, several drawbacks of the process currently inhibit its widespread use in industry, including difficult-to-predict springback and poor surface finish. Another perceived drawback of SPIF is overall low formability. Conventional toolpaths form the blank through a series of successive passes in which the tool is generally constrained to the XY plane. Here a novel toolpath is proposed and tested experimentally and through simulation to determine its viability of improving formability. The toolpath investigated travels radially through the center of the workpiece, rather than along its periphery, in order to generate a more uniform thickness profile. A formability improvement of 21% was found utilizing this strategy.


title: Rapid SARS-CoV-2 testing in primary material based on a novel multiplex LAMP assay

text: Background: Rapid and extensive testing of large parts of the population and specific subgroups is crucial for proper management of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections and decision-making in times of a pandemic outbreak. However, point-of-care (POC) testing in places such as emergency units, outpatient clinics, airport security points or the entrance of any public building is a major challenge. The need for thermal cycling and nucleic acid isolation hampers the use of standard PCR-based methods for this purpose. Methods: To avoid these obstacles, we tested PCR-independent methods for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from primary material (nasopharyngeal swabs) including loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and specific high-sensitivity enzymatic reporter unlocking (SHERLOCK). Results: Whilst specificity of standard LAMP assays appears to be satisfactory, sensitivity does not reach the current gold-standard quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays yet. We describe a novel multiplexed LAMP approach and validate its sensitivity on primary samples. This approach allows for fast and reliable identification of infected individuals. Primer optimization and multiplexing helps to increase sensitivity significantly. In addition, we directly compare and combine our novel LAMP assays with SHERLOCK. Conclusion: In summary, this approach reveals one-step multiplexed LAMP assays as a prime-option for the development of easy and cheap POC test kits.


title: Autocatalytic Model for Covid-19 Progression in a Country

text: Herewith we present a computational model for the forecasting of cumulative diagnosed cases of Covid-19 pneumonia within a country. The only explicit parameter of the model is the population density. The implicit parameter is a moving average ambient temperature, currently integrated into the kinetic constants. Other finer details pertaining to the mechanism of the pathogen SARS-CoV-2 spread within a given region are implicitly manifested in the exponent parameters derived from the non-linear fitting of the published data on Covid-19 occurrence. The performance of the model is demonstrated on a few selected countries, and on the Diamond Princess cruising ship outbreak. The model might be used as an aiding tool for the policy makers regarding the decisions on the containment measures and quarantine regime required.


docid: bvrnjlly

title: Frailty and mortality in hospitalized older adults with COVID-19: retrospective observational study

text: Background: Older adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) face an increased risk of adverse health outcomes including mortality. Ethical guidelines consider allocation of limited resources based on likelihood of survival, frailty, co-morbidities and age. However, the association of frailty with clinical outcomes in older COVID-19 patients remains unclear. Objectives: To determine the association between frailty and short-term mortality in older adults hospitalized for COVID-19. Design: Retrospective single-center observational study. Setting and participants: N = 81 patients with COVID-19 confirmed by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), at the Geriatrics department of Imelda general hospital, Belgium. Measurements: Frailty was graded according to the Rockwood Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). Demographic, biochemical and radiological variables, co-morbidities, symptoms and treatment were extracted from electronic medical records. Results: Participants (N = 48 women, 59%) had a median age of 85 years (range 65 - 97 years), median CFS score of 7 (range 2 - 9), and 42 (52%) were long-term care residents. Within six weeks, eighteen patients died. Mortality was significantly but weakly associated with age (Spearman r = 0.241, P = 0.03) and CFS score (r = 0.282, P = 0.011), baseline lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (r = 0.301, P = 0.009), lymphocyte count (r = -0.262, P = 0.02) and RT-PCR Ct value (r = -0.285, P = 0.015). Mortality was not associated with long-term care residence, dementia, delirium or polypharmacy. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, CFS, LDH and RT-PCR Ct values (but not age) remained independently associated with mortality. Both age and frailty had poor specificity to predict survival. A multivariable model combining age, CFS, LDH and viral load significantly predicted survival. Conclusions and implications: Although their prognosis is worse, even the oldest and most severely frail patients may benefit from hospitalization for COVID-19, if sufficient resources are available.


