Online deliberative dialogue with state leaders: A North Carolina case study

Established in 2015 in partnership with the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, the North Carolina Leadership Forum (NCLF) facilitates constructive engagement between North Carolina policy, business, and non-profit leaders across party lines, ideologies, professional experiences, and regional perspectives. NCLF's goal is to develop a cohort of state leaders who have the will, the skills, and the relationships with each other to work constructively with others of different political parties or ideologies. When the program was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and a very tense political election, the experience of the online dialogue was unique and unusual. This chapter describes key lessons learned about how an online format can be used to enhance or enable dialogue across differences on highly polarized issues. © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston. All rights reserved.

Heart Transplantation (ht) from Active and Recently Active Covid19 Donors

HT centers may avoid donors with Covid19 (Cov19) infection due to uncertain risk of virus transmission and possibility of virus mediated myocardial injury. We investigated Cov19 donor utilization, transplant characteristics and early post HT outcomes in the U.S. Between May 2020-June 2022, n=27,862 donors in UNOS had data available on Cov19 NAT tests and organ disposition. Since donors may get Cov19 testing multiple times prior to organ retrieval, additional data on multiple Cov19 NAT was requested and analyzed. Donors were classified Cov19-donors if NAT+ at any time during terminal hospitalization, and subclassified as Active Cov19(A-Cov19) if NAT+ at organ procurement and 'Recently Active Cov19' (rA-Cov19) if NAT+ initially but NAT negative prior to organ retrieval. HT outcomes using Cov19 and nonCov19 donors were compared by Kaplan Meier (KM) and Cox hazards ratio (HR). Prior to organ retrieval, 27,862 donors had 60,699 Cov19 NAT tests done. Of these, n=1445 were Cov19 donors, n=125 indeterminate and n=26,292 nonCov19. Of Cov19 donors, n=1017 were A-Cov19 and n=428 rA-Cov19. 309 HTs used hearts from Cov19 donors and 239 (n=150 A-Cov19, n=89 rA-Cov19) met study criteria. Compared to nonCov19, Cov19 donors used for adult HT were younger [30(23-37) vs 32(25-40)yrs] and mostly male (80.3% vs 72.1%), p<0.05. Otherwise, HTs from Cov19 and nonCov19 donors were similar in recipient age, race, etiology, UNOS status, BMI, LVAD, ECMO use;and donor LVEF, and DCD status. HTs from Cov19 and nonCov19 donors had similar survival up to 3 months [CoxHR=1.23(0.63-2.39), p=0.54, adjusted for baseline characteristics, Fig1A]. Survival was also statistically similar in A-Cov19 and rA-Cov19 donor HT cohorts [CoxHR=1.47(0.40-5.48), p=0.56, Fig1B]. HTs from Cov19 donors increased from n=5 in May-Dec 2020 to n=207 in Jan-June 2022, p<0.05 for trend. Data on Cov19 treatment was not available. In the largest analysis to date, HTs from selective Cov19 donors had acceptable early outcomes. Longer follow up is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Heart & Lung Transplantation is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Lactate Dehydrogenase is Associated with Hemorrhagic Stroke During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for COVID-19

Background: Hemorrhagic stroke (HS) is a devastating complication during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), but markers for risk stratification are unknown. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) is a readily available biomarker of global tissue injury and permeability. We sought to determine whether an elevated LDH at baseline is related to eventual HS during ECMO for COVID-19. Method(s): A multicenter, retrospective study was conducted. Adult patients with COVID-19 requiring ECMO between March 2020 and February 2022 were included. LDH values prior to ECMO were captured. Patients were categorized into high (>750 U/L) or low (<=750 U/L) LDH groups. Result(s): There were 520 patients (47+/-11 years old) that underwent ECMO placement in 17 centers and 384 had an available LDH. In this cohort, 122 (32%) had a high LDH. Forty (10%) patients required venoarterial ECMO, while the remaining 344 (90%) received venovenous support only. Twenty-one out of 122 (17%) patients with a high LDH had a HS in comparison to 21 out of 262 (8%) with a low LDH. At 100 days, the probability of a HS was 40% in the high LDH group and 23% in those with a low LDH, p=0.002. After adjustment for age, sex and antecedent cardiopulmonary resuscitation, high LDH was associated with subsequent HS (aHR: 2.73, 95% CI 1.46-5.12). Findings were similar when restricting to patients supported by venovenous ECMO only. Conclusion(s): Elevated LDH prior to ECMO is associated with a HS during device support. LDH can risk stratify cases for impending cerebral bleeding during ECMO.

