Impacts of COVID-19 local spread and Google search trend on the US stock market

We develop a novel temporal complex network approach to quantify the US county level spread dynamics of COVID-19. We use both conventional econometric and Machine Learning (ML) models that incorporate the local spread dynamics, COVID-19 cases and death, and Google search activities to assess if incorporating information about local spreads improves the predictive accuracy of models for the US stock market. The results suggest that COVID-19 cases and deaths, its local spread, and Google searches have impacts on abnormal stock prices between January 2020 to May 2020. Furthermore, incorporating information about local spread significantly improves the performance of forecasting models of the abnormal stock prices at longer forecasting horizons.

Global perceptions of the current and future impacts of COVID-19 on hereditary angioedema management

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly affected health-care provision across the globe. Management of chronic ailments has become challenging because of the strained health-care resources and social distancing measures that prevent on-site clinical visits and treatments. Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a debilitating, chronic disease characterized by unpredictable swelling attacks in various parts of the body. Controlling HAE symptoms often requires long-term prophylactic medication use and regular medical care; however, limited scientific information has been published about HAE medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: To gather patient and health-care professional (HCP) perspectives on the global impact that COVID-19 has had, and the future impact it will have on HAE medical care and to identify differences in perceptions across economic and geographic boundaries. Methods: We conducted two independent but similar online global surveys to capture patient and HCP perspectives on the impact that COVID-19 has had, and the future impact it will have on HAE medical care. Results: Both patients and HCPs globally reported that the pandemic has limited the availability of HAE medical care, and they expect the restrictions to continue far beyond the pandemic. In addition, the results of our study suggested that telehealth use has increased across the globe but has been more successfully implemented in high-income countries. Conclusion: Patients and HCPs expect that HAE-related care will be negatively impacted by the pandemic for many years. Disparities in medical care and technologic infrastructure may exacerbate these challenges in non-high-income countries. Supportive tools and global infrastructure should be established to provide aid to non-high-income countries throughout the pandemic and several years after.

Monitoring the safety of nilotinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

The aim of the study was to evaluate the safety profile of nilotinib administered to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) at patients. The study was conducted from March 2018 to May 2019 and it included 20 patients with CML in chronic phase. Of these 20 patients, 17 had previously been treated with imatinib and 3 with hydroxyurea. The mean duration of treatment with Nilotinib was 6.75 months. In nine patients treated with nilotinib (400 mg), 55% complained of fatigue, 33% of headache and 22.2% of pruritus. In five patients treated with Nilotinib (600 mg), 20% complained of headache, 40% of fatigue and 20% of pruritus. In addition, in six patients treated with nilotinib (800 mg), 50% complained of headache and fatigue, 17% with pruritus and visual disorder was observed in 20% of cases. In the study, the adverse reactions were observed between the age of 20 and 40 and it was 7.1%, in contrast to the group of patients between the age of 40 and 60 where the incidence of adverse reactions was 21.42%. The incidence of adverse reactions in patients in the age group over 60 years it was 57.1%. In terms of gender, the incidence of adverse reactions was equal to 50% for both men and women. In conclusion, this study showed that treatment with nilotinib was well tolerated, with adverse reactions of an easy degree. Future evaluation is necessary in order to understanding the adverse reaction of nilotinib in comparison with other tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Keywords: nilotinib, pharmacovigilance, safety, chronic myeloid leukemia

Projections Of Dental Care Use Through 2026: Preventive Care To Increase While Treatment Will Decline

This study provides a forward-thinking assessment of the factors likely to affect future trends in dental care in the United States. We developed a forecasting model based on historical data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to determine how demographic trends and recent health care policies will affect dental care use in the future. Our forecasts suggest that the medical and dental insurance reforms instituted under the Affordable Care Act will increase rates of dental care use and the number of dental visits, with utilization rates reaching 47 percent in 2026 and the number of visits reaching 334 million, under optimistic assumptions about take-up of pediatric dental coverage. Our forecasting model also indicates that visits for preventive dental care will increase in the future, while visits for dental treatment will decline. Our forecasts can be used to infer future need for different types of dental care providers and to provide policy makers with the information needed to consider the expansion of mandates for dental benefit coverage to adult populations covered by Medicaid, Medicare, and individual and small-group plans sold on health insurance exchanges.

Rituximab in the treatment of the variant of hairy cell leukaemia: a case report

Hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is an uncommon, low-grade B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. HCL-variant describes an entity of HCL that is important from the point of view of requiring differential diagnosis from HCL, and for requiring careful consideration of the treatment approach. HCL-variant differs from the classic form with respect to the lack of monocytopaenia, its elevated WBC and unique morphology and immunophenotype. Indeed, there is currently no adequate standard treatment for this condition - HCL-variant is generally resistant to interferon-alpha, and complete remission is rarely achieved with either pentostatin or cladribine. We report a 57-year-old female patient who presented at our institution in November 2004 with high white blood counts and splenomegaly. Based on her blood morphology, bone marrow and spleen histology, immunophenotype and clinical characteristics, the patient was diagnosed as having HCL-variant, with blastoid variant transformation. The patient had advanced-stage disease. She was initially treated with spleenctomy, which resulted in short-term normalization of blood counts. One month later the blood counts deteriorated, she developed peripheral and abdominal lymphadenopathy and had poor performance status. One cycle of cladribine combined with rituximab was immediately administered. We started with rituximab 375 mg/m(2), which resulted in a remarkable recovery of blood counts, followed by cladribine 0.1 mg/kg for 7 days. However, the patient's general condition worsened, and she subsequently died from heart failure. Our experience from this case suggests that rituximab is a promising therapy for patients with HCL-variant, particularly when combined with cladribine. However, further clinical study is required before rituximab can be considered as a front-line therapy for this form of malignancy.