Infectious Diseases (all articles)
Opinion | What does public health really mean? Lessons from covid-19.
27 Jul, 2021 | 03:46h | UTCWhat does public health really mean? Lessons from covid-19 – The BMJ Opinion
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Now out in BMJ, our new piece
What does public health mean??@MonicaGandhi9 @sdbaral and I remind us of 10 principles of Public Health
(just wait for #6)https://t.co/ceAHUca7b3
🧵 pic.twitter.com/2vZCG8vAEx— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) July 26, 2021
[Preprint] Test-negative case-control study: Effectiveness of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in older people during SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant transmission in Brazil – Adjusted effectiveness was 77.9% for symptomatic Covid-19, 87.6% against hospitalization, and 93.6% against death.
27 Jul, 2021 | 03:41h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
https://twitter.com/MHitchingsEpi/status/1418599162795360260
[Preprint] Test-negative case-control study: Effectiveness of CoronaVac vaccine in older people during SARS-CoV-2 Gamma variant transmission in Brazil – Adjusted vaccine effectiveness was 41.6% for symptomatic Covid-19, 59.0% against hospitalizations and 71.4% against deaths.
27 Jul, 2021 | 03:39h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
https://twitter.com/MHitchingsEpi/status/1418599162795360260
NICE Guideline | Clostridioides difficile infection: antimicrobial prescribing.
27 Jul, 2021 | 03:34h | UTCInfographic: Clostridioides difficile infection: antimicrobial prescribing
Related:
Review | My Treatment Approach to Clostridioides difficile Infection.
CoronaVac vaccine: its results are patchy, but the world can’t ignore its usefulness.
27 Jul, 2021 | 03:38h | UTCRelated:
RCT: CoronaVac showed efficacy of 83.5% for preventing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
WHO approval of Chinese CoronaVac COVID vaccine will be crucial to curbing pandemic.
Brazilian town experiment shows mass vaccination can wipe out COVID-19.
Cluster RCT: Effectiveness of a tailored intervention to reduce antibiotics for urinary tract infections in nursing home residents.
27 Jul, 2021 | 03:25h | UTCEffectiveness of a tailored intervention to reduce antibiotics for urinary tract infections in nursing home residents: a cluster, randomised controlled trial – The Lancet Infectious Diseases (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary on Twitter
In this open-label, cluster randomised controlled trial, there was reduction in the number of antibiotic prescriptions for urinary tract infections by 58% in Danish nursing home residents without substantially increasing the risk of all-cause hospitalisa… https://t.co/LXO0LIFmTU
— Abid Hussain (@MicrobLog_me_uk) July 23, 2021
[Preprint] RCT: In patients with COVID-19 and severe hypoxia, dexamethasone 12 mg did NOT result in statistically significant improved outcomes compared to dexamethasone 6 mg – “Mortality at 28 days was 27.1% and 32.3% in patients assigned to 12 mg and 6 mg, respectively (adjusted relative risk 0.86, 99% CI, 0.68-1.08)”.
26 Jul, 2021 | 03:01h | UTC
Cohort study: Neurological manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospitalized children and adolescents in the UK – “around 1 in 20 of children hospitalized with COVID-19 develop brain or nerve complications linked to the viral infection”.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:58h | UTCCommentaries:
Commentary on Twitter
A UK national prospective study of brain involvement in children hospitalized with covid: wide range of neurologic complications in 51 kidshttps://t.co/4JvjbthgH4 @LancetChildAdol pic.twitter.com/IiXF9bVmKz
— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) July 14, 2021
Large cohort study finds one in two hospitalized COVID-19 patients develop a complication.
26 Jul, 2021 | 03:00h | UTCCommentaries:
In-hospital complications associated with COVID-19 – The Lancet
CV Complications Common in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients – TCTMD
Almost Half of Patients Admitted With COVID-19 Have Complications – HealthDay
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
NEW—An observational study of >70,000 people in the UK hospitalised with severe #COVID19 finds 1 in 2 developed at least one health complication. Authors warn of significant challenges for individuals and health & social care in the coming years.
