bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Risk assessment via layered mobile contact tracing for epidemiological intervention
Authors: Guttal Vishwesha , Krishna Sandeep , Siddharthan Rahul 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThere is strong interest globally amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic in tracing contacts of infectious patients using mobile technologies, both as a warning system to individuals and as a targeted intervention strategy for governments. Several governments, including India, have introduced mobile apps for this purpose, which give a warning when the individual’s phone establishes bluetooth contact with the phone of an infected person. We present a methodology to probabilistically evaluate risk of infection given the network of contacts that individuals are likely to encounter in real life. Instead of binary “infected” or “uninfected” statuses, an infection risk probability is maintained which can be efficiently calculated based on probabilities of recent contacts, and updated when a recent contact is diagnosed with a disease. We demonstrate on realistic networks that this method sharply outperforms a naive immediate-contact method even in an ideal circumstance that all infected persons are known to the naive method. We demonstrate robustness to missing contact information (such as when phones fail to make bluetooth contact or the app is not installed). We show, within our model, a strong flattening of the infectious peak when even a small fraction of cases are identified, tested and isolated. In the real world, where most known-infected persons are isolated or quarantined and where many individuals may not carry their mobiles in public, we believe the improvement offered by our method warrants consideration. Importantly, in view of widespread concerns on privacy and contact-tracing, our method relies mainly on direct contact data that can be stored locally on users’ phones, and uses limited communication via intermediary servers only upon testing, mitigating privacy concerns.
Preparedness and Mitigation by projecting the risk against COVID-19 transmission using Machine Learning Techniques
Authors: Kumar Akshay , Khan Farhan Mohammad , Gupta Rajiv , Puppala Harish 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID-19 is first identified in China, which later spread to various parts of the globe and was pronounced pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The disease of transmissible person-to-person pneumonia caused by the extreme acute respiratory coronavirus 2 syndrome (SARS-COV-2, also known as COVID-19), has sparked a global warning. Thermal screening, quarantining, and later lockdown were methods employed by various nations to contain the spread of the virus. Though exercising various possible plans to contain the spread help in mitigating the effect of COVID-19, projecting the rise and preparing to face the crisis would help in minimizing the effect. In the scenario, this study attempts to use Machine Learning tools to forecast the possible rise in the number of cases by considering the data of daily new cases. To capture the uncertainty, three different techniques: (i) Decision Tree algorithm, (ii) Support Vector Machine algorithm, and (iii) Gaussian process regression are used to project the data and capture the possible deviation. Based on the projection of new cases, recovered cases, deceased cases, medical facilities, population density, number of tests conducted, and facilities of services, are considered to define the criticality index (CI). CI is used to classify all the districts of the country in the regions of high risk, low risk, and moderate risk. An online dashpot is created, which updates the data on daily bases for the next four weeks. The prospective suggestions of this study would aid in planning the strategies to apply the lockdown/ any other plan for any country, which can take other parameters to define the CI.
