Infection In Wuhan Research Articles

Using early detection data to estimate the date of emergence of an epidemic outbreak.

While the first infection of an emerging disease is often unknown, information on early cases can be used to date it. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, previous studies have estimated dates of emergence (e.g., first human SARS-CoV-2 infection, emergence of the Alpha SARS-CoV-2 variant) using mainly genomic data. Another dating attempt used a stochastic population dynamics approach and the date of the first reported case. Here, we extend this approach to use a larger set of early reported cases to estimate the delay from first infection to the Nth case. We first validate our framework by running our model on simulated data. We then apply our model using data on Alpha variant infections in the UK, dating the first Alpha infection at (median) August 21, 2020 (95% interpercentile range across retained simulations (IPR): July 23-September 5, 2020). Next, we apply our model to data on COVID-19 cases with symptom onset before mid-January 2020. We date the first SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan at (median) November 28, 2019 (95% IPR: November 2-December 9, 2019). Our results fall within ranges previously estimated by studies relying on genomic data. Our population dynamics-based modelling framework is generic and flexible, and thus can be applied to estimate the starting time of outbreaks in contexts other than COVID-19.

Public Relations Management After COVID-19 Lockdown: A Case Study of Wuhan, China

The aim of the research study was to understand the effectiveness of the public relations strategies of crisis communication and how impactful they were for saving the image of Wuhan city after the pandemic. Wuhan was hailed as the epicentre of Corona virus infections as the initial infections have spread from this place. Thus, the image of this prominent city was maligned not only towards the local and national audience, but the international audience as well. Thus, the Wuhan government took up most of the necessary public relations strategies to restore the image of the city among the national and international audience. This paper has intrinsically dealt with the opinions from the different sample population on the effectiveness of the crisis communication done by the PR strategists of the Wuhan government. From most of the respondents it has been found out that Wuhan government and its public relations strategies were wholly operated through the digital medium and this has helped in restoring the image of the image to greater and effective extent. Through the disposition of information through different social media networking sites like Facebook and Sina Weibo, the PR strategists were able to provide information on the improvements in the city condition and the reduction of infection in Wuhan along with other positive news articles. However from the respondents it has been also found that, including lesser opinion from the public, decrease in the participation of the common mass in the information dissemination process by the Wuhan government has decreased the effectiveness of the image restoration PR strategy in the Wuhan city. The research study concludes that while the PR crisis communication and its strategies have been helpful towards restoring the image of the city, there are still some loop holes that needs to be fixed.

A follow-up study of post-COVID-19 syndrome in hospitalized children with Omicron variant infection in Wuhan.

Since the Chinese government changed its COVID-19 prevention and control policies, the rapid spread of the omicron variant resulted in a pervasive surge of infections throughout the nation, particularly affecting children. Although the acute symptoms of children infected with COVID-19 are milder compared to adults, the impact of post-COVID-19 syndromes (PCS) on the growth and development of children should not be ignored. The clinical manifestations, treatment methods, and long-term effects of children are significantly different from those of adults, making it necessary to understand the phenotype of children with PCS in order to effectively manage their health. The study focuses on hospitalized children infected with omicron variant in Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University from December 7, 2022, to January 5, 2023. Three telephone follow-ups with the guardians was conducted at 4-5 weeks, 12-13 weeks, and 24-25 weeks after the patients' discharge to understand their prevalence, clinical characteristics, and risk factors of PCS. The age range of the 112 hospitalized pediatric patients was 0-13 years, with a median age of 19 months. After three follow-ups, 49.1% patients had PCS, while the incidence of PCS persisting 3 month was 21.4%, with a prevalence of PCS persisting 6 month of 10.7%. From the first follow-up phase to the third phase, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of PCS. In infants, the most common persistent symptom was sleep disorder (19.2%), followed by respiratory symptoms, diarrhea (8.2%), and decreased appetite (6.8%). In children and adolescents, decreased appetite was the most common persistent symptom (30.8%), followed by respiratory symptoms, fatigue (15.4%), and mood changes (15.4%). Decreased appetite was more common in the children and adolescents, while diarrhea and sleep disorders were more common in the infants. Binary logistic regression analysis and ordered logistic regression analysis showed that times of illness (OR = 1.671, 95% CI: 1.339-2.086) were positively correlated with the duration of symptoms. Times of illness was positively correlated with cough/expectoration (OR = 1.491, 95% CI: 1.039-2.138). Age (OR = 0.844, 95% CI: 0.755-0.944) and re-hospitalization (OR = 0.146, 95% CI: 0.022-0.969) were positively correlated with sleep disorders. Children with Omicron variant may still experience PCS, but the incidence is lower compared to adults and compared to other variants and the incidence of PCS will gradually decrease over time. The symptoms of PCS differ between older children and infants and it is necessary to prevent recurrent illness for at least half a year after COVID-19 recovery. In order to further understand and ameliorate the impact of PCS on the health of children infected with COVID-19, subsequent follow-up studies will expand the scope, combine with objective follow-up contents, and establish an assessment and management system especially for children of different ages.

