Current medical research and opinion
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A world-wide immunization project was launched at the peak of COVID-19 pandemic to contain and minimize the adverse effects of SARS-CoV-2 virus. We carried out a series of statistical analyses in this paper to determine, confirm and quantify the impact of the vaccinations on COVID-19 cases and mortalities, amidst critical confounding factors-temperature and solar irradiance. ⋯ Results show that the world-wide vaccination against COVID-19 project had a significant impact in reducing mortalities and minimizing the adverse effects due to COVID-19 globally, in all five (5) major continents of the world and the countries studied in this work, however, temperature and solar irradiance still had effects on COVID-19 response in the vaccination eras.
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Observational Study
Safety of purified Vero cell rabies vaccine manufactured in Pakistan: A comparative analysis of intradermal and intramuscular routes.
Rabies vaccines are conventionally given via the intramuscular (IM) route; however, switching the route of administration from IM to intradermal (ID) without affecting efficacy can be advantageous in terms of cost, dosing, and time. Hence, it is indispensable to evaluate its safety along different routes. This study was carried out to ascertain the frequency of adverse drug events (ADEs) and associated factors, as well as to compare safety based on the IM and ID routes. ⋯ Half of the study participants reported ADEs. Almost similar proportions of local and systemic effects were observed. Likewise, the ADEs recorded were comparable for both routes. PVRV carries very low safety concerns with either route for administration.
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This commentary takes note of the existence of "tortured phrases" (i.e. unspecific jargon or confusing alternative phrases), as indexed in the Tortured Phrases Detector of the Problematic Paper Screener (PPS) (sourced on January 10, 2023) in 213 preprints, 13 of which are related to COVID-19. Select "tortured phrases" in 11 preprints are highlighted, to offer readers an appreciation of this phenomenon. ⋯ This commentary is thus only a spring-board to introduce this linguistic phenomenon and to encourage interested academics to explore more cases, the practical implications of their existence, and even the weaknesses and strengths of PPS. Caution is needed about excessive extrapolation of the existence of "tortured phrases", so as not to automatically associate them with ethical infractions or misconduct.
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Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is typically asymptomatic in healthy individuals; however, certain populations are vulnerable to infection and may develop serious sequelae. CMV infection may also have a broad impact on humanistic outcomes, including patient health status and quality of life (QoL). We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to describe the global humanistic burden of CMV and congenital CMV (cCMV) infections across all age groups. ⋯ CMV infection can have substantial, lifelong, heterogenous impacts on humanistic outcomes, including health status and QoL, which should be considered when developing and implementing treatment and prevention strategies.
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This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, causes, medical interventions, and mortality outcome of acute gastrointestinal bleeding (AGIB) among COVID-19 patients hospitalized during the delta pandemic in Vietnam. ⋯ Age, male sex, chronic liver disease, and chronic kidney disease are risk factors for AGIB among COVID-19 inpatients. Peptic ulcer disease is the most common cause. COVID-19 inpatients with AGIB have a higher risk of mortality, but a large percentage of deaths are not bleeding-related.