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Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) can cause anything from diarrhea to toxic megacolon. The objectives of this study were: to show the varia-tion in the number of diagnosed cases of CDI in this center, comparing 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, with 2019 and 2021 and to detail cases preceded by SARS-CoV-2 infection. This is an observational retrospective study in which the total number of samples processed with suspected CDI were recorded. The positive ones and the clinical history of patients with a diagnosis of CDI up to two months after their diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection were recorded as well. During 2020 a smaller number of samples were processed. However, during this year the percentage of positivity was 13.1% vs. 7,2% and 7.8% during 2019 and 2021, respectively. It is believed that this may have been due to improvements in clinical suspicion and sample selection for CDI diagnosis.
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OBJECTIVES: UK guidelines advocate 'one-stop' neck lump assessment for cancer referrals. This paper reports the pilot of a novel pre-clinic ultrasound pathway, presents outcomes, and discusses strengths and limitations in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. METHODS: Two-week-wait cancer referral patients with a neck lump were allocated a pre-clinic ultrasound scan followed by a clinic appointment. Demographic, patient journey and outcome data were collected and analysed. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients underwent ultrasound assessment with or without biopsy on average 8 days following referral. Patients were followed up on average 14.1 days (range, 2-26 days) after initial referral. At the first clinic appointment, 45 patients were discharged, 10 were scheduled for surgery, 12 were diagnosed with cancer, 6 were referred to another specialty and cancer was excluded in 19 patients. Retrospectively, four ultrasounds were performed unnecessarily. CONCLUSION: Pre-clinic ultrasound scanning is an alternative to the one-stop neck lump pathway. This study demonstrates fewer clinic visits, faster diagnosis and a low proportion of unnecessary scans, whilst minimising face-to-face consultations and aerosol-generating procedures.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Head and Neck Neoplasms , Humans , Retrospective Studies , Respiratory Aerosols and Droplets , Ambulatory Care Facilities , Head and Neck Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Referral and ConsultationABSTRACT
Objetivo: El presente estudio da respuesta a la pregunta: ¿Existen diferencias en el nivel de actividad física de mujeres chilenas antes y durante el confinamiento por COVID-19? Método: El estudio tiene un diseño no experimental longitudinal de tendencia con un n=1.051 mujeres chilenas jóvenes. Se midieron las diferencias en el nivel de actividad física entre los grupos pre (preCOVID) y post (COVID-19);y de la muestra COVID-19 con los datos teóricos tanto de estudios de actividad física previos como de encuestas nacionales gubernamentales. Resultados: las mujeresdel grupo COVID-19 presentan niveles de actividad física significativamente más bajos que las mujeres de la muestra preCOVID-19;y que las muestras de mujeres de estudios empíricos anteriores. Conclusión: en tiempos de COVID-19 las mujeres jóvenes chilenas presentan un nivel de actividad física significativamente menor en tiempos previos al confinamiento.Alternate : Objective: The present study answers the question: Are there differences in the level of physical activity of Chilean women before and during confinement by COVID-19? Method: The study has a non-experimental longitudinal trend design with n = 1,051 young Chilean women. Differences in the level of physical activity between the pre (preCOVID) and post (COVID-19) groups were measured;and of the COVID-19 sample with theoretical data from both previous physical activity studies and national government surveys. Results: the women of the COVID-19 group present lower levels of physical activity than the women of the preCOVID-19 sample;and the samples of women from previous empirical studies. Conclusion: in times of COVID-19, young Chilean women present a lower level of physical activity, in previous times without lockdown due to the pandemic.
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Objective: This study answers the question: Are there differences in the level of physical activity of Chilean women before and during the COVID-19 lockdown? Method: The study has a non experimental longitudinal trend design with n = 1,051 young Chilean women. Differences in the level of physical activity between the pre (preCOVID) and post (COVID-19) groups were measured and, in the case of the COVID-19 sample, contrasted with theoretical data from both previous physical activity studies and national government questionnaires. Results: the women of the COVID-19 group present lower levels of physical activity than the women of the preCOVID sample as well as vis-à-vis the samples of women from previous empirical studies. Conclusion: in times of COVID-19, young Chilean women present a lower level of physical activity than in previous times without lockdown due to the pandemic. © 2022, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid y CV Ciencias del Deporte. All rights reserved.
