This version of BIP! Finder aims to ease the exploration of COVID-19-related literature by enabling ranking articles based on various impact metrics.
Last Update: 18 - 01 - 2023 (628506 entries)
Popularity: Citation-based measure reflecting the current impact.
Influence: Citation-based measure reflecting the total impact.
Reader Attention: The current number of Mendeley readers.
Social Media Attention: The number of recent tweets related to this article.
*More details on these impact measures can be found here.
Exceptional score (in top 0.01%).
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CORD-19 dataset(1) (list of papers)
LitCovid hub(2) (list of papers)
PMC & PubMed (citations)
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COVID-19-TweetIDs(3) (tweets)
| Title | Venue | Year | Impact | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8501 | Clinical, demographical characteristics and hospitalisation of 3,010 patients with Covid-19 in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region (Northern Italy). A multivariate, population-based, statistical analysis N/A | Epidemiol Prev | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8502 | Hospital-Acquired Infections in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 Background Few small studies have described hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) during COVID-19. Research Question What patient characteristics in critically ill patients with COVID-19 are associated with HAIs and how do HAIs associate with outcomes in these patients? Study Design and Methods Multicenter retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data including adult patients with severe COVID-19, admitted to 8 Italian hub hospitals from February 20, 2020, to May 20, 2020. Descriptive statistics, univariable and multivariable Weibull regression models were used to assess incidence, microbial etiology, resistance patterns, risk factors (i.e., demographics, comorbidities, exposure to medication), and impact on outcomes (i.e., ICU survival, length of ICU and hospital stay and duration of mechanical ventilation) of microbiologically-confirmed HAIs. Results Of the 774 included patients, 359 (46%) patients developed 759 HAIs (44.7 infections/1000 ICU patient-days, 35% multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria). Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (389, 50%), bloodstream infections (183, 34%), and catheter related blood stream infections (74, 10%) were the most frequent HAIs, with 26.0 (23.6-28.8) VAPs/1000 patient intubation-days, 11.7(10.1-13.5) BSIs/1000 ICU patient-days, and 4.7 (3.8-5.9) CRBSIs/1000 patient-days. Gram-negative bacteria (especially Enterobacterales) and Staphylococcus aureus caused 64% and 28% of VAPs. Variables independently associated with infection were age, PEEP and treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotic at admission. 234 patients (30%) died in ICU (15.3 deaths/1000 ICU patient-days). Patients with HAIs complicated by septic shock had almost doubled mortality (52% vs. 29%), while non-complicated infections did not affect mortality. HAIs prolonged mechanical ventilation (24(14-39) vs. 9(5-13) days; p<0.001), ICU and hospital stay (24(16-41) vs. 9(6-14) days, p=0.003; and (42(25-59) vs. 23(13-34) days, p<0.001). Interpretation Critically-ill COVID-19 patients are at high risk for HAIs, especially VAPs and BSIs due to MDR organisms. HAIs prolong mechanical ventilation and hospitalization, and HAIs complicated by septic-shock almost doubled mortality. | Chest | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8503 | Building Rapport and Earning the Surgical Patient's Trust in the Era of Social Distancing: Teaching Patient-Centered Communication During Video Conference Encounters to Medical Students BACKGROUND: Effective physician communication improves care, and many medical schools and residency programs have adopted communication focused curricula. The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the doctor-patient communication paradigm with the rapid adoption of video-based medical appointments by the majority of the medical community. The pandemic has also necessitated a sweeping move to online learning, including teaching and facilitating the practice of communication skills remotely. We aimed to identify effective techniques for surgeons to build relationships during a video consult, and to design and pilot a class that increased student skill in communicating during a video consult. METHODS: Fourth-year medical students matched into a surgical internship attended a 2-hour class virtually. The class provided suggestions for building rapport and earning trust with patients and families by video, role play sessions with a simulated patient, and group debriefing and feedback. A group debriefing generated lessons learned and best practices for telemedicine communication in surgery. RESULTS: Students felt the class introduced new skills and reinforced current ones; most reported higher self-confidence in target communication skills following the module. Students were particularly appreciative of opportunity for direct observation of skills and immediate faculty feedback, noting that the intimate setting was unique and valuable. Several elements of virtual communications required increased focus to communicate empathy and concern. Proper lighting and positioning relative to the camera were particularly important and body movement required “narration” to minimize misinterpretation. A patient's distress was more difficult to interpret; asking direct questions was recommended to understand the patient's emotional state. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to teach video-conference communication skills to enable surgical teams to build rapport in this distinct form of consultation. Our training plan appears effective at engaging learners and improving skills and confidence, and identifies areas of focus when teaching virtual communication skills. | J Surg Educ | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8504 | SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein vaccine candidate NVX-CoV2373 immunogenicity in baboons and protection in mice The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread throughout the world with an urgent need for a safe and protective vaccine to effectuate herd protection and control the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we report the development of a SARS-CoV-2 subunit vaccine (NVX-CoV2373) from the full-length spike (S) protein that is stable in the prefusion conformation. NVX-CoV2373 S form 27.2-nm nanoparticles that are thermostable and bind with high affinity to the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) receptor. In mice, low-dose NVX-CoV2373 with saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant elicit high titer anti-S IgG that blocks hACE2 receptor binding, neutralize virus, and protects against SARS-CoV-2 challenge with no evidence of vaccine-associated enhanced respiratory disease. NVX-CoV2373 also elicits multifunctional CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, CD4(+) follicular helper T cells (Tfh), and antigen-specific germinal center (GC) B cells in the spleen. In baboons, low-dose levels of NVX-CoV2373 with Matrix-M was also highly immunogenic and elicited high titer anti-S antibodies and functional antibodies that block S-protein binding to hACE2 and neutralize virus infection and antigen-specific T cells. These results support the ongoing phase 1/2 clinical evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 with Matrix-M (NCT04368988). | Nat Commun | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8505 | Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2 infection in unvaccinated hospitalized children: comparison to influenza and parainfluenza infections N/A | Emerg Microbes Infect | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 8506 | Beyond Shielding: The Roles of Glycans in the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein [Image: see text] The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in more than 28,000,000 infections and 900,000 deaths worldwide to date. Antibody development efforts mainly revolve around the extensively glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, which mediates host cell entry by binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Similar to many other viral fusion proteins, the SARS-CoV-2 spike utilizes a glycan shield to thwart the host immune response. Here, we built a full-length model of the glycosylated SARS-CoV-2 S protein, both in the open and closed states, augmenting the available structural and biological data. Multiple microsecond-long, all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were used to provide an atomistic perspective on the roles of glycans and on the protein structure and dynamics. We reveal an essential structural role of N-glycans at sites N165 and N234 in modulating the conformational dynamics of the spike’s receptor binding domain (RBD), which is responsible for ACE2 recognition. This finding is corroborated by biolayer interferometry experiments, which show that deletion of these glycans through N165A and N234A mutations significantly reduces binding to ACE2 as a result of the RBD conformational shift toward the “down” state. Additionally, end-to-end accessibility analyses outline a complete overview of the vulnerabilities of the glycan shield of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein, which may be exploited in the therapeutic efforts targeting this molecular machine. Overall, this work presents hitherto unseen functional and structural insights into the SARS-CoV-2 S protein and its glycan coat, providing a strategy to control the conformational plasticity of the RBD that could be harnessed for vaccine development. | ACS Cent Sci | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8507 | Addressing the Covid-19 Burden on Medical Education and Training: The Role of Telemedicine and Tele-Education During and Beyond the Pandemic Medical students are the future of sustainable health systems that are severely under pressure during COVID-19. The disruption in medical education and training has adversely impacted traditional medical education and medical students and is likely to have long-term implications beyond COVID-19. In this article, we present a comprehensive analysis of the existing structural and systemic challenges applicable to medical students and teaching/training programs and the impact of COVID-19 on medical students and education. Use of technologies such as telemedicine or remote education platforms can minimize increased mental health risks to this population. An overview of challenges during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed, and targeted recommendations to address acute and systemic issues in medical education and training are presented. During the transition from conventional in-person or classroom teaching to tele-delivery of educational programs, medical students have to