Articles: coronavirus.
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Antibody testing has recently emerged as an option to assist with determining exposure to SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Elucidation of the kinetics and duration of the humoral response is important for clinical management and interpreting results from serological surveys. ⋯ This study demonstrates the Abbott IgM assay against SARS-CoV-2 is detected slightly earlier compared to IgG, with both tests exhibiting excellent overall sensitivity and specificity. In symptomatic patients who test negative by PCR for a SARS-CoV-2 infection, assessing IgM and IgG antibodies can aid in supporting a diagnosis of COVID-19.
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Mastoid surgery is an aerosol-generating procedure that involves the use of a high-speed drill, which produces a mixture of water, bone, blood and tissue that may contain the viable coronavirus disease 2019 pathogen. This potentially puts the surgeon and other operating theatre personnel at risk of acquiring the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 from contact with droplets or aerosols. The use of an additional drape designed to limit the spread of droplets and aerosols has been described; such drapes include the 'Southampton Tent' and 'OtoTent'. ⋯ During mastoid surgery, the dispersion of macroscopic droplets and other particulate matter was confined within the novel drape 'tent'. Use of this drape 'tent' had no adverse effects upon the surgeon's manual dexterity or efficiency, the view of the surgical field, or the sterility. Hence, our findings support its use during mastoid surgery in the coronavirus disease 2019 era.
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The outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, has become an urgent and serious public health emergency. At present, there is no effective treatment or vaccine for COVID-19. Therefore, there is a crucial unmet need to develop a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Moreover, the contribution of MSCs to prevent cell death and inhibit tissue fibrosis is well established. In the current review article, the potential mechanisms by which MSCs contribute to the treatment of COVID-19 patients are highlighted. Also, current trials that evaluated the potential of MSC-based treatments for COVID-19 are briefly reviewed.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov2) outbreak has caused a pandemic rapidly impacting on the way of life of the entire world. This impact in the specific setting of transplantation and immunosuppression has been poorly explored to date. Discordant data exist on the impact of previous coronavirus outbreaks on immunosuppressed patients. ⋯ We conducted a literature review related to the impact of immunosuppression on coronavirus infections including case reports and series describing immunosuppression management in transplant recipients. The role of steroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and mycophenolic acid has been explored more in detail. A point-in-time snapshot of the yet released literature and some considerations in relation to the use of immunosuppression in SARS-Cov2 infected transplant recipients are provided here for the physicians dealing with immunocompromised patients.
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Emerging Infect. Dis. · Dec 2020
Genomic Epidemiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, Colombia.
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Colombia was first diagnosed in a traveler arriving from Italy on February 26, 2020. However, limited data are available on the origins and number of introductions of COVID-19 into the country. We sequenced the causative agent of COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), from 43 clinical samples we collected, along with another 79 genome sequences available from Colombia. ⋯ Our study provides evidence of multiple introductions, mostly from Europe, and documents >12 lineages. Phylogenetic findings validate the lineage diversity, support multiple importation events, and demonstrate the evolutionary relationship of epidemiologically linked transmission chains. Our results reconstruct the early evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia and highlight the advantages of genome sequencing to complement COVID-19 outbreak investigations.