| Title | Venue | Year | Impact | Source |
| 6851 | Nepalese Medical Students in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ways Forward The coronavirus disease 2019 has not hit Nepal as hard as it has the rest of the world (as of 4th April 2020). Countries are reporting a saturation in healthcare facilities and facing a rise in demand for human resources for health. It is difficult to predict the extent of the disease transmission in Nepal in the absence of epidemiologic and statistical analysis in our context. But based on calculations made by epidemiologists in other countries, there seems to be a significant possibility of an outbreak in our communities too. Medical students can be a valuable human resource in a variety of ways to aid in the country's response to a possible outbreak. However, their involvement in the pandemic comes with its own challenges. Thorough planning and preparation must be done before allowing medical students to take part in the battle against the pandemic. | JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6852 | Knocking down barriers: advances in siRNA delivery In the 10 years that have passed since the Nobel prize-winning discovery of RNA interference (RNAi), billions of dollars have been invested in the therapeutic application of gene silencing in humans. Today, there are promising data from ongoing clinical trials for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and respiratory syncytial virus. Despite these early successes, however, the widespread use of RNAi therapeutics for disease prevention and treatment requires the development of clinically suitable, safe and effective drug delivery vehicles. Here, we provide an update on the progress of RNAi therapeutics and highlight novel synthetic materials for the encapsulation and intracellular delivery of nucleic acids. | Nat Rev Drug Discov | 2009 | | CORD-19 |
| 6853 | COVID-19 Vaccination Perception and Attitude among Healthcare Workers in Egypt INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world, especially the frontline worriers. To get shielded through this war, the world is racing to reach and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination hesitancy is one of the significant obstacles to global health. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the perception and attitude of healthcare workers in Egypt toward COVID-19 vaccines, acknowledge the determinants of their attitude, and the factors that could increase the acceptance of the vaccine. METHODS: an observational web-based anonymous survey was conducted on 385 Egyptian healthcare workers in different governorates. The questionnaire-based on Vaccine Hesitancy Survey Questions of the World Health Organization was available in Arabic and English languages and was tested for reliability. RESULTS: Regarding vaccination decision, 51% of the participants were undecided, 28% refused, and 21% accepted vaccination. Reasons for vaccine acceptance mainly were risks of COVID-19 (93%), safety (57.5%), and effectiveness (56.25%) of the vaccine. Simultaneously, the reasons for vaccine hesitancy were the absence of enough clinical trials (92.4%) and fear of side effects of the vaccine (91.4%). The leading factor that could increase vaccination acceptance among the participants was to get sufficient and accurate information about the available vaccines. The participants revealed a high mean level of concern for COVID-19 vaccines’ safety (3.8 of 5) that differs significantly among the different study groups (P-value .002). CONCLUSION: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, only approximately 21% of Egyptian healthcare workers in our study accepted the COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy represents a major barrier to implementing vaccination programs. | J Prim Care Community Health | 2021 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6854 | A Retrospective Study from 2 Centers in China on the Effects of Continued Use of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers in Patients with Hypertension and COVID-19 BACKGROUND: Use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients lacks evidence and is still controversial. This study was designed to investigate effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) on clinical outcomes of COVID-19 patients and to assess the safety of ACEIs/ARBs medication. MATERIAL/METHODS: COVID-19 patients with hypertension from 2 hospitals in Wuhan, China, from 17 Feb to 18 Mar 2020 were retrospectively screened and grouped according to in-hospital medication. We performed 1: 1 propensity score matching (PSM) analysis to adjust for confounding factors. RESULTS: We included 210 patients and allocated them to ACEIs/ARBs (n=81; 46.91% males) or non-ACEIs/ARBs (n=129; 48.06% males) groups. The median age was 68 [interquartile range (IQR) 61.5–76] and 66 (IQR 59–72.5) years, respectively. General comparison showed mortality in the ACEIs/ARBs group was higher (8.64% vs. 3.88%) but the difference was not significant (P=0.148). ACEIs/ARBs was associated with significantly more cases 7-categorical ordinal scale >2 at discharge, more cases requiring Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay, and increased values and ratio of days that blood pressure (BP) was above normal range (P<0.05). PSM analysis showed no significant difference in mortality, cumulative survival rate, or other clinical outcomes such as length of in-hospital/ICU stay, BP fluctuations, or ratio of adverse events between groups after adjustment for confounding parameters on admission. CONCLUSIONS: We found no association between ACEIs/ARBs and clinical outcomes or adverse events, thus indicating no evidence for discontinuing use of ACEIs/ARBs in the COVID-19 pandemic. | Med Sci Monit | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6855 | Real-time PCR in clinical microbiology: applications for routine laboratory testing N/A | Clin Microbiol Rev | 2006 | | CORD-19 |
| 6856 | Analysis of COVID-19 Incidence and Severity Among Adults Vaccinated With 2-Dose mRNA COVID-19 or Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines With and Without Boosters in Singapore N/A | JAMA Netw Open | 2022 | | LitCov |
| 6857 | Risks of myocarditis, pericarditis and cardiac arrhythmias associated with COVID-19 vaccination or SARS-CoV-2 infection Although myocarditis and pericarditis were not observed as adverse events in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine trials, there have been numerous reports of suspected cases following vaccination in the general population. We undertook a self-controlled case series study of people aged 16 or older vaccinated for COVID-19 in England between 1 December 2020 and 24 August 2021 to investigate hospital admission or death from myocarditis, pericarditis and cardiac arrhythmias in the 1–28 days following adenovirus (ChAdOx1, n = 20,615,911) or messenger RNA-based (BNT162b2, n = 16,993,389; mRNA-1273, n = 1,006,191) vaccines or a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positive test (n = 3,028,867). We found increased risks of myocarditis associated with the first dose of ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2 vaccines and the first and second doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine over the 1–28 days postvaccination period, and after a SARS-CoV-2 positive test. We estimated an extra two (95% confidence interval (CI) 0, 3), one (95% CI 0, 2) and six (95% CI 2, 8) myocarditis events per 1 million people vaccinated with