navigate various social, economic and cultural factors which interfere with their personal and academic lives. This is especially relevant for those from vulnerable, underprivileged or minority backgrounds. Students from vulnerable backgrounds are influenced by environmental factors such as unemployment of themselves and family members, lack of or inequity in provision and access to educational technologies and remote delivery-platforms, and increased levels of mental health stressors due to prolonged isolation and self-quarantine measures. Technologies for remote education and training delivery as well as sustenance and increased delivery of general well-being and mental health services to medical students, especially to those at high-risk, are pivotal to our response to COVID-19 and beyond. | Front Public Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8508 | Rehabilitation Levels in Patients with COVID-19 Admitted to Intensive Care Requiring Invasive Ventilation. An Observational Study Rationale: Patients with severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have complex organ support needs that necessitate prolonged stays in the intensive care unit (ICU), likely to result in a high incidence of neuromuscular weakness and loss of well-being. Early and structured rehabilitation has been associated with improved outcomes for patients requiring prolonged periods of mechanical ventilation, but at present no data are available to describe similar interventions or outcomes in COVID-19 populations. Objectives: To describe the demographics, clinical status, level of rehabilitation, and mobility status at ICU discharge of patients with COVID-19. Methods: Adults admitted to the ICU with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and mechanically ventilated for >24 hours were included. Rehabilitation status was measured daily using the Manchester Mobility Score to identify the time taken to first mobilize (defined as sitting on the edge of the bed or higher) and highest level of mobility achieved at ICU discharge. Results: A total of n = 177 patients were identified, of whom n = 110 survived to ICU discharge and were included in the subsequent analysis. While on ICU, patients required prolonged periods of mechanical ventilation (mean 19 ± 10 d), most received neuromuscular blockade (90%) and 67% were placed in the prone position on at least one occasion. The mean ± standard deviation time to first mobilize was 14 ± 7 days, with a median Manchester Mobility Score at ICU discharge of 5 (interquartile range: 4–6), which represents participants able to stand and step around to a chair with or without assistance. Time to mobilize was significantly longer in those with higher body mass index (P < 0.001), and older patients (P = 0.012) and those with more comorbidities (P = 0.017) were more likely to require further rehabilitation after discharge. Conclusions: The early experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom resembles the experience in other countries, with high acuity of illness and prolonged period of mechanical ventilation required for those patients admitted to the ICU. Although the time to commence rehabilitation was delayed owing to this severity of illness, rehabilitation was possible within the ICU and led to increased levels of mobility from waking before ICU discharge. Clinical trial registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04396197). | Ann Am Thorac Soc | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8509 | A molecular modeling approach to identify effective antiviral phytochemicals against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2 The main protease of SARS-CoV-2 is one of the important targets to design and develop antiviral drugs. In this study, we have selected 40 antiviral phytochemicals to find out the best candidates which can act as potent inhibitors against the main protease. Molecular docking is performed using AutoDock Vina and GOLD suite to determine the binding affinities and interactions between the phytochemicals and the main protease. The selected candidates strongly interact with the key Cys145 and His41 residues. To validate the docking interactions, 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the five top-ranked inhibitors including hypericin, cyanidin 3-glucoside, baicalin, glabridin, and α-ketoamide-11r are performed. Principal component analysis (PCA) on the MD simulation discloses that baicalin, cyanidin 3-glucoside, and α-ketoamide-11r have structural similarity with the apo-form of the main protease. These findings are also strongly supported by root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (Rg), and solvent accessible surface area (SASA) investigations. PCA is also used to find out the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) for pattern recognition of the best ligands. Multiple linear regression (MLR) of QSAR reveals the R(2) value of 0.842 for the training set and 0.753 for the test set. Our proposed MLR model can predict the favorable binding energy compared with the binding energy detected from molecular docking. ADMET analysis demonstrates that these candidates appear to be safer inhibitors. Our comprehensive computational and statistical analysis show that these selected phytochemicals can be used as potential inhibitors against the SARS-CoV-2. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma | J Biomol Struct Dyn | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8510 | Evidence Synthesis of Digital Interventions to Mitigate the Negative Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Public Mental Health: Rapid Meta-review BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests the COVID-19 pandemic has negative effects on public mental health. Digital interventions that have been developed and evaluated in recent years may be used to mitigate the negative consequences of the pandemic. However, evidence-based recommendations on the use of existing telemedicine and internet-based (eHealth) and app-based mobile health (mHealth) interventions are lacking. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the theoretical and empirical base, user perspective, safety, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of digital interventions related to public mental health provision (ie, mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders) that may help to reduce the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A rapid meta-review was conducted. The MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CENTRAL databases were searched on May 11, 2020. Study inclusion criteria were broad and considered systematic reviews and meta-analyses that investigated digital tools for health promotion, prevention, or treatment of mental health conditions and determinants likely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Overall, 815 peer-reviewed systematic reviews and meta-analyses were identified, of which 83 met the inclusion criteria. Our findings suggest that there is good evidence on the usability, safety, acceptance/satisfaction, and effectiveness of eHealth interventions. Evidence on mHealth apps is promising, especially if social components (eg, blended care) and strategies to promote adherence are incorporated. Although most digital interventions focus on the prevention or treatment of mental disorders, there is some evidence on mental health promotion. However, evidence on process quality, cost-effectiveness, and long-term effects is very limited. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that digital interventions are particularly suited to mitigating psychosocial consequences at the population level. In times of physical distancing, quarantine, and restrictions on social contacts, decision makers should develop digital strategies for continued mental health care and invest time and efforts in the development and implementation of mental health promotion and prevention programs. | J Med Internet Res | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8511 | Single-cell landscape of immunological responses in patients with COVID-19 N/A | Nat Immunol | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8512 | T-cell reactivity to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is preserved in most but not all individuals The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) contains mutations that mediate escape from antibody responses, although the extent to which these substitutions in spike and non-spike proteins affect T-cell recognition is unknown. Here we show that T-cell responses in individuals with prior infection, vaccination, both prior infection and vaccination, and boosted vaccination are largely preserved to Omicron spike and non-spike proteins. However, we also identify a subset of individuals (∼21%) with a >50% reduction in T-cell reactivity to the Omicron spike. Evaluation of functional CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cell responses confirmed these findings and reveal that reduced recognition to Omicron spike is primarily observed within the CD8+ T cell compartment potentially due to escape from HLA binding. Booster vaccination enhanced T-cell responses to Omicron spike. In contrast to neutralizing immunity, these findings suggest preservation of T-cell responses to the Omicron variant, although with reduced reactivity in some individuals. | Cell | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8513 | North American COVID-19 ST-Segment-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NACMI) registry: Rationale, design and implications BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has resulted in a global pandemic. Patients with cardiovascular risk factors or established cardiovascular disease are more likely to experience severe or critical COVID-19 illness and myocardial injury is a key extra-pulmonary manifestation. These patients frequently present with ST-elevation on an electrocardiogram (ECG) due to multiple etiologies including obstructive, non-obstructive, and/or angiographically normal coronary arteries. The incidence of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) mimics in COVID-19 positive hospitalized patients, and the association with morbidity and mortality is unknown. Understanding the natural history and appropriate management of COVID-19 patients presenting with ST elevation is essential to inform patient management decisions and protect healthcare workers. METHODS: The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and The Canadian Association of Interventional Cardiology (CAIC) in conjunction with the American College of Cardiology Interventional Council have collaborated to create a multi-center observational registry, North American COVID-19 ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NACMI). This registry will enroll confirmed COVID-19 patients and persons under investigation (PUI) with new ST-segment elevation or new onset left bundle branch block (LBBB) on the ECG with clinical suspicion of myocardial ischemia. We will compare demographics, clinical