Corruption and illiberal politics in the trump era

This book explores the nexus of corruption, late capitalism, and illiberal politics in the Trump era. Through deep, contextualized analysis and careful critique, it offers valuable perspectives on how corruption is defined and understood in the current historical moment. The book asks: Is today's corruption something new, or is it a continuation of prior patterns of illiberalism? Chapters in this collection consider how corruption is practiced, mobilized, or invoked in a range of cases, each of which is embedded within larger concerns about what citizenship, social belonging, honesty, and justice mean in the United States today. The authors examine a constellation of unscrupulous actors and questionable actions, with topics ranging from sex scandals and shady real estate deals to the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several essays directly address the increasingly violent rhetoric and the deliberately anti-democratic policies that have flourished during the Trump era. The book draws on anthropological insights and comparative analysis to place the policies and practices of Trump and his supporters in a wider global context. Corruption and Illiberal Politics in the Trump Era will be of great interest to readers from anthropology, sociology, political science, discourse studies, media studies, linguistics, and American studies. © 2023 selection and editorial matter, Donna M. Goldstein and Kristen Drybread. All rights reserved.

The psychosocial impact of the Australian Rare Cancer Portal on patients with rare cancer

Background: Patients with a rare cancer (RC) diagnosis face unique challenges affecting psychological wellbeing. Vast geographical distances further compound challenges in accessing RC sub-specialist expertise, clinical trials, research and non-reimbursed therapies. The Australian Rare Cancer (ARC) Portal is a novel model of care delivery that has a positive psychological impact on these patients. Methods: The ARC Portal is a national free online referral platform implemented to overcome barriers to accessing excellent care. It is funded by Omico, with support from BioGrid Australia, Rare Cancers Australia (RCA), and The WEHI Stafford Fox Rare Cancer Program (SFRCP). We have recorded 924 referrals for a diverse range of RC in early (30%) and late stages (70%). Our 162 referring clinicians derive from every Australian state and from both regional and metropolitan centres. Over 50 content experts from Australia and internationally have provided case advice. Referring clinical impact surveys and patient feedback surveys were analysed to identify psychosocial impacts of the ARC Portal. Results: Our model of care keeps patients with their primary oncologists by equipping referrers with increased expertise drawing from, on average, two to five experts. The entirely online consent process overcomes geographical barriers to enrolment, and is of particular importance in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions removing in person interaction. Provision of expertise and treatment recommendations meets informational needs and increased the patient confidence patients in their treating clinicians. Report recommendations directly altered the treatment delivered to patients in 20/ 48 of surveyed referrer respondents. Early stage patients are eligible for referral to guide neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy, and those in remission for anticipatory identification of next lines of therapy. We identify appropriate access to investigator-driven research efforts to overcome financial barriers to genomic sequencing e.g. via the MoST Program funded by OMICO and the WEHI-SFRCP enabling access to molecularly-guided therapy. A lack of reimbursed therapeutic options in RC poses financial stress on patients. The ARC Portal expands patients' treatment options via links with clinical trial networks, coordination with industry, and cross-referral to the charity, RCA, for fundraising assistance. We provide patients with the opportunity for involvement in research, which for many provides hope, either for themselves, or for others, as they can opt to provide access to biomarker and tumour specimens via the WEHI-SFRCP;the majority of patients (82.5%) have provided consent. Conclusions: The ARC Portal offers patients access to excellent rare cancer care resulting in positive impacts upon patients' psychological wellbeing. These initial observations require more formal assessment.

Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 during the first year of the pandemic in the Bronx enabled clinical and epidemiological inference.

The Bronx was an early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA. We conducted temporal genomic surveillance of 104 SARS-CoV-2 genomes across the Bronx from March October 2020. Although the local structure of SARS-CoV-2 lineages mirrored those of New York City and New York State, temporal sampling revealed a dynamic and changing landscape of SARS-CoV-2 genomic diversity. Mapping the trajectories of mutations, we found that while some became 'endemic' to the Bronx, other, novel mutations rose in prevalence in the late summer/early fall. Geographically resolved genomes enabled us to distinguish between cases of reinfection and persistent infection in two pediatric patients. We propose that limited, targeted, temporal genomic surveillance has clinical and epidemiological utility in managing the ongoing COVID pandemic.

