Potential Effect of COVID-19 on Maternal and Infant Outcome: Lesson From SARS
subject: SARS-CoV, covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, Maternal outcome, infant outcome
description: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is highly infectious and its ongoing outbreak has been declared a global pandemic by the WHO. Pregnant women are susceptible to respiratory pathogens and the development of severe pneumonia, suggesting the urgent need to assess the potential maternal and infant outcome of pregnancy with COVID-19. The intrauterine vertical transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2 also remains controversial. Herein, we discuss the potential effect of COVID-19 on maternal and infant outcomes based on current studies, including those published in Chinese, in a total of 80 mothers with COVID-19 and 80 infants. We also comprehensively explored the mother-to-child transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2, in particular the route of intrauterine vertical transmission. Given SARS-CoV-2 is a sister to SARS-CoV, of the SARS-related coronavirus species, we made a comprehensive comparison between them to learn from experiences with SARS. Although there is no evidence supporting the intrauterine vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2, our comprehensive analysis suggests that the adverse maternal and infant outcomes caused by COVID-19 cannot be underestimated. Further, we speculated that the inconsistency between nucleic acids and serological characteristics IgM to SARS-CoV-2 of infants' specimens may be caused by the disruption of the amniotic barrier by the inflammatory factors induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our review is beneficial to understand the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on maternal and infant outcomes.
creator: Yun Wang, Yiliang Wang, Xiaoxue Han, Jiazhuo Ye, Ruiman Li
source: Epidemiology and Health
publisher: Korean Society of Epidemiology
date: 2020
coverage: Pediatrics

Clinical Characteristics and Eosinophils in Young SARS-CoV-2-Positive Chinese Travelers Returning to Shanghai
subject: clinical features, Viral pneumonia, covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, computed tomography, Blood index
description: Background: The COVID-19 outbreak, which was first reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, began to spread throughout the world, and now involves over 200 countries.Methods: A total of 37 overseas young and middle-aged people, who tested as SARS-CoV-2 positive upon their return to Shanghai, were enrolled for an analysis of their clinical symptoms, blood routine indexes, and lung CT images.Results: The clinical symptoms were characterized by fever (51.4%), dry cough (13.5%), expectoration (27.0%), hypodynamia (21.6%), pharyngalia (10.8%), pharynoxerosis (8.1%), rhinobyon (13.5%), rhinorrhea (8.1%), muscular soreness (16.2%), and diarrhea (2.7%). In 16.2% of cases, no symptoms were reported. Fever was the most common symptom (51.40%). The pneumonic changes referred to the latticed ground glass imaging and similar white lung imaging accompanied by consolidated shadows. The rate of pneumonia was high (81.10%). We found that the exclusive percent of eosinophils was abnormally low. By analyzing the correlation of eosinophils, fever, and pneumonia, we found that the percentage of eosinophils was low in the COVID-19 patients afflicted with fever or pneumonia (P < 0.01). Additionally, pneumonia and fever were negatively correlated with the percentage of eosinophils and eosinophils/neutrophils ratio (P < 0.01, respectively), but not associated with pneumonia severity (P > 0.05). Fever was not correlated with pneumonia (P > 0.05).Conclusion: A low percentage of eosinophils may be considered as a biomarker of pneumonia of COVID-19, but not as a biomarker of pneumonia severity.
creator: Juan Yang, Xiaohui Zhao, Xueyuan Liu, Wanju Sun, Longzhu Zhou, Yongbing Wang, Haijing Sui
source: Epidemiology and Health
publisher: Korean Society of Epidemiology
date: 2020
coverage: Public aspects of medicine

