scholarly journals What is New in COVID-19 and What We Need to Do Against This Pandemic Infection? A Comparative Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-125
Author(s):  
Sadaf Naeem ◽  
Yousra Shafiq ◽  
Muhammad Arif Asghar

Background: Initially, large number of COVID-19 cases reported from Wuhan City, China, reflected that this is likely the zoonotic origin of COVID-19. In March, 2020; it has since been declared a serious pandemic infection by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Objective: The main objective of this review was to addressed what gaps still exist. Many researchers have reported the many common characteristics of COVID-19 virus in comparison with other pandemic viruses, while the major differences are discussed in this review. Method: In this review, we investigated the general characteristics of COVID-19 its diagnosis and other preventive measures in comparison with other pandemic viruses that we know or we need to know. Results: All reported corona viruses belong to the one genus and family Coronavirus and Coronaviridae. The COVID-19 virus spreads easily and exponentially multiple times compares to other viruses. It can be divided into four antigenic groups, HKU1, NL63, 229E and OC43. The case mortality rate of this pandemic is 1.68%, compared to other pandemics in their first outbreaks, including the great pandemic influenza (0.2%), SARS-CoV (10%), MERS-CoV (34%), and Ebola (50%). Laboratory findings related to COVID-19 include elevated levels of D-dimer, Alanine transaminase (ALT), LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), C-reactive protein (CRP), creatine kinase and prothrombin times. Conclusion: This comparison based review will help to understand the biology, potential risk and preventive measures of COVID-19 and provide cognizance about what we need to do against this pandemic which victimized more than 200 countries up to the present time.

2018 ◽  
Vol 111 (5) ◽  
pp. 326-327

As readers might recall, two years ago there was buzz in the air concerning a report about processed meats and cancer. News outlets pounced on the possibility of including bacon and cancer in the same sentence, and as a mathematics teacher, I pounced on the opportunity to discuss risk with students. In pursuit of engaging students with items that they might encounter or hear about in their daily lives and having a little extra time to discuss the notion of modeling and assumptions, I had students read in class one of the many news articles that discussed the topic. The one I chose, from Allison Aubrey of NPR, noted that there was a “16 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer associated with each 3.5 ounces of red and processed meat consumed per day” (Aubrey 2015). Aubrey had obtained the information from the World Health Organization (2015) report that initially started the media flurry.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-6
Author(s):  
Robert J. Barth

Abstract “Posttraumatic” headaches claims are controversial because they are subjective reports often provided in the complex of litigation, and the underlying pathogenesis is not defined. This article reviews principles and scientific considerations in the AMAGuides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides) that should be noted by evaluators who examine such cases. Some examples in the AMA Guides, Sixth Edition, may seem to imply that mild head trauma can cause permanent impairment due to headache. The author examines scientific findings that present obstacles to claiming that concussion or mild traumatic brain injury is a cause of permanent headache. The World Health Organization, for example, found a favorable prognosis for posttraumatic headache, and complete recovery over a short period of time was the norm. Other studies have highlighted the lack of a dose-response correlation between trauma and prolonged headache complaints, both in terms of the frequency and the severity of trauma. On the one hand, scientific studies have failed to support the hypothesis of a causative relationship between trauma and permanent or prolonged headaches; on the other hand, non–trauma-related factors are strongly associated with complaints of prolonged headache.


1983 ◽  
Vol 50 (03) ◽  
pp. 697-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
T W Barrowcliffe ◽  
A D Curtis ◽  
D P Thomas

SummaryAn international collaborative study was carried out to establish a replacement for the current (2nd) international standard for Factor VIII: C, concentrate. Twenty-six laboratories took part, of which 17 performed one-stage assays, three performed two-stage assays and six used both methods. The proposed new standard, an intermediate purity concentrate, was assayed against the current standard, against a high-purity concentrate and against an International Reference Plasma, coded 80/511, previously calibrated against fresh normal plasma.Assays of the proposed new standard against the current standard gave a mean potency of 3.89 iu/ampoule, with good agreement between laboratories and between one-stage and two- stage assays. There was also no difference between assay methods in the comparison of high-purity and intermediate purity concentrates. In the comparison of the proposed standard with the plasma reference preparation, the overall mean potency was 4.03 iu/ampoule, but there were substantial differences between laboratories, and the two-stage method gave significantly higher results than the one stage method. Of the technical variables in the one-stage method, only the activation time with one reagent appeared to have any influence on the results of this comparison of concentrate against plasma.Accelerated degradation studies showed that the proposed standard is very stable. With the agreement of the participants, the material, in ampoules coded 80/556, has been established by the World Health Organization as the 3rd International Standard for Factor VIII :C, Concentrate, with an assigned potency of 3.9 iu/ampoule.


