scholarly journals Does Smoking and Alcohol Increase the Risk of COVID-19? A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ankit Mahajan ◽  
Ujwal Singh ◽  
Pankaj Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
Unknown Origin ◽  
Capital City ◽  
World Health ◽  
Causative Organism ◽  
First Case ◽  
Tract Infections

AbstractThe first case of pneumonia of unknown origin was identified in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province situated in the Republic of China. The pathogenic organism that has been identified as a causative organism is a novel enveloped RNA betacoronavirus, which has been designated as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus has been found to have a similar phylogeny to SARS-CoV. The novel coronavirus or COVID-19 can be symptomized through clinical manifestations like pyrexia or fever, cough, dyspnea/difficulty in breathing, myalgia/muscle pain, and constant fatigue. COVID-19 can be transmitted through respiratory tract secretions. It mainly results in respiratory tract infections and the development of severe pneumonia in infected patients. Severe disease may ultimately cause death due to progressive respiratory failure. The coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 has been declared a public health emergency of international proportions by the World Health Organization (WHO). Thus, an analysis of cases might help in the identification of the disease's defining clinical characteristics, association with underlying lifestyle habits, and disease severity. This present article studied the probability of smoking and alcohol consumption in increasing the risk involved in increasing the severity of COVID-19 infection among affected subjects.

scholarly journals First Detection of Human Coronavirus HKU1 in Greece, in an Immunocompromised Patient With Severe Lower Respiratory Tract Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Epameinondas Georgakopoulou ◽  
Georgios Petsinis ◽  
Konstantinos Mantzouranis ◽  
Christos Damaskos ◽  
Despoina Melemeni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Respiratory Illness ◽  
Human Coronavirus ◽  
First Case ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
Tract Infections

Human coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1) is a RNA virus which gets in the human cells by binding to the receptor of  N-acetyl-9-O-acetylneuraminic acid. Human Coronaviruses (HCoVs), including HCoV-HKU1, are globally found. HCoV-HKU1 is responsible for upper and lower respiratory tract infections, usually with mild symptoms. In severe cases, HCoV-HKU1 can cause life-threatening respiratory illness especially in vulnerable hosts such as elderly, children and immunocompromised patients. In Greece, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and influenza are the most common viruses causing respiratory tract infections. Traditionally, HCoVs are responsible for less than 3% of respiratory infections in Greek population. HCoVs 229E and OC43 have been shown to circulate in Greece. We report the first case of lung infection in an immunocompromised woman due to HCoV-HKU1, that has never been before detected in Greece. HCoV-HKU1 is related to severe disease even in healthy individuals and must be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe respiratory infections.

Respiratory tract damage with bocavirus infection in children

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 14-18
Author(s):  
E. V. Sharipova ◽  
I. V. Babachenko ◽  
M. A. Shcherbatyh
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Human Bocavirus ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Tract Damage

Long time the main pathogens associated with the development of community-acquired pneumonia were bacteria. However, in recent years in the Russian Federation, like all over the world, the view of the damage of lower respiratory tract changed, including a unique approach to community-acquired pneumonia as a bacterial infection, and respiratory viruses have become seen as a direct cause of lower respiratory tract damage, or as part of a viral-bacterial co-infection. These studies became possible since the widespread introduction of PCR techniques in the clinical setting, identification of respiratory viruses has increased and new microorganisms such, one as human bocavirus have been discovered. Objective: to study the features of respiratory tract damage in acute bocavirus infection in children of different ages. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of 97 medical hospital documentation of children with acute bocavirus infection, detected confirmed by PCR in nasopharyngeal aspirate. Results: In this work, it was shown that human bocavirus spread throughout the year with an increase in the incidence of clinically significant forms in the autumnwinter period, including during the period of an increase in the incidence of influenza. HBoV infection requiring hospitals is most significant in the first three years of life. In 74.2% of hospitalized children, bocavirus infection occurs with lower respiratory tract infections in the form of bronchitis — 77.8%, pneumonia — 28.9% and rarely bronchiolitis and is complicated by the development of respiratory failure in 28.9% of cases. Changes in the blood test are non-specific, and the level of C-reactive protein in children with various clinical manifestations of HBoV infection generally does not exceed 50 mg / l. An x-ray of the chest organs does not objectively reflect the existing volume and nature of the inflammatory process in the lungs.

