Worsening of the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City: Analysis of Response Gaps and Challenges at the Public Policy and Community Levels.

This review was aimed to probe into factors that resulted in worsening of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in New York City, USA. Extensive review of available information sources, such as scientific literature, COVID-19 data generating websites, expert opinions as well as government briefings and simultaneous measures, were carried out to fulfil the objectives of this paper. Data was arranged in tabular form. Gaps in responding to the pandemic were identified. There was lack of proactivity in measures taken by governments which is due to neo-liberal capitalism on one hand and lack of coordination among three tiers of government on the other. Cosmopolitan features of the city also made it prone to devastating spread of pandemic. Crowded mega cities with incompetent governments in implementing timely public health measures for prevention of spread of COVID-19 are at potential threat of high disease spread across the globe. Keywords: New York City, COVID-19 pandemic, Response gaps, Metropolitan.

Usefulness of Complement C1q to Predict 10-Year Mortality in Men With Diabetes Mellitus Referred for Coronary Angiography.

The complement system consists of a family of proteins that play a critical role in the innate immune system. Complement activation has been implicated in many chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. However, a number of experimental studies have highlighted a beneficial role of component C1q in early atherosclerosis and in diabetes mellitus (DM). Despite these data, there have been no studies that have specifically examined the utility of plasma complement C1q as a clinical biomarker in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease. In this study, baseline plasma complement C1q levels were measured in 159 men with DM who were referred for coronary angiography and who were followed up prospectively for the development of all-cause mortality for 10 years. After adjustment for baseline clinical, angiographic, and laboratory parameters, reduced plasma complement C1q levels were an independent predictor of all-cause mortality at 10 years (hazard ratio 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.52 to 0.84, p = 0.0006). In additional multivariate models that adjusted for a variety of biomarkers with established prognostic efficacy, complement C1q remained an independent predictor of all-cause mortality at 10 years. In conclusion, reduced levels of complement C1q are associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality at 10 years in patients with DM referred for coronary angiography. Furthermore, this association is independent of a variety of clinical, angiographic, laboratory variables, including biomarkers with established prognostic efficacy in the prediction of adverse cardiovascular outcomes.

Inflammatory bowel disease in the elderly.

Although inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is generally considered a disease of young adults, it can occur in elderly individuals. The clinical features and treatment considerations in older patients are similar to those in younger patients, with some notable exceptions, which are reviewed in this article. Consideration of appropriate differential diagnoses is critical in older IBD patients to achieve the correct diagnosis and appropriate therapy. The risks associated with use of some IBD medications may be increased in older patients, but so is the risk of under-treated IBD and surgery. Therefore, in older IBD patients, as in younger patients, a thorough understanding of the indications, contraindications, and potential adverse effects of the various medications used to treat the condition is essential.

Hand hygiene in long-term care facilities: a multicenter study of knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers.

An anonymous survey of 1143 employees in 17 nursing facilities assessed knowledge of, attitudes about, self-perceived compliance with, and barriers to implementing the 2002 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hand hygiene guidelines. Overall, employees reported positive attitudes toward the guidelines but differed with regard to knowledge, compliance, and perceived barriers. These findings provide guidance for practice improvement programs in long-term care settings.