Your browser doesn't support javascript.
Show: 20 | 50 | 100
Results 1 - 20 de 44
Filter
1.
Lancet Public Health ; 2023 Mar 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2287674
2.
Antibiotics (Basel) ; 12(3)2023 Feb 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2287606

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and resistance changes of carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs) under the COVID-19 outbreak to provide evidence for precise prevention and control measures against hospital-acquired infections during the pandemic. METHODS: The distribution characteristics of CROs (i.e., carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii) were analyzed by collecting the results of the antibiotic susceptibility tests of diagnostic isolates from all patients. Using interrupted time series analysis, we applied Poisson and linear segmented regression models to evaluate the effects of COVID-19 on the numbers and drug resistance of CROs. We also conducted a stratified analysis using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test. RESULTS: The resistance rate of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) was 38.73% higher after the COVID-19 outbreak compared with before (p < 0.05). In addition, the long-term effect indicated that the prevalence of CRAB had a decreasing trend (p < 0.05). However, the overall resistance rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae did not significantly change after the COVID-19 outbreak. Stratified analysis revealed that the carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) rate increased in females (OR = 1.98, p < 0.05), those over 65 years old (OR = 1.49, p < 0.05), those with sputum samples (OR = 1.40, p < 0.05), and those in the neurology group (OR = 2.14, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the change in nosocomial infections and resistance rates in CROs, highlighting the need for hospitals to closely monitor CROs, especially in high-risk populations and clinical departments. It is possible that lower adherence to infection control in crowded wards and staffing shortages may have contributed to this trend during the COVID-19 pandemic, which warrants further research.

3.
Vaccine ; 41(17): 2846-2852, 2023 04 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2263360

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Vaccination plays an imperative role in protecting public health and preventing avoidable mortality. Yet, the reasons for vaccine hesitancy in African countries are not well understood. This study investigates the factors associated with the acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine in Mozambique, with a focus on the role of institutional trust. METHODS: The data came from the three waves of the COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) survey which followed a cohort of 1,371 adults in Mozambique over six months (N = 3809). We examined vaccine acceptance based on three measurements: willingness to take vaccine, perceived vaccine efficacy, and perceived vaccine safety. We conducted multilevel regression analysis to investigate the trajectories of, and the association between institutional trust and vaccine acceptance. RESULTS: One third of the survey participants (37%) would definitely take the vaccine. Meanwhile, 31% believed the vaccine would prevent the COVID-19 infection, and 27% believed the vaccine would be safe. There was a significant decrease in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance between waves 1 and 3 of the survey. Institutional trust was consistently and strongly correlated with different measures of vaccine acceptance. There was a greater decline in vaccine acceptance in people with lower institutional trust. The positive correlation between institutional trust and vaccine acceptance was stronger in younger than older adults. Vaccine acceptance also varied by gender and marital status. CONCLUSIONS: Vaccine acceptance can be volatile even over short periods of time. Institutional trust is a central driver of vaccine acceptance and contributes to the resilience of the health system. Our study highlights the importance of health communication and building a trustful relationship between the general public and the institutions in the context of a global pandemic.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Humans , Aged , Mozambique , Trust , COVID-19/prevention & control , Africa , Vaccination
4.
J Intensive Med ; 2(2): 92-102, 2022 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2253495

