Quick overview of diagnostic kits and smartphone apps for urologists during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Park H
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7947436 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Quick overview of diagnostic kits and smartphone apps for urologists during the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative review.
Park Hyusim H Jin Peng P Jung Sungyong S Kim Jayoung J
Translational andrology and urology 20210201 2
The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented event that has caused incredible challenges in all areas of society. However, unlike previous global pandemics, modern advancements in technology and medicine have made it possible to respond much more rapidly. Within months, countries around the world developed diagnostic kits and smartphone applications to tackle the virus. Many of these diagnostic kits vary in what they target and have different uses. Smartphone applications have been developed to pr ...[more]
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Project description:Introduction: It has been 4 months since the discovery of COVID-19, and there have been many measures introduced to curb movements of individuals to stem the spread. There has been an increase in the utilization of web-based technologies for counseling, and for supervision and training, and this has been carefully described in China. Several telehealth initiatives have been highlighted for Australian residents. Smartphone applications have previously been shown to be helpful in times of a crisis. Whilst there have been some examples of how web-based technologies have been used to support individuals who are concerned about or living with COVID-19, we know of no studies or review that have specifically looked at how M-Health technologies have been utilized for COVID-19. Objectives: There might be existing commercially available applications on the commercial stores, or in the published literature. There remains a lack of understanding of the resources that are available, the functionality of these applications, and the evidence base of these applications. Given this, the objective of this content analytical review is in identifying the commercial applications that are available currently for COVID-19, and in exploring their functionalities. Methods: A mobile application search application was used. The search terminologies used were "COVID" and "COVID-19." Keyword search was performed based on the titles of the commercial applications. The search through the database was conducted from the 27th March through to the 18th of April 2020 by two independent authors. Results: A total of 103 applications were identified from the Apple iTunes and Google Play store, respectively; 32 were available on both Apple and Google Play stores. The majority appeared on the commercial stores between March and April 2020, more than 2 months after the first discovery of COVID-19. Some of the common functionalities include the provision of news and information, contact tracking, and self-assessment or diagnosis. Conclusions: This is the first review that has characterized the smartphone applications 4 months after the first discovery of COVID-19.
| S-EPMC8081980 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn order to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Germany has implemented drastic restrictions on public or social life, while health institutions are invoked to postpone elective procedures. Although urologists are less involved in the direct treatment of COVID-19 patients, the current situation strongly affects the urological work routine.ObjectiveTo analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on various aspects of work and personal life among urologists in Germany.Design, setting, and participantsA total of 589 urologists in Germany participated in an online survey between March 27 and April 11, 2020.Outcome measurements and statistical analysisParticipants were stratified into subgroups according to professional characteristics.Results and limitationsMost urologists rated Germany as "well prepared" and the increasing restrictions of social life as "very positive." Routine operation was more restricted in hospitals than in the outpatient sector (p = 0.046). Moreover, urologists from the outpatient sector felt significantly less prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.001), reported a higher shortage of protective medical equipment (p < 0.001), and described a tendency toward a higher level of threat (p = 0.054). Although restrictions regarding telemedicine approaches were reported by 60% of participants, the outpatient sector used telehealth more frequently than hospitals (25.5% vs 17.0%, p < 0.001). Limitations include the national design and the restricted survey period.ConclusionsThis survey systematically evaluates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal and professional aspects of German urologists. We identified several issues, such as a higher shortage of medical protective equipment in the outpatient sector that could trigger specific measures to further improve the quality of urological care in Germany.Patient summaryWe evaluated a potential impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on professional and personal aspects of the urologists in Germany. Our results suggest that the outpatient sector should receive specific attention as, for example, shortage of protective equipment was more common.
| S-EPMC7834409 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which started out as an outbreak of pneumonia, has now turned into a pandemic due to its rapid transmission. Besides developing a vaccine, rapid, accurate, and cost-effective diagnosis is essential for monitoring and combating the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its related variants on time with precision and accuracy. Currently, the gold standard for detection of SARS-CoV-2 is Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), but it lacks accuracy, is time-consuming and cumbersome, and fails to detect multi-variant forms of the virus. Herein, we have summarized conventional diagnostic methods such as Chest-CT (Computed Tomography), RT-PCR, Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP), Reverse Transcription-LAMP (RT-LAMP), as well new modern diagnostics such as CRISPR-Cas-based assays, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), Lateral Flow Assays (LFA), Graphene-Field Effect Transistor (GraFET), electrochemical sensors, immunosensors, antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs)-based assays, and microarrays for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This review will also provide an insight into an ongoing research and the possibility of developing more economical tools to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Project description:BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, but also in the context of previous epidemic diseases, mobile apps for smartphones were developed with different goals and functions, such as digital contact tracing, test management, symptom monitoring, quarantine compliance, and epidemiological and public health research.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the potential for the acceptance of research-orientated apps (ROAs) in the German population. To this end, we identified distinctive attitudes toward pandemic apps and data sharing for research purposes among smartphone users in general and with a focus on differences in attitudes between app users and nonusers in particular.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, national, telephone-based survey of 1003 adults in Germany, of which 924 were useable for statistical analysis. The 17-item survey assessed current usage of pandemic apps, motivations for using or not using pandemic apps, trust in app distributors and attitudes toward data handling (data storage and transmission), willingness to share coded data with researchers using a pandemic app, social attitudes toward app use, and demographic and personal characteristics.ResultsA vast majority stated that they used a smartphone (778/924, 84.2%), but less than half of the smartphone users stated that they used a pandemic app (326/778, 41.9%). The study focused on the subsample of smartphone users. Interestingly, when asked about preferred organizations for data storage and app distribution, trust in governmental (federal or state government, regional health office), public-appointed (statutory health insurance), or government-funded organizations (research institutes) was much higher than in private organizations (private research institutions, clinics, health insurances, information technology [IT] companies). Having a university degree significantly (P<.001) increased the likelihood of using a pandemic app, while having a migration background significantly (P<.001) decreased it. The overwhelming majority (653/778, 83.9%) of smartphone users were willing to provide their app data for state-funded research. Regarding attitudes toward app usage, striking differences between users and nonusers were found. Almost all app users (317/327, 96.9%) stated they would be willing to share data, whereas only 74.3% (336/452) of nonusers supported data sharing via an app. Two-thirds (216/326, 66.3%) of app users fully or rather agreed with the statement that using a pandemic app is a social duty, whereas almost the same proportion of nonusers entirely or rather disagreed with that statement (273/451, 60.5%).ConclusionsThese findings indicate a high potential for the adoption of ROAs among smartphone users in Germany as long as organizational providers engaged in development, operation, and distribution are state-funded or governmental institutions and transparency about data-using research institutions is provided.
