bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Willingness to pay tuition and risk-taking proclivities among students: A fundamental conundrum for universities
Authors: Zafari Zafar , Goldman Lee , Kovrizhkin Katia , Muennig Peter 
Published: September 2020

AbstractImportanceAs universities around the world decide whether to remain open or to close their campuses because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they often are doing so without objective information on the preferences and risk tolerance of their students.ObjectivesTo quantify students’: 1) risk tolerance for in-person instruction; 2) willingness to pay for in-person instruction versus online-only instruction; and 3) risk-tolerance for social activities held off campus.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsWe developed an automated survey tool that administered a “standard gamble” exercise grounded in game theory to 46 Columbia University public health graduate students who were knowledgeable about COVID-19 and who had experience with both online and offline coursework. Students were asked to trade between the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and: 1) attending classes in-person versus online and 2) attending parties in the greater New York City area. We also assessed their willingness to pay for online only tuition, and plans to travel off campus.Main Outcome MeasuresThe decision point in iterative trade-offs between risk of infection with COVID-19 and a desired goal (taking classes in-person or attending social events).ResultsOn average, students were willing to accept a 23% (standard error [SE]: 4%) risk of infection on campus over the semester in exchange for the opportunity to attend classes in-person. Students were willing-to-pay only 48% (SE: 3%) of typical in-person tuition were courses held exclusively online, and no students were willing to pay full price for online-only instruction. Students planned to leave campus an average of 3.6 times per week (SE: 0.54), and 15% of the students would be willing to attend a party in the community surrounding the university even if the prevalence of circulating COVID-19 were high.Conclusions and RelevanceStudents with a strong knowledge of COVID-19 transmission and risks are an enigma: they are willing to pay only around 50% for online classes but likely to engage in activities that present significant barriers to holding in-person classes This enigma underscores the conundrum facing universities.
Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19: A multicenter, randomized clinical trial
Authors: Avendaño-Solà C , Ramos-Martínez A , Muñez-Rubio E , Ruiz-Antorán B , de Molina R Malo , Torres F , Fernández-Cruz A , Callejas-Díaz A , Calderón J , Payares-Herrera C , Salcedo I , Romera I , Lora-Tamayo J , Mancheño-Losa M , Paciello ML , Villegas C , Estrada V , Saez-Serrano I , Porras-Leal ML , Jarilla-Fernández MC , Paño-Pardo JR , Moreno-Chulilla JA , Arrieta-Aldea I , Bosch A , Belhassen-Garcia M , López-Villar O , Ramos-Garrido A , Blanco L , Madrigal-Sánchez ME , Contreras E , Muñiz-Díaz E , Domingo-Morera JM , Casas-Flecha I , Pérez-Olmeda M , Garcia-Pérez Javier , Alcamí J , Bueno JL , Duarte RF ,   for the ConPlas-19 Study Group
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACTBackgroundPassive immunotherapy with convalescent plasma (CP) is a potential treatment for COVID-19 for which evidence from controlled clinical trials is lacking.MethodsWe conducted a multi-center, randomized clinical trial in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. All patients received standard of care treatment, including off-label use of marketed medicines, and were randomized 1:1 to receive one dose (250-300 mL) of CP from donors with IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients in categories 5, 6 or 7 of the COVID-19 ordinal scale at day 15.ResultsThe trial was stopped after first interim analysis due to the fall in recruitment related to pandemic control. With 81 patients randomized, there were no patients progressing to mechanical ventilation or death among the 38 patients assigned to receive plasma (0%) versus 6 out of 43 patients (14%) progressing in control arm. Mortality rates were 0% vs 9.3% at days 15 and 29 for the active and control groups, respectively. No significant differences were found in secondary endpoints. At inclusion, patients had a median time of 8 days (IQR, 6-9) of symptoms and 49,4% of them were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies.ConclusionsConvalescent plasma could be superior to standard of care in avoiding progression to mechanical ventilation or death in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The strong dependence of results on a limited number of events in the control group prevents drawing firm conclusions about CP efficacy from this trial. (Funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III;NCT04345523).
