bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A multinational e-survey on the delivery of cardiology services in Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic: what should we expect after this pandemic?
Authors: Nganou-Gnindjio Chris Nadege , Temgoua Mazou Ngou , Kuate Liliane Mfeukeu , Nkoke Clovis , Tochie Joel Noutakdie , Ndobo-Kue Valerie , Owona-Nsiaguam Amalia , Boombhi Jerome , Kipenge Richie , Huba Urbain , Kane Malick , el Jirari Mohamed Taha , Ndongo-Amougou Sylvie , Hamadou Bâ , Menanga Alain , Kingue Samuel 
Published: July 2020

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of cardiology services in Africa.DesignCross-sectional e-survey study.SettingAfrican countriesParticipantsCardiologistsPrimary and Secondary outcomes measuresThe primary outcome was the change in service delivery in African cardiology units during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. The secondary outcomes were the satisfaction of cardiologists with regards to the workload and factors associated with this satisfaction.ResultsThere was a significant reduction in working time and the number of patients consulted by week during this pandemic (p<0.001). In general, there was a decrease in the overall activities in cardiovascular care delivery. The majority of cardiology services (76.5%) and consulting programs (85%) were adjusted to the pandemic. Only half of the participants were satisfied with their workload. Reconfiguration of the consultation schedule was associated with a reduced satisfaction of participants (p=0.02).ConclusionsCOVID-19 is associated with an overall reduction in cardiology services rendered in Africa. Since the cardiovascular burdens continue to increase in this part of the World and the risk of cardiovascular complications linked to SARS COV2 remains unchanged cardiology, departments in Africa should anticipate a significant surge of cardiology services demanded by patients after the COVID-19 pandemic.Strengths and limitations of this studyThe study is one of the first African studies to report the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of cardiology services which are very important for Africans given the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in this continent.The multinational design of the study leading to the inclusion of 14 African countries makes the results generalizable to the entire African.The cross-sectional design of the study represents a major limitation as it remains impossible to either infer causality or untangle bi-directional relationships between the reduction of the delivery in cardiology services and the pandemic or participants’ satisfaction.Also, the e-survey was drawn in English and this might have restricted the participation by some non-English African respondents due to the language barrier. Hence, perhaps contributing to the relatively small sample size of the study.
Calibration-free regional RF shims for MR spectroscopy
Authors: Berrington Adam , Považan Michal , Mirfin Christopher , Bawden Stephen , Park Young Woo , Marsh Daniel C. , Bowtell Richard , Gowland Penny 
Published: July 2020

PurposeSufficient control of the RF transmit field (B1+) in small regions-of-interest (ROIs) is critical for single voxel MR spectroscopy at ultra-high field. Static RF shimming, using parallel transmit (pTx), can improve B1+, but must be calibrated for each participant and ROI, which limits its applicability. Additionally, specific-absorption-rate (SAR) becomes hard to predict. This work aimed to find RF shims, which can be applied to any participant, to produce the desired |B1+| within pre-defined target ROIs.MethodsRF shims were found offline by joint-optimisation on a database, comprising B1+ maps from 11 subjects, considering ROIs in occipital cortex, hippocampus and posterior-cingulate, as well as the whole brain. The B1+ magnitude achieved using calibration-free RF shims was compared to a tailored shimming approach, and MR spectra were acquired using tailored and calibration-free RF shimming in 4 participants. Global and local 10g SAR deposition were modelled.ResultsCalibration-free RF shims resulted in similar |B1+| in small ROIs compared to tailored shimming, in addition to producing spectra of excellent quality and equivalent SNR. Only a small database size was required. SAR deposition was reduced compared to operating in quadrature mode for all ROIs.ConclusionThis work demonstrates that static RF shims, optimised offline for small regions in single voxel MRS, avoid the need for lengthy B1+ mapping and pTx optimisation for each ROI and participant. Furthermore, power settings may be increased when using calibration-free shims to better take advantage of the flexibility provided by RF shimming for regional acquisition at ultra-high field.