Super-spreading events initiated the exponential growth phase of COVID-19 with ℛ0 higher than initially estimated
Authors: Kochańczyk Marek , Grabowski Frederic , Lipniacki Tomasz 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe basic reproduction number ℛ0 of the coronavirus disease 2019 has been estimated to range between 2 and 4. Here we used a SEIR model that properly accounts for the distribution of the latent period and, based on empirical estimates of the doubling time in the near-exponential phases of epidemic progression in several locations, we estimated that ℛ0 lies in the range 4.7–11.4. We explained this discrepancy by performing stochastic simulations of model dynamics in a population with a small proportion of super-spreaders. The simulations revealed two-phase dynamics, in which an initial phase of relatively slow epidemic progression diverts to a faster phase upon appearance of infectious super-spreaders. Early estimates obtained for this initial phase may suggest lower ℛ0.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) Towards COVID-19: An Online Cross-Sectional Survey of Tanzanian Residents
Authors: Rugarabamu Sima , Ibrahim Mariam , Byanaku Aisha 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe Corona Virus Disease -19 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health emergency that requires the adoption of unprecedented measures to control its rapid spread. Tanzanians’ adherence to control measures is affected by their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) towards the disease. This study was carried out to investigate knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19 among residents in Tanzania during the April – May 2020 period of the epidemic.MethodsThis cross-sectional study analyzes responses of self-selected Tanzanians who responded to an invitation to complete an online questionnaire. Survey Monkey tool was used to develop the questionnaire used for data collection. The survey assessed demographic characteristics of participants as well as their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19. A Chi-square analysis was used to compare proportions. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine differences among age groups, whereas results were considered significant if the p-value was <0.05ResultsFour hundred residents completed the survey. The mean age of study participants was 32 years, and the majority was female (n= 216,54.0%). There were no significant differences in demographic variables). Participants with a bachelor’s degree or above (n= 241, 60.3%) had higher scores. Overall, 84.4% (n=338) of participants had good knowledge, which was significantly associated with education level (p=0.001). Nearly all participants (n=384, 96.0%) had confidence that COVID-19 will be eliminated. The majority of respondents (n=308, 77.0%) did not go to a crowded place in recent days. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that males, age-group 16-29 years, and education of secondary or lower (OR = 1.2, CI = 1.3–1.5) were significantly associated with lower knowledge score.ConclusionsOur findings revealed good knowledge, optimistic attitudes, and appropriate practices towards preventing COVID-19 infection. Suggesting that community-based health education programs about COVID-19 is helpful and necessary to control the disease.
Spatial-temporal variations of atmospheric factors contribute to SARS-CoV-2 outbreak
Authors: Fronza Raffaele , Lusic Marina , Schmidt Manfred , Lucic Bojana 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reached over two million confirmed cases worldwide, and numbers are still growing at a fast rate. The majority of new infections are now being reported outside of China, where the outbreak officially originated in December 2019 in Wuhan. Despite the wide outbreak of the infection, a remarkable asymmetry is observed in the number of cases and in the distribution of the severity of the COVID-19 symptoms in patients with respect to the countries/regions. In the early stages of a new pathogen outbreak, it is critical to understand the dynamics of the infection transmission, in order to follow contagion over time and project the epidemiological situation in the near future. While it is possible to reason that observed variation in the number and severity of cases stem from the initial number of infected individuals, the difference in the testing policies and social aspects of community transmissions, the factors that could explain high discrepancy in areas with a similar level of healthcare still remain unknown. Here we introduce a binary classifier based on an artificial neural network that can help in explaining those differences and that can be used to support the design of containment policies. We propose that air pollutants, and specifically particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and ozone, are oppositely related with the SARS-CoV-2 infection frequency and could serve as surrogate markers to complement the infection outbreak anticipation.
Elementary spatial structures and dispersion of COVID-19: health geography directing responses to public health emergency in São Paulo State, Brazil
Authors: Fortaleza Carlos Magno Castelo Branco , Guimarães Raul Borges , Catão Rafael de Castro , Ferreira Cláudia Pio , de Almeida Gabriel Berg , Pugliesi Edmur 
Published: May 2020

AbstractPublic health policies to contain the spread of COVID-19 rely mainly on non-pharmacological measures. Those measures, especially social distancing, are a challenge for developing countries, such as Brazil. In São Paulo, the most populous state in Brazil (45 million inhabitants), most COVID-19 cases up to April 18th were reported in the Capital and metropolitan area. However, the inner municipalities, where 20 million people live, are also at risk. As governmental authorities discuss the loosening of measures for restricting population mobility, it is urgent to analyze the routes of dispersion of COVID-19 in those municipalities. In this ecological study, we use geographical models of population mobility as patterns for spread of SARS-Cov-2 infection. Based on surveillance data, we identify two patterns: one by contiguous diffusion from the capital metropolitan area and other that is hierarchical, with long-distance spread through major highways to cities of regional relevance. We also modelled the impact of social distancing strategies in the most relevant cities, and estimated a beneficial effect in each and every setting studied. This acknowledgement can provide real-time responses to support public health strategies.