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Project description:The final months of 2019 witnessed the emergence of a novel coronavirus in the human population. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has since spread across the globe and is posing a major burden on society. Measures taken to reduce its spread critically depend on timely and accurate identification of virus-infected individuals by the most sensitive and specific method available, i.e. real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). Many commercial kits have recently become available, but their performance has not yet been independently assessed. The aim of this study was to compare basic analytical and clinical performance of selected RT-PCR kits from seven different manufacturers (Altona Diagnostics, BGI, CerTest Biotec, KH Medical, PrimerDesign, R-Biopharm AG, and Seegene). We used serial dilutions of viral RNA to establish PCR efficiency and estimate the 95 % limit of detection (LOD95). Furthermore, we ran a panel of SARS-CoV-2-positive clinical samples (n = 13) for a preliminary evaluation of clinical sensitivity. Finally, we used clinical samples positive for non-coronavirus respiratory viral infections (n = 6) and a panel of RNA from related human coronaviruses to evaluate assay specificity. PCR efficiency was ≥96 % for all assays and the estimated LOD95 varied within a 6-fold range. Using clinical samples, we observed some variations in detection rate between kits. Importantly, none of the assays showed cross-reactivity with other respiratory (corona)viruses, except as expected for the SARS-CoV-1 E-gene. We conclude that all RT-PCR kits assessed in this study may be used for routine diagnostics of COVID-19 in patients by experienced molecular diagnostic laboratories.
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Project description:During the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), pregnant and lactating women are at higher risk of infection. The potential of viral intrauterine transmission and vertical transmission by breastfeeding has raised wide concerns. Breastmilk is rich in nutrients that contribute to infant growth and development, and reduce the incidence rate of infant illness and death, as well as inhibit pathogens significantly, and protect infants from infection. Although it is controversial whether mothers infected with COVID-19 should continue to breastfeed, many countries and international organizations have provided recommendations and guidance for breastfeeding. This review presents the risks and benefits of breastfeeding for mothers infected with COVID-19, and the reasons for the absence of SARS-CoV-2 active virus in human milk. In addition, the antiviral mechanisms of nutrients in breastmilk, the levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies in breastmilk from COVID-19 infected mothers and vaccinated mothers are also summarized and discussed, aiming to provide some support and recommendations for both lactating mothers and infants to better deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Project description:The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the cardinal importance of rapid and accurate diagnostic assays. Since the early days of the outbreak, researchers with different scientific backgrounds across the globe have tried to fulfill the urgent need for such assays, with many assays having been approved and with others still undergoing clinical validation. Molecular diagnostic assays are a major group of tests used to diagnose COVID-19. Currently, the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the most widely used method. Other diagnostic molecular methods, including CRISPR-based assays, isothermal nucleic acid amplification methods, digital PCR, microarray assays, and next generation sequencing (NGS), are promising alternatives. In this review, we summarize the technical and clinical applications of the different COVID-19 molecular diagnostic assays and suggest directions for the implementation of such technologies in future infectious disease outbreaks.
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Project description:We compared the sensitivity and specificity of four commercial coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnostic kits using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Kits I-IV approved by the State Drug Administration of China were selected, and the detection targets were ORF1ab gene and N gene. Specificity was evaluated by detecting other respiratory viruses. The sensitivity and batch effect of each kit were evaluated by testing 10-fold dilutions of RNA. Clinical application was verified by testing nasopharyngeal swab and sputum specimens from COVID-19 patients. Among the 78 cases infected by other respiratory viruses, no amplification curve was observed using these four COVID-19 RT-PCR kits. The minimum detection limits of kits I-IV were 10-6 , 10-5 , 10-5 , and 10-6 dilutions, respectively, and concentrations were 10 copies/mL (10-5 dilution) and 1 copies/mL (10-6 dilution). The sensitivities of kits I-IV detected using 142 nasopharyngeal swab specimens from COVID-19 patients were 91.55%, 81.69%, 80.28%, and 90.85%, respectively, while they were 92.68%, 85.37%, 82.93%, and 93.90%, respectively, for the 82 sputum samples. The specificity of each kit was 100.00% (77/77). The total expected detection rate using sputum samples was 88.59% (691/780) higher than 86.15% (672/780) of nasopharyngeal swabs. Comparison of nasopharyngeal swab and sputum samples from the same COVID-19 patient led to the detection of ORF1ab and N genes in 16 (100%) sputum samples; only ORF1ab and N genes were detected in 12 (75%) and 14 (87.5%) nasopharyngeal swab specimens, respectively. In conclusion, comparison of commercial COVID-19 RT-PCR kits should be performed before using a new batch of such kits in routine diagnostics.
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