1989 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-F. Dreyfus ◽  
D. Cremniter ◽  
J.D. Guelfi

SummaryWe are still confronted by numerous different nosographic models and problems concerning the objective evaluation of patients progress during treatment. It is interesting to consider the consequences of this situation in psychiatry which still involves a relative diversity of practical methods used in clinical trials. The recommendations of the USA Food and Drug Administration, on the one hand, constitute a highly structured and precise reference. The World Health Organization, on the other hand, promulgates general recommendations resulting from a compromise designed to satisfy the greatest number of clinicians.Despite the apparently diverse principles and the different practical methods they propose, both those sets of recommendations have been useful in inspiring clinicians to reflect upon these different methodological approaches. The qualities of the inclusion criteria used in the study of patients and the sensitivity of the different measuring instruments have allowed psychotropic drug users as well as producers to recognize the need for a certain rigour in clinical trials.The FDA and WHO guidelines have certainly improved the quality of clinical trials in psychopharmacology. However, they also represent a source of resistance to innovation.A series of consensus meetings to first reconcile US and European points of view and later to include new techniques in the recognized sets of methods would therefore be helpful.


1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 1199-1204
Author(s):  
N Stankeviciute ◽  
W Jao ◽  
A Bakir ◽  
J P Lash

Patients with mesangial proliferative lupus glomerulonephritis (World Health Organization class II) are generally believed to have only mild to moderate proteinuria and normal renal function. However, there have been several reports of patients with mesangial lupus with nephrotic-range proteinuria. In this report, we present two additional cases and review the literature. Of seven reported cases, persistent nephrotic syndrome was observed in four, morphologic transformation occurred in three, and all but one presented with varying degrees of azotemia. These cases reinforce the concept that in systemic lupus erythematosus, laboratory findings may not correlate well with the underlying glomerular lesion, and therefore, the renal biopsy is an essential clinical tool in the approach to lupus nephritis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayleigh Beaveridge

Introduction: The anti-vaccination movement has led to decreased vaccination rates and increased vulnerability to vaccine-preventable diseases in the general population. In order to better understand the anti-vaccination movement of today, the anti-vaccination movement that emerged in the 19th century is examined and measured against the one observed in the 20th century. Discussion: Though the population of the 19th and 20th centuries differ in many regards and our knowledge of vaccine and immune mechanisms are far greater; the anti-vaccination movement seen today stands on the same pillars as that of the 1800s with the sentiment of fear at its core. Though the façade of these pillars has been altered to suit the world today, both movements exploited the influence of prominent public figures, maintained false associations with dire vaccine consequences and emphasized these through the use of visual media, repetition and personal narratives. The persistence of the anti-vaccination movement lies largely in the use of personal stories which are more impactful and memorable then the statistical characteristics of scientific study. Conclusion: The pro-vaccination movement must respond to the tactics used by the anti-vaccination movement and create accessible, understandable and equally impactful communication strategies in order to prevent the spread of misinformation and counter the efforts of the current anti-vaccination movement. Relevance: Vaccine hesitancy was listed amongst the top 10 global health threats in 2019 by the World Health Organization. In order to shift the negative rhetoric surrounding vaccines, the anti-vaccination movement of today and its historic roots need to be understood.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-06
Author(s):  
Biljana Ilkovska

Introduction: In December 2019, a highly infectious disease i.e. pneumonia caused by the coronavirus disease SARS-CoV-2, occurred in Wuhan, China, and the World Health Organization has declared its ongoing outbreak a pandemic. The clinical laboratory plays a key role in supporting the monitoring and management of SARS-CoV-2 disease. Material and methods: Our study describes the laboratory characteristics of 103, SARS-CoV-2 patients hospitalized in the public hospital Trifun Panovski in the period April - June 2020. Only two patients died as a result of the SARS-CoV-2. The most common laboratory abnormalities were: elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: Leukocytosis was found in 23.3%, and leucopenia in 3% of patients with SARS – CoV-2. SARS-CoV-2 infection can be associated with myocardial injury, heart failure, vascular inflammation, myocarditis, cardiac arrhythmias, and hypoxic encephalopathy. We found increased values of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and γ –glutamyl transferase (γ –GT) in 35 – 50% of patients. We detected affected renal function in 10% of our patients with SARS – CoV 2. Conclusion:We identified potential biomarkers of disease severity. Our results provide guidance in risk assessment, clinical monitoring and therapy decision-making processes


