COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: Pressing Realities and City Management

Do COVID-19 CT features vary between patients from within and outside mainland China? Findings from a meta-analysis

Background

Chest computerized tomography (CT) plays an important role in detecting patients with suspected coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), however, there are no systematic summaries on whether the chest CT findings of patients within mainland China are applicable to those found in patients outside.

Methods

Relevant studies were retrieved comprehensively by searching PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases before 15 April 2022. Quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS) was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies, which were divided into two groups according to whether they were in mainland China or outside. Data on diagnostic performance, unilateral or bilateral lung involvement, and typical chest CT imaging appearances were extracted, and then, meta-analyses were performed with R software to compare the CT features of COVID-19 pneumonia between patients from within and outside mainland China.

Results

Of the 8,258 studies screened, 19 studies with 3,400 patients in mainland China and 14 studies with 554 outside mainland China were included. Overall, the risk of quality assessment and publication bias was low. The diagnostic value of chest CT is similar between patients from within and outside mainland China (93, 91%). The pooled incidence of unilateral lung involvement (15, 7%), the crazy-paving sign (31, 21%), mixed ground-glass opacities (GGO) and consolidations (51, 35%), air bronchogram (44, 25%), vascular engorgement (59, 33%), bronchial wall thickening (19, 12%), and septal thickening (39, 26%) in patients from mainland China were significantly higher than those from outside; however, the incidence rates of bilateral lung involvement (75, 84%), GGO (78, 87%), consolidations (45, 58%), nodules (12, 17%), and pleural effusion (9, 15%) were significantly lower.

Conclusion

Considering that the chest CT features of patients in mainland China may not reflect those of the patients abroad, radiologists and clinicians should be familiar with various CT presentations suggestive of COVID-19 in different regions.

Emotion and International Business: Theorising Fear of Failure in the Internationalisation

The road to internationalisation is paved with risk, uncertainty, the possibility of failure, and the Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) phenomenon. However, the process of internationalisation (IP) theory treats an individual decision-maker as a "black box." Emotions are largely ignored by international business (IB) researchers. This study offers conceptual thoughts on the role of fear of failure in the process of internationalisation. It argues that managers experience this emotion in making internationalisation decisions for a firm, which is an area of study that requires further understanding. Following the content analysis method in the literature review and a theory-based adaptation approach to complete the conceptualisation, this manuscript joins the scholarly conversations on "connecting the IP model to people" and "emotion and internationalisation." Focussing on fear of failure as a new perspective, this manuscript contributes to IB literature by suggesting new avenues in understanding decision-making about international activities by embracing psychological insights. It also contributes to IB practitioners by offering implications for understanding one's emotional state and its effect on decision-making about internationalising ventures.

Geographic Scope and Real Estate Firm Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines the effect of geographic scope in mitigating the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the real estate sector. Utilizing the Chinese setting over the two-month period in 2020 from the beginning of the outbreak to the successful containment of the spread of virus, we show that while the pandemic has negatively impacted real estate firm returns, firms with broader geographic scope and more geographically diversified property allocations have managed to better endure the crisis. We further find that firms with higher leverage report lower returns during the pandemic irrespective of their geographic scope, but larger firms can lessen the adverse impact of the pandemic only if they have adopted a more diversified strategy. Overall, our study provides novel evidence on the benefit of diversification by demonstrating the importance of geographic scope and diversification at times of crises. Specifically, we show corporate diversification could be especially useful to mitigate the negative stock market reactions resulting from the pandemic. Moreover, diversification could even become essential for larger firms that are expected by the market to be more diversified.

Factors explaining the fear of being infected with COVID-19

Background

The prevalence of COVID‐19 has a social and economic impact on people, leaving them distressed and fearful of getting infected.

Objective

To determine the variables attributable to the fear of contracting COVID‐19.

Design

This is a quantitative study based on an online cross‐sectional self‐administered survey in Chile between 10 July 2020 and 10 August 2020.

Setting and participants

A sample of 531, comprising over 18‐year‐old participants from middle‐ and high‐income levels, was selected.

Outcome measures

Estimations were obtained using a probit regression model with marginal effects.

Results

Fear prevailed mainly in women. It has a positive relationship with variables such as chronic illnesses, infectious family or relatives, reduction in economic activity and perception of bad government response to a pandemic. Fear has a negative relationship with knowledge about COVID‐19, education level and ageing. Moreover, those who consider socioeconomic impact less important than health care do not fear a COVID‐19 infection.

Discussionand conclusion

The socioeconomic and health aspects help predict fears. Thus, the government should prioritize these variables in implementing policies. The government's credibility and communication systems can also reduce fears of contracting COVID‐19.

Patient or public contribution

A pilot focus group of COVID‐19–recuperated individuals and some members of our interest groups were consulted in the design stage of the study; this helped in constructing the survey questions. Additionally, three independent individuals volunteered to read and comment on the draft manuscript.