6615 research outputs found
Sort by
Early impact of COVID-19 outbreak on eye care: Insights from EUROCOVCAT group
No full textThe recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a public health emergency worldwide. The scientific community has put in much effort and published studies that described COVID-19’s biology, transmission, clinical diagnosis, candidate therapeutics, and vaccines. However, to date, only a few data are available on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on ophthalmological care in different health care systems, its future consequences in terms of disability, and access to sight-saving cures for many patients. To reduce human-to-human transmission of the virus and also ensure supply of infrastructures, human resources, and disposable medical devices to many regions, it is crucial to assess risks and postpone non-essential outpatient visits and elective surgical procedures, especially in older patients and those with comorbidities. This delay or suspension in essential eye procedures may cause significant and rapid vision impairment to irreversible blindness. Determining the risk-benefit profile of treating these ocular pathologies is a public health issue of supreme priority, even though many patients benefiting from therapeutic treatments are elderly, who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. If not reversible, this process could lead to a dramatic increase in disability and unsustainable social costs for many Governments
Smell Status in Children Infected with SARS-CoV-2
No full textObjectives/Hypothesis: This study aimed to evaluate the olfactory status in children with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 using subjective and psychophysical methods. Study Design: Prospective clinical cross-sectional study. Methods: This is a prospective clinical cross-sectional study of 79 children with COVID-19. The 21st item of SNOT-22 questionnaire and odor identification test were used for smell assessment. Children were examined twice during the hospitalization, and a telephone survey was conducted 60 days after hospital discharge. Results: Immediately after confirmation of COVID-19, smell impairment was detected in 86.1% of children by means of the Identification test and in 68.4% of children by means of the survey (P =.010). After 5 days survey revealed a statistically significant decrease in the number of patients with hyposmia (41 out of 79, 51.9%). On the first visit, the mean Identification test score corresponded to “hyposmia” (9.5 ± 2.7), while on the second visit, the average value was 13.1 ± 1.9, which corresponded to “normosmia.” According to the telephone survey, recovery of the olfactory function occurred within 10 days in 37 of 52 patients (71.2%), 11 to 29 days - in 12 children (23.1%), and later than 30 days - in three cases (5.7%). Conclusions: In the pediatric population, olfactory dysfunction is an early and common symptom of COVID-19. There is a trend to quick recovery of olfactory function in children with COVID-19. The overwhelming majority of patients (94.3%) had no subjective olfactory complaints by the end of the first month. Level of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 2021
Delayed ct scan of the lungs in patients with covid-19 pneumonia
No full textPurpose. Assessment the state of the lungs using CT in the dynamic follow-up of pa-tients who have suffered from viral COVID-19 pneumonia in the delayed period af-ter 6-10 months, and to identify the relationship of residual lung changes with the clinical condition and results of external respiratory function (ERF). Materials and methods. We examined 78 patients who had suffered from bilateral polysegmental viral COVID-19 pneumonia in April-May 2020, using multi-spiral computed tomography (CT) of the lungs. All patients had a medical history, performed CT scans of the lungs in the acute and delayed (6-10 months after hospitalization) phases, and a study of FVD in the delayed phase. The analysis of a series of tomograms of the lungs in dynamics was carried out. We developed an severity score of the lung condition (LungSS), expressed in the total score, which was calculated based on the score of typical patterns characteristic of viral Covid19-pneumonia, as well as residual changes and areas of fibrosis. LungSS was calculated for each patient in the acute and delayed follow-up periods. Results. The present study shows the dynamics of lung changes in the delayed peri-od 6-10 months after the viral Covid19-pneumonia. Residual lung changes were detected in 66 people (84,6%). Of these, 35,9% of patients have areas of fibrosis, but most of the residu-al changes are linear and small-nodular seals (76,9%). The frequency of detection of residual reticular changes and consolidation was low (15,3%, 1,3%, respectively). Attention is drawn to the relatively frequent detection of areas of "Ground-glass opacity "(10,8%). In patients with severe and critical course of viral Covid19-pneumonia (CT3 and CT4), LungSS in the delayed follow-up period did not significantly differ from that in patients with mild and mod-erate course (CT1 and CT2) of the disease (4,5 [0,22], 2,5 [0,16], accordingly, p=0,61). There was no significant correlation between the detected residual lung changes in the delayed period and ERF. Conclusion. In a significant part of patients (84,6%) who have suffered from COVID-19 viral pneumonia, residual changes in the lung parenchyma persist, mainly in the form of linear seals and to a lesser extent fibrosis. These changes did not have a reliable relation-ship with the results of the FVD. LungSS proposed in this study reflects the dynamic picture of lung changes in the acute and delayed period, and can be a good indicator for monitoring patients who have suffered from COVID-19 viral pneumonia
