Impact of early in-hospital nutritional status on clinical outcomes in Coronavirus disease 2019 patients: A single-center retrospective analysis (preprint)

Background: ： This study investigated the effects of nutritional status at the time of admission on clinical outcomes in patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods：A retrospective analysis was performed on 54 patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Clinical data of admitted patients, albumin and pre-serum albumin levels, gastrointestinal intolerance, and general information were collected and analyzed. The primary clinical outcomes were length of hospital stay and hospitalization costs. Results：The results showed that albumin and pre-serum albumin levels of patients at admission were negatively associated with the length of hospital stay and hospitalization costs (P < 0.001). Patients with poor appetite had longer hospital stays (P < 0.001) and higher hospital costs (P = 0.022). Conclusion：These results indicated that the nutritional status at admission can directly influence the clinical outcomes of COVID-19.

Effect Analysis of Different Environmental Disinfection Methods on Reducing Contamination of Surfaces by the Omicron BA.2.2 Variant of SARS-CoV-2 and the Characteristics of Fomite Contamination in the Fever Clinic in the Out-Broken of Shanghai.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of different environmental disinfection methods on reducing contaminated surfaces (CSs) by the Omicron BA.2.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in the fever clinic between March 20 and May 30, 2022, and to analyze the influences and related factors of CSs. This study includes survey data from 389 positive patients (SPPs) and 204 CSs in the fever clinic, including the CS type, disinfection method, length of time spent in the clinic, cycle threshold (CT) value, name, age, weight, mask type, mask-wearing compliance, hand-mouth touch frequency and sex. Associations between study variables and specified outcomes were explored using univariate regression analyses. Mask-wearing compliance had a significant negative correlation with CSs (r = - 0.446, P = 0.037). Among the 389 SPPs, 22 SPPs (CRP, 5.66%) caused CSs in the separate isolation room. A total of 219 SPPs (56.30%) were male. The mean age of SPPs was 4.34 ± 3.92 years old, and the mean CT value was 12.44 ± 5.11. In total, 9952 samples with exposure history were taken, including 204 (2.05%) CSs. Among the CSs, the positive rate of flat surfaces was the highest in public areas (2.52%) and separate isolation rooms (4.75%). Disinfection methods of ultraviolet radiation + chemical irradiation significantly reduced the CSs in both the public area (0% vs. 4.56%) and the separate isolation room (0.76% vs. 2.64%) compared with the chemical method alone (P < 0.05). Compared with ordinary SPPs, CRPs were older (6.04 year vs. 4.23 year), and the male proportion was higher (72.73% vs. 55.31%). In particular, it was found that SPPs contaminated their surroundings and therefore imposed risks on other people. Environmental disinfection with ultraviolet radiation + chemical treatment should be emphasized. The findings may be useful to guide infection control practices for the Omicron BA.2.2 variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Multivariate morphological brain signatures enable individualized prediction of dispositional need for closure

Need for closure (NFC) reflects stable individual differences in the desire for a quick, definite, and stable answer to a question. A large body of research has documented the association between NFC and various cognitive, emotional and social processes. Despite considerable interest in psychology, little effort has been made to uncover the neural substrates of individual variations in NFC. Herein, we took a data-driven approach to predict NFC trait combining machine learning framework and the whole-brain grey matter volume (GMV) features, which represent a reliable brain imaging measure and have been commonly employed to explore neural basis underlying individual differences of cognition and behaviors. Brain regions contributing to the prediction were then subjected to functional connectivity and decoding analyses for a quantitative inference on their psychophysiological functions. Our results indicated that multivariate patterns of GMV derived from multiple regions across distributed brain systems predicted NFC at individual level. The contributing regions are distributed across the emotional processing network (e.g., striatum), cognitive control network (e.g., lateral prefrontal cortex), social cognition network (e.g., temporoparietal junction) and perceptual processing network (e.g., occipital cortex). The current study provided the first evidence that dispositional NFC is embodied in multiple large-scale brain networks, helping to delineate a more complete picture about the neuropsychological processes that support individual differences in NFC. Beyond these findings, the current interdisciplinary approach to constructing and interpreting neuroimaging-based prediction model of personality traits would be informative to a wide range of future studies on personality. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11682-021-00574-w.