Strategies to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 re-introduction from international travellers
Authors: Clifford Samuel , Quilty Billy J. , Russell Timothy W. , Liu Yang , Chan Yung-Wai Desmond , Pearson Carl A. B. , Eggo Rosalind M. , Endo Akira ,   CMMID COVID-19 Working Group, Flasche Stefan , Edmunds W. John 
Published: July 2020

SummaryTo mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks from international travellers, many countries currently use a combination of up to 14 days of self-quarantine on arrival and testing for active infection. We used a simulation model of air travellers arriving to the UK from the EU or the USA and the timing of their stages of infection to evaluate the ability of these strategies to reduce the risk of seeding community transmission. We find that a quarantine period of 8 days on arrival with a PCR test on day 7 (with a 1-day delay for test results) can reduce the number of infectious arrivals released into the community by a median 94% compared to a no quarantine, no test scenario. This reduction is similar to that achieved by a 14-day quarantine period (median 99% reduction). Shorter quarantine periods still can prevent a substantial amount of transmission; all strategies in which travellers spend at least 5 days (the mean incubation period) in quarantine and have at least one negative test before release are highly effective (e.g. a test on day 5 with release on day 6 results in a median 88% reduction in transmission potential). Without intervention, the current high prevalence in the US (40 per 10,000) results in a higher expected number of infectious arrivals per week (up to 23) compared to the EU (up to 12), despite an estimated 8 times lower volume of travel in July 2020.Requiring a 14-day quarantine period likely results in less than 1 infectious traveller each entering the UK per week from the EU and the USA (97.5th percentile). We also find that on arrival the transmission risk is highest from pre-symptomatic travellers; quarantine policies will shift this risk increasingly towards asymptomatic infections if eventually-symptomatic individuals self-isolate after the onset of symptoms. As passenger numbers recover, strategies to reduce the risk of re-introduction should be evaluated in the context of domestic SARS-CoV-2 incidence, preparedness to manage new outbreaks, and the economic and psychological impacts of quarantine.
Dental caries among the elderly in Iran: a meta-analysis
Authors: Shoaee Shervan , Sharifi Farshad , Parsa Pooneh Ghavidel , Sofi-Mahmudi Ahmad 
Published: July 2020

AbstractObjectivesTo conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on dental caries among the elderly in Iran.BackgroundThe prevalence of dental caries among elderly is high worldwide, and the major burden of oral diseases is caused by dental caries.MethodsSystematic review of the published and grey literature performed. Six international and local databases used to provide the most comprehensive population-based studies. National oral health surveys, as well as national disease and health surveys considered as other primary sources of data. Quality of remained studies was assessed by a modified tool designed based on STROBE statement checklist to evaluate the cross-sectional studies. The target population was 65+-year-olds Iranian population.ResultsOverall, 917 English articles who those reported dental caries among all age groups were found in international databases and 2138 Persian articles were found in Iranian databases. After quality assessment, and excluding other age groups, 46 points of data with 10411 aged people ≥ 65 years, were included in the meta-analysis. Mean pooled decayed, missing, and filled teeth among the elderly was 26.84 (26.41-27.28). This index was 26.78 (26.12-27.43) in women and 26.91 (26.32-27.50) in men. Mean number of decayed teeth was 1.48 (1.32-1.65). Mean pooled missing teeth was 24.83 (24.20-25.46), and mean pooled filled teeth was 0.14 (0.12-0.17). The majority (92%) of DMFT was related to missing teeth.ConclusionDental caries has a very high burden on the oral health of the elderly in Iran, mainly responded by tooth extraction.
