A Tale of Two Institutions: COVID-19 Positive Rates in Asymptomatic Patients Pre-Screened for Spine Procedures and Surgeries in Los Angeles, California.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by the severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has created an unprecedented global public health emergency. The aim of the current study was to report on COVID-19 rates in an asymptomatic population prior to undergoing spine procedures or surgeries at two large Los Angeles healthcare systems. METHODS: Elective spine procedures and surgeries from May 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021 were included. Results from SARS-CoV-2 virus RT-PCR nasopharyngeal testing within 72 hours prior to elective spine procedures were recorded. Los Angeles County COVID-19 rates were calculated using data sets from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Chi-squared test and Stata/IC were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 4,062 spine procedures and surgeries were scheduled during this time period. Of these, 4,043 procedures and surgeries were performed, with a total of 19 patients testing positive. Nine positive patients were from UCLA, and 10 from USC. The overall rate of positive tests was low at .47% and reflected similarities with Los Angeles County COVID-19 rates over time. CONCLUSIONS: The current study shows that pre-procedure COVID-19 testing rates remains very low, and follows similar patterns of community rates. While pre-procedure testing increases the safety of elective procedures, universal COVID-19 pre-screening adds an additional barrier to receiving care for patients and increases cost of delivering care. A combination of pre-screening, pre-procedure self-quarantine, and consideration of overall community COVID-19 positivity rates should be further studied.

Infrared-to-ultraviolet upconverting nanoparticles for COVID-19-related disinfection applications

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for better UV sources has increased drastically. Recent advances in Ln-based upconverting nanoparticle (UCNP) designs have led to dramatic increases in efficiency – beyond what is possible in bulk upconverting material – for generating short-wavelength light from long-wavelength photons, pushing achievable upconversion into the UV regime. Such nanoparticles represent an ultimate source of ultra-local UV light, with applications in UV photocatalysis, 3D printing and manufacturing, and perhaps most importantly, health care. The goal of this article is to provide an assessment for the application of UCNPs as local UV sources for disinfection. We map out the potential for incorporation into PPE, focusing on N95 face masks as a model system. Performance and viability are evaluated based on recent UCNP findings and extrapolating cost trends following the recent example of commercialized semiconductor quantum dot nanoparticles.