Cyberchondria in medical students: An observational study

Cyberchondria;Internet;Anxiety;Hypochondria;Medical Students INTRODUCTION Nowadays, everyone is seeking health information on the internet. Since the COVID pandemic, medical students have indulged in online binge searches to feed their curiosity regarding health information. [...]we aimed to determine the level of cyberchondria in medical students of SCB Medical College using the CSS. [...]we chose medical students as participants as they were well versed with medical terminologies and were more prone to cyberchondria due to their internet usage. [...]we did not perform any subgroup analysis based on gender, duration, and purpose of internet usage.

A comparative study of the patterns of mortality in COVID-19 patients in juxtaposition with non-COVID-19 mortality in the first and second waves of the pandemic

Background and objectives: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to the public healthcare system worldwide like none before, producing far-reaching global economic, humanitarian, and social crises. It is estimated to have affected more than 1.8 million people worldwide. India has faced two phases of the pandemic, being the country with 2nd most number of deaths with varying mortality patterns across the two waves. In this study, we compare the patterns of mortality between the two phases of pandemics in association with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 deaths. Materials and Methods: A retrospective observational study at a tertiary care center in Central India was carried out. Demographic patterns of mortality have been studied in each of the groups, and a comparative analysis was done between COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 mortality patterns in each phase of the study, that is, from 20th March 2020 to 19th September 2020 and from 20th September 2020 to May 2021, as well as between the two phases.

An Observational Study of the Respiratory Effects of the N95 Mask During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Aim: An Observational Study of the Respiratory Effects of the N95 Mask During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Method and material: Pulse oximetry was used on 50 students from both sexes who were 21-26 years old, non-smokers, and did not have any chronic lung illness and were studying at Dental College and Hospital. During the research, the blood oxygen saturation was measured using the same pulse oximeter. The pupils were then advised to don a mask and not remove it until the completion of an assessment. After 5 hours, each student's blood oxygen saturation was tested again using the same pulse oximeter. Results: Total 50 students with mean age of 22.59±3.69 years were recruited in this study, among which 36 were females and 14 were males. It was discovered that before wearing the N95 mask at 8.30 am, the mean of SpO2 values was 97.02±0.21, however after removing the N95 mask at 1.30 pm, the mean of SpO2 values was 96.14±0.33 (p=0.000). When SpO2 values of males and females were compared, it was observed that males have 0.41 and females have 0.34 of standard error of mean (p=0.52). A statistically non significant difference was seen for the values between the groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: Blood oxygen saturation levels have dropped due to prolonged usage of a N95 mask by COVID-19 patients. Finding ways to mitigate these consequences is crucial for future pandemic preparedness.

Unit information prior for incorporating real-world evidence into randomized controlled trials.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been widely recognized as the gold standard to infer the treatment effect in clinical research. Recently, there has been growing interest in enhancing and complementing the result in an RCT by integrating real-world evidence from observational studies. The unit information prior (UIP) is a newly proposed technique that can effectively borrow information from multiple historical datasets. We extend this generic approach to synthesize the non-randomized evidence into a current RCT. Not only does the UIP only require summary statistics published from observational studies for ease of implementation, but it also has clear interpretations and can alleviate the potential bias in the real-world evidence via weighting schemes. Extensive numerical experiments show that the UIP can improve the statistical efficiency in estimating the treatment effect for various types of outcome variables. The practical potential of our UIP approach is further illustrated with a real trial of hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients.