Employing a Systematic Approach to Biobanking and Analyzing Clinical and Genetic Data for Advancing COVID-19 Research
Authors: Daga Sergio , Fallerini Chiara , Baldassarri Margherita , Fava Francesca , Valentino Floriana , Doddato Gabriella , Benetti Elisa , Furini Simone , Giliberti Annarita , Tita Rossella , Amitrano Sara , Bruttini Mirella , Meloni Ilaria , Pinto Anna Maria , Raimondi Francesco , Stella Alessandra , Biscarini Filippo , Picchiotti Nicola , Gori Marco , Pinoli Pietro , Ceri Stefano , Sanarico Maurizio , Crawley Francis P. ,   GEN-COVID Multicenter Study, Renieri Alessandra , Mari Francesca , Frullanti Elisa 
Published: July 2020

AbstractWithin the GEN-COVID Multicenter Study, biospecimens from more than 1,000 SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals have thus far been collected in the GEN-COVID Biobank (GCB). Sample types include whole blood, plasma, serum, leukocytes, and DNA. The GCB links samples to detailed clinical data available in the GEN-COVID Patient Registry (GCPR). It includes hospitalized patients (74.25%), broken down into intubated, treated by CPAP-biPAP, treated with O2 supplementation, and without respiratory support (9.5%, 18.4%, 31.55% and 14.8, respectively); and non-hospitalized subjects (25.75%), either pauci- or asymptomatic. More than 150 clinical patient-level data fields have been collected and binarized for further statistics according to the organs/systems primarily affected by COVID-19: heart, liver, pancreas, kidney, chemosensors, innate or adaptive immunity, and clotting system. Hierarchical Clustering analysis identified five main clinical categories: i) severe multisystemic failure with either thromboembolic or pancreatic variant; ii) cytokine storm type, either severe with liver involvement or moderate; iii) moderate heart type, either with or without liver damage; iv) moderate multisystemic involvement, either with or without liver damage; v) mild, either with or without hyposmia. GCB and GCPR are further linked to the GEN-COVID Genetic Data Repository (GCGDR), which includes data from Whole Exome Sequencing and high-density SNP genotyping. The data are available for sharing through the Network for Italian Genomes, found within the COVID-19 dedicated section. The study objective is to systematize this comprehensive data collection and begin identifying multi-organ involvement in COVID-19, defining genetic parameters for infection susceptibility within the population and mapping genetically COVID-19 severity and clinical complexity among patients.
Complement C3 identified as a unique Risk Factor for Disease Severity among Young COVID-19 Patients in Wuhan
Authors: Cheng Weiting , Hornung Roman , Xu Kai , Li Jian 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundGiven that a substantial proportion of the subgroup of COVID-19 patients that face a severe disease course are younger than 60 years, it is critical to understand the disease-specific characteristics of young COVID-19 patients. Risk factors for a severe disease course for young COVID-19 patients and possibly non-linear influences remain unknown.MethodsData of COVID-19 patients with clinical outcome in a designated hospital in Wuhan, China, collected retrospectively from Jan 24thto Mar 27th, were analyzed. Clinical, demographic, treatment and laboratory data were collected from patients’ medical records. Uni- and multivariable analysis using logistic regression and random forest, with the latter allowing the study of non-linear influences, were performed to investigate and exploit the clinical characteristics of a severe disease course.ResultsA total of 762 young patients (median age 47 years, interquartile ranges [IQR] 38 - 55, range 16 - 60; 55.9% female) were included, as well as 714 elderly patients as a comparison group. Among the young patients, 362 (47.5%) had a severe/critical disease course and the mean age was significantly higher in the severe subgroup than in the mild subgroup (59.3 vs. 56.0, Student’s t-test: p < 0.001). The uni- and multivariable analysis suggested that several covariates such as elevated levels of ASS, CRP and LDH, and decreased lymphocyte counts are influential on disease severity independent of age. Elevated levels of complement C3 (odds ratio [OR] 15.6, 95% CI 2.41-122.3; p=0.039) are particularly associated with the risk for the development of severity specifically in young patients, where no such influence seems to exist for elderly patients. Additional analysis suggests that the influence of complement C3 in young patients is independent of age, gender, and comorbidities. Variable importance values and partial dependence plots obtained using random forests delivered additional insights, in particular indicating non-linear influences of risk factors on disease severity.ConclusionIn young patients with COVID-19, the levels of complement C3 correlated with disease severity and tended to be a good predictor of adverse outcome.
