EPICOVID19: Psychometric assessment and validation of a short diagnostic scale for a rapid Covid-19 screening based on reported symptoms

Background Confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in 213 countries and regions and as of 12 July 2020, over 12 million cases, with 561617 deaths have been reported worldwide. The number of cases changes quickly and varies depending upon which source you use to track, so in the current epidemiological context, the early recognition is critical for the rapid identification of suspected cases (with SARS-CoV-2 infection-like symptoms and signs) to be immediately subjected to quarantine measures. Although surveys are widely used for identifying COVID-19 cases, outcomes and associated risks, no validated epidemiological tool exists for surveying SARS-CoV-2 infection in the population so far. Methods Our study is the phase II of the EPICOVID19 national survey, launched in April 2020 including a national convenience sample of 201121 adults, who voluntarily filled the EPICOVID19 questionnaire. The phase II questionnaire was mailed to all subjects who underwent tests for COVID-19 by nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and who accepted to be involved in the second phase of the study, focused on the results reported for NPS and/or serological IgG/IgM tests. We evaluated the capability of the self-reported symptoms collected through the EPICOVID19 questionnaire to discriminate the COVID-19 among symptomatic subjects, in order to identify possible cases to undergo instrumental measurements and clinical examinations. We defined a method for the identification of a total score and validated it with reference to the serological and molecular clinical diagnosis, using four standard steps: identification of critical factors, confirmation of presence of latent variable, development of optimal scoring algorithm and validation of the scoring algorithm. Findings 2703 subjects [66% response rate] completed the Phase II questionnaire. Of 2703 individuals, 694 (25.7%) were NPS(+) and of these 84 (12.1% of the 694 NPS(+)) were asymptomatic. In the individuals who performed serological testing, of the 472 who did IgG(+) and 421 who did IgM(+), 22.9% and 11.6% tested positive, respectively. Among IgG(+) 1 of 108 subjects was asymptomatic (0.9%) while 5/49 subjects among IgM(+) were asymptomatic (10.2%). Compared with NPS(-), among NPS(+) subjects there was a higher rate for Fever (421 [60.7%] vs 391[19.5% ]; p<0.0001), Loss of Taste and/or Smell (365 [52.6%] vs 239 [11.9% ]; p<0.0001) and Cough (352 [50.7%] vs 580 [28.9% ]; p<0.0001). Also for other symptoms the frequencies were significantly higher in NPS(+) subjects than in NPS(-) ones (p<0.001). Among groups with serological tests, the symptoms with higher percentages in the subjects IgG(+) were Fever (65 [60.2%] vs 43[11.8% ]; p<0.0001) and Pain in muscles, bones, joints (73 [67.6%] vs 71 [19.5% ]; p<0.0001). For the COVID-19 self-reported symptoms items, exploratory (proportion variance explained [89.9%]) and confirmatory factor analysis results (SMSR 0.072; RMSEA 0.052) highlights the presence of one latent variable (factor) underlying the symptoms. We define the one-factor solution as EPICOVID19 diagnostic scale and optimal score for each items was identified: Respiratory problems (1.03), Chest pain (1.07), Loss of Taste and/or Smell (0.97) and Tachycardia (palpitations) (1.05) were the most important symptoms. The cut-off score was 2.56 (Sensitivity 76.56%; Specificity 68.24%) in NPS(+) and 2.59 (Se 80.37; Sp 80.17) in IgG(+) subjects.

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Rapid COVID-19 Screening Based on Self-Reported Symptoms: Psychometric Assessment and Validation of the EPICOVID19 Short Diagnostic Scale

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/23897 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. e23897 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Luca Bastiani ◽

Loredana Fortunato ◽

Stefania Pieroni ◽

Fabrizio Bianchi ◽

Fulvio Adorni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Ii ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

World Health ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Serological Tests ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Respiratory Problems ◽