Clinical progression and outcomes of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in humanitarian settings: a prospective cohort study in South Sudan and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Little information is available on COVID-19 in Africa and virtually none is from humanitarian and more resource-constrained settings. This study characterizes hospitalized patients in the African humanitarian contexts of Juba, South Sudan and North and South Kivu in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. This observational cohort was conducted between December 2020 and June 2021. Patients presenting for care at five facilities or referred from home-based care by mobile medical teams were eligible for enrollment and followed until death or recovery. Disease progression was characterized for hospitalized patients using survival analysis and mixed effects regression model to estimate survival odds for patient characteristics and treatments received. 144 COVID-19 cases enrolled as hospitalized patients were followed to recovery/death. The observed mortality proportion among hospitalized patients was 16.7% (CI: 11.2-23.3%);mortality was three times higher in South Sudan, where patients presented later after symptom onset and in worse conditions. Age and diabetes history were the only patient characteristics associated with decreased survival;clinical status indicators associated with decreased survival included fever, low oxygen level, elevated respiratory and pulse rates. The only therapy associated with survival was non-invasive oxygen;invasive oxygen therapies and other specialized treatments were rarely received. Improving availability of oxygen monitoring and proven COVID-19 therapies in humanitarian and resource-poor settings is critical for health equity. Customizing training to reflect availability of specific medications, therapies and operational constraints is particularly important given the range of challenges faced by providers in these settings.

SARS-COV-2 – a major risk factor for pulmonary embolism, a retrospective observational study from a single tertiary care hospital

P46 Table 1Incidence of pe by gender and covid status COVID POSITIVE (309) COVID NEGATIVE (621) TOTAL (930) PE 41 (13.3%) 95 (15.3%) 136 (14.6%) Male 28 (9.1%) 52 (8.4%) 80(8.6%) Female 13(4.2%) 43 (6.9%) 56(6.0%) No PE 268 (86.7%) 526(84.7%) 794 (85.4%) Male 161 (52.1%) 218(35.1%) 379 (40.8%) Female 107 (34.6%) 308(49.6%) 415(44.6%) Total 309 (100%) 621 (100%) 930(100%) ConclusionCovid-19 has been identified as a significant risk factor for PE. These patients must be anti-coagulated in order to avoid various complications, including life-threatening arrhythmias, severe hypoxemia, shock, even death.ReferencesJevnikar M, et al. Prevalence of pulmonary embolism in patients with COVID-19 at the time of hospital admission. European Respiratory Journal 2021 Jul 1;58(1).Katsoularis I, et al. Risks of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and bleeding after covid-19: nationwide self-controlled cases series and matched cohort study. BMJ 2022 Apr 6;377.

The prevalence of SARS-coV-2 infection in a public university of Paraná: an observational study

Introduction: COVID-19 is a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that spread worldwide in early 2020. One year and seven months after the beginning of the global spread of the disease, the number of confirmed cases in Brazil exceeds 21 million and 601 thousand deaths recorded. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in an academic community. Method: Observational study, with a cross-sectional design, carried out in the academic community of a Public State University in Northern Paraná. 157 people participated, including professors, academics and university agents. The dependent variable was the presence of total antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Results: The prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in academics and employees of a public university in the North region of Paraná was 7%. In the bivariate analysis of factors associated with the presence of antibodies, teachers, people who had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, fever, muscle pain, cough, sore throat, anosmia and ageusia, were the characteristics that were most associated with the disease. presence of antibodies. Conclusion: It was found that 7% of the academic community studied had antibodies against COVID-19.Alternate :Introdução: A COVID-19 é uma doença causada pelo vírus SARS-CoV-2 que se espalhou mundialmente no início de 2020. Após um ano e sete meses do início da disseminação mundial da doença, o número de casos confirmados no Brasil, ultrapassam 21 milhões e 601 mil óbitos registrados. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a prevalência de infecção por SARS-CoV-2 em uma comunidade acadêmica. Método: Estudo observacional, com delineamento transversal, realizado na comunidade acadêmica de uma Universidade Estadual Pública do Norte do Paraná. Participaram 157 pessoas, incluindo professores, acadêmicos e agentes universitários. A variável dependente foi a presença de anticorpos totais contra SARS-CoV-2. Resultados: A prevalência de anticorpos contra SARS-CoV-2 em acadêmicos e servidores de uma universidade pública da região Norte do Paraná foi de 7%. Na análise bivariada dos fatores associados a presença de anticorpos, professores, pessoas que tiveram contato próximo com caso confirmado para COVID-19, febre, dor muscular, tosse, dor de garganta, anosmia e ageusia, foram as características que mais apresentaram associação com a presença de anticorpos. Conclusão: Foi constatado que 7% da comunidade acadêmica estudada apresentaram anticorpos contra a COVID-19.Alternate :Introducción: COVID-19 es una enfermedad causada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 que se propagó por todo el mundo a principios de 2020. Un año y siete meses después del inicio de la propagación mundial de la enfermedad, el número de casos confirmados en Brasil supera los 21 millones y 601 mil muertes registradas. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la prevalencia de la infección por SARS-CoV-2 en una comunidad académica. Método: Estudio observacional, con diseño transversal, realizado en la comunidad académica de una Universidad Pública Estadual del Norte de Paraná. Participaron 157 personas, entre profesores, estudiantes y agentes universitarios. La variable dependiente fue la presencia de anticuerpos totales contra el SARS-CoV-2. Resultados: La prevalencia de anticuerpos contra el SARS-CoV-2 en estudiantes y empleados de una universidad pública de la región Norte de Paraná fue del 7%. En el análisis bivariado de factores asociados a la presencia de anticuerpos, docentes, personas que tuvieron contacto cercano con caso confirmado de COVID-19, fiebre, dolor muscular, tos, dolor de garganta, anosmia y ageusia, fueron las características que más se asociaron con la enfermedad presencia de anticuerpos. Conclusión: Se encontró que el 7% de la comunidad académica estudiada tenía anticuerpos contra el COVID-19.