Epidemiological and cohort study finds no association between COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome
Authors: Keddie S , Pakpoor J , Mousele C , Pipis M , Machado PM , Foster M , Record CJ , Keh YS , Fehmi J , Paterson RW , Bharambe V , Clayton LM , Allen C , Price O , Wall J , Kiss-Csenki A , Rathnasabapathi DP , Geraldes R , Yermakova T , King-Robson J , Zosmer M , Rajakulendran S , Nortley R , Marshall CR , Newman E , Nirmalananthan N , Kumar G , Pinto AA , Holt J , Lavin TM , Brennan K , Zandi M , Jayaseelan DL , Pritchard J , Hadden RDM , Manji H , Willison HJ , Rinaldi S , Carr AS , Lunn MP 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundReports of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) have emerged during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This epidemiological and cohort study sought to investigate any causative association between COVID-19 infection and GBS.MethodsThe epidemiology of GBS cases reported via the UK National Immunoglobulin Database were studied from 2016-2019 and compared to cases reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the cohort study, members of the British Peripheral Nerve Society reported all cases of GBS during the pandemic. The clinical features, investigation findings and outcomes of COVID-19 (definite or probable) and non-COVID-19 associated GBS cases were compared.ResultsThe UK GBS incidence from 2016-2019 was 1.65-1.88 per 100,000 people per year. GBS and COVID-19 incidence varied between regions and did not correlate (r = 0.06, 95% CI −0.56 to 0.63, p=0.86). GBS incidence fell between March and May 2020 compared to the same months of 2016-2019. Forty-seven GBS cases were included in the cohort study (13 definite, 12 probable COVID-19 and 22 non-COVID-19). There were no significant differences in the pattern of weakness, time to nadir, neurophysiology, CSF findings or outcome. Intubation was more frequent in the COVID-19+ve cohort (7/13, 54% vs 5/22, 23% in COVID negative) thought to be related directly to COVID-19 pulmonary involvement.ConclusionsThis study finds no epidemiological or phenotypic clues of SARS-CoV-2 being causative of GBS. GBS incidence has fallen during the pandemic which may be the influence of lockdown measures reducing transmission of GBS inducing pathogens such as Campylobacter jejuni and respiratory viruses.
Mathematical modelling of dynamics and containment of COVID-19 in Ukraine
Authors: Kyrychko Yuliya N. , Blyuss Konstantin B. , Brovchenko Igor 
Published: July 2020

ABSTRACTCOVID-19 disease caused by the novel SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus has already brought unprecedented challenges for public health and resulted in huge numbers of cases and deaths worldwide. In the absence of effective vaccine, different countries have employed various other types of non-pharmaceutical interventions to contain the spread of this disease, including quarantines and lockdowns, tracking, tracing and isolation of infected individuals, and social distancing measures. Effectiveness of these and other measures of disease containment and prevention to a large degree depends on good understanding of disease dynamics, and robust mathematical models play an important role for forecasting its future dynamics. In this paper we focus on Ukraine, one of Europe’s largest countries, and develop a mathematical model of COVID-19 dynamics, using latest data on parameters characterising clinical features of disease. For improved accuracy, our model includes age-stratified disease parameters, as well as age- and location-specific contact matrices to represent contacts. We show that the model is able to provide an accurate short-term forecast for the numbers and age distribution of cases and deaths. We also simulated different lockdown scenarios, and the results suggest that reducing work contacts is more efficient at reducing the disease burden than reducing school contacts, or implementing shielding for people over 60.
Concerns, quality of life, access to care and productivity of the general population during the first 8 weeks of the coronavirus lockdown in Belgium and the Netherlands
Authors: van Ballegooijen Hanne , Goossens Lucas , Bruin Ralph H. , Michels Renée , Krol Marieke 
Published: July 2020

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has a disruptive impact on our society. We therefore conducted a population survey to describe: 1) stress, concerns and quality of life 2) access to healthcare and cancelled/delayed healthcare and 3) productivity during the first 8 weeks of the coronavirus lockdown in the general population.MethodsAn online survey was conducted in a representative sample after 8 weeks of the coronavirus lockdown in Belgium and the Netherlands. The survey included questions about stress, concerns, quality of life delayed/cancelled medical care and productivity loss using validated questionnaires.ResultsIn total, 2099 Belgian and 2058 Dutch respondents completed the survey with a mean age of 46.4 and 42.0 years, respectively. Half of the respondents were female in both countries. A small proportion tested positive for COVID-19, 1.4% vs 4.7%, respectively. The majority of respondents with a medical condition was worried about their current health state due to the pandemic (53%) vs (63%), respectively. Respondents experienced postponed/cancelled care (26%) and were concerned about the availability of medication (32%) for both countries. Productivity losses due to the COVID-19 restrictions were calculated in absenteeism (36%) and presenteeism (30%) for Belgium, and (19%) and (35%) for the Netherlands. Most concerns and productivity losses were reported by respondents with children <12 years, respondents aged 18-35 and respondents with an (expected) COVID-19 infection.ConclusionsThis study describes stress, quality of life, medical resource loss and productivity losses in Belgium and the Netherlands after 8 weeks of coronavirus lockdown. The results underline the burden on society.
