Journal of medical Internet research
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Aug 2020
ReviewDigital Tools to Ameliorate Psychological Symptoms Associated With COVID-19: Scoping Review.
In the four months after the discovery of the index case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), several studies highlighted the psychological impact of COVID-19 on frontline health care workers and on members of the general public. It is evident from these studies that individuals experienced elevated levels of anxiety and depression in the acute phase, when they first became aware of the pandemic, and that the psychological distress persisted into subsequent weeks. It is becoming apparent that technological tools such as SMS text messages, web-based interventions, mobile interventions, and conversational agents can help ameliorate psychological distress in the workplace and in society. To our knowledge, there are few publications describing how digital tools have been used to ameliorate psychological symptoms among individuals. ⋯ The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant psychological distress. Digital tools that are commercially available may be useful for at-risk individuals or individuals with pre-existing psychiatric symptoms.
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Aug 2020
ReviewHazards of the Cytokine Storm and Cytokine-Targeted Therapy in Patients With COVID-19: Review.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged medicine and health care on a global scale. Its impact and frightening mortality rate are in large part attributable to the fact that there is a lack of available treatments. It has been shown that in patients who are severely ill, SARS-CoV-2 can lead to an inflammatory response known as cytokine storm, which involves activation and release of inflammatory cytokines in a positive feedback loop of pathogen-triggered inflammation. Currently, cytokine storm is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in SARS-CoV-2, but there is no proven treatment to combat this systemic response. ⋯ The severity of the cytokine storm, measured by elevated levels of interleukin-1B, interferon-γ, interferon-inducible protein 10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, was associated with COVID-19 disease severity. Many treatment options with different targets have been proposed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from targeting the virus itself to managing the systemic inflammation caused by the virus and the excessive cytokine response. Among the different agents to manage cytokine storm in patients with COVID-19, there is developing support for convalescent plasma therapy particularly for patients who are critically ill or mechanically ventilated and resistant to antivirals and supportive care. Treatment options that were proposed in the beginning phases of the pandemic were multidimensional, and further research is needed to develop a more established treatment guideline.
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J. Med. Internet Res. · Aug 2020
ReviewApproaches Based on Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Intelligent Things to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19: Scoping Review.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Intelligent Things (IIoT) are promising technologies to prevent the concerningly rapid spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and to maximize safety during the pandemic. With the exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 patients, it is highly possible that physicians and health care workers will not be able to treat all cases. Thus, computer scientists can contribute to the fight against COVID-19 by introducing more intelligent solutions to achieve rapid control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the disease. ⋯ We found few or almost no studies regarding the use of AI to examine COVID-19 interactions with experimental therapies, the use of AI for resource allocation to COVID-19 patients, or the use of AI and the IIoT for COVID-19 data and information gathering/integration. Moreover, the adoption of other approaches, including use of AI for COVID-19 prediction, use of AI for COVID-19 modeling and simulation, and use of AI robotics for medical quarantine, should be further emphasized by researchers because these important approaches lack sufficient numbers of studies. Therefore, we recommend that computer scientists focus on these approaches, which are still not being adequately addressed.