Association between viral hepatitis and increased risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: The purpose of the current study is to analyze the potential association between viral hepatitis and the severity of COVID-19. Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a worldwide concern that has created major issues with many aspects. It is important to identify the risk factors for severe outcomes of this disease. To date, no association between viral hepatitis and severe COVID-19 has not been established. Methods: Through November 5th, 2020, the databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, and medRxiv were systematically searched using specific keywords related to the focus of the study. All articles published on COVID-19 and viral hepatitis were retrieved. The Mantel-Haenszel formula with random-effects models was used to obtain the risk ratio (RR) along with its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for dichotomous variables. The two-tailed p-value was set with a value ≤0.05 considered statistically significant. Restricted-maximum likelihood meta-regression was done for several variables, such as age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, and other liver disease. Results: Analysis results included a total of 16 studies with a total of 14,682 patients. Meta-analysis showed that viral hepatitis increases the risk of developing severe COVID-19 (RR 1.68 (95% CI 1.26 - 2.22), p = 0.0003, I 2 = 21%, random-effect modeling). According to the meta-regression analysis, the association between viral hepatitis and severe COVID-19 was not influenced by age (p = 0.067), diabetes (p = 0.057), or other liver disease (p = 0.646). Conclusion: An increase of severe COVID-19 risk is associated with viral hepatitis. To reduce the risk of COVID-19, patients with viral hepatitis should be monitored carefully.

Adolescents' mental health status and influential factors amid the Coronavirus Disease pandemic.

Background The preventive measure of Coronavirus Disease pandemic, such as nationwide lockdown, might lead to stress, depression, and anxiety, prominently in adolescents. Many factors were indicated to influence its severity. This study aimed to investigate the magnitude of COVID-19-related mental health problems in adolescents and the associated factors. Methods This cross-sectional study gathered 2018 adolescents throughout Indonesia from April 22nd-28th 2020. The questionnaire was spread through social media and included Kessler-10 Psychological Distress scale and closed-ended questions about the risk and protective factors. The results were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Logistic Regression. Results The participants were mostly males (91.8%) with a median age of 19. The results showed 54.1% experienced varying degrees of distress. All variables were significantly related with psychological distress during Mann-Whitney-U and Kruskal-Wallis test. The logistic regression analysis showed maintaining or improving dietary pattern and sleep quality was found to be protective against psychological distress (OR = 0.497,95%CI = 0.34-0.725 and OR = 0.515,95%CI = 0.372-0.714, respectively), while others were risk factors, i.e.: Not having a confidant (OR = 1.539,95%CI = 1.226-1.931), frequent argument with parents (OR = 1.735,95%CI = 1.343-2.24), feeling worried (OR = 2.364, 95%CI1.528-3.656), chronic diseases (OR = 2.601,95%CI = 1.468-4.606), and mental illnesses (OR = 9.866,95%CI = 3.855-25.249). Conclusion More than half of adolescents experienced distress. The findings called for initiatives by experts in providing psychosocial support for adolescents.

The role of COVID-19 survivor status and gender towards neutralizing antibody titers 1, 2, 3 months after Sinovac vaccine administration on clinical-year medical students in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Sinovac was the first vaccine used in Indonesia against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, data regarding the effects of certain variables such as clinical demographics on antibody levels in individuals vaccinated with Sinovac are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the impact of gender and previous SARS-CoV-2 infection status on neutralizing antibody titers 1, 2, and 3 months after administration of the Sinovac vaccine. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to May 2021. Data on neutralizing antibody levels, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection status, and gender were retrieved from the monthly quantitative serology evaluation database of Siloam Hospitals Lippo Village, Tangerang, Indonesia. The role of each variable was analyzed using the t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, depending on data distribution. RESULT: Data from 350 participants were collected for the study. Participants with a history of a positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test had significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers in the first (144 U/mL, p = 0.036) and second months (144 U/mL, p = 0.005) after vaccination compared with those without a history of positive RT-PCR test. Female participants also had significantly higher neutralizing antibody titers in the first, second, and third months (43 U/mL, 42 U/mL, and 39 U/mL, respectively; p = 0.001, p = 0.002, and p = 0.003, respectively) after vaccination compared to males. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 survivor status and the female gender were associated with higher neutralizing antibody titers after Sinovac vaccine administration.

Colchicine treatment can improve outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Currently, there is no widely acceptable and proven effective treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Colchicine has been shown to offer a benefit in reducing the inflammation in several inflammatory diseases. This study aims to analyze the efficacy of colchicine administration and outcomes of COVID-19. We systematically searched the PubMed and Europe PMC database using specific keywords related to our aims until January 29, 2021. All articles published on COVID-19 and colchicine treatment were retrieved. The quality of the study was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) tool for observational studies and Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) for clinical trial studies. Statistical analysis was done using Review Manager 5.4 software. A total of eight studies with 5778 COVID-19 patients were included in this meta-analysis. This meta-analysis showed that the administration of colchicine was associated with improvement of outcomes of COVID-19 [OR 0.43 (95% CI 0.34-0.55), p < 0.00001, I2  = 0%, fixed-effect modelling] and its subgroup which comprised of reduction from severe COVID-19 [OR 0.44 (95% CI 0.31-0.63), p < 0.00001, I2  = 0%, fixed-effect modelling] and reduction of mortality rate from COVID-19 [OR 0.43 (95% CI 0.32-0.58), p < 0.00001, I2  = 0%, fixed-effect modelling]. Our study suggests the routine use of colchicine for treatment modalities of COVID-19 patients. More randomized clinical trial studies are still needed to confirm the results from this study.

Understanding of Young People About COVID-19 During Early Outbreak in Indonesia.

To control the spread of COVID-19 transmission, Indonesia government has broadcasted information about the pandemic. The aim of this study is to evaluate the understanding of young people, about COVID-19 during the early outbreak in Indonesia. An online-based cross-sectional data collection was conducted from adolescents aged 10 to 25 years, based on 10 questions regarding general COVID-19 information. There were 355 subjects from 25 out of 34 Indonesian provinces who participated in the study, with mean age of 19.93 ± 2.91 years. Better understanding was found in the female and higher-income population. Largely, the subjects got the information from social media, instead of the official government site for COVID-19. Lack of understanding about crucial preventive measures was found, such as handwashing and physical distancing. In conclusion, the participants have an overall moderate-good initial understanding toward COVID-19 during the early outbreak in Indonesia. These results can be used as baseline data for development of awareness measurement tools.