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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in December 2019 and quickly spread around the world, forcing global health authorities to develop protocols for its diagnosis. Here we report dimer formation in the N2 primers-probe set (CDC 2019-nCoV Real-Time RT-PCR) used in the diagnostic routine, and propose alternatives to reduce dimerization events. Late unspecific amplifications were visualized in 56.4% of negative samples and 57.1% of no-template control, but not in positive samples or positive control. In silico analysis and gel electrophoresis confirmed the dimer formation. The RT-qPCR parameters were optimized and the late unspecific amplifications decreased to 11.5% in negative samples and no-template control. The adjustment of PCR parameters was essential to reduce the risk of false-positives results and to avoid inclusive results requiring repeat testing, which increases the costs and generates delays in results or even unnecessary requests for new samples.

Describe and evaluate the outcome of a coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patient without shortness of breath.

We retrospectively collected data from COVID-19 patients diagnosed and cared for in Marseille, France. We selected data from patients who at admission, had a low dose CT scanner, dyspnea status, and oxygen saturation available. Blood gas was analyzed in a sample subset of patients.

Among 1712 patients with COVID-19, we report that 1107 (64.7%) do not complain of shortness of breath at admission. The low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan showed signs compatible with pneumonia in 757/1,107 (68.4%) of patients without dyspnea. In a subset of patients who had underwent at least one blood gas analysis (n = 161) and presented without dyspnea at admission, 28.1% (27/96) presented with a hypoxemia/hypocapnia syndrome. Asymptomatic hypoxia was associated with a very poor outcome (33.3% were transferred to the ICU and 25.9% died).

The absence of shortness of breath in an old patient with comorbidity merit medical attention and should not be considered as a good sign of well-being. The poor prognosis of asymptomatic hypoxia, highlight the severity of this mild clinical presentation. In these patients, pulse oximetry is an important mean to predict the outcome along with news score and LDCT scanner.

The absence of shortness of breath in an old patient with comorbidity merit medical attention and should not be considered as a good sign of well-being. The poor prognosis of asymptomatic hypoxia, highlight the severity of this mild clinical presentation. In these patients, pulse oximetry is an important mean to predict the outcome along with news score and LDCT scanner.

The high contagiousness and rapid spreading of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a high number of critical to severe life-threatening cases, which required urgent hospital admission and treatment in intensive care units (ICUs). The pandemic has been a tough test for all European national health systems and their capability to provide an adequate reaction.

The present work aims to reveal correlations between parameters such as COVID-19 incidence, ICU bed occupancy, ICU excess area, and mortality in Italian regions. Public data for the period of March 1 to July 16, 2020, were analyzed using several mathematical and statistical methods.

The analysis defined two separate groups of Italian regions. The examined variables considered within these groups were interlinked and dependent on each other. The regions of the two groups shared the same kind of fitted model (linear) explaining mortality as a function of cumulative incidence, but with higher value of the constant in one group, so characterized by a high intrinsic “strength” of the pandemic, certainly playing a major role in the generation of a large number of severe and life-threatening cases. These results are confirmed at European level. Other factors may condition mortality and be linked to incidence, such as ICU saturation and excess.

These quantitative results could be a very helpful tool to set up preventive measures and optimize biomedical interventions before the pandemic, in its recurrent waves, could overcome the reaction capacity of any public health system.

These quantitative results could be a very helpful tool to set up preventive measures and optimize biomedical interventions before the pandemic, in its recurrent waves, could overcome the reaction capacity of any public health system.

There is a high demand for SARS-CoV-2 testing to identify COVID-19 cases. Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) is the recommended diagnostic test but a number of constraints prevent its widespread implementation, including cost. The aim of this study was to evaluate a low cost and easy to use rapid antigen test for diagnosing COVID-19 at the point of care.

Nasopharyngeal swabs from suspected COVID-19 cases and low-risk volunteers were tested with the STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test and the results were compared with the qRT-PCR results.

In total, 262 samples were collected, including 90 qRT-PCR positives. The majority of samples were from males (89%) with a mean age of 34 years and only 13 (14%) of the positives were mildly symptomatic. check details The sensitivity and specificity of the antigen test were 70.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 60-79) and 92% (95% CI 87-96), respectively, and the diagnostic accuracy was 84% (95% CI 79-88). The antigen test was more likely to be positive for samples with qRT-PCR Ct values ≤29, with a sensitivity of 92%.

The STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test performed less than optimally in this evaluation. However, the test may still have an important role to play early in infection when timely access to molecular testing is not available but the results should be confirmed by qRT-PCR.

The STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test performed less than optimally in this evaluation. However, the test may still have an important role to play early in infection when timely access to molecular testing is not available but the results should be confirmed by qRT-PCR.COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) is widely used as a treatment. While safety data are enough, high-level evidences of efficacy are still missing. We summarize here the results from randomized controlled trials (RCT) published to date and analyze their flaws and biases. We then provide suggestions for next round of CCP RCTs, discussing specification of CCP, therapeutic dose, timing, control arm, disease stage, and outcome measures.