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kauara Brito Campos ◽  
Ademir Jesus Martins ◽  
Cynara de Melo Rodovalho ◽  
Diogo Fernandes Bellinato ◽  
Luciana dos Santos Dias ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Chemical mosquito control using malathion has been applied in Brazil since 1985. To obtain chemical control effectiveness, vector susceptibility insecticide monitoring is required. This study aimed to describe bioassay standardizations and determine the susceptibility profile of Ae. aegypti populations to malathion and pyriproxyfen, used on a national scale in Brazil between 2017 and 2018, and discuss the observed impacts in arbovirus control. Methods The diagnostic-doses (DD) of pyriproxyfen and malathion were determined as the double of adult emergence inhibition (EI) and lethal doses for 99% of the Rockefeller reference strain, respectively. To monitor natural populations, sampling was performed in 132 Brazilian cities, using egg traps. Colonies were raised in the laboratory for one or two generations (F1 or F2) and submitted to susceptibility tests, where larvae were exposed to the pyriproxyfen DD (0.03 µg/l) and adults, to the malathion DD determined in the present study (20 µg), in addition to the one established by the World Health Organization (WHO) DD (50 µg) in a bottle assay. Dose-response (DR) bioassays with pyriproxyfen were performed on populations that did not achieve 98% EI in the DD assays. Results Susceptibility alterations to pyriproxyfen were recorded in six (4.5%) Ae. aegypti populations from the states of Bahia and Ceará, with Resistance Ratios (RR95) ranging from 1.51 to 3.58. Concerning malathion, 73 (55.3%) populations distributed throughout the country were resistant when exposed to the local DD 20 µg/bottle. On the other hand, no population was resistant, and only 10 (7.6%) populations in eight states were considered as exhibiting decreased susceptibility (mortality ratios between 90 and 98%) when exposed to the WHO DD (50 µg/bottle). Conclusions The feasibility of conducting an insecticide resistance monitoring action on a nation-wide scale was confirmed herein, employing standardized and strongly coordinated sampling methods and laboratory bioassays. Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations exhibiting decreased susceptibility to pyriproxyfen were identified. The local DD for malathion was more sensitive than the WHO DD for early decreased susceptibility detection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 259-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bjorn Meijers ◽  
Piergiorgio Messa ◽  
Claudio Ronco

The World Health Organization has recognized the pandemic nature of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) outbreak. A large proportion of positive patients require hospitalization, while 5–6% of them may need more aggressive therapies in intensive care. Most governments have recommended social separation and severe measures of prevention of further spreading of the epidemic. Because hemodialysis (HD) patients need to access hospital and dialysis center facilities 3 times a week, this category of patients requires special attention. In this editorial, we tried to summarize the experience of our centers that hopefully may contribute to help other centers and colleagues that are facing the coming wave of the epidemic. Special algorithms for COVID-19 spreading in the dialysis population, recommendations for isolation and preventive measures in positive HD patients, and finally directions to manage logistics and personnel are reported. These recommendations should be considered neither universal nor absolute. Instead, they require local adjustments based on geographic location, cultural and social environments, and level of available resources.


2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Débora Fernanda Amaral Pedrosa ◽  
Andressa Karina Amaral Plá Pelegrin ◽  
Hilze Benigno de Oliveira Moura Siqueira ◽  
Talita de Cássia Raminelli da Silva ◽  
Orlando Carlos Gomes Colhado ◽  
...  

The evaluation of quality of life (QOL) faced with chronic ischemic pain involves the clients in their subjectivity and multidimensionality. This descriptive study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of clients who presented chronic ischemic pain. A total of 100 clients of hospital institutes participated in the study. The instrument used to assess pain was an 11 point numerical scale, and to assess the quality of life, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-abbreviated questionnaire. The arithmetic mean for chronic pain was 5.59±3.16 points. The means for quality of life were: in the physical domain, 44.75±16.98; in the overall domain, 50.0±22.40; in the environment, 55.06±13.51, in the psychological, 56.21±17.19 and in the social domain, 68.33±21.84. Thus, the physical domain was, among the areas analyzed, the one which presented a greater impact on the quality of life of the clients with chronic ischemic pain.


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