Articles: coronavirus.
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Yonsei medical journal · May 2020
Clinical Features and Outcomes of 98 Patients Hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Daegu, South Korea: A Brief Descriptive Study.
Although some information on the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and a few selected cases has been reported, data on the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalized therewith in South Korea are lacking. We conducted a retrospective single-center study of 98 consecutive hospitalized patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection at Yeungnam University Medical Center in Daegu, South Korea. Sixty patients were women (61.2%), and the mean age was 55.4±17.1 years. ⋯ Levels of all proinflammatory cytokines were significantly higher in ICU patients. As of March 29, 2020, the mortality rate was 5.1%. Here, we report the clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of SARS-CoV-2 patients in South Korea up to March 29, 2020.
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The disability viewpoint is fundamental for understanding and advancing social justice for everyone in the population. Despite this fact, it is regularly dismissed by public health experts and policymakers. Understanding of disability rights is central in an all-inclusive COVID-19 preparedness. ⋯ Health professionals should avoid stereotypes about an individual's disability to ration care. Triage protocol committees and disaster risk reduction working groups should explicitly recruit people with disabilities and chronic illnesses in their response strategies. Disability ethics can reform medical rationing by removing prejudices and safeguarding fair protection of the interests of all patients, including those with a disability.
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Research and clinical observations suggest that during times of pandemic many people exhibit stress- or anxiety-related responses that include fear of becoming infected, fear of coming into contact with possibly contaminated objects or surfaces, fear of foreigners who might be carrying infection (i.e., disease-related xenophobia), fear of the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic, compulsive checking and reassurance-seeking regarding possible pandemic-related threats, and traumatic stress symptoms about the pandemic (e.g., nightmares, intrusive thoughts). We developed the 36-item COVID Stress Scales (CSS) to measure these features, as they pertain to COVID-19. The CSS were developed to better understand and assess COVID-19-related distress. ⋯ The scales performed well on various indices of reliability and validity. The scales were intercorrelated, providing evidence of a COVID Stress Syndrome. The scales offer promise as tools for better understanding the distress associated with COVID-19 and for identifying people in need of mental health services.
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We are in a crisis where healthcare providers on the frontlines are running out of the appropriate personal protective equipment including N95 masks and power air-purifying respirators. Here, we propose a makeshift filter mask that we call the Modified Airway from VEntilatoR Circuit (MAVerIC) that can be assembled within seconds using widely available supplies routinely utilized by anesthesia providers in the operating room to provide practitioners on the frontlines with the high standard of protection of a N95 mask during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and can be easily quantitatively "fit tested" to ensure no significant leak to optimize safety and efficacy.
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Case Reports
Pulmonary Pathology of Early-Phase 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pneumonia in Two Patients With Lung Cancer.
There is currently a lack of pathologic data on the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pneumonia, or coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), from autopsy or biopsy. Two patients who recently underwent lung lobectomies for adenocarcinoma were retrospectively found to have had COVID-19 at the time of the operation. ⋯ Hyaline membranes were not prominent. Because both patients did not exhibit symptoms of pneumonia at the time of operation, these changes likely represent an early phase of the lung pathology of COVID-19 pneumonia.