title: Genomic Mutations and Changes in Protein Secondary Structure and Solvent Accessibility of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19 Virus)

text: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly pathogenic virus that has caused the global COVID-19 pandemic. Tracing the evolution and transmission of the virus is crucial to respond to and control the pandemic through appropriate intervention strategies. This paper reports and analyses genomic mutations in the coding regions of SARS-CoV-2 and their probable protein secondary structure and solvent accessibility changes, which are predicted using deep learning models. Prediction results suggest that mutation D614G in the virus spike protein, which has attracted much attention from researchers, is unlikely to make changes in protein secondary structure and relative solvent accessibility. Based on 6,324 viral genome sequences, we create a spreadsheet dataset of point mutations that can facilitate the investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in many perspectives, especially in tracing the evolution and worldwide spread of the virus. Our analysis results also show that coding genes E, M, ORF6, ORF7a, ORF7b and ORF10 are most stable, potentially suitable to be targeted for vaccine and drug development.


title: Elucidation of the antiviral mechanism of cystine and theanine through transcriptome analysis of mice and comparison with COVID-19 gene set data

text: We previously showed that oral administration of cystine and theanine (CT) to mice confers resistance to influenza virus infection. In human studies, CT prevented colds in healthy subjects and enhanced antibody production after influenza vaccination in elderly individuals with a poor nutritional status. The mechanism of action of CT is thought to be glutathione (GSH)-mediated regulation of intracellular redox, which might affect innate immune systems such as macrophages to exert physiological effects. The effect of CT on influenza is independent of viral type, and this treatment has a broad range of antiviral activities. To explore the mechanisms of CT in viral infection, we performed transcriptome profiling of spleen tissues isolated from influenza A virus (IAV)-infected mice. We identified unique gene signatures in response to CT in the IAV-infected mice. Genes upregulated by CT included redox-regulated genes such as GCLC/GCLM (subunits of glutamate cysteine ligase, a rate-limiting enzyme of GSH biosynthesis), TXN1, TXN2, TXNRD2, and SOD1, suggesting that the intracellular redox environment is substantially altered by CT. However, genes downregulated in response to CT included chemokine/chemokine receptor genes (CCL5, CCL19, CXCL9, CXCL12, CXCR3, CXCR4, and ACKR3), some of which are related to cytokine storm. A comparison with public COVID-19-related gene set data showed that the upregulated gene signature was highly similar to the downregulated gene sets of SARS-CoV/SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and the upregulated gene set of attenuated SARS-CoV-infected cells. In conclusion, the unique gene signatures observed in response to orally administered CT in IAV-infected mouse spleen tissues suggested that CT may attenuate viral infection, replication and associated symptoms such as cytokine storm.


title: Hawkes process modeling of COVID-19 with mobility leading indicators and spatial covariates

text: Hawkes processes are used in machine learning for event clustering and causal inference, while they also can be viewed as stochastic versions of popular compartmental models used in epidemiology. Here we show how to develop accurate models of COVID-19 transmission using Hawkes processes with spatial-temporal covariates. We model the conditional intensity of new COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. at the county level, estimating the dynamic reproduction number of the virus within an EM algorithm through a regression on Google mobility indices and demographic covariates in the maximization step. We validate the approach on short-term forecasting tasks, showing that the Hawkes process outperforms several benchmark models currently used to track the pandemic, including an ensemble approach and an SEIR-variant. We also investigate which covariates and mobility indices are most important for building forecasts of COVID-19 in the U.S.


title: COVID-19 and Renal Failure: Challenges in the Delivery of Renal Replacement Therapy

text: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first officially reported in December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei province, China, and has since lead to a pandemic. Most cases result in minor symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat, myalgia, fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, loss of smell, and abdominal pain. As of April 8, 2020, more than 1,485,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in more than 200 countries and territories, resulting in over 90,000 deaths. Outcomes are worse in elderly patients, particularly males, and those with comorbidities, but can affect any age group. The incidence of acute kidney injury in patients with COVID-19 infection is about 3-15%; and in patients with severe infection requiring care in the intensive care unit, the rates of acute kidney injury increased significantly from 15% to 50%. Acute kidney injury is an independent risk factor for mortality in COVID-19 patients. The nephrologists, as well as intensivists, are facing immense daily challenges while providing care for these patients in the inpatient setting as well as end-stage renal disease patients on chronic dialysis in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In the current review article, we discussed the epidemiology and etiology of acute kidney injury, management of acute kidney injury including renal replacement therapy options (both hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) for inpatient floor, as well as intensive care unit settings. We also discussed the challenges faced by the outpatient dialysis units with COVID-19 infection. We discussed measures required to limit the spread of infection, as well as summarized the guidance as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Society of Nephrology (ASN), American Society of Diagnostic and Interventional Nephrology (ASDIN) and the Vascular Access Society of the Americas (VASA).


title: Global access to handwashing: implications for COVID-19 control in low-income countries

text: Background: Low-income countries have reduced health care system capacity and are therefore at risk of substantially higher COVID-19 case fatality rates than those currently seen in high-income countries. Handwashing is a key component of guidance to reduce transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior systematic reviews have indicated the effectiveness of handwashing to reduce transmission of respiratory viruses. In low-income countries, reduction of transmission is of paramount importance but social distancing is challenged by high population densities and handwashing access is limited. Objectives: To estimate global access to handwashing with soap and water to inform use of handwashing in the prevention of COVID-19 transmission. Methods: We utilized observational surveys and spatiotemporal gaussian process regression modeling in the context of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study, to estimate access to a handwashing station with available soap and water for 1062 locations from 1990 to 2019. Results: Despite overall improvements from 1990 (34.7% [95% uncertainty interval 32.5-36.7] without access) to 2019 globally, in 2019, 2.01 (1.89-2.13) billion people equal to 26.0% (24.4-27.6) of the global population lacked access to handwashing. More than 50% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa were without access to handwashing in 2019, while in eight countries, more than 50 million persons lacked access. Discussion: For populations without handwashing access, immediate improvements in access or alternative strategies are urgently needed, while disparities in handwashing access should be incorporated into COVID-19 forecasting models when applied to low-income countries.


The effect on and experience of families with a member who has Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: developing an investigation


title: Transmission Dynamics Model of Coronavirus COVID-19 for the Outbreak in Most Affected Countries of the World

text: The wide spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) has threatened millions of lives and damaged the economy worldwide Due to the severity and damage caused by the disease, it is very important to fore-tell the epidemic lifetime in order to take timely actions Unfortunately, the lack of accurate information and unavailability of large amount of data at this stage make the task more difficult In this paper, we used the available data from the mostly affected countries by COVID-19, (China, Iran, South Korea and Italy) and fit this with the SEIR type model in order to estimate the basic reproduction number R-0 We also discussed the development trend of the disease Our model is quite accurate in predicting the current pattern of the infected population We also performed sensitivity analysis on all the parameters used that are affecting the value of R-0


title: METATRYP v 2.0: Metaproteomic Least Common Ancestor Analysis for Taxonomic Inference Using Specialized Sequence Assemblies - Standalone Software and Web Servers for Marine Microorganisms and Coronaviruses

text: We present METATRYP version-2 software that identifies shared peptides across organisms within environmental metaproteomics studies to enable accurate taxonomic attribution of peptides during protein inference. Improvements include: ingestion of complex sequence assembly data categories (metagenomic and metatranscriptomic assemblies, single cell amplified genomes, and metagenome assembled genomes), prediction of the Least Common Ancestor (LCA) for a peptide shared across multiple organisms, increased performance through updates to the backend architecture, and development of a web portal (https://metatryp.whoi.edu). Major expansion of the marine database confirms low occurrence of shared tryptic peptides among disparate marine microorganisms, implying tractability for targeted metaproteomics. METATRYP was designed for ocean metaproteomics and has been integrated into the Ocean Protein Portal (https://oceanproteinportal.org); however, it can be readily applied to other domains. We describe the rapid deployment of a coronavirus-specific web portal (https://metatryp-coronavirus.whoi.edu/) to aid in use of proteomics on coronavirus research during the ongoing pandemic. A Coronavirus-focused METATRYP database identified potential SARS-CoV-2 peptide biomarkers and indicated very few shared tryptic peptides between SARS-CoV-2 and other disparate taxa, sharing 0.1% peptides or less (1 peptide) with the Influenza A & B pan-proteomes, establishing that taxonomic specificity is achievable using tryptic peptide-based proteomic diagnostic approaches. Statement of significance When assigning taxonomic attribution in bottom-up metaproteomics, the potential for shared tryptic peptides among organisms in mixed communities should be considered. The software program METATRYP v 2 and associated interactive web portals enables users to identify the frequency of shared tryptic peptides among taxonomic groups and evaluate the occurrence of specific tryptic peptides within complex communities. METATRYP facilitates phyloproteomic studies of taxonomic groups and supports the identification and evaluation of potential metaproteomic biomarkers.


title: Kalman Filter Based Short Term Prediction Model for COVID-19 Spread

text: COVID-19 has emerged as global medical emergency in recent decades. The spread scenario of this pandemic has shown many variations. Keeping all this in mind, this article is written after various studies and analysis on the latest data on COVID-19 spread, which also includes the demographic and environmental factors. After gathering data from various resources, all data are integrated and passed into different Machine Learning Models to check the fit. Ensemble Learning Technique,Random Forest, gives a good evaluation score on the test data. Through this technique, various important factors are recognised and their contribution to the spread is analysed. Also, linear relationship between various features is plotted through heatmap of Pearson Correlation matrix. Finally, Kalman Filter is used to estimate future spread of COVID19, which shows good result on test data. The inferences from Random Forest feature importance and Pearson Correlation gives many similarities and some dissimilarities, and these techniques successfully identify the different contributing factors. The Kalman Filter gives a satisfying result for short term estimation, but not so good performance for long term forecasting. Overall, the analysis, plots, inferences and forecast are satisfying and can help a lot in fighting the spread of the virus.


title: ‘Every day is a new surprise.’ Inside the effort to produce the world’s most popular coronavirus tracker

text: Many websites track the devastating spread of disease and death caused by the now-pandemic coronavirus, from the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) global map to The New York Times’s tally of U S cases at the county level But one of the earliest, an online dashboard run by Johns Hopkins University, has become the go-to place for the latest data on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) With its black world map strewn with red circles and global, country, and state counts of cases, deaths, and recoveries, the Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases tracker sticks to the basics—no fancy graphs Yet the site, which gets more than 1 billion hits a day, has become the most authoritative source for COVID-19 case data It is used by news organizations and government agencies around the world Its dashboard has been copied by states and countries It has been spotted on a wall in a photo of the U S Department of Health and Human Services’s coronavirus war room


title: CRISPR-Assisted DNA Detection, a novel dCas9-based DNA detection technique

text: Nucleic acid detection techniques are always critical to diagnosis, especially in the background of the present COVID-19 pandemic. The simple and rapid detection techniques with high sensitivity and specificity are always urgently needed. However, the current nucleic acid detection techniques are still limited the traditional amplification and hybridization. To overcome the limitation, we here develop a CRISPR/Cas9-assisted DNA detection (CADD). In this detection, DNA sample is incubated with a pair of capture sgRNAs (sgRNAa and sgRNAb) specific to a target DNA, dCas9, a signal readout-related probe, and an oligo-coated solid support beads or microplate at room temperature for 15 min. During this incubation, the dCas9-sgRNA-DNA complex is formed and captured on solid support by the capture sequence of sgRNAa and the signal readout-related probe is captured by the capture sequence of sgRNAb. Finally the detection result is reported by a fluorescent or colorimetric signal readout. This detection was verified by detecting DNA of bacteria, cancer cell and virus. Especially, by designing a set of sgRNAs specific to 15 high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs), the HPV infection in 64 clinical cervical samples were successfully detected by the method. All detections can be finished in 30 minutes at room temperature. This detection holds promise for rapid on-the-spot detection or point-of-care testing (POCT).


docid: ziypxfat

title: China’s aggressive measures have slowed the coronavirus. They may not work in other countries

text: The question now is whether the world can take lessons from China’s apparent success—and whether the massive lockdowns and electronic surveillance measures imposed by an authoritarian government would work in other countries “When you spend 20, 30 years in this business it’s like, ‘Seriously, you’re going to try and change that with those tactics?’” says Bruce Aylward, a Canadian WHO epidemiologist who led the international team and briefed journalists about its findings in Beijing and Geneva last week “Hundreds of thousands of people in China did not get COVID-19 because of this aggressive response ”


title: Fujifilm beefs up favipiravir supply chain

text: Seeking to increase supply of Avigan, an influenza drug that may be effective against COVID-19, Fujifilm has signed up two pharmaceutical chemical outsourcing partners The Japanese firm Kaneka says it will begin supplying the drug’s active ingredient, favipiravir, by July Another Japanese firm, Ube Industries, says it will make intermediates for the drug The Japanese government has ordered 2 million Avigan treatment courses View: PDF ;Full Text HTML


title: A clinical and biological framework on the role of visceral fat tissue and leptin in SARS-CoV-2 infection related respiratory failure

text: Obesity is a risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infected patients to develop respiratory failure. Leptin produced in visceral fat might play a role in the deterioration to mechanical ventilation. A cross sectional study was performed. The mean BMI was 31 kg/m2 (range 24.8-48.4) for the 31 SARS-CoV-2 ventilated patients and 26 kg/m2 (range 22.4-33.5) for the 8 controls. SARS-CoV-2 infected patients with a similar BMI as control patients appear to have significantly higher levels of serum leptin. The mean leptin level was 21.2 (6.0-85.2) vs 5.6 (2.4-8.2) ug/L for SARS-CoV-2 and controls respectively (p=0.0007). With these findings we designed a clinical and biological framework that explains clinical observations. The ACE2 utilization by the virus leads to local pulmonary inflammation due to ACE2-ATII disbalance. This is enhanced by an increase in leptin production induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection of visceral fat. Leptin receptors in the lungs are now more activated to enhance local pulmonary inflammation. This adds to the pre-existent chronic inflammation in obese patients. Visceral fat, lung tissue and leptin production play an interconnecting role. This insight can lead the way to further research and treatment.


title: COVID-19 Outcomes in Saudi Arabia and the UK: A Tale of Two Kingdoms

text: Background: While the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world is starting to peak, it is essential to point out how different countries manage the outbreak and how different measures and experience resulted in different outcomes. This study aimed to compare the effect of the measures taken by Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom (UK) governments on the outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic as predicted by a mathematical model. Method: Data on the numbers of cases, deaths and government measures were collected from Saudi Ministry of Health and Public Health England. A prediction of the trend of cases, deaths and days to peak was then modelled using the mathematical technique, Exponential Logistic Growth and Susceptible Infectious Recovered (SIR) model. The measures taken by the governments and the predicted outcomes were compared to assess effectiveness. Result: We found over three months that 22 fast and extreme measures had been taken in Saudi Arabia compared to eight slow and late measures in the UK. This resulted in a decline in numbers of current infected cases per day and mortality in Saudi Arabia compared to the UK. Based on the SIR model, the predicted number of COVID-19 cases in Saudi as of 31st of March was 2064, while the predicted number of cases was 63012 in the UK. In addition, the pandemic is predicted to peak earlier on the 27th of March in Saudi Arabia compared to the 2nd of May 2020 in the UK. The end of transition phases for Saudi and UK according to the model, were predicted to be on 18th of April and 24th of May, respectively. These numbers relate to early and decisive measures adopted by the Saudi government. Conclusion: We show that early extreme measures, informed by science and guided by experience, helped reduce the spread and related deaths from COVID-19 in Saudi. Actions were taken by Saudi Arabia under the national slogan (We are all responsible) resulted in the observed reduced number of current and predicted cases and deaths compared to the UK approach (keep calm and carry on).


title: Virus-host interactome and proteomic survey of PMBCs from COVID-19 patients reveal potential virulence factors influencing SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis

text: The ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global public health concern due to relatively easy person-to-person transmission and the current lack of effective antiviral therapy. However, the exact molecular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis remain largely unknown. We exploited an integrated proteomics approach to systematically investigate intra-viral and virus-host interactomes for the identification of unrealized SARS-CoV-2 host targets and participation of cellular proteins in the response to viral infection using peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from COVID-19 patients. Using this approach, we elucidated 251 host proteins targeted by SARS-CoV-2 and more than 200 host proteins that are significantly perturbed in COVID-19 derived PBMCs. From the interactome, we further identified that non-structural protein nsp9 and nsp10 interact with NKRF, a NF-КB repressor, and may precipitate the strong IL-8/IL-6 mediated chemotaxis of neutrophils and overexuberant host inflammatory response observed in COVID-19 patients. Our integrative study not only presents a systematic examination of SARS-CoV-2-induced perturbation of host targets and cellular networks to reflect disease etiology, but also reveals insights into the mechanisms by which SARS-CoV-2 triggers cytokine storms and represents a powerful resource in the quest for therapeutic intervention.


title: Pharmacological treatment for the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 infection)

text: As of March 22, 2020, a total of 292,142 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases have been reported globally. Although there are currently no specific antiviral agents but all coronaviruses shared similar key elements of target for currently approved antiviral or new drug development. Several agents might be considered as a possible treatment based on the efficacy in SARS and MERS.


title: A Protracted Course of COVID19 Infection in a Metastatic Breast Cancer Patient During CDK4/6 Inhibitor Therapy

text: We describe the first case report of a patient with COVID19 infection and metastatic breast cancer, while on systemic therapy with a CDK4/6 inhibitor. The patient had unique disease course, characterized with delayed symptomatology. The case highlights novel findings and stress careful and extended follow-up during COVID19 infection in patients taking biologic therapies affecting the immune system.


title: Pregnancy and Neonatal Outcomes in SARS-CoV-2 Infection: a systematic review

text: With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and its rapid spread, concerns regarding its effects on pregnancy outcomes have been growing. We reviewed 164 pregnancies complicated by maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection across 20 studies. The most common clinical presentations were fever (57.9%), cough (35.4%), fatigue (15.2%), and dyspnea (12.2%). Only 2.4% of patients developed respiratory distress. Of all patients, 84.5% delivered via Cesarean section, with a 23.9% rate of maternal gestational complications, 20.3% rate of preterm delivery, and a concerning 2.3% rate of stillbirth delivery. Relative to known viral infections, the prognosis for pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 is good, even in the absence of specific antiviral treatment. However, neonates and acute patients, especially those with gestational or pre-existing co-morbidities, must be actively managed to prevent severe outcomes.


title: Gastrointestinal tract symptoms in coronavirus disease 2019: Analysis of clinical symptoms in adult patients

text: Objective: To investigate the clinical presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly the incidence of gastrointestinal tract symptoms. Design: We enrolled adult COVID-19 patients from a mobile cabin hospital in Wuhan with a definitive diagnosis by SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in which the patient selected COVID-19-related symptoms and report the time of onset and duration of symptoms. Results: A total of 212 adults were enrolled in this study, of which 127 (59.9%) were females, mean age was 48.50 (range: 17-79) years, and mean disease course was 26.78 (3-60) days. Fever and cough were the most common and earliest clinical symptoms of COVID-19. Diarrhoea occurred in 43.8% (93/212) of patients, of which 86.0% (80/93) had mushy stools. Nausea and vomiting were also common (20.7%). Diarrhoea lasted for 4.00(2.00-8.85) days and mostly occurred 5.00(0.25-11.00) days after the emergence of the first symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis found that diarrhoea was significantly correlated with fatigue [OR2.900,95%CI (1.629-5.164), p<0.0001]. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal tract symptoms are common in COVID-19 and most occur during the middle stage of the disease and lasts for a short period of time. Clinicians need to pay greater attention to gastrointestinal tract symptoms of COVID-19.


title: Impact of covid-19 on the media system. Communicative and democratic consequences of news consumption during the outbreak

text: Covid-19 is a phenomenon of enormous magnitude and relevance. Its impact has affected various social domains, including the media and journalism. Since the beginning of this health crisis, the news has become a valuable resource for citizens. Studying the dynamics of information consumption is highly relevant both for its ability to transform the media system and for its incidence in democracy. The objective of this research is to analyse the influence of the new coro-navirus on news consumption, the credibility given by citizens to the media as well as their ability to detect fake news. To answer these questions, we have conducted an exploratory analysis based on the secondary data from the online surveys of the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel in the United States, comparing data before and after the outbreak. The results confirm the impact of Covid-19 on the media system. The findings suggest the emergence of im-portant developments such as the resurgence of the role of legacy media, especially television, and the fact that citizens who usually remain far from the information have reconnected with the news. Therefore, the existing inequalities regar-ding news consumption among citizens have been reduced, in part. This generates potential benefits for democracy in terms of equality and accessibility concerning public affairs.


title: Fatalism in the context of COVID-19: Perceiving coronavirus as a death sentence predicts reluctance to perform recommended preventative behaviors()

text: To manage the spread of coronavirus, health entities have urged the public to take preventative measures such as social distancing and handwashing. Yet, many appear reluctant to take these measures. Research is needed to understand factors underlying such reluctance, with the aim of developing targeted health interventions. We identify associating coronavirus with death as one such factor. 590 participants completed surveys in mid-March 2020, which included attitudes toward coronavirus, preventative behavioral intentions, and sociodemographic factors. Associating coronavirus with death negatively predicted intentions to perform preventative behaviors. Further, associating coronavirus with death was not evenly distributed throughout the sample and was related with a number of sociodemographic factors including age, race, and availability of sick leave. Following recommended preventative measures to slow the spread of coronavirus appears to relate to the degree to which people associate coronavirus with death. These findings can be used by public health researchers and practitioners to identify those for whom targeted health communication and interventions would be most beneficial, as well as to frame health messaging in ways that combat fatalism.


title: Systemic inflammation suppresses lymphoid tissue remodeling and B cell immunity during concomitant local infection

text: Concurrent infection with multiple pathogens occurs frequently in individuals and can result in exacerbated infections and altered immunity. However, the impact of such coinfections on immune responses remains poorly understood. Here we reveal that systemic infection results in an inflammation-induced suppression of local immunity. During localized infection or vaccination in barrier tissues including the skin or respiratory tract, concurrent systemic infection induced a type I interferon-dependent lymphopenia that impairs lymphocyte recruitment to the draining lymph node (dLN). This leads to suppressed lymphoid stromal cell expansion and dLN remodeling and impaired induction of B cell responses and antibody production. Our data suggest that contemporaneous systemic inflammation constrains the induction of regional immunity.


title: Global pattern of COVID-19 research

text: Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, a large number of studies have been conducted in a short period. However, it is unclear whether countries involved in this crisis have made adequate efforts and allocated resources to cutting-edge SARS-CoV-2 research. We analyzed the dynamics of and professional fields represented by papers about this novel coronavirus published before June 15, 2020. High-infection countries produced more scientific output than low-infection countries, and high-income and upper-middle-income countries were the main contributors. However, the research areas overlapped substantially, indicating a waste of resources. Our findings also suggest that international cooperation among countries is still relatively lacking, and all countries should make better use of their strengths to face the epidemic jointly.