Health Organization ◽

Taste And Smell

Background Confirmed COVID-19 cases have been registered in more than 200 countries, and as of July 28, 2020, over 16 million cases have been reported to the World Health Organization. This study was conducted during the epidemic peak of COVID-19 in Italy. The early identification of individuals with suspected COVID-19 is critical in immediately quarantining such individuals. Although surveys are widely used for identifying COVID-19 cases, outcomes, and associated risks, no validated epidemiological tool exists for surveying SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population. Objective We evaluated the capability of self-reported symptoms in discriminating COVID-19 to identify individuals who need to undergo instrumental measurements. We defined and validated a method for identifying a cutoff score. Methods Our study is phase II of the EPICOVID19 Italian national survey, which launched in April 2020 and included a convenience sample of 201,121 adults who completed the EPICOVID19 questionnaire. The Phase II questionnaire, which focused on the results of nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and serological tests, was mailed to all subjects who previously underwent NPS tests. Results Of 2703 subjects who completed the Phase II questionnaire, 694 (25.7%) were NPS positive. Of the 472 subjects who underwent the immunoglobulin G (IgG) test and 421 who underwent the immunoglobulin M test, 22.9% (108/472) and 11.6% (49/421) tested positive, respectively. Compared to NPS-negative subjects, NPS-positive subjects had a higher incidence of fever (421/694, 60.7% vs 391/2009, 19.5%; P<.001), loss of taste and smell (365/694, 52.6% vs 239/2009, 11.9%; P<.001), and cough (352/694, 50.7% vs 580/2009, 28.9%; P<.001). With regard to subjects who underwent serological tests, IgG-positive subjects had a higher incidence of fever (65/108, 60.2% vs 43/364, 11.8%; P<.001) and pain in muscles/bones/joints (73/108, 67.6% vs 71/364, 19.5%; P<.001) than IgG-negative subjects. An analysis of self-reported COVID-19 symptom items revealed a 1-factor solution, the EPICOVID19 diagnostic scale. The following optimal scores were identified: 1.03 for respiratory problems, 1.07 for chest pain, 0.97 for loss of taste and smell 0.97, and 1.05 for tachycardia (ie, heart palpitations). These were the most important symptoms. For adults aged 18-84 years, the cutoff score was 2.56 (sensitivity: 76.56%; specificity: 68.24%) for NPS-positive subjects and 2.59 (sensitivity: 80.37%; specificity: 80.17%) for IgG-positive subjects. For subjects aged ≥60 years, the cutoff score was 1.28, and accuracy based on the presence of IgG antibodies improved (sensitivity: 88.00%; specificity: 89.58%). Conclusions We developed a short diagnostic scale to detect subjects with symptoms that were potentially associated with COVID-19 from a wide population. Our results support the potential of self-reported symptoms in identifying individuals who require immediate clinical evaluations. Although these results come from the Italian pandemic period, this short diagnostic scale could be optimized and tested as a screening tool for future similar pandemics.

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Rapid COVID-19 Screening Based on Self-Reported Symptoms: Psychometric Assessment and Validation of the EPICOVID19 Short Diagnostic Scale (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.23897 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Luca Bastiani ◽

Loredana Fortunato ◽

Stefania Pieroni ◽

Fabrizio Bianchi ◽

Fulvio Adorni ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Ii ◽

Immunoglobulin M ◽

World Health ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Cutoff Score ◽

Serological Tests ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Respiratory Problems ◽