Modelling COVID-19 contagion: Risk assessment and targeted mitigation policies
Authors: Cont Rama , Kotlicki Artur , Xu Renyuan 
Published: September 2020

AbstractWe use a spatial epidemic model with demographic and geographic heterogeneity to study the regional dynamics of COVID-19 across 133 regions in England.Our model emphasises the role of variability of regional outcomes and heterogeneity across age groups and geographic locations, and provides a framework for assessing the impact of policies targeted towards sub-populations or regions. We define a concept of efficiency for comparative analysis of epidemic control policies and show targeted mitigation policies based on local monitoring to be more efficient than country-level or non-targeted measures. In particular, our results emphasise the importance of shielding vulnerable sub-populations and show that targeted policies based on local monitoring can considerably lower fatality forecasts and, in many cases, prevent the emergence of second waves which may occur under centralised policies.
Post-COVID-19 Functional Status: Relation to age, smoking, hospitalization and comorbidities
Authors: AR Mohamed Hussein Aliae , Galal Islam , Saad Mahmoud M , Zayan Hossam Eldeen E , Abdelsayed Mustafa Z , Moustafa Mohamed M , Ezzat Abdel Rahman , Helmy Radwa ED , Abd Elaal Howaida K , Aly Karim , Abdelrheem Shaimaa S 
Published: September 2020

AbstractRationalRecently, a new “Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale” is recommended in the current COVID-19 pandemic. It is proposed that it could be used to display direct retrieval and the functional sequelae of COVID-19.Aim of the studyTo assess the Post COVID-19 functional status in Egypt and to evaluate if age, gender, comorbidities have any effect on functional limitations in recovered COVID-19 patients.Patients and methodsA total of 444 registered confirmed COVID-19 patients were included. They were interviewed in our follow-up clinics or by calls and filled an Arabic translated PCFS scale in paper or online forms as well as their demographic and clinical data.Results80% of COVID-19 recovered cases have diverse degrees of functional restrictions ranging from negligible (63.1%), slight (14.4%), moderate (2%) to severe (0.5%) based on PCFS. Furthermore, there was a substantial variance between the score of PCFS with age (P= 0.003), gender (P= 0.014), the duration since the onset of the symptoms of COVID-19 (P <0.001), need for oxygen supplementation (P<0.001), need for ICU admittance (P= 0.003), previous periodic influenza vaccination (P<0.001), smoking status (P < 0.001) and lastly the presence of any comorbid disorder (P <0.001).ConclusionsMost of the COVID-19 recovered cases have diverse degrees of functional restrictions ranging from negligible to severe based on PCFS. These restrictions were affected by age, gender, periodic influenza vaccination, smoking, duration since symptoms onset, need for oxygen or ICU admittance, and lastly the presence of coexisting comorbidity.
Epidemiological and socio-economic characteristics of the COVID-19 spring outbreak in Quebec, Canada: A population-based study
Authors: Jantzen Rodolphe , Noisel Nolwenn , Camilleri-Broët Sophie , Labbé Catherine , de Malliard Thibault , Payette Yves , Broët Philippe 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundBy mid-July 2020, more than 108,000 COVID-19 cases had been diagnosed in Canada with more than half in the province of Quebec. To be prepared for a potential second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, it seems of utmost importance to analyze the epidemiological and socio-economic characteristics of the spring outbreak in the population.MethodWe conducted an online survey of the participants of the CARTaGENE population-based cohort, composed of middle-aged and older adults. We collected information on socio-demographic, lifestyle, health condition, COVID-related symptoms and COVID-19 testing. We studied the association between these factors and two outcomes: the status of having been tested for SARS-CoV-2 and the status of having received a positive test when having been tested. These associations were evaluated with univariate and multivariate analyzes using a hybrid tree-based regression model.ResultsAmong the 8,129 respondents from the CARTaGENE cohort, 649 were tested for COVID-19 and 41 were positive. Medical workers and individuals having a contact with a COVID-19 patient had the highest probabilities of being tested (32% and 42.4%, respectively) and of being positive (17.2% and 13.0%, respectively) among those tested. 7.6% of the participants declared that they have experienced at least one of the four COVID-related symptoms chosen by the Public Health authorities (fever, cough, dyspnea, anosmia) but were not tested. Results from the tree-based model analyzes adjusted on exposure factors show that the combination of dyspnea, dry cough and fever was highly associated with being tested whereas anosmia, fever, and headache were the most discriminant factors for having a positive test among those tested. During the spring outbreak, more than one third of the participants have experienced a decrease in access to health services. There were sex and age differences in the socio-economic and emotional impacts of the pandemic.ConclusionWe have shown some discrepancies between the symptoms associated with being tested and being positive. In particular, the anosmia is a major discriminant symptom for positivity whereas ear-nose-throat symptoms seem not to be COVID-related. The results also emphasize the need of increasing the accessibility of testing for the general population.
