The impact of impulsivity and school attendance on COVID-19 spread: A web-based cross-sectional questionnaire.

Some personal and social decisions can be influential in the spread of COVID-19. There are no studies examining school attendance, impulsivity, COVID-19 phobia, and psychological resilience together while the effect of some individual and social measures on COVID-19 has been frequently investigated. In this study 360 participants were evaluated through an online questionnaire method during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sociodemographic data form prepared by the researchers, COVID-19 Phobia Scale, Barratt Impulsivity Scale, and Brief Resilience Scale were used in the study. In all, 20.6% (n = 74) of participants had previously experienced COVID-19. The rate of individuals who experienced the death of any of their relatives due to COVID-19 was 17.8%. Only 65.8% of respondents fully complied with government-implemented measures for the outbreak. School attendance (OR = 1.983, p = .033) and impulsivity (OR = 1.115, p < .001) were found to be positively correlated with COVID-19. The presence of a significantly higher psychiatric disease admission history in patients with COVID-19 in binary comparisons did not reach the level of significance in regression analysis. Our results suggest that high school attendance and impulsivity scores are positively correlated with COVID-19 in young people. Government strategies related to schools need to be carefully reviewed for this reason.

Pilot study for immunoglobulin E as a prognostic biomarker in coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: Laboratory biomarkers to estimate the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are crucial during the pandemic since resource allocation must be carefully planned. AIMS: To evaluate the effects of basal serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels and changes in inflammatory parameters on the clinical progression of patients hospitalised with COVID-19. METHODS: Patients hospitalised with confirmed COVID-19 were included in the study. Laboratory data and total IgE levels were measured on admission. Lymphocyte, eosinophil, ferritin, d-dimer and C-reactive protein parameters were recorded at baseline and on the 3rd and 14th days of hospitalisation. RESULTS: The study enrolled 202 patients, of which 102 (50.5%) were males. The average age was 50.17 ± 19.68 years. Of the COVID-19 patients, 41 (20.3%) showed clinical progression. Serum total IgE concentrations were markedly higher (172.90 (0-2124) vs 38.70 (0-912); P < 0.001) and serum eosinophil levels were significantly lower (0.015 (0-1.200) vs 0.040 (0-1.360); P = 0.002) in clinically worsened COVID-19 patients when compared with stable patients. The optimal cut-off for predicting clinical worsening was 105.2 ng/L, with 61% sensitivity, 82% specificity, 46.3% positive predictive value and 89.2% negative predictive value (area under the curve = 0.729). Multivariable analysis to define risk factors for disease progression identified higher total IgE and C-reactive protein levels as independent predictors. CONCLUSIONS: Our single-centre pilot study determined that total IgE levels may be a negative prognostic factor for clinical progression in patients hospitalised due to COVID-19 infection. Future studies are required to determine the impact of individuals' underlying immune predispositions on outcomes of COVID-19 infections.

Tocilizumab treatment in COVID-19: A prognostic study using propensity score matching.

BACKGROUND: The potential role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia provides the rationale for investigating IL-6 signaling inhibitors. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate and report treatment responses to tocilizumab (TCZ) in COVID-19 patients and compare mortality outcomes with those of standard care. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients hospitalized with a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, diagnosed with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) between March 2020 and April 2021, were enrolled in this single-center retrospective cohort study. Propensity score matching was performed in order to reduce confounding effects secondary to imbalances in receiving TCZ treatment. RESULTS: A total of 364 patients were included in this study. Two hundred thirty-six patients received standard care, while 128 patients were treated with TCZ in addition to standard care (26 (20.3%) patients received a dose of 400 mg intravenously once, while 102 (79.7%) patients received a total dose of 800 mg intravenously). In the propensity score-matched population, less noninvasive mechanical ventilation (p = 0.041) and mechanical ventilation support (p = 0.015), and fewer deaths (p = 0.008) were observed among the TCZ-treated patients. The multivariate adjusted Cox regression model showed a significantly higher survival rate among TCZ patients compared to controls (hazard ratio (HR): 0.157, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.026-0.951; p = 0.044). The hazard ratio for mortality in the TCZ group was 0.098 (95% CI: 0.030-0.318; p = 0.0001 using log-rank test). CONCLUSIONS: This study determined that TCZ treatment in COVID-19 patients was associated with better survival, reduced need for mechanical ventilation and reduced hospital-associated mortality.