ChAdOx1, BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, respectively, in the 28 days following a first dose and an extra ten (95% CI 7, 11) myocarditis events per 1 million vaccinated in the 28 days after a second dose of mRNA-1273. This compares with an extra 40 (95% CI 38, 41) myocarditis events per 1 million patients in the 28 days following a SARS-CoV-2 positive test. We also observed increased risks of pericarditis and cardiac arrhythmias following a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Similar associations were not observed with any of the COVID-19 vaccines, apart from an increased risk of arrhythmia following a second dose of mRNA-1273. Subgroup analyses by age showed the increased risk of myocarditis associated with the two mRNA vaccines was present only in those younger than 40. | Nat Med | 2021 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6858 | The Feasibility of Exercise Interventions Delivered via Telehealth for People Affected by Cancer: A Rapid Review of the Literature N/A | Semin Oncol Nurs | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6859 | COVID-19 and anosmia: A review based on up-to-date knowledge The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a vast disaster throughout the world. There is increasing evidence that Olfactory dysfunction can present in COVID-19 patients. Anosmia can occur alone or can be accompanied by other symptoms of COVID-19, such as a dry cough. However, the pathogenic mechanism of olfactory dysfunction and its clinical characteristics in patients with COVID-19 remains unclear. Multiple cross-sectional studies have demonstrated that the incidence rate of Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19 patients varies from 33.9–68% with female dominance. Anosmia and dysgeusia are often comorbid in COVID-19 patients. Otolaryngologists should be mindful of the symptom of anosmia in outpatients so as not to delay the diagnosis of COVID-19. In this paper, we have reviewed the relevant knowledge based on up-to-date literature. | Am J Otolaryngol | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6860 | Inactivated SARS-CoV vaccine elicits high titers of spike protein-specific antibodies that block receptor binding and virus entry The only severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) vaccine currently being tested in clinical trial consists of inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome-associate coronavirus (SARS-CoV). However, limited information is available about host immune responses induced by the inactivated SARS vaccine. In this study, we demonstrated that SARS-CoV inactivated by β-propiolactone elicited high titers of antibodies in the immunized mice and rabbits that recognize the spike (S) protein, especially the receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the S1 region. The antisera from the immunized animals efficiently bound to the RBD and blocked binding of RBD to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the functional receptor on the susceptible cells for SARS-CoV. With a sensitive and quantitative single-cycle infection assay using pseudovirus bearing the SARS-CoV S protein, we demonstrated that mouse and rabbit antisera significantly inhibited S protein-mediated virus entry with mean 50% inhibitory titers of 1:7393 and 1:2060, respectively. These data suggest that the RBD of S protein is a major neutralization determinant in the inactivated SARS vaccine which can induce potent neutralizing antibodies to block SARS-CoV entry. However, caution should be taken in using the inactivated SARS-CoV as a vaccine since it may also cause harmful immune and/or inflammatory responses. | Biochem Biophys Res Commun | 2004 | | CORD-19 |
| 6861 | Exploring Perceived Stress among Students in Turkey during the COVID-19 Pandemic Students have been highly vulnerable to mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers have shown that perceived stress and mental health problems have increased during the pandemic. The aim of this study was to reveal the prevalence of perceived stress and mental health among students during the pandemic and to explore predictors of stress levels. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 358 undergraduates from 14 universities in Turkey, including 200 female students (56%). The measurements used in the study were the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Perception of COVID Impact on Student Well-Being (CI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Physical Activity Scale (PA), and a sociodemographic survey. Students reported high perceived stress, mild generalized anxiety, and low satisfaction with life. More than half of the students met the diagnostic criteria of GAD (52%) and depression (63%). Female and physically inactive students had higher PSS-10 levels. A hierarchical linear regression model showed that after controlling for gender and negative CI, anxiety and physical inactivity significantly predicted high perceived stress. The study shows that students’ mental health during the pandemic is at high risk. | Int J Environ Res Public Healt | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6862 | Contamination-free visual detection of SARS-CoV-2 with CRISPR/Cas12a: A promising method in the point-of-care detection The outbreaks of the infectious disease COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 seriously threatened the life of humans. A rapid, reliable and specific detection method was urgently needed. Herein, we reported a contamination-free visual detection method of for SARS-CoV-2 with LAMP and CRISPR/Cas12a technology. CRISPR/Cas12a reagents were pre-added on the inner wall of the tube lid. After LAMP reaction, CRISPR/Cas12a reagents were flowed into the tube and mixed with amplicon solution by hand shaking, which can effectively avoid possible amplicon formed aerosol contamination caused by re-opening the lid after amplification. CRISPR/Cas12a can highly specific recognize target sequence and discriminately cleave single strand DNA probes (5′-6FAM 3′-BHQ1). With smart phone and portable 3D printing instrument, the produced fluorescence can be seen by naked eyes without any dedicated instruments, which is promising in the point-of-care detection. The whole amplification and detection process could be completed within 40 min with high sensitivity of 20 copies RNA of SARS-CoV-2. This reaction had high specificity and could avoid cross-reactivity with other common viruses such as influenza virus. For 7 positive and 3 negative respiratory swab samples provided by Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, our detection results had 100% positive agreement and 100% negative agreement, which demonstrated the accuracy and application prospect of this method. | Biosens Bioelectron | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6863 | Living systematic reviews: an emerging opportunity to narrow the evidence-practice gap N/A | PLoS Med | 2014 | | CORD-19 |
