scholarly journals Clinical Characteristics of Patients Infected with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Iran: A Retrospective Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
World Health ◽  
System Disease ◽  
Respiratory System Disease ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Family Gathering ◽  
Guilan Province

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was introduced by the World Health Organization as a pandemic and emergency for human health. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients infected with COVID-19 in Guilan Province, Iran. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 1,000 patients with a definitive diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to six hospitals in Guilan Province, Iran, from April 13 to June 14, 2020. This study evaluated the patients' clinical information, demographic characteristics, laboratory results, and chest computed tomography scans. Findings: The mean age of the patients was obtained at 55±1.3 years, and the majority (n=800; 80%) of the cases were male. Furthermore, most patients had underlying diseases, including respiratory system disease (n=173; 17.3%), cardiovascular disease (n=711; 71.1%), and malignancy (n=146; 14.6%). The most common causes of the infection with COVID-19 included the presence in crowded places (n=733; 73.3%), close contact with the infected person (n=370; 82.2%), possession of pets (n=107; 23.2%), and family gathering (n=822; 82.2%). In addition, the most common clinical symptoms in patients included fever (n=911; 91.1%), cough (n=900; 90%), and dyspnea or shortness of breath (n=889; 88.9%). Other less common symptoms were diarrhea (n=160; 16%), vomiting (n=168; 16.8%), and headache (n=217; 21.7%). Dyspnea developed in 889 (88.9%) patients, and 660 (66%) cases had increased leucocytes. Conclusion: COVID-19 causes mild to fatal pneumonia in patients. Therefore, early detection and treatment of these patients are of utmost importance. Timely treatment of the disease can reduce the severity of symptoms and prevent the further spread of the disease.

Organization of restrictive quarantine measures to prevent especially dangerous infections

2020 ◽  
pp. 6-11
Author(s):  
Petr Ilyin
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
International Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Entire History ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Former Ussr ◽  
Health Regulations

Especially dangerous infections (EDIs) belong to the conditionally labelled group of infectious diseases that pose an exceptional epidemic threat. They are highly contagious, rapidly spreading and capable of affecting wide sections of the population in the shortest possible time, they are characterized by the severity of clinical symptoms and high mortality rates. At the present stage, the term "especially dangerous infections" is used only in the territory of the countries of the former USSR, all over the world this concept is defined as "infectious diseases that pose an extreme threat to public health on an international scale." Over the entire history of human development, more people have died as a result of epidemics and pandemics than in all wars combined. The list of especially dangerous infections and measures to prevent their spread were fixed in the International Health Regulations (IHR), adopted at the 22nd session of the WHO's World Health Assembly on July 26, 1969. In 1970, at the 23rd session of the WHO's Assembly, typhus and relapsing fever were excluded from the list of quarantine infections. As amended in 1981, the list included only three diseases represented by plague, cholera and anthrax. However, now annual additions of new infections endemic to different parts of the earth to this list take place. To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already included more than 100 diseases in the list of especially dangerous infections.

scholarly journals Analysis of Separability of COVID-19 and Pneumonia in Chest X-ray Images by Means of Convolutional Neural Networks

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 31
Author(s):  
Joaquim de Moura ◽  
Lucía Ramos ◽  
Plácido L. Vidal ◽  
Jorge Novo ◽  
Marcos Ortega
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Convolutional Neural Networks ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
World Health ◽  
Complete Analysis ◽  
Screening Process ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Chest X Ray ◽  
Health Organization

The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is a disease that is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 11 March 2020, the coronavirus outbreak has been labelled a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. In this context, chest X-ray imaging has become a remarkably powerful tool for the identification of patients with COVID-19 infections at an early stage when clinical symptoms may be unspecific or sparse. In this work, we propose a complete analysis of separability of COVID-19 and pneumonia in chest X-ray images by means of Convolutional Neural Networks. Satisfactory results were obtained that demonstrated the suitability of the proposed system, improving the efficiency of the medical screening process in the healthcare systems.

