Articles: sars-cov-2.
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Int. J. Clin. Pract. · Dec 2021
COVID-Q: validation of the first COVID-19 questionnaire based on patient-rated symptom gravity.
The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the CoronaVirus-Disease-2019 (COVID-19) Questionnaire (COVID-Q), a novel symptom questionnaire specific for COVID-19 patients, to provide a comprehensive evaluation that may be helpful for physicians, and evaluate the questionnaire's performance in identifying subjects at higher risk of testing positive. ⋯ COVID-Q could be validated since the evaluated aspects were overall significantly related to infection. The application of the questionnaire to clinical practice may help to identify subjects who are likely to be affected by COVID-19 and address them to a nasopharyngeal swab in order to achieve an early diagnosis.
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Eur. J. Clin. Invest. · Dec 2021
Observational StudyClinical conditions and echocardiographic parameters associated with mortality in COVID-19.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently recognized viral infective disease which can be complicated by acute respiratory stress syndrome (ARDS) and cardiovascular complications including severe arrhythmias, acute coronary syndromes, myocarditis and pulmonary embolism. The aim of the present study was to identify the clinical conditions and echocardiographic parameters associated with in-hospital mortality in COVID-19. ⋯ TTE might be a useful tool in risk stratification of patients with COVID-19. In particular, reduced LVEF and reduced TAPSE may help to identify patients at higher risk of death during hospitalization.
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The epidemiology of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 (or Alpha) variant is insufficiently understood. This study's objective was to describe the introduction and expansion of this variant in Qatar and to estimate the efficacy of natural infection against reinfection with this variant. ⋯ In this study, we observed that introduction of B.1.1.7 into a naïve population can create a major epidemic wave, but natural immunity in those previously infected was strongly associated with limited incidence of reinfection by B.1.1.7 or other variants.
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Emerg Microbes Infect · Dec 2021
Cross-reactive antibody against human coronavirus OC43 spike protein correlates with disease severity in COVID-19 patients: a retrospective study.
Seasonal human coronaviruses (HCoVs) including HCoV-229E, -OC43, -NL63, and -HKU1 widely spread in global human populations. However, the relevance of humoral response against seasonal HCoVs to COVID-19 pathogenesis is elusive. In this study, we profiled the temporal changes of IgG antibody against spike proteins (S-IgG) of SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal HCoVs in 838 plasma samples collected from 344 COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Higher levels of HCoV-OC43 S-IgG were also observed in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. At days 1-10 PSO, HCoV-OC43 S-IgG titres correlated to disease severity in the age group over 60. Our data indicate that there is a correlation between cross-reactive antibody against HCoV-OC43 spike protein and disease severity in COVID-19 patients.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic. Our laboratory initially used a two-step molecular assay, first reported by Corman et al, for SARS-CoV-2 identification (the Taiwan Center for Disease Control [T-CDC] method). As rapid and accurate diagnosis of COVID-19 is required to control the spread of this infectious disease, the current study evaluated three commercially available assays, including the TaqPath COVID-19 Combo kit, the cobas SARS-CoV-2 test, and the Rendu 2019-nCoV Assay kit, to establish diagnostic algorithms for clinical laboratories. ⋯ Based on our evaluation, two SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic algorithms, one focusing on the manual assays and the other on the automatic platforms, were proposed. Our results provide valuable information that allows clinical laboratories to implement optimal diagnostic strategies for SARS-CoV-2 testing based on their clinical needs, such as test volume, turn-around time, and staff/resource limitations.