Epidemiological and clinical profile of pediatric hepatitis B virus infections in Wuhan: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a substantial public health safety concern drawing considerable attention in China and globally. The detection of HBV serological markers can enable the assessment of HBV infection and replication status in vivo and evaluate the body’s protection against HBV. Therefore, this study aims to identify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of HBV infection in children to prevent and control HBV infection in Wuhan areas.MethodsWe conducted an extensive retrospective cohort analysis of 115,029 individuals aged 0–18 years who underwent HBV serological markers detection for HBV infection in hospital between 2018 and 2021 using Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. We generated descriptive statistics and analysed HBV infection’s epidemiological and clinical characteristics between different sex and age groups.ResultsThe overall positive detection rates of HBsAg, HBsAb, HBeAg, HBeAb, and HBcAb in all participants were 0.13%, 79.09%, 0.17%, 2.81%, and 5.82%, respectively. The positive rate of HBeAb and HBcAb in males was significantly lower than that in females (2.64% vs. 3.13%, 5.56% vs. 6.29%) (P < 0.05). Twenty-two distinct HBV serological expression patterns were revealed. Among them, 8 common expression patterns accounted for 99.63%, while the remaining 14 uncommon expression patterns were primarily observed in neonatal patients with HBV infection. There are no significant differences in serological patterns based on sex (P < 0.05). The overall HBV infection detection rate was 5.82% [range 5.68–5.95] and showed a declining yearly trend. The rate in females was higher than that in males 6.29% [6.05, 6.35] vs. 5.56% [5.39, 5.59]. The overall HBV diagnostic rate over 4 years was 0.20% [0.17, 0.22], and the rate declined yearly. The prevalence of acute infection was higher than that of other infection types before 2019, but the incidence of unclassified infection showed a significant upward trend after 2019.ConclusionsWhile the overall HBV infection detection rate in children has decreased year by year, the infection rate remains high in children under one year and between 4 and 18 years. This continued prevalence warrants heightened attention and vigilance.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Patients Recovered From COVID-19 Infection in Wuhan, China: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.

Although patients recovered from COVID-19 already have immunity gained from natural infection, they are still at risk of reinfection due to the emergence of new variants of COVID-19 and the diminishing of naturally acquired immunity over time. Vaccination is associated with efficacious protection against COVID-19 infection and could boost infection-acquired immunity; however, various COVID-19 survivors have not been vaccinated due to vaccine hesitancy. The aim of this study was to investigate COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and related factors among COVID-19 survivors. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among patients who recovered from COVID-19 infection in Wuhan, China, between June 10 and July 25, 2021. The questionnaire included sociodemographic information, items on COVID-19 infection, the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy scale based on the 3Cs (complacency, convenience, and confidence) model, trust in vaccine manufacturers and health facilities, and reasons for the decision to accept COVID-19 vaccination. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Among the 1422 participants, 538 (37.8%) were not vaccinated against COVID-19. The COVID-19-recovered patients who self-reported having a current unhealthy status expressed more hesitancy about the COVID-19 vaccine than those who perceived themselves to be healthy (odds ratio [OR] 0.45, 95% CI 0.28-0.71). Compared to the asymptomatic patients, patients with mild symptoms were more likely to receive a COVID-19 vaccine (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.02-2.82). Regarding the 3Cs model, high complacency (P=.005) and low convenience (P=.004) were significant negative factors for COVID-19 vaccination. Trust in vaccine manufacturers and health facilities was a significant positive factor for COVID-19 vaccination (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.09-1.19). "Self-needs" was the main reason for patients to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, whereas "already have antibodies and do not need vaccination" was the main reason for patients to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Among the three major factors of vaccine hesitancy, complacency proved to be the most notable among COVID-19-recovered patients. Therefore, educational campaigns can focus on raising the awareness of risk of infection and the benefits of vaccination to reduce complacency toward vaccination among this population. In particular, for individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, improving factors related to convenience such as transportation, the environment of vaccination, and providing door-to-door service was also deemed necessary to facilitate their vaccination. In addition, addressing the concerns about vaccination of COVID-19-recovered patients could foster trust and promote their uptake of vaccination.

