Proliferation of Papers and Preprints During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Progress or Problems With Peer Review?
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Vlasschaert C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7409832 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of insomnia symptoms among Chinese adolescents and young adults affected by the outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19).MethodsThis cross-sectional study included Chinese adolescents and young adults 12-29 years of age during part of the COVID-19 epidemic period. An online survey was used to collect demographic data, and to assess recognition of COVID-19, insomnia, depression, and anxiety symptoms using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaires, respectively. The Social Support Rate Scale was used to assess social support.ResultsAmong 11,835 adolescents and young adults included in the study, the prevalence of insomnia symptoms during part of the COVID-19 epidemic period was 23.2%. Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that female sex and residing in the city were greater risk factors for insomnia symptoms. Depression or anxiety were risk factors for insomnia symptoms; however, social support, both subjective and objective, was protective factors against insomnia symptoms. Furthermore, anxiety and depression symptoms were mediators of social support and insomnia symptoms.ConclusionsResults of this study revealed a high prevalence of sleep problems among adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 epidemic, especially senior high school and college students, which were negatively associated with students' projections of trends in COVID-19. The adverse impact of COVID-19 was a risk factor for insomnia symptoms; as such, the government must devote more attention to sleep disorders in this patient population while combating COVID-19.
| S-EPMC7274988 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundCOVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become the most threatening issue to all populations around the world. It is, directly and indirectly, affecting all of us and thus, is an emerging topic dealt in global health. To avoid the infection, various studies have been done and are still ongoing. COVID-19 cases are reported all over the globe, and among the millions of cases, genetic similarity may be seen. The genetical common features seen within confirmed cases may help outline the tendency of infection and degree severity of the disease. Here, we reviewed multiple papers on SNPs related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and analyzed their results.MethodsThe PubMed databases were searched for papers discussing SNPs associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity. Clinical studies with human patients and statistically showing the relevance of the SNP with virus infection were included. Quality Assessment of all papers was done with Newcastle Ottawa Scale.ResultsIn the analysis, 21 full-text literature out of 2956 screened titles and abstracts, including 63,496 cases, were included. All were human-based clinical studies, some based on certain regions gathered patient data and some based on big databases obtained online. ACE2, TMPRSS2, and IFITM3 are the genes mentioned most frequently that are related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. 20 out of 21 studies mentioned one or more of those genes. The relevant genes according to SNPs were also analyzed. rs12252-C, rs143936283, rs2285666, rs41303171, and rs35803318 are the SNPs that were mentioned at least twice in two different studies.ConclusionsWe found that ACE2, TMPRSS2, and IFITM3 are the major genes that are involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. The mentioned SNPs were all related to one or more of the above-mentioned genes. There were discussions on certain SNPs that increased the infection and severity to certain groups more than the others. However, as there is limited follow-up and data due to a shortage of time history of the disease, studies may be limited.
| S-EPMC8753023 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objective: Review and integrate the neurologic manifestations of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, to aid medical practitioners who are combating the newly derived infectious disease. Methods: We reviewed the clinical research, consisting of mainly case series, on reported neurologic manifestations of COVID-19. We also reviewed basic studies to understand the mechanism of these neurologic symptoms and signs. Results: We included 79 studies for qualitative synthesis and 63 studies for meta-analysis. The reported neurologic manifestations were olfactory/taste disorders (35.6%), myalgia (18.5%), headache (10.7%), acute cerebral vascular disease (8.1%), dizziness (7.9%), altered mental status (7.8%), seizure (1.5%), encephalitis, neuralgia, ataxia, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Miller Fisher syndrome, intracerebral hemorrhage, polyneuritis cranialis, and dystonic posture. Conclusions: Neurologic manifestations in COVID-19 may alert physicians and medical practitioners to rule in high-risk patients. The increasing incidence of olfactory/taste disorders, myalgia, headache, and acute cerebral vascular disease renders a possibility that COVID-19 could attack the nervous system. The cytokine secretion and bloodstream circulation (viremia) are among the most possible routes into the nervous system.
| S-EPMC7248254 | biostudies-literature
Project description:SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is currently a tremendous global health problem. COVID-19 causes considerable damage to a wide range of vital organs most prominently the respiratory system. Recently, clinical evidence for thyroidal insults during and after COVID-19 has been accumulated. As of today, almost all non-neoplastic thyroid diseases, i.e., Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, subacute, painless and postpartum thyroiditis, have been reported as a complication of COVID-19, and causality by the virus has been strongly implicated in all of them. Similar thyroid problems have been reported in the past with the SARS-CoV outbreak in 2002. In this review, we briefly look back at the reported evidence of alteration in thyroid functionality and thyroid diseases associated with SARS-CoV and then proceed to examine the issue with COVID-19 in detail, which is then followed by an in-depth discussion regarding a pathogenetic link between Coronavirus infection and thyroid disease.
