Effect of Altitude on Respiratory Functional Status in COVID-19 Survivors: Results from a Latin American Cohort-FIRCOV.

Laura Gochicoa-Rangel, Santiago C. Arce, Carlos Aguirre-Franco, Wilmer Madrid-Mejía, Mónica Gutiérrez-Clavería, Lorena Noriega-Aguirre, Patricia Schonffeldt-Guerrero, Agustín Acuña-Izcaray, Arturo Cortés-Telles, Luisa Martínez-Valdeavellano, Federico Isaac Hernández-Rocha, Omar Ceballos-Zúñiga, Rodrigo Del Rio Hidalgo, Sonia Sánchez, Erika Meneses-Tamayo, and Iván Chérrez-Ojeda; and on Behalf of the Respiratory Physiology Project in COVID-19 (FIRCOV). Effect of altitude on respiratory functional status in COVID-19 survivors: results from a Latin American Cohort-FIRCOV. High Alt Med Biol 24:37-48, 2023. Persistent symptoms and lung function abnormalities are common in COVID-19 survivors. Objectives: To determine the effect of altitude and other independent variables on respiratory function in COVID-19 survivors. Methods: Analytical, observational, cross-sectional cohort study done at 13 medical centers in Latin America located at different altitudes above sea level. COVID-19 survivors were invited to perform pulmonary function tests at least 3 weeks after diagnosis. Results: 1,368 participants (59% male) had mild (20%), moderate (59%), and severe (21%) disease. Restriction by spirometry was noted in 32%; diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO) was low in 43.7%; and 22.2% walked less meters during the 6-minute walk test (6-MWT). In multiple linear regression models, higher altitude was associated with better spirometry, DLCO and 6-MWT, but lower oxygen saturation at rest and during exercise. Men were 3 times more likely to have restriction and 5.7 times more likely to have a low DLCO. Those who had required mechanical ventilation had lower DLCO and walked less during the 6-MWT. Conclusions: Men were more likely to have lower lung function than women, even after correcting for disease severity and other factors. Patients living at a higher altitude were more likely to have better spirometric patterns and walked farther but had lower DLCO and oxygen saturation.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic course in the number and severity of hospitalizations for other natural causes in a large urban center in Brazil

The COVID-19 pandemic may indirectly impact hospitalizations for other natural causes. Belo Horizonte is a city with 2.5 million inhabitants in Brazil, one of the most hardly-hit countries by the pandemic, where local authorities monitored hospitalizations daily to guide regulatory measures. In an ecological, time-series study, we investigated how the pandemic impacted the number and severity of public hospitalizations by other natural causes in the city, during 2020. We assessed the number and proportion of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and in-hospital deaths for all-natural causes, COVID-19, non-COVID-19 natural causes, and four disease groups: infectious, respiratory, cardiovascular, and neoplasms. Observed data from epidemiological week (EW) 9 (first diagnosis of COVID-19) to EW 48, 2020, was compared to the mean for the same EW of 2015-2019 and differences were tested by Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The five-week moving averages of the studied variables in 2020 were compared to that of 2015-2019 to describe the influence of regulatory measures on the indicators. During the studied period, there was 54,722 hospitalizations by non-COVID-19 natural causes, representing a 28% decline compared to the previous five years (p<0.001). There was a concurrent significant increase in the proportion of ICU admissions and deaths. The greater reductions were simultaneous to the first social distancing decree or occurred in the peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations, suggesting different drivers. Hospitalizations by specific causes decreased significantly, with greater increase in ICU admissions and deaths for infectious, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases than for neoplasms. While the first reduction may have resulted from avoidance of contact with healthcare facilities, the second reduction may represent competing causes for hospital beds with COVID-19 after reopening of activities. Health policies must include protocols to address hospitalizations by other causes during this or future pandemics, and a plan to face the rebound effect for elective deferred procedures.

Route Planning using Wireless Sensor Network for Garbage Collection in COVID-19 Pandemic

Garbage collection is a responsibility faced by all cities and, if not properly carried out, can generate greater costs or sanitary problems. Considering the sanitary situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to take sanitary safety measures to prevent its spread. The challenge of the present work is to provide an efficient and effective solution that guarantees a garbage collection that optimizes the use of resources and prioritizes the attention to garbage containers located in or near contagion risk zones. To this end, this research proposes the integration of a basic garbage monitoring system, consisting of a wireless sensor network, and a route planning system that implements the decomposition of the Vehicle Routing problem into the subproblems of clustering and sequencing of containers using the K-Means and Ant Colony algorithms. For the monitoring of garbage, a significant reduction in the measurement error of waste level in the containers was achieved compared to other authors. About route planning, adequate error ranges were obtained in the calculation of the optimal values of distance traveled and travel time indicators with respect to an exhaustive enumeration of routes. © 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Afectación del sentido del olfato y el gusto en la enfermedad leve por coronavirus (COVID-19) en pacientes españoles Smell and taste disorders in Spanish patients with mild COVID-19

