High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) thorax in Covid-19 Pneumonia

Background: Covid-19 disease has become a dreadful and deadly disease over last one year with numerous methods described in recent medical literature for early diagnosis ad monitory the course of disease. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) thorax findings in Covid-19 pneumonia have been described with high specificity & moderate sensitivity. Aims & Objectives: We conducted this study with the aim and objectives of determining the common pulmonary radiological findings in HRCT thorax of Covid-19 patients and their relationship with category of clinical symptoms as well as correlation with CT severity score. Materials and Methods:This retrospective, observational & cross-sectional study included HRCT thorax of 100 cases proven to be RT-PCR positive for Covid-19 disease. The spectrum of pulmonary findings was noted along with their frequency in different symptom category of patients. CT severity score was also correlated with category of symptoms. Results: Approximately two-third patients in our study revealed radiological findings on HRCT thorax with GGO being the commonest finding followed by consolidation & characteristic signs in the decreasing order of frequency. More than half of patients in mild and more than 90% patients in moderate category revealed findings on HRCT thorax with average CT severity score of <10 in mild and >11 in moderate category of symptoms. Conclusions: Though HRCT thorax cannot be used as a screening tool for diagnosis of Covid-19 disease owing to its moderate sensitivity yet its high degree of specificity especially in moderate category of patients makes it useful in objective assessment during treatment as well as in predicting the prognosis of patients high CT severity score.

Post coronavirus disease mucormycosis: a deadly addition to the pandemic spectrum.

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible association between invasive fungal sinusitis (mucormycosis) and coronavirus disease. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care centre over four months, involving all patients with mucormycosis of the paranasal sinuses suffering from or having a history of coronavirus disease infection. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients presented with mucormycosis, all had an association with coronavirus disease 2019. The ethmoids (100 per cent) were the most common sinuses affected. Intra-orbital extension was seen in 43.47 per cent of cases, while intracranial extension was only seen in 8.69 per cent. Diabetes mellitus was present in 21 of 23 cases, and was uncontrolled in 12 cases. All patients had a history of steroid use during their coronavirus treatment. CONCLUSION: New manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 are appearing over time. The association between coronavirus and mucormycosis of the paranasal sinuses must be given serious consideration. Uncontrolled diabetes and over-zealous use of steroids are two main factors aggravating the illness, and both of these must be properly checked.

Black Fungus an Add on Epidemic to Cosvid-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 patients have lower immunosuppressive CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells and henceforth patients in intensive care units (ICU) need mechanical ventilation, henceforward they stay in hospitals. These patients have been exposed to advances in fungal co-infections. COVID-19 patients progress towards mucormycosis a black fungal infection that is deadly leading to loss of sight and hearing and eventually death. This article discusses the clinical manifestations, risk factors and emphases on virulence traits and management of black fungus.

Comparison of Clinical Features and Outcome of Dengue Fever and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated With COVID-19 (MIS-C)

Objective To identify clinical and laboratory features that differentiate dengue fever patients from MIS-C patients and determine their outcomes. Methods This comparative cross-sectional study was done at a tertiary care teaching institute. We enrolled all hospitalized children aged 1 month-18 years and diagnosed with either MIS-C and/or dengue fever according to WHO criteria between June and December, 2020. Clinical and laboratory features and outcomes were recorded on a structured proforma. Results During the study period 34 cases of MIS-C and 83 cases of Dengue fever were enrolled. Mean age of MIS-C cases (male, 86.3%) was 7.89 (4.61) years. MIS-C with shock was seen in 15 cases (44%), MIS-C without shock in 17 cases (50%) and Kawasaki disease-like presentation in 2 cases (6%). Patients of MIS-C were younger as compared to dengue fever (P=0.002). Abdominal pain and erythematous rash were more common in dengue fever. Of the inflammatory markers, mean C reactive protein was higher in MIS-C patients [100.2 (85.1) vs 16.9 (29.3) mg/dL] (P<0.001). In contrast, serum ferritin levels were higher in dengue fever patients (P=0.03). Mean hospital stay (patient days) was longer in MIS- C compared to dengue fever (8.6 vs 6.5 days;P=0.014). Conclusions Clinical and laboratory features can give important clues to differentiate dengue fever and MIS-C and help initiate specific treatment.

