The Current Status of Thrombosis and Anticoagulation Therapy in patients with COVID-19 in Japan: From the CLOT-COVID Study

Background: Data on thrombosis and current real-world management strategies for anticoagulation therapy are important for an optimal management of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Methods: The CLOT-COVID Study (thrombosis and antiCoaguLatiOn Therapy in patients with COVID-19 in Japan Study) was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study enrolling consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19 among 16 centers in Japan from April 2021 to September 2021. Also subanalysis is performed for D-dimer at the admission and influence of sex with adjustment confounders with multivariable logistic regression model. Result(s): Among 2894 patients with COVID-19, 1245 (43%) received pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. The proportion of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis increased according to the severity of the COVID-19 in9.8% with mild COVID-19, 61% with moderate COVID-19, and 97% with severe COVID-19. During the hospitalization, 38 patients (1.3%)and 126 (4.4%) underwent ultrasound examinations for the lower extremities and contrastenhanced computed tomography examinations, respectively, and 55 (1.9%) developed thrombosis, mostly venous thromboembolism(71%). The incidence of thrombosis increased according to the severity of the COVID-19 in 0.2% with mild COVID-19, 1.4%withmoderate COVID-19, and 9.5%with severe COVID-19. Major bleeding occurred in 57 patients (2.0%) and 158 (5.5%) died, and 81% of them were due to respiratory failure from COVID-19 pneumonia. The higher D-dimer levels in the 3rd tertile (>=1.1 mug/mL) in 2,771 patients who had D-dimer levels measured at admission. were independently associated with a higher risk of VTE during hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio 4.83 [95% confidence interval 1.93-12.11;P<0.001];reference=1st tertile).Men had more severe status of the COVID-19 at admission compared with women (Mild: 57% versus 66%, Moderate: 34% versus 29%, and Severe: 9.1% versus 5.7%, P < 0.001). During the hospitalization, men more often developed thrombosis than women (2.5% [95%CI, 1.9-3.3%] versus 0.8% [95%CI, 0.4- 1.6%], P = 0.001). Men had numerically higher incidences of thrombosis than women in all subgroups of the worst severity of COVID-19during the hospitalization (Mild: 0.3% versus 0.0%, Moderate: 1.6% versus 1.0%, and Severe: 11.1% versus 4.3%) Conclusion(s): In the large-scale observational study, pharmacological thromboprophylaxis for hospitalized patients was common especially in patients with severe COVID-19. The overall incidence of thrombosis was substantially low with an increased incidence according to the severity of the COVID-19 in Japan. In contrast to previous studies outside Japan, the risk of thrombosis in Japanese patients with COVID-19 may be relatively low, and racial differences may have to be considered. In subanalysis higher D-dimer levels at admission were associated with a higher risk of VTE events during hospitalization. Men had more severe status of the COVID-19 than women, and the risk of development of thrombosis was higher in men compared with women.

Cost-Aware Dynamic Task Sharing Among Decentralized Autonomous Agents: Towards Dynamic Patient Sharing Among Hospitals

In the COVID-19 pandemic era, hospitals tend to be crowded with patients. Dynamic task sharing is becoming an important research theme and can be applied to patient sharing among hospitals. Unlike in standard task scheduling, the tasks are created dynamically and asynchronously, and each agent (hospital or region) is independent. Hence, we previously designed and compared the decentralized algorithms for dynamic task sharing. However, in these algorithms, the cost of task transfers was not considered. The cost of transferring a patient to a distant hospital is high and cannot be ignored. In this paper, we present new decentralized algorithms for dynamic task sharing that consider the cost of task transfers. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Comparing Decentralized Algorithms for Dynamic Task Sharing among Agents with Limited Resources

Dynamic task sharing among organizations is attracting attention in research as the COVID-19 pandemic continues and many hospitals are filled with patients. Here, the task is, for example, the treatment of patients requiring resources such as beds and medical staffs for certain periods of time. This task must be started before its completion becomes overdue. However, because these tasks are created dynamically, the task-handling cannot be scheduled in advance;in addition, these tasks are handled by multiple independent organizations. Because the distribution of tasks are not uniform across the organizations, some tasks should be transferred to unoccupied organizations. In this study, we present and compare some decentralized algorithms for dynamic task sharing among organizations with limited resources. We aim to minimize the number of unstarted tasks within the time limit. © 2021 ACM.

Association between Decreased Social Participation and Depressive Symptom Onset among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed restrictions on people's social behavior. However, there is limited evidence regarding the relationship between changes in social participation and depressive symptom onset among older adults during the pandemic. We examined the association between changes in social participation and the onset of depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: This was a longitudinal study. SETTING: Communities in Minokamo City, a semi-urban area in Japan. PARTICIPANTS: We recruited community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 65 years using random sampling. Participants completed a questionnaire survey at baseline (March 2020) and follow-up (October 2020). MEASUREMENTS: Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Two-Question Screen. Based on their social participation status in March and October 2020, participants were classified into four groups: "continued participation," "decreased participation," "increased participation," and "consistent non-participation." RESULTS: A total of 597 older adults without depressive symptoms at baseline were analyzed (mean age = 79.8 years; 50.4% females). Depressive symptoms occurred in 20.1% of the participants during the observation period. Multivariable Poisson regression analysis showed that decreased social participation was significantly associated with the onset of the depressive symptoms, compared to continued participation, after adjusting for all covariates (incidence rate ratio = 1.59, 95% confidence interval = 1.01-2.50, p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Older adults with decreased social participation during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated a high risk of developing depressive symptoms. We recommend that resuming community activities and promoting the participation of older adults, with sufficient consideration for infection prevention, are needed to maintain mental health among older adults.

Agriculture, biology, and environment: Twenty first century challenges and opportunities

The 6th International Conference on Agricultural and Biological Sciences (ABS 2020), was planned to be held in the People's Republic of China. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ABS 2020, “Agricultural and Biological Sciences: Plant, Soil, Animal, and Environment”, was the first online conference in Agricultural and Biological Sciences history. Each paper addressed a slightly different topic and provided identifiable challenges and research key questions in agriculture, agronomy, food production and security, and environmental hazards. The role of Agricultural and Biological Sciences of China is the generation of research knowledge that influence everyday activities. There were 41 manuscripts submitted, of which 25 were accepted for publication. The research domains varied and included the role of specific plant on soil C-cycling, haploid induction, and natural doubling of Zea mays L.;plant species and soil rhizosphere microflora;forest tree biomass succession and dynamics relevant to C-sequestration;making sandy land agriculture friendly;plantation age on C, N, and P stoichiometry;codon uses pattern of Gnetum luofuoense C.Y. Cheng using transcriptome data;suitability of plant landscape unit and natural parks;regeneration protocol of Jatropha curcas L., etc. The purpose of this special section is to generate an improved communication among international scientists that we hope will lead to enhanced food security. © 2021 The Authors. Agronomy Journal © 2021 American Society of Agronomy