Global research trends related to coronavirus disease 2019 and the aged: a bibliometric analysis

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: A bibliometric analysis covering only the production of original studies or considering world production until 2022 has yet to be conducted. The creation and advancement of vaccines have also influenced research priorities, demonstrating the need for a new approach to this subject. OBJECTIVES: To analyze worldwide scientific production related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the aged and to describe what has already been produced. DESIGN AND SETTING: Bibliometric analysis with a quantitative approach. METHOD: The search terms "COVID-19," "SARS-CoV-2," "Aged," and "Elderly" were used to retrieve articles from the Web of Science database. A total of 684 articles were included in the analysis. