Editor's Choice | Page 105 of 107 | Links Medicus Content Curation & Alerts in Medicine

Clinical update on COVID-19 for the emergency clinician: Presentation and evaluation.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:56h | UTC

Clinical update on COVID-19 for the emergency clinician: Presentation and evaluation – The American Journal of Emergency Medicine

Editorial: “Excess deaths” is the best metric for tracking the pandemic.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:54h | UTC

“Excess deaths” is the best metric for tracking the pandemic – The BMJ

The pandemic’s true death toll: millions more than official counts.

We can be confident there have been far more than 5 million global Covid deaths – “Estimating ‘excess’ fatalities, a more robust analysis method, puts the pandemic’s grim toll between 10m and 19m people”.

Global Covid-19 deaths surpass five million.

Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on life expectancy and premature mortality in 2020 – this time series analysis showed there were more than 28 million excess years of life lost in 2020 in 31 countries.

Under-reporting of deaths limits our understanding of true burden of covid-19.

Study shows COVID-19 has caused the biggest decrease in life expectancy since World War II.

Just how do deaths due to COVID-19 stack up?

Tracking excess mortality across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic with the World Mortality Dataset.

Exploring the gap between excess mortality and COVID-19 deaths in 67 countries.

Report: Three new estimates of India’s all-cause excess mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic – pandemic death toll estimated to be between 3.4 million and 4.9 million excess deaths.

COVID-19 has caused 6.9 million deaths globally, more than double what official reports show

Commentaries on Twitter

If you want to track the pandemic and compare performance, then 'excess deaths' is the best metric. @_Nazrul_Islam explains.

For example, UK excess deaths have been running at higher than predicted levels since the middle of 2021.@bmj_latest https://t.co/fiMpk4tiIj pic.twitter.com/SKIvStmxm8

— Kamran Abbasi (@KamranAbbasi) February 4, 2022

The pandemic has far reaching effects—direct and indirect—beyond illnesses and deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2. Using the metric of excess deaths can help us to track this, argues @_Nazrul_Islam https://t.co/PzxgPbkqk0

— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) February 4, 2022

CDC unveils its latest weapon in Covid-19 detection: wastewater.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:49h | UTC

CDC unveils its latest weapon in Covid-19 detection: wastewater – CNN

CDC Website: National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS): A new public health tool to understand COVID-19’s spread in a community – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC Report: Using Wastewater Surveillance Data to Support the COVID-19 Response — United States, 2020–2021.

Rapid, large-scale wastewater surveillance and automated reporting system enabled early detection of nearly 85% of COVID-19 cases on a University campus.

[Preprint] Wastewater genomic testing can effectively track COVID-19 variants of concern.

Human Waste Could Be The Next Big Weapon in Controlling COVID-19 – TIME

Next steps for wastewater testing to help end this pandemic — and prevent the next one – STAT

Sewage sleuths helped an Arizona town beat back Covid-19. For wastewater epidemiology, that’s just the start – STAT

The myriad ways sewage surveillance is helping fight COVID around the world – Nature

Testing sewage can give school districts, campuses and businesses a heads-up on the spread of COVID-19 – The Conversation

It’s time to begin a national wastewater testing program for Covid-19 – STAT

Coronavirus: Testing sewage an ‘easy win’ – BBC

Development of wastewater pooled surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 from congregate living settings – high sensitivity, but unable to distinguish new infectious cases from persistent convalescent shedding.

Critical appraisal of the new CDC article on the effectiveness of masks for the prevention of Covid-19.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:52h | UTC

Mask studies reach a new scientific low point – Vinay Prasad’s Observations and Thoughts

Original Study: Effectiveness of Face Mask or Respirator Use in Indoor Public Settings for Prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Infection — California, February–December 2021 – CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

CDC urges Americans to wear most-protective mask or respirator that fits well and that they’ll wear consistently.

Modeling COVID-19 mortality across 44 Countries: Face covering may reduce deaths.

What can masks do? Part 2: What makes for a good mask study — and why most fail.

Opinion | Why Are Americans Still—Still!—Wearing Cloth Masks?

Evidence shows that, yes, masks prevent COVID-19 – and surgical masks are the way to go.

Face masks for COVID pass their largest test yet – “A rigorous study finds that surgical masks are highly protective, but cloth masks fall short”.

[Preprint] Largest study of masks yet details their importance in fighting Covid-19.

Commentary on Twitter

A new @CDCMMWR study shows that people who reported always wearing masks or respirators in indoor public settings in California were less likely to test positive for #COVID19 compared with those who reported not wearing a face covering. Learn more. https://t.co/T8gaqiPHyI pic.twitter.com/6UJ9cs60NK

— CDC (@CDCgov) February 4, 2022

EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:43h | UTC

EULAR recommendations for cardiovascular risk management in rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases

How Denmark Decided COVID Isn’t a Critical Threat to Society – “The country became the first in the EU to lift all COVID restrictions despite leading the world in per capita infections”.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:48h | UTC

How Denmark Decided COVID Isn’t a Critical Threat to Society – The Atlantic

Covid: Europe set for ‘long period of tranquillity’ in pandemic, says WHO.