findings, outcomes and management of these patients with a historical control group of over 15,000 consecutive STEMI activation patients from the Midwest STEMI Consortium using propensity matching. The primary clinical outcome will be in- hospital major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) defined as composite of all-cause mortality, stroke, recurrent MI, and repeat unplanned revascularization in COVID-19 confirmed or PUI. Secondary outcomes will include the following: reporting of etiologies of ST Elevation; cardiovascular mortality due to myocardial infarction, cardiac arrest and /or shock; individual components of the primary outcome; composite primary outcome at one year; as well as ECG and angiographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: The multicenter NACMI registry will collect data regarding ST elevation on ECG in COVID-19 patients to determine the etiology and associated clinical outcomes. The collaboration and speed with which this registry has been created, refined, and promoted serves as a template for future research endeavors. | Am Heart J | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8514 | Cost-effectiveness of public health strategies for COVID-19 epidemic control in South Africa: a microsimulation modelling study BACKGROUND: Health-care resource constraints in low-income and middle-income countries necessitate the identification of cost-effective public health interventions to address COVID-19. We aimed to develop a dynamic COVID-19 microsimulation model to assess clinical and economic outcomes and cost-effectiveness of epidemic control strategies in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. METHODS: We compared different combinations of five public health interventions: health-care testing alone, where diagnostic testing is done only for individuals presenting to health-care centres; contact tracing in households of cases; isolation centres, for cases not requiring hospital admission; mass symptom screening and molecular testing for symptomatic individuals by community health-care workers; and quarantine centres, for household contacts who test negative. We calibrated infection transmission rates to match effective reproduction number (R(e)) estimates reported in South Africa. We assessed two main epidemic scenarios for a period of 360 days, with an R(e) of 1·5 and 1·2. Strategies with incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of less than US$3250 per year of life saved were considered cost-effective. We also did sensitivity analyses by varying key parameters (R(e) values, molecular testing sensitivity, and efficacies and costs of interventions) to determine the effect on clinical and cost projections. FINDINGS: When R(e) was 1·5, health-care testing alone resulted in the highest number of COVID-19 deaths during the 360-day period. Compared with health-care testing alone, a combination of health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, mass symptom screening, and use of quarantine centres reduced mortality by 94%, increased health-care costs by 33%, and was cost-effective (ICER $340 per year of life saved). In settings where quarantine centres were not feasible, a combination of health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, and mass symptom screening was cost-effective compared with health-care testing alone (ICER $590 per year of life saved). When R(e) was 1·2, health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, and use of quarantine centres was the least costly strategy, and no other strategies were cost-effective. In sensitivity analyses, a combination of health-care testing, contact tracing, use of isolation centres, mass symptom screening, and use of quarantine centres was generally cost-effective, with the exception of scenarios in which R(e) was 2·6 and when efficacies of isolation centres and quarantine centres for transmission reduction were reduced. INTERPRETATION: In South Africa, strategies involving household contact tracing, isolation, mass symptom screening, and quarantining household contacts who test negative would substantially reduce COVID-19 mortality and would be cost-effective. The optimal combination of interventions depends on epidemic growth characteristics and practical implementation considerations. FUNDING: US National Institutes of Health, Royal Society, Wellcome Trust. | Lancet Glob Health | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8515 | Exploring the Stress, Psychological Distress and Stress-relief Strategies of Taiwan Nursing Staffs Facing the Global Outbreak of COVID-19 N/A | Hu Li Za Zhi | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8516 | Psychiatric impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic on US sexual and gender minority young adults N/A | Psychiatry Res | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8517 | Vaccines and Public Trust: Containing COVID-19 in Cuba N/A | MEDICC Rev | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8518 | SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Effectiveness in a High-Risk National Population in a Real-World Setting BACKGROUND: With the emergency use authorization of multiple vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection, data are urgently needed to determine their effectiveness in a real-world setting. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short-term effectiveness of vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection. DESIGN: Test-negative case–control study using conditional logistic regression. SETTING: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. PARTICIPANTS: All veterans who had testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection between 15 December 2020 and 4 March 2021 and no confirmed infection before 15 December 2020. INTERVENTION: SARS-CoV-2 vaccination with either the BNT-162b2 (Pfizer–BioNTech) or mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine as part of routine clinical care. MEASUREMENTS: Effectiveness of vaccination against confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: Among 54 360 persons who tested positive and 54 360 propensity score–matched control participants, the median age was 61 years, 83.6% were male, and 62% were White. Median body mass index was 31 kg/m(2) among those who tested positive and 30 kg/m(2) among those who tested negative. Among those who tested positive, 9800 (18.0%) had been vaccinated; among those who tested negative, 17 825 (32.8%) had been vaccinated. Overall vaccine effectiveness 7 or more days after the second dose was 97.1% (95% CI, 96.6% to 97.5%). Effectiveness was 96.2% (CI, 95.5% to 96.9%) for the Pfizer–BioNTech BNT-162b2 vaccine and 98.2% (CI, 97.5% to 98.6%) for the Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine. Effectiveness remained above 95% regardless of age group, sex, race, or presence of comorbidities. LIMITATIONS: Predominantly male population; lack of data on disease severity, mortality, and effectiveness by SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern; and short-term follow-up. CONCLUSION: Currently used vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection are highly effective in preventing confirmed infection in a high-risk population in a real-world setting. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: None. | Ann Intern Med | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8519 | Fighting COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media: Experimental Evidence for a Scalable Accuracy-Nudge Intervention Across two studies with more than 1,700 U.S. adults recruited online, we present evidence that people share false claims about COVID-19 partly because they simply fail to think sufficiently about whether or not the content is accurate when deciding what to share. In Study 1, participants were far worse at discerning between true and false content when deciding what they would share on social media relative to when they were asked directly about accuracy. Furthermore, greater cognitive reflection and science knowledge were associated with stronger discernment. In Study 2, we found that a simple accuracy reminder at the beginning of the study (i.e., judging the accuracy of a non-COVID-19-related headline) nearly tripled the level of truth discernment in participants’ subsequent sharing intentions. Our results, which mirror those found previously for political fake news, suggest that nudging people to think about accuracy is a simple way to improve choices about what to share on social media. | Psychol Sci | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8520 | Detection of air and surface contamination by SARS-CoV-2 in hospital rooms of infected patients Understanding the particle size distribution in the air and patterns of environmental contamination of SARS-CoV-2 is essential for infection prevention policies. Here we screen surface and air samples from hospital rooms of COVID-19 patients for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Environmental sampling is conducted in three airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs) in the ICU and 27 AIIRs in the general ward. 245 surface samples are collected. 56.7% of rooms have at least one environmental surface contaminated. High touch surface contamination is shown in ten (66.7%) out of 15 patients in the first week of illness, and three (20%) beyond the first week of illness (p = 0.01, χ(2) test). Air sampling is performed in three of the 27 AIIRs in the general ward, and detects SARS-CoV-2 PCR-positive particles of sizes >4 µm and 1–4 µm in two rooms, despite these rooms having 12 air changes per hour. This warrants further study of the airborne transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2. | Nat Commun | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8521 | COVID infection rates, clinical outcomes and racial/ethnic and gender disparities before and after Omicron emerged in the US BACKGROUND: SARS-CoV-2 infections and hospitalizations are rising in the US and other countries after the emergence of the Omicron variant. Currently, data on infection rates, severity and racial/ethnic and gender disparities from Omicron in the US is limited. METHOD: We performed a retrospective cohort study of a large, geographically diverse database of patient electronic health records (EHRs) in the US. The study population comprised 881,473 patients who contracted SARS-CoV-2 infection for the first time between 9/1/2021–1/16/2022, including 147,964 patients infected when Omicron predominated (Omicron cohort), 633,581 when Delta predominated (Delta cohort) and another 99,928 infected when the Delta predominated but just before the Omicron variant was detected in the US (Delta-2 cohort). We examined monthly incidence rates of COVID-19 infections stratified by age groups, gender, race and ethnicity, compared severe clinical outcomes including emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and mechanical ventilation use between propensity-score matched Omicron and Delta cohorts stratified by