ABSTRACT

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic. Invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is essential for the management of COVID-19 with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We aimed to assess the impact of compliance with a respiratory decision support system on the outcomes of patients with COVID-19-associated ARDS who required IMV. Methods: In this retrospective, single-center, case series study, patients with COVID-19-associated ARDS who required IMV at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, China, from January 8th, 2020, to March 24th, 2020, with the final follow-up date of April 20th, 2020, were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, imaging, and management information were collected and analyzed. Compliance with the respiratory support decision system was documented, and its relationship with 28-day mortality was evaluated. Results: The study included 46 COVID-19-associated ARDS patients who required IMV. The median age of the 46 patients was 68.5 years, and 31 were men. The partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio at intensive care unit (ICU) admission was 104 mmHg. The median total length of IMV was 12.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6.0-27.3) days, and the median respiratory support decision score was 11.0 (IQR: 7.8-16.0). To 28 days after ICU admission, 18 (39.1%) patients died. Survivors had a significantly higher respiratory support decision score than non-survivors (15.0 [10.3-17.0] vs. 8.5 (6.0-10.3), P = 0.001). Using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to assess the discrimination of respiratory support decision score to 28-day mortality, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.796 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.657-0.934, P = 0.001) and the cut-off was 11.5 (sensitivity = 0.679, specificity = 0.889). Patients with a higher score (>11.5) were more likely to survive at 28 days after ICU admission (log-rank test, P < 0.001). Conclusions: For severe COVID-19-associated ARDS with IMV, following the respiratory support decision and assessing completion would improve the progress of ventilation. With a decision score of >11.5, the mortality at 28 days after ICU admission showed an obvious decrease.

6.
Asian J Psychiatr ; 80: 103331, 2022 Nov 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2231082
7.
J Am Coll Health ; : 1-8, 2023 Jan 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2166052

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study is an exploration of the major stressors associated with the COVID-19 for students in higher education in Taiwan. Participants: The sample comprised 838 higher education students studying at various Taiwanese universities. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered at different postsecondary institutions during the semi-lockdown period of COVID-19, which mandated online instruction. Machine learning was employed to determine the variables that most highly predicted students' mental health using R. Results: The findings revealed that COVID-19-related experiences, including social interactions, financial conditions, and educational experiences, were significantly associated with mental health outcomes. Particularly, loneliness are significantly related to social interactions and educational experiences. Conclusions: Findings revealed that Covid-19 impacted Taiwanese students' financial conditions, educational experiences, and social interactions, which were significant predictors of their mental health outcomes such as anxiety, loneliness and depression. The current study contributes to the gap in knowledge about mental health issues among postsecondary students during the pandemic.

8.
Front Cell Infect Microbiol ; 12: 1010683, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2121151

ABSTRACT

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had an unprecedented impact worldwide, and it is of great significance to predict the prognosis of patients for guiding clinical management. This study aimed to construct a nomogram to predict the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. Clinical records and laboratory results were retrospectively reviewed for 331 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from Huangshi Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (Infectious Disease Hospital) and Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. All COVID-19 patients were followed up for 80 days, and the primary outcome was defined as patient death. Cases were randomly divided into training (n=199) and validation (n=132) groups. Based on baseline data, we used statistically significant prognostic factors to construct a nomogram and assessed its performance. The patients were divided into Death (n=23) and Survival (n=308) groups. Analysis of clinical characteristics showed that these patients presented with fever (n=271, 81.9%), diarrhea (n=20, 6.0%) and had comorbidities (n=89, 26.9.0%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, UREA and LDH were independent risk factors for predicting 80-day survival of COVID-19 patients. We constructed a qualitative nomogram with high C-indexes (0.933 and 0.894 in the training and validation groups, respectively). The calibration curve for 80-day survival showed optimal agreement between the predicted and actual outcomes. Decision curve analysis revealed the high clinical net benefit of the nomogram. Overall, our nomogram could effectively predict the 80-day survival of COVID-19 patients and hence assist in providing optimal treatment and decreasing mortality rates.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , COVID-19/diagnosis , Multivariate Analysis , Nomograms , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies
9.
Pediatr Investig ; 6(3): 231-232, 2022 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2047888
11.
Diagnostics (Basel) ; 12(8)2022 Aug 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2023267