As Denmark scraps COVID restrictions, WHO urges caution.

Despite the ongoing spread of Omicron, some European countries have decided to lift Covid-19 restrictions.

Scientists admit their Covid mistakes – “Being proved wrong lies at the heart of scientific progress. Here, experts reveal what they got wrong during the pandemic”.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:46h | UTC

‘The case for masks became hugely stronger’: scientists admit their Covid mistakes – The Guardian

The costs and benefits of primary prevention of zoonotic pandemics.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:45h | UTC

The costs and benefits of primary prevention of zoonotic pandemics – Science Advances

Commentary: Preventing pandemics costs far less than controlling them – Duke University

ERC-ESICM guidelines on temperature control after cardiac arrest in adults.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:44h | UTC

ERC-ESICM guidelines on temperature control after cardiac arrest in adults – Intensive Care Medicine (if the link is paywalled, try this one)

M-A: In comatose survivors of cardiac arrest, targeted hypothermia is not associated with improved survival or better neurological outcomes vs. targeted normothermia.

RCT: In comatose survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, there was no difference in mortality and neurologic outcomes with mild (target temperature of 34 °C) vs. moderate therapeutic hypothermia (target temperature of 31 °C).

M-A: Targeted temperature management following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest – “Routine use of moderate or deep hypothermia in comatose survivors of OHCA may potentially be associated with more harm than benefit”.

RCT: In patients with coma after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, targeted hypothermia did not improve outcomes.

Commentary on Twitter

Temperature control post ROSC @ERC_resus @ESICM guidelines:
? monitor (core T) + prevent fever (min 72h)
❄️ insufficient evidence for/against 32-36°C or early cooling
Not recommended
? active rewarming (mild hypothermia)
? pre ? cooling (cold fluids)https://t.co/w6X8fLInzf pic.twitter.com/U8TWG1oUyV

— Intensive Care Medicine (@yourICM) January 28, 2022

A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands.

7 Feb, 2022 | 08:42h | UTC

A highly virulent variant of HIV-1 circulating in the Netherlands – Science

Commentaries:

New highly virulent and damaging HIV variant discovered in the Netherlands – University of Oxford

Highly virulent HIV variant found circulating in Europe – Nature

RCT: Ketamine is a short-term effective treatment for some suicidal patients in hospital.

4 Feb, 2022 | 10:05h | UTC

News Release: Ketamine is a short-term effective treatment for some suicidal patients in hospital – BMJ

Original Article: Ketamine for the acute treatment of severe suicidal ideation: double blind, randomised placebo controlled trial – The BMJ

Editorial: Ketamine for suicidal ideation – The BMJ

RCT: Ketamine induced remission in 46% of patients but was NOT non-inferior to electroconvulsive therapy for the treatment of hospitalized patients with unipolar depression.

Systematic Review: Ketamine for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.

Phase 2 RCT: Adjunctive ketamine with relapse prevention–based psychological therapy shows promise for the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

RCT: Effects of ketamine vs. midazolam on neurocognition at 24 hours in depressed patients with suicidal ideation.

Randomized trial: Repeated Ketamine administration for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder

Ketamine and Depression: A Narrative Review

Expert reaction to a preprint looking at the impact of lockdowns, as posted on the John Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences website.

4 Feb, 2022 | 10:03h | UTC

Expert reaction to a preprint looking at the impact of lockdowns, as posted on the John Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences website – Science Media Centre

Original Article: a Literature Review And Meta-Analysis Of The Effects Of Lockdowns On Covid-19 Mortality – John Hopkins Krieger School of Arts and Sciences

M-A: Effectiveness of public health measures in reducing the incidence of covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and covid-19 mortality.

Is the cure really worse than the disease? The health impacts of lockdowns during COVID-19 – “While there are certainly costs to be expected from intervening against COVID-19—every decision has a cost, after all—the counterfactual of an unmitigated epidemic makes these restrictions far less damaging than some have suggested”.

Does my hospitalized patient need an NPO-after-midnight order preoperatively?

4 Feb, 2022 | 09:58h | UTC

Does my hospitalized patient need an NPO-after-midnight order preoperatively? – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine

ESPEN practical guideline: Clinical nutrition in surgery – “Preoperative fasting from midnight is unnecessary in most patients. Patients undergoing surgery, who are considered to have no specific risk of aspiration, shall drink clear fluids until 2 h before anesthesia. Solids shall be allowed until 6 h before anesthesia.”

Pro-Con Debate: 1- vs 2-Hour Fast for Clear Liquids Before Anesthesia in Children.