Modeling Dynamic Network Strategies for SARS-CoV-2 Control on a Cruise Ship
Authors: Jenness Samuel M. , Willebrand Kathryn S. , Malik Amyn A. , Lopman Benjamin A. , Omer Saad B. 
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACTSARS-CoV-2 outbreaks have occurred on several nautical vessels, driven by the high-density contact networks on these ships. Optimal strategies for prevention and control that account for realistic contact networks are needed. We developed a network-based transmission model for SARS-CoV-2 on the Diamond Princess outbreak to characterize transmission dynamics and to estimate the epidemiological impact of outbreak control and prevention measures. This model represented the dynamic multi-layer network structure of passenger-passenger, passengercrew, and crew-crew contacts, both before and after the large-scale network lockdown imposed on the ship in response to the disease outbreak. Model scenarios evaluated variations in the timing of the network lockdown, reduction in contact intensity within the sub-networks, and diagnosis-based case isolation on outbreak prevention. We found that only extreme restrictions in contact patterns during network lockdown and idealistic clinical response scenarios could avert a major COVID-19 outbreak. Contact network changes associated with adequate outbreak prevention were the restriction of passengers to their cabins, with limited passenger-crew contacts. Clinical response strategies required for outbreak prevention included early mass screening with an ideal PCR test (100% sensitivity) and immediate case isolation upon diagnosis. Public health restrictions on optional leisure activities like these should be considered until longer-term effective solutions such as a COVID-19 vaccine become widely available.
Practical challenges to the clinical implementation of saliva for SARS-CoV-2 detection
Authors: Matic Nancy , Stefanovic Aleksandra , Leung Victor , Lawson Tanya , Ritchie Gordon , Li Lynne , Champagne Sylvie , Romney Marc G. , Lowe Christopher F. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractDue to global shortages of flocked nasopharyngeal swabs and appropriate viral transport media during the COVID-19 pandemic, alternate diagnostic specimens for SARS-CoV-2 detection are sought. The accuracy and feasibility of saliva samples collected and transported without specialized collection devices or media were evaluated. Saliva demonstrated good concordance with paired nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 detection in 67/74 cases (90.5%), though barriers to saliva collection were observed in long-term care residents and outbreak settings. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was stable in human saliva at room temperature for up to 48 hours after initial specimen collection, informing appropriate transport time and conditions.
MAIT cell activation and dynamics associated with COVID-19 disease severity and outcome
Authors: Parrot Tiphaine , Gorin Jean-Baptiste , Ponzetta Andrea , Maleki Kimia T. , Kammann Tobias , Emgârd Johanna , Perez-Potti André , Sekine Takuya , Rivera-Ballesteros Olga ,   the Karolinska COVID-19 Study Group, Folkesson Elin , Rooyackers Olav , Eriksson Lars I. , Norrby-Teglund Anna , Ljunggren Hans-Gustaf , Björkström Niklas K. , Aleman Soo , Buggert Marcus , Klingström Jonas , Strålin Kristoffer , Sandberg Johan K. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractSevere COVID-19 is characterized by excessive inflammation of the lower airways. The balance of protective versus pathological immune responses in COVID-19 is incompletely understood. Mucosa-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are antimicrobial T cells that recognize bacterial metabolites, and can also function as innate-like sensors and mediators of antiviral responses. Here, we investigated the MAIT cell compartment in COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe disease, as well as in convalescence. We show profound and preferential decline in MAIT cells in circulation of patients with active disease paired with strong activation, as well as significant MAIT cell enrichment and pro-inflammatory IL-17A bias in the airways. Unsupervised analysis identified MAIT cell CD69high and CXCR3low immunotypes associated with poor clinical outcome. MAIT cell levels normalized in the convalescent phase, consistent with dynamic recruitment to the tissues and subsequent release with disease resolution. These findings indicate that MAIT cells are engaged in the immune response against SARS-CoV-2 and suggest their involvement in COVID-19 immunopathogenesis.One sentence summaryMAIT cells are strongly activated by SARS-CoV-2 infection in a manner associated with disease severity and outcome, they decline in blood, are enriched in the airways as a prominent IL-17A expressing subset, and dynamically recover in circulation during convalescence.