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the common pathogens of viral encephalitis (VE) in children, and to provide guidance for the empirical diagnosis and treatment of patients with VE. METHODS: A total of 227 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from pediatric patients with VE in Zhejiang province from January 2018 to December 2019. The samples were tested using multiplex and singleplex Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) with primers specific to enterovirus (EV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), mumps virus (MuV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)/type 2 (HSV-2), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6). The data of the two analyses were compared and then verified using Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Of the 227 CSF samples, 90 were shown to be positive for multiplex RT-PCR with a positivity rate of 39.65% and a 95% confidence interval (33.2%, 46.1%). EV was the most common cause of VE, followed by EBV, HHV-6, MuV, CMV, VZV, and HSV-1. Most included cases occurred in summer, accounting for 49.78% of all cases. For EV, EBV, and HSV-2, multiplex RT-PCR showed a positivity rate of 34.36%, which was not statistically different from that of 30.4% shown by singleplex RT-PCR. The sequences of EV, EBV, VZV, MuV, CMV, HSV-1, HHV-6, and HSV-2 were confirmed by sequencing the PCR products obtained from multiplex and singleplex PCR. CONCLUSIONS: In children, VE is more prevalent in the summer than in other seasons in Zhejiang province, and EV may be the most common causative pathogen.

12.
Vaccine ; 40(39): 5701-5708, 2022 09 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1996613

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To mitigate a national shortage of WIBP-CorV COVID-19 vaccine, China's regulator approved administering BBIBP-CorV after WIBP-CorV for completion of a primary series. In a pragmatic observational study, we compared immunogenicity and safety of a primary series of WIBP-CorV followed by BBIBP-CorV with a primary series of two doses of BBIBP-CorV. METHODS: We invited healthy 18-59-years-old adults who had already received either WIBP-CorV or BBIBP-CorV as their first dose in a primary series to participate in this observational cohort study. Subjects who had received WIBP-CorV as their first dose became the observation group; subjects who had received BBIBP-CorV as their first dose became the control group. All participants received BBIBP-CorV as their second dose. We obtained sera 1, 2, and 6 months after second doses for nAb titer measurement by micro-neutralization cytopathic effect assay with SARS-CoV-2 strain HB01, standardized with WHO International Standard for anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin. Safety was assessed for the 7 days after administration of second doses. RESULTS: Between March and December 2021, 275 subjects were included in the observation group and 133 in the control group. Neutralizing seropositivity (≥1:4) rates were 98.91 % and 99.25 % at 1 month and 53.16 % and 70.69 % at 6 months. One-month geometric mean titers (GMTs) were 21.33 and 22.45; one-month geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) were 227.71 IU/mL and 273.27 IU/mL. One to two months after vaccination, observation group seropositivity rates and titers were not significantly different to the control group's. Adverse reaction rates were 11.27 % and 18.80 %, all mild or moderate in severity. CONCLUSIONS: Both primary series were immunogenic; immunogenicity of WIBP-CorV followed by BBIBP-CorV was not different than immunogenicity following two doses of BBIBP-CorV for two months after vaccination; safety profiles were acceptable for both regimens. BBIBP-CorV can be used to complete a primary series that started with WIBP-CorV.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Adolescent , Adult , Antibodies, Viral , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Cohort Studies , Humans , Immunogenicity, Vaccine , Middle Aged , SARS-CoV-2 , Vaccination , Vaccines, Inactivated/adverse effects , Young Adult
13.
Alzheimers Dement (N Y) ; 8(1): e12236, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1819398

ABSTRACT

Introduction: COVID-19 has impacted people with dementia and their family carers, yet little is known about effects on overall quality of life. Methods: In a UK cohort study, pre- and post-pandemic data were collected from 114 carers and 93 recently diagnosed people with dementia. Latent growth curve modeling examined change in quality of life. Results: Carers reported significant decline in quality of life, although no change was demonstrated by people with dementia. In multivariable analyses, higher levels of cognitive impairment, deprivation, study site, and lower number of memory clinic contacts were associated with greater decline in carer quality of life. Discussion: Maintaining life quality for people with dementia during the pandemic appears to have come at the expense of their family carers. This inequity has fallen hardest on those caring for people with more severe dementia, in deprived areas, and with least support from memory services. These effects may be prevented or reversed by post-diagnostic care.