🔗 https://t.co/CTLsPJcGZ7 pic.twitter.com/voMEDVXO9U
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) July 15, 2021
Study: Lateral flow antigen testing can rapidly and accurately detect early COVID-19 among patients presenting with flu-like illness and can be a plausible alternative to RT-PCR.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:56h | UTCNews release: Lateral flow tests are 95% effective at detecting Covid-19 when used at the onset of symptoms – University of Oxford
Related:
Rapid point-of-care tests for diagnosing COVID-19 infection: the latest Cochrane evidence
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Comparing the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care lateral flow antigen testing for SARS-CoV-2 with RT-PCR in primary care (REAP-2)
Thread on today's @EDGEclinical paper, with some recommendations at the end for how we can improve UK testing. 🧵
— The Sharing Scientist (@ScienceShared) July 14, 2021
M-A: Psychiatric patients at increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:57h | UTCNews release: Psychiatric patients at increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and mortality – European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Study: Among kidney transplant recipients who did not respond after 2 doses, a third dose of an mRNA-1273 vaccine induced a serologic response in 49% of patients.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:54h | UTCCommentary: Case Mounts for COVID Vaccine Boosters in Kidney Transplant Recipients – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Related:
[Preprint] 3rd AstraZeneca shot gives strong immunity.
Commentary on Twitter
JUST PUBLISHED @JAMANetwork
✔️N=159 kidney #transplant recipients
✔️3rd dose of #mRNA #Moderna #vaccine induced a #serologic response in 49% of kidney transplant recipients who did not respond after 2 doseshttps://t.co/NCDyraI98x#RealTimeCOVID19 @IDSAInfo @HIV_TID @AST_info— COVID-19 Real-Time Learning Network (RTLN) (@RealTimeCOVID19) July 24, 2021
Case report: Kawasaki-like multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in an adult.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:52h | UTCRelated:
Case report: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in an adult after SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Case series of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection
Case Reports: 2 Adults with Kawasaki-like Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated with COVID-19
COVID vaccines to reach poorest countries in 2023 — “Amid a COVID surge in Africa, vaccine promises from richer nations are not enough to bring an early end to the pandemic, experts say”.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:51h | UTCCOVID vaccines to reach poorest countries in 2023 — despite recent pledges – Nature
Editorial | Antibiotic overuse: managing uncertainty and mitigating against overtreatment.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:16h | UTCAntibiotic overuse: managing uncertainty and mitigating against overtreatment – BMJ Quality & Safety
Commentary on Twitter
Our editorial in @BMJ_Qual_Saf discusses uncertainty and antibiotic overuse, and identifies 4 strategies to address the tendency to prescribe 'just in case'. @EM_Krockow https://t.co/kvIG5uxxOL pic.twitter.com/eTIuqGOj1o
— Prof Carolyn Tarrant (@carolynctarrant) July 21, 2021
WHO: Vaccine inequity undermining global economic recovery.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:53h | UTCNews release: Vaccine inequity undermining global economic recovery – World Health Organization
Dashboard: Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity
Commentaries: Urgent need for COVID-19 vaccine equity – University of Oxford AND COVID-19 Vaccine Inequity Undermines Global Economic Recovery – Health Policy Watch
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
COVID-19 vaccine inequity is undermining 🌍 economic recovery. 🆕WHO, @UNDP and @BlavatnikSchool Dashboard on #VaccinEquity finds that low-income countries would add $38B to their GDP forecast if they had the same vaccination rate as high-income countrieshttps://t.co/BsYF2eYL1G
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 22, 2021
Opinion | Tocilizumab in COVID-19 therapy: who benefits, and how? – the researchers suggest that maybe IL-6 inhibitors should be given only to patients with high IL-6.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:51h | UTCTocilizumab in COVID-19 therapy: who benefits, and how? – The Lancet
Related: A living WHO guideline on drugs for covid-19 – interleukin-6 receptor blockers are now recommended for patients with severe or critical covid-19. AND M-A: Association Between Administration of IL-6 Antagonists and Mortality Among Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19 – “The 4% absolute risk reduction in mortality from 25% to 21% with IL-6 inhibition added to glucocorticoids may not translate to patients with a lower baseline mortality risk and likely do not justify the additional expense and risk for toxicities for patients hospitalized with modest oxygen requirements and a stable clinical course (from editorial)”. AND RECOVERY trial: In hospitalized COVID-19 patients with hypoxia and systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein ≥75 mg/L), tocilizumab improved survival and other clinical outcomes AND Secondary analysis of RCT finds Tocilizumab was beneficial to patients hospitalized with Covid-19 if CRP levels were greater than 15.0 mg/dL, but not if CRP levels were 15.0 mg/dL or less. AND M-A: Tocilizumab in COVID-19 – “For hospitalized COVID-19 patients, there is some evidence that tocilizumab use may be associated with a short-term mortality benefit, but further high-quality data are required”.