| 6864 | Adaptive Feature Selection Guided Deep Forest for COVID-19 Classification With Chest CT N/A | IEEE J Biomed Health Inform | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6865 | Primary structure of the glycoprotein E2 of coronavirus MHV-A59 and identification of the trypsin cleavage site Abstract The nucleotide sequence of the peplomer (E2) gene of MHV-A59 was determined from a set of overlapping cDNA clones. The E2 gene encodes a protein of 1324 amino acids including a hydrophobic signal peptide. A second large hydrophobic domain is found near the COOH terminus and probably represents the membrane anchor. Twenty glycosylation sites are predicted. Cleavage of the E2 protein results in two different 90K species, 90A and 90B (L. S. Sturman, C. S. Ricard, and K. V. Holmes (1985) J. Virol. 56, 904–911), and activates cell fusion. Protein sequencing of the trypsin-generated N-terminus revealed the position of the cleavage site. 90A and 90B could be identified as the C-terminal and the N-terminal parts, respectively. Amino acid sequence comparison of the A59 and 1HM E2 proteins showed extensive homology and revealed a stretch of 89 amino acids in the 90B region of the A59 E2 protein that is absent in JHM. | Virology | 1987 | | CORD-19 |
| 6866 | Risk for In-Hospital Complications Associated with COVID-19 and Influenza-Veterans Health Administration, United States, October 1, 2018-May 31, 2020 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is primarily a respiratory illness, although increasing evidence indicates that infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can affect multiple organ systems (1). Data that examine all in-hospital complications of COVID-19 and that compare these complications with those associated with other viral respiratory pathogens, such as influenza, are lacking. To assess complications of COVID-19 and influenza, electronic health records (EHRs) from 3,948 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (March 1-May 31, 2020) and 5,453 hospitalized patients with influenza (October 1, 2018-February 1, 2020) from the national Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated health care system in the United States,* were analyzed. Using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) codes, complications in patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 were compared with those in patients with influenza. Risk ratios were calculated and adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and underlying medical conditions; proportions of complications were stratified among patients with COVID-19 by race/ethnicity. Patients with COVID-19 had almost 19 times the risk for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) than did patients with influenza, (adjusted risk ratio [aRR] = 18.60; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 12.40-28.00), and more than twice the risk for myocarditis (2.56; 1.17-5.59), deep vein thrombosis (2.81; 2.04-3.87), pulmonary embolism (2.10; 1.53-2.89), intracranial hemorrhage (2.85; 1.35-6.03), acute hepatitis/liver failure (3.13; 1.92-5.10), bacteremia (2.46; 1.91-3.18), and pressure ulcers (2.65; 2.14-3.27). The risks for exacerbations of asthma (0.27; 0.16-0.44) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (0.37; 0.32-0.42) were lower among patients with COVID-19 than among those with influenza. The percentage of COVID-19 patients who died while hospitalized (21.0%) was more than five times that of influenza patients (3.8%), and the duration of hospitalization was almost three times longer for COVID-19 patients. Among patients with COVID-19, the risk for respiratory, neurologic, and renal complications, and sepsis was higher among non-Hispanic Black or African American (Black) patients, patients of other races, and Hispanic or Latino (Hispanic) patients compared with those in non-Hispanic White (White) patients, even after adjusting for age and underlying medical conditions. These findings highlight the higher risk for most complications associated with COVID-19 compared with influenza and might aid clinicians and researchers in recognizing, monitoring, and managing the spectrum of COVID-19 manifestations. The higher risk for certain complications among racial and ethnic minority patients provides further evidence that certain racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionally affected by COVID-19 and that this disparity is not solely accounted for by age and underlying medical conditions. | MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6867 | Evaluation of Two Chemiluminescent and Three ELISA Immunoassays for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies: Implications for Disease Diagnosis and Patients' Management The estimation of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies is possibly the best approach to accurately establish the number of infected individuals and the seroprevalence of COVID-19 within a population. Thus, several commercial immunoassays have recently been developed. The purpose of our study was to assess the performance of five commonly used immunoassays in Greece (3 ELISA, namely Euroimmun SARS-CoV-2, GA GENERIC SARS-CoV-2 and Vircell COVID-19; and 2 chemiluminescent, namely ABBOTT SARS-CoV-2 and ROCHE Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 test) for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Sera specimens derived from 168 individuals were utilized to assess the specificity and sensitivity score of each assay. Among them, we included 99 COVID-19 patients (29 asymptomatic, 36 with symptom onset 4 to 14 days before serum sampling, and 34 with symptom initiation ≥ 15 days ago), and 69 volunteers with sera specimens collected prior to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and maintained at −80°C. We demonstrated that chemiluminescent immunoassays exhibit a significantly higher specificity score but a lower sensitivity, compared to ELISA immunoassays. Moreover, immunoassays detecting IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 N protein instead of S protein alone are more reliable, considering both specificity and sensitivity scores. Interestingly, all asymptomatic patients displayed anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies, confirmed by at least two immunoassays. We suggest that chemiluminescent assays could be used as screening methods for the detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies to evaluate the possible prevalence of disease in the general population, while ELISA assays would be more reliable to evaluate, and follow-up confirmed COVID-19 patients. | Front Immunol | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6868 | Assessment of Knowledge, Practice and Guidelines towards the Novel COVID-19 among Eye Care Practitioners in Nigeria-A Survey-Based Study The aim of this study was to explore knowledge, practice of risk and guidelines of the novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) infection among the eye care practitioners and the potential associated factors. A cross-sectional self-administered online survey was distributed via emails and social media networks between 2nd and 18th May 2020 corresponding to the week of the lockdown in Nigeria to eye care practitioners (ECPs). Data for 823 respondents were analyzed. Knowledge and risk practice were categorized as binary outcome and univariate and multivariate linear regression were used to examine the associated factors. The mean score for COVID-19-related knowledge of public health guidelines was high and varied across the ECPs. Ophthalmic Nurses, Ophthalmologists and Optometrists showed higher COVID-19-related knowledge than other ECPs (p < 0.001), particularly those working in the private sector. More than 50% of ECPs stated they provided essential services during the COVID-19 lockdown via physical consultation, particularly the Ophthalmologists. Most respondents reported that the guidelines provided by their Association were useful but expressed their lack of confidence in attending to patients during and after the COVID-19 lockdown. Compared to other ECPs in Nigeria, more