COVID-19 infection in patients with haematological malignancies: A single-centre survey in the latest Omicron wave in China

As the COVID-19 variant Omicron surge in Beijing, China, a better understanding of risk factors for adverse outcomes may improve clinical management in patients with haematological malignancies (HM) diagnosed with COVID-19. The study sample includes 412 cases, mainly represented by acute leukaemia, chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), plasma cell disorders and lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. COVID-19 pneumonia was observed in 10.4% (43/412) of patients, and severe/critical illness was observed in 5.3% (22/412). Among the 86 cases with advanced malignancies, 17.6% (12/86) of patients developed severe/critical COVID-19, which was significantly higher than reported in patients with stable malignancies (9/326, 2.70%, p < 0.001). Similarly, the advanced malignancy cohort had a higher mortality rate (9/86, 10.5% vs. 0/326, 0%, p < 0.001) and a poor 30-day overall survival (OS) compared with the stable malignancy cohort (74.2% vs. 100.0%, p < 0.0001). Overall, nine patients (2.2%) died. The primary cause of death was progressive HM in four patients and a combination of both COVID-19 and HM in five patients. In the multivariable analysis, over 65 years of age, comorbidities and advanced malignancy were correlated with severe/critical COVID-19 in HM patients. This study sheds light on the poor outcomes among COVID-19 HM patients with the leading cause of advanced malignancy.     

Cracks in the foundation: The experience of care aides in long-term care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Care aides (certified nursing assistants, personal support workers) are the largest workforce in long-term care (LTC) homes (nursing homes). They provide as much as 90% of direct care to residents. Their health and well-being directly affect both quality of care and quality of life for residents. The aim of this study was to understand the impact of COVID-19 on care aides working in LTC homes during the first year of the pandemic.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample of 52 care aides from 8 LTC homes in Alberta and one in British Columbia, Canada, between January and April 2021. Nursing homes were purposively selected across: (1) ownership model and (2) COVID impact (the rate of COVID infections reported from March to December 2020). Interviews were recorded and analyzed using inductive content analysis.

Results

Care aides were mainly female (94%) and older (74% aged 40 years or older). Most spoke English as an additional language (76%), 54% worked full-time in LTC homes, and 37% worked multiple positions before “one worksite policies” were implemented. Two themes emerged from our analysis: (1) Care aides experienced mental and emotional distress from enforcing resident isolation, grief related to resident deaths, fear of contracting and spreading COVID-19, increased workload combined with staffing shortages, and rapidly changing policies. (2) Care aides' resilience was supported by their strong relationships, faith and community, and capacity to maintain positive attitudes.

Conclusions

These findings suggest significant, ongoing adverse effects for care aides in LTC homes from working through the COVID-19 pandemic. Our data demonstrate the considerable strength of this occupational group. Our results emphasize the urgent need to appropriately and meaningfully support care aides' mental health and well-being and adequately resource this workforce. We recommend improved policy guidelines and interventions.     

Machine learning models for predicting critical illness risk in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia

BackgroundTo develop machine learning classifiers at admission for predicting which patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who will progress to critical illness.MethodsA total of 158 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to three designated hospitals between December 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020 were retrospectively collected. 27 clinical and laboratory variables of COVID-19 patients were collected from the medical records. A total of 201 quantitative CT features of COVID-19 pneumonia were extracted by using an artificial intelligence software. The critically ill cases were defined according to the COVID-19 guidelines. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression was used to select the predictors of critical illness from clinical and radiological features, respectively. Accordingly, we developed clinical and radiological models using the following machine learning classifiers, including naive bayes (NB), linear regression (LR), random forest (RF), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), K-nearest neighbor (KNN), kernel support vector machine (k-SVM), and back propagation neural networks (BPNN). The combined model incorporating the selected clinical and radiological factors was also developed using the eight above-mentioned classifiers. The predictive efficiency of the models is validated using a 5-fold cross-validation method. The performance of the models was compared by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).ResultsThe mean age of all patients was 58.9±13.9 years and 89 (56.3%) were males. 35 (22.2%) patients deteriorated to critical illness. After LASSO analysis, four clinical features including lymphocyte percentage, lactic dehydrogenase, neutrophil count, and D-dimer and four quantitative CT features were selected. The XGBoost-based clinical model yielded the highest AUC of 0.960 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.913–1.000)]. The XGBoost-based radiological model achieved an AUC of 0.890 (95% CI: 0.757–1.000). However, the predictive efficacy of XGBoost-based combined model was very close to that of the XGBoost-based clinical model, with an AUC of 0.955 (95% CI: 0.906–1.000).ConclusionsA XGBoost-based based clinical model on admission might be used as an effective tool to identify patients at high risk of critical illness.     

Blood supply,transfusion demand and mortality in Italian patients hospitalised during nine months of COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundWe describe blood supply and usage from March to December 2020 in two research medical hospitals in the Apulia region of Italy: Research Hospital “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” (Centre 1) and University Hospital of Bari (Centre 2).Materials and methodsWe performed a retrospective observational study of blood component transfusions in the first eight months of the pandemic: 1^st March–31^st December 2020. We assessed the number of hospitalised patients who were transfused, the number and type of blood components donated and the number and type of blood components transfused in different care settings.ResultsBlood donations were lower in 2020 than in 2019, with a significant reduction in red blood cells (RBC) transfused (−29% in 2020 vs 2019) and fewer transfusions in 2020 in the Internal Medicine departments (−67% and −44% in Centres 1 and 2, respectively) and Intensive Care Units (ICUs) (−53% and −54% in Centres 1 and 2, respectively). The overall number of fatalities was significantly lower in 2020 than in 2019; the proportion of fatalities in men was significantly higher in 2020 than in 2019 (53.9% and 41.5%, respectively; p=0.000). Among COVID-19 patients (n=645), 427 (66.2%) were transfused in Infectious Disease departments and the remaining in ICUs. The fatality rate was 14.3% in COVID patients transfused in Infectious Disease departments and 22.5% in those transfused in ICUs. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed 30- and 60-day mortality was significantly higher in patients transfused in 2020 compared to those transfused in 2019. Fatalities were mostly observed in COVID-19 patients.DiscussionPresent data may be helpful in understanding the trend of collection and use of blood supplies during periods of pandemic. The implementation of a Patient Blood Management programme is essential to maintain sufficient blood supplies and to keep track of clinical outcomes that represent the most important goal of transfusion.     

Neurological Manifestations and Long-term Sequelae in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19

Objective Various neurological manifestations have been increasingly reported in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We determined the neurological features and long-term sequelae in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods We retrospectively studied 95 consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19 between March 1 and May 13, 2020. Acute neurological presentations (within two weeks of the symptom onset of COVID-19) were compared between 60 non-severe and 35 severely infected patients who required high-flow oxygen. In the 12 ventilated patients (the most severe group), we evaluated neurological complications during admission, subacute neurological presentations, and neurological sequelae (51 and 137 days from the onset [median], respectively). Results Of the 95 patients (mean age 53 years old; 40% women), 63% had acute neurological presentations, with an increased prevalence in cases of severe infections (83% vs. 52%, p＜0.001). Impaired consciousness and limb weakness were more frequent in severe patients than in non-severe ones (0% vs. 49%; p＜0.001, and 0% vs. 54%; p＜0.001, respectively). In the most severe group (mean age 72 years old; 42% women), 83% of patients had neurological complications [cerebrovascular disease (17%), encephalopathy (82%), and neuropathy (55%)], and 92% had subacute neurological presentations [impaired consciousness (17%), higher brain dysfunction (82%), limb weakness (75%), and tremor (58%)]. Neurological sequelae were found in 83% of cases, including higher brain dysfunction (73%), limb weakness (50%), and tremor (58%). Conclusions Neurological manifestations are common in COVID-19, with the possibility of long-lasting sequelae.     

