SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Pancreatic ß Cell Failure.

SARS-CoV-2 infection primarily causes pulmonary symptoms; however, accumulating reports indicate that some patients with COVID-19 have multiple organ dysfunction or failure. Although diabetes is considered a risk factor for severe COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 infection may also be a causal factor for diabetes mellitus in patients with COVID-19. According to the research reviewed in this paper, the pancreas and pancreatic ß cells appear to be targets of SARS-CoV-2 and are damaged by direct or indirect effects of the infection. However, controversial results have been reported between study groups, mainly due to the limited number of cases with diabetes precipitated by COVID-19. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the published findings on the potential association between SARS-CoV-2 infection or COVID-19 and pancreatic ß-cell damage leading to diabetes onset. These findings will further contribute to our understanding of the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus.

Prediction of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Using Noninvasive and Non-Imaging Procedures in Japanese Health Checkup Examinees.

Access to imaging is limited for diagnosing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in general populations. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of noninvasive and nonimaging indexes to predict NAFLD in the general Japanese population. Health checkup examinees without hepatitis virus infection or habitual alcohol drinking were included. Fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasonography. The hepatic steatosis index (HSI), Zhejiang University (ZJU) index, and fatty liver index (FLI) were determined, and risk of advanced liver fibrosis was evaluated by the fibrosis-4 index. NAFLD was diagnosed in 1935 (28.0%) of the 6927 subjects. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of the HSI, ZJU index, and FLI was 0.874, 0.886, and 0.884, respectively. The AUROC of the ZJU index (p < 0.001) and FLI (p = 0.002) was significantly greater than that for the HSI. In subjects with a high risk of advanced fibrosis, the sensitivity of the HSI, ZJU index, and FLI were 88.8%, 94.4%, and 83.3% with a low cut-off value and the specificity was 98.5%, 100%, and 100% with a high cut-off value. In conclusion, all indexes were useful to diagnose NAFLD in the general Japanese population and in subjects with potentially advanced liver fibrosis.

Construction of Two Box-Like Head-and-Face Shields by Japanese Origami Folding for Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

A worldwide shortage of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the development of new alternatives. We introduce two new disposable box-like head-and-face shields constructed using Japanese origami-style folding. The design comprises a single sheet of thick paper and a shield made of a thin, transparent plastic sheet. The first design, Model 1, is a head-and-face shield designed to cover the wearer's head and neck. Model 2 was designed to solve the problem of heat and moisture buildup inside the shield. This version can be used as face shields for patients, and it allows clinicians to collect swabs from the nasopharynx for virus detection via polymerase chain reaction through pre-cut incisions near the nasal orifices. These two new box-like face shields are excellent alternatives to traditional face shields because of the low cost, compatibility with mass production, lightweight, and disposability.