Ophthalmic Nurses received training in the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This survey is the first to assess knowledge, attitudes and practice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. ECPs in Nigeria displayed good knowledge about COVID-19 and provided eye care services during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, despite the majority not receiving any training on the use of PPEs with concerns over attending to patients. There is need for the government to strengthen health systems by improving and extending training on standard infection prevention and control measures to ECPs for effective control of the pandemic and in the future as essential health workers. | Int J Environ Res Public Healt | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6869 | Preventing COVID-19 Collateral Damage | Clin Infect Dis | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6870 | Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of 1420 European patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 BACKGROUND: The clinical presentation of European patients with mild‐to‐moderate Covid‐19 infection is still unknown. OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical presentation of Covid‐19 in Europe. METHODS: Patients with positive diagnosis of Covid‐19 were recruited from 18 European hospitals. Epidemiological and clinical data were obtained through a standardized questionnaire. Bayesian analysis was used for analyzing the relationship between outcomes. RESULTS: 1,420 patients completed the study (962 females, 30.7% of health care workers). The mean age of patients was 39.17±12.09 years. The most common symptoms were headache (70.3%), loss of smell (70.2%), nasal obstruction (67.8%), cough (63.2%), asthenia (63.3%), myalgia (62.5%), rhinorrhea (60.1%), gustatory dysfunction (54.2%) and sore throat (52.9%). Fever was reported by on 45.4%. The mean duration of Covid‐19 symptoms of mild‐to‐moderate cured patients was 11.5±5.7 days. The prevalence of symptoms significantly varied according to age and sex. Young patients more frequently had ear, nose, and throat complaints, whereas elderly individuals often presented fever, fatigue and loss of appetite. Loss of smell, headache, nasal obstruction and fatigue were more prevalent in female patients. The loss of smell was a key symptom of mild‐to‐moderate Covid19 patients and was not associated with nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea. Loss of smell persisted at least 7 days after the disease in 37.5% of cured patients. CONCLUSION: The clinical presentation of mild‐to‐moderate Covid‐19 substantially varies according to the age and the sex characteristics of patients. Olfactory dysfunction seems to be an important underestimated symptom of mild‐to‐moderate Covid‐19 that needs to be recognized as such by the WHO. | J Intern Med | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6871 | The airborne lifetime of small speech droplets and their potential importance in SARS-CoV-2 transmission Speech droplets generated by asymptomatic carriers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are increasingly considered to be a likely mode of disease transmission. Highly sensitive laser light scattering observations have revealed that loud speech can emit thousands of oral fluid droplets per second. In a closed, stagnant air environment, they disappear from the window of view with time constants in the range of 8 to 14 min, which corresponds to droplet nuclei of ca. 4 μm diameter, or 12- to 21-μm droplets prior to dehydration. These observations confirm that there is a substantial probability that normal speaking causes airborne virus transmission in confined environments. | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6872 | COVID-19 Re-infection by a Phylogenetically Distinct SARS-CoV-2 Strain Confirmed by Whole Genome Sequencing BACKGROUND: Waning immunity occurs in patients who have recovered from COVID-19. However, it remains unclear whether true re-infection occurs. METHODS: Whole genome sequencing was performed directly on respiratory specimens collected during two episodes of COVID-19 in a patient. Comparative genome analysis was conducted to differentiate re-infection from persistent viral shedding. Laboratory results, including RT-PCR Ct values and serum SARS-CoV-2 IgG, were analyzed. RESULTS: The second episode of asymptomatic infection occurred 142 days after the first symptomatic episode in an apparently immunocompetent patient. During the second episode, there was serological evidence of elevated C-reactive protein and SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroconversion. Viral genomes from first and second episodes belong to different clades/lineages. Compared to viral genomes in GISAID, the first virus genome has a stop codon at position 64 of orf8 leading to a truncation of 58 amino acids, and was phylogenetically closely related to strains collected in March/April 2020, while the second virus genome was closely related to strains collected in July/August 2020. Another 23 nucleotide and 13 amino acid differences located in 9 different proteins, including positions of B and T cell epitopes, were found between viruses from the first and second episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Epidemiological, clinical, serological and genomic analyses confirmed that the patient had re-infection instead of persistent viral shedding from first infection. Our results suggest SARS-CoV-2 may continue to circulate among the human populations despite herd immunity due to natural infection or vaccination. Further studies of patients with re-infection will shed light on protective correlates important for vaccine design. | Clin Infect Dis | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6873 | Detection of coronavirus strain 692 by immune electron microscopy N/A | Infect Immun | 1973 | | CORD-19 |
| 6874 | Medical Students' Perceptions and an Anatomy Teacher's Personal Experience Using an e-Learning Platform for Tutorials During the Covid-19 Crisis N/A | Anat Sci Educ | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6875 | Impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on pulmonary function, functional capacity and quality of life in a cohort of survivors N/A | Thorax | 2005 | | CORD-19 |
| 6876 | COVID-19 Transmission in Dental Practice: Brief Review of Preventive Measures in Italy N/A | J Dent Res | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6877 | An orally bioavailable broad-spectrum antiviral inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in human airway epithelial cell cultures and multiple coronaviruses in mice Coronaviruses (CoVs) traffic frequently between species resulting in novel disease outbreaks, most recently exemplified by the newly emerged SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Herein, we show that the ribonucleoside analog β-D-N(4)-hydroxycytidine (NHC, EIDD-1931) has broad spectrum antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and related zoonotic group 2b or 2c Bat-CoVs, as well as increased potency against a coronavirus bearing resistance mutations to the nucleoside analog inhibitor remdesivir. In mice infected with SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV, both prophylactic and therapeutic administration of EIDD-2801, an orally bioavailable NHC-prodrug (β-D-N(4)-hydroxycytidine-5′-isopropyl ester), improved pulmonary function, and reduced virus titer and body weight loss. Decreased MERS-CoV yields in vitro and in vivo were associated with increased transition mutation frequency in viral but not host cell RNA, supporting a mechanism of lethal mutagenesis in CoV. The potency of NHC/EIDD-2801 against multiple coronaviruses and oral bioavailability highlight its potential utility as an effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 and other future zoonotic coronaviruses. | Sci Transl Med | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6878 | Patient Characteristics Associated With Telemedicine Access for Primary and Specialty Ambulatory Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic IMPORTANCE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has required a shift in health care delivery platforms, necessitating a new reliance on telemedicine. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether inequities are present in telemedicine use and video visit use for telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: In this cohort study, a retrospective medical record review was conducted from March 16 to May 11, 2020, of all patients scheduled for telemedicine visits in primary care and specialty ambulatory clinics at a large academic health system. Age, race/ethnicity, sex, language, median household income, and insurance type were all identified from the electronic medical record. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: A successfully completed telemedicine visit and video (vs telephone) visit for a telemedicine encounter. Multivariable models were used to assess the association between sociodemographic factors, including sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and language, and the use of telemedicine visits, as well as video use specifically. RESULTS: A total of 148 402 unique patients (86 055 women [58.0%]; mean [SD] age, 56.5 [17.7] years) had scheduled telemedicine visits during the study period; 80 780 patients (54.4%) completed visits. Of 78 539 patients with completed visits in which visit modality was specified, 35 824 (45.6%) were conducted via video, whereas 24 025 (56.9%) had a telephone visit. In multivariable models, older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.85 [95% CI, 0.83-0.88] for those aged 55-64 years; aOR, 0.75 [95% CI, 0.72-0.78] for those aged 65-74 years; aOR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.64-0.70] for those aged ≥75 years), Asian race (aOR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.66-0.73]), non-English language as the patient’s preferred language (aOR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.78-0.90]), and Medicaid insurance (aOR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89-0.97]) were independently associated with fewer completed telemedicine visits. Older age (aOR, 0.79 [95% CI, 0.76-0.82] for those aged 55-64 years; aOR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.74-0.83] for those aged 65-74 years; aOR, 0.49 [95% CI, 0.46-0.53] for those aged ≥75 years), female sex (aOR, 0.92 [95% CI, 0.90-0.95]), Black race (aOR, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.62-0.68]), Latinx ethnicity (aOR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.83-0.97]), and lower household income (aOR, 0.57 [95% CI, 0.54-0.60] for income <$50 000; aOR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.85-0.92], for $50 000-$100 000) were associated with less video use for telemedicine visits. These results were similar across medical specialties. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study of patients scheduled for primary care and medical specialty ambulatory telemedicine visits at a large academic health system during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, older patients, Asian patients, and non–English-speaking patients had lower rates of telemedicine use, while older patients, female patients, Black, Latinx, and poorer patients had less video use. Inequities in accessing telemedicine care are present, which warrant further attention. | JAMA Netw Open | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6879 | Systematic assembly of a full-length infectious cDNA of mouse hepatitis virus strain A59 N/A | J Virol | 2002 | | CORD-19 |
| 6880 | Ethics for surgeons during the COVID-19 pandemic, review article The Covid-19 pandemic is a devastating global healthcare emergency with seismic impact on how modern surgical services function. Surgeons worry, that whilst healthcare-resources are directed against the pandemic, double effect may predict these benevolent public health efforts will cause unintended maleficent effects through delays to surgical treatment. Surgeons will make many challenging ethical judgements during this pandemic, here we conduct a narrative review of how medical ethics may help us make the best available choices. A narrative review of all the relevant papers known to the author was conducted. We discuss the key aspects of medical ethics, and how they have applied to surgeons during the Covid-19 pandemic. The four fundamental principles of medical ethics include: Beneficence, Nonmaleficence, Autonomy and Justice. Surgeons will face many decisions which shall challenge those ethical principles during the pandemic, and wisdom from medical ethics can guide surgeons, to do the right thing, make best available choices, and get the best available outcome for patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. The practice of surgery is distinguished by good judgement in the face of uncertainty, we must strive to do the right thing, advocate for our patients, and be honest in the face of uncertainty. Medical Ethics can guide us to make the best available choices for our patients during the Covid-19 pandemic, afterwards, we must emerge wiser having learnt lessons and rebuilding trust in surgical care. | Ann Med Surg (Lond) | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6881 | Alltest rapid lateral flow immunoassays is reliable in diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infection from 14 days after symptom onset: A prospective single-center study OBJECTIVES: SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnosis is challenging in patients from 2-3 weeks after the onset of symptoms, due to the low positivity rate of the PCR. Serologic tests could be complementary to PCR in these situations. The aim of our study was to analyze the diagnostic performance of one serologic rapid test in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We evaluated a lateral flow immunoassay (AllTest COVID-19 IgG/IgM) which detects IgG and IgM antibodies. We validated the serologic test using serum samples from 100 negative patients (group 1) and 90 patients with COVID-19 confirmed by PCR (group 2). Then, we prospectively evaluated the test in 61 patients with clinical diagnosis of pneumonia of unknown etiology that were negative for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR (group 3). RESULTS: All 100 patients from group 1 were negative for the serologic test (specificity = 100%). Regarding group 2 (PCR-positive), the median time from their symptom onset until testing was 17 days. For these 90 group-2 patients, the test was positive for either IgM or IgG in 58 (overall sensitivity = 64.4%), and in patients tested 14 days or more after the onset of symptoms, the sensitivity was 88.0%. Regarding the 61 group-3 patients, median time after symptom onset was also 17 days, and the test was positive in 54 (88.5% positivity). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that serologic lateral flow immunoassays are reliable as a complement of PCR to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection after 14 days from the onset of symptoms and in patients with pneumonia and negative PCR for SARS-CoV-2. | J Clin Virol | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6882 | Severe respiratory illness associated with a novel coronavirus-Saudi Arabia and Qatar, 2012 N/A | MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep | 2012 | | CORD-19 |