A great pediatrician and scholar devoting his whole life to pediatric infectious and digestive diseases—In memoriam of Professor Yongsui Dong

A great pediatrician and scholar devoting his whole life to pediatric infectious and digestive diseases—In memoriam of Professor Yongsui Dong

Characterization of red eye cases presented to the eye emergency clinic at a tertiary care hospital during COVID-19 Pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) was notified by China on December 31, 2019, of a pneumonia outbreak severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-19 virus infection in Wuhan. This outbreak was declared by the WHO from the Public Health Emergency of International Concern to formal declaration as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Because the public health measures like lockdown, the eye care delivery system was markedly impacted. The aim of this study was to find out if any pattern change of red eye cases among patients who attended eye accident and emergency (A and E) in a tertiary care hospital during COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared to 2019 and 2018. This was a cohort retrospective study which included all patients who presented to eye A and E clinic with red eye from March 1 to July 31 in 2018, 2019, and 2020. Data were analyzed using statistical tools in the SPSS software. Furthermore, the clinical records of 578 inpatients with proven COVID-19 were reviewed for any red eye problem. Out of 7895 eye patients attended eye A and E clinic during March-July of 2018, 2019, and 2020, 1573 (19.9%) patients had red eye. Males were slightly dominant with 59%, and unilateral cases were the majority among them. The most common causes of red eye in 2018 and 2019 were injury, conjunctivitis, and keratitis; whereas in 2020, a clear dominance of injury and keratitis cases was found. Only 10 (2.03%) patients out of the 493 outpatients with red eye during the 5-month period in 2020 reported a prior contact to a COVID-19 positive case; of whom nine patients had conjunctivitis, and one had a right eye open globe injury. Of the 578 inpatients with proven COVID-19, only 1 (0.17%) patient had red eye with the diagnosis of conjunctivitis. There was relatively increased number of adults reporting with red eye in 2020. Eye injuries were the most common among all years, followed by conjunctivitis and keratitis. Ocular problems, however, might be a primary or secondary COVID-19 complaint and seem to be relatively uncommon in COVID-19 individuals.

Dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in French Guiana in 2020-2021: 4 epidemic waves with cross-influences from Europe and South America.

Since the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan in December 2019, this RNA virus gave rise to different viral lineages with different virological, epidemiological and immunological properties. Here we describe the dynamics of circulation of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in an Amazonian South American French overseas territory, French Guiana (FG). The data analyzed are based on the general epidemic course, and genomic surveillance data come from whole genome sequencing (WGS) as well as typing PCRs. From March 2020 to October 2021, four COVID-19 epidemic waves were observed in FG with an evolution of viral lineages influenced by virus introductions from continental France and above all by land-based introductions from neighbouring countries. The third epidemic wave from March to June 2021 was driven by a predominant Gamma introduced from Brazil and a less frequent Alpha introduced from France. This coexistence was completely substituted by Delta that initiated the fourth epidemic wave.

Uncertainty Modeling of a Modified SEIR Epidemic Model for COVID-19.

Simple SummaryThis paper proposes a modified SEIR model to study COVID-19 in Wuhan. The modified model is calibrated by the public number of COVID-19 hospitalization cases in Wuhan. The paper further uses this model to estimate the earliest date of COVID-19 infection in Wuhan, which is in agreement with some existing results.Based on SEIR (susceptible–exposed–infectious–removed) epidemic model, we propose a modified epidemic mathematical model to describe the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Wuhan, China. Using public data, the uncertainty parameters of the proposed model for COVID-19 in Wuhan were calibrated. The uncertainty of the control basic reproduction number was studied with the posterior probability density function of the uncertainty model parameters. The mathematical model was used to inverse deduce the earliest start date of COVID-19 infection in Wuhan with consideration of the lack of information for the initial conditions of the model. The result of the uncertainty analysis of the model is in line with the observed data for COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. The numerical results show that the modified mathematical model could model the spread of COVID-19 epidemics.

Assessment of Antibody and T-Cell Responses to the SARS-CoV-2 Virus and Omicron Variant in Unvaccinated Individuals Recovered From COVID-19 Infection in Wuhan, China

This cohort study examines immune system responses to the Omicron strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus among unvaccinated individuals in Wuhan, China, who recovered from infection with the initial strain of the virus.