14.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract ; 10(3): 742-750.e14, 2022 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1729872

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In addition to their proinflammatory effect, eosinophils have antiviral properties. Similarly, inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) were found to suppress coronavirus replication in vitro and were associated with improved outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the interplay between the two and its effect on COVID-19 needs further evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To determine the associations among preexisting blood absolute eosinophil counts, ICS, and COVID-19-related outcomes. METHODS: We analyzed data from the Cleveland Clinic COVID-19 Research Registry (April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021). Of the 82,096 individuals who tested positive, 46,397 had blood differential cell counts obtained before severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 testing dates. Our end points included the need for hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), and in-hospital mortality. The effect of eosinophilia on outcomes was estimated after propensity weighting and adjustment. RESULTS: Of the 46,397 patients included in the final analyses, 19,506 had preexisting eosinophilia (>0.15 × 103 cells/µL), 5,011 received ICS, 9,096 (19.6%) were hospitalized, 2,129 required ICU admission (4.6%) and 1,402 died during index hospitalization (3.0%). Adjusted analysis associated eosinophilia with lower odds for hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 0.86 [0.79-0.93]), ICU admission (OR [95% CI]: 0.79 [0.69-0.90]), and mortality (OR [95% CI]: 0.80 [0.68-0.95]) among ICS-treated patients but not untreated ones. The correlation between absolute eosinophil count and the estimated probability of hospitalization, ICU admission, and death was nonlinear (U-shaped) among patients not treated with ICS, and negative in treated patients. CONCLUSIONS: The association between eosinophilia and improved COVID-19 outcomes depends on ICS. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to determine the role of ICS and its interaction with eosinophilia in COVID-19 therapy.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Eosinophilia , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive , Adrenal Cortex Hormones , COVID-19 Testing , Eosinophilia/chemically induced , Eosinophilia/drug therapy , Eosinophilia/epidemiology , Humans , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/complications , SARS-CoV-2
15.
Ann Palliat Med ; 11(2): 544-550, 2022 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1727123

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Under the current epidemic of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), there is a need to distinguish the differences between the laboratory examinations of COVID-19-infected patients, tumor patients with fever, and those with normal fever patients. We aimed to investigate the temperature of tumor patients with different tumor burdens, stages, and cancer types. METHODS: We recruited 3 groups of patients to this study: fever patients with malignant tumors, ordinary fever patients, and confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 31, 55, and 28 cases in each group, respectively. RESULTS: The levels of leukocytes and neutrophils were the highest among non-tumor patients, and the count of COVID-19 was the lowest, with a P value of 0.000. Among the leukocytosis group, non-tumor patients had the highest proportion (43.6%), while that of COVID-19 was only 3.6% (P=0.000). Similarly, there were significant differences in the grading of neutrophils, where most of the infected patients were in the normal group and the P value was 0.000. The lymphocyte count of the tumor group was significantly reduced, with an average of (0.97±0.66) ×109/L (P=0.004). In the lymphocyte grades, most of the infected patients were the normal group (71.4%), while tumor patients in the lymphocytopenia group accounted for 63.1% (P=0.006). There were also significant differences in the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (P=0.006). There was a significant difference in temperature between different tumor burden groups (P=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: The normal fever group had the highest count of leukocyte and neutrophils, whereas the infected group had the lowest relative count. The NLR was the lowest in the infected group. The NLR was higher in the bigger tumor load group.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Neoplasms , Humans , Lymphocytes , Neoplasms/complications , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , SARS-CoV-2
16.
J Affect Disord ; 304: 12-19, 2022 05 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1683225

