Articles: coronavirus.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jan 2021
Clinical Pathway for Emergency Brain Surgery during COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Clinical Outcomes.
One of the challenges neurosurgeons are facing in the global public health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is to balance COVID-19 screening with timely surgery. We described a clinical pathway for patients who needed emergency brain surgery and determined whether differences in the surgery preparation process caused by COVID-19 screening affected clinical outcomes. ⋯ We proposed a clinical pathway for the preoperative screening of COVID-19 in patients requiring emergency brain surgery. No significant differences were observed in the clinical outcomes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The protocol we described showed acceptable results during this pandemic.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jan 2021
Symptoms and Characteristics Which Require Attention During COVID-19 Screening at a Port of Entry.
The quarantine process at a country's port of entry has an important role in preventing an influx of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases from abroad and further minimizing the national healthcare burden of COVID-19. However, there has been little published on the process of COVID-19 screening among travelers entering into a country. Identifying the characteristics of COVID-19 infected travelers could help attenuate the further spread of the disease. ⋯ If overseas travelers experience loss of smell or taste in the two weeks prior to arrival, they may require an immediate examination to rule out COVID-19 at a port of entry. As to measure body temperature upon arrival at a port of entry, it is important to screen for any occurrence of fever within the two weeks prior to travel. Also, information with epidemiological relevance, such as recent contact with an individual suffering from any respiratory symptoms or with confirmed COVID-19, should be included in COVID-19 screening questionnaires for international travelers.
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Sci. Total Environ. · Jan 2021
Sunlight ultraviolet radiation dose is negatively correlated with the percent positive of SARS-CoV-2 and four other common human coronaviruses in the U.S.
Human coronaviruses are RNA viruses that are sensitive to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Sunlight contains UVA (320-400 nm), UVB (260-320 nm) and UVC (200-260 nm) action spectra. UVC can inactivate coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). ⋯ The weekly percent positive of SARS-CoV-2 during April 17, 2020 to July 10, 2020 showed a significant negative correlation with the sunlight UV radiation dose in census regions 1 and 2 of the U. S. while no statistical significance in the other regions. Additionally, sunlight UV radiation also showed some negative effects with respect to the early SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
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Brochoalvelolar lavages (BALs) from patients suffering from hospitalized infections with SARS-CoV-2, other corona viruses (human coronavirus (HCoV)-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-HKU1), Influenza virus type A and B, Haemophilus influenzae and Pneumocystis jirovecii were compared cytopathologically. The aim of the study was to evaluate if the cellular profile detectable in BAL may be specific for the respective pathogens and could lead to diagnosis of COVID-19 even in the absence of PCR results. ⋯ We observed a significant association between individual cell pattern changes and the causing pathogen, but no general cell distribution pattern. The cytology pattern of the BAL fluid in COVID-19 is not specific enough to use it as a sole diagnostic criterion, although it may support clinical decision making.