An Italian Neurology Outpatient Clinic Facing SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Data From 2,167 Patients
infection, healthcare, coronavirus, Neurology, Pandemic, COVID-19
Objective: Neurological sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection have already been reported, but there is insufficient data about the impact of the pandemic on the management of the patients with chronic neurological diseases. We aim to analyze the effect of COVID-19 pandemic and social restriction rules on these fragile patients.Methods: Patients with chronic neurologic diseases routinely followed at the outpatient clinic of Gemelli University Hospital, Rome, were assessed for symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the pandemic period, consequences of social restrictions, and neurological disease features, concomitant medical conditions, current medical and disease-specific treatments. Data source: a dedicated telephone survey designed to encompass questions on COVID-19 symptoms and on pandemic effects in chronic neurologic conditions.Results: Overall, 2,167 individuals were analyzed: 63 patients reported contact with COVID-19 positive cases, 41 performed the swab, and 2 symptomatic patients tested positive for COVID-19 (0.09%). One hundred fifty-eight individuals (7%) needed urgent neurological care, deferred due to the pandemic; 641 patients (30%) suspended hospital treatments, physiotherapy or other support interventions; 405 individuals (19%) reported a subjective worsening of neurological symptoms.Conclusions: In our population, the presence of neurological chronic diseases did not increase the prevalence of COVID-19 infection. Nevertheless, the burden of neurological disorders has been worsened by the lockdown.
Angela Romano, Amelia Evoli, Camillo Marra, Paolo Calabresi, Gabriella Silvestri, Maria Rita Lo Monaco, Matteo Lucchini, Massimiliano Mirabella, Giovanni Frisullo, Enrico Di Stasio, Francesco Bove, Catello Vollono, Giacomo Della Marca, Enzo Ricci, Anna Rita Bentivoglio, Davide Quaranta, Valeria Guglielmi, Cristina Sancricca, Mauro Monforte, Guido Primiano, Serenella Servidei, Vittorio Riso, Valerio Brunetti, Marco Luigetti, Martina Petracca, Alessia Perna, Delfina Janiri, Agata Katia Patanella, Riccardo di Iorio, Gregorio Spagni, Eleonora Rollo, Marina Romozzi, Carla Piano, Simone Bellavia, Sara Bortolani, Andrea Di Paolantonio, Danilo Genovese, Tamara Ialongo, Jessica Marotta, Giorgia Presicce, Irene Scala, Marcella Solito, Luca Tricoli, Paola Zinzi
Neurology. Diseases of the nervous system
Bioengineered probiotics to control SARS-CoV-2 infection
The outbreak of 2019 novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) is now a global public health crisis and declared as a pandemic. Several recent studies suggest that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein binds to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The information obtained from these structural and biochemical studies provides a strong rationale to target SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and ACE2 interaction for developing therapeutics against this viral infection. Here, we propose to discuss the scope of bioengineered probiotics expressing human ACE2 as a novel therapeutic to control the viral outbreak.
Subhankar Chakraborty, Shantibhusan Senapati, Manisha Sethi, Jayalaxmi Dash
Stand on the Same Side - Preventing a Second Wave of Covid-19's Outbreak
Pandemic, prevention strategies, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Outbreak Prevention
This document is the direct transcription of a Webinar organized by Prof. L. Corbetta of the University of Florence on April 19th, 2020.
Chemistry, History (General) and history of Europe
Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of COVID-19 Patients in Chongqing China
China, clinical characteristics, Epidemiological, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19
Objectives: To study in-depth the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pneumonia resulting from COVID-19 and provide evidence for effective public health decisions.Methods: This was a retrospective, single-center research study. Participants were enrolled from patients presenting at the Chongqing Public Health Medical Treatment Center from Jan 24 to Feb 7, 2020, and were confirmed as having COVID-19.Results: A total of 114 COVID-19 patients (99 mild, 4 severe, 11 critical) of which 56 (56/114; 49.1%) were male, 58 (58/114; 50.9%) were female with a mean age of 46.05 years. Twenty nine (29/114; 25.44%) patients suffered from chronic diseases. Neutrophils counts in 23.68% (27/114) of patients were abnormally low and abnormally high in 21.05% (24/114). Erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein levels were abnormally elevated in 76.5% (62/81) and 62.9% (66/105) of patients, respectively. Creatine kinase isoenzymes (CK-MB), pro-brain natriuretic peptide (pro-BNP) and troponin levels were above the normal range in 7.10% (8/112), 66.7% (10/15), and 100% of patients, respectively. The percentage of patients in which the partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired O2(FiO2) ratio exceeded 200 was 60%. A total of 91 (91/114; 79.82%) patients displayed severe bilateral pneumonia, 52 (52/114; 45.61%) exhibited ground-glass opacity, and pulmonary consolidation was observed in 4 (3.51%) patients. Differences in shortness of breath, insomnia, inappetence, the procalcitonin (PCT) levels, FiO2 and PaO2/FiO2 among the three groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Differences between the mild and severe groups was observed in neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, CD4 expression, and levels of C-reactive protein, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and albumin (P < 0.05). Between the mild and critical groups, differences were observed in neutrophils, platelets, and CD4 expression (P < 0.05). A difference in C-reactive protein levels between severe and critical groups was also found (P < 0.05).Conclusions: In the majority of cases no gender differences were observed and mostly the symptoms were mild. Evidence of efficient human-to-human virus transmission was found. The elderly with comorbidities were more prone to develop into severe or critical illness. Age and comorbidity may be risk factors for poor outcome.
