Plos One
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Timely diagnosis of COVID-19 infected individuals and their prompt isolation are essential for controlling the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Though quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) is the method of choice for COVID-19 diagnostics, the resource-intensive and time-consuming nature of the technique impairs its wide applicability in resource-constrained settings and calls for novel strategies to meet the ever-growing demand for more testing. In this context, a pooled sample testing strategy was evaluated in the setting of emerging disease outbreak in 3 central Indian districts to assess if the cost of the test and turn-around time could be reduced without compromising its diagnostic characteristics and thus lead to early containment of the outbreak. ⋯ Four pools which tested negative contained 1 positive sample and 1 pool which was positive did not show any positive sample on deconvolution. Presence of a single infected sample with Ct value of 34 or higher, in a pool of 5, was likely to be missed in pooled sample analysis. At the reported point prevalence of 4.8% in this study, the negative predictive value of qRT-PCR on pooled samples was around 96% suggesting that the adoption of this strategy as an effective screening tool for COVID-19 needs to be carefully evaluated.
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The pathophysiology of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is not fully understood. Poor-quality anticoagulation may contribute to a higher risk of CTEPH after acute pulmonary embolism (PE), partly explaining the transition from acute PE to CTEPH. We assessed the association between the time in therapeutic range (TTR) of vitamin-K antagonist (VKA) treatment and incidence of CTEPH after a PE diagnosis. ⋯ Subtherapeutic initial anticoagulation was not more prevalent among PE patients diagnosed with CTEPH than in those who did not develop CTEPH.
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To examine changes in U. S. medical school basic science faculty over the last 20 years (1998-2018), we undertook an observational study utilizing data from the American Association of Medical Colleges Faculty Roster. Rank (Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor), sex (Female), and race/ethnicity (Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic, and White) were analyzed; this reflected a population of 14,047 (1998) to 18,601 (2018) faculty. ⋯ Small statistically significant increases were observed among female faculty and faculty at multiple ranks who identified as Black or African American or Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic. We then completed secondary analyses looking at the interaction of race/ethnicity and Gender. We found: (1) a significant increase (p<0.0001) in both genders who identify as Asian although males had a higher rate of increase (6 point difference, p<0.0001); (2) a significant increase for Black or African American females (P<0.01) not found among males; (3) significant increases (p<0.0001) among both genders of faculty who identify as Hispanic, Latino, Spanish Origin, or Multiple Race-Hispanic although females had an approximately 1% higher rate of increase; and (4) among faculty who identify as White, males had a significant decrease (p<0.0001) while females demonstrated an increase (p<0.0001).
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There is global shortage of Personal Protective Equipment due to COVID-19 pandemic. N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators (N95-FFRs) provide respiratory protection against respiratory pathogens including SARS-CoV-2. There is scant literature on reprocessing methods which can enable reuse of N95-FFRs. ⋯ PROSPERO, PROSPERO ID: CRD42020189684, (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020189684).
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The purpose is to assess the ability of low-dose CT (LDCT) to determine lung involvement in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and to describe a COVID19-LDCT severity score. ⋯ COVID19-LDCT score did correlate with NEWS. It was significantly different in the clinical low-risk and high-risk groups. Further work is needed to validate the COVID19-LDCT score against patient prognosis.