ABSTRACT
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a virus that is quickly spreading and has heterogeneous clinical features. Early identification of prognostic variables is necessary to coordinate treatment plans and accurately determine patient severity. Objectives: The aim of the current work was to evaluate the possible value of exhaled carbon monoxide (CO) as a marker of inflammation in different severity categories of hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients and Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 39 confirmed COVID-19 nonsmoker patients who admitted to isolation unit at Zagazig University isolation hospital from March 2021 to February 2022. They were divided into two groups: Moderate COVID-19 and severe COVID-19. Exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) was measured on admission (day 1) and after seven days (day 7). Results: It was revealed that there was high statistically significant difference between the studied groups regarding eCO at day one and seven (the level was significantly higher among severe group) (p≤0.001). Also, there were high significant positive correlations between eCO and CRP level in both moderate and severe groups through day one and seven (p≤0.001). Conclusion: It could be concluded that exhaled CO analysis can be viewed as a noninvasive inflammatory marker for determining the level and severity of inflammation as well as forecasting the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. © 2022, Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background-aim: With recent emergences in new infectious diseases and their variants, there is a need to develop a faster and more specific analytical tool to detect different respiratory infectious diseases such as SARS-CoV-2 or influenza viruses. Not only their symptoms are similar at early stages, but also, they are both enveloped viruses with several common biological properties, often leading to challenges in disease identification. Among different viral components, nucleocapsid protein or nucleoprotein (NP) is highly conserved, less post-translational modifications possessed, and mostly specific for each infectious disease virus types. Therefore, targeting NP could be more advantageous to the method development, achieving much simpler and robust method with minimal subsequent modifications. This study describes a targeted approach for simultaneous detection of NPs from different respiratory infectious diseases using immunoprecipitation (IP) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Multiple viruses, SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus A and B types, respiratory syncytial virus, and human coronavirus (HCoV-229E), were selected to show that this method can distinguish different disease viruses. Methods: Sample collected via nasopharyngeal swabs in viral transport media was directly subjected to IP using Thermo Scientific™ Pierce™ MS-Compatible IP Kit (Streptavidin). The IP purified samples were then digested using SMART Digest™ Trypsin Kits and analyzed by Thermo Scientific™ Vanquish™ MD HPLC system hyphenated to Thermo Scientific™ TSQ Altis MD mass spectrometer. Data processing was performed using TraceFinder™ LDT software 1.0. Results: Combining IP and LC-MS/MS resulted in a highly targeted approach with the high sensitivity and specificity. The method detected sub tens to hundreds amol of peptides on LC column. Also, it simplified the overall sample preparation process eliminating prior protein precipitation and post sample clean-up. Since the NPs mostly remain unchanged or less modified regardless of variants, the method doesn’t need tremendous alterations once established. Conclusions: This targeted approach can be applied to other enveloped viruses’ detection. Automated IP method is available with KingFisher system so it could lead to a faster turn-around time and higher throughput of the method.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to strict measures intended to limit people's movement and slow viral spread. The subsequent need for social distancing when traveling has driven many cities to reduce public transport services, as urban residents simultaneously stay at home and avoid crowded spaces. As a result, cities are turning to cycling to meet the mobility needs of their inhabitants, particularly those who lack access to a private vehicle. Infrastructure plays a critical role in encouraging cycling by protecting cyclists and providing safe and comfortable conditions for users of various confidence levels. Due to the pandemic, this infrastructure has been rapidly constructed, in many cases, as pop-up or temporary installations. In this article, we present and examine the design methods and community response to an emergent bike lane along Avenida Guadalupe in Zapopan, México during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this examination, the paper distills and highlights the key features of a successful emergent bike lane in the urban Global South and identifies gaps in need of filling. The emergent intervention is 4.2 km and includes a number of traffic calming elements such as bollards and markings, connecting the peripheral part of the city to the existing cycle infrastructure. This case study shall contribute to a greater understanding of emergency mobility planning practices during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future directions for the expansion of cycling infrastructure and networks, especially in Latin America and the broader Global South. Copyright © 2022 Ohlund, El-Samra, Amezola, Soto Morfín, López Zaragoza and Aguilar Gónzalez.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The rate of secondary attacks of SARS-COV-2 is high among household close contacts. Social distancing, isolation and infection control measures are important for preventing exposure to infection, but insufficient. Aim: The study aimed to evaluate possible role of oral ivermectin as a chemoprophylaxis in asymptomatic family close contacts with COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective interventional randomised open label-controlled study was conducted (registered at clinicaltrials. gov;NCT04422561) during June and July 2020. Two arms were designed according to use of ivermectin. In ivermectin arm, contacts received ivermectin according to Body Weight (BW) on day of the diagnosis of their index case. The nonintervention group received no treatment. Both groups were followed-up for two weeks for development of symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. Results: Ivermectin group included 203 contacts (to 52 index cases) aged 39.75 +/- 14.94 years;52.2% were males. Nonintervention group included 101 contacts (to a total of 24 index cases) aged 37.69 +/- 16.96 years, 49.5% were males. Fifteen contacts (7.4%) developed COVID-19 in the ivermectin arm compared to 59 (58.4%) in the nonintervention arm (P <0.001). The protection rate for ivermectin was more prominent in contacts aged less than 60-year-old (6.2% infected compared to 58.7% if no treatment). Ivermectin in the protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection had an OR of 12.533 and 11.445 (compared to nontreatment) in both univariate and multivariate models, respectively. Side effects of ivermectin were reported in 5.4%;they were mild. Conclusion: Ivermectin is suggested to be a promising, effective and safe chemoprophylactic drug in management of COVID-19.