Wei Dai, Qian Qiu, Ting-ying CHEN, Xianghua Kong, Ao Yang, Dan-feng YUAN, Ji-hong ZHOU, Yan Yu Sun, Yujie Zuo, Anzhou Peng
Impact of COVID-19 on neonatal health: Are we causing more harm than good?
breast feeding, Neonatal Intensive Care, necrotising enterocolitis, COVID-19
Respectful midwifery care during the COVID-19 pandemic
philosophy, breast feeding, Pregnancy, medicalization, stigma, COVID-19
Risk Assessment of the Overseas Imported COVID-19 of Ocean-Going Ships Based on AIS and Infection Data
Risk assessment, International shipping, COVID-19, automatic identification systems, overseas imported cases, ST-DBSCAN
Preventing and controlling the risk of importing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has rapidly become a major concern. In addition to air freight, ocean-going ships play a non-negligible role in spreading COVID-19 due to frequent visits to countries with infected populations. This research introduces a method to dynamically assess the infection risk of ships based on a data-driven approach. It automatically identifies the ports and countries these ships approach based on their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) data and a spatio-temporal density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (ST_DBSCAN) algorithm. We derive daily and 14 day cumulative ship exposure indexes based on a series of country-based indices, such as population density, cumulative confirmed cases, and increased rate of confirmed cases. These indexes are classified into high-, middle-, and low-risk levels that are then coded as red, yellow, and green according to the health Quick Response (QR) code based on the reference exposure index of Wuhan on April 8, 2020. This method was applied to a real container ship deployed along a Eurasian route. The results showed that the proposed method can trace ship infection risk and provide a decision support mechanism to prevent and control overseas imported COVID-19 cases from international shipping.
Christophe Claramunt, Zhihuan Wang, Meng-Yuan Yao, Chenguang Meng
ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
COVID-19: Experience from Vietnam Medical Students
experience, Vietnam, Medical students, COVID-19
Duc Nguyen Tran Minh, Tung Pham Huy, Dung Nguyen Hoang, Minh Quach Thieu
International Journal of Medical Students
Public aspects of medicine, Medicine (General)
Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement on Eating Behaviour and Physical Activity: Results of the ECLB-COVID19 International Online Survey
physical activity, nutrition, Public Health, Pandemic, COVID-19
Background: Public health recommendations and governmental measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in numerous restrictions on daily living including social distancing, isolation and home confinement. While these measures are imperative to abate the spreading of COVID-19, the impact of these restrictions on health behaviours and lifestyles at home is undefined. Therefore, an international online survey was launched in April 2020, in seven languages, to elucidate the behavioural and lifestyle consequences of COVID-19 restrictions. This report presents the results from the first thousand responders on physical activity (PA) and nutrition behaviours. Methods: Following a structured review of the literature, the “Effects of home Confinement on multiple Lifestyle Behaviours during the COVID-19 outbreak (ECLB-COVID19)” Electronic survey was designed by a steering group of multidisciplinary scientists and academics. The survey was uploaded and shared on the Google online survey platform. Thirty-five research organisations from Europe, North-Africa, Western Asia and the Americas promoted the survey in English, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese and Slovenian languages. Questions were presented in a differential format, with questions related to responses “before” and “during” confinement conditions. Results: 1047 replies (54% women) from Asia (36%), Africa (40%), Europe (21%) and other (3%) were included in the analysis. The COVID-19 home confinement had a negative effect on all PA intensity levels (vigorous, moderate, walking and overall). Additionally, daily sitting time increased from 5 to 8 h per day. Food consumption and meal patterns (the type of food, eating out of control, snacks between meals, number of main meals) were more unhealthy during confinement, with only alcohol binge drinking decreasing significantly. Conclusion: While isolation is a necessary measure to protect public health, results indicate that it alters physical activity and eating behaviours in a health compromising direction. A more detailed analysis of survey data will allow for a segregation of these responses in different age groups, countries and other subgroups, which will help develop interventions to mitigate the negative lifestyle behaviours that have manifested during the COVID-19 confinement.