COVID-19 Clinical Presentation Among HIV-Infected Persons in China: A Systematic Review.

Purpose of ReviewThe impact of HIV infection on the natural history of COVID-19 is unknown, given the recency of the human spread of SARS-CoV-2 (CoV). We reviewed published case series/reports of CoV-HIV coinfections to clarify epidemiologic and clinical features in China, the first nation with pandemic experience.Recent FindingsAssuming that HIV-infected persons were at average risk of CoV infection in Wuhan, we estimated HIV-CoV coinfected persons to number 412 (95%CI: 381-442); our review encompassed an estimated 16.7% (69/412) of Wuhan. Men (many of whom reported sex with other men) accounted for 71.1% (54/76) of the cases reported in China. The median age was 48.0 years old (range 24-77, interquartile:37-57). The median CD4+ cell count at the last clinical visit was 421 cells/μL; 83.0% had an undetectable viral load. Among 31 patients with clinical details reported, fatigue (41.9%), respiratory distress (41.9%), and gastrointestinal symptoms (26.7%) were most common. Among the 52 cases reporting COVID-19 clinical severity, 46.2% were severe, 44.2% mild, and 9.6% asymptomatic COVID-19. Late antiretroviral therapy (ART) was reported by 30.4% (7/23) among whom 57.1% (4/7) were confirmed as severe COVID-19. The case fatality rate was 9.1% (3/33). Severe disease and death were less common among persons who took ART prior to the COVID-19 diagnosis. Of 16 reported IL-6 results, 68.7% were within the normal range.SummaryEarlier use of ART was associated with a better COVID-19 prognosis with CoV-HIV co-infection reported from China through early 2021, but small sample sizes limit definitive conclusions.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11904-022-00606-0.

The Need for Modernization of Biosecurity in the Post-COVID World.

ABSTRACTAt present, there are two hypotheses about the emergence of SARS-CoV-2; the first is that it was due to a naturally occurring zoonotic jump, and the second contends that it spread due to an accidental dispersion of a laboratory-acquired infection in Wuhan, China. While the pandemic’s actual origins remain occluded, it is useful to examine the latter possibility as a paradigm for evaluating biosecurity policy in the post-COVID world. While the pandemic may not have emerged from a research lab, this is possible with research on dangerous pathogens and prompts questions for biosecurity. How might biosecurity protections for such research be modernized while still enabling important, necessary public health research that utilizes dual-use or gain-of-function capabilities? As the world takes urgent action to mitigate shortcomings in the response to COVID-19, such questions and their potential solutions are vital to inform and direct future life science and technology endeavors.

Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading all over the world. The main symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, fatigue, and myalgia. However, there are few reports on olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19. Our objective was to investigate the incidence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in patients with COVID-19 infection in Wuhan, China. In this retrospective study, we collected 81 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from February 2020 to March 2020, and analyzed the demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations (including olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions), laboratory findings, and comorbidities. In total, 81 confirmed COVID-19 patients were enrolled in this study (38 males and 43 females). The study showed that the most prevalent symptoms included cough, myalgia, and loss of appetite. On admission, 25 (30.9%) of all patients reported either olfactory dysfunction (OD) or gustatory dysfunction (GD), and 7 (8.6%) reported both OD and GD. Overall, 13.6% and 25.9% of all patients reported OD and GD, respectively. OD and GD were not associated with disease severity. Pearson correlation analysis identified some factors that are correlated with OD and GD, including headache or dizziness (r = 0.342, P = 0.002), dark urine (r = 0.256, P = 0.021), IgM titer (r = 0.305, P = 0.01), and diabetes (r = 0.275, P = 0.013). Multivariate adjusted logistic analysis showed that patients with headache or dizziness (OR = 7.382, 95%CI: 1.028-53.022) and diabetics (OR = 6.871, 95%CI: 1.096-43.086) were at higher risk of developing OD. In addition, patients with high IgM titers (OR = 1.006, 95%CI: 1.000-1.006) and diabetes (OR = 4.335, 95%CI: 1.098-17.287) were at high risk of developing GD. In 81.8% of the cases with OD and 28.6% of the cases with GD, the symptoms lasted for at least one month after discharge. In addition, 3.6% of inpatients without OD developed OD after discharge. These findings suggest that OD and GD are common in COVID-19. These symptoms appear early during the course of the disease and may last for one month. The incidence of OD and GD is related to neurological manifestations, diabetics, and IgM titers.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for COVID-19: Case Report of Nine Patients.

