Project description:The COVID-19 pandemic has raised questions about the possible cross immunity resulting from common vaccination programs and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, the Spanish Obstetric Emergency group performed a multicenter prospective study on the vaccination status of Influenza and Tdap (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine boost administered in adulthood) in consecutive cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a pregnancy cohort, in order to assess its possible association with the clinical presentation and severity of symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as to determine the factors that may affect vaccination adherence. A total of 1150 SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women from 78 Spanish hospitals were analyzed: 183 had not received either vaccine, 23 had been vaccinated for Influenza only, 529 for Tdap only and 415 received both vaccines. No association was observed between the vaccination status and the clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or the severity of symptoms. However, a lower adherence to the administration of both vaccines was observed in the Latin-American subgroup. Based on the results above, we reinforce the importance of maternal vaccination programs in the actual pandemic. Health education campaigns should be specially targeted to groups less likely to participate in these programs, as well as for a future SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign.
Project description:IntroductionWithin a few months coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) evolved into a pandemic causing millions of cases worldwide, but it remains challenging to diagnose the disease in a timely fashion in the emergency department (ED). In this study we aimed to construct machine-learning (ML) models to predict severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection based on the clinical features of patients visiting an ED during the early COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe retrospectively collected the data of all patients who received reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing for SARS-CoV-2 at the ED of Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Fort Worth, from February 23-May 12, 2020. The variables collected included patient demographics, ED triage data, clinical symptoms, and past medical history. The primary outcome was the confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 (or SARS-CoV-2 infection) by a positive RT-PCR test result for SARS-CoV-2, and was used as the label for ML tasks. We used univariate analyses for feature selection, and variables with P<0.1 were selected for model construction. Samples were split into training and testing cohorts on a 60:40 ratio chronologically. We tried various ML algorithms to construct the best predictive model, and we evaluated performances with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) in the testing cohort.ResultsA total of 580 ED patients were tested for SARS-CoV-2 during the study periods, and 98 (16.9%) were identified as having the SARS-CoV-2 infection based on the RT-PCR results. Univariate analyses selected 21 features for model construction. We assessed three ML methods for performance: of the three methods, random forest outperformed the others with the best AUC result (0.86), followed by gradient boosting (0.83) and extra trees classifier (0.82).ConclusionThis study shows that it is feasible to use ML models as an initial screening tool for identifying patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further validation will be necessary to determine how effectively this prediction model can be used prospectively in clinical practice.
Project description:Since the emergence of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, China, the number of globally confirmed cases according to World Health Organization statistics reached 292 124 in 189 countries by 22 March 2020. The number of deaths reached 12 784, with estimated case-fatality rates ranging from 0.5% to 5.7%. Children population seems to be the least affected by the disease, while the highest rate of death is among the elderly and people with comorbidities. Most infected individuals are asymptomatic or only exhibit mild symptoms. After the incubation period, the most common symptoms are fever, cough and fatigue. Asymptomatic carrier state is of paramount importance because of carriers' ability to spread the infection and to shed the virus into the air and surroundings. Although much is still unknown about SARS-CoV-2, the scientific research is moving at an unprecedented pace towards understanding the nature, effective control, prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Various reports have suggested an in vivo evolution of the virus, which may explain the rapid spread and changing epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, but further evidence is needed. Unfortunately, no effective treatment or therapeutic drug is available for the disease; only supportive treatment and classical intervention measures are available for confronting the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Project description:The devastating pandemic due to SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of antigenic variants that jeopardize the efficacy of current vaccines create an urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19, including the contribution of inflammation to disease. It also warrants for the search of immunomodulatory drugs that could improve disease outcome. Here, we show that standard doses of ivermectin (IVM), an anti-parasitic drug with potential immunomodulatory activities through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, prevents clinical deterioration, reduces olfactory deficit and limits the inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tracts in SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters. Whereas it has no effect on viral load in the airways of infected animals, transcriptomic analyses of infected lungs reveal that IVM dampens type-I interferon responses and modulates several other inflammatory pathways. In particular, IVM dramatically reduces the Il-6/Il-10 ratio in lung tissue and promotes macrophage M2 polarization, which might account for the more favorable clinical presentation of IVM-treated animals. Altogether, this study supports the use of immunomodulatory drugs such as IVM, to improve the clinical condition of SARS-CoV-2-infected patients.
