scholarly journals Comparison of longitudinal trends in self-reported symptoms and COVID-19 case activity in Ontario, Canada

PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262447
Author(s):  
Arjuna S. Maharaj ◽  
Jennifer Parker ◽  
Jessica P. Hopkins ◽  
Effie Gournis ◽  
Isaac I. Bogoch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Virus Transmission ◽  
Population Surveillance ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Digital Surveillance ◽  
Longitudinal Comparison ◽  
Participatory Surveillance ◽  
Positive Correlations

Background Limitations in laboratory diagnostic capacity impact population surveillance of COVID-19. It is currently unknown whether participatory surveillance tools for COVID-19 correspond to government-reported case trends longitudinally and if it can be used as an adjunct to laboratory testing. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether self-reported COVID-19-like illness reflected laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case trends in Ontario Canada. Methods We retrospectively analyzed longitudinal self-reported symptoms data collected using an online tool–Outbreaks Near Me (ONM)–from April 20th, 2020, to March 7th, 2021 in Ontario, Canada. We measured the correlation between COVID-like illness among respondents and the weekly number of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases and provincial test positivity. We explored contemporaneous changes in other respiratory viruses, as well as the demographic characteristics of respondents to provide context for our findings. Results Between 3,849–11,185 individuals responded to the symptom survey each week. No correlations were seen been self-reported CLI and either cases or test positivity. Strong positive correlations were seen between CLI and both cases and test positivity before a previously documented rise in rhinovirus/enterovirus in fall 2020. Compared to participatory surveillance respondents, a higher proportion of COVID-19 cases in Ontario consistently came from low-income, racialized and immigrant areas of the province- these groups were less well represented among survey respondents. Interpretation Although digital surveillance systems are low-cost tools that have been useful to signal the onset of viral outbreaks, in this longitudinal comparison of self-reported COVID-like illness to Ontario COVID-19 case data we did not find this to be the case. Seasonal respiratory virus transmission and population coverage may explain this discrepancy.

scholarly journals Anticipating the curve: can online symptom-based data reflect COVID-19 case activity in Ontario, Canada?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjuna S. Maharaj ◽  
Jennifer Parker ◽  
Jessica P. Hopkins ◽  
Effie Gournis ◽  
Isaac I. Bogoch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Syndromic Surveillance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Diagnostic Testing ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Digital Surveillance ◽  
Percent Positivity ◽  
And Control

ABSTRACTBackgroundLimitations in laboratory diagnostic capacity and reporting delays have hampered efforts to mitigate and control the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic globally. Syndromic surveillance of COVID-19 is an important public health tool that can help detect outbreaks, mobilize a rapid response, and thereby reduce morbidity and mortality. The primary objective of this study was to determine whether syndromic surveillance through self-reported COVID-19 symptoms could be a timely proxy for laboratory-confirmed case trends in the Canadian province of Ontario.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed self-reported symptoms data collected using an online tool – Outbreaks Near Me (ONM) – from April 20th to Oct 11th, 2020 in Ontario, Canada. We estimated the correlation coefficient between the weekly proportion of respondents reporting a COVID-like illness (CLI) to both the weekly number of PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases and the percent positivity in the same period for the same week and with a one-week lag.ResultsThere were 314,686 responses from 188,783 unique respondents to the ONM symptom survey. Respondents were more likely to be female and be in the 40-59 age demographic compared to the Ontario general population. There was a strong positive correlation between the weekly number of reported cases in Ontario and the percent of respondents reporting CLI each week (r = 0.89, p <0.01) and with a one-week lag (r = 0.89, p <0.01).InterpretationWe demonstrate a strong positive and significant correlation (r = 0.89, p <0.01) between percent of self-reported COVID-like illness and the subsequent week’s COVID-19 cases reported, highlighting that a rise in CLI may precede official statistics by at least 1 week. This demonstrates the utility of syndromic surveillance in predicting near-future disease activity. Digital surveillance systems are low-cost tools that may help measure the burden of COVID-19 in a community if there is under-detection of cases through conventional laboratory diagnostic testing. This additional information can be used to guide a healthcare response and policy decisions.

scholarly journals Remote monitoring of marginalised populations affected by COVID-19: a retrospective review

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e042647
Author(s):  
Stephanie Q Ko ◽  
Benjamin M Y Hooi ◽  
Chieh-Yang Koo ◽  
Daniel W P Chor ◽  
Zheng Jye Ling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Retrospective Review ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Primary Outcome Measure ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Secondary Outcome

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore has largely centred around migrant worker dormitories, comprising over 90% of all cases in the country. Dormitories are home to a culturally and linguistically distinct, low-income population, without on-site healthcare after-hours. The primary objective of this study was to assess the engagement and utilisation of a simple, low-cost, accessible, mobile health solution for remote self-reporting of vital parameters in dormitory residents with COVID-19.DesignRetrospective review of medical care.SettingTwo large migrant worker dormitories with a combined population of 31 546.ParticipantsAll COVID-19-affected residents housed in dormitories during the study period.InterventionAll residents were taught to use a chat assistant to self-report their temperature, heart rate and oxygen saturations. Results flowed into a dashboard, which alerted clinicians of abnormal results.OutcomesThe primary outcome measure was engagement rate. This was derived from the total number of residents who registered on the platform over the total number of COVID-19-affected residents in the dormitories during the study period. Secondary outcome measures included outcomes of the alerts and subsequent escalations of care.Results800 of the 931 COVID-19-affected residents (85.9%) engaged with the platform to log a total of 12 511 discrete episodes of vital signs. Among 372 abnormal readings, 96 teleconsultations were initiated, of which 7 (1.8%) were escalated to emergency services and 18 (4.9%) were triaged to earlier physical medical review on-site.ConclusionsA chat-assistant-based self-reporting platform is an effective and safe community-based intervention to monitor marginalised populations with distinct cultural and linguistic backgrounds, living communally and affected by COVID-19. Lessons learnt from this approach may be applied to develop safe and cost-effective telemedicine solutions across similar settings.

scholarly journals Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Technology for Novel Coronavirus Disease-19 Self-Testing

Diagnostics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tivani P. Mashamba-Thompson ◽  
Ellen Debra Crayton
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Disease Surveillance ◽  
Transmission Rate ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Self Testing ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

The novel coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading with a rising death toll and transmission rate reported in high income countries rather than in low income countries. The overburdened healthcare systems and poor disease surveillance systems in resource-limited settings may struggle to cope with this COVID-19 outbreak and this calls for a tailored strategic response for these settings. Here, we recommend a low cost blockchain and artificial intelligence-coupled self-testing and tracking systems for COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases. Prompt deployment and appropriate implementation of the proposed system have the potential to curb the transmissions of COVID-19 and the related mortalities, particularly in settings with poor access to laboratory infrastructure.

scholarly journals Research proposal: evaluation of ART in adult patients

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (spe) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Régia Luzia Zanata
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Tooth Extraction ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
High Viscosity ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Atraumatic Restorative Treatment ◽  
Restorative Treatment ◽  
Effect Of Treatment

The primary objective of the Atraumatic RestorativeTreatment (ART) is to reduce the indication of tooth extraction by means of a low-cost technique. Considering the difficulties of Brazilian public services to meet the demand of care of the low-income population, with lack of care to the adult population, which usually receives only emergency care, the aim of this study is to assess the performance of high-viscosity glass ionomer cements accomplished by the modified atraumatic restorative treatment in one- and multiple-surface cavities, compared to the conventional restorative approach. It will be analyzed the clinical performance of the materials; cost (material and human resources); patient satisfaction with the treatment received; and preventive effect of treatment.

scholarly journals 662 PAP Therapy: A Review of Resources for the Uninsured during COVID-19

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A259-A259
Author(s):  
Melissa Malinky ◽  
Abigail Oberla ◽  
Meena Khan ◽  
M Melanie Lyons
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Web Search ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Wait Time ◽  
The United States ◽  
Fixed Cost ◽  
United States Census ◽  
Lower Socioeconomic ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Available Resources

Abstract Introduction In 2019, the United States Census estimated 8% (26.1 million) people were without health insurance. Further, an estimated 3.5 million people became/remained uninsured from COVID-19-related job losses. Patients with OSA that belong to a lower socioeconomic status (SES) are less likely to have access to healthcare and may be under or uninsured. Untreated OSA can lead to increased risk of symptoms and associated co-morbidities. Resources to help the uninsured to obtain PAP therapy were available pre-COVID, including two main sources, American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) and our local branch serving central Ohio, The Breathing Association. However, the COVID pandemic limited access or closed these programs. Our Sleep Medicine clinics saw 148 uninsured OSA patients between March-December, 2020. Given these difficulties, we re-evaluated available resources for the uninsured. Methods We conducted a search for current low cost ($100 or less) PAP therapy options for the uninsured, March 15, 2020-December 3, 2020, by: (1) contacting pre-COVID-19 resources, including Durable Medical Equipment (DME) providers, (2) consulting social work, and (3) completing a librarian assisted web-search not limited to PubMed, Embase, CINAHL for academic related articles and electronic searches using a combination of English complete word and common keywords: OSA, PAP, uninsured, no insurance, cheap, medically uninsured, resources, self-pay, low-income, financial assistance, US. Resources such as private sellers were not investigated. Results During COVID-19, assistance for PAP machines/supplies have closed or required a protracted wait-time. Options including refurbished items range from low, one-time fixed cost or income-based discounts from: one local charity (Joint Organization for Inner-City Needs) and DME (Dasco), and four national entities (ASAA, Second Wind CPAP, Reggie White Foundation, CPAP Liquidators). An Electronic Health Record-based tool was developed and distributed to increase provider awareness of pandemic available resources. Conclusion Untreated OSA is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular co-morbidities. Access and cost may limit treatment in OSA patients from a lower SES. The COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered programs providing discount PAP and supplies, leaving fewer resources for these patients, thus further widening this health care disparity. Alternatives are needed and current resources are not easily accessible for providers and patients. Support (if any):

scholarly journals Housing Programs for the Poor in Addis Ababa: Urban Commons as a Bridge between Spatial and Social

2021 ◽  
pp. 009614422198997
Author(s):  
Marianna Charitonidou
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Housing Program ◽  
Cultural Aspects ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The Government

The article presents the reasons for which the issue of providing housing to low-income citizens has been a real challenge in Addis Ababa during the recent years and will continue to be, given that its population is growing extremely fast. It examines the tensions between the universal aspirations and the local realities in the case of some of Ethiopia’s most ambitious mass pro-poor housing schemes, such as the “Addis Ababa Grand Housing Program” (AAGHP), which was launched in 2004 and was integrated in the “Integrated Housing Development Program” (IHDP) in 2006. The article argues that the quotidian practices of communities and their socio-economic and cultural characteristics are related to the spatial attributes of co-housing practices. Drawing upon the idea that there is a mutual correspondence between social and spatial structures, it places particular emphasis on the analysis of the IHDP and aims to show that to shape strategies that take into account the social and cultural aspects of daily life of the poor citizens of Addis Ababa, it is pivotal to invite them to take part in the decision-making processes regarding their resettlement. Departing from the fact that a large percentage of the housing supply in Addis Ababa consists of informal unplanned housing, the article also compares the commoning practices in kebele houses and condominium units. The former refers to the legal informal housing units owned by the government and rented to their dwellers, whereas the latter concerns the housing blocks built in the framework of the IHDP for the resettlement of the kebele dwellers. The article analyzes these processes of resettlement, shedding light of the fact that kebele houses were located at the inner city, whereas the condominiums are located in the suburbs. Despite the fact that the living conditions in the condominium units are of a much higher quality than those in the kebele houses, their design underestimated or even neglected the role of the commoning practices. The article highlights the advantages of commoning practices in architecture and urban planning, and how the implementation of participation-oriented solutions can respond to the difficulties of providing housing. It argues that understanding the significance of the endeavors that take into account the opinions of dwellers during the phase of decision-making goes hand in hand with considering commoning practices as a source of architecture and urban planning frameworks for low-cost housing in this specific context. The key argument of the article is that urban planning and architecture solutions in Addis Ababa should be based on the principles of the so-called “negotiated planning” approach, which implies a close analysis of the interconnections between planning, infrastructure, and land.

scholarly journals Evaluation of a Low-Cost Commercial Actigraph and Its Potential Use in Detecting Cultural Variations in Physical Activity and Sleep

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3774
Author(s):  
Pavlos Topalidis ◽  
Cristina Florea ◽  
Esther-Sevil Eigl ◽  
Anton Kurapov ◽  
Carlos Alberto Beltran Leon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Cultural Variations ◽  
Step Counts ◽  
Scale Step ◽  
Potential Use

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the performance of a low-cost commercial smartwatch, the Xiaomi Mi Band (MB), in extracting physical activity and sleep-related measures and show its potential use in addressing questions that require large-scale real-time data and/or intercultural data including low-income countries. We evaluated physical activity and sleep-related measures and discussed the potential application of such devices for large-scale step and sleep data acquisition. To that end, we conducted two separate studies. In Study 1, we evaluated the performance of MB by comparing it to the GT3X (ActiGraph, wGT3X-BT), a scientific actigraph used in research, as well as subjective sleep reports. In Study 2, we distributed the MB across four countries (Austria, Germany, Cuba, and Ukraine) and investigated physical activity and sleep among these countries. The results of Study 1 indicated that MB step counts correlated highly with the scientific GT3X device, but did display biases. In addition, the MB-derived wake-up and total-sleep-times showed high agreement with subjective reports, but partly deviated from GT3X predictions. Study 2 revealed similar MB step counts across countries, but significant later wake-up and bedtimes for Ukraine than the other countries. We hope that our studies will stimulate future large-scale sensor-based physical activity and sleep research studies, including various cultures.

scholarly journals Adsorptive Removal of Phosphate from Aqueous Solutions Using Low-Cost Volcanic Rocks: Kinetics and Equilibrium Approaches

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1312
Author(s):  
Dereje Tadesse Mekonnen ◽  
Esayas Alemayehu ◽  
Bernd Lennartz
Keyword(s):  
Aqueous Solutions ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Phosphate Removal ◽  
Phosphate Adsorption ◽  
Adsorptive Capacity ◽  
Batch Adsorption ◽  
Order Kinetic ◽  
Adsorptive Removal

The contamination of surface and groundwater with phosphate originating from industrial and household wastewater remains a serious environmental issue in low-income countries. Herein, phosphate removal from aqueous solutions was studied using low-cost volcanic rocks such as pumice (VPum) and scoria (VSco), obtained from the Ethiopian Great Rift Valley. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted using phosphate solutions with concentrations of 0.5 to 25 mg·L−1 to examine the adsorption kinetic as well as equilibrium conditions. The experimental adsorption data were tested by employing various equilibrium adsorption models, and the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherms best depicted the observations. The maximum phosphate adsorption capacities of VPum and VSco were calculated and found to be 294 mg·kg−1 and 169 mg·kg−1, respectively. A pseudo-second-order kinetic model best described the experimental data with a coefficient of correlation of R2 > 0.99 for both VPum and VSco; however, VPum showed a slightly better selectivity for phosphate removal than VSco. The presence of competitive anions markedly reduced the removal efficiency of phosphate from the aqueous solution. The adsorptive removal of phosphate was affected by competitive anions in the order: HCO3− >F− > SO4−2 > NO3− > Cl− for VPum and HCO3− > F− > Cl− > SO4−2 > NO3− for VSco. The results indicate that the readily available volcanic rocks have a good adsorptive capacity for phosphate and shall be considered in future studies as test materials for phosphate removal from water in technical-scale experiments.

scholarly journals Assessing Inequitable Urban Heat Islands and Air Pollution Disparities with Low-Cost Sensors in Richmond, Virginia

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 10089
Author(s):  
Andre M. Eanes ◽  
Todd R. Lookingbill ◽  
Jeremy S. Hoffman ◽  
Kelly C. Saverino ◽  
Stephen S. Fong
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Urban Heat Islands ◽  
Urban Heat ◽  
Adverse Environmental Conditions ◽  
East End ◽  
The City

Air pollution and the urban heat island effect are consistently linked to numerous respiratory and heat-related illnesses. Additionally, these stressors disproportionately impact low-income and historically marginalized communities due to their proximity to emissions sources, lack of access to green space, and exposure to other adverse environmental conditions. Here, we use relatively low-cost stationary sensors to analyze PM2.5 and temperature data throughout the city of Richmond, Virginia, on the ten hottest days of 2019. For both hourly means within the ten hottest days of 2019 and daily means for the entire record for the year, the temperature was found to exhibit a positive correlation with PM2.5. Analysis of hourly means on the ten hottest days yielded a diurnal pattern in which PM2.5 levels peaked in the early morning and reached their minima in the mid-afternoon. Spatially, sites exhibiting higher temperatures consistently had higher PM2.5 readings, with vulnerable communities in the east end and more intensely developed parts of the city experiencing significantly higher temperatures and PM2.5 concentrations than the suburban neighborhoods in the west end. These findings suggest an uneven distribution of air pollution in Richmond during extreme heat events that are similar in pattern but less pronounced than the temperature differences during these events, although further investigation is required to verify the extent of this relationship. As other studies have found both of these environmental stressors to correlate with the distribution of green space and other land-use factors in cities, innovative and sustainable planning decisions are crucial to the mitigation of these issues of inequity going forward.

scholarly journals Multidisciplinary Approach to Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer: A Comprehensive Review

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 615-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomás Reinert ◽  
Susana Ramalho ◽  
Rodrigo Gonçalves ◽  
Carlos Barrios ◽  
Marcia Graudenz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Endocrine Therapy ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Hormone Receptor ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Locally Advanced Breast Cancer ◽  
Locally Advanced ◽  
Breast Cancers ◽  
Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy

AbstractBreast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. Hormone receptor-positive (HR+) tumors represent the most common form of this disease, with more than 70% of breast cancers expressing these receptors. Response and benefit to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) varies according to HR expression, with lower responses in luminal tumors as compared with hormone receptor-negative (HR-) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) tumors. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) is an option for selected patients with HR+ locally advanced breast cancer. Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy has a favorable toxicity profile, and is associated with benefits such as having low cost and being more easily available even for cancer care professionals outside major urban areas or tertiary centers. These factors are particularly relevant, as 70% of breast cancer deaths occur in women from low-income and middle-income countries. Additionally, NET is being increasingly explored, not simply to allow for less extensive surgery, but also as a scientific tool, with the use of biomarkers to predict outcomes in adjuvant trials and for the individual patient. This review details the current and most relevant evidence about NET for breast cancer as well as the future directions of this field.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document