Lysosomal enzyme deficiency andGBAmutations in Dystonia
Authors: Schreglmann Sebastian R. , Burke Derek , Batla Amit , Kresojevic Nikola , Wood Nicholas , Heales Simon , Bhatia Kailash P. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractGlucocerebrosidase (GCase) deficiency due to mutations of the glucosidase acid beta (GBA) gene causes autosomal-recessive Gaucher’s disease, the most frequent lysosomal storage disorder. Over the past two decades,GBAmutations have been established as the most frequent genetic risk factor to develop Parkinson’s Disease. In dystonia, the underlying aetiology in a relevant proportion of cases remains unknown, hampering the development of causative treatment strategies. Here, we explored the possible role of lysosomal dysfunction in clinical (n=130) and post mortem (n=10) patients with dystonia.As part of extensive diagnostic evaluations (screening for structural, acquired and degenerative causes of dystonia), lysosomal enzyme activity was measured in n=79 retrospectively collected cases of patients with combined dystonia and n=51 prospectively collected cases of patients with cervical dystonia using a clinically validated, fluorescence-based assay. Clinical information on all cases was extensively reviewed and an alternative aetiology of dystonia was identified in n=14 cases on follow-up. Of the remaining n=116 cases of dystonia of unknown origin, complete Sanger Sequencing ofGBAexons 1-11 was performed using an established protocol in all n=97 of cases with available DNA. Where there was suspicion based on clinical examination or family history, nigro-striatal degeneration was excluded in n=19 (17.2%) cases with dystonia of unknown origin. Furthermore, lysosomal enzyme activity was measured in different brain regions of age-, sex- and post-mortem delay-matched cases with dystonia of unknown origin (n=10) and healthy controls (n=10) from the Queen Square brain bank.Among cases with dystonia of unknown origin, decreased white cell Glucocerebrosidase activity was measured in a range typical for homozygous (n=2; 1.7%) or heterozygous (n=23; 19.8%) GBA mutation carriers. The frequency ofGBAmutations (5/80=6.25%) was significantly higher in patients than in controls (3/257=1.17%) of a historical control group from the same ethnic background (P=0.02; Odds Ratio=5.64, 95% Confidence Interval=1.44 – 21.58) – known pathogenic mutations E326K, T369M and N370S were found. We also identified lower Glucocerebrosidase activity in the cerebellar dentate nucleus (P=0.048) of dystonia patients than healthy controls.This study provides evidence for peripheral and central lysosomal dysfunction in a significant proportion and across the clinical spectrum of dystonia. As in Parkinson’s disease, this was found irrespective ofGBAmutation status, indicating a possible role of lysosomal dysfunction as a more general disease mechanism in dystonia.