Decontamination of filtering facepiece respirators in primary care using medical autoclave
Authors: Harskamp Ralf E. , van Straten Bart , Bouman Jonathan , van Maltha - van Santvoort Bernadette , van den Dobbelsteen John J. , van der Sijp Joost R.M. , Horeman Tim 
Published: May 2020

AbstractObjectiveThere are widespread shortages of personal protective equipment as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Reprocessing filtering facepiece respirators may provide an alternative solution in keeping health care professionals safe.Designprospective, bench-to-bedsideSettingA primary care-based study using filtering facepiece particles (FFP) type 2 respirators without exhalation valve (3M Aura 1862+, Maco Pharma ZZM002), FFP2 respirators with valve (3M Aura 9322+ and San Huei 2920V), and valved FFP type 3 respirators (Safe Worker 1016).InterventionsAll masks were reprocessed using a medical autoclave (34-minute total cycle time of steam sterilization, with 17 minutes at 121°C) and subsequently tested up to 3 times whether these decontaminated respirators retained their integrity (seal check, pressure drop) and ability to filter small particles (0.3-5.0μm) in the laboratory using a particle penetration test.ResultsWe tested 32 respirators, and 63 samples for filter capacity. All 27 FFP-2 respirators retained their shape, whereas half of the sterilized FFP-3 respirators (Safe Worker 1116) showed deformities and failed the seal check. The filtering capacity of the 3M Aura 1862 was best retained after 1, 2, and 3 sterilization cycles (0.3μm: 99.3±0.3% (new) versus 97.0±1.3, 94.2±1.3% or 94.4±1.6, p<0.001). Of the other FFP-2 respirators, the San Huei 2920V had 95.5±0.7% at baseline versus 92.3±1.7% versus 90.0±0.7 after one- and two-time sterilization, respectively (p<0.001). The tested FFP-3 respirator (Safe Worker 1016) had a filter capacity of 96.5±0.7% at baseline and 60.3±5.7% after one-time sterilization (p<0.001). Breathing and pressure resistance tests indicated no relevant pressure changes between respirators that were used once, twice or thrice.ConclusionThis study shows that selected FFP2-type respirators may be reprocessed for use in primary care, as the tested masks retain their shape, ability to retain particles and breathing comfort after decontamination using a medical autoclave.Strengths and limitations of this study-Pragmatic use of autoclave to sterilize and reuse filter facepiece respirators-Combining clinical and laboratory findings to evaluate the safety in terms of shape, ability to retain particles and breathing comfort-The study is limited in sample size and restricted to selected FFP-2 and FFP-3 respirators-The study is a first of its kind in primary care settings and thus unvalidated-The study does not provide "hard" clinical evidence in terms of a randomized trial (i.e. reprocessed mask versus usual care)
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Serology in Asymptomatic Healthcare Professionals: Preliminary Experience of a Tertiary Italian Academic Center
Authors: Tosato F , Pelloso M , Gallo N , Giraudo C , Llanaj G , Cosma C , Pozzato C , Padoan A , Donato D , Plebani M 
Published: May 2020

AbstractWe investigated the SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody titers in 133 asymptomatic healthcare providers working at the Department of Laboratory Medicine of our tertiary center. A commercial chemiluminescence immunoassay, validated according to the ISO15189 standard requirements, was used. All the enrolled healthcare professionals underwent, simultaneously to the blood sampling, a nasopharyngeal swab for molecular testing with quantitative reverse-transcriptase-based polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). An overall positiveness of 5.25% was found. We strongly promote a wide use of validated serologic assays in asymptomatic, healthy individuals, as a crucial information for epidemiological surveillance.