Molecular characterization of Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from MDR-TB patients of Northern Punjab, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Diffusion Method ◽  
Causative Organism ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Mdr Tb ◽  
Tract Infections

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are the most common and severe infectious diseases in developing countries. Acinetobacter baumannii is the bacterium known as causative organism for respiratory tract infections in human populations. The Report suggests that co-infection of Acinetobacter baumannii with Mycobacterium tuberculosis together increases health complications in multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) positive patients and creates fatal damage to the ailing population. In our study, 106 sputum samples of MDR-TB positive patients from Northern Punjab were studied. The isolation of A. baumannii from sputum of MDR-TB patients was done on selective media and initially screened by Oxidase and Catalase based identification followed by microscopic examination. Afterward, only ten suspected isolates of A. baumannii were again selected for further characterization for MDR by using Disc diffusion method. Antibiograms against number of antibiotics were accurately determined. Of these 10 isolates, 8 sample were found resistant to levofloxacin and subjected to molecular characterization using bla-OXA-51 primers. Only 3 out of 106 (2.83 %) isolates were confirmed as MDR strains of A. baumannii. These results show the coexistence of MDR A. bauminnii with MDR-TB patients of Northern Punjab, Pakistan. In Northern Punjab regions a higher percentage (3 cases) of MDR- TB were detected, which were co-infected with Acinetobacter baumannii among hospitalized patients. These findings may show unhygienic hospital environment or practices which leads to the co-infection.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Pediatric COVID-19 Infection in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Japan, and China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Ju Ming Wong ◽  
Qalab Abbas ◽  
Soo Lin Chuah ◽  
Ririe Fachrina Malisie ◽  
Kah Min Pon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
World Health ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Clinical Presentations ◽  
The Common ◽  
Health Organization

There is a scarcity of data regarding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in children from southeast and south Asia. This study aims to identify risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease among children in the region. This is an observational study of children with COVID-19 infection in hospitals contributing data to the Pediatric Acute and Critical Care COVID-19 Registry of Asia. Laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases were included in this registry. The primary outcome was severity of COVID-19 infection as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) (mild, moderate, severe, or critical). Epidemiology, clinical and laboratory features, and outcomes of children with COVID-19 are described. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify risk factors for severe/critical disease. A total of 260 COVID-19 cases from eight hospitals across seven countries (China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Pakistan) were included. The common clinical manifestations were similar across countries: fever (64%), cough (39%), and coryza (23%). Approximately 40% of children were asymptomatic, and overall mortality was 2.3%, with all deaths reported from India and Pakistan. Using the multivariable model, the infant age group, presence of comorbidities, and cough on presentation were associated with severe/critical COVID-19. This epidemiological study of pediatric COVID-19 infection demonstrated similar clinical presentations of COVID-19 in children across Asia. Risk factors for severe disease in children were age younger than 12 months, presence of comorbidities, and cough at presentation. Further studies are needed to determine whether differences in mortality are the result of genetic factors, cultural practices, or environmental exposures.

scholarly journals Nasopharyngeal gene expression, a novel approach to study the course of respiratory syncytial virus infection

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 718-725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corné H. van den Kieboom ◽  
Inge M.L. Ahout ◽  
Aldert Zomer ◽  
Kim H. Brand ◽  
Ronald de Groot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Pathogen Detection ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Host Gene ◽  
Host Gene Expression ◽  
Rsv Infection ◽  
Syncytial Virus ◽  
Tract Infections

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes mild infections in the vast majority of children. However, in some cases, it causes severe disease, such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Development of severe RSV infection is determined by the host response. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to identify biomarkers associated with severe RSV infection.To identify biomarkers, nasopharyngeal gene expression was profiled by microarray studies, resulting in the selection of five genes: ubiquitin D, tetraspanin 8, mucin 13, β-microseminoprotein and chemokine ligand 7.These genes were validated by real-time quantitative PCR in an independent validation cohort, which confirmed significant differences in gene expression between mildly and severely infected and between recovery and acute patients.Nasopharyngeal aspirate samples are regularly taken when a viral respiratory tract infection is suspected. In this article, we describe a method to discriminate between mild and severe RSV infection based on differential host gene expression. The combination of pathogen detection and host gene expression analysis in nasopharyngeal aspirates will significantly improve the diagnosis and prognosis of respiratory tract infections.

scholarly journals Feasibility study: honey for treatment of cough in children

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Ahmed ◽  
Alastair Sutcliffe ◽  
Claire Tipper
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
World Health ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Cough Assessment ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Tract Infections

Respiratory tract infections are an important health problem because of high incidence and economic costs. The World Health Organization identifies honey as a potential demulcent treatment for cough. The aim of this study is to determine: i) patient public perceptions towards a proposed randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of honey to placebo for treatment of cough in children; ii) potential participation rates for proposed trial; iii) whether age and gender of parent or child impacts on proposed cough assessment tools. Forty adult participants with children age 1-6 years presenting with an upper respiratory tract infection were enrolled. They underwent a structured interview regarding the proposed trial and assessed their child’s cough using two validated questionnaires. Eighty-eight percent of those recruited were willing to participate in the proposed trial. The two independently validated cough scores correlated well. A relationship between age and gender of child or parent with cough assessment score was not found. We conclude that a RCT to determine the effects of honey versus placebo is feasible. The public find the outcome measures and trial design acceptable.

scholarly journals Study on Knowledge and Practices of Ayurvedic Preventive Measures for Respiratory Tract Infections

2021 ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
B. L. Edirisinghe ◽  
W. M. S. S. K. Kulathunga
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
World Health ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Tract Infections

