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Grech AK, Foo CT, Paul E, Aung AK, Yu C. Epidemiological trends of respiratory tract pathogens detected via mPCR in Australian adult patients before COVID-19. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:38. [PMID: 38166699 PMCID: PMC10763466 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-023-08750-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a major global health burden due to their high morbidity and mortality. This retrospective study described the epidemiology of respiratory pathogens in adults over a 5-year period at an Australian tertiary healthcare network. METHODS All multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction respiratory samples taken between the 1st of November 2014 and the 31st of October 2019 were included in this study. Overall prevalence and variations according to seasons, age groups and sex were analysed, as well as factors associated with prolonged hospital and intensive care length of stay. RESULTS There were 12,453 pathogens detected amongst the 12,185 positive samples, with coinfection rates of 3.7%. Picornavirus (Rhinovirus), Influenza A and respiratory syncytial virus were the most commonly detected pathogens. Mycoplasma pneumoniae was the most commonly detected atypical bacteria. Significant differences in the prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae and Human metapneumovirus infections were found between sexes. Longest median length of intensive care and hospital stay was for Legionella species. Seasonal variations were evident for certain pathogens. CONCLUSIONS The high rates of pathogen detection and hospitalisation in this real-world study highlights the significant burden of RTIs, and the urgent need for an improved understanding of the pathogenicity as well as preventative and treatment options of RTIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey K Grech
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Alfred Health, 55 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia
| | - Chuan T Foo
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Eastern Health, Melbourne, Australia
- Monash Lung and Sleep, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Eldho Paul
- ANZIC-RC, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Ar K Aung
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
- Department of General Medicine, Alfred Health, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Christiaan Yu
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Alfred Health, 55 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia.
- Monash Lung and Sleep, Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia.
- Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
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Yeung AM, Dirisanala S, Abraham A, Huang J, Brennan GM, Urrutia MA, Baran JD, Nguyen KT, Xu NY, Shang T, Zhang JY, Klonoff DC, Davis GM, Pasquel FJ. Diabetes Research and Resource Sharing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Experience from an Academic/Non-Profit Resource Website. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2023; 17:1284-1294. [PMID: 37449365 PMCID: PMC10345815 DOI: 10.1177/19322968231184448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The magnitude of the response of the diabetes professional community to the COVID-19 pandemic is not known. We aimed to examine diabetes technology research trends and resources offered by professional organizations during this period. METHODS We explored patterns of the response from the professional diabetes community to the pandemic by (1) systematically searching for articles related to diabetes, COVID-19, and diabetes technologies; (2) examining publication trends of research protocols (clinicaltrials.gov) and preprints (medRxiv); and (3) reviewing online resources from professional organizations including our website (COVIDinDiabetes.org; an Emory University-Diabetes Technology Society collaboration). RESULTS We identified 492 articles published between December 2019 and December 2022 meeting our inclusion criteria. Telemedicine and continuous glucose monitoring were the most common reported technologies from most parts of the world. The largest number of preprint articles was published in 2020, with a decline in 2021 and 2022. The number of research protocols related to COVID-19 was the highest in 2020 and declined in 2021 and 2022. Resources from organizations included protocols adapted to treat patients with diabetes and COVID-19, training programs, emergency preparedness, and literature on diabetes and COVID-19. On our website (COVIDinDiabetes.org), there were 12 236 visits and 18 149 pageviews, with 1.6 actions per visits, with most visits coming from North America (N = 7233, 54.2%), South America (N = 2663, 21.8%), and Europe (N = 1219). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic promoted unprecedented global research productivity related to diabetes and COVID-19 and that the transition to the use of technology resources has been evident during this period.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Jesica D. Baran
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Nicole Y. Xu
- San Diego School of Medicine, University of California, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Trisha Shang
- School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | | | - David C. Klonoff
- Diabetes Research Institute, Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, San Mateo, CA, USA
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Cheng C, Jiang WM, Fan B, Cheng YC, Hsu YT, Wu HY, Chang HH, Tsou HH. Real-time forecasting of COVID-19 spread according to protective behavior and vaccination: autoregressive integrated moving average models. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:1500. [PMID: 37553650 PMCID: PMC10408098 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-16419-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mathematical and statistical models are used to predict trends in epidemic spread and determine the effectiveness of control measures. Automatic regressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models are used for time-series forecasting, but only few models of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have incorporated protective behaviors or vaccination, known to be effective for pandemic control. METHODS To improve the accuracy of prediction, we applied newly developed ARIMA models with predictors (mask wearing, avoiding going out, and vaccination) to forecast weekly COVID-19 case growth rates in Canada, France, Italy, and Israel between January 2021 and March 2022. The open-source data was sourced from the YouGov survey and Our World in Data. Prediction performance was evaluated using the root mean square error (RMSE) and the corrected Akaike information criterion (AICc). RESULTS A model with mask wearing and vaccination variables performed best for the pandemic period in which the Alpha and Delta viral variants were predominant (before November 2021). A model using only past case growth rates as autoregressive predictors performed best for the Omicron period (after December 2021). The models suggested that protective behaviors and vaccination are associated with the reduction of COVID-19 case growth rates, with booster vaccine coverage playing a particularly vital role during the Omicron period. For example, each unit increase in mask wearing and avoiding going out significantly reduced the case growth rate during the Alpha/Delta period in Canada (-0.81 and -0.54, respectively; both p < 0.05). In the Omicron period, each unit increase in the number of booster doses resulted in a significant reduction of the case growth rate in Canada (-0.03), Israel (-0.12), Italy (-0.02), and France (-0.03); all p < 0.05. CONCLUSIONS The key findings of this study are incorporating behavior and vaccination as predictors led to accurate predictions and highlighted their significant role in controlling the pandemic. These models are easily interpretable and can be embedded in a "real-time" schedule with weekly data updates. They can support timely decision making about policies to control dynamically changing epidemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chieh Cheng
- Department of Life Science & Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Ming Jiang
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Byron Fan
- Brown University, RI, Providence, USA
| | - Yu-Chieh Cheng
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Ting Hsu
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Yu Wu
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Han Chang
- Department of Life Science & Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Hui Tsou
- Institute of Population Health Sciences, National Health Research Institutes, 35 Keyan Road, Zhunan, Miaoli County, 350, Taiwan.
