Articles: sars-cov-2.
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Eur. J. Intern. Med. · Feb 2023
Meta AnalysisHypertension and mortality in SARS-COV-2 infection: A meta-analysis of observational studies after 2 years of pandemic.
The worldwide pandemic SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with clinical course including a very broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, including death. Several studies and meta-analyses have evaluated the role of hypertension on prognosis, but with important limitations and conflicting results. Therefore, we decided to perform a new meta-analysis of the observational studies that explored the relationship between pre-existing hypertension and mortality risk in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection, using more stringent inclusion criteria to overcome the limitations inherent previous meta-analyses. ⋯ The results of this meta-analysis indicate that pre-existing hypertension is not an independent predictor of mortality during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further studies should nevertheless be carried out worldwide to evaluate this role, independent of, or in interaction with, other confounders that may affect the mortality risk.
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The Omicron variant BA.2 is the dominant form of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in many countries, including those that have already implemented the strictest quarantine mandates that effectively contained the spread of the previous variants. Although many individuals were partially or fully vaccinated, confirmed Omicron infections have far surpassed all other variants combined in just a couple of months since the Omicron variant emerged. The ChAdOx1-S (AstraZeneca), BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech), and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines offer protection against the severe illness of SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, these currently available vaccines are less effective in terms of preventing Omicron infections. ⋯ Herein, we review the studies that assessed the clinical benefits of the booster dose of vaccines against Omicron infections. We also analyzed public data to address whether early booster vaccination effectively prevented the surge of the Omicron infections. Finally, we discuss the consideration of a fourth dose of vaccine as a way to prevent possible upcoming infections.
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Coronavirus disease 2019, known as a widespread, aerosol spreading disease, has affected >549 000 000 people since 2019. During the lockdown period, dramatic reduction of elective endoscopic procedures, including endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, had been reported worldwide, leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Nevertheless, whether patients' hospital stays and complication rate of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) during the lockdown period were influenced by the pandemic still remains controversial. ⋯ Patients from May 16 to July 26, 2021, the lockdown period, had longer hospital stays and higher biliary tract enzyme levels, which indicated more severe disease. Nevertheless, ERCP could be safely and successfully performed even during the medical level 3 alert lockdown period without causing an increase in procedure-related complications and mortality.
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The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has a predilection for the upper airways, causing symptoms such as sore throat, hoarse voice, and stridor. ⋯ Croup was prevalent during the Omicron wave, atypically affecting patients ≥6 years of age. COVID-19-associated croup should be added to the differential diagnosis of children with stridor, regardless of age. © 2022 Elsevier Inc.
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During epidemics, the estimation of the effective reproduction number (ERN) associated with infectious disease is a challenging topic for policy development and medical resource management. The emergence of new viral variants is common in widespread pandemics including the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A simple approach is required toward an appropriate and timely policy decision for understanding the potential ERN of new variants is required for policy revision. ⋯ The mobility-adjusted ERN of the Alpha variant was 15-30%, which was 20-40% higher than the original Wuhan strain in Osaka, Aichi, and London. Similarly, the mobility-adjusted ERN of the Delta variant was 20%-40% higher than that of the Wuhan strain in Osaka and Aichi. The proposed metric would be useful for the proper evaluation of the infectivity of different SARS-CoV-2 variants in terms of ERN as well as the design of the forecasting system.