Study to evaluate compliance and adherence to lifestyle modifications in diabetic and/hypertensive patients, during lockdown period due to COVID-19 in sample population of Davangere

[...]frequent blood glucose monitoring and change in anti-diabetic drugs may be necessary to achieve good glycemic control. [...]it is important for both diabetic and hypertensives to strictly adhere to their prescribed medications and follow general COVID preventive measures to avoid COVID-19 infections and related complications. Medications of few patients (18%) were changed due to various reasons such as variations in blood pressure and blood sugar, adverse effect older drugs and also due to non-availability of medications during lockdown. DISCUSSION The present study has shown that lockdown has significantly reduced medication adherence and compliance and there was lack of access for consultation, blood sugar, and blood pressure monitoring.

Analysis of COVID-19-related clinical trials registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India in 2020: A descriptive study

From the etiology, the clinical manifestations to various diagnostic and treatment modalities as also the socioeconomic impact, clinical trials play a pivotal role in understanding every step of the disease process. [...]it is important that studies pertaining to various aspects of diseases must be evaluated meticulously and regularly. Procedure The data were collected from the CTRI website operated by the National Institute of Medical Statistics, Indian Council of Medical Research which is available in the public domain. (Various trials on drugs consisted of drug repurposing models, which included, antimalarial drugs - hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine;ART drugs - lopinavir and ritonavir;antiviral drugs - favipiravir and remdesivir;antiparasitic drugs - ivermectin;antibiotics - azithromycin;steroids - dexamethasone and methylprednisolone;minerals - zinc;and vitamins - Vitamin C and Vitamin D;biologics - tocilizumab, cytokine cocktail, convalescent plasma, itolizumab, and interferons;and vaccines - BCG vaccines and live or attenuated vaccines of SARS-CoV-2).

Epidemiological profile of COVID 19 cases admitted in Dedicated COVID Hospital Government Medical College, Aurangabad, Maharashtra

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO) three months after the first case of Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) was reported in Wuhan, China in late December 2019. India recorded its first COVID-19 case on 30th January 2020. As on 30th September 2020, a total of 63,01,156 COVID-19 cases and 98,585 deaths have been reported in the country. An observational study was carried out among all COVID-19 positive cases admitted in Dedicated COVID Hospital Government Medical College Aurangabad, Maharashtra during the period between 1st April to 30th September with the aim to study demographic distribution, clinical manifestation and co morbid status of COVID-19 positive patients. Out of total 6,564 COVID suspect patients admitted in DCH within the study period a total of 2,986 tested positive for COVID-19. Out of these 2,986 patients 1,812 (60.68%) were discharged according to the ICMR guidelines while 724 (24.25%) cases died due to COVID-19. There were still 379 (12.69%) of active cases in the hospital. Among the admitted patients the largest stratum of 1,156 (38.71%) was contributed by patients belonging to the age group of 41-60 years while only 68 (2.28%) patients were in the age group of above 80 years of age. On admission the most frequent clinical profile was characterized by breathlessness (37%) and fever (35%). While 7.82% of the patients were asymptomatic. Among the patients, hypertension (n=679) was the most prevalent co-morbidity followed by diabetes (n=573) and ischemic heart disease (n=166).