Comparison of Clinical Features and Outcome of Dengue Fever and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated With COVID-19 (MIS-C)

OBJECTIVE: To identify clinical and laboratory features that differentiate dengue fever patients from MIS-C patients and determine their outcomes. METHODS: This comparative cross-sectional study was done at tertiary care teaching institute. We enrolled all hospitalized children aged 1 month - 18 years and diagnosed with either MIS-C and/or dengue fever according to WHO criteria between June and December, 2020. Clinical and laboratory features and outcomes were recorded on a structured proforma. RESULTS: During the study period 34 cases of MIS-C and 83 cases of Dengue fever were enrolled. Mean age of MIS-C cases (male, 86.3%) was 7.89 (4.61) years. Of 34 cases, MIS-C with shock was seen in 15 cases (44%), MIS-C without shock, 17 cases (50%) and Kawasaki disease-like presentation in 2 cases (6%). Patients of MIS-C were younger as compared to dengue fever (P=0.002). Conjunctival injection and swelling of hand and feet were more commonly seen in MIS-C. Abdominal pain and erythematous rash were more common in dengue fever. Of the inflammatory markers, mean C reactive protein was higher in MIS-C patients, than dengue fever patients [100.2 (85.1) vs 16.9 (29.3) mg/dL (P<0.001). In contrast, serum ferritin levels were higher in dengue fever patients (P=0.03). Need for mechanical ventilation was significantly more in MIS-C cases. Mean hospital stay was longer in MIS- C patients days compared to dengue fever (8.6 vs 6.5 days;P=0.014). CONCLUSION: Clinical and laboratory features can give important clues to differentiate dengue fever and MIS-C and help initiate specific treatment.

Leveraging Structured Biological Knowledge for Counterfactual Inference: a Case Study of Viral Pathogenesis

Counterfactual inference is a useful tool for comparing outcomes of interventions on complex systems. It requires us to represent the system in form of a structural causal model, complete with a causal diagram, probabilistic assumptions on exogenous variables, and functional assignments. Specifying such models can be extremely difficult in practice. The process requires substantial domain expertise, and does not scale easily to large systems, multiple systems, or novel system modifications. At the same time, many application domains, such as molecular biology, are rich in structured causal knowledge that is qualitative in nature. This manuscript proposes a general approach for querying a causal knowledge graph with a causal question and converting the qualitative result into a quantitative structural causal model that can learn from data to answer the question. We demonstrate the feasibility, accuracy and versatility of this approach using two case studies in systems biology. The first demonstrates the appropriateness of the underlying assumptions and the accuracy of the results. The second demonstrates the versatility of the approach by querying a knowledge base for the molecular determinants of a SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine storm and performing counterfactual inference to predict the causal effect of medical countermeasures for severely ill COVID-19 patients. IEEE

The profile of teledermatology consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational study. (Special Issue: COVID-19.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major disruptions in healthcare settings all over the world. During the lockdown period, teledermatology (TD) played a salient role in helping aggrieved patients receive treatment. Material and Method: The following is a retrospective, observational study carried out over 6 weeks at two centers in which TD consultations during the pandemic were evaluated.

SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONAVIRUS (SARS-CoV) : METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

The available methods of diagnosis and treatment of the illness that is mainly caused by SARS-coronavirus have been highlighted here. The paper also attempts to better understand nature of the virus and the disease caused by it along with discussing its symptoms, transmission and prevention. New progresses made in the development of diagnostic and treatment methodologies, their efficacy and safety are also described.

Virtuality and teams: Dealing with crises and catastrophes

BACKGROUND: This article bridges the gap between theory and practice and elaborates, for practitioners, how to convert the COVID-19 and other similar crises into opportunities for keeping their business on track for growth. It shows how movement to virtual modes of working, especially virtual teams, can help practitioners meet the current crisis effectively and also prepare for future crisis efficiently. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to show how the concept of virtuality can help design practices which enable managers/practitioners in effectively managing necessary transitions to virtual work. METHODS: The article reviews and integrates essential literature on virtuality and virtual teams. It enumerates the benefits and challenges which accompany a sudden and necessary movement to virtual work in teams. Also used are the recently developed theoretical frameworks of teams as essential emergent states and its implications on virtual work. RESULTS: By distilling insights from past literature, the article advises managers on how to deal with the present and prepare for future disruptions. Usage of overarching frameworks rather than industry/work specific literature enables managers to move away from specific recommendations and focus on general characteristics for wider impact. CONCLUSIONS: The article demonstrates how organizations can meet disruptive challenges successfully and also prepare for future challenges sustainably using virtuality as a starting point. © 2020 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.