Plos One
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Progression of COVID-19 to severe disease and death is insufficiently understood. ⋯ Public health screening for COVID-19 can be prioritized based on risk-groups. Appropriately addressing the modifiable risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and diabetes could reduce morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19; public messaging can be accordingly adapted.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Early diagnosis of sepsis in emergency departments, time to treatment, and association with mortality: An observational study.
Early recognition of sepsis is critical for timely initiation of treatment. The first objective of this study was to assess the timeliness of diagnostic procedures for recognizing sepsis in emergency departments. We define diagnostic procedures as tests used to help diagnose the condition of patients. The second objective was to estimate associations between diagnostic procedures and time to antibiotic treatment, and to estimate associations between time to antibiotic treatment and mortality. ⋯ Key procedures for recognizing sepsis were delayed or not completed in a substantial proportion of patients admitted to the emergency department with sepsis. Delay or non-completion of key diagnostic procedures was associated with prolonged time to treatment with antibiotics. This suggests a need for systematic improvement in the initial management of patients admitted to emergency departments with sepsis.
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Comparative Study
Microbial resolution of whole genome shotgun and 16S amplicon metagenomic sequencing using publicly available NEON data.
Microorganisms are ubiquitous in the biosphere, playing a crucial role in both biogeochemistry of the planet and human health. However, identifying these microorganisms and defining their function are challenging. Widely used approaches in comparative metagenomics, 16S amplicon sequencing and whole genome shotgun sequencing (WGS), have provided access to DNA sequencing analysis to identify microorganisms and evaluate diversity and abundance in various environments. ⋯ The dominant bacterial phyla detected across samples agreed between sequencing methodologies. However, WGS yielded greater microbial resolution, increased accuracy, and allowed identification of more genera of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryota, and putative functional genes that would have gone undetected using 16S amplicon sequencing. NEON open data will be useful for future studies characterizing and quantifying complex ecological processes associated with changing aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
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Adenotonsillectomy is a common paediatric surgery for treating obstructed breathing or recurrent inflammation; however, the long-term health consequences on the developing immune system are unknown. This study investigated the potential association between adenotonsillectomy and the development of asthma and upper respiratory infections (URI). This propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study utilized data from the National Sample Cohort 2002-2013. ⋯ In a subgroup analysis, children aged 5-9 years living in metropolitan areas showed a higher incidence of subsequent asthma than those of other ages and areas. However, any significant difference between the groups in terms of URI events in the 1-11-year postoperative period was not identified. Adenotonsillectomy in children is associated with an increased incidence of asthma, with no significant impact on postoperative visits for URI.
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Since December 2019, an increasing number of cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Now, more cases have been reported in 200 other countries and regions. The pandemic disease not only affects physical health who suffered it, but also affects the mental health of the general population. This study aims to know about the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of living using EQ-5D in general population in China. ⋯ The article provides important evidence on HRQOL during the COVID-19 pandemic. The risk of pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression in general population in China raised significantly with aging, with chronic disease, lower income, epidemic effects, worried about get COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results from each categorical data can be used for future healthcare measures among general population.