Prognostic factors for COVID-19 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Determining prognostic factors in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) can have great impact on treatment planning and follow-up strategies. Herein, we aimed to evaluate prognostic factors and clinical scores for confirmed COVID-19 patients in a tertiary-care hospital in the Bursa region of Turkey. METHODOLOGY: Patients who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 microbiologically and/or radiologically between March and October 2020 in a tertiary-care university hospital were enrolled retrospectively. Adult patients (≥ 18 years) with a clinical spectrum of moderate, severe, or critical illness were included. The dependent variable was 30-day mortality and logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate any variables with a significant p value (< 0.05) in univariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 257 patients were included in the study. The mortality rate (30-day) was 14.4%. In logistic regression analysis, higher scores on sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) (p < 0.001, odds ratio (OR) = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.42-2.45) and CURB-65 pneumonia severity criteria (p = 0.001, OR = 2.60, 95% CI = 1.47-4.57) were found to be significant in predicting mortality at admission. In deceased patients, there were also significant differences between the baseline, day-3, day-7, and day-14 results of D-dimer (p = 0.01), ferritin (p = 0.042), leukocyte (p = 0.019), and neutrophil (p = 0.007) counts. CONCLUSIONS: In our study of COVID-19 patients, we found that high SOFA and CURB-65 scores on admission were associated with increased mortality. In addition, D-dimer, ferritin, leukocyte and neutrophil counts significantly increased after admission in patients who died.

The impact of impulsivity and school attendance on COVID‐19 spread: A web‐based cross‐sectional questionnaire

Some personal and social decisions can be influential in the spread of COVID‐19. There are no studies examining school attendance, impulsivity, COVID‐19 phobia, and psychological resilience together while the effect of some individual and social measures on COVID‐19 has been frequently investigated. In this study 360 participants were evaluated through an online questionnaire method during the peak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Sociodemographic data form prepared by the researchers, COVID‐19 Phobia Scale, Barratt Impulsivity Scale, and Brief Resilience Scale were used in the study. In all, 20.6% (n = 74) of participants had previously experienced COVID‐19. The rate of individuals who experienced the death of any of their relatives due to COVID‐19 was 17.8%. Only 65.8% of respondents fully complied with government‐implemented measures for the outbreak. School attendance (OR = 1.983, p = .033) and impulsivity (OR = 1.115, p < .001) were found to be positively correlated with COVID‐19. The presence of a significantly higher psychiatric disease admission history in patients with COVID‐19 in binary comparisons did not reach the level of significance in regression analysis. Our results suggest that high school attendance and impulsivity scores are positively correlated with COVID‐19 in young people. Government strategies related to schools need to be carefully reviewed for this reason. Highlights It is the first study to evaluate impulsivity, COVID‐19 phobia, and psychological resilience together in young people with and without COVID‐19. High school attendance and impulsivity scores showed a positive correlation with COVID‐19 in young people. The presence of a significantly higher psychiatric disease admission history in patients with COVID‐19 infection did not show significance in regression analysis.

Association of SARS-CoV-2 cycle threshold (Ct) values with clinical course and serum biomarkers in COVID-19 patients.

INTRODUCTION: Our knowledge has gaps regarding severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) replication levels and its association to severity of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of SARS-CoV-2 viral load with disease severity and serum biomarkers in COVID-19 patients. METHODOLOGY: Viral load was determined via cycle threshold (Ct) values of SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 214 adult patients. Ct values were compared with clinical severity, biochemical and hematological biomarkers. RESULTS: Clinical course of the disease was mild (49.1%), moderate (40.2%), and severe (10.7%). Median Ct value was 28.2 (IQR: 22.2-33.8) during the first week of the disease. Ct values were lower within five days after symptom onset [lowest Ct value on the third day (median: 24, IQR: 20.6-32.3)], but they increased significantly during the second and third weeks. No association was detected between admission Ct values and disease severity. Gender, age, co-morbidity, and mortality did not differ significantly in patients with low (≤ 25) and high (> 25) Ct values. White blood cell, neutrophil, platelet, and especially lymphocyte counts, were significantly lower in patients with low Ct values. CONCLUSIONS: No definitive/clear correlation between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and severity and mortality was found in the studied COVID-19 patients. However, neutrophil, platelet, and especially lymphocyte count were significantly lower in patients with a high viral load.

Interleukin-21: a potential biomarker for diagnosis and predicting prognosis in COVID-19 patients

Background/aim: COVID-19 patients have a wide spectrum of disease severity. Several biomarkers were evaluated as predictors for progression towards severe disease. IL-21 is a member of common γ-chain cytokine family and creates some specific effects during programming and maintenance of antiviral immunity. We aimed to assess IL-21 as a biomarker for diagnosis and outcome prediction in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Materials and methods: Patients with a preliminary diagnosis of COVID-19 and pneumonia other than COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary care hospital were included consecutively in this comparative study. Results: The study population consisted of 51 patients with COVID-19 and 11 patients with non-COVID-19 pneumonia. Serum IL-21 concentration was markedly higher, and serum CRP concentration was significantly lower in COVID-19 patients compared to non-COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Within COVID-19 patients, 10 patients showed radiological and clinical progression. Patients with clinical worsening had lower lymphocyte count and haemoglobin. In addition to that, deteriorating patients had higher urea, LDH levels, and elevated concentration of both IL-6 and IL-21. The cut-off value of 106 ng/L for IL-21 has 80.0% sensitivity, %60.9 specificity for discriminating patients with clinical worsening. Multivariable analysis performed to define risk factors for disease progression identified IL-6 and IL-21 as independent predictors. Odds ratio for serum IL-6 concentrations ≥ 3.2 pg/mL was 8.07 (95% CI: 1.37-47.50, p = 0.04) and odds ratio for serum IL-21 concentrations ≥ 106 ng/L was 6.24 (95% CI: 1.04 ­ 37.3, p = 0.02). Conclusion: We identified specific differences in serum IL-21 between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Serum IL-21 measurement has promising predictive value for disease progression in COVID-19 patients. High serum IL-6 and IL-21 levels obtained upon admission are independent risk factors for clinical worsening.

An investigation of potential coronaphobia-related factors in adults and sleep quality relations.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to investigate potential coronaphobia-related factors in adults and to assess the relationship between coronaphobia and sleep quality. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 1262 participants. The Covid-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S) and Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS) were used to measure outcomes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were constructed to determine risk factors for coronaphobia. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to assess the correlation between C19P-S and JSS. RESULTS: The following risk factors were found to be associated with coronaphobia: gender, marital status, presence of chronic disease, staying home, and sleep disturbances. Female gender (OR = 2.23 and OR = 2.12), being married (OR = 1.31 and OR = 1.45), chronic disease status (OR = 1.39 and OR = 1.27), staying home (OR = 1.72 and OR = 1.35) and sleep disturbances (OR = 2.63 and OR = 2.49) were found to be associated with the likelihood of having a higher coronaphobia score (p < 0.05). Weak positive correlations were found between C19P-S and its subscales and JSS scores (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Female gender, being married, having chronic diseases, staying home, and having sleep disturbances were found to be risk factors for having high coronaphobia scores. Moreover, the severity of coronaphobia was associated with sleep disturbances. These results should be considered in the management of coronaphobia.

Most notable 100 articles of COVID-19: an Altmetric study based on bibliometric analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to guide researchers in the COVID-19 pandemic by evaluating the 100 most cited articles of COVID-19 in terms of bibliometric analysis, Altmetric scores, and dimension badges. METHODS: "COVID-19" was entered as the search term in Thomson Reuter's Web of Science database. The 100 most cited articles (T100) were analyzed bibliometrically. Altmetric attention scores (AASs) and dimension badge scores of the articles were evaluated. RESULTS: T100 articles were published from January to September 2020. The average citation of the top 100 articles on COVID-19 was 320 ± 344.3 (143-2676). The language of all articles was English. The average Altmetric value of T100 is 3246 ± 3795 (85-16,548) and the mean dimension badge value was 670 ± 541.6 (176-4232). Epidemiological features (n = 22) and treatment (n = 21) were at the top of the main topics of T100 articles. CONCLUSION: The more citations an article is made, the more it indicates the contribution of that article to science. However, the number of citations is not always the only indicator of article quality. The existence of methods that measure the impact of the article outside the academia to measure the value of the article arises more in an issue that affects the whole world, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.