Introducción La enfermedad por coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) se ha expandido con gran rapidez en todo el mundo. Las alteraciones del olfato o gusto han emergido como un síntoma muy frecuente a medida que la enfermedad se propagó en Europa. Uno de los países con mayor número de contagios en este continente ha sido España. Objetivo Investigar la evolución clínica de los trastornos del olfato y el gusto en la enfermedad leve por COVID-19 en pacientes españoles. Métodos Se realizó un estudio transversal a través de encuesta on-line, en pacientes que presentaron afección súbita del olfato o el gusto, durante los 2 meses de confinamiento total por COVID-19 en España. Resultados El 91,18% de los sujetos con afectación del olfato o el gusto, que tuvieron acceso a la realización de PCR, fueron positivos para COVID-19. El 6,5% presentó anosmia y ageusia de forma aislada. El 93,5% manifestó otros síntomas leves asociados: cefalea (51,6%), tos (51,6%), mialgias (45,2%), astenia (38,7%), congestión nasal o rinorrea (35,5%), fiebre (41,9%), febrícula (29,0%), odinofagia (25,8%) y diarrea (6,5%). La duración media de la anosmia fue de 8,33 días, posteriormente los pacientes manifestaron hiposmia, con resolución completa en 17,79 días de media. En el 22,6% de los pacientes el déficit olfatorio persistió. Todos los sujetos recuperaron el sentido del gusto. Conclusiones Los trastornos olfativos y gustativos son síntomas prevalentes en la infección leve por COVID-19. Gran parte de los pacientes no presentan congestión nasal o rinorrea asociada y un grupo reducido de pacientes los presentan de forma aislada.

Design of an Automatic Temperature Screening System for Elevated Skin Temperature with Information Logging Capability

With the outbreak of the highly-contagious SARS-CoV-2 virus and its accompanying coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many government agencies adopted contact tracing to measure and mitigate the spread of the virus. Contact tracing aims to keep track of the individual's movements and activities and identify all those who they come in contact with. This study is focused on designing a cost-effective, efficient, and accurate system for information logging and temperature screening with a complementary contact tracing feature. The system provides an automated, safe, and physical-distance-aware alternative to manual temperature measurement and data logging practiced by most commercial establishments. The system uses an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi, along with infrared temperature sensors utilizing proper calibration methods to yield temperature reading difference of 0.1-0.3 degree-Celsius taken at 10 cm distance. User identification is done by reading either specifically-registered RFID tags or system-generated identity-QR code. Temperature is subsequently read, date and time stamped, and logged into the system. This allows for automated and exact association of the user logged information with their corresponding temperature. © 2021 IEEE.

Impact of the pandemic in Mexican High School education. An analysis of its pedagogical, psychological, and technological effects

This article describes how Mexican students and teachers in High School are adapting to COVID-19 emergency situation. For this aim were collected in a sample of n=11,850 teachers and n=39,852 students that represent different geographical regions and public and private institutions. An online questionnaire was designed to study three dimensions of this social phenomenon: The pedagogical, psychological and, the technological. Among the main findings are the following: Pedagogically, teachers and students have been flexible, looking for ways to adapt teaching and learning, combining digital and traditional resources. Technologically, only half of teachers report adequate Internet connectivity, which limits their use of digital resources. Psychologically, discouragement is identified, as well as vulnerable social-emotional individuals. Through regression tree analysis, the importance of learning assessment and contact with students is revealed, both for learning and for social-emotional well-being. The research is relevant because it allows us to see strengths and areas of opportunity for the Mexican Educational System.

Smell and taste disorders in Spanish patients with mild COVID-19. / Afectación del sentido del olfato y el gusto en la enfermedad leve por coronavirus (COVID-19) en pacientes españoles.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world. Smell and/or taste disorders have emerged as a very frequent symptom as the disease has spread in Europe. Spain is one of the European countries with the highest number of infections. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the clinical progression of smell and taste disorders in Spanish patients with mild COVID-19. METHODS: An online survey was used to conduct a cross-sectional study of patients who presented sudden smell and/or taste disorders during the 2 months of total lockdown due to COVID-19 in Spain. RESULTS: In our sample, 91.18% of respondents with impaired smell and/or taste and who were able to undergo PCR testing were positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Anosmia and ageusia presented in isolation in 6.5% of participants. The remaining 93.5% presented other mild symptoms: headache (51.6%), cough (51.6%), myalgia (45.2%), asthaenia (38.7%), nasal congestion or rhinorrhoea (35.5%), fever (41.9%), low-grade fever (29.0%), odynophagia (25.8%), or diarrhoea (6.5%). The mean duration of anosmia was 8.33 days, with patients subsequently manifesting hyposmia; complete resolution occurred after a mean of 17.79 days. In 22.6% of respondents, olfactory deficits persisted. All participants recovered their sense of taste. CONCLUSIONS: Olfactory and gustatory disorders are prevalent symptoms in mild COVID-19. Most patients do not present associated nasal congestion or rhinorrhoea and a small group of patients present these alterations in isolation.