age groups (0–4, 5–17, 18–64 and ≥ 65 years), and examined racial/ethnic and gender differences in severe clinical outcomes. FINDINGS: Among 147,964 infected patients in the Omicron cohort (average age: 39.1 years), 56.7% were female, 2.4% Asian, 21.1% Black, 6.2% Hispanic, and 51.8% White. The monthly incidence rate of COVID infections (new cases per 1000 persons per day) was 0.5–0.7 when Delta predominated, and rapidly increased to 3.8–5.2 when Omicron predominated. In January 2022, the infection rate was highest in children under 5 years (11.0) among all age groups, higher in Black than in White patients (14.0 vs. 3.8), and higher in Hispanic than in non-Hispanic patients (8.9 vs. 3.1). After propensity-score matching for demographics, socio-economic determinants of health, comorbidities and medications, risks for severe clinical outcomes in the Omicron cohort were significantly lower than in the Delta cohort: ED visits: 10.2% vs. 14.6% (risk ratio or RR: 0.70 [0.68–0.71]); hospitalizations: 2.6% vs. 4.4% (RR: 0.58 [0.55–0.60]); ICU admissions: 0.47% vs. 1.00% (RR: 0.47 [0.43–0.51]); mechanical ventilation: 0.08% vs. 0.3% (RR: 0.25 [0.20–0.31]). Similar reduction in disease severity was observed for all age groups. There were significant racial/ethnic and gender disparities in severe clinical outcomes in the Omicron cohort, with Black, Hispanic patients having more ED visits and ICU admissions than White and non-Hispanic patients, respectively and women had fewer hospitalization and ICU admission than men. INTERPRETATION: The incidence rate of COVID infection during the omicron predominant period (prevalence >92%) was 6–8 times higher than during the Delta predominant period that preceded it consistent with greater infectivity. The incidence rate was highest among those less than 5 years of age, and in Black and Hispanic patients. COVID infections occurring when the Omicron predominated were associated with significantly less frequent severe outcomes than in matched patients when the Delta variant predominated. There were significant racial, ethnic and gender disparities in severe clinical outcomes, with Black and Hispanic patients and men disproportionally impacted. | medRxiv | 2022 | CORD-19 | |
| 8522 | Australian private practice metropolitan telepsychiatry during the COVID-19 pandemic: analysis of Quarter-2, 2020 usage of new MBS-telehealth item psychiatrist services OBJECTIVE: The Australian Commonwealth Government introduced new psychiatrist Medicare-Benefits-Schedule (MBS)-telehealth items in the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic to assist with previously office-based psychiatric practice. We investigate private psychiatrists’ uptake of (1) video- and telephone-telehealth consultations for Quarter-2 (April–June) of 2020 and (2) total telehealth and face-to-face consultations in Quarter-2, 2020 in comparison to Quarter-2, 2019 for Australia. METHODS: MBS item service data were extracted for COVID-19-psychiatrist-video- and telephone-telehealth item numbers and compared with a baseline of the Quarter-2, 2019 (April–June 2019) of face-to-face consultations for the whole of Australia. RESULTS: Combined telehealth and face-to-face psychiatry consultations rose during the first wave of the pandemic in Quarter-2, 2020 by 14% compared to Quarter-2, 2019 and telehealth was approximately half of this total. Face-to-face consultations in 2020 comprised only 56% of the comparative Quarter-2, 2019 consultations. Most telehealth provision was by telephone for short consultations of ⩽15–30 min. Video consultations comprised 38% of the total telehealth provision (for new patient assessments and longer consultations). CONCLUSIONS: There has been a flexible, rapid response to patient demand by private psychiatrists using the new COVID-19-MBS-telehealth items for Quarter-2, 2020, and in the context of decreased face-to-face consultations, ongoing telehealth is essential. | Australas Psychiatry | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8523 | Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination: What Do We Know So Far? This is a cross-sectional study of 29 published cases of acute myopericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. The most common presentation was chest pain within 1–5 days after the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. All patients had an elevated troponin. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed late gadolinium enhancement consistent with myocarditis in 69% of cases. All patients recovered clinically rapidly within 1–3 weeks. Most patients were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for symptomatic relief, and 4 received intravenous immune globulin and corticosteroids. We speculate a possible causal relationship between vaccine administration and myocarditis. The data from our analysis confirms that all myocarditis and pericarditis cases are mild and resolve within a few days to few weeks. The bottom line is that the risk of cardiac complications among children and adults due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection far exceeds the minimal and rare risks of vaccination-related transient myocardial or pericardial inflammation. | Children (Basel) | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8524 | SARS-CoV-2 Is Restricted by Zinc Finger Antiviral Protein despite Preadaptation to the Low-CpG Environment in Humans Recent evidence shows that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is sensitive to interferons (IFNs). However, the most effective types of IFNs and the underlying antiviral effectors remain to be defined. Here, we show that zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP), which preferentially targets CpG dinucleotides in viral RNA sequences, restricts SARS-CoV-2. We further demonstrate that ZAP and its cofactors KHNYN and TRIM25 are expressed in human lung cells. Type I, II, and III IFNs all strongly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 and further induced ZAP expression. Comprehensive sequence analyses revealed that SARS-CoV-2 and its closest relatives from horseshoe bats showed the strongest CpG suppression among all known human and bat coronaviruses, respectively. Nevertheless, endogenous ZAP expression restricted SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells, particularly upon treatment with IFN-α or IFN-γ. Both the long and the short isoforms of human ZAP reduced SARS-CoV-2 RNA expression levels, but the former did so with greater efficiency. Finally, we show that the ability to restrict SARS-CoV-2 is conserved in ZAP orthologues of the reservoir bat and potential intermediate pangolin hosts of human coronaviruses. Altogether, our results show that ZAP is an important effector of the innate response against SARS-CoV-2, although this pandemic pathogen emerged from zoonosis of a coronavirus that was preadapted to the low-CpG environment in humans. | mBio | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8525 | Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric healthcare use and severe disease: a retrospective national cohort study OBJECTIVES: To determine the indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric healthcare utilisation and severe disease at a national level following lockdown on 23 March 2020. DESIGN: National retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Emergency childhood primary and secondary care providers across Scotland; two national paediatric intensive care units (PICUs); statutory death records. PARTICIPANTS: 273 455 unscheduled primary care attendances; 462 437 emergency department attendances; 54 076 emergency hospital admissions; 413 PICU unplanned emergency admissions requiring invasive mechanical ventilation; and 415 deaths during the lockdown study period and equivalent dates in previous years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rates of emergency care consultations, attendances and admissions; clinical severity scores on presentation to PICU; rates and causes of childhood death. For all data sets, rates during the lockdown period were compared with mean or aggregated rates for the equivalent dates in 2016–2019. RESULTS: The rates of emergency presentations to primary and secondary care fell during lockdown in comparison to previous years. Emergency PICU admissions for children requiring invasive mechanical ventilation also fell as a proportion of cases for the entire population, with an OR of 0.52 for likelihood of admission during lockdown (95% CI 0.37 to 0.73), compared with the equivalent period in previous years. Clinical severity scores did not suggest children were presenting with more advanced disease. The greatest reduction in PICU admissions was for diseases of the respiratory system; those for injury, poisoning or other external causes were equivalent to previous years. Mortality during lockdown did not change significantly compared with 2016–2019. CONCLUSIONS: National lockdown led to a reduction in paediatric emergency care utilisation, without associated evidence of severe harm. | Arch Dis Child | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8526 | Mental Health Outcomes of Healthcare Providers During COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study Objective: In this descriptive cross-sectional study we aimed, to assess the level of depression, anxiety, insomnia and distress symptoms experienced by healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Methods: All healthcare providers currently working in different hospitals were invited to participate in this study. Data gathering started in March 2020 to May 2020. The participants answered a five-part questionnaire which includes demographic data, a 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, a 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder, a 7-item Insomnia Severity Index, and a 22-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised, which assess the level of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress. Results: Out of 200 healthcare providers, 40% were males. 52% were aged 31–40 years old, 61% were married. The majority of the participants were Saudi nationals (84%), 74% were nurses, 11% were physicians and 15% were other healthcare providers. More than half of the participants worked as front-liners (57%). Overall, 73, 69, 62, and 83% of all healthcare providers reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress, respectively. The analysis showed severe symptoms level of depression for physicians and nurses was 35% and 20% (p < 0.05), respectively. Only three of the independent variables made a unique contribution to the model (gender, profession, and working position) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the mental health of healthcare providers in Saudi Arabia. Female nurses and healthcare providers working in the frontline who were directly treating patients with COVID-19 are at increased risk of severe depression, anxiety and distress. | Front Public Health | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8527 | Lessons for the global primary care response to COVID-19: a rapid review of evidence from past epidemics BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is the fifth and most significant infectious disease epidemic this century. Primary health care providers, which include those working in primary care and public health roles, have critical responsibilities in the management of health emergencies. OBJECTIVE: To synthesize accounts of primary care lessons learnt from past epidemics and their relevance to COVID-19. METHODS: We conducted a review of lessons learnt from previous infectious disease epidemics for primary care, and their relevance to COVID-19. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, PROQUEST and Google Scholar, hand-searched reference lists of included studies, and included research identified through professional contacts. RESULTS: Of 173 publications identified, 31 publications describing experiences of four epidemics in 11 countries were included. Synthesis of findings identified six key lessons: (i) improve collaboration, communication and integration between public health and primary care; (ii) strengthen the primary health care system; (iii) provide consistent, coordinated and reliable information emanating from a trusted source; (iv) define the role of primary care during pandemics; (v) protect the primary care workforce and the community and (vi) evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence highlights distinct challenges to integrating and supporting primary care in response to infectious disease epidemics that have persisted over time, emerging again during COVID-19. These insights provide an opportunity for strengthening, and improved preparedness, that cannot be ignored in a world where the frequency, virility and global reach of infectious disease outbreaks are increasing. It is not too soon to plan for the next pandemic, which may already be on the horizon. | Fam Pract | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8528 | Community Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant, South Korea, 2021 In South Korea, a November 2021 outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant originated from 1 person with an imported case and spread to households, kindergartens, workplaces, restaurants, and hospitals, resulting in 11 clusters within 3 weeks. An epidemiologic curve indicated rapid community transmission of the Omicron variant. | Emerg Infect Dis | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8529 | COVID-19 Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis, Fungemia and Pneumocystosis in the Intensive Care Unit: a Retrospective Multicenter Observational Cohort during the First French Pandemic Wave The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic means, host factors, delay of occurrence, and outcome of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and fungal coinfections in the intensive care unit (ICU). From 1 February to 31 May 2020, we anonymously recorded COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA), fungemia (CA-fungemia), and pneumocystosis (CA-PCP) from 36 centers, including results on fungal biomarkers in respiratory specimens and serum. We collected data from 154 episodes of CAPA, 81 of CA-fungemia, 17 of CA-PCP, and 5 of other mold infections from 244 patients (male/female [M/F] ratio = 3.5; mean age, 64.7 ± 10.8 years). CA-PCP occurred first after ICU admission (median, 1 day; interquartile range [IQR], 0 to 3 days), followed by CAPA (9 days; IQR, 5 to 13 days), and then CA-fungemia (16 days; IQR, 12 to 23 days) (P < 10(−4)). For CAPA, the presence of several mycological criteria was associated with death (P < 10(−4)). Serum galactomannan was rarely positive (<20%). The mortality rates were 76.7% (23/30) in patients with host factors for invasive fungal disease, 45.2% (14/31) in those with a preexisting pulmonary condition, and 36.6% (34/93) in the remaining patients (P = 0.001). Antimold treatment did not alter prognosis (P = 0.370). Candida albicans was responsible for 59.3% of CA-fungemias, with a global mortality of 45.7%. For CA-PCP, 58.8% of the episodes occurred in patients with known host factors of PCP, and the mortality rate was 29.5%. CAPA may be in part hospital acquired and could benefit from antifungal prescription at the first positive biomarker result. CA-fungemia appeared linked to ICU stay without COVID-19 specificity, while CA-PCP may not really be a concern in the ICU. Improved diagnostic strategy for fungal markers in ICU patients with COVID-19 should support these hypotheses. IMPORTANCE To diagnose fungal coinfections in patients with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit, it is necessary to implement the correct treatment and to prevent them if possible. For COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA), respiratory specimens remain the best approach since serum biomarkers are rarely positive. Timing of occurrence suggests that CAPA could be hospital acquired. The associated mortality varies from 36.6% to 76.7% when no host factors or host factors of invasive fungal diseases are present, respectively. Fungemias occurred after 2 weeks in ICUs and are associated with a mortality rate of 45.7%. Candida albicans is the first yeast species recovered, with no specificity linked to COVID-19. Pneumocystosis was mainly found in patients with known immunodepression. The diagnosis occurred at the entry in ICUs and not afterwards, suggesting that if Pneumocystis jirovecii plays a role, it is upstream of the hospitalization in the ICU. | Microbiol Spectr | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8530 | Immunogenicity, safety and reactogenicity of a heterogeneous booster following the CoronaVac inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in patients with SLE: a case series Since the COVID-19 pandemic, CoronaVac, an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, has been widely deployed in several countries for emergency use. However, the immunogenicity of the inactivated vaccine was relatively lower when compared to other vaccine types and was even more attenuated in autoimmune patients with rheumatic disease. A third-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in immunosuppressed population is recommended in order to improve immune response. However, the data were limited to those initially received mRNA or viral vector SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Thus, we aimed to describe the safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who received a heterogenous booster SARS-CoV-2 vaccine following the initial CoronaVac inactivated vaccine series. Our findings support that the third booster dose of mRNA or viral vector vaccine following the inactivated vaccine is well tolerated and elicited a substantial humoral and cellular immune response in inactive patients with SLE having maintenance immunosuppressive therapy without interruption of immunosuppressive medications. | RMD Open | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8531 | Correlation between anti-S IgG and neutralizing antibody titers against three live SARS-CoV-2 variants in BNT162b2 vaccine recipients N/A | Hum Vaccin Immunother | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 8532 | Interaction of Human ACE2 to Membrane-Bound SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 S Glycoproteins Severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the current global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, infecting millions of people and causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. The viral entry of SARS-CoV-2 depends on an interaction between the receptor-binding domain of its trimeric spike glycoprotein and the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. A better understanding of the spike/ACE2 interaction is still required to design anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics. Here, we investigated the degree of cooperativity of ACE2 within both the SARS-CoV-2 and the closely related SARS-CoV-1 membrane-bound S glycoproteins. We show that there exist differential inter-protomer conformational transitions between both spike trimers. Interestingly, the SARS-CoV-2 spike exhibits a positive cooperativity for monomeric soluble ACE2 binding when compared to the SARS-CoV-1 spike, which might have more structural restraints. Our findings can be of importance in the development of therapeutics that block the spike/ACE2 interaction. | Viruses | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8533 | End-point RT-PCR: A potential alternative for diagnosing COVID-19 Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is considered the gold standard for the direct diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infections. However, routine diagnosis by RT-qPCR is a limitation for many laboratories, mainly due to the infrastructure and/or disproportionate relationship between demand and supply of inputs. In this context, and to increase the diagnostic coverage of SARS-CoV-2 infections, we describe an alternative, sensitive and specific one-step end-point RT-PCR for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 E gene. The performance of the RT-PCR was evaluated in 43 clinical samples, of which 10 and 33 were previously identified as negative and positive, respectively, by RT-qPCR. Among the positive samples, 15 and 18 were from asymptomatic and symptomatic individuals, respectively. Here, 32/33 of the positive samples in the RT-qPCR, including from asymptomatic individuals, were found positive in the RT-PCR (Ct 15.94 to 34.92). The analytical sensitivity of the assay was about 7.15-9 copies of vRNA/μL, and nonspecific amplifications were not observed in SARS-CoV-2 negative samples. Importantly, the RT-PCR reactions were performed in a 10 μL final volume. Finally, considering specificity, analytical sensitivity and cost reduction, we believe that the RT-PCR platform described here may be a viable option for the diagnostic of SARS-CoV-2 infections in laboratories in which RT-qPCR is not available and/or not possible. | J Virol Methods | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8534 | Social norms and vaccine uptake: College students' COVID vaccination intentions, attitudes and estimated peer norms and comparisons with influenza vaccine BACKGROUND: Vaccination may be critical to curtailing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, but herd immunity can only be realized with high vaccination coverage. There is a need to identify empirically supported strategies to increase uptake, especially among young adults as this subpopulation has shown relatively poor adherence to physical distancing guidelines. Social norms – estimates of peers’ behavior and attitudes – are robust predictors of health behaviors and norms-based intervention strategies may increase COVID vaccine uptake, once available. This study examined the extent that vaccination intentions and attitudes were associated with estimated social norms as an initial proof-of-concept