Perspective | SARS-CoV-2 human challenge studies — establishing the model during an evolving pandemic.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:49h | UTCRelated: World’s first coronavirus “Human Challenge” study receives ethics approval in the UK (several texts on the subject) AND 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”.
What are the Delta, Gamma, Beta and Alpha Covid variants?
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:45h | UTCWhat are the Delta, Gamma, Beta and Alpha Covid variants? – BBC
Related: Increased transmissibility and global spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern – “Estimated transmissibility increases of alpha 29% (95% CI: 24–33), beta 25% (95% CI: 20–30), gamma 38% (95% CI: 29–48) & delta 97% (95% CI: 76–117)”. AND WHO renames COVID-19 variants with the Greek alphabet (i.e., Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc), making them simple, easy to say and remember. The naming system aims to prevent calling COVID-19 variants by the places where they are detected, which is stigmatizing & discriminatory.
Secondary sclerosing cholangitis: an emerging complication in critically ill COVID-19 patients.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:47h | UTC
How the Delta variant achieves its ultrafast spread – “Viral load is roughly 1,000 times higher in people infected with the Delta variant than those infected with the original coronavirus strain, according to a study in China”.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:46h | UTCHow the Delta variant achieves its ultrafast spread – Nature
The Lambda variant: is it more infectious, and can it escape vaccines? A virologist explains.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:43h | UTCRelated: Lambda, the Newest WHO Variant of Interest, is Now in 29 Countries – Health Policy Watch
CDC releases new guidelines for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:41h | UTCTable of Contents: Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021
Related (just released): WHO Guidelines for the management of symptomatic sexually transmitted infections.
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Here's my greatest hits from today’s new @CDCSTD #STI Treatment Guidelines: a 🧵
1)#STI guidelines instead of #STD!
2)Expedited Partner Therapy: not just for “heterosexuals” 👏
3)#HepatitisC: screen all pregnant people
4)Rectal/throat GC/CT: consider for non-MSM like teens 👏 pic.twitter.com/gfEhrWpMKA— Ina Park (@InaParkMD) July 22, 2021
RCT: Dolutegravir or Darunavir in combination with Zidovudine or Tenofovir to treat HIV.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:25h | UTCDolutegravir or Darunavir in Combination with Zidovudine or Tenofovir to Treat HIV – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Dolutegravir Confirmed as Effective Second-Line HIV Therapy; Recycling Tenofovir Noninferior to Zidovudine – Medscape (free registration required)
Study shows AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines are effective against Delta variant, but both doses are needed.
22 Jul, 2021 | 11:16h | UTCCommentaries: Study Finds Pfizer And AstraZeneca Vaccines Effective Against The Delta Variant — As Long As You Get Both Doses – Forbes AND Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine works very well against the Delta variant — but only after 2 doses – Insider
Related: [Preprint] 2 doses of Covid vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca) highly effective against hospitalization from Delta variant. AND Reduced sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 variant Delta to antibody neutralization. AND Should I get my second AstraZeneca dose? Yes, it almost doubles your protection against Delta.
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/hildabast/status/1417964189566472195