Investigation and Serologic Follow-Up of Contacts of an Early Confirmed Case-Patient with COVID-19, Washington, USA
subject: Viruses, Respiratory Infections, serology, covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, contact-tracing
description: We describe the contact investigation for an early confirmed case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in the United States. Contacts of the case-patient were identified, actively monitored for symptoms, interviewed for a detailed exposure history, and tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection by real-time reverse transcription PCR (rRT-PCR) and ELISA. Fifty contacts were identified and 38 (76%) were interviewed, of whom 11 (29%) reported unprotected face-to-face interaction with the case-patient. Thirty-seven (74%) had respiratory specimens tested by rRT-PCR, and all tested negative. Twenty-three (46%) had ELISA performed on serum samples collected ≈6 weeks after exposure, and none had detectable antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Among contacts who were tested, no secondary transmission was identified in this investigation, despite unprotected close interactions with the infectious case-patient.
creator: Victoria T. Chu, Brandi Freeman-Ponder, Scott Lindquist, Christopher Spitters, Vance Kawakami, Jonathan W. Dyal, Shauna Clark, Hollianne Bruce, Jeffrey S. Duchin, Chas DeBolt, Sara Podczervinski, Marisa D’Angeli, Kristen Pettrone, Rachael Zacks, Grace Vahey, Michelle L. Holshue, Misty Lang, Rachel M. Burke, Melissa A. Rolfes, Mariel Marlow, Claire M. Midgley, Xiaoyan Lu, Stephen Lindstrom, Aron J. Hall, Alicia M. Fry, Natalie J. Thornburg, Susan I. Gerber, Satish K. Pillai, Holly M. Biggs
source: Emerging Infectious Diseases
publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
date: 2020
coverage: Medicine, Infectious and parasitic diseases

University Student Mental Well-Being during COVID-19 Outbreak: What Are the Relationships between Information Seeking, Perceived Risk and Personal Resources Related to the Academic Context?
subject: risk perception, covid-19 pandemic, university students, Self-Efficacy, Mental well-being, locus of control
description: In light of rising concern about the coronavirus pandemic crisis, a growing number of universities across the world have either postponed or canceled all campus and other activities. This posed new challenges for university students. Based on the classification proposed in the Mental Health Continuum model by Keyes, the aims were to estimate university students’ prevalence of mental health during lookdown outbreak, and to examine the associations between mental health and, respectively, academic stress, self-efficacy, satisfaction for degree course, locus of control, COVID-19 risk perception, taking into account the level of information seeking about pandemic. Overall, 1124 Italian university students completed a self-report questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational analyses. Results showed that 22.3% of participants were flourishing, and levels of mental well-being appeared in line with normative values in young Italian adults; levels of academic stress were not significantly higher than those found in other student samples before the COVID-19 outbreak. Students with high levels of information seeking presented higher levels of well-being and risk perception. Results could be considered useful to realize training pathways, to help the university students to improve their well-being, post-pandemic.
creator: Vincenza Capone, Daniela Caso, Anna Rosa Donizzetti, Fortuna Procentese
source: Biotemas
publisher: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
date: 2020
coverage: Environmental effects of industries and plants, Renewable energy sources, Environmental sciences

Non-invasive Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Potential Treatment for Covid19-Originated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
subject: cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, lung inflammation, sympathovagal balance, Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis, Parasympathetic system
description: Background: Covid-19 is an infectious disease caused by an invasion of the alveolar epithelial cells by coronavirus 19. The most severe outcome of the disease is the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) combined with hypoxemia and cardiovascular damage. ARDS and co-morbidities are associated with inflammatory cytokine storms, sympathetic hyperactivity, and respiratory dysfunction.Hypothesis: In the present paper, we present and justify a novel potential treatment for Covid19-originated ARDS and associated co-morbidities, based on the non-invasive stimulation of the auricular branch of the vagus nerve.Methods: Auricular vagus nerve stimulation activates the parasympathetic system including anti-inflammatory pathways (the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway and the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis) while regulating the abnormal sympatho-vagal balance and improving respiratory control.Results: Along the paper (1) we expose the role of the parasympathetic system and the vagus nerve in the control of inflammatory processes (2) we formulate our physiological and methodological hypotheses (3) we provide a large body of clinical and preclinical data that support the favorable effects of auricular vagus nerve stimulation in inflammation, sympatho-vagal balance as well as in respiratory and cardiac ailments, and (4) we list the (few) possible collateral effects of the treatment. Finally, we discuss auricular vagus nerve stimulation protective potential, especially in the elderly and co-morbid population with already reduced parasympathetic response.Conclusions: Auricular vagus nerve stimulation is a safe clinical procedure and it could be either an effective treatment for ARDS originated by Covid-19 and similar viruses or a supplementary treatment to actual ARDS therapeutic approaches.
creator: Stefan Kampusch, Eugenijus Kaniusas, Eugenijus Kaniusas, Jozsef C. Szeles, Jozsef C. Szeles, Nuria Alfageme-Lopez, Daniela Yucuma-Conde, Xie Li, Julio Mayol, Julio Mayol, Julio Mayol, Christoph Neumayer, Christoph Neumayer, Michele Papa, Fivos Panetsos, Fivos Panetsos
source: Epidemiology and Health
publisher: Korean Society of Epidemiology
date: 2020
coverage: Physiology

