ABSTRACT
Objective: In the summer of 2021, Grenada experienced its first wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cases. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an effective methodology to monitor the community spread of pathogens and has been implemented on numerous university campuses to identify potential outbreaks. Standardized effective methods to detect enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2 are needed to effectively utilize WBE, as most methods implemented have been validated for non-enveloped viruses. Design and Methods: Pseudomonas syringae bacteriophage (F6) was added to wastewater samples in triplicate to test the efficiency of the VIRuses ADsorption ELution method with two different conditions. Samples were either untreated (NT) or pre-treated with hydrochloric acid (HCl) to a pH of 3.5. The membrane filters were eluted with Tris- EDTA-NaCl buffer followed by Trizol RNA extraction and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction to quantify viral particles. This filtration method was implemented at a university campus in Grenada Results: The ratio of F6 Ct .R / PMMoV Ct .R for both treatments was calculated and compared using t-tests to evaluate significant differences. Results showed a mean ratio of 0.75 +/- 0.08 for the HCl treated sample compared to 0.86 +/- 0.06 for the non-treated sample. The results were statistically significant (p = 0.04). Conclusion(s): Membrane filtration using acidification (pH = 3.5) with HCl and elution with Tris-EDTA-NaCl buffer shows to be an effective methodology for the detection of enveloped viruses in WBE. The epidemiological and public health implications of this result will be presented.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on pathological diagnoses of cancer in Northern Ireland, and assess potential inequalities across subgroups of the population. Methods: Data from the four Northern Ireland pathology labs were used to assess trends in pathological cancer diagnoses from 1st March to 12th September 2020 overall and by cancer site, gender and age. These trends were compared to the same timeframe from 2017-2019. Results: Between 1st March and 12th September 2020 there was a 23% reduction in cancer diagnoses compared to the same time period in the preceding three years. Although some recovery occurred in August and September 2020, this revealed inequalities across certain patient groups. Pathological diagnoses of lung, prostate and gynaecological malignancies remained well below pre-pandemic levels. Males and younger/middle-aged adults, particularly the 50-59 year old patient group, also lagged behind other population demographic groups in terms of returning to expected numbers of pathological cancer diagnoses. Conclusions: There is a critical need to protect cancer diagnostic services in the ongoing pandemic to facilitate timely investigation of potential cancer cases. Targeted public health campaigns may be needed to reduce emerging inequalities in cancer diagnoses as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
ABSTRACT
Background/Aims The COVID-19 pandemic has created the need for research on how to effectively rehabilitate patients who have been discharged from an intensive care unit. This study is a protocol for a mixed methods feasibility study addressing the research questions: 1) what are the needs of patients who have survived COVID-19 2) is the use of technology feasible to support their recovery? Methods A multicentre, technology supported, rehabilitation intervention for survivors of critical illness caused by COVID-19 will be assessed. Survivors in the study population will be offered a smartwatch to monitor their activity levels and will have biopsychosocial outcome measures monitored at three time points: Discharge from hospital, 2-3 months post discharge and 1 year post discharge. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted across eight hospital sites with survivors, their relatives and professionals to understand their recovery experiences. Conclusions Designed by frontline clinicians, this protocol outlines a feasibility study that will provide new knowledge on the process of recovery of critical illness caused by COVID-19. © 2020 MA Healthcare Ltd. All rights reserved.