Should COVID-19 symptoms be used to cohort patients in the emergency department? A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine how cohorting patients based on presenting complaints affects risk of nosocomial infection in crowded Emergency Departments (EDs) under conditions of high and low prevalence of COVID-19. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of presenting complaints and PCR tests collected during the COVID-19 epidemic from 4 EDs from a large hospital system in Bronx County, NY, from May 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value (PPV, NPV) were calculated for a symptom screen based on the CDC list of COVID-19 symptoms: fever/chills, shortness of breath/dyspnea, cough, muscle or body ache, fatigue, headache, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, nasal congestion/runny nose, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. PPV was calculated for varying values of prevalence. RESULTS: There were 80,078 visits with PCR tests. The sensitivity of the symptom screen was 64.7% (95% CI: 63.6, 65.8), specificity 65.4% (65.1, 65.8). PPV was 16.8% (16.5, 17.0) and NPV was 94.5% (94.4, 94.7) when the observed prevalence of COVID-19 in the ED over the year was 9.7%. The PPV of fever/chills, cough, body and muscle aches and nasal congestion/runny nose were each approximately 25% across the year, while diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and headache were less predictive, (PPV 4.7%-9.6%) The combinations of fever/chills, cough, muscle/body aches, and shortness of breath had PPVs of 40-50%. The PPV of the screen varied from 3.7% (3.6, 3.8) at 2% prevalence of COVID-19 to 44.3% (44.0, 44.7) at 30% prevalence. CONCLUSION: The proportion of patients with a chief complaint of COVID-19 symptoms and confirmed COVID-19 infection was exceeded by the proportion without actual infection. This was true when prevalence in the ED was as high as 30%. Cohorting of patients based on the CDC's list of COVID-19 symptoms will expose many patients who do not have COVID-19 to risk of nosocomially acquired COVID-19. EDs should not use the CDC list of COVID-19 symptoms as the only strategy to minimize exposure.

Using Automated Machine Learning to Predict the Mortality of Patients With COVID-19: Prediction Model Development Study.

BACKGROUND: During a pandemic, it is important for clinicians to stratify patients and decide who receives limited medical resources. Machine learning models have been proposed to accurately predict COVID-19 disease severity. Previous studies have typically tested only one machine learning algorithm and limited performance evaluation to area under the curve analysis. To obtain the best results possible, it may be important to test different machine learning algorithms to find the best prediction model. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to use automated machine learning (autoML) to train various machine learning algorithms. We selected the model that best predicted patients' chances of surviving a SARS-CoV-2 infection. In addition, we identified which variables (ie, vital signs, biomarkers, comorbidities, etc) were the most influential in generating an accurate model. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected from all patients who tested positive for COVID-19 at our institution between March 1 and July 3, 2020. We collected 48 variables from each patient within 36 hours before or after the index time (ie, real-time polymerase chain reaction positivity). Patients were followed for 30 days or until death. Patients' data were used to build 20 machine learning models with various algorithms via autoML. The performance of machine learning models was measured by analyzing the area under the precision-recall curve (AUPCR). Subsequently, we established model interpretability via Shapley additive explanation and partial dependence plots to identify and rank variables that drove model predictions. Afterward, we conducted dimensionality reduction to extract the 10 most influential variables. AutoML models were retrained by only using these 10 variables, and the output models were evaluated against the model that used 48 variables. RESULTS: Data from 4313 patients were used to develop the models. The best model that was generated by using autoML and 48 variables was the stacked ensemble model (AUPRC=0.807). The two best independent models were the gradient boost machine and extreme gradient boost models, which had an AUPRC of 0.803 and 0.793, respectively. The deep learning model (AUPRC=0.73) was substantially inferior to the other models. The 10 most influential variables for generating high-performing models were systolic and diastolic blood pressure, age, pulse oximetry level, blood urea nitrogen level, lactate dehydrogenase level, D-dimer level, troponin level, respiratory rate, and Charlson comorbidity score. After the autoML models were retrained with these 10 variables, the stacked ensemble model still had the best performance (AUPRC=0.791). CONCLUSIONS: We used autoML to develop high-performing models that predicted the survival of patients with COVID-19. In addition, we identified important variables that correlated with mortality. This is proof of concept that autoML is an efficient, effective, and informative method for generating machine learning-based clinical decision support tools.