The impact of COVID-19 on patients with asthma
Authors: Izquierdo José Luis , Almonacid Carlos , González Yolanda , Del Rio-Bermúdez Carlos , Ancochea Julio , Cárdenas Remedios , Soriano Joan B 
Published: July 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundFrom the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, an association between the severity of COVID-19 and the presence of certain medical chronic conditions has been suggested. However, unlike influenza and other viruses, the burden of the disease in patients with asthma has been less evident.ObjectiveThis study aims at a better understanding of the burden of COVID-19 in patients with asthma and the impact of asthma, its related comorbidities, and treatment on the prognosis of COVID-19.MethodsWe analyzed clinical data from patients with asthma from January 1st to May 10th, 2020 using big data analytics and artificial intelligence through the SAVANA Manager® clinical platform.ResultsOut of 71,192 patients with asthma, 1,006 (1.41%) suffered from COVID-19. Compared to asthmatic individuals without COVID-19, patients with asthma and COVID-19 were significantly older (55 vs. 42 years), predominantly female (66% vs. 59%), had higher prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemias, diabetes, and obesity, and smoked more frequently. Contrarily, allergy-related factors such as rhinitis and eczema were less frequent in asthmatic patients with COVID-19 (P < .001). Higher prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and obesity was also confirmed in those patients with asthma and COVID-19 who required hospital admission. The percentage of individuals using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) was lower in patients who required hospitalization due to COVID-19, as compared to non-hospitalized patients (48.3% vs. 61.5%; OR: 0.58: 95% CI 0.44 - 0.77). During the study period, 865 (1.21%) patients with asthma were being treated with biologics. Although these patients showed increased severity and more comorbidities at the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) level, their hospital admission rates due to COVID-19 were relatively low (0.23%). COVID-19 increased inpatient mortality in asthmatic patients (2.29% vs 0.54%; OR 2.29: 95% CI 4.35 – 6.66).ConclusionOur results indicate that the number of COVID-19 cases in patients with asthma has been low, although higher than the observed in the general population. Patients with asthma and COVID-19 were older and were at increased risk due to comorbidity-related factors. ICS and biologics are generally safe and may be associated with a protective effect against severe COVID-19 infection.
Finding drug targeting mechanisms with genetic evidence for Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Storm Catherine S. , Kia Demis A. , Almramhi Mona , Bandres-Ciga Sara , Finan Chris , Hingorani Aroon D. ,   International Parkinson’s Disease Genomics Consortium (IPDGC), Wood Nicholas W. 
Published: July 2020

SummaryParkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder that currently has no disease-modifying treatment, partly owing to inefficiencies in drug target identification and validation using human evidence. Here, we use Mendelian randomization to investigate more than 3000 genes that encode druggable proteins, seeking to predict their efficacy as drug targets for PD. We use expression and protein quantitative trait loci for druggable genes to mimic exposure to medications, and we examine the causal effect on PD risk (in two large case-control cohorts), PD age at onset and progression. We propose 23 potential drug targeting mechanisms for PD, of which four are repurposing opportunities of already-licensed or clinical-phase drugs. We identify two drugs which may increase PD risk. Importantly, there is remarkably little overlap between our MR-supported drug targeting mechanisms to prevent PD and those that reduce PD progression, suggesting that molecular mechanisms driving disease risk and progression differ. Drugs with genetic support are considerably more likely to be successful in clinical trials, and we provide compelling genetic evidence and an analysis pipeline that can be used to prioritise drug development efforts for PD.