scholarly journals Halved Incidence of Scrub Typhus after Travel Restrictions to Confine a Surge of COVID-19 in Taiwan

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1386
Author(s):  
En-Cheng Lin ◽  
Hung-Pin Tu ◽  
Chien-Hui Hong
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Skin Lesion ◽  
Scrub Typhus ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Rickettsial Disease ◽  
Outdoor Activities ◽  
The Past ◽  
First Case ◽  
Travel Restrictions

Scrub typhus is a rickettsial disease that is usually transmitted by mite exposure. Infected patients may present with a fever, fatigue, headache, and muscle pain. A blackish skin lesion, called eschar, is pathognomic. The mortality rate in untreated cases is high. The first case of scrub typhus in Taiwan was reported in 1908 during the Japanese colonization. In this article, using the National Infectious Disease Statistics System (NIDSS) from the Taiwan CDC, we analyzed the dynamic incidence of scrub typhus from 2016 to 2021, both seasonally and geographically. In addition, we asked whether the recent travel restrictions and social distancing policy in Taiwan (19 May to 27 July 2021), implemented due to the COVID-19 outbreak, would change the incidence of scrub typhus. The results showed that scrub typhus was most common in summer, with an incidence almost twofold greater than that in winter or spring. Most cases were identified in rural regions. Interestingly, there was a significant 52% reduction in the summer incidence in 2021, compared to the average summer incidence of the past 5 years. This reduction coincided with the countrywide lockdown measures and travel restrictions. The restricted measures for outdoor activities may have contributed to the reduced incidence of scrub typhus.

Brain-eating Amoebae Infection: Challenges and Opportunities in Chemotherapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 980-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ridwane Mungroo ◽  
Ayaz Anwar ◽  
Naveed Ahmed Khan ◽  
Ruqaiyyah Siddiqui
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Outdoor Activities ◽  
The Past ◽  
Free Living Amoeba ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Living Nature ◽  
Treatment And Diagnosis

Pathogenic free-living amoeba are known to cause a devastating infection of the central nervous system and are often referred to as “brain-eating amoebae”. The mortality rate of more than 90% and free-living nature of these amoebae is a cause for concern. It is distressing that the mortality rate has remained the same over the past few decades, highlighting the lack of interest by the pharmaceutical industry. With the threat of global warming and increased outdoor activities of public, there is a need for renewed interest in identifying potential anti-amoebic compounds for successful prognosis. Here, we discuss the available chemotherapeutic options and opportunities for potential strategies in the treatment and diagnosis of these life-threatening infections.

scholarly journals THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN HEALTHCARE

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 30-35
Author(s):  
Aaminah Najmus Sahar
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Ripple Effect ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Frontline Workers ◽  
The Past ◽  
First Case ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Diagnosis Of Diseases

The COVID-19 Pandemic has disrupted life and changed what we knew as normal, for the past 9 months. Although the first case of COVID-19 was identified in Wuhan, China in mid-December 2019, it was coined as a Pandemic by WHO in March 2020. The COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted each and everyone and caused a ripple effect in all areas of life, the healthcare is no exception. With its novel nature, limited information, lack of resources, risky working conditions, and high spikes in cases, it has caused a massive overload on the healthcare systems. It has caused mental health disturbances not just in the frontline workers and COVID-19 survivors but also in the general public owing to uncertainty, isolation, fear, anxiety, andmisinformation. In addition to this, there has also been an increase in the prescription of antibiotics which stems from the inability to examine the patient physically and obtain samples for cultures as consultations are scheduled through telemedicine. Antimicrobial resistance(AMR) is considered to be further potentiated during the Pandemic as Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) have been disrupted and there is an increase in hospital admissions and intubations of patients. Measures like lockdown and travel restrictions placed to curb the spread of the virus have negatively impacted individuals with addictions and substance use disorders (SUD’s) due to inability to access de-addiction centers, increased isolation, and inability to obtain toxicants which lead to the use of adulterated substances and in some cases withdrawal symptoms. The lockdown has also caused delays in the treatment of chronic and co-morbid diseases like Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases, Cancer, Dialysis leading to poor disease management and progression of the disease. It has also impacted regular vaccination schedules and periodic health checkups leading to late diagnosis of diseases.

scholarly journals Scrub Typhus in Western Nepal: A Series of Case Reports

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-72
Author(s):  
Prajwal Pudasaini ◽  
Annu Ranjit ◽  
Saraswoti Neupane
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Skin Lesion ◽  
Scrub Typhus ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Infected People ◽  
Systemic Spread ◽  
Trombiculid Mite ◽  
Cutaneous Rash

Scrub typhus, a mite borne infectious disease which is transmitted to humans by bite of trombiculid mite. An eschar, which is a characteristic necrotic skin lesion, is formed at the site of bite. Systemic spread via the hematogenous and lymphatic routes occur and the infected people develop fever, cutaneous rash, myalgia, and lymphadenopathy. Diagnosis of scrub typhus is often difficult because of vast variability and non-specific presentation of the disease. Scrub typhus has been poorly reported from Kaski district. Here we report series of five cases of scrub typhus from Kaski distrist of Western Nepal.

Scrub typhus (Orientia tsutsugamushi), A rapidly spreading epidemic in Chennai - A standalone lab experience

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (09) ◽  
pp. 4896
Author(s):  
Sripriya C.S.* ◽  
Shanthi B. ◽  
Arockia Doss S. ◽  
Antonie Raj I. ◽  
Mohana Priya
Keyword(s):  
Scrub Typhus ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Orientia Tsutsugamushi ◽  
The Past ◽  
Igm Elisa ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Specific Symptoms ◽  
Symptoms And Signs

Scrub typhus (Orientia tsutsugamushi), is a strict intracellular bacterium which is reported to be a recent threat to parts of southern India. There is re-emergence of scrub typhus during the past few years in Chennai. Scrub typhus is an acute febrile illness which generally causes non-specific symptoms and signs. The clinical manifestations of this disease range from sub-clinical disease to organ failure to fatal disease. This study documents our laboratory experience in diagnosis of scrub typhus in patients with fever and suspected clinical symptoms of scrub typhus infection for a period of two years from April 2014 to April 2016 using immunochromatography and IgM ELISA methods. The study was conducted on 648 patients out of whom 188 patients were found to be positive for scrub typhus. Results also showed that pediatric (0 -12 years) and young adults (20 – 39 years) were more exposed to scrub typhus infection and female patients were more infected compared to male. The study also showed that the rate of infection was higher between September to February which also suggested that the infection rate is proportional to the climatic condition. Statistical analysis showed that the mean age of the patients in this study was 37.6, standard deviation was 18.97, CV % was 50.45. 

Penile Lymphoepithelioma-Like Carcinoma: A Rare Case With PD-L1 Expression

2021 ◽  
pp. 106689692098834
Author(s):  
Raquel Machado-Neves ◽  
Bernardo Teixeira ◽  
Elsa Fonseca ◽  
Pedro Valente ◽  
Joaquim Lindoro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Papillomavirus ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Rare Case ◽  
Malignant Tumors ◽  
Squamous Cell Carcinomas ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Past ◽  
First Case ◽  
Lymphoplasmacytic Infiltrate

Most malignant tumors of the penis are squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), being divided in 2 groups, one human papillomavirus (HPV)-related and another non-HPV-related, with lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) being one of the rarest HPV-related SCC. In this article, we report a case of a 50-year-old man who presented testicular swelling and pain for the past 3 months. A penile mass was identified, and the patient was submitted to a total penectomy. The penectomy specimen showed an ulcerated lesion at the glans reaching the cavernous bodies. Microscopic examination showed undifferentiated epithelial cells with syncytial growth pattern mix with a dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, consistent with LELC. The tumor cells expressed p16 and all 3 different clones of PDL1 (22C3, SP263, and SP142). The patient is alive and well with a follow-up of 3 months. To our knowledge, this is the third LELC of the penis reported in literature and the first case reported with PDL1 expression.

scholarly journals How does globalization affect COVID-19 responses?

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve J. Bickley ◽  
Ho Fai Chan ◽  
Ahmed Skali ◽  
David Stadelmann ◽  
Benno Torgler
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
State Capacity ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Government Effectiveness ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
High Government