Extended storage of SARS-CoV-2 nasopharyngeal swabs does not negatively impact results of molecular-based testing across three clinical platforms.

With the global outbreak of COVID-19, the demand for testing rapidly increased and quickly exceeded the testing capacities of many laboratories. Clinical tests which receive CE (Conformité Européenne) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorisations cannot always be tested thoroughly in a real-world environment. Here we demonstrate the long-term stability of nasopharyngeal swab specimens for SARS-CoV-2 molecular testing across three assays recently approved by the US FDA under Emergency Use Authorization. This study demonstrates that nasopharyngeal swab specimens can be stored under refrigeration or even ambient conditions for 21 days without clinically impacting the results of the real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR testing.

SARS-CoV-2 coinfection with additional respiratory virus does not predict severe disease: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) claimed over 4 million lives by July 2021 and continues to pose a serious public health threat. OBJECTIVES: Our retrospective study utilized respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) results in patients with SARS-CoV-2 to determine if coinfection (i.e. SARS-CoV-2 positivity with an additional respiratory virus) was associated with more severe presentation and outcomes. METHODS: All patients with negative influenza/respiratory syncytial virus testing who underwent RPP testing within 7 days of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test at a large, academic medical centre in New York were examined. Patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 with a negative RPP were compared with patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 and positive for a virus by RPP in terms of biomarkers, oxygen requirements and severe COVID-19 outcome, as defined by mechanical ventilation or death within 30 days. RESULTS: Of the 306 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients with RPP testing, 14 (4.6%) were positive for a non-influenza virus (coinfected). Compared with the coinfected group, patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 with a negative RPP had higher inflammatory markers and were significantly more likely to be admitted (P = 0.01). Severe COVID-19 outcome occurred in 111 (36.3%) patients in the SARS-CoV-2-only group and 3 (21.4%) patients in the coinfected group (P = 0.24). CONCLUSIONS: Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 along with a non-influenza respiratory virus had less severe disease on presentation and were more likely to be admitted-but did not have more severe outcomes-than those infected with SARS-CoV-2 alone.

Comparison of cannulation approaches for venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation during covid-19

Purpose: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) is performed through various cannulation approaches but an optimal strategy remains uncertain. Methods: A retrospective, multi-center study was conducted. Adult patients (≥18 years old) placed on VV-ECMO for severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, across the United States were included. Patients were divided into the following 3 groups based on initial cannulation: 1) femoral vein-femoral vein or femoral vein-internal jugular vein (Dual-Site, DS), 2) single, dual-lumen cannula in internal jugular vein with tip positioned in the pulmonary artery (PA) and 3) single, dual-lumen cannula in internal jugular vein with tip positioned in the inferior vena cava (IVC). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality after VV-ECMO placement assessed by a time-toevent analysis. Results: Overall, 435 patients from 17 centers comprised the study cohort. DS cannulation was performed in 247 (age: 47±11, 30% female) cases, 99 (age 50±12, 26% female) received PA, and 89 patients got IVC (age 45±12, 33% female). At 90 days, in-hospital mortality across cannulation groups was 60% (DS), 41% (PA) and 61% (IVC), p=0.06 (Figure 1). After adjustment for clinical covariates, the likelihood of in-hospital mortality in comparison to DS, was lower with PA (aHR: 0.60, 95%CI 0.40-0.91, p=0.02) and similar with IVC (aHR: 0.99, 95%CI 0.68-1.43, p=0.95). Conclusion: Catheter directed flow into the PA with a single dual-lumen cannula is associated with reduced mortality during VV ECMO for COVID-19.