Health Organization ◽

Taste And Smell

BACKGROUND Confirmed COVID-19 cases have been registered in more than 200 countries, and as of July 28, 2020, over 16 million cases have been reported to the World Health Organization. This study was conducted during the epidemic peak of COVID-19 in Italy. The early identification of individuals with suspected COVID-19 is critical in immediately quarantining such individuals. Although surveys are widely used for identifying COVID-19 cases, outcomes, and associated risks, no validated epidemiological tool exists for surveying SARS-CoV-2 infection in the general population. OBJECTIVE We evaluated the capability of self-reported symptoms in discriminating COVID-19 to identify individuals who need to undergo instrumental measurements. We defined and validated a method for identifying a cutoff score. METHODS Our study is phase II of the EPICOVID19 Italian national survey, which launched in April 2020 and included a convenience sample of 201,121 adults who completed the EPICOVID19 questionnaire. The Phase II questionnaire, which focused on the results of nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and serological tests, was mailed to all subjects who previously underwent NPS tests. RESULTS Of 2703 subjects who completed the Phase II questionnaire, 694 (25.7%) were NPS positive. Of the 472 subjects who underwent the immunoglobulin G (IgG) test and 421 who underwent the immunoglobulin M test, 22.9% (108/472) and 11.6% (49/421) tested positive, respectively. Compared to NPS-negative subjects, NPS-positive subjects had a higher incidence of fever (421/694, 60.7% vs 391/2009, 19.5%; P<.001), loss of taste and smell (365/694, 52.6% vs 239/2009, 11.9%; P<.001), and cough (352/694, 50.7% vs 580/2009, 28.9%; P<.001). With regard to subjects who underwent serological tests, IgG-positive subjects had a higher incidence of fever (65/108, 60.2% vs 43/364, 11.8%; P<.001) and pain in muscles/bones/joints (73/108, 67.6% vs 71/364, 19.5%; P<.001) than IgG-negative subjects. An analysis of self-reported COVID-19 symptom items revealed a 1-factor solution, the EPICOVID19 diagnostic scale. The following optimal scores were identified: 1.03 for respiratory problems, 1.07 for chest pain, 0.97 for loss of taste and smell 0.97, and 1.05 for tachycardia (ie, heart palpitations). These were the most important symptoms. For adults aged 18-84 years, the cutoff score was 2.56 (sensitivity: 76.56%; specificity: 68.24%) for NPS-positive subjects and 2.59 (sensitivity: 80.37%; specificity: 80.17%) for IgG-positive subjects. For subjects aged ≥60 years, the cutoff score was 1.28, and accuracy based on the presence of IgG antibodies improved (sensitivity: 88.00%; specificity: 89.58%). CONCLUSIONS We developed a short diagnostic scale to detect subjects with symptoms that were potentially associated with COVID-19 from a wide population. Our results support the potential of self-reported symptoms in identifying individuals who require immediate clinical evaluations. Although these results come from the Italian pandemic period, this short diagnostic scale could be optimized and tested as a screening tool for future similar pandemics.

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Prevalence of BRD-Related Viral Pathogens in the Upper Respiratory Tract of Swiss Veal Calves

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11071940 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 1940

Author(s):

Eveline Studer ◽

Lutz Schönecker ◽

Mireille Meylan ◽

Dimitri Stucki ◽

Ronald Dijkman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Welfare Economic ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Upper Respiratory Tract ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Veal Calves ◽

Mixed Regression ◽

Influenza C Virus ◽

Syncytial Virus

The prevention of bovine respiratory disease is important, as it may lead to impaired welfare, economic losses, and considerable antimicrobial use, which can be associated with antimicrobial resistance. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of respiratory viruses and to identify risk factors for their occurrence. A convenience sample of 764 deep nasopharyngeal swab samples from veal calves was screened by PCR for bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine parainfluenza-3 virus (BPI3V), bovine coronavirus (BCoV), influenza D virus (IDV), and influenza C virus (ICV). The following prevalence rates were observed: BRSV, 2.1%; BPI3V, 3.3%; BCoV, 53.5%; IDV, 4.1%; ICV, 0%. Logistic mixed regression models were built for BCoV to explore associations with calf management and housing. Positive swab samples were more frequent in younger calves than older calves (>100 days; p < 0.001). The probability of detecting BCoV increased with increasing group size in young calves. Findings from this study suggested that young calves should be fattened in small groups to limit the risk of occurrence of BCoV, although an extended spectrum of risk factors for viral associated respiratory disorders such as nutritional aspects should be considered in future studies.

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Clinical Differences between COVID-19 and a COVID-Like Syndrome

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10112519 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 2519

Author(s):

Pierpaolo Di Micco ◽

Giuseppe Camporese ◽

Vincenzo Russo ◽

Giuseppe Cardillo ◽

Egidio Imbalzano ◽

...

