scholarly journals Possible effect of epinephrine in minimizing COVID-19 severity: a review

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 030006052095859
Author(s):  
Mahnaz Derakhshan ◽  
Hamid Reza Ansarian ◽  
Mory Ghomshei
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Literature Survey ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Plasma Epinephrine ◽  
Successful Management ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
New Treatment

Objective Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) shows a wide range of severity, ranging from an asymptomatic presentation to a severe illness requiring intensive care unit admission. Identification of a strategy to manage the severity of this disease will not only help to reduce its case fatality but also help to remove some of the burden from the already overwhelmed health care systems. While successful management of symptoms in general is important, identifying measures to modify the severity of the illness is a key factor in the fight against this pandemic. Methods This paper presents a short literature review to suggest a new treatment modality for COVID-19. Results COVID-19 is less severe and rarely fatal in children than in adults, which could be caused by greater fluctuations of plasma epinephrine in children. Our literature survey endorses this hypothesis according to both the epidemiological and immunological findings. Conclusion Application of epinephrine pulses with a specific amplitude may be considered an intervention to minimize the severity of COVID-19.

Time-Based QoS Prediction and Rank Aggregation of Web Services

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 79-100
Author(s):  
V. Mareeswari ◽  
E. Sathiyamoorthy
Keyword(s):  
Web Services ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
Cloud Model ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Rank Aggregation ◽  
Qos Prediction ◽  
Short Time Span ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Commercial Applications

Everyday activities are equipped with smart intellectual possessions in the modern Internet domain for which a wide range of web services are deployed in business, health-care systems, and environmental solutions. Entire services are accessed through web applications or hand-held computing devices. The recommender system is more prevalent in commercial applications. This research predicts the preference of consumers and lists the recommended services in order of ranking for consumers to choose services in a short time span. This proposed approach aims to offer the exact prediction of missing QoS (quality of service) value of web services at a specified time slice. The uncertainty of QoS value has been predicted using the cloud model theory. The focus is to give the global ranking using the aggregated ranking of the consumer's ranking list, which has been obtained through the Kemeny optimal aggregation algorithm. In this work, multidimensional QoS data of web services have experimented and given an accurate prediction and ranking in the web environment.

scholarly journals A Population Perspective on Prevention of Dementia

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmé Eggink ◽  
Eric P. Moll van Charante ◽  
Willem A. van Gool ◽  
Edo Richard
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Convincing Evidence ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Dementia Prevention ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems

The global number of people living with dementia is expected to increase to 130 million in 2050. Based on extensive evidence from observational studies, it is estimated that about 30% of dementia cases may be attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors. This suggests that interventions targeting these factors could perhaps delay or prevent the onset of dementia. Since the vast majority of people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries, such interventions should preferably be easy and affordable to implement across a wide range of health care systems. However, to date, results from dementia prevention trials do not provide convincing evidence that treatment of these risk factors reduces the risk of dementia. The current paper aims to give an overview of available evidence for the potential for dementia prevention. In particular, we discuss methodological issues that might complicate the development of effective prevention interventions and explore the opportunities and challenges for future dementia prevention research. Currently, several ongoing and planned trials are testing the effect of multi-domain interventions on dementia risk in high-risk populations. It is desirable that future dementia strategies also target the wider population, through interventions on the individual, community, and population level, in order to constrain the growing prevalence of dementia worldwide.

scholarly journals A Roadmap for Building Data Science Capacity for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Beyene ◽  
Solomon W. Harrar ◽  
Mekibib Altaye ◽  
Tessema Astatkie ◽  
Tadesse Awoke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems

Technological advances now make it possible to generate diverse, complex and varying sizes of data in a wide range of applications from business to engineering to medicine. In the health sciences, in particular, data are being produced at an unprecedented rate across the full spectrum of scientific inquiry spanning basic biology, clinical medicine, public health and health care systems. Leveraging these data can accelerate scientific advances, health discovery and innovations. However, data are just the raw material required to generate new knowledge, not knowledge on its own, as a pile of bricks would not be mistaken for a building. In order to solve complex scientific problems, appropriate methods, tools and technologies must be integrated with domain knowledge expertise to generate and analyze big data. This integrated interdisciplinary approach is what has become to be widely known as data science. Although the discipline of data science has been rapidly evolving over the past couple of decades in resource-rich countries, the situation is bleak in resource-limited settings such as most countries in Africa primarily due to lack of well-trained data scientists. In this paper, we highlight a roadmap for building capacity in health data science in Africa to help spur health discovery and innovation, and propose a sustainable potential solution consisting of three key activities: a graduate-level training, faculty development, and stakeholder engagement. We also outline potential challenges and mitigating strategies.

scholarly journals Will Auranofin Become a Golden New Treatment Against COVID-19?