Shedding of infectious SARS-CoV-2 in symptomatic neonates, children and adolescents
Authors: L’Huillier Arnaud G , Torriani G , Pigny F , Kaiser L , Eckerle I 
Published: May 2020

AbstractChildren are underrepresented in COVID-19 case numbers, with most pediatric cases exhibiting limited severity, and do not seem to be major drivers of transmission, unlike for other respiratory viruses. That said, SARS-CoV-2 infects children across all age groups, and despite the high proportion of mild or asymptomatic infections, it would be naïve not to consider them as transmitters. To address this point we used cell culture to systematically assess the presence of cultivable SARS-CoV-2 in the upper respiratory tract in a cohort of our institution’s first 23 symptomatic neonates, children and teenagers with COVID-19 diagnosed by RT-PCR.Median age was 12.0 years (interquartile range [IQR 3.8–14.5], range 7 days-15.9 yrs). Most patients had an upper respiratory tract infection (n=13), followed by fever without source and pneumonia (each, n=2). Samples were collected at a median of 2 days (IQR 1–3) after symptom onset. Median viral load (VL) at time of diagnosis was 3.0×106 copies/ml (mean 4,4×108, IQR 6.9×103–4.4×108) from a nasopharyngeal swab (NPS).SARS-CoV-2 virus isolation was successful in 12/23 (52%) children after inoculating VeroE6 cells with a NPS specimen. SARS-CoV-2 isolation was determined by the presence of a typical cytopathic effect (CPE) and increased viral RNA in the supernatant. SARS-CoV-2 replication in all positive isolates (12/12) was confirmed by a second passage using new VeroE6 cells.Virus isolation was successful from NPS from all age groups, with a median initial VL of 1.7×108 copies/ml (mean 7.9×108, IQR 4.7×106–1.0×109) (Figure 1). The youngest patient that SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from was a 7-day old neonate. No correlation between disease presentation and success of virus isolation was observed.Our data show that initial VLs at diagnosis in symptomatic children is comparable to those in adults, and that symptomatic children of all ages shed infectious virus in early acute illness. Infectious virus isolation success was largely comparable to that of adults, although two specimens yielded an isolate at a lower VL (1.2×104 and 1.4×105 copies/ml) than what was observed in adults.SARS-CoV-2 shedding patterns of culture competent virus in symptomatic children resemble those observed in adults. Therefore, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from children is plausible. Considering the relatively low frequency of infected children at this time, biological or other unknown factors could reduce transmission in this population. Both large serological investigations and systematic surveillance of acute respiratory diseases are needed to understand the role of children in this new pandemic.
COVID-19-induced acute respiratory failure – an exacerbation of organ-specific autoimmunity?
Authors: Gagiannis D , Steinestel J , Hackenbroch C , Hannemann M , Umathum V , Gebauer N , Stahl M , Witte H , Steinestel K 
Published: May 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundUnderstanding the pathophysiology of respiratory failure (ARDS) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is of utmost importance for the development of therapeutic strategies and identification of risk factors. Since we observed clinical and histopathological similarities between COVID-19 and lung manifestations of connective tissue disease (CTD-ILD) in our clinical practice, aim of the present study is to analyze a possible role of autoimmunity in SARS-CoV-2-associated respiratory failure.MethodsIn this prospective, single-center trial, we enrolled 22 consecutive patients with RT-PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection hospitalized in March and April, 2020. We performed high-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT) and full laboratory testing including autoantibody (AAB) screening (anti-ANA, SS-B/La, Scl-70, Jo-1, CENP-B, PM-Scl). Transbronchial biopsies as well as post mortem tissue samples were obtained from 3 and 2 cases, respectively, and subsequent histopathologic analysis with special emphasis on characterization of interstitial lung disease was performed.ResultsTwelve of 22 patients (54.5%) were male and median age was 69.0 (range: 28-88). 11 (50.0%) patients had to be undergo intensive care unit (ICU) treatment. Intubation with ventilation was required in 10/22 cases (46%). Median follow-up was 26 days. Clinical and serological parameters were comparable to previous reports. Radiological and histopathological findings were highly heterogeneous including patterns reminiscent of CTD-ILD. AAB titers ≥1:100 were detected in 10/11 (91.9%) COVID-19 patients who required ICU treatment, but in 4/11 (36.4%) patients with mild clinical course (p=0.024). Patients with AABs tended to require invasive ventilation and showed significantly more severe complications (64.3% vs. 12.5%, p=0.031). Overall COVID-19-related mortality was 18.2% among hospitalized patients at our institution.ConclusionOur findings point out serological, radiological and histomorphological similarities between COVID-19-associated ARDS and acute exacerbation of CTD-ILD. While the exact mechanism is still unknown, we postulate that SARS-CoV-2 infection might trigger or simulate a form of organ-specific autoimmunity in predisposed patients. The detection of autoantibodies might identify patients who profit from immunosuppressive therapy to prevent the development of respiratory failure.