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Trauma experience increases the risk of suicidal ideation, but little is known about potentially psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship. This study aims to examine the relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related traumatic event (CTE) exposure and suicidal ideation among hospital workers, and identify mediating roles of sleep disturbances in this relationship. METHODS: Workers in seven designated hospitals in Wuhan, China, were invited to participate in an online survey from May 27, 2020, to July 31, 2020. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire to evaluate demographic characteristics, level of CTE exposures, nightmare frequency, insomnia severity, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and suicidal ideation. A series of correlation analyses were performed, and a mediation model was generated to examine correlations between CTE exposure, sleep disturbances, and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: A total of 16,220 hospital workers were included in the final analysis, 13.3% of them reported suicidal ideation in the past month. CTE exposure was significantly associated with insomnia severity, nightmare frequency, and suicidal ideation. After controlling potential confounders, nightmares but not insomnia, depression, or anxiety were shown to be independent risk factors for suicidal ideation. Pathway analyses showed that the relationship between CTE exposure and suicidal ideation was fully mediated by nightmares (proportion mediated 66.4%) after adjusting for demographic characteristics and psychological confounders. LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional design precluded the investigation of causal relationships. CONCLUSIONS: CTE exposure increases risk of hospital workers' suicidal ideation that is mediated by nightmares, suggesting nightmares intervention might be considered as a component when developing suicide prevention strategies.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders , Cross-Sectional Studies , Dreams/psychology , Humans , Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/epidemiology , Suicidal Ideation
17.
JAMA Netw Open ; 4(11): e2131455, 2021 11 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1520138

ABSTRACT

Importance: This randomized clinical trial examines the feasibility and acceptability of a decision-making tool for increasing patient interest in individualized recommendations for preventive care services. Objective: To pilot a tool to help patients compare life expectancy gains from evidence-based preventive services. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial examined patient and physician responses to a pilot decision tool incorporating personalized risk factors at 3 US primary care clinics between 2017 and 2020. Eligible patients were between ages 45 to 70 years with 2 or more high-risk factors. Patients were followed-up after 1 year. Interventions: The gain in life expectancy associated with guideline adherence to each recommended preventive service was estimated. Personalized estimates incorporating risk factors in electronic health records were displayed in a physician-distributed visual aid. During development, physicians discussed individualized results with patients using shared decision-making (SDM). During the trial, patients were randomized to receive individualized recommendations or usual care (nonmasked, parallel, 1:1 ratio). Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was patient interest in individualized recommendations, assessed by survey. Secondary outcomes were use of SDM, decisional comfort, readiness to change, and preventive services received within 1 year. Results: The study enrolled 104 patients (31 development, 39 intervention, 34 control), of whom 101 were included in analysis (mean [SD] age, 56.5 [5.3] years; 73 [72.3%] women; 80 [79.2%] Black patients) and 20 physicians. Intervention patients found the tool helpful and wanted to use it again, rating it a median 9 of 10 (IQR, 8-10) and 10 of 10 (8-10), respectively. Compared with the control group, intervention patients more often correctly identified the service least likely (18 [46%] vs 0; P = .03) to improve their life expectancy. A greater number of patients also identified the service most likely to improve their life expectancy (26 [69%] vs 10 [30%]; P = .07), although this result was not statistically significant. Intervention patients reported greater mean [SD] improvement in SDM (4.7 [6.9] points) and near-term readiness to change (13.8 points for top-3-ranked recommendations). Point estimates indicated that patients in the intervention group experienced greater, although non-statistically significant, reductions in percentage of body weight (-2.96%; 95% CI, -8.18% to 2.28%), systolic blood pressure (-6.42 mm Hg; 95% CI, -16.12 to 3.27 mm Hg), hemoglobin A1c (-0.68%; 95% CI, -1.82% to 0.45%), 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score (-1.20%; 95% CI, -3.65% to 1.26%), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-8.46 mg/dL; 95% CI, -26.63 to 9.70 mg/dL) than the control group. Nineteen of 20 physicians wanted to continue using the decision tool in the future. Conclusions and Relevance: In this clinical trial, an individualized preventive care decision support tool improved patient understanding of primary prevention and demonstrated promise for improved shared decision-making and preventive care utilization. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03023813.