Risk factors and electrocardiogram characteristics for mortality in critical inpatients with COVID-19

BackgroundThe novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has spread worldwide.HypothesisThe possible risk factors that lead to death in critical inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) are not yet fully understood.MethodsIn this single‐center, retrospective study, we enrolled 113 critical patients with COVID‐19 from Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University between February 1, 2020 and March 15, 2020. Patients who survived or died were compared.ResultsA total of 113 critical patients with COVID‐19 were recruited; 50 (44.3%) died, and 63 (55.7%) recovered. The proportion of patients with ventricular arrhythmia was higher in the death group than in the recovery group (P = .021) and was higher among patients with myocardial damage than patients without myocardial damage (P = .013). Multivariate analysis confirmed independent predictors of mortality from COVID‐19: age > 70 years (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.03‐3.28), initial neutrophil count over 6.5 × 10⁹/L (HR 3.43, 95% CI 1.84‐6.40), C‐reactive protein greater than 100 mg/L (HR 1.93, 95% CI 1.04‐3.59), and lactate dehydrogenase over 300 U/L (HR 2.90, 95% CI 1.26‐6.67). Immunoglobulin treatment (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.21‐0.73) can reduce the risk of death. Sinus tachycardia (HR 2.94, 95% CI 1.16‐7.46) and ventricular arrhythmia (HR 2.79, 95% CI 1.11‐7.04) were independent ECG risk factors for mortality from COVID‐19.ConclusionsOld age (>70 years), neutrophilia, C‐reactive protein greater than 100 mg/L and lactate dehydrogenase over 300 U/L are high‐risk factors for mortality in critical patients with COVID‐19. Sinus tachycardia and ventricular arrhythmia are independent ECG risk factors for mortality from COVID‐19.     

Vitamin D deficiency in patients with diabetes and COVID- 19 infection

Background and aimsData show that vitamin D deficiency may play a role in patients with diabetes mellitus and COVID-19 infection. In this article, we review evidence of vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 infection in context of diabetes mellitus.MethodsA literature search was carried out by using the key term ‘COVID 19’ combined with ‘Diabetes’, ‘Vitamin D’, ‘Extra skeletal effects’, ‘immunity’, ‘infection’, ‘India’ from Pub Med (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD and Google Scholar from December 2019 to May 2020. A manual search of the references was also carried out.ResultsVitamin D deficiency has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality in COVID -19 infections but convincing data on diabetic subgroup of patients in particular is still awaited.ConclusionRobust studies are required to ascertain if Vitamin D supplementation could be beneficial in patients with diabetes and COVID-19.     

危重型新型冠状病毒合并细菌/真菌感染风险预测模型的建立及验证

目的?建立危重型新型冠状病毒感染（corona virus disease 2019, COVID-19）合并细菌/真菌感染风险预测模型并验证。 方法?回顾性选取2022年12月1日—2023年1月11日间在我院确诊为危重型COVID-19的186例患者作为研究对象,其中在2022年12月1—28日间收治的127例患者作为建模组,2022年12月29日—2023年1月11日收治的59例作为验证组。根据是否合并细菌/真菌感染,将研究对象分为感染组和非感染组。记录研究对象获得标本培养阳性结果前的一般资料及临床资料,Logistic回归分析筛选独立危险因素,构建列线图,并验证模型准确性。结果?Logistic回归分析显示,年龄、APACHEⅡ评分、基础疾病种数、意识障碍情况、是否使用呼吸机是危重型COVID-19患者发生细菌/真菌感染的独立危险因素。据此建立列线图模型,Hosmer-Lemeshouw检验结果显示建模组P=0.459,验证组P=0.982,拟合度较好。ROC曲线显示此列线图模型具有较好的区分度,建模组和验证组列线图模型预测危重型COVID-19患者发生细菌/真菌感染的AUC分别为0.941（95%CI：0.899～0.983）、0.843（95%CI：0.728～0.959）,决策曲线结果显示此列线图预测模型价值较高。结论?基于危重型COVID-19患者危险因素构建的预测合并细菌/真菌感染发生风险的列线图模型具有一定的临床实用价值,能为医护人员早期识别管理危重型COVID-19发生细菌/真菌感染高风险患者提供参考。     

Neurological symptoms and signs associated with COVID-19 in pediatric patients: a single-center experience

There is insufficient evidence on SARS-CoV-2 induced neurological effects. Studies on CNS involvement during COVID-19 in children are limited. This study aims to identify and manage the neurological signs and symptoms in COVID-19-infected pediatric patients during follow up and plan future follow-ups.Children diagnosed COVID-19 and hospitalized in the pediatric pandemic services, between March 18, 2020, and June 18, 2021, were included in the study. Children with underlying neurological disease were excluded from the study. Patient data retrieved from hospital files and medical records. Children divided into 2 groups, 1 and 2, based on the presence or absence of neurological findings.A total of 243 children received follow-ups in the pandemic wards, 35 (14.4%) of these patients had neurological findings. Major neurological manifestations were headache (n:17, 7%), seizure (n:4, 1.6%), and anosmia/hyposmia (n:17, 7%). The number of boys (n:13, 37.1%) was smaller than the number of girls (n:22, 62.9%) in Group 1. Group 1 showed higher blood leukocyte, lymphocyte, thrombocyte, AST, LDH, d-dimer values. Anosmia/hyposmia occurred more often in girls, anosmia and headache occurred more often over 9 years of age. Pulmonary and hematologic involvement was more common in children with anosmia and headache.Our study is one of the few studies on neurological involvement in COVID-19 in children. To the best of our knowledge, there is limited data on these subjects in the literature.     

Healthcare outcomes in patients with HIV infection at a tertiary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected the care of patients with other diseases. Difficulty in access to healthcare during these months has been especially relevant for persons with HIV infection (PWH). This study therefore sought to ascertain the clinical outcomes and effectiveness of the measures implemented among PWH in a region with one of the highest incidence rates in Europe.MethodsRetrospective, observational, pre-post intervention study to compare the outcomes of PWH attended at a high-complexity healthcare hospital from March to October 2020 and during the same months across the period 2016–2019. The intervention consisted of home drug deliveries and preferential use of non face-to-face consultations. The effectiveness of the measures implemented was determined by reference to the number of emergency visits, hospitalisations, mortality rate, and percentage of PWH with viral load >50 copies, before and after the two pandemic waves.ResultsA total of 2760 PWH were attended from January 2016 to October 2020. During the pandemic, there was a monthly mean of 106.87 telephone consultations and 2075 home deliveries of medical drugs dispensed to ambulatory patients. No statistically significant differences were found between the rate of admission of patients with COVID-HIV co-infection and that of the remaining patients (1172.76 admissions/100,000 population vs. 1424.29, p = 0.401) or in mortality (11.54% vs. 12.96%, p = 0.939). The percentage of PWH with viral load >50 copies was similar before and after the pandemic (1.20% pre-pandemic vs. 0.51% in 2020, p = 0.078).ConclusionOur results show that the strategies implemented during the first 8 months of the pandemic prevented any deterioration in the control and follow-up parameters routinely used on PWH. Furthermore, they contribute to the debate about how telemedicine and telepharmacy can fit into future healthcare models.     

Anticoagulation treatment for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its clinical effectiveness in 2020: A meta-analysis study

Background:To better inform efforts to treat and control the current outbreak with effective anticoagulant treatment strategies for coronavirus disease 2019 patients.Methods:We searched Cochrane Library, Pubmed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, SCIEXPANDED, Web of Science, Google Scholar, CNKI (Chinese Database), WanFang (Chinese Database), CBM (Chinese Database), VIP (Chinese Database) for studies published from November 1, 2019 to October 1, 2020, and we searched references of identified articles. Studies were reviewed for methodological quality. A random-effects model was used to pool results. Heterogeneity was assessed using I². Publication bias was assessed using funnel plot.Results:Fourteen studies involving 7681 patients were included. We meta-analyzed the bleeding, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism risk between no anticoagulation and prophylactic anticoagulation, and found no significant difference. The same trend occurred in the comparison between with and without anticoagulation. However, when compared with no anticoagulation, both prophylactic anticoagulation (odd ratio [OR] = 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.69–0.93) and therapeutic anticoagulation (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.80–1.05) had lower risk of mortality. Furthermore, the risk of overall bleeding among patients with therapeutic anticoagulation was 3.11 times (95% CI: 2.29–4.24) than that of patients with prophylactic anticoagulation. On the contrary, therapeutic anticoagulation had lower risk of deep vein thrombosis than prophylactic anticoagulation (OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.19–0.63).Conclusions:Among coronavirus disease 2019 patients, preventive and therapeutic anticoagulation were more beneficial than no anticoagulation for reducing mortality rate. The result will inform healthcare providers and public health policy makers in efforts to treat and control the current outbreak.