Project description:BackgroundHealthcare workers have been overexposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the current pandemic, but there is little information on the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on nephrologists. The aim of this study was to assess SARS-CoV-2 infections in nephrologists in the first and second pandemic waves, describing risk factors and clinical features.MethodsThis national survey was sent to Spanish nephrologists. Epidemiological data, comorbidities and medications were collected and compared between infected and non-infected nephrologists. Symptoms, prescribed treatments and outcomes are described for infected nephrologists.ResultsThree hundred and twenty-seven nephrologists (66% female, age 46 ± 11 years) completed the survey. Of them, 62 (19%) were infected by SARS-CoV-2. Infection was detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in the 37 symptomatic patients (62%) and by serological tests in 25 (38%) asymptomatic individuals. Five (8%) of the infected nephrologists were hospitalized. Contrary to the general population, most infections occurred during the first pandemic wave and, specifically, during the first month, when personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages were more severe. Factors associated with infection in univariate analysis were younger age (P = 0.004), work in non-nephrology departments (P = 0.045), higher exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 patients (P < 0.001), lack of appropriate PPE (P < 0.001) and non-O ABO blood group. In an adjusted multivariate model, only lack of appropriate PPE remained predictive of infection [hazard ratio 3.5 (95% confidence interval 1.9-6.8), P < 0.0001].ConclusionsSARS-CoV-2 infection was frequent among nephrologists, was frequently diagnosed late and was associated with working conditions.
Project description:ObjectivesThis study aimed to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the circulation of non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viruses and the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in hospitalized children.MethodsA total of 226 and 864 children admitted to the Children's City Clinical Hospital with acute respiratory infection in September to November of 2018 and 2020 in Moscow were tested for respiratory viruses using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae/Chlamydia pneumoniae using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsThe detection rate of non-SARS-CoV-2 viruses in 2020 was lower than in 2018, 16.9% versus 37.6%. An increase in the median age of children with respiratory viruses was observed during the pandemic (3 years vs 1 year). There was no significant difference in the frequency of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in children with SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory virus infections (2.7% vs 2.9%). SARS-CoV-2 and human rhinoviruses, human metapneumoviruses, and human adenoviruses showed significantly lower than expected co-detection rates during co-circulation. An increase in body mass index (BMI) or bacterial coinfection leads to an increased risk of ICU admission and a longer duration of COVID-19 in children.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in the epidemiological characteristics of non-SARS-CoV-2 respiratory viruses during the autumn peak of the 2020 pandemic, compared with the same period in 2018.
Project description:INTRODUCTION:SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has since spread across the world. At present, the virus has infected over 1.7 million people and caused over 100 000 deaths worldwide. Research is currently focused on understanding the acute infection and developing effective treatment strategies. In view of the magnitude of the epidemic, we conducted a speculative review of possible medium- and long-term neurological consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with particular emphasis on neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases of neuroinflammatory origin, based on the available evidence on neurological symptoms of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. DEVELOPMENT:We systematically reviewed the available evidence about the pathogenic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the immediate and lasting effects of the cytokine storm on the central nervous system, and the consequences of neuroinflammation for the central nervous system. CONCLUSIONS:SARS-CoV-2 is a neuroinvasive virus capable of triggering a cytokine storm, with persistent effects in specific populations. Although our hypothesis is highly speculative, the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the onset and progression of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases of neuroinflammatory origin should be regarded as the potential cause of a delayed pandemic that may have a major public health impact in the medium to long term. Cognitive and neuropsychological function should be closely monitored in COVID-19 survivors.
Project description:There is a consensus that mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 will ultimately end the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is not clear when and which control measures can be relaxed during the rollout of vaccination programmes. We investigate relaxation scenarios using an age-structured transmission model that has been fitted to age-specific seroprevalence data, hospital admissions, and projected vaccination coverage for Portugal. Our analyses suggest that the pressing need to restart socioeconomic activities could lead to new pandemic waves, and that substantial control efforts prove necessary throughout 2021. Using knowledge on control measures introduced in 2020, we anticipate that relaxing measures completely or to the extent as in autumn 2020 could launch a wave starting in April 2021. Additional waves could be prevented altogether if measures are relaxed as in summer 2020 or in a step-wise manner throughout 2021. We discuss at which point the control of COVID-19 would be achieved for each scenario.
Project description:Dysregulated immune responses contribute to the excessive and uncontrolled inflammation observed in severe COVID-19. However, how immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is induced and regulated remains unclear. Here we uncover a role of the complement system in the induction of innate and adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Complement rapidly opsonizes SARS-CoV-2 particles via the lectin pathway. Complement-opsonized SARS-CoV-2 efficiently induces type-I interferon and pro-inflammatory cytokine responses via activation of dendritic cells, which are inhibited by antibodies against the complement receptors (CR) 3 and 4. Serum from COVID-19 patients, or monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, attenuate innate and adaptive immunity induced by complement-opsonized SARS-CoV-2. Blocking of CD32, the FcγRII antibody receptor of dendritic cells, restores complement-induced immunity. These results suggest that opsonization of SARS-CoV-2 by complement is involved in the induction of innate and adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in the acute phase of infection. Subsequent antibody responses limit inflammation and restore immune homeostasis. These findings suggest that dysregulation of the complement system and FcγRII signaling may contribute to severe COVID-19.