Single-cell DNA sequencing-a potential dosimetric tool.

We hypothesised that single-cell whole-genome sequencing has the potential to detect mutational differences in the genomes of the cells that are irradiated with different doses of radiation and we set out to test our hypothesis using in silico and in vitro experiments. In this manuscript, we present our findings from a Monte Carlo single-cell irradiation simulation performed in TOPAS-nBio using a custom-built geometric nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) model, which predicts a significant dose dependence of the number of cluster damages per cell as a function of radiation dose. We also present preliminary experimental results, obtained from single-cell whole-genome DNA sequencing analysis performed on cells irradiated with different doses of radiation, showing promising agreement with the simulation results.

Characteristics of subarachnoid hemorrhage associated with COVID-19 infection: A systematic review and descriptive analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) has been reported as a neurological manifestation in 0.1% of COVID-19 patients. This systematic review investigated the outcomes and predictive factors of SAH in patients with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An electronic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus from inception to 10th September 2021. Studies reporting SAH in COVID-19 patients were included. Demographic characteristics, risk factors for disease, severity of COVID-19, and mortality of SAH in COVID-19 patients were analyzed. Subgroup analyses stratified by COVID-19 severity and mortality were conducted. RESULTS: 17 case reports, 11 case series, and 2 retrospective cohort studies, with a total of 345 cases of SAH in COVID-19 patients, were included for analysis. Most published cases were reported in the US. Mean age was 55±18.4 years, and 162 patients (48.5%) were female. 242 patients (73.8%) had severe-to-critical COVID-19, 56.7% had aneurysmal SAH, 71.4% were on anticoagulation, and 10.8% underwent surgical treatment. 136 out of 333 patients (40.8%) died. Among patients with severe-to-critical COVID-19, 11 out of 18 (61.1%) died, and 8 out of 8 (100.0%) were non-aneurysmal SAH. CONCLUSIONS: SAH is a rare but morbid occurrence in COVID-19. The mortality rate of COVID-SAH patients was 40.8%, with a higher prevalence of severe-to-critical COVID-19 (100% versus 53.8%) and non-aneurysmal SAH (85.7% versus 44.6%) among COVID-SAH deaths. Given the changing landscape of COVID-19 variants, further studies investigating the association between COVID-19 and SAH may be warranted to identify the long-term effects of COVID-19.

When face masks signal social identity: Explaining the deep face-mask divide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging and the vaccination program still rolling out, there continues to be an immediate need for public health officials to better understand the mechanisms behind the deep and perpetual divide over face masks in America. Using a random sample of Americans (N = 615), following a pre-registered experimental design and analysis plan, we first demonstrated that mask wearers were not innately more cooperative as individuals than non-mask wearers in the Prisoners' Dilemma (PD) game when information about their own and the other person's mask usage was not salient. However, we found strong evidence of in-group favouritism among both mask and non-mask wearers when information about the other partner's mask usage was known. Non-mask wearers were 23 percentage points less likely to cooperate than mask wearers when facing a mask-wearing partner, and 26 percentage points more likely to cooperate than mask wearers when facing a non-mask-wearing partner. Our analysis suggests social identity effects as the primary reason behind people's decision whether to wear face masks during the pandemic.

Observation unit management of low-risk emergency department patients with acute drug overdose.

Introduction: Observation units (OU) are being increasingly used within the Emergency Department (ED) to optimize care and reduce costs, but their use for management of overdose patients is unclear. The present study examined demographics, disposition and outcomes for ED overdose patients managed in an OU.Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a prospective consecutive cohort of adult overdose patients managed in an OU in a single ED from March 2015 to September 2018. The primary composite study outcome was occurrence of any advanced airway intervention, adverse cardiovascular events (ACVE), or mortality. Secondary outcomes were disposition and return visits.Results: Of 946 patients screened, 648 were included in the cohort. Of 132 patients requiring additional medical management after the ED visit, 25 (18.9%) were managed in the OU; 88% of OU patients were discharged home, no patients required airway management, one patient experienced an ACVE requiring admission, and there were no deaths. Three OU patients (12%) had 30-day return visits.Conclusion: In this study, almost one-fifth of patients requiring additional medical management after the ED visit qualified for a low-risk drug overdose OU pathway. Overdoses from a variety of substances were safely managed with acceptably low adverse event rates.

Can an Emergency Department Observation Unit Reduce Hospital Admissions for COPD Exacerbation?

Studies on observation unit (OU) use to avoid a hospital admission from the emergency department (ED) have found variable effects on health care resource utilization, and these effects have not been studied in acute exacerbation of chronic obstruction pulmonary disease (AECOPD). We retrospectively collected data for all AECOPD-related ED visits (age > 40) to an urban, academic medical center between February 2013 and April 2017. We examined the total proportion of visits admitted to the hospital before and after availability of an OU and the proportion of visits discharged directly from the ED using segmented regression analysis. There was a 12.8% reduction in hospital admissions after OU availability (79.6 vs. 66.8%, p = 0.0049) without a change in the proportion discharged directly from the ED (p = 0.65). The availability of an OU can decrease hospital AECOPD admissions without affecting the number of patients discharged directly from the ED.

Perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine amongst medical students in Singapore--a survey.

BACKGROUND: In view of the current upsurge of interest in, practice of, and research into, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) worldwide and locally, a survey was conducted to gauge the understanding, interest and knowledge of CAM amongst medical students in a local university. METHODS: A total of 555 first to fifth year medical students completed a questionnaire (54% response rate) designed to assess their knowledge, beliefs and attitudes to CAM in general and 16 common CAM therapies. RESULTS: Acupuncture was the best known therapy, with 57% claiming to know at least something about it. No students claimed they knew a lot about chiropractic, osteopathy, Ayuverdic medicine, homeopathy and naturopathy, and many had not ever heard of these therapies. Knowledge of commonly held beliefs about the 16 CAM modalities was generally poor, even for modalities which students claimed to know most about. A significant number of students had knowledge about CAM that was erroneous. Lack of scientific support was considered to be the main barrier to implementation of CAM. Attitudes to CAM were positive, with 92% believing that CAM includes ideas and methods from which conventional medicine can benefit, 86% wishing to know more about CAM and 91% stating that CAM would play an important role in their future medical practice. CONCLUSION: As the public's use of various healing practices outside conventional medicine accelerates, ignorance about these practices by the country's future medical practitioners risks broadening the communication gap between the public and the profession that serves them. The majority of medical students recognise this risk and are keen to bridge this gap.