Safety evaluation of a medical congress held during the COVID-19 pandemic – a prospective cohort

Abstract Background Worldwide, scientific congresses are cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, scientific exchange is more important than ever, especially for infectious diseases and infection prevention specialists. Within a prospective cohort of congress attendees, we evaluated the safety concept of the 2020 congress of the Swiss Societies of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Hygiene. Methods The congress was held between September 2nd and 4th 2020 in Geneva (Switzerland), where COVID-19 incidence in the week during the congress was 65 cases /100 000 population within 7 days. A rigorous safety concept was implemented including universal face masking, physical distancing during sessions, and maximal reduction of social events. We invited congress attendees to participate in this prospective cohort and used an anonymized online questionnaire to assess risk perception, risk exposures, symptoms and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 of attendees before, during and after the congress. Dried blood spots were taken from attendees on-site and four weeks later to detect specific antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and to document seroconversions. Results A total of 365 people attended the congress, thereof 271 healthcare professionals. Of these, 196 (54%) either answered the questionnaire (N = 150) or provided baseline and follow-up blood samples (N = 168). None of the study participants reported a positive PCR result in the 2 weeks after the congress. Five of 168 (3%) participants were seropositive at follow-up, all of which had already been positive at baseline. The safety concept was deemed appropriate by 92% of the study participants and hygiene measures were performed correctly by the vast majority. Conclusion In this prospective cohort of congress attendees, no PCR positive cases or seroconversions could be documented after attending an on-site medical congress. These findings indicate that congresses with a rigorous safety concept may take place, even in areas with moderately-high COVID-19 activity.

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Long term impact on lung function of patients with moderate and severe COVID-19. A prospective cohort study

10.1101/2021.01.06.21249312 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sonia Qureshi ◽

Nosheen Nasir ◽

Naveed Haroon Rashid ◽

Naveed Ahmed ◽

Zoya Haq ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Lung Function ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

List Type ◽

Long Term Impact ◽

Study Participants ◽

The Impact

AbstractIntroductionA significant number of patients continue to recover from COVID-19; however, little is known about the lung function capacity among survivors. We aim to determine the long-term impact on lung function capacity in patients who have survived moderate or severe COVID-19 disease in a resource-poor setting.Methods and analysisThis prospective cohort study will include patients aged 15 years and above and have reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive for COVID 19 (nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal). Patients with a pre-existing diagnosis of obstructive or interstitial lung disease, lung fibrosis and cancers, connective tissue disorders, autoimmune conditions affecting the lungs, underlying heart disease, history of syncope and refuse to participate will be excluded. Pulmonary function will be assessed using spirometry and diffusion lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at three- and six-months interval. A chest X-ray at three and six-month follow-up and CT-chest will be performed if clinically indicated after consultation with the study pulmonologist or Infectious Disease (ID) physician. Echocardiogram (ECHO) to look for pulmonary hypertension at the three months visit and repeated at six months if any abnormality is identified initially. Data analysis will be performed using standard statistical software.Ethics and disseminationThe proposal was reviewed and approved by ethics review committee (ERC) of the institution (ERC reference number 2020-4735-11311). Informed consent will be obtained from each study participant. The results will be disseminated among study participants, institutional, provincial and national level through seminars and presentations. Moreover, the scientific findings will be published in high-impact peer-reviewed medical journals.Strengths and Limitations of this study-The study has the potential to develop context-specific evidence on the long-term impact on lung function among COVID-19 survivors-Findings will play key role in understanding the impact of the disease on vital functions and help devise rehabilitative strategies to best overcome the effects of disease-This is a single-center, study recruiting only a limited number of COVID-19 survivors-The study participants may loss-to-follow up due to uncertain conditions and disease reemergence

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Long-Term Symptoms among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients 48 Weeks after Discharge—A Prospective Cohort Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10225298 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (22) ◽

pp. 5298

Author(s):

Martin Mølhave ◽

Steffen Leth ◽

Jesper Damsgaard Gunst ◽

Søren Jensen-Fangel ◽

Lars Østergaard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Infectious Diseases ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

University Hospital ◽

Follow Up Studies ◽

One Year ◽

Term Data

Follow-up studies of COVID-19 survivors have been performed to characterize persistence of long-term symptoms, but data are scarce on one year of follow-up. This study provides data from 48 weeks of follow-up after discharge. All patients discharged from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark between 1 March and 1 July 2020 were followed for 48 weeks. In total, 45 of 66 eligible patients were interviewed after 48 weeks. The median age was 57 (IQR 51–70) years, the majority were female (53%) and Caucasian (87%). Median BMI was 28.1 (IQR 24.8–32.6) kg/m2. One or more comorbidities were registered among 62% of the patients. In total, 39 out of 45 (87%) interviewed patients reported persistence of at least one symptom 48 weeks after hospitalization with COVID-19. Most frequently reported symptoms were fatigue, dyspnea, and concentration difficulties. This study provides new long-term data following COVID-19, contributing to the accumulating data of COVID-19 sequelae. Many patients suffer long-term sequelae and further research is urgently needed to gain further knowledge of the duration and therapeutic options.