Covid-19, Coronavirus disease 2019; ARDS, Acute respiratory distress syndrome; ECMO, Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation; WHO, World Health Organization; ICUs, Intensive care units. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a fatal comorbidity of critically ill patients with COVID-19, who often end up on respiratory support. However, the safety and effectiveness of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in the treatment of COVID-19 remains to be elucidated at present. Here, we report on nine patients who received ECMO due to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan, China. Our initial experiences suggest that carefully selecting patients, as well as management by a well-trained team, are critical to implementing ECMO in patients with COVID-19. More randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are needed to evaluate the usefulness of ECMO in patients with COVID-19.

Artemether, Artesunate, Arteannuin B, Echinatin, Licochalcone B and Andrographolide Effectively Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and Related Viruses In Vitro.

Since the first reported case caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infection in Wuhan, COVID-19 has caused serious deaths and an ongoing global pandemic, and it is still raging in more than 200 countries and regions around the world and many new variants have appeared in the process of continuous transmission. In the early stage of the epidemic prevention and control and clinical treatment, traditional Chinese medicine played a huge role in China. Here, we screened out six monomer compounds, including artemether, artesunate, arteannuin B, echinatin, licochalcone B and andrographolide, with excellent anti-SARS-CoV-2 and anti-GX_P2V activity from Anti-COVID-19 Traditional Chinese Medicine Compound Library containing 389 monomer compounds extracted from traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions “three formulas and three drugs”. Our discovery preliminary proved the stage of action of those compounds against SARS-CoV-2 and provided inspiration for further research and clinical applications.

Epidemiology of COVID-19 scenario in India

There was an outbreak of a new Coronavirus infection in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in late December 2019, which caused acute respiratory syndrome of unknown etiology. The World Health Organization (WHO) named the viral causal agent as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV2) or COVID-19, and declared this infection as a pandemic on the 11th of March, 2020. The first case of COVID-19 infection in India was reported on late January, 2020, and since then the numbers of confirmed cases have been increasing; thus the government had announced total lockdown of all activities. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus experience mild to moderate respiratory illness, and recover without the need for special treatments. The elderly people and those with medical problems such as; cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease and cancer; are more likely to develop severe illness. Globally, corona virus cases rose to more than 500,000 for the first time on the 27th of October, 2020. Within two weeks and since 30th of October, 2020, COVID-19 cases had risen by almost 25 %, and about 400,000 daily cases were reported worldwide. The United States (US) was leading the global corona virus crisis with 8.9 million recorded infections and nearly 228,000 deaths worldwide. Asia had surpassed 10 million infections of the new corona virus on the 31of October, 2020, and India reported an average of 48,000 cases daily with a total of 8 million cases. The aim of this review was to explore the epidemiological prevalence of COVID-19 in India along with age and gender stratified prevalence of this viral infection.

Neurological manifestation as an implication of COVID-19 pandemic at a hospital in Aceh, Indonesia

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) has quickly spread to more than 200 countries as a global health pandemic. The outbreak of the COVID-19 infection in Wuhan (China) has brought its clinicians to investigate different manifestations, including neurological presentations of this novel infection. As of 12 October 2020, the number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 1.08 million worldwide, with 11,935 cases in Indonesia and 209 cases in Aceh. This study aimed to determine the neurological manifestations in patients confirmed with COVID-19.Methods: A Retrospective cross-sectional study design from neurology patients who diagnosed with COVID-19 and were hospitalized at the Dr. Zainoel Abidin Hospital from March to September 2020. COVID-19 diagnosis was confirmed with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab test that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.Results: We collected 36 cases, consisting of 19 males (53%) and 17 females (47%) with a mean age of&gt; 60 years 47%. According to the comorbidities data, 53% of patients were smoking, 47% had hypertension, 8% had diabetes mellitus, 8% had a history of stroke, and 8% had malignancy. Neurological manifestations included limbs weakness and cranial nerve paresis (55%), decreased consciousness (39%), and headache (22%). At admission, several patients had stroke (47%), cephalgia (14%), metabolic encephalopathy (8%), and vertigo (5%). Finally, 16 patients died during the period of observation.Conclusion: Patients with COVID-19 commonly have neurological manifestations such as limb weakness, cranial nerve paresis, decreased consciousness, headache, dizziness, olfactory disturbances, and seizures.