Keyword(s):

False Negative ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Similar Group ◽

Risk Of Infection ◽

Hospital Workers ◽

Serological Tests ◽

Clinical Presentations ◽

The World ◽

Lung Failure ◽

The Difference

COVID-19 is an infection due to SARS-CoV-2; this virus has been identified as the cause of the present pandemic. Several typical characteristics are present in this infection, in particular pneumonia with possible lung failure, but atypical clinical presentations are being described daily by physicians around the world. Ground-glass opacities with pneumonia are the most common and dangerous presentations of the COVID-19 disease, and they are usually associated with positive nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) tests with detectable SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA. Compared to the general population, hospital workers have been at a greater risk of infection ever since the first patients were hospitalized. However, hospital workers have also been reported as having COVID-like symptoms despite repeated negative swab tests but having tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies with serological tests. We can postulate that a COVID-like syndrome is possible, in particular in hospital workers, that is characterized by symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, but with repeated negative nasopharyngeal swabs. These repeated negative NSPs make the difference in daily clinical management with people that experienced a single false negative nasopharyngeal swab; furthermore, a clear clinical differentiation of these situations is still lacking in the literature. For this reason, here, we report our main findings from a cohort of patients with a COVID-like syndrome compared to a similar group affected by typical COVID-19.

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COVID-19 serological testing for Healthcare Workers in Lombardy, Italy

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa165.351 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

G Del Castillo ◽

A Castrofino ◽

F Grosso ◽

A Barone ◽

L Crottogini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Workers ◽

Geographical Area ◽

Healthcare Facility ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Infection Prevalence ◽

Serological Testing ◽

Prevention Policy ◽

Rt Pcr ◽

Serological Tests ◽

Screening Process

Abstract Issue COVID-19 pandemic began in Italy on February 20th, 2020. Since the beginning of the emergency Healthcare Workers' (HCWs) involvement was prominent, mainly due to direct assistance to COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we implemented a prevention policy for HCW screening through serological and RT-PCR testing. Description of the problem HCW screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection is essential for prevention and control of the pandemic. Lombardy's Healthcare authorities settled a screening process for HCWs divided into three steps: 1) body temperature assessment at the beginning and the end of work shift, if fever > 37.5 °C was present the HCW was sent back home and a nasopharyngeal swab was performed; 2) progressive recruitment for serological testing; 3) on those positive to IgG a nasopharyngeal swab was performed and tested for viral RNA by RT-PCR. Results Among 79185 HCW tested, 9589 (12%) were positive on serological IgG testing. Of the 9589 positive a nasopharyngeal swab was performed on 6884. Of these 358 (5%) tested positive and the remaining 6526 (95%) negative to RT-PCR. We calculated a Positive Predictive Value of 5.2%. The rate of positive serological tests for each Healthcare facility varied between 0% and 78%. Five percent of all facilities, belonging to Brescia, Bergamo and Cremona area, reported a positivity rate higher than 40% in HCWs. A second cluster (18% of all facilities), involving the same geographical area, reported a rate between 20% and 40%, whereas the remaining facilities (76%) of the region a rate <20%. Lessons Serological IgG testing can be, if followed by immediate nasopharyngeal swab testing, a valid screening intervention on asymptomatic HCWs especially in a high infection prevalence setting. Key messages Serological IgG testing can be, if followed by immediate nasopharyngeal swab testing, a valid screening intervention on asymptomatic HCWs. Infection prevention in HCW may benefit from a screening campaign especially in high prevalence settings.

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The Second of Two One-Year, Multicenter, Open-Label, Repeat-Dose, Phase II Safety Studies of PrabotulinumtoxinA for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Glabellar Lines in Adult Patients

Aesthetic Surgery Journal ◽

10.1093/asj/sjaa382 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Z Paul Lorenc ◽

Jeffrey M Adelglass ◽

Rui L Avelar ◽

Leslie Baumann ◽

Kenneth R Beer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase Ii ◽

Botulinum Toxin Type A ◽

Study Drug ◽

Botulinum Toxin Type ◽

Second Phase ◽

Repeat Dose ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Open Label ◽

Blurred Vision ◽

Line Scale

Abstract Background PrabotulinumtoxinA is a 900-kDa botulinum toxin type A produced by Clostridium botulinum. Objectives The authors sought to investigate the safety of prabotulinumtoxinA for treatment of glabellar lines. Methods This was a multicenter, open-label, repeat-dose, 1-year phase II safety study. Adults with moderate to severe glabellar lines at maximum frown, as independently assessed by both investigator and patient on the validated 4-point photonumeric Glabellar Line Scale (0 = no lines, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate, 3 = severe), were enrolled. On day 0, patients received an initial treatment (IT) of 20 U prabotulinumtoxinA (4 U/0.1 mL final vacuum-dried formulation injected into 5 glabellar sites). On and after day 90, patients received a repeat treatment (RT) if their Glabellar Line Scale score was ≥2 at maximum frown by investigator assessment. Safety outcomes were evaluated throughout the study. Results The 570 study patients received a median total dose of 60 U, that is, 3 treatments. Sixty-one patients (10.7%) experienced adverse events (AEs) assessed as possibly study drug related; 6.5% experienced study drug–related AEs after the IT. With each RT, progressively lower percentages of patients experienced study drug–related AEs. Eight patients (1.4%) experienced study drug–related AEs of special interest: 5 experienced eyelid ptosis (0.9%), 3 eyebrow ptosis (0.5%), 1 blepharospasm (0.2%), and 1 blurred vision (0.2%). Seven patients (1.2%) experienced serious AEs, but none were study drug related. A total of 4060 serum samples were tested for antibotulinum toxin antibodies; no seroconversion was observed. Conclusions The safety of RTs of 20 U of prabotulinumtoxinA for moderate to severe glabellar lines was confirmed in this second phase II study based on a broad range of outcomes.

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Validation of Sexological Worldview

SAGE Open ◽

10.1177/2158244012439072 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 215824401243907 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Justin A. Sitron ◽

Donald A. Dyson

Keyword(s):

Attitude Change ◽

Service Provision ◽

Perspective Transformation ◽

The United States ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

Second Phase ◽

Two Phase ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Developmental Characteristics ◽

Definition Of

The authors originally posited that a new construct must be developed to measure the success of affective training for sexologists, particularly the Sexuality Attitudes Reassessment (SAR) modality. Couching their critique in studies that have been conducted to measure the SAR’s effectiveness as a method used to evoke perspective transformation and more sensitive and humanistic service provision, the authors argued that the development of a professional’s sexological worldview would be a more accurate construct than attitude change to measure when considering the outcomes of SAR training. This study in the United States used a two-phase qualitative approach to validate the proposed sexological worldview construct. In the first phase, they surveyed a panel of 16 sexologists regarding their original proposed definition of sexological worldview and refined it. In the second phase, they completed 30 one-on-one interviews with a convenience sample of sexologists and sexology students. Using an inductive content analysis of the interview transcripts, seven themes emerged in support of the proposed definition of sexological worldview, including its components and its developmental characteristics. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for the use of the construct for the training of sexologists.

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Involvement of NO in Antinociception of NSAIDS in Murine Formalin Hind Paw Assay

Drug Research ◽

10.1055/a-1095-5418 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (04) ◽

pp. 145-150 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Viviana Noriega ◽

Hugo F. Miranda ◽

Juan Carlos Prieto ◽

Ramón Sotomayor-Zárate ◽

Fernando Sierralta

Keyword(s):