Subject(s)
Decision Making , Decision Support Techniques , Physician-Patient Relations , Preventive Medicine/methods , Aged , Attitude of Health Personnel , Evidence-Based Medicine , Female , Guideline Adherence , Humans , Life Expectancy , Male , Middle Aged , Physicians/psychology , Pilot Projects
18.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract ; 9(11): 3934-3940.e9, 2021 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1504841

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sites of entry for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are highly expressed in nasal epithelial cells; however, little is known about the impact of intranasal corticosteroids (INCS) on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between baseline INCS use and COVID-19-related outcomes. METHODS: Using the Cleveland Clinic COVID-19 Research Registry, we performed a propensity score matching for treatment with INCS before SARS-CoV-2 infection (April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021). Of the 82,096 individuals who tested positive, 72,147 met inclusion criteria. Our endpoints included the need for hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), or in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: Of the 12,608 (17.5%) who were hospitalized, 2935 (4.1%) required ICU admission and 1880 (2.6%) died during hospitalization. A significant proportion (n = 10,187; 14.1%) were using INCS before SARS-CoV-2 infection. Compared with nonusers, INCS users demonstrated lower risk for hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 0.78 [0.72; 0.85]), ICU admission (adjusted OR [95% CI]: 0.77 [0.65; 0.92]), and in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR [95% CI]: 0.76 [0.61; 0.94]). These findings were replicated in sensitivity analyses where patients on inhaled corticosteroids and those with allergic rhinitis were excluded. The beneficial effect of INCS was significant after adjustment for baseline blood eosinophil count (measured before SARS-CoV-2 testing) in a subset of 30,289 individuals. CONCLUSION: INCS therapy is associated with a lower risk for COVID-19-related hospitalization, ICU admission, or death. Future randomized control trials are needed to determine if INCS reduces the risk for severe outcomes related to COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use , COVID-19 Testing , Humans , Intensive Care Units , SARS-CoV-2
19.
Remote Sensing ; 13(18):3664, 2021.
Article in English | MDPI | ID: covidwho-1410789

ABSTRACT

Air pollutant transport plays an important role in local air quality, but field observations of transport fluxes, especially their vertical distributions, are very limited. We characterized the vertical structures of transport fluxes in central Luoyang, Fen-Wei Plain, China, in winter based on observations of vertical air pollutant and wind profiles using multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) and Doppler wind lidar, respectively. The northwest and the northeast are the two privileged wind directions. The wind direction and total transport scenarios were dominantly the northwest during clear days, turning to the northeast during the polluted days. Increased transport flux intensities of aerosol were found at altitudes below 400 m on heavily polluted days from the northeast to the southwest over the city. Considering pollution dependence on wind directions and speeds, surface-dominated northeast transport may contribute to local haze events. Northwest winds transporting clean air masses were dominant during clean periods and flux profiles characterized by high altitudes between 200 and 600 m in Luoyang. During the COVID-19 lockdown period in late January and February, clear reductions in transport flux were found for NO2 from the northeast and for HCHO from the northwest, while the corresponding main transport altitude remained unchanged. Our findings provide better understandings of regional transport characteristics, especially at different altitudes.

20.
Chinese Journal of Virology ; 36(4):692-693, 2020.
Article in Chinese | CAB Abstracts | ID: covidwho-1407612

ABSTRACT

In December 2019, an outbreak of a respiratory illness took place in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, and spread throughout China and other countries. A beta genus coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 was isolated and identified as a cause of the outbreak. Currently, the main infectious sources(host)of SARS-CoV-2 have not been identified. It has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 was possibly originated from wild animals, for example, bats. However, there are no reports on the traceability of SARS-CoV-2 to fur animals, such as minks, foxes and raccoon dogs, which are widely farmed in Northern China. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in fur animals. In this study, we detected SARS-CoV-2 in 625 tissue specimens collected from farmed minks, foxes and raccoon dogs of unknown death cases in 14 regions of China from 2016 to 2019 and 150 fecal samples collected from farmed minks, foxes and raccoon dogs in Jilin Province, China from August to December in 2019 using the Real-time RT-PCR method recommended by WHO. The results showed that SARS-CoV-2 was not detected in all the 775 samples.

SELECTION OF CITATIONS
SEARCH DETAIL