Assessment of Adverse Events Reported to The Poison Control and Forensic Chemistry Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Authors: Almuntashiri Nawaf , Alsahafi Osama , Gamaruddin Mohammad , Hammad Sherif Attia , Tobaiqy Mansour 
Published: May 2020

AbstractBackgroundPoisoning is a major public health threat in many countries across the globe, including Saudi Arabia. Poison control facilities help to provide immediate treatment to the patients affected by poisoning. Poisoning cases from various regions of the Kingdom are reported to the Poison Control and Forensic Chemistry Centers.AimsThis study aimed at assessment of the demographics, risk factors and management of various poisoning cases reported at the Poison Control and Forensic Chemistry Center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.MethodsData was collected from the poisoning archived forms, between 01-01-2019 to 30-12-2019. A data collection sheet was designed to collect information about the region of call, age and gender of the patient, type, place, route and pattern of poisoning. All the data was analyzed through SPSS software.ResultsMost cases of intoxications were occurred and reported from the Western Region of Saudi Arabia (n=97, 38%), and were for males (n=137, 54%). The majority of poisoning cases occurred in children under 5-years of age (n=198, 78%). Poisoning cases were accidental (n=233, 92%) and intentional (n=11, 4%), and most (n=246, 96%) occurred at home. Drug poisoning was more common (n=155, 61%) than chemical poisoning (n=92, 36%). The rout of poisoning was oral in the vast majority of incidents (n=242, 94%). Intentional poisoning was more common in females (n=8, 3%). All poisoning reports initiated by physicians and other healthcare professionals (n=253, 100%), within one hour of the poisoning (n=144, 57%) and after one home (n=109, 43%). Decontamination with active charcoal (n=62, 24%) was the most common method recommended to manage intoxicated patients, followed by gastric lavage (n=9, 3.5%).ConclusionThe current study assessed the reports of adverse events in a poisoning center in Saudi Arabia, most cases were related to medicines, followed by chemicals and most occurred at home. Most of poisoning cases are unintentional and occurred at home due to ingestion of medicinal products. Therefore, awareness of parents about the potent poisons at home may help to minimize the occurrence of such adverse events.
Protective elements of mental health status during the COVID-19 outbreak in the Portuguese population
Authors: Moreira PS , Ferreira S , Couto B , Machado-Sousa M , Fernández M , Raposo-Lima C , Sousa N , Picó-Pérez M , Morgado P 
Published: May 2020

AbstractThe outbreak of COVID-19 might produce dramatic psychological effects on the individuals’ life. In this study, we aimed to explore the elements that may reduce the negative effects on mental health of the quarantine period imposed by most governments during this worldwide crisis. We conducted an online survey to evaluate demographic, lifestyle and mental health variables in the Portuguese population. We observed that factors related with living conditions, maintaining the work either online or in the workplace, frequency of exercise and absence of a previous psychological or physic disorders are protective features of psychological well-being (anxiety, depression, stress and obsessive-compulsive symptoms). Finally, the individuals previously receiving psychotherapeutic support exhibited better psychological indicators if they did not interrupt the process as a consequence of the outbreak. Our results indicate that the practice of physical exercise, reduced consumption of COVID-19 information and the implementation of remote mental healthcare measures might prevent larger impacts on mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak.