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Objective: The term post-COVID (coronavirus disease) is used to refer to the presence of prolonged symptoms 12 weeks or more after the disease treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of symptoms and anxiety in patients with COVID-19 who did not require inpatient care at the third and sixth months following symptom onset. Materials and Methods: The study is a prospective cohort study involving 471 university employees who contracted COVID-19 between October 2020 and October 2021. Data were obtained through the disease contact follow-up program implemented at the university and phone interviews conducted at the third and sixth months from symptom onset. Results: The study group comprised 361 individuals at three months and 109 at six months from symptom onset. The study found that symptoms persisted in 116 (32.1%) people in the third month and in 47 (13.0%) people in the sixth month. The most common symptoms at three months were shortness of breath, fatigue, and fatigue, while fatigue, fatigue, and shortness of breath were the most common symptoms at six months. Conclusion: Understanding the long-term effects of coronavirus will enhance the management of the disease. As a result, the follow-up of symptomatic COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 patients will become more systematic and effective.
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Objective: COVID-19 has been a stressful experience for healthcare providers (HCPs) and created additional distress for dialysis HCPs due to patients' higher risk of infection, symptom severity, and death. This study aims to investigate Turkish dialysis HCPs' levels of psychological difficulties during COVID-19's initial outbreak. Materials and Methods: The study has recruited physicians, nurses, and healthcare workers in dialysis centers. The participants completed an online survey that includes the screening questionnaire, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The study conducts the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis H test, Spearman correlation, and linear regression analyses. Results: The study involves 953 respondents, with nurses making up the majority (n=465, 48.8%), followed by healthcare workers (n=402;42.2%) and physicians (n=86;9%). HCPs' most significant concerns were getting infected with COVID-19 and transmitting the disease to their loved ones. Single participants, those without children, those who had trouble finding equipment, and those worried about being able to find equipment in the future, being in contact with COVID-19 (+) people, those whose tobacco and alcohol use increased, and those who declared sleep, appetite, and/or somatic problems had higher DASS-21 scores. When compared respectively to healthcare workers and physicians, nurses were found to be more worried about getting COVID-19 (94.6% compared to 90.6% and 84.7%;p < 0.001), experience equipment shortages (52.9% compared to 29.4% and 26.3%;p<0.001), have sleep (62.2% compared to 43.5% and 34%;p<0.001) and somatic problems (58.4% compared to 50% and 28.2%;p<0.001), and higher DASS-21 scores (Range=5-21 compared to 3-15 and 0-12;p<0.001). Conclusion: Worries and lifestyle changes associated with the outbreak are seen to have been be related to psychological difficulties. An adequate level of knowledge, self-protection, and social support are essential issues for HCPs. While this study recommends that HCPs express and share their worries, institutions should also focus on the psychological status of their staff and provide immediate interventions. © 2023 The authors.
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Objectives: Atypical chest pain, fatigue, and palpitations can be seen in post-coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) period. With the hypothesis of explaining these complaints, we evaluated the exercise stress test (EST) parameters in COVID-19 patients with mild disease. Material(s) and Method(s): Between the ages of 30-50 years, who had mild COVID-19 in the last 3-9 months, were taken as the COVID-19 group [n=80, male/female (M/F): 40/40]. A total of 160 patients were included, of which age and gender matched 80 patients (M/F: 40/40) without COVID-19 were the control group. During the EST, baseline heart rate HR1(beats/min), baseline systolic, diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) (SBP1, DBP1), maximum blood pressures (SBPmax, DBPmax), and blood pressure changes (DELTASBP, DELTADBP) were recorded. As EST parameters, Duke score, exercise time (min), ST change (mm), exercise capacity (METs), maximum reached HR (% beats/min), distance walked (m), maximum oxygen consumption amount (VO2max mL/kg/min), rate pressure product (RPP mmHg/min/1000), and heart HR recovery 1 (HRR1 beats/min) was used. Result(s): In the COVID-19 group, baseline HR1, SBP1, DBP1, SBPmax, DBPmax, DELTASBP, DELTADBP, VO2max, and RPP were higher, while distance walked and HRR1 were less. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of Duke score, exercise duration, ST change and exercise capacity. Conclusion(s): The fact that the exercise capacities in the COVID-19 group were similar to those in the control group, but there was a difference in the changes in heart rate and blood pressure, RPP, HRR1 suggested that the autonomic system might be affected.Copyright © 2022 by Heart and Health Foundation of Turkey.
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Objectives: Atypical chest pain, fatigue, and palpitations can be seen in post-coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) period. With the hypothesis of explaining these complaints, we evaluated the exercise stress test (EST) parameters in COVID-19 patients with mild disease. Material(s) and Method(s): Between the ages of 30-50 years, who had mild COVID-19 in the last 3-9 months, were taken as the COVID-19 group [n=80, male/female (M/F): 40/40]. A total of 160 patients were included, of which age and gender matched 80 patients (M/F: 40/40) without COVID-19 were the control group. During the EST, baseline heart rate HR1(beats/min), baseline systolic, diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) (SBP1, DBP1), maximum blood pressures (SBPmax, DBPmax), and blood pressure changes (DELTASBP, DELTADBP) were recorded. As EST parameters, Duke score, exercise time (min), ST change (mm), exercise capacity (METs), maximum reached HR (% beats/min), distance walked (m), maximum oxygen consumption amount (VO2max mL/kg/min), rate pressure product (RPP mmHg/min/1000), and heart HR recovery 1 (HRR1 beats/min) was used. Result(s): In the COVID-19 group, baseline HR1, SBP1, DBP1, SBPmax, DBPmax, DELTASBP, DELTADBP, VO2max, and RPP were higher, while distance walked and HRR1 were less. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of Duke score, exercise duration, ST change and exercise capacity. Conclusion(s): The fact that the exercise capacities in the COVID-19 group were similar to those in the control group, but there was a difference in the changes in heart rate and blood pressure, RPP, HRR1 suggested that the autonomic system might be affected. Copyright © 2022 by Heart and Health Foundation of Turkey.
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Background and Aim: In patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19), severe dyspnea is the most dramatic complication.Severe respiratory difficulties may include electrocardiographic frontal QRS axis rightward shift (Rws) and clockwise rotation (Cwr). This study investigated the predictability of advanced lung tomography findings with QRS axis shift and rotation. Method(s):This was a retrospective analysis of 160 patients.The patients were divided into two groups: normal oxygen saturation (SpO2) (NS;n = 80) and low SpO2 (LS;n = 80).They were then divided into NS Rws (n = 37), NS leftward shift (Lws;n = 43), LS Rws (n = 40), and LS Lws (n = 40) according to electrocardiographic follow-up findings. These groups were compared in terms of electrocardiographic rotation (Cwr, counterclockwise rotation, or normal transition), tomographic stage (CO-RADS5(advanced)/CO-RADS1-4), electrocardiographic intervals, and laboratory findings. Result(s): In patients with LS, the amount of QRS axis shift (36.5degree [23.2-50degree] vs. 16.5degree [12.2-24.2degree];p<0.001), Cwr (26 [65%] vs. 7 [17.5%];p<0.001), and CO-RADS5/CO-RADS1-4 (30/10 [75%/25%] vs. 12/28 [30%/70%];p<0.001) were significantly higher in the Rws group than in the Lws group. There were no differences in the above parameters between the Rws and Lws groups in patients with NS.Logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of Cwr and Rws independently increased the risk of CO-RADS5 by 18.9 and 4.6 fold, respectively, in patients with LS. Conclusion(s): In patients with COVID-19 who have dyspnea with LS, Cwr with QRS axis Rws demonstrated good sensitivity (80% [0.657-0.943]) and specificity (80%[0.552->1])for predicting advanced lung tomographic findings.
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The Cancer Genomics Cloud (CGC), powered by Seven Bridges, is an NCI-funded platform that streamlines access to large cancer datasets, bioinformatic tools, and cloud computation for cancer researchers. The attributes of the CGC designed to democratize data analysis also make it ideal for training the next generation of data scientists. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become clear that remote/virtual learning is of great importance for workforce development, and that reducing barriers to high quality educational resources is critical for many populations. Here we present our best practices for education of bioinformatics using the CGC, taking advantage of both distributed cloud networks and platform features to enhance learning. Our best practices methods are focused on a systematic approach that takes the instructor and students through a typical bioinformatics workflow in their field of research. Briefly, the organizational structure of the CGC, known as “projects,” contains all aspects of an analysis, including data files, tools, and tool settings. Projects have fine-grained permission settings, which allow the owner to securely share their project for viewing or editing. An instructor can generate an example analysis from start to finish then share an entire project with trainees. Both students and instructors have access to the same data on the cloud, so the teacher can pre-populate the projects with specific files, ensuring the same starting point. All members within the project can communicate, including adding notes directly on the results, allowing students to troubleshoot in real time with the teacher. Instructors can manage costs for the whole class through the CGC's billing system. The CGC also provides Public Projects for self-guided training, where a researcher can learn by example using the data, tools, and completed tasks within the project, including detailed instructions embedded in markdown language. We have successfully used these methods to train masters students in bioinformatics at Georgetown University for three years, as well as high school students, college students, and current cancer researchers. This approach to virtual learning of bioinformatics can democratize training for the next generation of data scientists. The FAIR practices built into the CGC enables education across all levels of expertise, empowering users to drive cancer research from any stage of their career.
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Following the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, surgical associations have issued their different recommendations for managing the acute cholecystitis (AC) clinic during the pandemic. We aimed to examine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic period on our clinical approach in patients who presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and were diagnosed with AC. Medical records of patients diagnosed with AC in the emergency room between 11 March 2020 and 10 March 2021 and in the same period of one year before the pandemic were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into 2 groups as COVID-19 period (Group 1) and non-COVID period (Group 2). Demographics and clinical characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes of these two groups were compared. The number of patients diagnosed with AC in the emergency department decreased during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. When the time between the onset of the complaints and the admission to the emergency service was evaluated, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups (p>0.05). The distribution of cholecystitis type and TG18 severity grading for AC were similar in both groups (p>0.05). While percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) is more preferred in the treatment of AC during the pandemic period and the number of delayed interval laparoscopic cholecystectomy decreased, AC management was similar in both periods with no significant statistical difference (P>0.05). In conclusion, our clinical approach and management in the treatment of AC did not differ when compared to the pre-pandemic period.
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Background: In patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), severe dyspnea is the most dramatic complication. Severe respiratory difficulties may include electrocardiographic frontal QRS axis rightward shift (Rws) and clockwise rotation (Cwr). Aim: This study investigated the predictability of advanced lung tomography findings with QRS axis shift and rotation. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 160 patients. Patients were divided into the following two groups: normal (n = 80) and low (n = 80) oxygen saturation. These groups were further divided into four groups according to the rightward and leftward axis shift (Lws) on the electrocardiographic follow-up findings. These groups were compared in terms of electrocardiographic rotation (Cwr, counterclockwise rotation, or normal transition), tomographic stage (CO-RADS5(advanced)/CO-RADS1-4), electrocardiographic intervals, and laboratory findings. Results: In patients with low oxygen saturation, the amount of QRS axis shift, Cwr, and tomographic stage were significantly higher in the Rws group than in the Lws group. There were no differences in the above parameters between the Rws and Lws groups in patients with normal oxygen saturation. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of Cwr and Rws independently increased the risk of CO-RADS5 by 18.9 and 4.6 fold, respectively, in patients with low oxygen saturation. Conclusion: In COVID-19 patients who have dyspnea with low oxygen saturation, electrocardiographically clockwise rotation with a rightward axis shift demonstrated good sensitivity (80% [0.657-0.943]) and specificity (80% [0.552->1]) for predicting advanced lung tomographic findings. ClinicalTrialsgov Identifier: NCT04698083.
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COVID-19 , Dyspnea/etiology , Electrocardiography , Humans , Retrospective Studies , RotationABSTRACT
Objective: Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are computer systems that are inspired by the biological neural networks that make up mammalian brains. An ANN is built from a network of linked units or nodes known as artificial neurons, which are roughly modeled after the neurons in the human brain. Each link, like synapses in a human brain, has the ability to send a signal to other neurons. The connections are referred to as edges. Neurons and edges usually have a weight that changes as learning progresses. The weight changes the intensity of the signal at a connection. Artificial neural networks have found applications in a wide range of fields due to their capacity to recreate and simulate nonlinear phenomena. System identification and control, medical diagnostics, data mining, visualization, machine translation, distinguishing highly invasive cancer cell lines from less invasive lines using simply cell shape information, and many more domains are examples of application areas. In this study, ANN analysis was utilized by us to forecast the total cost of therapy or the prognosis of severe COVID-19 the patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: The parameters such as ages, and the other biochemical parameters that affect the staying periods (days) of COVID-19 infected patients in ICU were evaluated by using an ANN analysis. For this a computer program, Pythia®, was used to develop ANN models. Real data was used for that selected patients in this study. Results: The real data obtained from the ICU and gave to the computer as initial parameters. The computer program gave 15 neurons for the first level, one neurons for the second level as the most suitable model for the prediction (SSD = 0.000995). This program predicts a total cost 144.930,94 Turkish Lira (27.300 USD) where the real cost 142.234,06 Turkish Lira (26.792 USD) for the real patient in 2019. This relation was found to be good to predict the possible affected parameters on staying times. Conclusion: The ANN model developed and released in this research does not necessitate any experimental parameters. Besides, ANN has the ability to deliver helpful and exact prediction or information regarding the expense of COVID-19 patients in ICU. © 2022. All Rights Reserved.