test. METHOD: In November of 2020, 647 undergraduate students (46.21% response rate) completed online surveys in which they reported intentions to get COVID and influenza vaccines, perceived importance of these vaccines for young adults, and estimated social norms regarding peers’ vaccination behaviors and attitudes. RESULTS: Students reported significantly greater intentions to get a COVID vaccine (91.64%) than an influenza vaccine (76.04%), and perceived COVID vaccination as significantly more important than influenza vaccination. The sample generally held strong intentions to receive a COVID vaccine and thought that doing so was of high importance, but participants, on average, perceived that other young adults would be less likely to be vaccinated and would not think vaccination was as important. Multiple regression models indicated that estimated social norms were positively associated with participants’ own intentions and perceived importance of getting a COVID vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: These significant associations highlight the potential value in developing and testing norms-based intervention strategies, such as personalized normative feedback, to improve uptake of forthcoming COVID vaccines among young adults. | Vaccine | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8535 | Injuries in the time of COVID-19 N/A | Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8536 | Evaluation of a rapid antigen test (Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag rapid test device) for SARS-CoV-2 detection in asymptomatic close contacts of COVID-19 patients OBJECTIVES: There is limited information on the performance of rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests to identify SARS-CoV-2-infected asymptomatic individuals. In this field study, we evaluated the Panbio™ COVID-19 Ag Rapid Test Device (Abbott Diagnostics, Jena, Germany) for this purpose. METHODS: A total of 634 individuals (355 female; median age, 37 years; range, 9–87) were enrolled. Two nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from household (n = 338) and non-household contacts (n = 296) of COVID-19 cases. RAD testing was carried out at the point of care. The RT-PCR test used was the TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA). RESULTS: Household contacts were tested at a median of 2 days (range, 1–7) after diagnosis of the index case, whereas non-household contacts (n = 296) were tested at a median of 6 days (range, 1–7) after exposure. In total, 79 individuals (12.4%) tested positive by RT-PCR, of whom 38 (48.1%) yielded positive RAD results. The overall sensitivity and specificity of the RAD test was 48.1% (95% CI 37.4–58.9) and 100% (95% CI 99.3–100), respectively. Sensitivity was higher in household (50.8%; 95% CI 38.9–62.5) than in non-household (35.7%; 95% CI 16.3–61.2%) contacts. Individuals testing positive by RAD test were more likely (p < 0.001) to become symptomatic than their negative counterparts. DISCUSSION: The Panbio test displays low sensitivity in asymptomatic close contacts of COVID-19 patients, particularly in non-household contacts. Nonetheless, establishing the optimal timing for upper respiratory tract collection in this group seems imperative to pinpoint test sensitivity. | Clin Microbiol Infect | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8537 | Public health ethics and the COVID-19 pandemic Health is a human right anchored in values as a basic necessity of life. It promotes the well-being of persons, communities, economic prosperity, and national development. The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caught the world unaware and unprepared. It presented a huge challenge to the health and economic systems of every country. Across the spectrum of human endeavor and liberty, several ethical questions have been raised with regard to its management, particularly the public health control measures. Decisions for pandemic control measures are made under difficult circumstances driven by urgency and panic, with uncertainties and complexities for public goods over individual rights. Global solidarity in controlling the pandemic is being tested. National governments have the responsibility to protect public health on the grounds of common good. Political considerations should not be the basis for decision-making against the best available epidemiological data from pandemic disease dynamics. Hence, the need to adhere to the values of honesty, trust, human dignity, solidarity, reciprocity, accountability, transparency, and justice are major considerations. A literature search was conducted for the publications from academic databases and websites of health-relevant organizations. I discuss the ethical questions and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of public health control measures using the standard ethical principles of respect for autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and social (distributive) justice. It is observed that, at the country level, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines are used to control the pandemic. As WHO through the COVAX strategy distributes the vaccines to less developed countries, a lot still needs to be done to address the complex bottlenecks of allocation and distribution. There is a need to ensure acceptable and transparent system that promotes cooperation, equitable access, and fair distribution of vaccines on a global scale. | Ann Afr Med | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8538 | Structural basis for the in vitro efficacy of nirmatrelvir against SARS-CoV-2 variants The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a public health threat with emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. Nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332) is a reversible, covalent inhibitor targeting the main protease (M(pro)) of SARS-CoV-2 and the active protease inhibitor in PAXLOVID™ (nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets). However, the efficacy of nirmatrelvir is underdetermined against evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we evaluated the in vitro catalytic activity and potency of nirmatrelvir against the M(pro) of prevalent variants of concern (VOC) or variants of interest (VOI): Alpha (α, B.1.1.7), Beta (β, B.1.351), Delta (δ, B1.617.2), Gamma (γ, P.1), Lambda (λ, B.1.1.1.37/C37), Omicron (ο, B.1.1.529) as well as the original Washington or wildtype strain. These VOC/VOI carry prevalent mutations at varying frequencies in the M(pro) specifically for: α, β, γ (K90R), λ (G15S) and ο (P132H). In vitro biochemical enzymatic assay characterization of the enzyme kinetics of the mutant M(pros) demonstrate that they are catalytically comparable to wildtype. We found that nirmatrelvir has similar potency against each mutant M(pro) including P132H that is observed in the Omicron variant with a Ki of 0.635 nM as compared to a Ki of 0.933 nM for wildtype. The molecular bases for these observations were provided by solution-phase structural dynamics and structural determination of nirmatrelvir bound to the ο, λ and β M(pro) at 1.63 - 2.09 Å resolution. These in vitro data suggest that PAXLOVID™ has the potential to maintain plasma concentrations of nirmatrelvir many-fold times higher than the amount required to stop the SARS-CoV-2 VOC/VOI, including Omicron, from replicating in cells. | J Biol Chem | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8539 | Double jeopardy from the COVID-19 pandemic: risk of exposure and income loss in Portugal BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence indicates that the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had immediate health and social impact, disproportionately affecting certain socioeconomic groups. Assessing inequalities in risk of exposure and in adversities faced during the pandemic is critical to inform targeted actions that effectively prevent disproportionate spread and reduce social and health inequities. This study examines i) the socioeconomic and mental health characteristics of individuals working in the workplace, thus at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure, and ii) individual income losses resulting from the pandemic across socioeconomic subgroups of a working population, during the first confinement in Portugal. METHODS: This study uses data from ‘COVID-19 Barometer: Social Opinion’, a community-based online survey in Portugal. The sample for analysis comprised n = 129,078 workers. Logistic regressions were performed to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of factors associated with working in the workplace during the confinement period and with having lost income due to the pandemic. RESULTS: Over a third of the participants reported working in the workplace during the first confinement. This was more likely among those with lower income [AOR = 2.93 (2.64-3.25)], lower education [AOR = 3.17 (3.04-3.30)] and working as employee [AOR = 1.09 (1.04-1.15)]. Working in the workplace was positively associated with frequent feelings of agitation, anxiety or sadness [AOR = 1.14 (1.09-1.20)] and perception of high risk of infection [AOR = 11.06 (10.53-11.61)]. About 43% of the respondents reported having lost income due to the pandemic. The economic consequences affected greatly the groups at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure, namely those with lower education [AOR = 1.36 (1.19-1.56)] and lower income [AOR = 3.13 (2.47-3.96)]. CONCLUSIONS: The social gradient in risk of exposure and in economic impact of the pandemic can result in an accumulated vulnerability for socioeconomic deprived populations. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have a double effect in these groups, contributing to heightened disparities and poor health outcomes, including in mental health. Protecting the most vulnerable populations is key to prevent the spread of the disease and mitigate the deepening of social and health disparities. Action is needed to develop policies and more extensive measures for reducing disproportionate experiences of adversity from the COVID-19 pandemic among most vulnerable populations. | Int J Equity Health | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8540 | Assessment of the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lifestyle of the Population in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey Study Background The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created an unprecedented problem in people's lives around the world. Lockdown measures altered the routine lifestyle aspects of people including diet, exercise, sleep, stress, smoking, job status, recreation, and application of modern technologies. Understanding the lifestyle profile of individuals could help in designing effective interventions to minimize the risk factors of COVID-19-related health problems. Objectives The aim of this research is to investigate the lifestyle changes among adults living in Saudi Arabia (SA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A cross-sectional survey study was done to investigate the lifestyle changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia from August to September 2020. A pre-designed questionnaire was used for data collection and distributed online through social media. The questionnaire included items about sleep patterns, dietary habits, physical activity, employment status, recreation activities, use of social media, and screen time before and during the pandemic. Results A total of 338 adults with a median age of 40 years participated in the study. During the pandemic, employment, smoking decreased significantly (53.3 vs. 55.6%, p<0.001 & 15.7% vs. 18.3%, p=0.049) with significant increases in daily intake of fruits or vegetables (47% to 60.2%, p<0.001), caffeinated beverages (seven or more times caffeine, 3% vs. 0.9%, p<0.001), and water (more than eight water cups daily, 18.4 vs. 11.9, p<0.001). Overweight group increased significantly from 28.5% to 32% (p=0.009). Sleeping more than nine hours increased significantly from 8.3% to 21.8% (p<0.001) with increasing sleeping aids from 11.6% to 15.7% (p<0.001). Both the screen and the social media times increased significantly for six or more hours daily (14.8% vs. 35.3% and 9.5% vs. 28.2% respectively, p=<0.001 for both). There were significant decreases in socialization (91.4% vs. 37.8%) and fast food (71.98% vs. 47.04%), and increases in physically inactivity (19% vs. 5.3%) and stress (90.8% vs. 85.2%) (p<0.001 for all). Most participants perceived stress during the pandemic (307, 90.8%). Conclusion There were remarkable behavioral changes in all aspects of the lifestyle of the participants living in SA during the COVID-19 pandemic with some positive effects on smoking and dietary habits. However, negative changes included unemployment, physical inactivity, sleep disturbances, social isolation, and excessive weight gain. There is a need to study the possible consequences of such changes on the future population health in SA. | Cureus | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8541 | Pharmacophore based virtual screening, molecular docking, molecular dynamics and MM-GBSA approach for identification of prospective SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor from natural product databases COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. At present, no proper therapy and vaccinations are available for the disease, and it is increasing day by day with a high mortality rate. Pharmacophore based virtual screening of the selected natural product databases followed by Glide molecular docking and dynamics studies against SARS-CoV-2 main protease was investigated to identify potential ligands that may act as inhibitors. The molecules SN00293542 and SN00382835 revealed the highest docking score of −14.57 and −12.42 kcal/mol, respectively, when compared with the co-crystal ligands of PDB-6Y2F (O6K) and 6W63 (X77) of the SARS-CoV-2 M(pro). To further validate the interactions of top scored molecules SN00293542 and SN00382835, molecular dynamics study of 100 ns was carried out. This indicated that the protein-ligand complex was stable throughout the simulation period, and minimal backbone fluctuations have ensued in the system. Post-MM-GBSA analysis of molecular dynamics data showed free binding energy-71.7004 +/− 7.98, −56.81+/− 7.54 kcal/mol, respectively. The computational study identified several ligands that may act as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 M(pro). The top-ranked molecules SN00293542, and SN00382835 occupied the active site of the target, the main protease like that of the co-crystal ligand. These molecules may emerge as a promising ligands against SARS-CoV-2 and thus needs further detailed investigations. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma | J Biomol Struct Dyn | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8542 | SARS-CoV-2 host tropism: An in silico analysis of the main cellular factors Recent reports have shown that small and big felines could be infected by SARS-CoV-2, while other animals, like swines and mice, are apparently not susceptible to this infection. These findings raise the question of the role of cell factors associated with early stages of the viral infection in host selectivity. The cellular receptor for SARS-CoV-2 is the Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE2). Transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) has been shown to prime the viral spike for its interaction with its receptor. GRP78 has also been proposed as a possible co-receptor. In this study, we used several bioinformatics approaches to bring clues in the interaction of ACE2, TMPRSS2, and GRP78 with SARS-CoV-2. We selected several mammalian hosts that could play a key role in viral spread by acting as secondary hosts (cats, dogs, pigs, mice, and ferrets) and evaluated their predicted permissiveness by in silico analysis. Results showed that ionic pairs (salt bridges, N-O pair, and long-range interactions) produced between ACE2 and the viral spike has an essential function in the host interaction. On the other hand, TMPRSS2 and GRP78 are proteins with high homology in all the evaluated hosts. Thus, these proteins do not seem to play a role in host selectivity, suggesting that other factors may play a role in the non-permissivity in some of these hosts. These proteins represent however interesting cell targets that could be explored in order to control the virus replication in humans and in the intermediary hosts. | Virus Res | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8543 | Emotions and Topics Expressed on Twitter During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom: Comparative Geolocation and Text Mining Analysis N/A | J Med Internet Res | 2022 | LitCov | |
| 8544 | Novice and Advanced Learners' Satisfaction and Perceptions of an e-Learning Renal Semiology Module During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Mixed Methods Study BACKGROUND: Nephrotic syndrome is a unique clinical disorder, which provides interesting teaching opportunities that connect physiological and pathological aspects to clinical practice. During the current COVID-19 outbreak, in-person teaching in our institution was not permitted, thus creating a unique challenge for clinical skills teaching. A case-based electronic learning (e-learning) activity was designed to replace the traditional in-person teaching of renal semiology. e-Learning activities have been shown to be effective for knowledge retention and increasing novice learners’ performance. However, major knowledge gaps exist concerning the satisfaction of learners with e-learning activities as the sole form of teaching, specifically for undergraduate clinical skills education. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to prospectively assess undergraduate medical students’ perceptions of and satisfaction with an e-learning activity teaching renal semiology. METHODS: All second-year medical students (novice learners) from the medical faculty of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, undertook the e-learning activity and were invited to participate in a nonmandatory, validated web-based survey, comprising questions answered using a 10-point Likert scale and one qualitative open-ended question. For comparison and to provide further insights, 17 fourth- to sixth-year students (advanced learners) were prospectively recruited to participate in both the e-learning activity and the evaluation. A mixed methods analysis was performed. RESULTS: A total of 88 (63%) out of 141 novice learners and all advanced learners responded to the evaluation survey. Advanced learners reported significantly higher satisfaction with the e-learning activity (mean 8.7, SD 1.0 vs mean 7.3, SD 1.8; P<.001), clarity of objectives (mean 9.6, SD 0.8 vs mean 7.7, SD 1.7; P<.001), and attainability of objectives (mean 9.8, SD 0.5 vs mean 7.3, SD 1.3; P<.001). Both groups showed high interest in the inclusion of the activity as part of a blended learning approach; however, there was low interest in the activity being the sole means of teaching. CONCLUSIONS: Case-based e-learning activities might be better suited for advanced learners and could increase learners’ satisfaction within a blended teaching instructional design. More research on students’ satisfaction with e-learning activities in the field of clinical skills education should be done. In addition, more effort should be put into finding alternative teaching tools for clinical skills education in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and future health crises. | JMIR Med Educ | 2021 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8545 | Social prescribing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of service providers' and clients' experiences BACKGROUND: COVID-19 public health restrictions, such as social distancing and self-isolation, have been particularly challenging for vulnerable people with health conditions and/or complex social needs. Link worker social prescribing is widespread in the UK and elsewhere and is regarded as having the potential to provide support to vulnerable people during the pandemic. This qualitative study explores accounts of how an existing social prescribing service adapted to meet clients’ needs in the first wave of the pandemic, and of how clients experienced these changes. METHODS: Data were collected in a deprived urban area of North East England via remote interviews with clients (n = 44), link workers (n = 5) and service provider managerial staff (n = 8) from May–September 2020. Thematic data analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The research found that service providers quickly adapted to remote intervention delivery aiming to serve existing clients and other vulnerable groups. Service providers experienced improved access to some existing clients via telephone in the first months of remote delivery and in some cases were able to engage clients who had previously not attended appointments at GP surgeries. However, link workers also experienced challenges in building rapport with clients, engaging clients with the aims of the intervention and providing a service to digitally excluded people. Limited link worker capacity meant clients experienced variable contact with link workers with only some experiencing consistent support that was highly valued for helping to manage their conditions and mental wellbeing. Limited access to linked services also adversely affected clients. Clients living in less affluent circumstances and/or with worse health were more likely to experience negative impacts on their long-term condition. Some found their health and progress with social prescribing was ‘on hold’ or ‘going backwards’, which sometimes negatively affected their health. CONCLUSIONS: Social prescribing offered valued support to some during the pandemic, but remote support sometimes had limited impact for clients and findings highlight the vulnerability of social prescribing’s success when linked services are