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Sonzogni-Desautels ◽  
Momar Ndao
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Thioredoxin Reductase ◽  
Severity Of Illness ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Stat3 Signaling ◽  
Stat3 Signaling Pathway ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
New Treatment ◽  
New Treatments

Auranofin is an FDA-approved disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug that has been used for decades for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This gold(I) compound has anti-inflammatory properties because it reduces IL-6 expression via inhibition of the NF-κB-IL-6-STAT3 signaling pathway. Also, by inhibiting redox enzymes such as thioredoxin reductase, auranofin increases cellular oxidative stress and promotes apoptosis. Auranofin also possesses antiviral properties. Recently, it was reported that auranofin reduced by 95% SARS-CoV-2 RNA in infected human cells in vitro and decreased SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine expression, including IL-6. During SARS-CoV-2 infection, a cytokine storm involving IL-6 increases severity of illness and worsens prognosis. Therefore, auranofin could, in our point of view, reduce pathology due to SARS-CoV-2-induced IL-6. COVID-19 is a rapidly-evolving respiratory disease now distributed worldwide. Strikingly high numbers of new COVID-19 cases are reported daily. We have begun a race to vaccinate people, but due to the complex logistics of this effort, the virus will continue to spread before all humans can be immunized, and new variants that may be less well contained by current vaccines are of concern. The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health care systems and new treatments to reduce mortality are urgently needed. We encourage to further evaluate the potential of auranofin in the treatment of COVID-19 in vitro and in animal models of SARS-CoV-2 infection and, if preliminary data are promising, in clinical trials with COVID-19 patients. In our opinion, auranofin has the potential to become a valuable addition to available therapies in this pandemic.

scholarly journals On the Front (Phone) Lines: Results of a COVID-19 Hotline in Northeast Ohio

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Margolius ◽  
Mary Hennekes ◽  
Jimmy Yaho ◽  
Douglas Einstadter ◽  
Douglas Gunzler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Care Practice ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
At Home

ABSTRACT Importance: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and the associated coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) have presented immense challenges for health care systems. Many regions have struggled to adapt to disruptions to health care practice and employ systems that effectively manage the demand for services. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of the first five weeks of a 24/7 physician-staffed COVID-19 hotline. Design: Cohort study using electronic health records. Setting: A single large health care system in Northeast Ohio. Participants: During 5 weeks of operation, 10,112 patients called the hotline (callers) and were evaluated by a registered nurse (RN) using standardized protocols. Of these, 4,213 (42%) were referred for a physician telehealth visit (telehealth patients). The mean age of callers was 42 years. 67% were female, 51% white, and 46% were on Medicaid or uninsured. Intervention: Physician telehealth visits for COVID-19. Main Outcomes and Measures: We describe clinical diagnosis, patient characteristics (age, sex race/ethnicity, smoking status, insurance status), and visit disposition. We use logistic regression to evaluate associations between patient characteristics, visit disposition and subsequent emergency department use, hospitalization, and SARS-Cov-2 PCR testing. Results: Common caller concerns included cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Most telehealth patients (79%) were advised to self-isolate at home, 14% were determined to be unlikely to have COVID-19, 3% were advised to seek emergency care, and 4% had miscellaneous other dispositions. A total of 287 (7%) patients had a subsequent ED visit, and 44 (1%) were hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis. Of the callers, 482 (5%) had a COVID-19 test reported with 69 (14%) testing positive. Among patients advised to stay at home, 83% had no further face-to-face visits. In multivariable results, only a physician recommendation to seek emergency care was associated with emergency room use (OR=4.73, 95%CI 1.37-16.39, p=.014). Only older age was associated with having a positive test result. Conclusions and Relevance: Robust, physician-directed telehealth services can meet a wide range of needs during the acute phase of a pandemic, conserving scarce resources such as personal protective equipment and testing supplies and preventing the spread of infections to patients and health care workers.

An Exploration of the Experiences of Migrant Women

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-23
Author(s):  
Jane Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Safety Education ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Seeking Safety ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
National Boundaries

Women across the world migrate for a wide range of reasons. Some gravitate to urban centres in their own countries seeking safety, education, health care, and employment opportunities. Others travel across national boundaries seeking reprieve from the atrocities of war and extreme poverty. Migration within countries is on the rise, as people move in response to adverse conditions such as lack of resources, services and education, and employment opportunities. In addition they may want to escape from violence or natural disasters. This movement of people from rural to urban areas has resulted in an explosive growth of cities around the globe. This paper draws on a research case study undertaken with the Kewapi language group in Port Moresby and the Batri Villages of the Southern Highlands in Papua New Guinea. It seeks to highlight the perspectives of women traveling vast distances from their home communities in order to seek education and health care. It explores the implications for developing effective service user focused health care systems designed to meet the needs of mobile and vulnerable women. The study suggests that if women and their families from remote rural communities are encouraged and facilitated in participating in health promoting initiatives they can dramatically improve their life and health experiences and that of their community.