Editorial: The rationale for the recommendations of the European Pediatric Fasting Guideline – “the authors of the 2021 ESAIC pediatric guideline have found reasons to recommend reductions to the minimum fasting times for infant formula to 4 h, for breast milk to 3 h and for clear fluids to 1 h”.

What the Omicron wave is revealing about human immunity.

4 Feb, 2022 | 10:01h | UTC

What the Omicron wave is revealing about human immunity – Nature

Consensus Statement: Preoperative Management of Medications for Neurologic Diseases.

4 Feb, 2022 | 10:00h | UTC

Preoperative Management of Medications for Neurologic Diseases – Mayo Clinic Proceedings

2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for microscopic polyangiitis.

4 Feb, 2022 | 09:54h | UTC

2022 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology classification criteria for microscopic polyangiitis – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary on Twitter

? # 2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for Rheumatology classification criteria for microscopic polyangiitis
1️⃣sensitivity 91%
2️⃣specificity 94%https://t.co/6pPHL8JGVH pic.twitter.com/NJdrS9c6gs

— ARD & RMD Open (@ARD_BMJ) February 2, 2022

Covid: Europe set for ‘long period of tranquillity’ in pandemic, says WHO.

4 Feb, 2022 | 09:54h | UTC

Covid: Europe set for ‘long period of tranquillity’ in pandemic, says WHO – The Guardian

2022 ACR/EULAR Classification Criteria for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis.

4 Feb, 2022 | 08:57h | UTC

2022 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology Classification Criteria for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary on Twitter

? # 2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis
1️⃣ sensitivity 85%
2️⃣ specificity 99%https://t.co/WWNk6n8Q09 pic.twitter.com/y41VnP39P7

— ARD & RMD Open (@ARD_BMJ) February 2, 2022

Experts question unusual authorization plan for Covid vaccine for kids under 5.

4 Feb, 2022 | 09:57h | UTC

Experts question unusual authorization plan for Covid vaccine for kids under 5 – STAT

Pfizer and BioNTech seeking emergency use authorization from FDA for Covid-19 vaccine for children younger than 5 – CNN

Pfizer asks FDA to allow COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 5 – Associated Press

Pfizer Asks FDA to Approve Its Vaccine for the Youngest Children – HealthDay

2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

4 Feb, 2022 | 09:00h | UTC

2022 American College of Rheumatology/European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology classification criteria for granulomatosis with polyangiitis – Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary on Twitter

? # 2022 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for granulomatosis with polyangiitis
1️⃣sensitivity 93%
2️⃣specificity 94%https://t.co/pJzZydezBB pic.twitter.com/2PafF2pbzo

— ARD & RMD Open (@ARD_BMJ) February 2, 2022

[Preprint] Results from the first Covid-19 human challenge study (deliberately infecting individuals in a controlled environment).

3 Feb, 2022 | 09:48h | UTC

Safety, tolerability and viral kinetics during SARS-CoV-2 human challenge – Research Square

Commentaries:

Scientists deliberately gave people COVID — here’s what they learnt – Nature

Expert reaction to a preprint looking at the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a COVID-19 human challenge study – Science Media Centre

First COVID-19 human challenge study yields infection clues – CIDRAP

Exposure to one nasal droplet enough for Covid infection – study – The Guardian

Perspective | SARS-CoV-2 human challenge studies — establishing the model during an evolving pandemic.

World’s first coronavirus “Human Challenge” study receives ethics approval in the UK (several texts on the subject) Are SARS-CoV-2 Human Challenge Trials Ethical? – “A clinical trial is underway in the UK in which young, healthy participants are exposed deliberately to SARS-CoV-2 to assess the viral inoculum needed to produce an infection and to test vaccine efficacy”.

Perspective: Challenges in inferring intrinsic severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant.

3 Feb, 2022 | 09:58h | UTC

Challenges in Inferring Intrinsic Severity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)

Commentary on Twitter

Omicron’s spread in South Africa has led to fewer hospitalizations and deaths than were seen during previous waves. But caution is warranted when it comes to making inferences about omicron’s intrinsic severity using population-level observations. #COVID19 https://t.co/xVb3tm8juc pic.twitter.com/HwNVvb5zpC

— NEJM (@NEJM) February 2, 2022

[Preprint] SARS-CoV-2 Omicron virus causes attenuated disease in mice and hamsters.

3 Feb, 2022 | 09:50h | UTC

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron virus causes attenuated disease in mice and hamsters – Nature

Commentary: Omicron causes less severe illness in animal models than previous variants – University of Wisconsin–Madison

Commentary on Twitter

Two reports @nature today for decreased pathogenicity of Omicron in experimental models cf prior variants, now 8 studies all concordant, summarized herehttps://t.co/1dVXE1eRkN https://t.co/E8PJylfwp0 pic.twitter.com/c3gqi9MhID

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) January 21, 2022