scholarly journals Myelodysplastic syndrome: classification and prognostic systems

2011 ◽  
pp. 25-33
Author(s):  
Rosangela Invernizzi ◽  
Agnese Filocco
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Information ◽  
Scoring Systems ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
World Health ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Information Classification ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Prognostic Scoring Systems

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are acquired clonal disorders of hematopoiesis, that are characterized most frequently by normocellular or hypercellular bone marrow specimens, and maturation that is morphologically and functionally dysplastic. MDS constitute a complex hematological problem: differences in disease presentation, progression and outcome have made it necessary to use classification systems to improve diagnosis, prognostication and treatment selection. On the basis of new scientific and clinical information, classification and prognostic systems have recently been updated and minimal diagnostic criteria forMDS have been proposed by expert panels. In addition, in the last few years our ability to define the prognosis of the individual patient with MDS has improved. In this paper World Health Organization (WHO) classification refinements and recent prognostic scoring systems for the definition of individual risk are highlighted and current criteria are discussed. The recommendations should facilitate diagnostic and prognostic evaluations in MDS and selection of patients for new effective targeted therapies.

scholarly journals Clinical Considerations in Otorhinolaryngology Practice in COVID-19 Pandemic Era

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 297-303
Author(s):  
Soo Ah Son ◽  
Se Hwan Hwang
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
World Health ◽  
Outpatient Clinics ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Upper Aerodigestive Tract ◽  
The World ◽  
Clinical Considerations ◽  
Health Organization

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic originated in Wuhan, China and spread rapidly worldwide, leading the World Health Organization to declare an official global COVID- 19 pandemic in March 2020. The upper aero-digestive tract is known to be the highest viral load reside. The infection spreads via droplets or direct contact with contaminated surfaces via aeorsol. The otolaryngologists deal with diseases of the upper-aerodigestive tract and routinely are engaged in respiratory droplet and aerosol-generating procedures (AGP). In particular, because airborne transmission occurs during examination and AGP, otolaryngologists are considered to be at a high risk of contracting COVID-19 during this pandemic. Therefore otolaryngologists need to do precautions to protect staff and patients and minimize transmission of the disease. We also need to wear adequate personal protective equipment according to the examination and procedure. This article discusses the disease transmission and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 as well as precaution guidelines in outpatient clinics of otorhinolaryngology.

scholarly journals Preliminary study of coronavirus disease 2019 on pets in pandemic in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

2021 ◽  
pp. 2979-2983
Author(s):  
Hamong Suharsono ◽  
Ali Ghufron Mukti ◽  
Ketut Suryana ◽  
I. Wayan Masa Tenaya ◽  
Dilasdita Kartika Pradana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Rna Isolation ◽  
World Health ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Respiratory Droplets

Background and Aim: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute infectious respiratory disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has spread rapidly globally, resulting in a pandemic. In humans, the main routes of transmission are respiratory droplets and close contact with infected individuals or through contact with an object infected with the virus, followed by touching mouth, nose, or eyes. It is assumed that SARS-CoV-2 was originated in wild animals and was then transmitted to humans. Although some wildlife and domestic animals can be naturally or experimentally infected with the virus, the intermediate hosts that transmitted it to humans are still unknown. Understanding the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 associated with possible zoonotic transmission of intermediate hosts is considered critical. Reportedly, cats or dogs living with COVID-19-positive humans tested positive for the disease, suggesting that the virus was transmitted to the animals from humans. Information regarding the epidemiological investigation and comprehensive studies is limited. Therefore, it is still unclear how high is the correlation of infection in humans and pet animals, especially those living together. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the pets of patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized at the Wangaya hospital, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Materials and Methods: A total of seven clinically asymptomatic pets (six dogs of different races and sexes and a cat [age, 360-2920 days]) were included in this study. These animals belonged to patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from August to November 2020. Nasal swab and nasopharyngeal samples were collected from the pets individually under anesthetic condition and were collected 6-12 days after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in owners and hospitalization at the Wangaya Hospital. The swab samples were then processed for RNA isolation and tested using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2, in accordance with the World Health Organization manual 2020. Results: RT-PCR results for all seven RNA samples, prepared from the swab samples, were negative. For the samples, all PCR products were below the threshold limit, suggesting no genetic material belonging to the samples tested. Conclusion: This was the first preliminary study of COVID-19 on pets in pandemic using RT-PCR. The study tested a very limited quantity of samples, and all of them were negative. However, the way in which the samples were prepared was considered appropriate. Therefore, in further studies, testing of more samples of pets of more individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection is required.

scholarly journals A cluster of rubella in Malta, December 2007 - January 2008

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
G Spiteri ◽  
A-M Fenech Magrin ◽  
M Muscat
Keyword(s):  
Close Contact ◽  
Control Unit ◽  
World Health ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Reference Laboratory ◽  
The Third ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Travel Abroad ◽  
In The Beginning ◽  
And Control

A cluster of rubella has been identified by the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit (IDCU) of Malta in the beginning of January 2008. Two men and a woman aged between 23 and 28 years were affected. The index case had onset of illness on 23 December 2007. The second case had onset of rash on 3 January and the third case displayed symptoms on 6 January 2008. Two of the three cases were laboratory-confirmed (IgM positive), the third displayed typical symptoms and was a close contact of a laboratory-confirmed case but was IgM and IgG negative. None of the affected patients had received vaccination against rubella and there was no history of recent travel abroad. All three cases were linked through a work place. Blood samples were submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Reference Laboratory for Measles and Rubella, Luxembourg, for further investigations. None of the cases had any complications. To date no further cases have been identified.

Impact of Tuberculosis in Elderly Population

2018 ◽  
pp. 326-338
Author(s):  
Gagan Chooramani ◽  
Pooja Singh
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Elderly Population ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
World Health ◽  
Tuberculosis Patients ◽  
Disease Outcomes ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Poor Memory

The World Health Organization has declared that the spread of tuberculosis is a global emergency. Despite the implementation of strong tuberculosis-control initiatives by WHO, this highly infectious disease continues to affect all vulnerable populations, including the elderly population. Adverse social factors and poor living conditions also affect the elderly much more than the young. The clinical characteristics of tuberculosis in older adults can be unusual and may be confused with age-related illnesses. Various factors related to old age can also cause complications in the diagnosis, treatment, and disease outcomes for tuberculosis patients. The contributory factors may be poor memory, deafness, mental confusion, or impairment of speech. In addition, therapy for tuberculosis in elderly individuals is challenging because of the increased incidence of adverse drug reactions. Hence, understanding the impact of these substantial aspects will help to overcome the problem of tuberculosis in the elderly population.

scholarly journals Use of mask in COVID-19 era: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-90
Author(s):  
Rano Mal Piryani ◽  
Suneel Piryani ◽  
Jay Narayan Shah
Keyword(s):  
United States Of America ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Healthy Person ◽  
World Health ◽  
Source Control ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Risk Of Exposure ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Healthy Persons

World Health Organization (WHO) in its interim guidance of 6 April 2020 advises policy makers on the use of masks for healthy people in community settings. The rationale for mask use by healthy person is prevention from COVID-19, when there is risk of exposure, like working in close contact with public, people with comorbidities, where physical distancing cannot be maintained such as travelling in buses, staying in slum areas. Furthermore, WHO says the purpose and reason for mask use should be clear– whether it is to be used for source control (used by infected persons) or prevention of COVID-19 (used by healthy persons).1 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) United States of America (USA) updated its advisory on 4 Apr 2020, and recommended everyone (except some) should wear at least a cloth face covering when they have to go out in public. It will protect other people in case you are infected.2,3 This advisory of no strict demand on use of face masks could be possibly due to unavailability of disposable masks.