scholarly journals Nine Months of COVID-19 Pandemic in Europe: A Comparative Time Series Analysis of Cases and Fatalities in 35 Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6680
Author(s):  
David Meintrup ◽  
Martina Nowak-Machen ◽  
Stefan Borgmann
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Multiple Regression Model ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Strongly Connected ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Second Wave

(1) Background: to describe the dynamic of the pandemic across 35 European countries over a period of 9 months. (2) Methods: a three-phase time series model was fitted for 35 European countries, predicting deaths based on SARS-CoV-2 incidences. Hierarchical clustering resulted in three clusters of countries. A multiple regression model was developed predicting thresholds for COVID-19 incidences, coupled to death numbers. (3) Results: The model showed strongly connected deaths and incidences during the waves in spring and fall. The corrected case-fatality rates ranged from 2% to 20.7% in the first wave, and from 0.5% to 4.2% in the second wave. If the incidences stay below a threshold, predicted by the regression model (R2=85.0%), COVID-19 related deaths and incidences were not necessarily coupled. The clusters represented different regions in Europe, and the corrected case-fatality rates in each cluster flipped from high to low or vice versa. Severely and less severely affected countries flipped between the first and second wave. (4) Conclusions: COVID-19 incidences and related deaths were uncoupled during the summer but coupled during two waves. Once a country-specific threshold of infections is reached, death numbers will start to rise, allowing health care systems and countries to prepare.

scholarly journals Making governance work in the health care sector: evidence from a ‘natural experiment’ in Italy

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabina Nuti ◽  
Federico Vola ◽  
Anna Bonini ◽  
Milena Vainieri
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Performance Evaluation ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Universal Coverage ◽  
Regional Governance ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Governance Models ◽  
Regional Governments

AbstractThe Italian Health care System provides universal coverage for comprehensive health services and is mainly financed through general taxation. Since the early 1990s, a strong decentralization policy has been adopted in Italy and the state has gradually ceded its jurisdiction to regional governments, of which there are twenty. These regions now have political, administrative, fiscal and organizational responsibility for the provision of health care. This paper examines the different governance models that the regions have adopted and investigates the performance evaluation systems (PESs) associated with them, focusing on the experience of a network of ten regional governments that share the same PES. The article draws on the wide range of governance models and PESs in order to design a natural experiment. Through an analysis of 14 indicators measured in 2007 and in 2012 for all the regions, the study examines how different performance evaluation models are associated with different health care performances and whether the network-shared PES has made any difference to the results achieved by the regions involved. The initial results support the idea that systematic benchmarking and public disclosure of data are powerful tools to guarantee the balanced and sustained improvement of the health care systems, but only if they are integrated with the regional governance mechanisms.

scholarly journals Internet interventions for depression: new developments

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-212 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Medium Effect ◽  
Adequate Treatment ◽  
Internet Interventions ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Pros And Cons

A wide range of Internet interventions, mostly grounded in methods of cognitive behavioral therapy, have been developed and tested for several mental disorders. The evidence to date shows that these interventions are effective in reducing symptoms of depression. Metaanalyses report small-to-medium effect sizes when Internet interventions are delivered as stand-alone self-help interventions (d=0.25-0.36), and medium-to-large effect sizes when delivered as therapist-guided interventions (d=0.58-0.78), both compared with usual care. Only a minority of people suffering from depression receive adequate treatment, and Internet interventions might help bridge the large treatment gap. This review summarizes the current body of evidence and highlights pros and cons of Internet interventions. It also outlines how they could be implemented in mental health care systems and points out unresolved questions, as well as future directions, in this research field.

ICT Applications and Solutions in Healthcare

2013 ◽  
pp. 559-576
Author(s):  
Iulian Furdu ◽  
Bogdan Patrut
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Financial Systems ◽  
Electronic Prescription ◽  
Electronic Healthcare Record ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
Social Organizational ◽  
Laboratory Information Systems

This chapter describes and discusses the applications and solutions under development or implemented in the e-Health care systems, in terms of their technological, social, organizational dimensions. A survey of the present status in relation with e-Government covers the leading countries (and not only) in ICT-based developments in these sectors. The authors present the most important solutions regarding the implementation and administration of a wide range of applications. Certain issues concerning EHR (Electronic Healthcare Record Systems), pharmacy and electronic prescription systems, patient administration and financial systems, intensive care unit systems, laboratory information systems, homecare and telecare applications, radiology information systems, and bioinformatics are outlined. Up and running ICT projects according to European Commission policies for health, ageing well, inclusion, and governance (FP7) are also presented.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document