DISINFECTION WITH VAPORIZED HYDROGEN PEROXIDE FLUID IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS AND ITS APPLICATIONS AND ADVANTAGES IN CRISIS MANAGEMENT

During a global pandemic, mitigating the impact of the disease and coordinating efforts to manage not only the medical but also the logistical and administrative aspects of such an all-encompassing phenomenon are of paramount importance. An extremely important but less publicised issue in this context is laboratory management and safety in analytical laboratories. In times of high capacity utilisation, as is the case during a pandemic or endemic outbreak of disease, other routine processes have to be abbreviated or are cancelled altogether due to lack of planning owing to the rapid emergence of the outbreak. In order to achieve high level of cleanliness in laboratories of all shapes and sizes and with different requirements, a universal solution seems unimaginable. Our experiments show a promising, automated approach of disinfection of various spaces. Within a short timeframe of 1 h – 3 h it is possible to disinfect any desired room to achieve a laboratory grade hygiene status. This was proven by employing biological indicators validated for this procedure. The tested technology reduced the indicator germs by a concentration of the mathematical log 6 reduction. Achieving this high level of cleanliness is possible by assigning a single person to the task for the set-up at the scene. Steering and monitoring of the process can be done remotely. While the machine used in our experiments is not a completely new concept, our experiments in a real-life setting such as laboratories and clinics alike, show that the applied hydrogen peroxide vapour distributed by a specialized fogger, disinfects even hard to reach spots within closed-off spaces. This program can be performed while automated (PCR) machines are running and highly trained personnel can apply their expertise elsewhere. Moreover, while the program is running real-time data is available and the process can be remotely monitored and steered digitally. It is of major concern to ensure maintainability of infrastructure e.g. COVID labs, ambulances, laboratories or veterinary practitioners to ensure treatment of directly and indirectly related health issues within a crisis. We concentrated on evaluating the usability of the disinfection technology presented in real-life settings. © 2022 IDIMT. All rights reserved.

Run or hide: changes in acquisition behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose: Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) are an important strategic tool for continuous adaptation, sustainable corporate development and external growth. At the same time, M&As involve high levels of risk with mixed performance results even under normal circumstances. Even though the M&A market was continuously growing for the last decade, it was abruptly ended by the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as executives were more concerned about liquidity than with long-term growth strategies. This raises the question how M&A behaviour is affected by the economic fall-out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The mixed method research design was employed in this study. Findings: The authors particularly investigate how target selection as well as synergy management are affected by the pandemic. The study analysis reveals four archetypical responses to the COVID-19 crisis. The authors describe those responses in detail and analyse antecedents that seem to influence firms' acquisition behaviour during the pandemic. Originality/value: The paper draws on survey and interview data of M&A practitioners. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Psychological responses to the covid-19 pandemic in renal transplant recipients

Introduction: With regard to immunosuppression and the high level of cardiovascular comorbidity renal transplant recipients are supposed to be at substantially increased risk for an adverse course of COVID-19. To date, there are no data on the psychological effects of this knowledge on renal transplant recipients during the pandemic. Methods: Cross sectional study on 62 renal transplant recipients and 30 nephrological outpatients without immunosuppression, who served as control. The study aimed at an assessment of anxiety, mood, and quality of life during the pandemic (April 2020) and six months before. The analysis was performed by means of a questionnaire derived from KPD-38. The KPD-38 encompasses 38 questions on 6 parameters. We extracted 6 questions focussing on two parameters: life satisfaction and competence to act. The corresponding scales ranged from 1 to 4. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon Test for the intragroup comparison of the two timepoints and the Mann-Whitney U test for intergroup comparisons. Results: The renal transplant recipients had a mean level of satisfaction of 5.4±1.9 in April 2020 during the pandemic compared to 6.4±1.6 six months ago (p=0.0001). In the control group the life satisfaction was lower during the pandemic than six months ago as well (5.6±1.6 vs. 6.7±2.6, p=0.0073). The level of satisfaction during the pandemic did not significantly differ between transplant recipients and controls (p=0.69). In analogy to the parameter 'life satisfaction', the parameter 'competence to act' was higher before than during the pandemic in both renal transplant recipients(12.7±3.0 vs. 14.7±2.7, p<0.0001) and control subjects (13.3±3.1 vs. 14.7±2.7, p=0.016) and showed no significant difference between the two groups during the pandemic (12.7±3.0 vs. 13.3±3.1, p=0.361). Conclusion: Life satisfaction and the feeling of 'competence to act' were significantly reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in renal transplant recipients. This phenomenon, however, occurred in the same way in nonimmunocompromised subjects with CKD.

Allograft infiltration and meningoencephalitis by sars-cov-2 in a pancreas-kidney transplant recipient

Introduction: COVID-19 primarily affects epithelia of the upper and lower respiratory tract. Thus, impairment of kidney function has been primarily attributed to secondary effects like cytokine release or fluid balance disturbances so far. Methods: We provide evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infiltrate a kidney allograft. Results: A 69-year old male pancreas-kidney transplant recipient presented to our hospital with COVID-19 pneumonia and impaired pancreas and kidney allograft function. Kidney biopsy was performed showing tubular damage and an interstitial mononuclear cell infiltrate. RT-PCR from the biopsy specimen was positive for SARS-CoV-2, while being negative in a peripheral blood sample. Subsequently, he suffered from two convulsive seizures. Magnetic resonance tomography suggested meningoencephalitis, which was confirmed by SARS-CoV-2 RNA transcripts in the cerebrospinal fluid. Conclusion: The present case demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 can infiltrate diverse organs. The patient suffered from COVID-19 pneumonia, meningoencephalitis and nephritis. SARS-CoV-2 binds to its target cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, which is expressed in a broad variety of tissues including the lung, brain and kidney. SARS-CoV-2 thereby shares features with other human coronaviruses including SARS-CoV that were identified as pathogens beyond the respiratory tract as well. The present case should provide awareness that extrapulmonary symptoms in COVID-19 may be attributable to viral infiltration of diverse organs.

Monitoring of general immune status and sars-cov-2 reactive t-cell and humoral immunity facilitates the clinical decision in a severe sars-cov-2-associated pneumonia, meningoencephalitis and gastroenteritis in a pancreas-kidney transplant patient

Introduction: The optimal management in transplant recipients with COVID-19 remains uncertain. The main concern is the ability of immunosuppressed patients to generate sufficient immunity for antiviral protection. Methods: Here, we report on immune monitoring facilitating a successful outcome of severe SARS-CoV-2-associated pneumonia, meningoencephalitis, gastroenteritis and acute kidney and pancreas graft failure in a pancreaskidney transplant recipient. Results: Despite the verylownumbersof circulating B-,NK,andT-cells identified in follow up, a strong SARS-CoV-2 reactive T-cell response was observed. Importantly, we detected T cells reactive to Spike,Membrane and Nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 with majority of T-cells showing polyfunctional proinflammatory Th1 phenotype with advanced differentiation stage at all analyzed time points. Antibodies against Spike protein were also detected with increasing titers in follow up. A correlation between cellular and humoral immunity was observed underscoring the specificity of demonstrated data. Conclusion: We conclude that analyzing the kinetics of non-specific and SARS-CoV-2-reactive cellular and humoral immunity can facilitate the clinical decision on immunosuppression adjustment and allow successful outcome as demonstrated in the current clinical case. While the antiviral protection of the detected SARS-CoV-2-reactive T-cells requires further evaluation, our data prove an ability mounting a strong SARS-CoV-2-reactive T-cell response with functional capacity in immunosuppressed patients.