| 6883 | Global research trends in West Nile virus from 1943 to 2016: a bibliometric analysis BACKGROUND: West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging infectious disease which is most commonly transmitted to humans through mosquito, and is considered a major public-health problem worldwide. The aim of the current study is to bibliometrically analyze the quantity and quality of publications indexed in Scopus from different countries to reveal the characteristics of global research output regarding WNV. METHODS: This study is a bibliometric analysis based on the Scopus database. This study focused on identifying WNV publication trends with regard to publication year, publication type, prolific countries, language of publication, as well as, prolific journals, citations, and collaboration patterns. RESULTS: A total of 4729 publications were considered in this study, which were published between 1943 and 2016. The annual quantity of literature published before 2000 followed a low rate of research growth; while the quantity of publications after 2000 were published in a stage of rapid development. The country with the greatest number of publications in WNV research field was the USA with 2304 (48.7%) publications, followed by France with 224 (4.7%) publications, and Canada with 222 (4.7%) publications. Contributions from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) were considerably small, that is, (n = 519 publications; 11%). All publications related to WNV achieved h-index of 140 and were cited 124,222 times. The median [interquartile range] number of citations per article thus amounts to 9 [2-28]. The USA had the highest h-index of 131. Emerging Infectious Diseases is the most productive journal with 227 articles, followed by Journal of Virology with 162 publications. The result designated that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was ranked the first in terms of publication output, followed by National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. CONCLUSIONS: There is an obvious trend of WNV research after 2000, and countries with high income have more contributions in WNV research field. The research output is low among LMIC. The USA produced the largest number of publications. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention obtained the leading position of the institutions in terms of publication output. In general, this study not only presents a full view of global WNV research, but also can contribute for future further research in this field. | Global Health | 2017 | | CORD-19 |
| 6884 | COVID-19 and diabetes: Knowledge in progress AIMS: We aimed to briefly review the general characteristics of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and provide a better understanding of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in people with diabetes, and its management. METHODS: We searched for articles in PubMed and Google Scholar databases till 02 April 2020, with the following keywords: “SARS-CoV-2”, “COVID-19”, “infection”, “pathogenesis”, “incubation period”, “transmission”, “clinical features”, “diagnosis”, “treatment”, “diabetes”, with interposition of the Boolean operator “AND”. RESULTS: The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 is heterogeneous, ranging from mild flu-like symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure and death. Older age, diabetes and other comorbidities are reported as significant predictors of morbidity and mortality. Chronic inflammation, increased coagulation activity, immune response impairment, and potential direct pancreatic damage by SARS-CoV-2 might be among the underlying mechanisms of the association between diabetes and COVID-19. No conclusive evidence exists to support the discontinuation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blockers because of COVID-19 in people with diabetes. Caution should be taken to potential hypoglycemic events with the use of chloroquine in these subjects. Patient tailored therapeutic strategies, rigorous glucose monitoring and careful consideration of drug interactions might reduce adverse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Suggestions are made on the possible pathological mechanisms of the relationship between diabetes and COVID-19, and its management. No definite conclusions can be made based on current limited evidence. Further research regarding this relationship and its clinical management is warranted. | Diabetes Res Clin Pract | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6885 | Novel polar single amino acid chelates for technetium-99m tricarbonyl-based radiopharmaceuticals with enhanced renal clearance: application to octreotide N/A | Bioconjug Chem | 2010 | | CORD-19 |
| 6886 | Lessons from SARS-CoV-2003 Pandemic as Evidence to Advocate for Stroke Public Education During the Current COVID-19 Pandemic N/A | Ann Acad Med Singap | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6887 | COVID-19 pandemic-is virtual urology clinic the answer to keeping the cancer pathway moving? N/A | BJU Int | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6888 | Diagnostic Performance of CT and Reverse Transcriptase PCR for COVID-19: A Meta-Analysis BACKGROUND: Recent studies have suggested that chest computed tomography (CT) scans could be used as a primary screening or diagnostic tool for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in epidemic areas. PURPOSE: To perform a meta-analysis to evaluate diagnostic performance measures, including predictive values, of chest CT and initial reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE and Embase were searched from January 1, 2020 to April 3, 2020 for studies on COVID-19 that reported the sensitivity and/or specificity of CT scans and/or RT-PCR assays. The pooled sensitivity and specificity were estimated by using random-effects models. The actual prevalence (i.e., the proportion of confirmed patients among those tested) in eight countries was obtained from web sources, and the predictive values were calculated. Meta-regression was performed to reveal the effect of potential explanatory factors on the diagnostic performance measures. RESULTS: The pooled sensitivity was 94% (95% CI: 91%, 96%; I(2)=95%) for chest CT and 89% (95% CI: 81%, 94%; I(2)=90%) for RT-PCR. The pooled specificity was 37% (95% CI: 26%, 50%; I(2)=83%) for chest CT. The prevalence of COVID-19 outside China ranged from 1.0% to 22.9%. For chest CT scans, the positive predictive value (PPV) ranged from 1.5% to 30.7%, and the negative predictive value (NPV) ranged from 95.4% to 99.8%. For RT-PCR,the PPV ranged from 47.3% to 96.4%, while the NPV ranged from 96.8% to 99.9%. The sensitivity of CT was affected by the distribution of disease severity, the proportion of patients with comorbidities, and the proportion of asymptomatic patients (all p < 0.05). The sensitivity of RT-PCR was negatively associated with the proportion of elderly patients (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Outside of China where there is a low-prevalence of COVID-19 (1-22.9%), chest CT screening of patients with suspected disease had low positive predictive value (1.5-30.7%). | Radiology | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6889 | Personality, Coping Strategies and Mental Health in High-Performance Athletes During Confinement Derived From the COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 outbreak has affected the sports field unprecedentedly. The emergency alert has deprived athletes of training in a suitable environment, as they are faced with cancellations of relevant events in their sports careers. This situation can cause stress levels and other emotional disorders similar to those experienced by athletes during periods of injury. Since the relationship between psychological factors and sports injuries is well-studied, the Global Psychological Model of Sports Injury (MGPLD) is applied to this historical situation for athletes. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between perfectionism and trait anxiety with indicators of mental health (mood, depression, state anxiety, and stress) in high-performance athletes during confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to explore the coping strategies that athletes have applied and whether they are perceived as useful for managing negative emotional states. A cross-sectional study was conducted through online questionnaires during April 2020, adapting the Psychological Assessment Protocol of the High-Performance Sports Center of Murcia (Spain), to assess the psychological effects of confinement in a cross-cultural sample of 310 athletes (141 women and 169 men) from different countries in Europe, Asia, and America, and from diverse sports disciplines. The protocol comprised six instruments that test perfectionism, trait anxiety, mood states, stress, depression, coping strategies, and sleep. It was answered online via Google Forms. The results show that maladaptive perfectionism was related to all the indicators of athletes' mental health. However, athletes' levels of anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms are relatively low, and the use of coping strategies such as cognitive restructuring and emotional calm was associated with lower levels of negative emotional states. Besides, the Iceberg Profile, a suitable fit for the mental health model, is observed in the mood of athletes, both in men and in women, although women showed higher levels of anxiety, stress, and depression than men. A strong relationship was observed between maladaptive perfectionism and martial arts sports discipline, superior to other sports. In short, it can be concluded that high-performance athletes in the studied sample showed negative emotional state values below the expected average. Finally, the proposals for practical applications of the results collected are discussed. | Front Public Health | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6890 | Characterization of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus genomes in Taiwan: molecular epidemiology and genome evolution N/A | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | 2004 | | CORD-19 |
| 6891 | Orthogonal SARS-CoV-2 Serological Assays Enable Surveillance of Low-Prevalence Communities and Reveal Durable Humoral Immunity We conducted a serological study to define correlates of immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Relative to mild COVID-19 cases, individuals with severe disease exhibited elevated virus-neutralizing titers and antibodies against nucleocapsid (N) and the receptor binding domain (RBD) of spike protein. Age and sex played lesser roles. All cases, including asymptomatic individuals, seroconverted by 2 weeks post-PCR confirmation. Spike RBD and S2 and neutralizing antibodies remained detectable through 5-7 months post-onset, whereas α-N titers diminished. Testing of 5882 members of the local community revealed only 1 sample with seroreactivity to both RBD and S2 that lacked neutralizing antibodies. This fidelity could not be achieved with either RBD or S2 alone. Thus, inclusion of multiple independent assays improved the accuracy of antibody tests in low seroprevalence communities and revealed differences in antibody kinetics depending on the antigen. We conclude that neutralizing antibodies are stably produced for at least 5-7 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. | Immunity | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6892 | Protection Level and Reusability of a Modified Full-Face Snorkel Mask as Alternative Personal Protective Equipment for Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic [Image: see text] The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has drastically increased pressure on medical resources and highlighted the need for rapidly available, large-scale, and low-cost personal protective equipment (PPE). In this work, an alternative full-face mask is adapted from a modified snorkel mask to be used as PPE with two medical-grade filters and a 3D-printed adapter. Since the mask covers the eyes, mouth, and nose, it acts as a full-face shield, providing additional protection to healthcare workers. The SARS-CoV-2 has a size between 60 nm and 140 nm, and airborne viral particles can be carried by larger droplets with sizes up to several millimeters. The minimum filtration efficiency of mechanical and electrostatic filters is usually reached between 30 nm and 300 nm. The filtration efficiency of different medical filters is measured for particles below 300 nm to cover the size of the SARS-CoV-2 and small virus-laden droplets, and determine the minimum efficiency. The filtration performance of the adapted full-face mask is characterized using NaCl particles below 500 nm and different fitting scenarios to determine the minimum protection efficiency. The mask is compared to a commercial respirator and characterized according to the EN 149 standard, demonstrating that the protection fulfills the requirements for the FFP2 level (filtering face-piece 2, stopping at least 94% of airborne particles). The device shows a good resistance to several cycles of decontamination (autoclaving and ethanol immersion), is easy to be produced locally at low cost, and helps to address the shortage in FFP2 masks and face shields by providing adequate protection to healthcare workers against particles <500 nm in size. | Chem Res Toxicol | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6893 | Risk factors for disease severity, unimprovement and mortality in COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China Abstract Objective Since December 2019, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan. However, the characteristics and risk factors associated with disease severity, unimprovement and mortality are unclear. Methods All consecutive patients diagnosed with COVID-19 admitted to the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 11 to February 6, 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. Results A total of 663 COVID-19 patients were included in this study. Among those, 247 (37.3%) had at least one kind of chronic disease. A total of 0.5% (n=3) of patients were diagnosed with mild COVID-19, while 37.8% (251/663), 47.5% (315/663), and 14.2% (94/663) were in moderate, severe, and critical condition, respectively. In our hospital during follow-up, 251 of 663 (37.9%) patients were improved and 25 patients died, leading to a mortality rate of 3.77%. Older patients (>60 years old) and those with chronic diseases were prone to have severe and critical COVID-19 conditions, show unimprovement, and die (P < 