Association of Gender With Outcomes in Hospitalized Patients With 2019-nCoV Infection in Wuhan.

Aim: The aim of this study was to analyze the association of gender with psychological status and clinical outcomes among patients with 2019-nCoV infection to provide new directions for the prevention and control of the pandemic.Methods: One hundred and thirty-eight patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection at Wuhan Union Hospital, between February 8 and March 31, 2020, were included in the study analysis. General information and data on clinical characteristics were collected from patients' medical records. Participants' responses to self-report measures of psychological status were also collected.Results: Anxiety levels, depression levels, and recovery rates were significantly higher among women compared to men. Conversely, chronic disease history and smoking rates, dry cough incidence, C-reactive protein levels, and disease severity were significantly higher among men than women (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Female patients experienced more severe psychological issues, due to higher levels of anxiety and stress, than male patients; indicating that more attention should be paid to the psychological care of female patients. In contrast, the general condition of male patients was more severe, particularly among elderly male patients with a history of chronic disease and smoking, suggesting that, to prevent and control 2019-nCoV infection, male patients should be encouraged to quit smoking as soon as possible to reduce the risk of severe pneumonia.

The association between short-term exposure to air pollutants and rotavirus infection in Wuhan, China.

The impact of various meteorological factors on rotavirus (RV) infection has been previously studied; however, few studies have explored the association between short-term exposure to air pollutants and RV infection. Daily RV positive cases among children aged 0-6 years were collected from July 2014 to August 2019 in Tongji hospital (Wuhan, China). Daily data on air temperature and air pollutants were obtained from the China Meteorological Network. A distributed lag model to explore the lagged effects of short-term exposure to air pollutants and RV infection was performed. The distribution lag model was used to study the lag effect of short-term exposure to air pollutants and RV infection. RV infection was negatively correlated with mean air temperature and O3 concentration. The RV infection risk decreased by 5.2% and 0.47% for every 1℃ increase in average temperature and 1 ug/m3 increase in O3 concentration, respectively. Increased PM2.5 , SO2 , and NO2 concentrations were independent risk factors for an increase in positive rates; their relative risk values were 1.0014 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0013-1.0015), 1.0050 (95% CI, 1.0047-1.0053), and 1.0030 (95% CI, 1.0028-1.0032), respectively. The highest RV-positive rates were from January to March and November to December. Additionally, children <18 months of age and boys were more vulnerable to infection. Air pollutants were important factors impacting the RV-positivity of children in Wuhan. These findings may help develop an early environment-based warning system to prevent and control RV infection.

Mass molecular testing for COVID19 using NGS-based technology and a highly scalable workflow

Since the first reported case of the new coronavirus infection in Wuhan, China, researchers and governments have witnessed an unseen rise in the number of cases. Thanks to the rapid work of Chinese scientists, the pathogen now called SARS-CoV-2 has been identified and its whole genome was deposited in public databases by early January 2020. The availability of the genome has allowed researchers to develop Reverse Transcription—Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) assays, which are now the gold-standard for molecular diagnosis of the respiratory syndrome COVID19. Because of the rising number of cases and rapid spreading, the world has been facing a shortage of RT-PCR supplies, especially the ones involved in RNA extraction. This has been a major bottleneck to increase testing capacity in many countries that do not significantly manufacture these supplies, such as Brazil. Additionally, RT-qPCR scalability is highly dependent on equipment that usually performs testing of 96 samples at a time. In this work, we describe a cost-effective molecular NGS-based test for diagnosis of COVID19, which uses a single-step RNA extraction and presents high scalability and accuracy when compared to the gold-standard RT-qPCR. A single run of the NGS-based test using the Illumina NextSeq 550 mid-end sequencing equipment is able to multiplex 1,536 patient’s samples, providing individual semi-qualitative results (detected, not detected). Detected results are provided with fragments per million (FPM) values, which was demonstrated to correlate with RT-qPCR Cycle Threshold (CT) values. Besides, usage of the high-end Illumina Novaseq platform may yield diagnostic for up to 6144 samples in a single run. Performance results when compared with RT-qPCR show general accuracy of 96%, and 98% when only samples with CT values (gene N) lower than 30 are considered. We have also developed an online platform, termed VarsVID, to help test executors to easily scale testing numbers. Sample registering, wet-lab worksheets generation, sample sheet for sequencing and results’ display are all features provided by VarsVID. Altogether, these results will contribute to control COVID19 pandemics.