Examining the possible causal relationship between Lung Function, COPD and Alzheimer’s Disease. A Mendelian Randomization Study
Authors: Higbee Daniel H , Granell Raquel , Walton Esther , Korologou-Linden Roxanna , Smith George Davey , Dodd James W 
Published: September 2020

AbstractRationaleLarge retrospective case-control studies have reported an association between COPD, reduced lung function and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. However, it remains unclear if these diseases are causally linked, or due to shared risk factors. Conventional observational epidemiology suffers from unmeasured confounding and reverse causation. Additional analyses addressing causality are required.ObjectivesTo examine a causal relationship between COPD, lung function and Alzheimer’s disease.MethodsUsing two-sample Mendelian randomization, we utilised single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in a genome wide association study (GWAS) for lung function as instrumental variables (exposure). Additionally, we used SNPs discovered in a GWAS for COPD in those with moderate to very severe obstruction. The effect of these SNPs on Alzheimer’s disease (outcome) were taken from a GWAS based on a sample of 24,807 patients and 55,058 controls.ResultsWe found minimal evidence for an effect of either lung function (odds ratio [OR]:1.02 per SD; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91-1.13; p-value 0.68). or liability for COPD on Alzheimer’s disease (OR: 0.97 per SD; 95% CI: 0.92 – 1.03; p-value 0.40).ConclusionNeither reduced lung function nor liability COPD are likely to be causally associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s, any observed association is likely due to unmeasured confounding. Scientific attention and health prevention policy may be better focused on overlapping risk factors, rather than attempts to reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease by targeting impaired lung function or COPD directly.
Is genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum suggestive of malaria endemic zone in West Africa? An attempt to respond by a cross-sectional comparative study between Senegal and Nigeria
Authors: Oboh Mary M. , Ndiaye Tolla , Diongue Khadim , Ndiaye Yaye D. , Sy Mouhamad , Deme Awa B. , Volkman Sarah K. , Badiane Aida S. , Amambua-Ngwa Alfred , Ndiaye Daouda 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBackgroundCharacterization of malaria parasite populations in different endemic settings (from low to high) could be helpful for ascertaining the progress of malaria interventions in endemic settings. The present study aims to compare Plasmodium falciparum parasite population structure between two West African countries with very different level of endemicity using P. falciparum allelic polymorphic markers: msp1 and msp2.MethodsParasite genomic DNA was extracted from 187 dried blood spot collected from confirmed uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria infected patients in Senegal (94) being at the pre-elimination stage in most part of the country and Nigeria (93) which is still at the control stage. Allelic polymorphism of msp1 and msp2 genes were assessed by nested PCR.ResultsIn Senegal as well as in Nigeria, K1 and IC3D7 allelic families were the most represented for msp1 and msp2 genes respectively. A higher multiplicity of infection (MOI) was found in both study sites in Senegal (Thies:1.51/2.53; Kedougou:2.2/2.0 for msp 1/2) than from sites in Nigeria (Gbagada: 1.39/1.96; Oredo: 1.35/1.75]). The heterozygosity of msp 1 gene was higher in P. falciparum isolates from Senegal (Thies: 0.62; Kedougou: 0.53) than isolates from Nigeria (Gbagada: 0.55; Oredo: 0.50). In Senegal, K1 alleles were associated with heavy (28) than with moderate (18) infections, in Nigeria however, equal proportions of K1 were observed in both infection types. The IC3D7 subtype allele of the msp 2 family showed high occurrence in heavily infected individuals from both countries (Senegal- 32; Nigeria- 26) than in the moderately infected participants.ConclusionWith the unusual high genetic diversity obtained in low endemic setting in Senegal and low genetic diversity in a high endemic Nigerian setting, multiple holistic approach should be employed in evaluating the actual transmission of a place in order to effectively direct control measures.
DeepSOCIAL: Social Distancing Monitoring and Infection Risk Assessment in COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rezaei Mahdi , Azarmi Mohsen 
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACTSocial distancing is a recommended solution by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to minimise the spread of COVID-19 in public places. The majority of governments and national health authorities have set the 2-meter physical distancing as a mandatory safety measure in shopping centres, schools and other covered areas. In this research, we develop a generic Deep Neural Network-Based model for automated people detection, tracking, and inter-people distances estimation in the crowd, using common CCTV security cameras. The proposed model includes a YOLOv4-based framework and inverse perspective mapping for accurate people detection and social distancing monitoring in challenging conditions, including people occlusion, partial visibility, and lighting variations. We also provide an online risk assessment scheme by statistical analysis of the Spatio-temporal data from the moving trajectories and the rate of social distancing violations. We identify high-risk zones with the highest possibility of virus spread and infections. This may help authorities to redesign the layout of a public place or to take precaution actions to mitigate high-risk zones. The efficiency of the proposed methodology is evaluated on the Oxford Town Centre dataset, with superior performance in terms of accuracy and speed compared to three state-of-the-art methods.