Direct versus indirect thrombin inhibition during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for covid-19

Purpose: Anticoagulation during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for COVID-19 can be carried out by direct or indirect thrombin inhibition. The former agent obviates monitoring of antithrombin III but differences in outcomes with either approach are uncertain. Methods: A retrospective, multi-center study was conducted. Adult patients (≥18 years old) placed on ECMO for severe respiratory or circulatory failure due to COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, to April 30, 2021, in the United States were included. Patient were divided in 2 groups based on the utilized anticoagulation agent during ECMO support: 1) direct thrombin inhibitor (DTi, e.g. bivalirudin and argatroban) and 2) indirect thrombin inhibitor (IDTi, e.g. unfractionated heparin). The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality after ECMO placement assessed by a time-to-event analysis. Results: Overall, 455 patients from 17 centers were placed on ECMO, of whom 44 were excluded due to no reported anticoagulation agent. DTi was used in 160 (age: 47±11, 28% female) cases and 251 patients received IDTi (age 47±12, 29% female). At 90 days, in-hospital mortality was 50% (DTi) and 61% (IDTi), p=0.08, (Figure). After adjustment for clinical covariates, the likelihood of in-hospital mortality was similar with DTi (aHR: 0.79, 95%CI 0.57-1.10, p=0.16) compared to IDTi. Noted prevalence of deep vein thrombosis (DTi 14%, IDHi 12%), ischemic stroke (DTi 2%, IDHi 3%), intracranial hemorrhage (DTi 11%, IDHi 10%) and bleeding requiring transfusion (DTi 71%, IDHi 83%) was comparable between groups. Conclusion: Anticoagulants that directly or indirectly inhibit thrombin are associated with similar outcomes during ECMO for COVID-19.

Patterns of seroconversion for SARS-CoV2-IgG in patients with malignant disease and association with anticancer therapy.

Patients with cancer have been identified in several studies to be at high risk of developing severe COVID-19; however, rates of SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroconversion and its association with cancer types and anti-cancer therapy remain obscure. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in patients with cancer that underwent SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing. Two hundred and sixty-one patients with a cancer diagnosis underwent SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing and demonstrated a high rate of seroconversion (92%). However, significantly lower seroconversion was observed in patients with hematologic malignancies (82%), patients that received anti-CD-20 antibody therapy (59%) and stem cell transplant (60%). Interestingly, all 17 patients that received immunotherapy, including 16 that received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies, developed SARS-Cov-2 IgG antibodies (100% seroconversion). These data show differential rates of seroconversion in specific patient groups and bear importance for clinical monitoring and vaccination strategies that are being developed to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Covid-19 among patients with hematological malignancies: A national Israeli retrospective analysis

Background: The first COVID-19 patient was diagnosed in Israel in February 2020. It is of importance to evaluate outcomes across patients with hematological malignancies which are generally immunosuppressed and more susceptible to infectious complications. Aims: We aimed to characterize the clinical course of COVID-19 infection among patients with various lymphoid or myeloid malignancies and determine which of these patients were most at risk of severe infection or mortality. Methods: This was a national Israeli multicenter retrospective study. Patients with hematological malignancies who were diagnosed with COVID-19 from February 20, 2020 until January 31, 2021 were centrally reported and included in the retrospective analysis with no need for informed consent signing. Clinical and laboratory data regarding baseline characteristics, hematological management, and course and treatment of the COVID-19 disease were collected. Multivariate regression analyses were used to determine the variables associated with severe disease, hospitalization and mortality. Results: In total, 272 patients from 14 medical centers were included in the analysis. Among them, 140 (51.5%) were men, and the median age was 70yrs. The most frequent malignancies included lymphoma (44.5%), multiple myeloma (22.8%), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (12.1%). 90 (33.1%) patients developed a severe or critical respiratory infection, and 58 (21.3%) died. According to multivariate regression analyses, both age > 70yrs (OR=2.26;95% CI: 1.04;4.95;p=0.041) and current steroid treatment (OR=3.23;95% CI: 1.06, 9.90;p=0.040) at time of COVID- 19 diagnosis were associated with severe to critical disease, while current treatment with monoclonal antibodies was associated with mild to moderate disease (OR=2.86;95% CI: 1.17, 6.99;p=0.022). Among the 159 hospitalized patients, the hospitalization was longer in patients with severe to critical respiratory infection (IRR=1.53;95% CI: 1.36, 1.72;p<0.001), or treated with dexamethasone (IRR=1.22;95% CI: 1.08, 1.38;p=0.002), with enoxaparin (IRR=1.18;95% CI: 1.06, 1.33;p=0.004) or convalescent plasma (IRR=1.17;95% CI: 1.04, 1.32, p=0.012);while the hospitalization was shorter in patients treated with remdesivir (IRR=0.78;95% CI: 0.69, 0.89;p<0.001). The mortality rate was higher in patients > 70yrs (OR=3.41;95% CI: 1.13, 10.34;p=0.030), with severe to critical infection (OR=27.27;95% CI: 7.40, 100.48, p<0.001), or in those treated with dexamethasone (OR=5.89;95% CI: 1.47, 23.63;p=0.012) for COVID-19 respiratory condition, and lower in patients treated with remdesivir (OR=0.19, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.82, p=0.026). Summary/Conclusion: Respiratory infection with COVID-19 seems to be particularly severe in patients with hematological malignancies. While steroids seem to increase both baseline severity of the infection and mortality, it seems that treatment with remdesivir was associated with reduced mortality and duration of hospitalization. These particularities of haemato-oncological patients may be explained by a remarkably severe COVID-19 viremia that might cause the high mortality rate, while the cytokine release syndrome which generally responds to steroid treatment may be milder in these patients. The management of hematological malignancies during acute COVID-19 infection should be individualized and further investigated.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Qualitative Immunoglobulin G Assays: The Value of Numeric Reporting.