- Graduate Institute of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
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Horga NG, Cirnatu D, Kundnani NR, Ciurariu E, Parvu S, Ignea AL, Borza C, Sharma A, Morariu S. Evaluation of Non-Pharmacological Measures Implemented in the Management of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Romania. Healthcare (Basel) 2022; 10:healthcare10091756. [PMID: 36141371 PMCID: PMC9498680 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare10091756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania has included the involvement of not only the medical system, but also that of the administrative and social services. All these organizations are working together to lower the impact on the health of the general population, to increase the health system’s response capabilities and even to diminish the negative effects upon the economy due to the epidemic’s length. Therefore, non-pharmacological measures (NPMs) imposed through restrictive measures (administrative, economic and individual) have influenced the evolution of morbidity and mortality. Even from the first months of the pandemic’s progression, researchers have shown the impact of the NPMs’ existence, as there were many studies on all NPMs in conjunction, as well as those targeting specific measures such as school closures. Our study started by establishing a temporal relationship between the non-pharmacological measures found in most countries (wearing a mask, washing hands and physical distancing, limiting economic activities, closing schools, limiting internal and international movement, banning public and private events in closed spaces) and the evolution of the pandemic in Romania. The degree of novelty brought by this study consists of extending the analysis to the pre-existing state of the health system and to the measures meant to increase the resilience of the population, as well as to the measures aimed at reducing the type of risk, and factors that can equally influence the evolution of the number of cases. The results of the statistical analysis show the important effects of certain NPMs (mask mandates, online schooling, decisions regarding imposing or lifting local restrictions) as well as the reduced impact of other measures (hand disinfection, social distancing or the restriction of public and private events). Hence, it can be concluded that during such pandemics, implementing quick, simple measures can prevent the spread of the disease and help fight the contagion in a better manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nenssy Georgiana Horga
- Faculty of Medicine, ‘Victor Babes’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Daniela Cirnatu
- Faculty of Medicine, ‘Vasile Goldis’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 310025 Arad, Romania
| | - Nilima Rajpal Kundnani
- Department of Functional Sciences, Physiology, Centre of Immuno-Physiology and Biotechnologies (CIFBIOTEH), University of Medicine and Pharmacy ‘Victor Babes’, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Civil Medical Society Dr Rosca, 307405 Teremia Mare, Romania
- Correspondence: (N.R.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Elena Ciurariu
- Department of Functional Sciences, Physiology, Centre of Immuno-Physiology and Biotechnologies (CIFBIOTEH), University of Medicine and Pharmacy ‘Victor Babes’, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Simona Parvu
- Faculty of Medicine, ‘Carol Davila’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Andrei Lucas Ignea
- Faculty of Medicine, ‘Victor Babes’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Claudia Borza
- Department of Functional Science, Discipline of Pathophysiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Center for Translational Research and Systems Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Centre of Cognitive Research in Pathological Neuro-Psychiatry NEUROPSY-COG, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
| | - Abhinav Sharma
- Civil Medical Society Dr Rosca, 307405 Teremia Mare, Romania
- Department of Cardiology, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041 Timisoara, Romania
- Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of General Medicine, “Vasile Goldis” Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
- Correspondence: (N.R.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Stelian Morariu
- Department of Occupational Health, Faculty of General Medicine, “Vasile Goldis” Western University of Arad, 310025 Arad, Romania
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Alimohamadi Y, Mansouri Yekta E, Sepandi M, Sharafoddin M, Arshadi M, Hesari E. Hospital length of stay for COVID-19 patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Multidiscip Respir Med 2022; 17:856. [PMID: 36117876 PMCID: PMC9472334 DOI: 10.4081/mrm.2022.856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The length of stay in the hospital for COVID-19 can aid in understanding the disease's prognosis. Thus, the goal of this study was to collectively estimate the hospital length of stay (LoS) in COVID-19 hospitalized individuals. To locate related studies, international databases (including Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus) were searched. The I2 index, the Cochran Q test, and T2 were used to analyze study heterogeneity. The mean LoS in COVID- 19 hospitalized patients was estimated using a random-effects model. COVID-19's total pooled estimated hospital LoS was 15.35, 95%CI:13.47-17.23; p<0.001, I2 = 80.0). South America had the highest pooled estimated hospital LoS of COVID-19 among the continents, at 20.85 (95%CI: 14.80-26.91; p<0.001, I2 = 0.01), whereas Africa had the lowest at 8.56 8 (95%CI: 1.00-22.76). The >60 age group had the highest pooled estimated COVID-19 hospital LoS of 16.60 (95%CI: 12.94-20.25; p<0.001, I2 = 82.6), while the 40 age group had the lowest hospital LoS of 10.15 (95% CI: 4.90-15.39, p<0.001, I2 = 22.1). The metanalysis revealed that COVID-19's hospital LoS was more than 10 days. However, it appears that this duration varies depending on a number of factors, including the patient's age and the availability of resources.
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