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Immediate and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on delivery of surgical services
1 May, 2020Abstract
The ongoing pandemic is having a collateral health effect on delivery of surgical care to millions of patients. Very little is known about pandemic management and effects on other services, including delivery of surgery. In this article, a scoping review of all available literature pertaining to COVID‐19 and surgery, using electronic databases, society websites, webinars and preprint repositories was performed.
Several perioperative guidelines have been issued within a short ti... -
Virtually perfect? Telemedicine for Covid-19
1 May, 2020Recognizing that patients prioritize convenient and inexpensive care, Duffy and Lee recently asked whether in-person visits should become the second, third, or even last option for meeting patient needs. Previous work has specifically described the potential for using telemedicine in disasters and public health emergencies. No telemedicine program can be created overnight, but U.S. health systems that have already implemented telemedical innovations can leverage them for the response to Covid... -
Changes in contact patterns shape the dynamics of the COVID-19 outbreak in China
30 Apr, 2020AbstractIntense non-pharmaceutical interventions were put in place in China to stop transmission of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As transmission intensifies in other countries, the interplay between age, contact patterns, social distancing, susceptibility to infection, and COVID-19 dynamics remains unclear. To answer these questions, we analyze contact surveys data for Wuhan and Shanghai before and during the outbreak and contact tracing information from Hunan Province. Daily con... -
COVID-19 – does exercise prescription and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) have a role in risk-stratifying patients?
30 Apr, 2020Abstract
As the UK shields ‘high risk’ patients and enforces social distancing measures, patients will be at risk of significantly reducing physical activity levels. We explore the evidence base for COVID-19-specific recommendations and exercise interventions to ‘precondition’ patients prior to infection and appraise the role of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) as a risk-stratifying triage tool. We conclude that structured exercise programmes can be used to maintain physical activity levels... -
Remdesivir in adults with severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial
30 Apr, 2020No specific antiviral drug has been proven effective for treatment of patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Remdesivir (GS-5734), a nucleoside analogue prodrug, has inhibitory effects on pathogenic animal and human coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in vitro, and inhibits Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, SARS-CoV-1, and SARS-CoV-2 replication in animal models.
A group of Chinese experts, funded by Chine... -
The Consequences of Delaying Elective Surgery: Surgical Perspective
29 Apr, 2020
Delays in surgery will have real impacts on patient health outcomes, hospital finances and resources, as well as training and research programs. A thoughtful and concerted effort is necessary to mitigate these effects. The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic will leave a permanent mark on all aspects of society, including politics, culture, economics, health policy, and medicine. Hospitals are at the frontline of this crisis and have shifted their resources to handle the coronavirus pandemic o... -
Squalene-based multidrug nanoparticles for improved mitigation of uncontrolled inflammation
29 Apr, 2020
Uncontrolled inflammatory processes are at the root of numerous pathologies. Most recently, studies on confirmed COVID-19 cases have suggested that mortality might be due to virally induced hyperinflammation. Growing evidence has indicated that uncontrolled pro-inflammatory states are often driven by continuous positive feedback loops between pro-inflammatory signaling and oxidative stress. There are currently no effective ways to counter this crosstalk in a targeted manner. Here we repor... -
Large-Vessel Stroke as a Presenting Feature of Covid-19 in the Young
29 Apr, 2020
We report five cases of large-vessel stroke in patients younger than 50 years of age who presented to our health system in New York City. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was diagnosed in all five patients.
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Aerodynamic analysis of SARS-CoV-2 in two Wuhan hospitals
29 Apr, 2020
The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has spread rapidly on a global scale. While the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via human respiratory droplets and direct contact is clear, the potential for aerosol transmission is poorly understood1–3. This study investigated the aerodynamic nature of SARS-CoV-2 by measuring viral RNA in aerosols in different areas of two Wuhan hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak in February and March 2020. The concentration of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in aerosols detected in isolation... -
Mobile phone data for informing public health actions across the COVID-19 pandemic life cycle
28 Apr, 2020
There is little coordination or information exchange between national or regional initiatives. Although ad hoc mechanisms leveraging mobile phone data can be effectively (but not easily) developed at the local or national level, regional or even global collaborations seem to be much more difficult given the number of actors, the range of interests and priorities, the variety of legislations concerned, and the need to protect civil liberties. The global scale and spread of the COVID-19 pan... -
COVID-19 cytokine storm: the interplay between inflammation and coagulation
28 Apr, 2020
Antithrombin and antifactor Xa direct oral anticoagulants are well established in the prevention and management of venous thrombo- embolism, and since thrombin is the main activator of PAR-1, and coagulation factor Xa can induce production of proinflammatory cytokines via activation of PAR-2 and PAR-1,5 these drugs might be promising in ameliorating disease progression and severity of COVID-19. Bleeding risk will always be a concern, but in this procoagulant state the benefits might o... -
Management of COVID-19 Respiratory Distress
28 Apr, 2020
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a Clinical update about how to manage respiratory distresses that Covid-19 patients can suffer. They provide information about how to treat ARDS, the acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Abstract
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) can originate from either the gas or vascular side of the alveolus. Although the portal for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is inhalational, and alveolar ...