disrupted. Findings also show the need for more to be done in the upscaling of social prescribing to provide support to digitally excluded populations. | BMC Health Serv Res | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8546 | Adverse reactions to the first and second doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers INTRODUCTION: In the current coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the messenger RNA vaccines have been shown to help protect high-risk groups from COVID-19. Among healthcare workers vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, a survey was conducted to analyze the relationship between the incidence and severity of adverse reactions after vaccination. METHODS: We conducted a prospective self-reported survey of adverse reactions among healthcare workers vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Comirnaty®) in Japan. After the first and second dose of vaccine, local and systemic reactions for 8 days after vaccination were reported by volunteer participants using a website. After receiving vaccination, 374 respondents participated in this matched-pair study. RESULTS: Both the incidence and severity of adverse reactions tended to be higher after the second vaccine dose than after the first dose. However, the incidence and numeric rating scale (NRS) score of muscle and skin pain were nearly the same after the first and second doses. In a comparison by sex, women had significantly higher incidence and NRS scores for adverse reactions such as headache, skin pain, erythema, and itching. The results also showed that younger age groups had higher incidence rates and NRS scores for all adverse reactions investigated, except for muscle pain, compared with older age groups. CONCLUSION: Some adverse reactions to the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty® COVID-19 vaccine showed gender and age differences. However, generally speaking, all side reactions disappear within a week. Therefore, these side reactions are not a significant concern in recommending vaccination. | J Infect Chemother | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8547 | Neurologically Devastating Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage in COVID-19 Patients on ECMO: A Case Series BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) represents a life-saving therapy in cases of refractory hypoxia and has been utilized in patients suffering from the most severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A strikingly high mortality rate of 94% was described in early reports of patients with COVID-19 transitioned to ECMO. Later case reports and series demonstrating successful recovery from COVID-19 after ECMO have revived interest in this therapeutic modality, including the recent approval of ECMO for COVID-19 patients by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Here, we present the first reports of devastating intracranial hemorrhage as a complication of veno-venous (VV) ECMO in two COVID-19 patients. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We performed a retrospective analysis of 2 cases of devastating intracranial hemorrhage in patients on VV-ECMO for the treatment of COVID-19. Collected data included clinical history, laboratory results, treatment, and review of all available imaging. Both patients demonstrated activated partial thromboplastin times (aPTT) within an appropriate therapeutic range. No risk factors that clearly predicted likelihood of this complication were identified. CONCLUSION: Understanding the complications of ECMO in this cohort and developing therapeutic algorithms to aid in optimal patient selection will be critical in the limited resource setting experienced as a result of global pandemic. We propose the use of head computed tomography (CT) to identify devastating neurological complications as early as possible, aiding in the resource allocation of ECMO machines to the most appropriately selected patients. | Neurosurgery | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8548 | Changes in Weight and Nutritional Habits in Adults with Obesity during the "Lockdown" Period Caused by the COVID-19 Virus Emergency Our aim is evaluating the changes in weight and dietary habits in a sample of outpatients with obesity after 1 month of enforced lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Italy. In this observational retrospective study, the patients of our Obesity Unit were invited to answer to a 12-question multiple-choice questionnaire relative to weight changes, working activity, exercise, dietary habits, and conditions potentially impacting on nutritional choices. A multivariate regression analysis was performed to evaluate the associations among weight/BMI changes and the analyzed variables. A total of 150 subjects (91.5%) completed the questionnaire. Mean self-reported weight gain was ≈1.5 kg (p < 0.001). Lower exercise, self-reported boredom/solitude, anxiety/depression, enhanced eating, consumption of snacks, unhealthy foods, cereals, and sweets were correlated with a significantly higher weight gain. Multiple regression analyses showed that increased education (inversely, β = −1.15; 95%CI −2.13, −0.17, p = 0.022), self-reported anxiety/depression (β = 1.61; 0.53, 2.69, p = 0.004), and not consuming healthy foods (β = 1.48; 0.19, 2.77, p = 0.026) were significantly associated with increased weight gain. The estimated direct effect of self-reported anxiety/depression on weight was 2.07 kg (1.07, 3.07, p < 0.001). Individuals with obesity significantly gained weight 1 month after the beginning of the quarantine. The adverse mental burden linked to the COVID-19 pandemic was greatly associated with increased weight gain. | Nutrients | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8549 | Searching for General Model of Conspiracy Theories and Its Implication for Public Health Policy: Analysis of the Impacts of Political, Psychological, Structural Factors on Conspiracy Beliefs about the COVID-19 Pandemic Along with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, beliefs in conspiracy theories are spreading within and across countries. This study aims to analyze predictors of beliefs in conspiracy theories. Because previous studies have emphasized only specific political, psychological, or structural factors or variables, this study constructs an integrated analytical model that includes all three factors. We analyze data from a large-scale survey of Koreans (N = 1525) and find several results. First, political, psychological, and structural factors influence beliefs in conspiracy theories. Second, when we examine the specific influences of the variables, we find that authoritarianism, support for minority parties, religiosity, trust in SNS (social networking services), perceived risk, anxiety, negative emotions, blame attribution, the quantity of information, health status, and health after COVID-19, all positively influence beliefs in conspiracy theories. Conversely, support for President Moon Jae-In’s government, Christianity, trust in the government, perceived control, analytic thinking, knowledge, the quality of information, and gender, all negatively impact these beliefs. Among the predictors, the quality of information, health status, support for President Moon Jae-In’s government, perceived risk, and anxiety have the most decisive impacts on beliefs in conspiracy theories. | Int J Environ Res Public Healt | 2020 | LitCov and CORD-19 | |
| 8550 | Child food insecurity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: urgent need for policy evaluation and reform in Israel's school feeding programs Even in high-income countries like Israel, children have been particularly vulnerable to the surge in food insecurity driven by quarantines, unemployment, and economic hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under normal circumstances, School Feeding Programs (SFPs) can help to ensure child food security. In the wake of the pandemic, policy makers worldwide have been challenged to adapt national SFPs to provide nutritional support to children (and indirectly to their families) during extended school closures. Most national SFPs implemented contingency plans to ensure continued nutritional support for children. In Israel, where SFPs were largely suspended during long periods of mandated school closing, there was a loss of 30–50% of feeding days for the ~ 454,000 children enrolled in the program. The lack of emergency contingency planning and failure to maintain Israeli SFPs during school closures reveals longstanding structural policy flaws that hindered coordination between relevant ministries and authorities and impeded the mobilization of funds and existing programs to meet the emergent need. The school feeding law does not identify child food security as an explicit aim, there are no benchmarks for monitoring and evaluating the program to ensure that the food aid reaches the children most in need, even routinely, and the Ministry of Education had no obligation to maintain the program and to marshal data on the participants that could be acted upon in the emergency. Moreover, because Israeli SFPs are “selective”, in other words, implemented according to community risk (low-income, high poverty rate) and geographical factors, attendant stigma and financial burdens can make participation in the program less attractive to families and communities that need them the most. We argue that Israel should make urgent, long-term improvements to the SFPs as follows: First, eliminating childhood food insecurity should be made an explicit goal of legislation in the broader context of national social, health, and nutritional goals, and this includes ensuring SFPs are maintained during emergencies. Second, the government should assume responsibility for the routine assessment and data collection on food insecurity among Israeli children. Third, SFPs should be subjected to rigorous independent program evaluation. Finally, a “universal” SFP providing nutritious diets would likely improve the health of all Israeli children, across all socioeconomic backgrounds. These steps to guarantee that Israeli children have food to realize their full physical and cognitive potential would emphasize Israel’s firm commitment to support multiple dimensions of health, educational achievement, and societal values, to combat the complex and long-term consequences of the pandemic, and to prepare for the next one. | Isr J Health Policy Res | 2022 | LitCov and CORD-19 |
(1) COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19). 2020. Version 2022-06-02. Retrieved from https://ai2-semanticscholar-cord-19.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/historical_releases.html. Accessed 2022-06-05. doi:10.5281/zenodo.3715506
(2) Chen Q, Allot A, & Lu Z. (2020) Keep up with the latest coronavirus research, Nature 579:193 and Chen Q, Allot A, Lu Z. LitCovid: an open database of COVID-19 literature. Nucleic Acids Research. 2020. (version 2023-01-10)
(3) Currently tweets of June 23rd to June 29th 2022 have been considered.