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Increased usage of chemical disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic may impact the chemical composition of indoor air in residential and commercial buildings. This study characterized gas-phase concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during multi-surface disinfection activities in a tiny house research facility. This unique facility provided a controlled, yet realistic environment for simulating whole-building disinfection events. VOCs were measured in real-time (1 Hz) in the bulk air of the tiny house with a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (PTR-TOF-MS). In addition, particle number (PN) size distributions were measured with a high-resolution electrical low-pressure impactor (HR-ELPI+). PTR-TOF-MS measurements demonstrate that chemical disinfectant spray products applied to multiple surfaces can substantially increase indoor VOC concentrations. © 2022 17th International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and Climate, INDOOR AIR 2022. All rights reserved.
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Background: Emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants is of concern, CT-P63 is developed as a monoclonal neutralizing antibody which broadly targets SARS-CoV-2. Objective(s): The primary objective of this study was to evaluate safety of CT-P63 up to 14 days post-dose in healthy subject. The secondary objectives were to evaluate pharmacokinetics(PK) and additional safety of CT-P63 throughout the study period. Method(s): This Phase 1 study was conducted at a single center in Poland. Twenty-four subjects in 3 cohorts were enrolled and 8 subjects in each cohort administered the CT-P63 as single IV infusion in doses of 600 mg, 900 mg and 1800 mg, and placebo (6 subjects for CT-P63 and 2 subjects for placebo). Dose Escalation Committee reviewed all safety data after 48 hours observation and decided whether to proceed with dosing. Subjects were followed up until 90 days post-dose for serum PK and immunogenicity samplings. Result(s): All subjects completed study drug administration. A total of 15 treatment-emergent adverse events(TEAEs) were reported for 8 subjects. Fourteen TEAEs were grade 1 and 2 in intensity. No death and serious TEAEs were reported during the study. The geometric mean values of t of CT-P63 ranged from 578.4 to 643.3 hours and comparable across CT-P63 groups. The AUC and AUC increased dose proportionally, but C increased slightly less than dose proportional. No positive anti-drug antibody(ADA) was observed after study drug administration. Conclusion(s): CT-P63 was proved to be well-tolerated in healthy subjects and no major safety concerns were identified. No positive ADA result was reported in all subjects and CT-P63 showed the similar PK profiles like other monoclonal antibodies.
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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused tremendous pressure on hospital infrastructures such as emergency rooms (ER) and outpatient departments. To avoid malfunctioning of critical services because of large numbers of potentially infected patients seeking consultation, we established a COVID-19 rapid response infrastructure (CRRI), which instantly restored ER functionality. The CRRI was also used for testing of hospital personnel, provided epidemiological data and was a highly effective response to increasing numbers of suspected COVID-19 cases.
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INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of healthcare including surgical training. The impact on resident and fellow education has yet to be measured. Urologic oncology is unique given potential risks associated with delaying surgery. Nevertheless, at many institutions, COVID-19 led to cancellation of surgeries, changes in scheduling practices, and discussions regarding best surgical approach for cases that were unable to be postponed. Our objective was to determine the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) fellowship operative volumes in the 2019-2020 academic year. METHODS: Deidentified operative case logs from graduating SUO fellows were obtained from the SUO Education Committee. Cases are stratified by surgery and open or minimally invasive (MIS) approach. Case logs from fellows undertaking their clinical year in 2019-2020 were compared to the three prior years using the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test. RESULTS: Thirty-five SUO fellows completed their clinical training in 2020. Median total cases performed by fellows in 2020 was 172 vs. 191 in prior 3 years, p=.44 with no significant difference in proportion of open vs MIS cases. There was no significant difference in number of MIS retroperitoneal lymph node dissections (RPLNDs), open nephrectomies, open or MIS cystectomies or prostatectomies in 2020 compared to prior years. The median number of open RPLNDs was higher in 2020 (11 vs. 8, p=0.02) while MIS nephrectomies were performed less often (24.5 vs 36, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: SUO fellow oncologic operative volumes in 2020 were minimally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the data was limited by inclusion of only oncologic cases and lack of information on location of fellowship programs. Furthermore, the graduating 2020 SUO fellows completed the first 8-9 months of their clinical training prior to the start of the pandemic. More research is needed to determine the impact of prolonged shutdowns on trainee education and on benign disease case volumes.
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Background: For infection control reasons, dying patients in care facilities were isolated from their relatives due to visit restrictions, regardless of COVID-19 diagnosis. Aim: To explore bereaved relatives' experiences with visit restrictions of dying patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Post-bereavement online survey plus additional semi-structured in-depth interviews to assess relatives' experiences with patients who died between 3.-11.2020 in different care settings, with/without COVID-19. Quantitative data were analysed descriptively including subgroup analysis and qualitative data by content analysis. The presented results focus on relatives' experiences with visit restrictions and are part of the PallPan project which develops a 'National Strategy for Palliative Care during a Pandemic'. PallPan is a project of the National Network University Medicine (NUM) to manage and overcome the pandemic. Results: 81 relatives responded to the online survey, 87.5% felt burdened by the pandemic-associated circumstances, 9.6% reported that even after the end of the official visitor ban, visits were not allowed in all facilities and the majority of relatives (65.4%) still felt burdened. Interviews with 32 relatives revealed the importance of visits respectively the burden relatives suffered when visits were prohibited. This caused difficulties in communication with the healthcare team about the patient's condition/treatment and reduced the possibility of (physical) closeness with the dying. Case-by-case decisions to allow companionship and farewell were valued by the bereaved. Conclusion: Visit restriction at the patient's end of life caused a great burden on relatives even months after the patient's death. Concepts to enable visits during the last days of life are needed including flexible pathways to ensure shared time and close companionship of patients and relatives.
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Thymol-based botanical disinfectants have emerged as natural alternatives to traditional chemical disinfectants given their effectiveness as antimicrobial pesticides and ability to inactivate SARS-CoV-2. This study investigates the impact of botanical disinfectants on indoor air chemistry and human exposure. Controlled surface disinfection experiments were conducted in a mechanically ventilated zero-energy tiny house laboratory. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aerosol size distributions were measured in real-time (1 Hz) with a proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer and a high-resolution electrical low-pressure impactor, respectively. Botanical disinfectant spray and wipe products drove sudden changes in the chemical composition of indoor air. Mixing ratios of monoterpenes (C10H16) and monoterpenoids (C10H14O, C10H16O, C10H18O, and C10H20O) increased suddenly during the disinfection events (10-1 to 102 ppb) and exhibited volatility-dependent temporal emission profiles. VOC emission factors ranged from 100 to 104 μg g-1, and thymol intake fractions ranged from 6 to 7 × 103 ppm. Rapid new particle formation events were observed due to ozonolysis of monoterpenes and monoterpenoids, increasing sub-100 nm particle number concentrations by 104 to 105 cm-3. Botanical disinfectant sprays initiated multiphase inhalation exposure to VOCs, secondary organic aerosol, and sub-10 μm droplets, with large deposited doses in each respiratory tract region associated with the latter two. ©