Value of anal swabs for SARS-COV-2 detection: a literature review.

Facing the unprecedented global public health crisis caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), nucleic acid tests for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19. The asymptomatic carriers were not suspected of playing a significant role in the ongoing pandemic, and universal nucleic acid screening in close contacts of confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers has been carried out in many medium- and high-risk areas for the spread of the virus. Recently, anal swabs for key population screening have been shown to not only reduce missed diagnoses but also facilitate the traceability of infectious sources. As a specimen for the detection of viruses, the goal of this paper is to briefly review the transmission route of SARS-CoV-2 and the necessity of using anal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 screening to minimize transmission and a threat to other people with COVID-19.

Co-infections of SARS-CoV-2 with multiple common respiratory pathogens in infected children: A retrospective study.

ABSTRACT: Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, considerable attention has been paid on its epidemiology and clinical characteristics in children patients. However, it is also crucial for clinicians to summarize and investigate the co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 in children.We retrospectively reviewed the clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, and imaging characteristics of COVID-19 patients in co-infection group (CI, n = 27) and single infection group (SI, n = 54). Samples were tested for multiple pathogens.A high incidence (27/81, 33%) of co-infection in children with COVID-19 was revealed. The most frequent co-infected pathogen was mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP, 20/81, 25%), followed by virus (6/81, 7%), and bacteria (4/81, 5%). No significant difference in clinical characteristics, laboratory examinations, or hospital stay was observed between the patients with co-infections and those with monomicrobial, only lower in white blood cell counts (CI: 5.54 ±â€Š0.36 vs SI: 7.38 ±â€Š0.37, P = .002), neutrophil counts (CI: 2.20 ±â€Š0.20 vs SI: 2.92 ±â€Š0.23, P = .024) and lymphocyte counts (CI: 2.72 ±â€Š0.024 vs SI: 3.87 ±â€Š0.28, P = .006). Compared with the patients with monomicrobial, chest imaging of those with co-infections showed consolidation in more cases (CI: 29.6% vs SI: 11.1%, P = .038) and duration of positive in nucleic acid was shorter (CI: 6.69 ±â€Š0.82 vs SI: 9.69 ±â€Š0.74, P = .015).Co-infection was relatively common in children with COVID-19, almost 1/3 had co-infection, most commonly caused by MP. Co-infection did not cause a significant exacerbation in clinical manifestations.

Identification of therapeutic drugs against COVID-19 through computational investigation on drug repurposing and structural modification.

Global prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) calls for an urgent development of anti-viral regime. Compared with the development of new drugs, drug repurposing can significantly reduce the cost, time, and safety risks. Given the fact that coronavirus harnesses spike protein to invade host cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), hence we see if any previous anti-virtual compounds can block spike-ACE2 interaction and inhibit the virus entry. The results of molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulations revealed that remdesivir exhibits better than expected anti-viral invasion potential against COVID-19 among the three types of compounds including remdesivir, tenofovir and lopinavir. In addition, a positive correlation between the surface area occupied by remdesivir and anti-viral invasion potential was also found. As such, the structure of remdesivir was modified by linking an N-benzyl substituted diamidine derivative to its hydroxyl group through an ester bond. It was found that this compound has a higher anti-viral invasion potential and greater specificity.