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Background. Pregnant people and fetuses are uniquely vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, a driver of inflammation and immune dysregulation. Prior investigations have shown that pregnant people with SARS-CoV-2 are at higher risk of severe illness, mortality, and obstetric complications. We investigated the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection severity and latency on maternal and infant cytokine levels. Methods. We collected maternal blood and cord blood at delivery from motherinfant dyads (Chicago, IL;3/2020-1/2022). A multiplex cytokine panel (IsoPlexis) was run on plasma from 93 SARS-CoV-2 infected dyads and 32 matched controls. Clinical data was ed by chart review, including latency (acute being <=14 days and distant >14 days from SARS-CoV-2 infection to delivery) and severity (NIH criteria: asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe/critical). Kruskal-Wallis tests with post-hoc pairwise Dunn Tests were used (alpha=0.05). Results. SARS-CoV-2 exposed infants had lower levels of MIP-1b (p=0.037) and PDGF (p=0.008) than controls [Fig 1]. There were no differences in maternal blood cytokines at time of delivery following SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy (pooled analysis of all SARS-CoV-2). Stratifying by latency, acutely exposed infants showed higher levels of MCP-1 than controls or those with distant maternal SARS-CoV-2 (p=0.016). There were no significant differences in maternal cytokines between control, acute, and distant SARS-CoV-2. In mothers with acute SARS-CoV-2, differences in levels of IL-1B (p=0.011) and IL-10 (p=0.046) were observed across severity groups, with a significant linear trend for each among severity groups (p for trend < 0.001, respectively). Severe/critical acute infection resulted in higher maternal granzyme and IL-8 than mild infection (p=0.037 and 0.047) [Fig 2]. There were no differences across severity groups in 1) mothers with distant infection, 2) infants with acute maternal infection, or 3) infants with distant maternal infection. Conclusion. Cytokine levels in SARS-CoV-2 positive dyads were altered only in the setting of acute or more severe infection and demonstrated anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-angiogenic responses. In acute infection, greater severity drives higher levels of both a pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine in pregnant people.
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The global economic recession caused by COVID-19 has posed a severe threat to the feasibility of renewable energy projects, hampering the United Nation (UN) sustainable development goals. Sustainable financing (SF) is a crucial instrument for promoting investment in renewable energy (IRE) sources, as it is regarded as a crucial aspect in achieving long-term sustainability. This study sheds insight on the impact of SF, geopolitical risk (GPR), economic growth (EG), and environmental regulation (ER) on IRE sources by evaluating 10 years of data from 35 Chinese energy businesses from 2012 to 2021. The data analysis is done by utilizing quantile regression and dynamic analytic techniques, demonstrating that SF, EG, and ER have a significant positive effect on IRE sources. However, GPR has a significant detrimental impact on IRE in China. This is one of the early studies to examine the crucial role of SF, GPR, EG, and ER in IRE, which is critical for environmental sustainability. In addition, it provides policymakers and environmentalists with crucial insights for developing and executing environmental strategies that can deliver long-term benefits and meet SD goals.
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Background: SARS-CoV-2 infections during pregnancy continue in this ongoing pandemic. Care of mother-infant dyads affected by SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy has evolved. Perinatal viral transmission is rare. However, there remain few detailed reports on characteristics and management of these infants during neonatal hospitalization. Our objective was to investigate management and outcomes of infants born to women with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy including resuscitation, NICU care, separation, and breastfeeding.
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Background: Healthcare workers (HCW) are at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Infection prevention and control methods to prevent HCWs from bringing the virus home are lacking. We aimed to describe the various isolation practices of COVID positive (+) physicians and advanced practice providers to mitigate transmission risk to family members (FM) and understand HCW stress during this pandemic. Methods: Survey responses were collected from 5/19/2020 - 6/12/2020 using a convenience sampling of HCW. Solicitations were done through email, listservs, institutional websites, and Facebook groups without geographic restriction. We collected data on demographics, details about HCW illness, health of FM, preventive measures taken, and HCW stress. Results: The survey has so far been completed by 51 COVID+ respondents with FM in the home (Table 1). Half (55%) work in outpatient, 31% inpatient, and 8% in ER setting. Most HCW (83%) were diagnosed by PCR test;others were presumptive positive due to symptoms and exposure (14%). 64% had mild disease and 33% had moderate disease. Most common preventive measures were immediate showering after reaching home (59%) and changing clothes prior to going home (35%);22% took no precautions. About 55% of FM developed symptoms of COVID. There were no significant differences between preventive measures taken by HCW whose FM remained asymptomatic. However, we noted that HCW whose FM remained symptom-free were more likely to sleep in a separate room (17% vs. 7%), refrain from physical contact with FM (22% vs.14%) and intimate contact with partners (22% vs. 11%). Over 88% reported increased stress level, many identifying health concerns and safety (26%) and impact on FM (28%) as the greatest source of stress. There was no difference in reported stress level between HCW whose FM became infected and those who were not. HCW with symptom-free FM were more concerned about transmission to their partner (p = 0.02). Conclusion: This is the first survey of its kind which, although limited by total respondents, indicates that HCW are taking a variety of approaches to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to their FM. We did not find a significant impact of individual preventive measures on the risk of transmission. Regardless of the FM illness, most HCW have increased stress due to impact of COVID. (Table Presented).