A rapid scoping review of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in animal hosts

Healthcare professional disclosure of mental illness in the workplace: a rapid scoping review

BACKGROUND

Although mental health difficulties are common among healthcare professionals (HCP), little research exists exploring the decision to disclose these difficulties in the healthcare context.

AIMS

This rapid scoping review aims to explore HCP disclosure of mental health difficulties in the workplace.

METHODS

The methodological framework was based on rapid and scoping review guidelines. A thematic synthesis approach was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

Seventeen articles were included. Disclosure was found to be a process that starts with weighing its pros ("personal benefits", "personal beliefs", and "professional responsibility") and cons ("fears related to professional identity", "fears related to employment", "risk of stigmatization", and "personal experiences with mental health difficulties"). A decision-making process then occurs to help HCPs figure out how to disclose. Situations of nonconsensual disclosure can transpire through "third party disclosure" or "inadvertent disclosure". Disclosure results in outcomes including "positive experiences", "negative personal consequences" and "negative consequences related to others".

CONCLUSION

Disclosure in healthcare and other workplaces is a complex process with few benefits and many potential repercussions. However, there is an opportunity to improve. Recognizing the value of and educating the workforce about HCPs with mental health difficulties will help work environments become safer for disclosure.

Assessment of the quality of systematic reviews on COVID-19: A comparative study of previous coronavirus outbreaks

Several systematic reviews (SRs) have been conducted on the COVID-19 outbreak, which together with the SRs on previous coronavirus outbreaks, form important sources of evidence for clinical decision and policy making. Here, we investigated the methodological quality of SRs on COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Online searches were performed to obtain SRs on COVID-19, SARS, and MERS. The methodological quality of the included SRs was assessed using the AMSTAR-2 tool. Descriptive statistics were used to present the data. In total, of 49 SRs that were finally included in our study, 17, 16, and 16 SRs were specifically on COVID-19, MERS, and SARS, respectively. The growth rate of SRs on COVID-19 was the highest (4.54/month) presently. Of the included SRs, 6, 12, and 31 SRs were of moderate, low, and critically low quality, respectively. SRs on SARS showed the optimum quality among the SRs on the three diseases. Subgroup analyses showed that the SR topic (P < .001), the involvement of a methodologist (P < .001), and funding support (P = .046) were significantly associated with the methodological quality of the SR. According to the adherence scores, adherence to AMSTAR-2 items sequentially decreased in SRs on SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. The methodological quality of most SRs on coronavirus outbreaks is unsatisfactory, and those on COVID-19 have higher risks of poor quality, despite the rapid actions taken to conduct SRs. The quality of SRs should be improved in the future. Readers must exercise caution in accepting and using the results of these SRs.

A database of geopositioned Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus occurrences

As a World Health Organization Research and Development Blueprint priority pathogen, there is a need to better understand the geographic distribution of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and its potential to infect mammals and humans. This database documents cases of MERS-CoV globally, with specific attention paid to zoonotic transmission. An initial literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus; after screening articles according to the inclusion/exclusion criteria, a total of 208 sources were selected for extraction and geo-positioning. Each MERS-CoV occurrence was assigned one of the following classifications based upon published contextual information: index, unspecified, secondary, mammal, environmental, or imported. In total, this database is comprised of 861 unique geo-positioned MERS-CoV occurrences. The purpose of this article is to share a collated MERS-CoV database and extraction protocol that can be utilized in future mapping efforts for both MERS-CoV and other infectious diseases. More broadly, it may also provide useful data for the development of targeted MERS-CoV surveillance, which would prove invaluable in preventing future zoonotic spillover.

Measurement(s)	Middle East Respiratory Syndrome • geographic location
Technology Type(s)	digital curation
Factor Type(s)	geographic distribution of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) • year
Sample Characteristic - Organism	Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus
Sample Characteristic - Location	Earth (planet)

Machine-accessible metadata file describing the reported data: 10.6084/m9.figshare.11108801

The characteristics of hDPP4 transgenic mice subjected to aerosol MERS coronavirus infection via an animal nose-only exposure device

BACKGROUND

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which is not fully understood in regard to certain transmission routes and pathogenesis and lacks specific therapeutics and vaccines, poses a global threat to public health.

METHODS

To simulate the clinical aerosol transmission route, hDPP4 transgenic mice were infected with MERS-CoV by an animal nose-only exposure device and compared with instillation-inoculated mice. The challenged mice were observed for 14 consecutive days and necropsied on days 3, 5, 7, and 9 to analyze viral load, histopathology, viral antigen distribution, and cytokines in tissues.

RESULTS

MERS-CoV aerosol-infected mice with an incubation period of 5-7 days showed weight loss on days 7-11, obvious lung lesions on day 7, high viral loads in the lungs on days 3-9 and in the brain on days 7-9, and 60% survival. MERS-CoV instillation-inoculated mice exhibited clinical signs on day 1, obvious lung lesions on days 3-5, continuous weight loss, 0% survival by day 5, and high viral loads in the lungs and brain on days 3-5. Viral antigen and high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines were detected in the aerosol and instillation groups. Disease, lung lesion, and viral replication progressions were slower in the MERS-CoV aerosol-infected mice than in the MERS-CoV instillation-inoculated mice.

CONCLUSION

hDPP4 transgenic mice were successfully infected with MERS-CoV aerosols via an animal nose-only exposure device, and aerosol- and instillation-infected mice simulated the clinical symptoms of moderate diffuse interstitial pneumonia. However, the transgenic mice exposed to aerosol MERS-CoV developed disease and lung pathology progressions that more closely resembled those observed in humans.

A rapid scoping review of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in animal hosts

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen discovered in 2012. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the empirical evidence for MERS-CoV in animals in order to map knowledge gaps and to extract data for modelling disease transmission in dromedary camels. A review protocol was developed a priori, and a systematic search, data extraction and summary were conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Ninety-nine publications were identified for full review out of 1,368 unique records. Of these publications, 71 were articles in scientific journals. Ninety of the studies were observational and the remaining nine were experimental. We summarize characteristics of animal studies including study design, study population and outcomes of interest for future transmission modelling in the reservoir population. The majority of field studies reported measures of prevalence, while experimental studies provided estimates of transmission parameters that pertain to the natural course of disease.