| S-EPMC8279745 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a global public health crisis, for which antiviral treatments are considered mainstream therapeutic approaches. With the development of this pandemic, the number of clinical studies on antiviral therapy, including remdesivir, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, ribavirin, arbidol, interferon, favipiravir, oseltamivir, nitazoxanide, nelfinavir, and camostat mesylate, has been increasing. However, the efficacy of these antiviral drugs for COVID-19 remains controversial. In this review, we summarize the recent progress and findings on antiviral therapies, aiming to provide clinical support for the management of COVID-19. In addition, we analyze the causes of controversy in antiviral drug research and discuss the quality of current studies on antiviral treatments. High-quality randomized clinical trials are required to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.
| S-EPMC7584884 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The peer-reviewing process has long been regarded as an indispensable tool in ensuring the quality of a scientific publication. While previous studies have tried to understand the process as a whole, not much effort has been devoted to investigating the determinants and impacts of the content of the peer review itself. This study leverages open data from nearly 5,000 PeerJ publications that were eventually accepted. Using sentiment analysis, Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, mixed linear regression models, and logit regression models, we examine how the peer-reviewing process influences the acceptance timeline and contribution potential of manuscripts, and what modifications were typically made to manuscripts prior to publication. In an open review paradigm, our findings indicate that peer reviewers' choice to reveal their names in lieu of remaining anonymous may be associated with more positive sentiment in their review, implying possible social pressure from name association. We also conduct a taxonomy of the manuscript modifications during a revision, studying the words added in response to peer reviewer feedback. This study provides insights into the content of peer reviews and the subsequent modifications authors make to their manuscripts.
| S-EPMC8459734 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading globally at an accelerated rate, with a basic reproduction number (R0) of 2-2.5, indicating that 2-3 persons will be infected from an index patient. A serious public health emergency, it is particularly deadly in vulnerable populations and communities in which healthcare providers are insufficiently prepared to manage the infection. As of March 16, 2020, there are more than 180,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with more than 7000 related deaths. The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been isolated from asymptomatic individuals, and affected patients continue to be infectious 2 weeks after cessation of symptoms. The substantial morbidity and socioeconomic impact have necessitated drastic measures across all continents, including nationwide lockdowns and border closures. Pregnant women and their fetuses represent a high-risk population during infectious disease outbreaks. To date, the outcomes of 55 pregnant women infected with COVID-19 and 46 neonates have been reported in the literature, with no definite evidence of vertical transmission. Physiological and mechanical changes in pregnancy increase susceptibility to infections in general, particularly when the cardiorespiratory system is affected, and encourage rapid progression to respiratory failure in the gravida. Furthermore, the pregnancy bias toward T-helper 2 (Th2) system dominance, which protects the fetus, leaves the mother vulnerable to viral infections, which are more effectively contained by the Th1 system. These unique challenges mandate an integrated approach to pregnancies affected by SARS-CoV-2. Here we present a review of COVID-19 in pregnancy, bringing together the various factors integral to the understanding of pathophysiology and susceptibility, diagnostic challenges with real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays, therapeutic controversies, intrauterine transmission, and maternal-fetal complications. We discuss the latest options in antiviral therapy and vaccine development, including the novel use of chloroquine in the management of COVID-19. Fetal surveillance, in view of the predisposition to growth restriction and special considerations during labor and delivery, is addressed. In addition, we focus on keeping frontline obstetric care providers safe while continuing to provide essential services. Our clinical service model is built around the principles of workplace segregation, responsible social distancing, containment of cross-infection to healthcare providers, judicious use of personal protective equipment, and telemedicine. Our aim is to share a framework that can be adopted by tertiary maternity units managing pregnant women in the flux of a pandemic while maintaining the safety of the patient and healthcare provider at its core.
| S-EPMC7270569 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC7486046 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC6994959 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSeveral empirical studies have investigated negative mental health outcomes related to the spread of infectious diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, little is known about children's emotional/behavioral problems, especially externalizing problems, during such situations. This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate pandemic-related emotional/behavioral problems and their risk factors among schoolchildren in Japan.MethodsA total of 4800 parents with children in grades 1-12 participated in a two-wave longitudinal survey. Wave 1 and Wave 2 were conducted on March 4-8 and May 15-18, 2020, respectively. Survey items included demographic information, parental depression, children's diagnoses of neurodevelopmental disorders, the total length of school closure, and emotional/behavioral problems. Children's emotional/behavioral problems were assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), which has cutoff points to differentiate clinical-level problems, which were the primary focus of this study.ResultsThe proportions of clinical-level problems were higher at Wave 2 (emotional symptoms = 24.8%, conduct problems = 22.7%, hyperactivity/inattention = 36.8%, peer relationship problems = 36.2%, and lack of prosocial behavior = 23.5%) compared to Wave 1. Lower grade-level and lower annual family income predicted the increased proportions of children's clinical-level emotional symptoms, hyperactivity/inattention, and prosocial behavior at Wave 2. The total length of school closure was not a significant predictor of subsequent emotional/behavioral problems. The highest proportion of clinical-level problems at Wave 2 for the four SDQ subscales was observed in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.ConclusionsThe number of schoolchildren with severe emotional/behavioral problems increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appropriate prevention and early intervention programs should be provided, especially for children who are in lower grade levels, have low family incomes, or have neurodevelopmental disorders.
| S-EPMC8206658 | biostudies-literature