Respiratory diseases have become world health burden. It has been estimated that 65 million people have moderate severe chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases from which about 3 million die each year. Objective of this survey study was to assess knowledge and practice of Intern medical officers on Ayurvedic preventive measures for managing respiratory tract infectious diseases. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among the Intern Medical Officers during their training program. 85 respondents out of 150 were assessed for their knowledge and practices on Ayurvedic preventive measures for Respiratory tract infections by using pre-structured questionnaire. Among the sampled students, most of them were female 92.9% (79) and unmarried 51.8% (44). The mean age and the standard deviation of the respondents were 28.25 + 0.815 years. There were 41(48.2%) Intern medical students with good knowledge, 42(49.4%) were with satisfactory knowledge and 2.4% of the study group was having the little knowledge. Most of the respondents 56(65.9%) were doing good practice on preventing RTI and 29 (34.1%) respondents were doing bad practice. Overall the respondents have good practice on prevention of RTI with the mean score of 19.9 + 2.589.

scholarly journals Distribution of Respiratory Tracy Infectious Diseases in Relation to Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Concentration in Selected Urban Centres in Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamuno-owunari Perri ◽  
Vincent Ezikornwor Weli ◽  
Bright Poronakie ◽  
Tombari Bodo
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
World Health ◽  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Delta Region ◽  
Niger Delta Region ◽  
Tract Infections ◽  
Pm2.5 Concentration

Due to the visibility of soot in the environment of the Niger Delta especially Rivers State that has led to the increase of  espiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) in the region, this study was undertaken to determine the relationship between Particulate Matter (PM2.5) concentration and the incident of Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) in selected urban centres of the Niger Delta. Data on RTIs were collected from the Hospital Management Boards of the Ministries of Health of Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States and the data for PM2.5 were remotely sensed from 2016 to 2019, and subsequently analyzed with ANOVA and Spearman’s rank correlation statistics. The findings of this study revealed that there was significant variation in the occurrence of PM2.5 across the selected urban centres in the Niger Delta Region. The PM2.5 for the reviewed years was far above the World Health Organization (WHO) annual permissible limit of 10 µg/m3 thereby exacerbating Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs).The epidemiology of the RTIs showed that there are basically four (4) prominent RTI diseases: Asthma, Tuberculosis, Pneumonia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The result of this study showed that the concentration of PM2.5 varies in all the selected cities, and the mean monthly variation (2016-2019) showed that Port Harcourt had 47.27 µg/m3 for January while Yenagoa and Asaba had 46 µg/m3 and 47.51 µg/m3 respectively for January; while the lowest mean value in the cities were seen within the month of September and October, which also had a strong seasonal influence on the concentration of PM2.5. The concentration of PM2.5 and the numbers of RTIs also gradually increases in the study areas from 2016 to 2019. The study recommends that the necessary regulatory bodies should closely monitor the activities of the companies likely to cause such pollution; guild them through their operations and give prompt sanctions and heavy fines to defaulters of the accepted standards.

scholarly journals An Overview of Antivirals for Treating Lower Respiratory Tract Infections

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Elvira Cruz Jiménez ◽  
Liliana Quintanar Vera ◽  
J. Armando Lujan-Montelongo
Keyword(s):  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
World Health ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract Infections ◽  
Viral Pathogens ◽  
El Sistema ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Tract Infections

Abstract. Covid-19 has resulted in a worldwide epidemic (pandemic) with high morbidity and mortality, which has generated efforts in various areas of research looking for safe and effective treatments to combat the virus that generates this disease: SARS-CoV-2. However, several viruses have been emerged/adapted in the last few decades, also affecting the respiratory system. According to the world health organization (WHO), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and viruses are playing important roles as the cause of these infections. In contrast to the vast repertoire of antibiotics that exist to treat bacteria-caused LRTIs, there are a very few antivirals approved for the treatment of virus-caused LRTIs, whose approach consists mainly of drug reuse. This minireview deals on the main viral pathogens that cause LRTIs and some of the most relevant antivirals to counter them (available drugs and molecules in research/clinical trials), with concise comments of their mechanism of action.   Resumen. Covid-19 ha resultado en una epidemia mundial (pandemia) con alta morbilidad y mortalidad, lo que ha generado esfuerzos en diversas áreas de investigación en la búsqueda de tratamientos seguros y eficaces para combatir el virus que genera esta enfermedad: el SARS-CoV-2. Sin embargo, un número de virus han surgido o se han adaptado en las últimas décadas, que también afectan el sistema respiratorio. Según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), las infecciones en vías respiratorias inferiores (LRTIs, por sus siglas en inglés) son una de las principales causas de muerte a nivel mundial, siendo los virus de los principales patógenos causantes de estas infecciones. En contraste con el repertorio amplio de antibióticos que existen para tratar LRTIs causadas por bacterias, existen muy pocos antivirales aprobados para su tratamiento, cuyo enfoque consiste principalmente en la reutilización de fármacos. Este ensayo consiste en una breve revisión de los principales agentes virales que causan LRTIs y de los antivirales más relevantes para combatir los virus que las causan (tanto fármacos disponibles como moléculas en fases de investigación o clínicas), con comentarios concisos sobre su mecanismo de acción.

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