0.001, < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified being male (OR = 0.486, 95% CI 0.311-0.758; P = 0.001), having severe COVID-19 conditions (OR = 0.129, 95% CI 0.082-0.201; P < 0.001), expectoration (OR = 1.796, 95% CI 1.062-3.036; P = 0.029), muscle ache (OR = 0.309, 95% CI 0.153-0.626; P = 0.001), and decreased albumin (OR = 1.929, 95% CI 1.199-3.104; P = 0.007) were associated with unimprovement in COVID-19 patients. Conclusion Being male, in severe COVID-19 conditions, expectoration, muscle ache, and decreased albumin were independent risk factors which influence the improvement of COVID-19 patients. | Clin Microbiol Infect | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6894 | Diagnosis of the Coronavirus disease: rRT-PCR or CT? PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of computed tomography (CT) and real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) for COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: This retrospective study included all patients with COVID-19 pneumonia suspicion, who were examined by both CT and rRT-PCR at initial presentation. The sensitivities of both tests were then compared. For patients with a final confirmed diagnosis, clinical and laboratory data, in addition to CT imaging findings were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 36 patients were finally diagnosed with COVID-19 pneumonia. Thirty-five patients had abnormal CT findings at presentation, whereas one patient had a normal CT. Using rRT-PCR, 30 patients were tested positive, with 6 cases initially missed. Amongst these 6 patients, 3 became positive in the second rRT-PCR assay(after 2 days, 2 days and 3 days respectively), and the other 3 became positive only in the third round of rRT-PCR tests(after 5 days, 6 days and 8 days respectively). At presentation, CT sensitivity was therefore 97.2%, whereas the sensitivity of initial rRT-PCR was only 83.3%. CONCLUSION: rRT-PCR may produce initial false negative results. We suggest that patients with typical CT findings but negative rRT-PCR results should be isolated, and rRT-PCR should be repeated to avoid misdiagnosis. | Eur J Radiol | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6895 | The impact of COVID-19 on children with autism spectrum disorder N/A | Rev Neurol | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6896 | Immunogenic cell death in cancer and infectious disease N/A | Nat Rev Immunol | 2017 | | CORD-19 |
| 6897 | Treating COVID-19-Off-Label Drug Use, Compassionate Use and Randomized Clinical Trials During Pandemics N/A | JAMA | 2020 | | LitCov and CORD-19 |
| 6898 | Relevance of nucleic acid amplification techniques for diagnosis of respiratory tract infections in the clinical laboratory N/A | Clin Microbiol Rev | 1997 | | CORD-19 |
| 6899 | The X-files in immunity: sex-based differences predispose immune responses Despite accumulating evidence in support of sex-based differences in innate and adaptive immune responses, in the susceptibility to infectious diseases and in the prevalence of autoimmune diseases, health research and clinical practice do not address these distinctions, and most research studies of immune responses do not stratify by sex. X-linked genes, hormones and societal context are among the many factors that contribute to disparate immune responses in males and females. It is crucial to address sex-based differences in disease pathogenesis and in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of therapeutic medications to provide optimal disease management for both sexes. | Nat Rev Immunol | 2008 | | CORD-19 |
| 6900 | Effect of Different Pollution Parameters and Chemical Components of PM2.5 on Health of Residents of Xinxiang City, China The present study was planned to explore the pollution characteristics, health risks, and influence of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) and its components on blood routine parameters in a typical industrial city (Xinxiang City) in China. In this study, 102 effective samples 28 (April–May), 19 (July–August), 27 (September–October), 28 (December–January) of PM(2.5) were collected during different seasons from 2017 to 2018. The water-soluble ions and metal elements in PM(2.5) were analyzed via ion chromatography and inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. The blood routine physical examination parameters under different polluted weather conditions from January to December 2017 and 2018, the corresponding PM(2.5) concentration, temperature, and relative humidity during the same period were collected from Second People’s Hospital of Xinxiang during 2017–2018. Risk assessment was carried out using the generalized additive time series model (GAM). It was used to analyze the influence of PM(2.5) concentration and its components on blood routine indicators of the physical examination population. The “mgcv” package in R.3.5.3 statistical software was used for modeling and analysis and used to perform nonparametric smoothing on meteorological indicators such as temperature and humidity. When Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) value is the smallest, the goodness of fit of the model is the highest. Additionally, the US EPA exposure model was used to evaluate the health risks caused by different heavy metals in PM(2.5) to the human body through the respiratory pathway, including carcinogenic risk and non-carcinogenic risk. The result showed that the air particulate matter and its chemical components in Xinxiang City were higher in winter as compared to other seasons with an overall trend of winter > spring > autumn > summer. The content of nitrate (NO(3)(−)) and sulfate (SO(4)(2)(−)) ions in the atmosphere were higher in winter, which, together with ammonium, constitute the main components of water-soluble ions in PM(2.5) in Xinxiang City. Source analysis reported that mobile pollution sources (coal combustion emissions, automobile exhaust emissions, and industrial emissions) in Xinxiang City during the winter season contributed more to atmospheric pollution as compared to fixed sources. The results of the risk assessment showed that the non-carcinogenic health risk of heavy metals in fine particulate matter is acceptable to the human body, while among the carcinogenic elements, the order of lifetime carcinogenic risk is arsenic (As) > chromium(Cr) > cadmium (Cd) > cobalt(Co) > nickel (Ni). During periods of haze pollution, the exposure concentration of PM(2.5) has a certain lag effect on blood routine parameters. On the day when haze pollution occurs, when the daily average concentration of PM(2.5) rises by 10 μg·m(−3), hemoglobin (HGB) and platelet count (PLT) increase, respectively, by 9.923% (95% CI, 8.741–11.264) and 0.068% (95% CI, 0.067–0.069). GAM model analysis predicted the maximum effect of PM(2.5) exposure concentration on red blood cell count (RBC) and PLT was reached when the hysteresis accumulates for 1d (Lag0). The maximum effect of exposure concentration ofPM(2.5) on MONO is reached when the lag accumulation is 3d (Lag2). When the hysteresis accumulates for 6d (Lag5), the exposure concentration of PM(2.5) has the greatest effect on HGB. The maximum cumulative effect of PM(2.5) on neutrophil count (NEUT) and lymphocyte (LMY) was strongest when the lag was 2d (Lag1). During periods of moderate to severe pollution, the concentration of water-soluble ions and heavy metal elements in PM(2.5) increases significantly and has a significant correlation with some blood routine indicators. | Int J Environ Res Public Healt | 2021 | | CORD-19 |