Abstract Background The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vast differences in approaches to the control and containment of coronavirus across the world and has demonstrated the varied success of such approaches in minimizing the transmission of coronavirus. While previous studies have demonstrated high predictive power of incorporating air travel data and governmental policy responses in global disease transmission modelling, factors influencing the decision to implement travel and border restriction policies have attracted relatively less attention. This paper examines the role of globalization on the pace of adoption of international travel-related non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) during the coronavirus pandemic. This study aims to offer advice on how to improve the global planning, preparation, and coordination of actions and policy responses during future infectious disease outbreaks with empirical evidence. Methods and data We analyzed data on international travel restrictions in response to COVID-19 of 185 countries from January to October 2020. We applied time-to-event analysis to examine the relationship between globalization and the timing of travel restrictions implementation. Results The results of our survival analysis suggest that, in general, more globalized countries, accounting for the country-specific timing of the virus outbreak and other factors, are more likely to adopt international travel restrictions policies. However, countries with high government effectiveness and globalization were more cautious in implementing travel restrictions, particularly if through formal political and trade policy integration. This finding is supported by a placebo analysis of domestic NPIs, where such a relationship is absent. Additionally, we find that globalized countries with high state capacity are more likely to have higher numbers of confirmed cases by the time a first restriction policy measure was taken. Conclusions The findings highlight the dynamic relationship between globalization and protectionism when governments respond to significant global events such as a public health crisis. We suggest that the observed caution of policy implementation by countries with high government efficiency and globalization is a by-product of commitment to existing trade agreements, a greater desire to ‘learn from others’ and also perhaps of ‘confidence’ in a government’s ability to deal with a pandemic through its health system and state capacity. Our results suggest further research is warranted to explore whether global infectious disease forecasting could be improved by including the globalization index and in particular, the de jure economic and political, and de facto social dimensions of globalization, while accounting for the mediating role of government effectiveness. By acting as proxies for a countries’ likelihood and speed of implementation for international travel restriction policies, such measures may predict the likely time delays in disease emergence and transmission across national borders.

scholarly journals Emergence of Candida auris in Brazil in a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 220
Author(s):  
João N. de Almeida ◽  
Elaine C. Francisco ◽  
Ferry Hagen ◽  
Igor Brandão ◽  
Felicidade M. Pereira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Antifungal Susceptibility ◽  
Candida Auris ◽  
Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations ◽  
First Case ◽  
Asian Clade ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Clade C ◽  
The City

In December 2020, Candida auris emerged in Brazil in the city of Salvador. The first two C. auris colonized patients were in the same COVID-19 intensive care unit. Antifungal susceptibility testing showed low minimal inhibitory concentrations of 1 µg/mL, 2 µg/mL, 0.03 µg/L, and 0.06 µg/mL for amphotericin B, fluconazole, voriconazole, and anidulafungin, respectively. Microsatellite typing revealed that the strains are clonal and belong to the South Asian clade C. auris. The travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the absence of travel history among the colonized patients lead to the hypothesis that this species was introduced several months before the recognition of the first case and/or emerged locally in the coastline Salvador area.

scholarly journals Infective Aortic Valve Endocarditis Causing Embolic Consecutive ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarctions

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Kanksha Peddi ◽  
Alexander L. Hsu ◽  
Tomas H. Ayala
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Infective Endocarditis ◽  
Aortic Valve ◽  
Index Case ◽  
Current Treatment ◽  
Myocardial Infarctions ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
The Past ◽  
First Case ◽  
St Elevation

ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a rare and potentially fatal complication of infective endocarditis. We report the ninth case of embolic native aortic valve infective endocarditis causing STEMI and the first case to describe consecutive embolisms leading to infarctions of separate coronary territories. Through examination of this case in the context of the previous eight similar documented cases in the past, we find that infective endocarditis of the aortic valve can and frequently affect more than a single myocardial territory and can occur consecutively. Further, current treatment modalities for embolic infective endocarditis causing acute myocardial infarction are limited and unproven. This index case illustrates the potential severity of complications and the challenges in developing standardized management for such patients.

scholarly journals B.05 Hemi-laryngopharyngeal spasm (HELPS) syndrome: The discovery, cure, and characterization of a new neurological condition

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (S2) ◽  
pp. S11-S11
Author(s):  
C Honey ◽  
M Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Care ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
The Past ◽  
First Case ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Operative Outcome ◽  
Small Cohort ◽  
The Common ◽  
Similar Motor

Background: We published the world’s first case of hemi-laryngpharyngeal spasm (HELPS) syndrome cured by microvascular decompression (MVD) of the Xth cranial nerve in 2016. We now present a small cohort of patients (n=3) successfully treated with surgery in order to better delineate the common characteristics of this syndrome, diagnostic tests of choice, nuances of their surgical care and outcomes of their treatment. Methods: The history and physical examination of three patients with HELPS syndrome are presented. Pre-operative laryngoscopy, neuroimaging, response to botox and intra-operative videos are detailed. Post-operative outcome and complications are presented. Results: Each patient reported similar motor (choking) and sensory (coughing) features in their history. Episodic choking relentlessly progressed over the years until it occurred while sleeping and with frightening severity prompting tracheostomy in one patient and intubation in another. A “tickling” sensation deep in the throat triggered episodic coughing that worsened over the years until it occurred while sleeping and with frightening severity (syncope and incontinence). Conclusions: A review of the literature suggests that patients with similar symptoms, often called episodic laryngospasm in the past, have been treated with psychotherapy or antacids. With the recognition that a clearly defined subset of these patients have HELPS syndrome, we can offer them the potential of a neurosurgical cure.

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