Environments, Behaviors, and Inequalities: Reflecting on the Impacts of the Influenza and Coronavirus Pandemics in the United States
subject: coronavirus pandemic, social determinants of health, influenza pandemic, Health and social inequalities
description: In the past century, dramatic shifts in demographics, globalization and urbanization have facilitated the rapid spread and transmission of infectious diseases across continents and countries. In a matter of weeks, the 2019 coronavirus pandemic devastated communities worldwide and reinforced the human perception of frailty and mortality. Even though the end of this pandemic story has yet to unfold, there is one parallel that is undeniable when a comparison is drawn between the 2019 coronavirus and the 1918 influenza pandemics. The public health response to disease outbreaks has remained nearly unchanged in the last 101 years. Furthermore, the role of environments and human behaviors on the effect and response to the coronavirus pandemic has brought to light many of the historic and contemporaneous inequalities and injustices that plague the United States. Through a reflection of these pandemic experiences, the American burden of disparity and disproportionality on morbidity, mortality and overall social determinants of health has been examined. Finally, a reimagination of a post-coronavirus existence has also been presented along with a discussion of possible solutions and considerations for moving forward to a new and better normal.
creator: Jennifer D. Roberts, Shadi O. Tehrani
source: Epidemiology and Health
publisher: Korean Society of Epidemiology
date: 2020
coverage: Medicine

Potential Antiviral Options against SARS-CoV-2 Infection
subject: antivirals, broad-spectrum antivirals, antiviral drug combinations
description: As of June 2020, the number of people infected with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to skyrocket, with more than 6.7 million cases worldwide. Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) has highlighted the need for better control of SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, developing novel virus-specific vaccines, monoclonal antibodies and antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 can be time-consuming and costly. Convalescent sera and safe-in-man broad-spectrum antivirals (BSAAs) are readily available treatment options. Here, we developed a neutralization assay using SARS-CoV-2 strain and Vero-E6 cells. We identified the most potent sera from recovered patients for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. We also screened 136 safe-in-man broad-spectrum antivirals against the SARS-CoV-2 infection in Vero-E6 cells and identified nelfinavir, salinomycin, amodiaquine, obatoclax, emetine and homoharringtonine. We found that a combination of orally available virus-directed nelfinavir and host-directed amodiaquine exhibited the highest synergy. Finally, we developed a website to disseminate the knowledge on available and emerging treatments of COVID-19.
creator: Aleksandr Ianevski, Magnar Bjoras, Denis E. Kainov, Eva Zusinaite, Tanel Tenson, Valentyn Oksenych, Hilde Lysvand, Rouan Yao, Mona Høysæter Fenstad, Svetlana Biza, Tuuli Reisberg, Kirsti Løseth, Veslemøy Malm Landsem, Janne Fossum Malmring, Sten Even Erlandsen, Per Arne Aas, Lars Hagen, Caroline H. Pettersen, Jan Egil Afset, Svein Arne Nordbø
source: Epidemiology and Health
publisher: Korean Society of Epidemiology
date: 2020
coverage: Microbiology