CONTEXT.­: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin G (IgG) testing is used for serosurveillance and will be important to evaluate vaccination status. Given the urgency to release coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) serology tests, most manufacturers have developed qualitative tests. OBJECTIVE.­: To evaluate clinical performance of 6 different SARS-CoV-2 IgG assays and their quantitative results to better elucidate the clinical role of serology testing in COVID-19. DESIGN.­: Six SARS-CoV-2 IgG assays were tested using remnant specimens from 190 patients. Sensitivity and specificity were evaluated for each assay with the current manufacturer's cutoff and a lower cutoff. A numeric result analysis and discrepancy analysis were performed. RESULTS.­: Specificity was higher than 93% for all assays, and sensitivity was higher than 80% for all assays (≥7 days post-polymerase chain reaction testing). Inpatients with more severe disease had higher numeric values compared with health care workers with mild or moderate disease. Several discrepant serology results were those just below the manufacturers' cutoff. CONCLUSIONS.­: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 IgG antibody testing can aid in the diagnosis of COVID-19, especially with negative polymerase chain reaction. Quantitative COVID-19 IgG results are important to better understand the immunologic response and disease course of this novel virus and to assess immunity as part of future vaccination programs.

Pan-ancestry exome-wide association analyses of COVID-19 outcomes in 586,157 individuals

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory illness that can result in hospitalization or death. We used exome sequence data to investigate associations between rare genetic variants and seven COVID-19 outcomes in 586,157 individuals, including 20,952 with COVID-19. After accounting for multiple testing, we did not identify any clear associations with rare variants either exome wide or when specifically focusing on (1) 13 interferon pathway genes in which rare deleterious variants have been reported in individuals with severe COVID-19, (2) 281 genes located in susceptibility loci identified by the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative, or (3) 32 additional genes of immunologic relevance and/or therapeutic potential. Our analyses indicate there are no significant associations with rare protein-coding variants with detectable effect sizes at our current sample sizes. Analyses will be updated as additional data become available, and results are publicly available through the Regeneron Genetics Center COVID-19 Results Browser.

Mater Artium Necessitas: The Birth of a COVID-19 Command Center.

In February of 2020, New York City was unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection appeared and spread rapidly. Hospitals had to repurpose staff and establish diagnostic testing for this new viral infection. In the background of the usual respiratory pathogen testing performed in the clinical laboratory, SARS-CoV-2 testing at the Montefiore Medical System grew exponentially, from none to hundreds per day within the first week of testing. The job of appropriately routing SARS-CoV-2 viral specimens became overwhelming. Additional staff was required to triage these specimens to multiple in-house testing platforms as well as external reference laboratories. Since medical school classes and many research laboratories shut down at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and students were eager to help fight the pandemic, we seized the opportunity to engage and train senior MD-PhD students to assist in triaging specimens. This volunteer force enabled us to establish the "Pathology Command Center," staffed by these students as well as residents and furloughed dental associates. The Pathology Command Center staff were tasked with the accessioning and routing of specimens, answering questions from clinical teams, and updating ever evolving protocols developed in collaboration with a team of Infectious Disease clinicians. Many lessons were learned during this process, including how best to restructure an accessioning department and how to properly onboard students and repurpose staff while establishing safeguards for their well-being during these unprecedented times. In this article, we share some of our challenges, successes, and what we ultimately learned as an organization.