Mental health of migrant laborers in COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown: Challenges ahead


The “Helmet bundle” in COVID-2019 patients undergoing non invasive ventilation


title: Ancient RNA virus epidemics through the lens of recent adaptation in human genomes

text: Over the course of the last several million years of evolution, humans likely have been plagued by hundreds or perhaps thousands of epidemics. Little is known about such ancient epidemics and a deep evolutionary perspective on current pathogenic threats is lacking. The study of past epidemics has typically been limited in temporal scope to recorded history, and in physical scope to pathogens that left sufficient DNA behind, such as Yersinia pestis during the Great Plague. Host genomes however offer an indirect way to detect ancient epidemics beyond the current temporal and physical limits. Arms races with pathogens have shaped the genomes of the hosts by driving a large number of adaptations at many genes, and these signals can be used to detect and further characterize ancient epidemics. Here, we detect the genomic footprints left by ancient viral epidemics that took place in the past ~50,000 years in the 26 human populations represented in the 1,000 Genomes Project. By using the enrichment in signals of adaptation at ~4,500 host loci that interact with specific types of viruses, we provide evidence that RNA viruses have driven a particularly large number of adaptive events across diverse human populations. These results suggest that different types of viruses may have exerted different selective pressures during human evolution. Knowledge of these past selective pressures will provide a deeper evolutionary perspective on current pathogenic threats.


title: An Interactive Tool to Forecast US Hospital Needs in the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic

text: Hospital enterprises are currently faced with anticipating the spread of COVID-19 and the effects it will have on visits, admissions, bed needs, and crucial supplies. While many studies have focused on understanding the basic epidemiology of the disease, few open source tools have been made available to aid hospitals in their planning. We developed a web-based application for US states and territories that allows users to choose from a suite of models already employed in characterizing the spread of COVID-19. Users can obtain forecasts for hospital visits and admissions as well as anticipated needs for ICU and non-ICU beds, ventilators, and personal protective equipment supplies. Users can also customize a large set of inputs, view the variability in forecasts over time, and download forecast data. We describe our web application and its models in detail and provide recommendations and caveats for its use. Our application is primarily designed for hospital leaders, healthcare workers, and government official who may lack specialized knowledge in epidemiology and modeling. However, specialists can also use our open source code as a platform for modification and deeper study. As the dynamics of COVID-19 within the US change, our application will also change to meet emerging needs and questions of the healthcare community.


title: What could remdesivir data tell us about tackling COVID-19?

text: In the coming weeks, the world will get a sense of whether Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, an antiviral developed for Ebola, is useful against the novel coronavirus With the coronavirus pandemic spiraling—during the week of March 30, worldwide infections crossed 900,000 and deaths exceeded 45,000—initial results emerging from several late-stage studies will be under the microscope But infectious disease experts on the front lines warn that the data are unlikely to clearly answer the question of whether remdesivir works in COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus Those first tests are in the sickest, hardest-to-treat patients Moreover, antivirals don’t have a great track record at taking down coronaviruses, which can be a little more sophisticated than your average RNA virus Still, some industry watchers hope the studies signal enough success to convince the US Food and Drug Administration to approve Gilead’s experimental drug When a new infectious disease threatens


title: The King's College London Coronavirus Health and Experiences of Colleagues at King's Study (KCL CHECK) protocol paper: a platform for study of the effects of coronavirus pandemic on staff and postgraduate students.

text: Introduction We will use an occupational sample to study the impact of COVID-19 on current staff and postgraduate research students at a large UK university. The cohort study will address some of the key questions about COVID-19 for the international community, while also providing feedback to the employer and educator. Methods and analysis Participants were recruited via email to their University email address. Administrative records were available to compare the composition of volunteer participants to underlying staff and postgraduate student populations of the University. The study comprises a baseline survey, longitudinal follow-up surveys and a viral antibody study. Baseline information was collected in April 2020 including demographics, working situation, current stresses and worries, mental health and neurological symptoms. Personal experiences of COVID-19, indirect experiences and attitudes towards the pandemic were queried, as well as satisfaction with communication and support at work. Longitudinal surveys will assess changes in COVID-19 exposure and mental health. A viral antibody detection component is being planned and will also be longitudinal in nature. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval has been gained from KCL's Psychiatry, Nursing and Midwifery Research Ethics Committee (HR-19/20-18247). Participants were provided with information and agreed to a series of consent statements before enrolment. Data are kept on secure servers with access to personally identifiable information limited. Researchers may apply to have access to pseudonymised data. Findings will be disseminated internally to the University and participants, and externally through scientific publications.