Can We Measure a COVID-19-Related Slowdown in Atmospheric CO2 Growth? Sensitivity of Total Carbon Column Observations
subject: covid-19, lockdown, TCCON, fossil fuel emission reduction, atmospheric CO2 growth, total carbon column observations
description: The COVID-19 pandemic is causing projected annual CO2 emission reductions up to −8% for 2020. This approximately matches the reductions required year on year to fulfill the Paris agreement. We pursue the question whether related atmospheric concentration changes may be detected by the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON), and brought into agreement with bottom-up emission-reduction estimates. We present a mathematical framework to derive annual growth rates from observed column-averaged carbon dioxide (XCO2) including uncertainties. The min–max range of TCCON growth rates for 2012–2019 was [2.00, 3.27] ppm/yr with a largest one-year increase of 1.07 ppm/yr for 2015/16 caused by El Niño. Uncertainties are 0.38 [0.28, 0.44] ppm/yr limited by synoptic variability, including a 0.05 ppm/yr contribution from single-measurement precision. TCCON growth rates are linked to a UK Met Office forecast of a COVID-19-related reduction of −0.32 ppm yr−2 in 2020 for Mauna Loa. The separation of TCCON-measured growth rates vs. the reference forecast (without COVID-19) is discussed in terms of detection delay. A 0.6 [0.4, 0.7]-yr delay is caused by the impact of synoptic variability on XCO2, including a ≈1-month contribution from single-measurement precision. A hindrance for the detection of the COVID-19-related growth rate reduction in 2020 is the ±0.57 ppm/yr uncertainty for the forecasted reference case (without COVID-19). Only assuming the ongoing growth rate reductions increasing year-on-year by −0.32 ppm yr−2 would allow a discrimination of TCCON measurements vs. the unperturbed forecast and its uncertainty—with a 2.4 [2.2, 2.5]-yr delay. Using no forecast but the max–min range of the TCCON-observed growth rates for discrimination only leads to a factor ≈2 longer delay. Therefore, the forecast uncertainties for annual growth rates must be reduced. This requires improved terrestrial ecosystem models and ocean observations to better quantify the land and ocean sinks domin…
creator: Ralf Sussmann, Markus Rettinger
source: Epidemiology and Health
publisher: Korean Society of Epidemiology
date: 2020
coverage: Science

SARS-CoV-2 ile İlişkili Akut Böbrek Hasarı
subject: covid-19, böbrek fonksiyonları, akut böbrek hasarı
description: 2019 yılının sonunda Çin'de patlak veren yeni tip koronavirüs (COVID-19) çok kısa sürede küresel bir salgın halini aldı.COVID-19 infeksiyonu esas olarak solunum sistemini etkilemekle birlikte, şiddetli akciğer tutulumu olan olgularda ileriyaş, diyabet, hipertansiyon, kardiyovasküler hastalık, kronik böbrek hastalığı (KBH) gibi yüksek risk grubundakihastalarda böbrek tutulumu sık görülmektedir. Akut böbrek hasarı (ABH), COVID-19 infeksiyonunun majörkomplikasyonlarından biridir, KBH olanlarda daha sık görülmektedir ve artmış morbidite ve mortalite ile ilişkilidir. ABH gelişen olgularda kalıcı böbrek hasarı riski artmıştır. Özellikle COVID-19 infeksiyonu sırasında böbrek fonksiyonlarının dikkatle kontrol edilmesi ve süreç içinde yakın izlem gerektiği, halen etkin bir tedavisi olmayan bu pandemik infeksiyon için yaşamsal önemdedir. Bu derlemede COVID-19 seyri sırasında gelişebilecek böbrek tutulumu ve akut böbrek hasarı tartışılmıştır.
creator: Dede Şit, Hasan Kayabaşı
source: Dicle Medical Journal
publisher: Dicle University Medical School
date: 2020
coverage: Medicine, Medicine (General)

Early trends of socio-economic and health indicators influencing case fatality rate of COVID-19 pandemic
subject: covid-19, Pandemic, Case fatality rate
description: Coronavirus disease 2019, i.e. COVID-19, started as an outbreak in a district of China and has engulfed the world in a matter of 3 months. It is posing a serious health and economic challenge worldwide. However, case fatality rates (CFRs) have varied amongst various countries ranging from 0 to 8.91%. We have evaluated the effect of selected socio-economic and health indicators to explain this variation in CFR. Countries reporting a minimum of 50 cases as on 14th March 2020, were selected for this analysis. Data about the socio-economic indicators of each country was accessed from the World bank database and data about the health indicators were accessed from the World Health Organisation (WHO) database. Various socioeconomic indicators and health indicators were selected for this analysis. After selecting from univariate analysis, the indicators with the maximum correlation were used to build a model using multiple variable linear regression with a forward selection of variables and using adjusted R-squared score as the metric. We found univariate regression results were significant for GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, POD 30/70 (Probability Of Dying Between Age 30 And Exact Age 70 From Any of Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer, Diabetes or Chronic Respiratory Disease), HCI (Human Capital Index), GNI(Gross National Income) per capita, life expectancy, medical doctors per 10000 population, as these parameters negatively corelated with CFR (rho = -0.48 to -0.38 , p
creator: Ram Niwas, Naveen Dutt, Shahir Asfahan, Gopal Chawla, Aneesa Shahul, Neeraj Gupta
source: Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease
publisher: PAGEPress Publications
date: 2020
coverage: Medicine