scholarly journals PREVALENCE AND INCIDENCE OF ANTIBODIES AGAINST SARS-COV-2 AMONG PRIMARY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN BELGIUM DURING ONE YEAR OF THE COVID-19 EPIDEMIC: PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY PROTOCOL

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Adriaenssens ◽  
Beatrice Scholtes ◽  
Robin Bruyndonckx ◽  
Jan Y Verbakel ◽  
An De Sutter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Population Exposure ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Point Of Care Test ◽  
Seroprevalence Data

Introduction National severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroprevalence data provides essential information about population exposure to the virus and helps predict the future course of the epidemic. Early cohort studies have suggested declines in levels of antibodies in individuals, associated with, for example, illness severity, age and co-morbidities. This protocol focuses on the seroprevalence among primary health care providers (PHCPs) in Belgium. They manage the vast majority of COVID-19 patients in addition to other patients and therefore play an essential role in the efficient organisation of health care. Currently, evidence is lacking on 1. how many PHCPs get infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Belgium, 2. the rate at which this happens, 3. their clinical spectrum, 4. their risk factors, 5. the effectiveness of the measures to prevent infection and 6. the accuracy of the serology-based point-of-care test in a primary care setting. Methods and analysis This study will be set up as a prospective cohort study. General practitioners (GPs) and other PHCPs (working in a GP practice) will be recruited via professional networks and professional media outlets to register online to participate. Registered GPs and other PHCPs will be asked at each testing point (n=9) to perform a capillary blood sample antibody point-of-care test (OrientGene) and complete an online questionnaire. The primary outcomes are the prevalence and incidence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in PHCPs during a 12-month follow-up period. Secondary outcomes include the longevity of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval has been granted by the Ethics Committee of the University Hospital Antwerp/University of Antwerp (Belgian registration number: 3002020000237). Alongside journal publications, dissemination activities include the publication of monthly reports to be shared with the participants and the general population through the publicly available website of the Belgian health authorities (Sciensano).

scholarly journals The effects of weight fluctuation on the components of metabolic syndrome: a 16-year prospective cohort study in South Korea

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Young Ran Chin ◽  
Eun Sun So
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Abdominal Obesity ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Weight Fluctuation

Abstract Background Weight fluctuation (WF) is highly prevalent in parallel with the high prevalence of intentional or unintentional dieting. The health risks of frequent WF for metabolic syndrome (MS) have become a public health concern, especially for health care providers who supervise dieting as an intervention to prevent obesity-related morbidity or to improve health, as well as for the general population for whom dieting is of interest. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of WF on the risk of MS in Koreans. Methods This study analyzed secondary data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, a 16-year prospective cohort study, on 8150 individuals using time-dependent Cox regression. Results WF did not increase the risk of MS in either normal-weight or obese subjects. In an analysis of the components of MS, greater WF significantly increased the risk of abdominal obesity (HR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.02–1.07, p < 0.001) in normal-weight individuals. However, WF did not increase the risk of hyperglycemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, elevated blood pressure, or raised fasting glucose in normal-weight individuals, and it did not influence any of the components of MS in obese individuals. Conclusion Since WF was found to be a risk factor for abdominal obesity, which is the most reliable predictor of MS, it should be considered when addressing weight control. Further studies on cut-off points for the degree of weight loss in a certain period need to be conducted to help clinicians provide guidance on appropriate weight control.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2–Specific Neutralizing Antibody Responses in Norwegian Health Care Workers After the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Prospective Cohort Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai-Chi Trieu ◽  
Amit Bansal ◽  
Anders Madsen ◽  
Fan Zhou ◽  
Marianne Sævik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Patient Exposure ◽  
Specific Antibodies ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Background During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries experienced infection in health care workers (HCW) due to overburdened health care systems. Whether infected HCW acquire protective immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear. Methods In a Norwegian prospective cohort study, we enrolled 607 HCW before and after the first COVID-19 wave. Exposure history, COVID-19–like symptoms, and serum samples were collected. SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies were characterized by spike-protein IgG/IgM/IgA enzyme-linked immunosorbent and live-virus neutralization assays. Results Spike-specific IgG/IgM/IgA antibodies increased after the first wave in HCW with, but not in HCW without, COVID-19 patient exposure. Thirty-two HCW (5.3%) had spike-specific antibodies (11 seroconverted with ≥4-fold increase, 21 were seropositive at baseline). Neutralizing antibodies were found in 11 HCW that seroconverted, of whom 4 (36.4%) were asymptomatic. Ninety-seven HCW were tested by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) during follow-up; 8 were positive (7 seroconverted, 1 had undetectable antibodies). Conclusions We found increases in SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in infected HCW, especially after COVID-19 patient exposure. Our data show a low number of SARS-CoV-2–seropositive HCW in a low-prevalence setting; however, the proportion of seropositivity was higher than RT-PCR positivity, highlighting the importance of antibody testing.

scholarly journals Risk of COVID-19 among front-line health-care workers and the general community: a prospective cohort study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. e475-e483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long H Nguyen ◽  
David A Drew ◽  
Mark S Graham ◽  
Amit D Joshi ◽  
Chuan-Guo Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
General Community

scholarly journals Point-of-care lung ultrasound predicts severe disease and death due to COVID-19: a prospective cohort study.

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul W Blair ◽  
Trishul Siddharthan ◽  
Gigi Liu ◽  
Jiawei Bai ◽  
Joshua East ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Disease Progression ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Lung Ultrasound ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
High Flow ◽  
Pleural Line ◽  
High Flow Oxygen

Objective: The clinical utility of point-of-care lung ultrasound (LUS) for disease severity triage of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 is unclear. Design: Prospective cohort study Setting: A large tertiary care center in Maryland, USA between April 2020 to September 2021. Patients: Hospitalized adults (18 years of age or greater) with positive SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR results. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: All patients were scanned using a standardized protocol including 12 lung zones and followed to determine clinical outcomes until hospital discharge and vital status at 28-days. Ultrasounds were independently reviewed for lung and pleural line artifacts and abnormalities, and the mean Lung Ultrasound Score (ranging from 0 to 3) across lung zones (mLUSS) was determined. The primary outcome was time to ICU-level care, defined as high flow oxygen, noninvasive, or mechanical ventilation, within 28-days of the initial ultrasound. Cox proportional hazards regression models adjusted for age and sex were fit for mLUSS and each ultrasound covariate. A total of 264 participants were enrolled in the study; the median age was 59 years and 114 (43.2) % of participants were female. The median mLUSS was 1 (interquartile range: 0.5 to 1.3). Following enrollment, 29 (11.0%) participants went on to require ICU-level care and 14 (5.3%) subsequently died by 28 days. Each increase in mLUSS at enrollment was associated with disease progression to ICU-level care (aHR = 3.63; 95% CI: 1.23 to 10.65) and 28-day mortality (aHR = 4.50; 95% CI: 1.52 to 13.31). Pleural line abnormalities were independently associated with disease progression to ICU-level care (aHR = 18.86; CI: 1.57 to 226.09). Conclusions: Participants with a mLUSS of 1 or more or pleural line changes on LUS had an increased likelihood of subsequent requirement of high flow oxygen or greater. LUS is a promising tool for assessing risk of COVID-19 progression at the bedside.

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