Epidemiology of post-COVID conditions beyond 1 year: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of post-COVID conditions beyond 12 months and identify factors associated with the persistence of each condition. STUDY DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey. METHODS: We conducted the survey among patients who had recovered from COVID-19 and visited our institute between February 2020 and November 2021. Demographic and clinical data and data regarding the presence and duration of post-COVID conditions were obtained. We identified factors associated with the persistence of post-COVID conditions using multivariable linear regression analyses. RESULTS: Of 1148 surveyed patients, 502 completed the survey (response rate, 43.7%). Of these, 393 patients (86.4%) had mild disease in the acute phase. The proportion of participants with at least one symptom at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after symptom onset or COVID-19 diagnosis was 32.3% (124/384), 30.5% (71/233), 25.8% (24/93), and 33.3% (2/6), respectively. The observed associations were as follows: fatigue persistence with moderate or severe COVID-19 (ß = 0.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.06-0.99); shortness of breath with moderate or severe COVID-19 (ß = 1.39, 95% CI = 0.91-1.87); cough with moderate or severe COVID-19 (ß = 0.84, 95% CI = 0.40-1.29); dysosmia with being female (ß = -0.57, 95% CI = -0.97 to -0.18) and absence of underlying medical conditions (ß = -0.43, 95% CI = -0.82 to -0.05); hair loss with being female (ß = -0.61, 95% CI = -1.00 to -0.22), absence of underlying medical conditions (ß = -0.42, 95% CI = -0.80 to 0.04), and moderate or severe COVID-19 (ß = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.41-1.54); depressed mood with younger age (ß = -0.02, 95% CI = -0.04 to -0.004); and loss of concentration with being female (ß = -0.51, 95% CI = -0.94 to -0.09). CONCLUSIONS: More than one-fourth of patients after recovery from COVID-19, most of whom had had mild disease in the acute phase, had at least one symptom at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after onset of COVID-19, indicating that not a few patients with COVID-19 suffer from long-term residual symptoms, even in mild cases.

Nightlife clusters of coronavirus disease in Tokyo between March and April 2020.

We analysed associations between exposure to nightlife businesses and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 PCR test results at a tertiary hospital in Tokyo between March and April 2020. A nightlife group was defined as those who had worked at or visited the businesses. We included 1517 individuals; 196 (12.9%) were categorised as the nightlife group. After propensity score matching, the proportion of positive PCR tests in the nightlife group was significantly higher than that in the non-nightlife group (nightlife, 63.8%; non-nightlife, 23.0%; P < 0.001). An inclusive approach to mitigate risks related to the businesses needs to be identified.

Correlation between event-related potentials and MR measurements in chronic alcoholic patients.

Event-related potentials were recorded in 25 abstinent alcoholics, and 25 gender- and age-matched controls during a two-tone discrimination (odd ball) task. All the subjects were free from medication and dextral. MR images were examined in the alcoholics. The amplitudes of N100, N200 and P300 in the alcoholics were reduced compared with those of the controls. In order to identify morphological changes responsible for ERP abnormalities, linear regression analyses were performed between ERP measures and MRI parameters. The amplitude of N100 was inversely correlated with ventricular size. The amplitudes of P300 were inversely correlated with both ventricular size and width of cortical sulci. It was suggested that the N100 abnormality was related to subcortical structure, and P300 alteration was related to both subcortical and cortical structures in the alcoholics.

Abnormalities in event-related potentials: N100, N200 and P300 topography in alcoholics.

Event-related potentials were recorded in 30 abstinent alcoholics, and 30 gender- and age-matched controls during a two-tone discrimination (odd ball) task. All the subjects were free from medication and dextral. The amplitudes of N100, N200 and P300 in the alcoholics were reduced and the P300 latency prolonged as compared with those of the controls. A P300 amplitude reduction occurred in the left and midline frontal, and the left and midline central regions. This is the first report of the amplitude of P300 being markedly decreased in the left hemispheres of the brains of the alcoholics. The results are discussed in terms of the cognitive dysfunctions of alcoholics.

[Cognitive dysfunctions of alcohol dependence using event related potentials].

Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been used to investigate cognitive dysfunction in alcoholics. Previous findings are not concordant. Thirty alcoholics, and sex and age matched healthy controls (N = 30) were tested. The average age of alcoholics and the controls were 43.8 +/- 10.3 years and 44.7 +/- 11.5 years, respectively. All subjects were right handed and free from medication. Alcoholics met the criteria of DSM-III-R for alcohol dependence. ERPs were recorded during presentation of auditory stimuli. The stimuli consisted of 1kHz tone bursts referred to as 'frequent (non-target) stimuli' and 2kHz tone-bursts referred to as 'rare (target) stimuli'. The probability of frequent stimuli and rare stimuli were 0.8 and 0.2, respectively. The amplitudes of N100 and P300 were smaller in alcoholics than the controls. However, the latencies of these components were not different between the groups. The amplitudes and latencies of both N200 and P200 were not different between two subject groups. Although in the controls the maxima of P300 were seen only at parietal region, in alcoholics P300 maxima were seen at parietal region (16 out of 30, 53.3%), at frontal region (11 out of 30, 36.7%) and at occipital region (3 out of 30, 10.0%). Correlations between the distributions of P300 maxima and brain CT findings were examined in alcoholics. While CT abnormalities were been in 2 out of 19 (10.5%) subjects having P300 maxima at pareital region, in subjects having P300 maxima at frontal region the abnormalities were seen in 10 out of 11 subjects (90.9%). Correlations between values of CT measurements and the amplitudes (Pz) of P300 were examined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The N400 component of event-related potentials in schizophrenic patients: a preliminary study.

ERPs were recorded during a word recognition task to investigate cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. Thirteen medicated schizophrenics and 26 normal controls were tested. In each trial a pair of stimuli, S1 (a word) and S2 (a word or a non-word), were presented. The subjects were required to discriminate between a word and a non-word for S2 (lexical decision task). In a related (R) condition, S2 was the antonym of S1 (e.g., brother-sister); in an unrelated (U) condition, S1 and S2 were semantically unrelated (e.g., brother-drive); in the non-word (N) condition, S2 was a non-word (e.g., brother-grofe). The ERPs for S2 were analyzed, and the contextual effects on the ERPs for S2 observed for both the patients and controls. For both groups, in the U and N conditions S2 elicited a large negative-trending deflection (N370). In contrast, in the R condition it elicited only a small negative-trending notch. There was no difference in the amplitude of N370 between the groups, but its latency was more prolonged or its wave shape more extended for the schizophrenics than for the controls. The N400 amplitude is concluded to remain unchanged in schizophrenics.

[Histopathological studies on cancer evolution of the cervix uteri (author's transl)].

With selected operation materials of 118 cases with cervical cancers (Stage I & II), histologic criteria for the growth pattern was newly established. The cancer lesions were histologically divided into 4 forms for the growth pattern: superficial, exophytic, endophytic and cleft type. To attain acceptable classification of the histologic growth pattern based on morphological characteristics, the application of the present criteria was made on 62 cases in which cancer entirely involved the cervical canal. The results indicated easy applicability resulting in the uniformity of the cases as so defined, without any uncorresponded cases. Thus, total 180 cases consisted of 2 cases of superficial growth type, 54 of exophytic, 96 of endophytic and 28 of cleft type. In 96 cases of the endophytic type, crater carcinoma due to ischemic necrosis of cancer nests was not observed, except for 28 cases in which spontaneous regression was resulted from excess parakeratosis of cancer cells. A possibility exists that noduloinfiltrative or flat infiltrative type in the usual gross classification included cancer originating from clefts of endocerical glands (cleft cancer-type). Regardless of the histologic growth patterns, the cancer evolution was constantly shown as "mole" mode with a fan fashion toward the endocervix, and then with arch curve along the margin of the myometrium, because of the natural barrier. Final conclusions drawn from the results were as follows: The primary cancer lesion was constituted by the fundamental proliferation of papillomatous cancer sheets, combined with growth patterns. A remarkable diversity between histologic features of Stage Ia and those of Stage II raised a new proposal regarding re-evaluation of staging.