Identifying appropriate comparison groups for health system interventions in the COVID-19 era.

Introduction: COVID-19 has created additional challenges for the analysis of non-randomized interventions in health system settings. Our objective is to evaluate these challenges and identify lessons learned from the analysis of a medically tailored meals (MTM) intervention at Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW) that began in April 2020. Methods: We identified both a historical and concurrent comparison group. The historical comparison group included patients living in the same area as the MTM recipients prior to COVID-19. The concurrent comparison group included patients admitted to contracted non-KPNW hospitals or admitted to a KPNW facility and living outside the service area for the intervention but otherwise eligible. We used two alternative propensity score methods in response to the loss of sample size with exact matching to evaluate the intervention. Results: We identified 452 patients who received the intervention, 3873 patients in the historical comparison group, and 5333 in the concurrent comparison group. We were able to mostly achieve balance on observable characteristics for the intervention and the two comparison groups. Conclusions: Lessons learned included: (a) The use of two different comparison groups helped to triangulate results; (b) the meaning of utilization measures changed pre- and post-COVID-19; and (c) that balance on observable characteristics can be achieved, especially when the comparison groups are meaningfully larger than the intervention group. These findings may inform the design for future evaluations of interventions during COVID-19.

VAC4EU: A Pan-European Research Network for Collaborative Post-authorization Vaccine Safety and Benefit Monitoring: An International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Drug Experience

Introduction: VAC4EU (Vaccine monitoring Collaboration for Europe) is a not-for profit international association with 24 member organizations specialised in the collaborative generation of real-world evidence on coverage, safety, and efficacy of vaccines in Europe. VAC4EU was established as a result of the IMI-ADVANCE project with the aim to enable, coordinate and accelerate the creation of the best evidence at European level on vaccine effects. In the past two years, VAC4EU has proven preparedness and efficiency in designing post-authorization monitoring for COVID-19 vaccines responding to the requests of both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and vaccine manufacturers Objective: To describe the VAC4EU organization, data, tools and the accomplishments made towards the generation of real-world evidence on vaccine benefit-risk evaluation. Methods: Not applicable. Results: Since its creation in October 2019, VAC4EU has established a large research network composed of 24 institutions from 9 European countries (BE, DE, DK, FR, IT, NL, NO, ES, UK) providing access to different health care data sources covering more than 150 million European citizens. VAC4EU has implemented a research infrastructure including a catalogue, a codemapper tool, a sharepoint, Github, digital research environment (DRE), a phenotype library of more than 100 variables with definitions and a Zenodo community to facilitate collaboration, transparency, and federated data analysis. VAC4EU has adopted the ConcePTION common data model as a basis for the structural harmonization of electronic health data, but it also allows for primary data collection. VAC4EU has consolidated its governance structure for implementation of pharmacovigilance studies on vaccines and successfully participated in four public tenders regarding vaccines safety and effectiveness launched by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) [1-3] as well as four required post-authorization safety studies on COVID-19 vaccines sponsored by vaccine manufacturers [4-8], and other studies promoted by the Global Vaccine Data Network. All protocols developed within VAC4EU are registered in the EU PAS register, and results are published in the open science VAC4EU Zenodo community. Conclusion: We know already from the H1N1 pandemic that collaboration is needed to study vaccine effects. This collaboration was designed and tested in the IMI-ADVANCE project and implemented in VAC4EU. VAC4EU has demonstrated readiness of its research framework making a key difference in COVID-19 vaccine monitoring in Europe. Research and public health organizations can join the initiative.

Clinical Pharmacist Interventions in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: An International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Drug Experience

Introduction: Amid the recent outbreak, the quality of medical care provided to COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) patients has been deeply impacted as a result of organizational limitations and insufficient medical resources. This complex situation was amplified by additional factors that include the widespread use of experimental drugs, the lack of detailed guidelines and recommendations, and workload increase. Consequently, COVID-19 patients became more vulnerable to medication errors and adverse drug events, especially in the intensive care units (ICUs) [1,2]. Objective: To describe the pharmaceutical interventions (PIs) carried out by a clinical pharmacist and to evaluate their clinical impact. Methods: A prospective observational study was performed in a 16-bed, university-affiliated, COVID-19 ICU in Morocco. Drugs were classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification code system. PIs were registered by the pharmacist using the French Society of Clinical Pharmacy's PI sheet, and their clinical impact was assessed using Hatoum scale (0-to-3). Data of a two-month period, from October 2020 to December 2020, were analyzed using Excel. Results: 201 PIs were generated by the clinical pharmacist and concerned 58 COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure. A median age of 64.5 years [IQR 58.25-69.75] was found and 83% of patients were male. The main drug-related problems were dosage error (37%), non-conformity to guidelines (24%), drug omission (18%), and drug interactions (7%). 58% of the interventions were performed after the medical prescription and consisted mainly of dosage adjustment (47%), followed by drug discontinuation (16%) and treatment reminder (13%). Drugs that belong to J, B, and P ATC groups accounted for 32%, 16% and 15% of PIs, respectively. Study results show an acceptance rate of 89%. 88% of the PIs had a clinical impact of 1 and 12% had a clinical impact of 2. Conclusion: The active role of clinical pharmacists in the ICU is well established in the literature. Our study underlines the necessity of clinical pharmacy services in the COVID-19 ICU, which helps in preventing drug errors and providing optimal care to this sensitive population.

Oral Presentation: Signal of Hypertension Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination: VigiBase® Data and Evidence from Real World: An International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Drug Experience

Introduction: Hypertension is a serious disease that occurs when blood pressure is persistently elevated over time1. During the COVID19 vaccination campaign, several reports of hypertension occurred in plausible temporal relationship with immunization have been reported. Objective: To explore a possible signal of risk of hypertension associated with COVID-19 immunization using VigiBase® the World Health Organization (WHO) pharmacovigilance database and to review the evidence available from real world. Methods: We performed a disproportionality analysis using data on spontaneous reports recorded in VigiBase®. Data have been extract on May 8th, 2022. We calculated reporting odds ratio (ROR) as a measure of disproportionality for hypertension defined by the Standardized Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) query (SMQ) narrow. ROR was estimated for all reports including the MedDRA preferred term (PT) "hypertension", "blood pressure increased" and "hypertensive crisis" (cases). All other reports have been defined as non-cases. All reports in which the suspected causative agent was a COVID-19 vaccine were used as index reports and all other reports as reference. A signal was defined by at least three reports of the PT of interest and ROR025 > 1. We reviewed the medical literature using MEDLINE from January 2021 to May 2022 using "COVID-19 vaccines" AND "hypertension" as a search terms to check for evidence from observational studies. Results: As of May 8th, 2022, VigiBase® included 3,746,090 reports of adverse events following immunization for COVID-19 vaccines and 87,653 de-duplicated reports of hypertension define by the SMQ. We identified 34,955 reports of "hypertension" (ROR:1.3;ROR025:1.2), 47,733 reports of "blood pressure increased" (ROR:2.6;ROR025:2.6) and 3,741 reports of "hypertensive crisis" (ROR:4.0;ROR025:3.8) in which a COVID-19 vaccine was indicated as suspected causative agent. Most frequently co-reported symptoms (> 9%) included headache (n = 16.817;19.2%), dizziness (n = 12,892;14.7%), fatigue (n = 8,406;9.6%). Overall, 75% of cases (n = 65,761) have been classified as not serious. A meta-analysis of observational studies that includes 357,387 individuals reported 13,444 events of blood pressure abnormal or increased2. These events have been often described as short periods of hypertensive response and often observed in patients with risk factors. Conclusion: Our results confirmed a signal of risk of events of elevated blood pressure following immunization with COVID-19 vaccines. However, there is no evidence that these episodes could result in serious complication typically associated with hypertension, such as stroke, aneurysms, heart failure, myocardial infarction and chronic kidney disease.