scholarly journals Surveillance of adverse events in the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis: first global report

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
pp. 1901522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Borisov ◽  
Edvardas Danila ◽  
Andrei Maryandyshev ◽  
Margareth Dalcolmo ◽  
Skaidrius Miliauskas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Events ◽  
Active Drug ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
World Health ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Serious Adverse Events ◽  
Resistant Tuberculosis ◽  
Drug Safety Monitoring ◽  
Grade 3 ◽  
Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries implement pharmacovigilance and collect information on active drug safety monitoring (aDSM) and management of adverse events.The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the frequency and severity of adverse events to anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs in a cohort of consecutive TB patients treated with new (i.e. bedaquiline, delamanid) and repurposed (i.e. clofazimine, linezolid) drugs, based on the WHO aDSM project. Adverse events were collected prospectively after attribution to a specific drug together with demographic, bacteriological, radiological and clinical information at diagnosis and during therapy. This interim analysis included patients who completed or were still on treatment at time of data collection.Globally, 45 centres from 26 countries/regions reported 658 patients (68.7% male, 4.4% HIV co-infected) treated as follows: 87.7% with bedaquiline, 18.4% with delamanid (6.1% with both), 81.5% with linezolid and 32.4% with clofazimine. Overall, 504 adverse event episodes were reported: 447 (88.7%) were classified as minor (grade 1–2) and 57 (11.3%) as serious (grade 3–5). The majority of the 57 serious adverse events reported by 55 patients (51 out of 57, 89.5%) ultimately resolved. Among patients reporting serious adverse events, some drugs held responsible were discontinued: bedaquiline in 0.35% (two out of 577), delamanid in 0.8% (one out of 121), linezolid in 1.9% (10 out of 536) and clofazimine in 1.4% (three out of 213) of patients. Serious adverse events were reported in 6.9% (nine out of 131) of patients treated with amikacin, 0.4% (one out of 221) with ethionamide/prothionamide, 2.8% (15 out of 536) with linezolid and 1.8% (eight out of 498) with cycloserine/terizidone.The aDSM study provided valuable information, but implementation needs scaling-up to support patient-centred care.

scholarly journals Screening diabetes mellitus patients for pulmonary tuberculosis: a multisite study in Indonesia, Peru, Romania and South Africa

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bachti Alisjahbana ◽  
Susan M McAllister ◽  
Cesar Ugarte-Gil ◽  
Nicolae Mircea Panduru ◽  
Katharina Ronacher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
World Health ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Sputum Smear ◽  
Tb Treatment ◽  
Chest X Ray ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) patients are three times more likely to develop tuberculosis (TB) than the general population. Active TB screening in people with DM is part of a bidirectional approach. The aim of this study was to conduct pragmatic active TB screening among DM patients in four countries to inform policy. Methods DM patients were recruited in Indonesia (n=809), Peru (n=600), Romania (n=603) and South Africa (n=51). TB cases were diagnosed using an algorithm including clinical symptoms and chest X-ray. Presumptive TB patients were examined with sputum smear and culture. Results A total of 171 (8.3%) individuals reported ever having had TB (South Africa, 26%; Indonesia, 12%; Peru, 7%; Romania, 4%), 15 of whom were already on TB treatment. Overall, 14 (0.73% [95% confidence interval 0.40 to 1.23]) TB cases were identified from screening. Poor glucose control, smoking, lower body mass index, education and socio-economic status were associated with newly diagnosed/current TB. Thirteen of the 14 TB cases diagnosed from this screening would have been found using a symptom-based approach. Conclusions These data support the World Health Organization recommendation for routine symptom-based screening for TB in known DM patients in high TB-burden countries. DM patients with any symptoms consistent with TB should be investigated and diagnostic tools should be easily accessible.

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