High resolution computed tomography for the diagnosis of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia: a study from multiple medical centers in western China.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the role of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the diagnosis of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia and to provide experience in the early detection and diagnosis of 2019-nCoV pneumonia. METHODS: Seventy-two patients confirmed to be infected with 2019-nCoV from multiple medical centers in western China were retrospectively analyzed, including epidemiologic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and HRCT chest features. RESULTS: All patients had lung parenchymal abnormalities on HRCT scans, which were mostly multifocal in both lungs and asymmetric in all patients, and were mostly in the peripheral or subpleural lung regions in 52 patients (72.22%), in the central lung regions in 16 patients (22.22%), and in both lungs with "white lung" manifestations in 4 patients (5.56%). Subpleural multifocal consolidation was a predominant abnormality in 38 patients (52.78%). Ground-glass opacity was seen in 34 patients (47.22%). Interlobular septal thickening was found in 18 patients, 8 of whom had only generally mild thickening with no zonal predominance. Reticulation was seen in 8 patients (11.11%), and was mild and randomly distributed. In addition, both lungs of 28 patients had 2 or 3 CT imaging features. Out of these 72 patients, 36 were diagnosed as early stage, 32 patients as progressive stage, and 4 patient as severe stage pneumonia. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of HRCT features combined with epidemiological history was not significantly different from the detection of viral nucleic acid (all P >0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The HRCT features of 2019-nCoV pneumonia are characteristic to a certain degree, which when combined with epidemiological history yield high clinical value in the early detection and diagnosis of 2019-nCoV pneumonia.

Mathematical Modeling of Business Reopening when Facing SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Protection, Cost and Risk (preprint)

The sudden onset of the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has resulted in tremendous loss of human life and economy in more than 210 countries and territories around the world. While self-protections such as wearing mask, sheltering in place and quarantine polices and strategies are necessary for containing virus transmission, tens of millions people in the U.S. have lost their jobs due to the shutdown of businesses. Therefore, how to reopen the economy safely while the virus is still circulating in population has become a problem of significant concern and importance to elected leaders and business executives. In this study, mathematical modeling is employed to quantify the profit generation and the infection risk simultaneously from the point of view of a business entity. Specifically, an ordinary differential equation model was developed to characterize disease transmission and infection risk. An algebraic equation is proposed to determine the net profit that a business entity can generate after reopening and take into account the costs associated of several protection/quarantine guidelines. All model parameters were calibrated based on various data and information sources. Sensitivity analyses and case studies were performed to illustrate the use of the model in practice.

High resolution computed tomography for the diagnosis of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia: a study from multiple medical centers in western China (preprint)

Objective: To evaluate the role of high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) in the diagnosis of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pneumonia and to provide experience in the early detection and diagnosis of 2019-nCoV pneumonia. Methods: 72 patients confirmed to be infected with 2019-nCoV from multiple medical centers in western China were retrospectively analyzed, including epidemiologic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings and HRCT chest features. Results: All patients had lung parenchymal abnormalities on HRCT scans, which were mostly multifocal in both lungs and asymmetric in all patients, and were mostly in the peripheral or subpleural lung regions in 52 patients (72.22%), in the central lung regions in sixteen (22.22%), and in both lungs, with "white lung "manifestations in four (5.56%). Subpleural multifocal consolidation was predominant abnormality in 38 patients (52.78%). Ground-glass opacity was seen in 34 patients (47.22%). Interlobular septal thickening was found in 18patients, of which eight had only generally mild thickening with no zonal predominance. Reticulation was seen in 8 patients (11.11%), in all of whom it was mild and randomly distributed. In addition, both lungs of 28 patients had two or three CT imaging features. Out of these 72 patients, 36 were diagnosed as early stage, 32 patients as progressive stage and 4 patient as severe stage pneumonia. Moreover, the diagnostic accuracy of HRCT features combined with epidemiological history was not significantly different from the detection of viral nucleic acid (all P >0.05). Conclusion: The HRCT features of 2019-nCoV pneumonia are characteristic to a certain degree, which when combined with epidemiological history yield high clinical value in the early detection and diagnosis of 2019-nCoV pneumonia.Authors Hong-Wei Li, Li-Hua Zhuo, Gao-Wu Yan contributed equally to this work.