Organization of activities of TB medical units in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThe article analyzes the organization of work of N.V. Postnikov Samara Regional Clinical TB Dispensary in 2020. The special procedure has been developed for COVID-19 tests in patients referred to TB department. All cases of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in tuberculosis patients that occurred in the Samara region in 2020 (n = 31) were studied. Infection control activities are the following: Separate filter boxes have been provided for personnel and patients in each department; two observational departments have been organized where patients are admitted depending on the type of medical care. The polymerase chain reaction has been used to examine patients for COVID-19 before admission to TB hospital for planned medical care, and express tests for immunoglobulins M and G have been used when patients were admitted in an emergency. Of the 30 cases of intravital detection of concurrent infections (tuberculosis + COVID-19), in 56.7% (17 people), COVID-19 was treated in the in-patient unit specializing in treatment of the new coronavirus infection, and in 43.3% (13 people), treatment was outpatient; lethality made 1/30 (3.33%)
Autism spectrum disorder and air pollution: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textAir pollution surrounding pregnancy increases the risk of ASD in newborns
Influenza surveillance in Russia based on epidemiological and laboratory data for the period from 2005 to 2012
No full textExchange of information on and sharing of influenza viruses through the GISRS network has great significance for understanding influenza virus evolution, recognition of a new pandemic virus emergence and for preparing annual WHO recommendations on influenza vaccine strain composition. Influenza surveillance in Russia is based on collaboration of two NICs with 59 Regional Bases. Most epidemiological and laboratory data are entered through the internet into the electronic database at the Research Institute of Influenza (RII), where they are analyzed and then reported to the Ministry of Public Health of Russia. Simultaneously, data are introduced into WHO's Flu Net and Euro Flu, both electronic databases. Annual influenza epidemics of moderate intensity were registered during four pre-pandemic seasons. Children aged 0-2 and 3-6 years were the most affected groups of the population. Influenza registered clinically among hospitalized patients with respiratory infections for the whole epidemic period varied between 1.3 and 5.4% and up but to 18.5-23.0% during the peak of the two pandemic waves caused by influenza A(H1N1) pdm 09 virus and to lesser extent (2.9 to 8.5%) during usual seasonal epidemics. Most epidemics were associated with influenza A(H1N1), A(H3N2) and B co-circulation. During the two pandemic waves (in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011) influenza A(H1N1) pdm 09 predominated. It was accompanied by a rapid growth of influenza morbidity with a significant increase of both hospitalization and mortality. The new pandemic virus displaced the previous seasonal A(H1N1) virus completely. As a rule, most of the influenza viruses circulating in Russia were antigenic ally related to the strains recommended by WHO for vaccine composition for the Northern hemisphere with the exception of two seasons when an unexpected replacement of the influenza B Victoria lineage by Yamagata lineage (2007-2008) and the following return of Victoria lineage viruses (2008-2009) was registered. Influenza surveillance in Russia was improved as a result of enhancing capacity to international standards and the introduction of new methods in NICs such as rRT-PCR diagnosis, regular testing of influenza viruses for susceptibility to antivirals, phylogenetic analysis as well as organization of sentinel surveillance in a number of Regional Base Laboratories. Improvements promoted rapid recognition of the appearance a new pandemic virus in the country and enhancement of confirmation tests in investigation of influenza related death cases. ©2013 Science Publication
Genomic characterization of a newly discovered coronavirus associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome in humans