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Prospective cohort study showing persistent HSV-2 shedding in women with genital herpes 2 years after acquisition

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

10.1136/sextrans-2017-053244 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 94 (8) ◽

pp. 568-570 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Meena Ramchandani ◽

Stacy Selke ◽

Amalia Magaret ◽

Gail Barnum ◽

Meei-Li Wu Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Initial Study ◽

Viral Shedding ◽

History Of ◽

Simplex Virus ◽

Study Participants ◽

Over Time

ObjectivesHerpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a prevalent infection with great variability in clinical and virological manifestations among individuals. This prospective cohort study aims to evaluate the natural history of HSV-2 reactivation in the genital area in the same group of women over time.MethodsEighteen immunocompetent HSV-2 seropositive women were evaluated for viral shedding for 70 consecutive days within a median of 8 months (range 1–24 months) of HSV-2 acquisition and again approximately 2.5 years later from the original study. Participants obtained daily swabs of genital secretions for HSV PCR and recorded genital symptoms.ResultsThe viral shedding rate was 29% during the initial study and 19% in the follow-up study (32% reduction, P=0.019). Subclinical shedding rate also decreased from 24% to 13% (37% reduction, P=0.032), as did the rate of days with genital lesions from 22% to 15% (33% reduction, P=0.24). The mean copy number during viral shedding remained unchanged over time at 4.8 log10 c/mL (SD=2.0 and 1.6 during each study, respectively, P=0.33). Women with high viral shedding rates in the past were likely to continue to have high shedding rates (r=0.63, P=0.005).ConclusionsDespite some reduction, high viral shedding rates persist in women with genital HSV-2 greater than 2 years after acquisition.

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Changes in Proteinuria on the Risk of All-Cause Mortality in People with Diabetes or Prediabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study

Journal of Diabetes Research ◽

10.1155/2017/8368513 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Yang Sun ◽

Anxin Wang ◽

Xiaoxue Liu ◽

Zhaoping Su ◽

Junjuan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Mortality Risk ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard ◽

Baseline Mortality ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Cox Proportional Hazard Models ◽

Study Participants

Background. Proteinuria has been related to all-cause mortality, showing regression or progression. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between proteinuria changes and all-cause mortality. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the associations between proteinuria changes and all-cause mortality in people with diabetes or prediabetes. Methods. Dipstick proteinuria at baseline and a 2-year follow-up were determined in the participants attending the Kailuan prospective cohort study. Participants were then divided into three categories: elevated proteinuria, stable proteinuria, and reduced proteinuria. Four Cox proportional hazard models were built to access the relations of proteinuria changes to all-cause mortality, adjusting for other confounding covariates. Results. A total of 17,878 participants were finally included in this study. There were 1193 deaths after a median follow-up of 6.69 years. After adjusting for major covariates and proteinuria at baseline, mortality risk was significantly associated with elevated proteinuria (hazard ratio (HR): 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33–1.79) and reduced proteinuria (HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.55–0.89), compared to those with stable proteinuria. Conclusion. Proteinuria changes were independently associated with mortality risk in either diabetic or prediabetic population.

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Without Television

Journal of Youth Development ◽

10.5195/jyd.2014.75 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 100-112

Author(s):

Keri A. Schwab ◽

Barbara Brock

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Youth Development ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Future Research ◽

Personal Agency ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Study Participants ◽

Qualitative Responses ◽

Television Study

The purpose of this follow-up study was to learn more about the leisure choices, hobbies, and lifestyles of young adults who had grown up without a television. Study participants responded to an online questionnaire that asked about their health, physical activity habits, hobbies, and level of current television viewing. A mixed methods approach to gathering and analyzing data revealed a picture of young adults who live active lives, watch little television, and appear to have a strong sense of personal agency to direct their lives. Themes of agency, including forethought and intentionality, and self-regulation were evident in the qualitative responses, as well as creation and choosing challenging hobbies or activities. This study provided much information for future research to examine the influence of television on youth development, specifically agency, challenge and life-long habits.

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Prevalence and incidence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among healthcare workers in Belgian hospitals before vaccination: a prospective cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-050824 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e050824

Author(s):

Laure Mortgat ◽

Kristien Verdonck ◽

Veronik Hutse ◽

Isabelle Thomas ◽

Cyril Barbezange ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Healthcare Workers ◽

Vaccination Strategy ◽

Control Measures ◽

Infection Prevention And Control ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Reverse Transcription Pcr

ObjectivesTo describe prevalence and incidence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among Belgian hospital healthcare workers (HCW) in April–December 2020.DesignProspective cohort study. Follow-up was originally planned until September and later extended.SettingMulticentre study, 17 hospitals.Participants50 HCW were randomly selected per hospital. HCW employed beyond the end of the study and whose profession involved contact with patients were eligible. 850 HCW entered the study in April–May 2020, 673 HCW (79%) attended the September visit and 308 (36%) the December visit.Outcome measuresA semiquantitative ELISA was used to detect IgG against SARS-CoV-2 in serum (Euroimmun) at 10 time points. In seropositive samples, neutralising antibodies were measured using a virus neutralisation test. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect SARS-CoV-2 on nasopharyngeal swabs. Participant characteristics and the presence of symptoms were collected via an online questionnaire.ResultsAmong all participants, 80% were women, 60% nurses and 21% physicians. Median age was 40 years. The seroprevalence remained relatively stable from April (7.7% (95% CI: 4.8% to 12.1%) to September (8.2% (95% CI: 5.7% to 11.6%)) and increased thereafter, reaching 19.7% (95% CI: 12.0% to 30.6%) in December 2020. 76 of 778 initially seronegative participants seroconverted during the follow-up (incidence: 205/1000 person-years). Among all seropositive individuals, 118/148 (80%) had a positive neutralisation test, 83/147 (56%) presented or reported a positive RT-qPCR, and 130/147 (88%) reported COVID-19-compatible symptoms at least once. However, only 46/73 (63%) of the seroconverters presented COVID-19-compatible symptoms in the month prior to seroconversion.ConclusionsThe seroprevalence among hospital HCW was slightly higher than that of the general Belgian population but followed a similar evolution, suggesting that infection prevention and control measures were effective and should be strictly maintained. After two SARS-CoV-2 waves, 80% of HCW remained seronegative, justifying their prioritisation in the vaccination strategy.Trial registration numberNCT04373889

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Time to recovery and its predictors among adults hospitalized with COVID-19: A prospective cohort study in Ethiopia

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0244269 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (12) ◽

pp. e0244269

Author(s):

Saro Abdella Abrahim ◽

Masresha Tessema ◽

Atkure Defar ◽

Alemayehu Hussen ◽

Eshetu Ejeta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Cohort Study ◽

Median Duration ◽

Prospective Cohort ◽

Average Duration ◽

Viral Clearance ◽

Blood Type ◽

Rate Of Recovery ◽

Study Participants

Background Various factors may determine the duration of viral shedding (the time from infection to viral RNA-negative conversion or recovery) in COVID-19 patients. Understanding the average duration of recovery and its predictors is crucial in formulating preventive measures and optimizing treatment options. Therefore, evidence showing the duration of recovery from COVID-19 in different contexts and settings is necessary for tailoring appropriate treatment and prevention measures. This study aimed to investigate the average duration and the predictors of recovery from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among COVID-19 patients. Method A hospital-based prospective cohort study was conducted at Eka Kotebe General Hospital, COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment Center from March 18 to June 27, 2020. The Center was the first hospital designated to manage COVID-19 cases in Ethiopia. The study participants were all COVID-19 adult patients who were admitted to the center during the study period. Follow up was done for the participants from the first date of diagnosis to the date of recovery (negative Real-time Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCT) test of throat swab). Result A total of 306 COVID-19 cases were followed up to observe the duration of viral clearance by rRT-PCR. Participants’ mean age was 34 years (18–84 years) and 69% were male. The median duration of viral clearance from each participant’s body was 19 days, but the range was wide: 2 to 71 days. Cough followed by headache was the leading sign of illness among the 67 symptomatic COVID-19 patients; and nearly half of those with comorbidities were known cancer and HIV/AIDS patients on clinical follow up. The median duration of recovery from COVID-19 was different for those with and without previous medical conditions or comorbidities. The rate of recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection was 36% higher in males than in females (p = 0.043, CI: 1.01, 1.85). The rate of recovery was 93% higher in those with at least one comorbidity than in those without any comorbidity. The risk of delayed recovery was not influenced by blood type, BMI and presence of signs or symptoms. The findings showed that study participants without comorbidities recovered more quickly than those with at least one comorbidity. Therefore, isolation and treatment centers should be prepared to manage the delayed stay of patients having comorbidity.

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