Journal of medical virology
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There is a debate in Argentina about the effectiveness of mandatory lockdown policies containing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 disease. This policy has already 6 months long making it one of the longest in the world. The population effort to comply with the lockdown has been decreasing over time given the economic and social costs that it entails. ⋯ I use pool, fixed, and random effects panel data modeling and results show that lockdown in Argentina has been effective in reducing mobility but not in a way that reduces the rate of contagion. Strict lockdown seems to be effective in short periods of time and but extend it without complementary mitigation measures it losses effectiveness. The contagion rate seems to be discretely displaced in time and resurges amidst slowly increasing in mobility.
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We aimed to evaluate the rates of false-positive test results of three rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM detection. Two serum panels from patients hospitalized in Paris, France, and from patients living in Bangui, Central African Republic, acquired before the 2019 COVID-19 outbreak, were tested by 3 CE IVD-labeled RDTs for SARS-CoV-2 serology (BIOSYNEX® COVID-19 BSS [IgG/IgM]; SIENNA™ COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette; NG-Test® IgG-IgM COVID-19). Detectable IgG or IgM reactivities could be observed in 31 (3.43%) of the 902 IgG and IgM bands of the 3 RDTs used with all pre-epidemic sera. The frequencies of IgG/IgM reactivities were similar for European (3.20%) and African (3.55%) sera. ⋯ The test NG-Test® IgG-IgM COVID-19 showed the highest rates of IgG or IgM reactivities (6.12% [18/294]), while the test BIOSYNEX® COVID-19 BSS (IgG/IgM) showed the lowest rate (1.36% [4/294]). Some combinations of 2 RDTs in series allowed decreasing significantly the risk of false-positive test results. Our observations point to the risk of false-positive reactivities when using currently available RDT for SARS-CoV-2 serological screening, especially for the IgM band, even if the test is CE IVD-labeled and approved by national health authorities, and provide the rational basis for confirmatory testing by another RDT in case of positive initial screening.
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Hyperglycemia commonly occurs in severe cases with COVID-19. In this study, we explored the associations between admission fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and 28-day mortality in COVID-19 patients. In this single centre retrospective study, 263 adult patients with COVID-19 were included. ⋯ Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that age (per 10-year increase) (hazard ratio [HR], 1.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.74), admission FPG between 7.0 and 11.0 and ≥11.1 mmol/L (HR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.11-3.25 and HR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.21-3.64, respectively), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR, 2.89; 95% CI, 1.31-6.39), and cardiac injury (HR, 2.14; 95% CI, 1.33-3.47) were independent predictors of 28-day mortality in COVID-19 patients. Hyperglycemia on admission predicted worse outcome in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Intensive monitoring and optimal glycemic control may improve the prognosis of COVID-19 patients.
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This study aims to screen useful predictors of critical cases among coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and to develop a simple-to-use nomogram for clinical utility. A retrospective study was conducted that consisted of a primary cohort with 315 COVID-19 patients and two validation cohorts with 69 and 123 patients, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the independent risks of progression to critical. ⋯ Good discrimination (C-index, 0.882 and 0.906) and calibration were also noted on applying the nomogram in two validation cohorts. The clinical relevance of the nomogram was justified by the decision curve and clinical impact curve analysis. This study presents an individualized prediction nomogram incorporating six clinical characteristics, which can be conveniently applied to assess an individual's risk of progressing to critical COVID-19.