The Social Value of Implementing the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding in an Indonesian Hospital: A Case Study

Appendix A Glossary COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease 2019 SARS-CoV-2 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 PRISMA Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses BCG bacillus Calmette-Guérin HAV Hepatitis A OSA obstructive sleep apnea Th T helper CER cardiorespiratory event rate HCWs healthcare workers Nab neutralizing antibody Tfh follicular helper T ASC antibody-secreting cells Ab Antibody HI hemagglutination inhibition PSQI Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index PBMCs Peripheral blood mononuclear cells TNF-α tumor necrosis factor α IL-1β interleukin 1β IFN-γ Interferon gamma Nabs neutralizing antibodies ASCs antibody-secreting cells GH Growth hormone Zhu, N;Zhang, D;Wang, W;Li, X;Yang, B;Song, J;et al.China Novel Coronavirus Investigating and Research Team.A novel coronavirus from patients with pneumonia in China, 2019.. Cell Res. .2021.Nov;;31((11):):1215–7.10.1038/s41422-021-00541-61748-783834341489 Wang, W;Balfe, P;Eyre, DW;Lumley, SF;O’Donnell, D;Warren, F;et al.Time of Day of Vaccination Affects SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses in an Observational Study of Health Care Workers.. Occup Environ Med. .2020.Dec;;78((5):):307–14.10.1136/oemed-2020-1067311470-792633298533 Rizza, S;Coppeta, L;Grelli, S;Ferrazza, G;Chiocchi, M;Vanni, G;et al.High body mass index and night shift work are associated with COVID-19 in health care workers.. J Endocrinol Invest. .2021.May;;44((5):):1097–101.10.1007/s40618-020-01397-01720-838632852704 Garbarino, S;Lanteri, P;Bragazzi, NL;Magnavita, N;Scoditti, E.Role of sleep deprivation in immune-related disease risk and outcomes..

Fatalities associated with pre and post SARS-CoV-2 infection in Peru

Having been previously infected does not guarantee that one is safe in this pandemic, therefore, it is important to estimate the change in perceptions. The aim was to determine the fatalistic perception of patients recovered from COVID-19 in Peru and to identify the sociodemographic differences that influence the fatalistic perception of recovered and uninfected patients. Observational, retrospective cohort. The exposure variable was whether the patient had already been infected by COVID-19, the dependent variable was the fatalistic perception in the event of becoming ill with COVID-19 (in the case of those who had already been ill, the question was asked in the event of reinfection);this was measured with a validated test and being fatalistic was defined as those who were in the upper third of the scores;analytical statistics were obtained. Of the 8957 respondents, 37% reported that they had already been infected by COVID-19. In bivariate analysis, there was no difference in fatalism according to having been previously infected (p=0.426). In multivariate analysis, there was a lower risk of fatalism among men (aRR: 0.85;95%CI: 0.80-0.90;p-value<0.001), but an increased risk among those who believed they could be reinfected (aRR: 1.39;95%CI: 1.23-1.56;p-value<0.001), adjusted for three variables. Un conclusion, there is no association between fatalistic perception of the pandemic and having been infected with COVID-19 in Peru. However, being a woman and believing in a possible reinfection were risk factors for presenting fatalistic ideas.

Impact of BCG vaccination and metabolic risk factors on the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a cross-sectional study from a tertiary care centre in northern India

Background and aims: We present a study on the earliest cohort of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus who were admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The primary objective of the study was to find the difference in the rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admission with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients based on BCG vaccination status. The secondary objective was to assess risk factors for ICU admission and clinical course of patients with COVID-19.

COVID-19 pandemic impact on diagnosis and management of breast cancer in Northern Portugal

Background: COVID-19 pandemic brought pressure to Portuguese National Health Service (NHS). We aim to assess pandemic impact on diagnosis and management of breast cancer (BC) in a high-volume Portuguese comprehensive cancer centre, which was classified as a COVID-free institution by public health authorities.