scholarly journals COVID-19: Ophthalmological Aspects of the SARS-CoV 2 Global Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 237 (05) ◽  
pp. 675-680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob Siedlecki ◽  
Victor Brantl ◽  
Benedikt Schworm ◽  
Wolfgang Johann Mayer ◽  
Maximilian Gerhardt ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose To perform a systematic analysis of articles on the ophthalmological implications of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Methods PubMed.gov was searched for relevant articles using the keywords “COVID-19”, “coronavirus”, and “SARS-CoV-2” in conjunction with “ophthalmology” and “eye”. Moreover, official recommendations of ophthalmological societies were systematically reviewed, with a focus on the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth). Results As of April 16, 2020, in total, 21 peer-reviewed articles on the ophthalmological aspects of COVID-19 were identified. Of these, 12 (57.1%) were from Asia, 6 (28.6%) from the United States of America, and 3 (14.3%) from Europe. There were 5 (23.8%) original studies, 10 (47.6%) letters, 3 (14.2%) case reports, and 3 (14.2%) reviews. These articles could be classified into the topics “Modes and prevention of (ocular) transmission”, “Ophthalmological manifestations of COVID-19”, “Clinical guidance concerning ophthalmological practice during the COVID-19 pandemic”, and “Practical recommendations for clinical infrastructure”. Practical recommendations could be extracted from official statements of the AAO and the RCOphth. Conclusion Within a short period, a growing body of articles has started to elucidate the ophthalmological implications of COVID-19. As the eye can represent a route of infection (actively via tears and passively via the nasoacrimal duct), ophthalmological care has to undergo substantial modifications during this pandemic. In the eye, COVID-19 can manifest as keratoconjunctivitis.

Author(s):  
Alexander A. Kaurov ◽  
Vyacheslav Bazhenov ◽  
Mark SubbaRao

The COVID-19 global pandemic unprecedently disturbed the education system in the United States and lead to the closure of all planetariums that were providing immersive science communication. This situation motivates us to examine how accessible the planetarium facilities were before the pandemic. We investigate the most important socioeconomic and geographical factors that affect the planetarium accessibility using the U.S. Census Bureau data and the commute time to the nearest planetarium for each ZIP Code Tabulated Area. We show the magnitude of the effect of permanent closure of a fraction of planetariums. Our study can be informative for strategizing the pandemic response.


Author(s):  
Alexandra Kukharenko

The article describes the features of the development of the field of information and communication technologies in the century of digital transformation of society, the active implementation of innovative technological developments in economic and social processes, provides an analysis of the pace of development of the industry of information and communication technologies in the United States of America, describes the changes that have occurred associated with the global pandemic in 2020-2021.


PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11991
Author(s):  
Ming-Jr Jian ◽  
Hsing-Yi Chung ◽  
Chih-Kai Chang ◽  
Shan-Shan Hsieh ◽  
Jung-Chung Lin ◽  
...  

Background There is a global pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Information on viral genomics is crucial for understanding global dispersion and for providing insight into viral pathogenicity and transmission. Here, we characterized the SARS-CoV-2 genomes isolated from five travelers who returned to Taiwan from the United States of America (USA) between March and April 2020. Methods Haplotype network analysis was performed using genome-wide single-nucleotide variations to trace potential infection routes. To determine the genetic variations and evolutionary trajectory of the isolates, the genomes of isolates were compared to those of global virus strains from GISAID. Pharyngeal specimens were confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2-positive by RT-PCR. Direct whole-genome sequencing was performed, and viral assemblies were subsequently uploaded to GISAID. Comparative genome sequence and single-nucleotide variation analyses were performed. Results The D614G mutation was identified in imported cases, which separated into two clusters related to viruses originally detected in the USA. Our findings highlight the risk of spreading SARS-CoV-2 variants through air travel and the need for continued genomic tracing for the epidemiological investigation and surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 using viral genomic data. Conclusions Continuous genomic surveillance is warranted to trace virus circulation and evolution in different global settings during future outbreaks.


Author(s):  
Hemanta Kumar Baruah

AbstractIn this expository article, we are aiming to show with an example that even short term forecasts regarding the COVID-19 spread pattern may sometimes not be very reliable. We have studied data published by Worldometers.info to get numerically an approximate formula of the spread pattern for a short period. We have observed that in the United States of America, there was a nearly exponential spread pattern for a very short period from May 3 to May 8, 2020. From May 9 to May 13, the nearly exponential character of the spread was found to be absent. Hence it can be concluded that the COVID-19 spread pattern, even after more than four months from the start of the outbreak, is not quite predictable. Therefore even short term forecasts regarding the spread may not be very reliable. We have found that forecasts using the assumption of an exponential pattern of spread may actually lead to overestimation.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isobel Ronai ◽  
Danielle M. Tufts ◽  
Maria A. Diuk-Wasser

AbstractThe Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) was reported for the first time in the United States of America in 2017 and has now spread across 12 states. The potential of this invasive tick vector to transmit pathogens will be determined through its association to native hosts, such as the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) which is the primary reservoir for the causative agent of Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) and other zoonotic pathogens. We placed larval H. longicornis on P. leucopus, 65% of the larvae (n = 40) moved off the host within a short period of time and none engorged. In contrast, larval black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) did not move from where they were placed in the ear of the mouse. We then conducted a laboratory behavioural assay to assess the interaction of H. longicornis with the hair of potential mammalian host species in the United States of America. H. longicornis larvae were less likely to enter the hair zone of P. leucopus and humans compared to the hair of domestic cats, domestic dogs, and white-tailed deer. Our study identifies a tick-host hair interaction behaviour, which can be quantified in a laboratory assay to predict tick-host associations and provides insights into how ticks select a host.


1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Rodger

This article is the revised text of the first W A Wilson Memorial Lecture, given in the Playfair Library, Old College, in the University of Edinburgh, on 17 May 1995. It considers various visions of Scots law as a whole, arguing that it is now a system based as much upon case law and precedent as upon principle, and that its departure from the Civilian tradition in the nineteenth century was part of a general European trend. An additional factor shaping the attitudes of Scots lawyers from the later nineteenth century on was a tendency to see themselves as part of a larger Englishspeaking family of lawyers within the British Empire and the United States of America.


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