No full textA novel human coronavirus (HCoV-EMC/2012) was isolated from a man with acute pneumonia and renal failure in June 2012. This report describes the complete genome sequence, genome organization, and expression strategy of HCoV-EMC/2012 and its relation with known coronaviruses. The genome contains 30,119 nucleotides and contains at least 10 predicted open reading frames, 9 of which are predicted to be expressed from a nested set of seven subgenomic mRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis of the replicase gene of coronaviruses with completely sequenced genomes showed that HCoV-EMC/2012 is most closely related to Tylonycteris bat coronavirus HKU4 (BtCoV-HKU4) and Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5 (BtCoV-HKU5), which prototype two species in lineage C of the genus Betacoronavirus. In accordance with the guidelines of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses, and in view of the 75% and 77% amino acid sequence identity in 7 conserved replicase domains with BtCoVHKU4 and BtCoV-HKU5, respectively, we propose that HCoV-EMC/2012 prototypes a novel species in the genus Betacoronavirus. HCoV-EMC/2012 may be most closely related to a coronavirus detected in Pipistrellus pipistrellus in The Netherlands, but because only a short sequence from the most conserved part of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase-encoding region of the genome was reported for this bat virus, its genetic distance from HCoV-EMC remains uncertain. HCoV-EMC/2012 is the sixth coronavirus known to infect humans and the first human virus within betacoronavirus lineage C. © 2012 van Boheemen et al
Mass spectrometric approaches to study enveloped viruses: New possibilities for structural biology and prophylactic medicine
No full textThis review considers principles of the use of mass spectrometry for the study of biological macromolecules. Some examples of protein identification, virion proteomics, testing vaccine preparations, and strain surveillance are represented. Possibilities of structural characterization of viral proteins and their posttranslational modifications are shown. The authors' studies by MALDI-MS on S-acylation of glycoproteins from various families of enveloped viruses and on oligomerization of the influenza virus hemagglutinin transmembrane domains are summarized. © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2012
Single HA2 mutation increases the infectivity and immunogenicity of a live attenuated H5N1 intranasal influenza vaccine candidate lacking NS1
No full textBackground: H5N1 influenza vaccines, including live intranasal, appear to be relatively less immunogenic compared to seasonal analogs. The main influenza virus surface glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) was shown to be more susceptible to acidic pH treatment than that of human or low pathogenic avian influenza viruses. The acidification machinery of the human nasal passageway in response to different irritation factors starts to release protons acidifying the mucosal surface (down to pH of 5.2). We hypothesized that the sensitivity of H5 HA to the acidic environment might be the reason for the low infectivity and immunogenicity of intranasal H5N1 vaccines for mammals. Methodology/Principal Findings: We demonstrate that original human influenza viruses infect primary human nasal epithelial cells at acidic pH (down to 5.4), whereas H5N1 HPAIVs lose infectivity at pH≤5.6. The HA of A/Vietnam/1203/04 was modified by introducing the single substitution HA2 58K→I, decreasing the pH of the HA conformational change. The H5N1 reassortants containing the indicated mutation displayed an increased resistance to acidic pH and high temperature treatment compared to those lacking modification. The mutation ensured a higher viral uptake as shown by immunohistochemistry in the respiratory tract of mice and 25 times lower mouse infectious dose50. Moreover, the reassortants keeping 58K→I mutation designed as a live attenuated vaccine candidate lacking an NS1 gene induced superior systemic and local antibody response after the intranasal immunization of mice. Conclusion/Significance: Our finding suggests that an efficient intranasal vaccination with a live attenuated H5N1 virus may require a certain level of pH and temperature stability of HA in order to achieve an optimal virus uptake by the nasal epithelial cells and induce a sufficient immune response. The pH of the activation of the H5 HA protein may play a substantial role in the infectivity of HPAIVs for mammals. © 2011 Krenn et al
Protein intrinsic disorder toolbox for comparative analysis of viral proteins
No full textTo examine the usefulness of protein disorder predictions as a tool for the comparative analysis of viral proteins, a relational database has been constructed. The database includes proteins from influenza A and HIV-related viruses. Annotations include viral protein sequence, disorder prediction, structure, and function. Location of each protein within a virion, if known, is also denoted. Our analysis reveals a clear relationship between proximity to the RNA core and the percentage of predicted disordered residues for a set of influenza A virus proteins. Neuraminidases (NA) and hemagglutinin (HA) of major influenza A pandemics tend to pair in such a way that both proteins tend to be either ordered-ordered or disordered-disordered by prediction. This may be the result of these proteins evolving from being lipid-associated. High abundance of intrinsic disorder in envelope and matrix proteins from HIV-related viruses likely represents a mechanism where HIV virions can escape immune response despite the availability of antibodies for the HIV-related proteins. This exercise provides an example showing how the combined use of intrinsic disorder predictions and relational databases provides an improved understanding of the functional and structural behaviour of viral proteins. © 2008 Goh et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd