scholarly journals Adapting the role of handheld echocardiography during the COVID-19 pandemic: A practical guide

Perfusion ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 026765912098653
Author(s):  
Hafiz Naderi ◽  
Shaun Robinson ◽  
Martin J Swaans ◽  
Nina Bual ◽  
Wing-See Cheung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
First Line ◽  
Scanning Time ◽  
Contagious Disease ◽  
Core Dataset ◽  
Clinical Questions

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our approach to inpatient echocardiography delivery. There is now a greater focus to address key clinical questions likely to make an immediate impact in management, particularly during the period of widespread infection. Handheld echocardiography (HHE) can be used as a first-line assessment tool, limiting scanning time and exposure to high viral load. This article describes a potential role for HHE during a pandemic. We propose a protocol with a reporting template for a focused core dataset necessary in delivering an acute echocardiography service in the setting of a highly contagious disease, minimising risk to the operator. We cover the scenarios typically encountered in the acute cardiology setting and how an expert trained echocardiography team can identify such pathologies using a limited imaging format and include cardiac presentations encountered in those patients acutely unwell with COVID-19.

Potential role of adjuvant drugs on efficacy of first line oral antitubercular therapy: Drug repurposing

Tuberculosis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 120 ◽  
pp. 101902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritu Mishra ◽  
Shri Krishan ◽  
Ali Nasir Siddiqui ◽  
Prem Kapur ◽  
Khalid Umer Khayyam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Antitubercular Therapy ◽  
First Line

scholarly journals Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis: The Potential Role of Romosozumab

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. 71-79
Author(s):  
Jacqueline So ◽  
Chi Chiu Mok
Keyword(s):  
Potential Role ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Early Recognition ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Estimation Formula ◽  
Fracture Risk Assessment Tool ◽  
Current Therapies ◽  
Current Assessment ◽  
Dose Dependent

Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteoporosis (GIOP) is a major problem in patients with rheumatic diseases. The deleterious effect of GC on bone turnover is rapid and dose-dependent, with a predilection on the trabecular bone, resulting in vertebral fractures. Early recognition and prompt treatment of GIOP helps prevent bone loss and reduce fractures. There are pitfalls in current assessment tools for GIOP by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) estimation formula. In this review, we evaluate different assessment methods for GIOP and summarize current therapies of GIOP, including the antiresorptive and anabolic agents. The potential role of newer anti-osteoporosis agent romosozumab, an anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody, is also discussed.

scholarly journals Probiotics in the management of respiratory diseases: ways of interaction and therapeutic perspectives

2019 ◽  
pp. 173-182
Author(s):  
I. N. Zakharova ◽  
I. V. Berezhnaya ◽  
L. Ya. Klimov ◽  
A. N. Kasyanova ◽  
O. V. Dedikova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Viral Load ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Lower Respiratory Tract ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
Sufficient Detail ◽  
Probiotic Strains

Today, the composition of the gut microbiota has been studied in sufficient detail. Increasing number of studies show that the respiratory tract, both the upper and lower respiratory tract, have their own microbiota. The article presents the main today’s data about the species diversity of microorganisms in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, describes the role of a healthy microbiota in providing local and general immunity. The authors specify the role of probiotic strains of microorganisms and their effect on various parts of the immune response and present the data of studies on the effect of probiotic products on the immunological resistance of humans, especially the respiratory tract with high viral load. Restoration of a healthy microbiota in the human tract using probiotic products administered through the gastrointestinal tract can reduce the risk and severity of manifestation of the respiratory infections.

scholarly journals Impact of Viral Decontamination Method on Cytokine Profile of COVID-19 Patients

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1287
Author(s):  
Davide Magrì ◽  
Anna Navarro ◽  
Federica Bergami ◽  
Elena Percivalle ◽  
Alessandro Ferrari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Complete Removal ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
Reliable Data ◽  
Sample Processing ◽  
Special Equipment ◽  
Cytokines And Chemokines ◽  
Load Removal ◽  
Ultraviolet C

COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality have been often attributed to an exaggerated immune response. The role of cytokines and chemokines in COVID-19 and their contributions to illness severity are known, and thus their profiling from patient bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples would help in understanding the disease progression. To date, limited studies have been performed on COVID-19 BAL samples, as the manipulation of such specimens (potentially containing live viruses) requires several laboratorial precautions, such as personnel training and special equipment, a requirement that not all laboratories can fulfil. Here, we assessed two fast and easily applicable methods (ultrafiltration and ultraviolet–C irradiation) for their impact on viral load removal or inactivation, respectively and on cytokine profiles preservation. Eight samples of BAL fluids from SARS-CoV2 patients with high viral load were tested. For both methods, complete removal was confirmed by lack of viral replication in Vero E6 cells and by RT-qPCR. Although both methods showed to remove completely the active SARS-CoV2 viral load, only UVC treatment has little or no quantitative effect on total cytokines/chemokines measurements, however cytokines profile and relative ratios are preserved or minimally altered when compared data obtained by the two different decontamination methods. Sample preparation and manipulation can greatly affect the analytical results; therefore, understanding if changes occurred after sample processing is of outmost importance for reliable data and can be useful to improve clinical practice.

scholarly journals Protection Versus Pathology in Aviremic and High Viral Load HIV-2 Infection—The Pivotal Role of Immune Activation and T-cell Kinetics

2014 ◽  
Vol 210 (5) ◽  
pp. 752-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Hegedus ◽  
Samuel Nyamweya ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Sheila Govind ◽  
Richard Aspinall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Immune Activation ◽  
Cell Kinetics ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
Pivotal Role

Comparative risk of failure of ABC/3TC or TDF/FTC based first-line regimens in patients with a high viral load

HIV Medicine ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 380-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Flandre ◽  
P Pugliese ◽  
C Allavena ◽  
C Katlama ◽  
L Cotte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
First Line ◽  
Risk Of Failure ◽  
Comparative Risk

scholarly journals Pool testing on random and natural clusters of individuals: Optimisation of SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in the presence of low viral load samples

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251589
Author(s):  
Michela Baccini ◽  
Emilia Rocco ◽  
Irene Paganini ◽  
Alessandra Mattei ◽  
Cristina Sani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
High Viral Load ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Reliable Technique ◽  
Sample Pooling ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Pooled Samples ◽  
Natural Groups ◽  
Very High

Facing the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic requires intensive testing on the population to early identify and isolate infected subjects. During the first emergency phase of the epidemic, RT-qPCR on nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs, which is the most reliable technique to detect ongoing infections, exhibited limitations due to availability of reagents and budget constraints. This stressed the need to develop screening procedures that require fewer resources and are suitable to be extended to larger portions of the population. RT-qPCR on pooled samples from individual NP swabs seems to be a promising technique to improve surveillance. We performed preliminary experimental analyses aimed to investigate the performance of pool testing on samples with low viral load and we evaluated through Monte Carlo (MC) simulations alternative screening protocols based on sample pooling, tailored to contexts characterized by different infection prevalence. We focused on the role of pool size and the opportunity to develop strategies that take advantage of natural clustering structures in the population, e.g. families, school classes, hospital rooms. Despite the use of a limited number of specimens, our results suggest that, while high viral load samples seem to be detectable even in a pool with 29 negative samples, positive specimens with low viral load may be masked by the negative samples, unless smaller pools are used. The results of MC simulations confirm that pool testing is useful in contexts where the infection prevalence is low. The gain of pool testing in saving resources can be very high, and can be optimized by selecting appropriate group sizes. Exploiting natural groups makes the definition of larger pools convenient and potentially overcomes the issue of low viral load samples by increasing the probability of identifying more than one positive in the same pool.

Emergency transplantation for acute reactivation of chronic hepatitis B with high viral load: role of antiviral therapy

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 775-776
Author(s):  
Rami Moucari ◽  
Claire Francoz ◽  
Olivier Lada ◽  
Wael Abdel Razek ◽  
Patrick Marcellin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Hepatitis ◽  
Viral Load ◽  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Antiviral Therapy ◽  
Chronic Hepatitis B ◽  
High Viral Load
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