Phase I ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Dose Response ◽

Rank Order ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Second Phase ◽

Response Curves ◽

Before And After ◽

Two Phases ◽

Phase Phase

AbstractThere are different animal models to evaluate pain among them the formalin hind paw assay which is widely used since some of its events appear to be similar to the clinical pain of humans. The assay in which a dilute solution of formalin is injected into the dorsal hindpaw of a murine produces two ‘phases’ of pain behavior separated by a inactive period. The early phase (Phase I) is probably due to direct activation of nociceptors and the second phase (Phase II) is due to ongoing inflammatory input and central sensitization. Mice were used to determine the potency antinociceptive of piroxicam (1,3,10,and 30 mg/kg), parecoxib (0.3, 1,3,10 and 30 mg/kg), dexketoprofen (3,10,30 and 100 mg/kg) and ketoprofen (3,10,30 and 100 mg/kg). Dose-response for each NSAIDs were created before and after 5 mg/kg of L-NAME i.p. or 5 mg/kg i.p. of 7-nitroindazole. A least-squares linear regression analysis of the log dose–response curves allowed the calculation of the dose that produced 50% of antinociception (ED50) for each drug. The ED50 demonstrated the following rank order of potency, in the phase I: piroxicam > dexketoprofen > ketoprofen > parecoxib and in the phase II: piroxicam > ketoprofen > parecoxib > dexketoprofen. Pretreatment of the mice with L-NAME or 7-nitroindazol induced a significant increase of the analgesic power of the NSAIDs, with a significant reduction of the ED50. It is suggested that NO may be involved in both phases of the trial, which means that nitric oxide regulates the bioactivity of NSAIDs.

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GERDA results and the future perspectives for the neutrinoless double beta decay search using 76Ge

International Journal of Modern Physics A ◽

10.1142/s0217751x18430042 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 33 (09) ◽

pp. 1843004 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

◽

M. Agostini ◽

A. M. Bakalyarov ◽

M. Balata ◽

I. Barabanov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phase I ◽

Beta Decay ◽

Phase Ii ◽

Half Life ◽

Liquid Argon ◽

Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay ◽

Double Beta Decay ◽

Second Phase ◽

Inverted Hierarchy ◽

Phase Phase

The GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) is a low background experiment at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) of INFN designed to search for the rare neutrinoless double beta decay ([Formula: see text]) of [Formula: see text]Ge. In the first phase (Phase I) of the experiment, high purity germanium diodes were operated in a “bare” mode and immersed in liquid argon. The overall background level of [Formula: see text] was a factor of ten better than those of its predecessors. No signal was found and a lower limit was set on the half-life for the [Formula: see text] decay of [Formula: see text]Ge [Formula: see text] yr (90% CL), while the corresponding median sensitivity was [Formula: see text] yr (90% CL). A second phase (Phase II) started at the end of 2015 after a major upgrade. Thanks to the increased detector mass and performance of the enriched germanium diodes and due to the introduction of liquid argon instrumentation techniques, it was possible to reduce the background down to [Formula: see text]. After analyzing 23.2 kg[Formula: see text]⋅[Formula: see text]yr of these new data no signal was seen. Combining these with the data from Phase I a stronger half-life limit of the [Formula: see text]Ge [Formula: see text] decay was obtained: [Formula: see text] yr (90% CL), reaching a sensitivity of [Formula: see text] yr (90% CL). Phase II will continue for the collection of an exposure of 100 kg[Formula: see text]yr. If no signal is found by then the GERDA sensitivity will have reached [Formula: see text] yr for setting a 90% CL. limit. After the end of GERDA Phase II, the flagship experiment for the search of [Formula: see text] decay of [Formula: see text]Ge will be LEGEND. LEGEND experiment is foreseen to deploy up to 1-ton of [Formula: see text]Ge. After ten years of data taking, it will reach a sensitivity beyond 10[Formula: see text] yr, and hence fully cover the inverted hierarchy region.

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Association of Early Nasopharyngeal Immune Markers With COVID-19 Clinical Outcome: Predictive Value of CCL2/MCP-1

Open Forum Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/ofid/ofaa407 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (10) ◽

Author(s):

Beatriz Sierra ◽

Ana B Pérez ◽

Eglis Aguirre ◽

Claudia Bracho ◽

Odalys Valdés ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Clinical Outcome ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Early Recognition ◽

Effective Intervention ◽

Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽

Immune Markers ◽

Potential Value ◽

Early Expression ◽

Inflammatory Immune Response

Abstract Early recognition of severe forms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is essential for an opportune and effective intervention, reducing life-risking complications. An altered inflammatory immune response seems to be associated with COVID-19’s pathogenesis and progression to severity. Here we demonstrate the utility of early nasopharyngeal swab samples for detection of the early expression of immune markers and the potential value of CCL2/MCP-1 in predicting disease outcome.

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