Mohamed Jarraya, Karim Chamari, Hamdi Chtourou, Asma Aloui, Nizar Souissi, Fernando BARBOSA, Rado Pišot, Patrick Müller, Jürgen M. Steinacker, Fernando Ferreira-Santos, Boštjan Šimunič, Michael Brach, Bryan L. Riemann, Lisette van Gemert-Pijnen, Omar Hammouda, Morteza Taheri, Mona Ahmed, Carlos Soares Pernambuco, Stephen J. Bailey, Andrea Gaggioli, Tarak Driss, Nicholas T. Bott, Wassim Moalla, Liwa Masmoudi, Faiez Gargouri, Khaled Trabelsi, Achraf Ammar, Osama Abdelkarim, Anita Hoekelmann, Nicola L. Bragazzi, Notger Müller, Taiysir Mansi, Khadijeh Irandoust, Achim Jerg, Annemarie Braakman-Jansen, Laisa Liane Paineiras-Domingos, Robbert Sanderman, Jordan M. Glenn, Omar Boukhris, Kais El Abed, Aïmen Khacharem, Jonathan Gómez-Raja, Leonardo Mataruna, Bassem Bouaziz, Ellen Bentlage, Daniella How, Christian Wrede, Sofia Bastoni, Lotfi Chaari, Hadj Batatia, Gamal Mohamed Ali, Laurel Riemann, Monique Epstein, Sebastian VW Schulz, Ramzi Al-Horani, Mohamed Jmail
From Postmodernism to Posthumanism: Theorizing Ethos in an Age of Pandemic
habitus, Ethos, deep ecology, cyborg, Actant, COVID-19
This essay expands on the previous discussion, “Positioning Ethos” (Baumlin and Meyer 2018), which outlined a theory of ethos for the 21st century. There, my coauthor and I observed the dialectic between ethics and ethotics, grounding subjectivity within a sociology of rhetoric: Contemporary ethos, thus, explores the physical embodiment (with its “markers of identity”), positionality, and “cultural dress” of speakers. There as here, we looked to Heidegger for an expanded definition, one reaching beyond a speaker’s self-image to bring all aspects of our lifeworld—cultural, technological, biological, planetary—into a dynamic unity. And, there as here, we observed the dialectic between speaker and audience: Within this transactional model, ethos marks the “space between” speaker and audience—a socially- and linguistically-constructed meeting ground (or, perhaps better, playground) where meanings can be negotiated. Crucial to this transactional model is the skeptron, as described by Bourdieu: To possess the skeptron is to claim the cultural authority, expertise, trust, and means to speak and to be heard—indeed, to be seen—in one’s speaking. To our previous essay’s ethics and ethotics, this present essay adds the dialectic arising between bios and technê. We “dwell” in memory, in language, in history, in culture: All speakers in all cultural moments can claim as much. But, writing in an age of postmodernism, we acknowledge the heightened roles of technology, “expert systems,” and urbanization in our lifeworld today. What we had described as the cultural “habitus” of ethos is here supplemented by an ethos of scientific technoculture; similarly, what we had described as the existentialist “embodied self” is here supplemented by the postmodern—indeed, posthuman—ethos of the cyborg, a biotechnic “assemblage” part cybernetic machine and part living organism, simultaneously personal and collective in identity. This posthuman con/fusion of bios and technê is not a transcendence of (human) nature; rather, it acknowledges our immersion within an interspecies biology while expanding our habitus from the polis to the planet. It’s these aspects of our lifeworld—insterspecies biology, bodily health as self-identity, postmodern technology, and urban lifestyle—that COVID-19 pressures and threatens today. In the current struggle between science-based medicine and conservative politics, the skeptron assumes life-and-death importance: Who speaks on behalf of medical science, the coronavirus victim, and community health?
History of scholarship and learning. The humanities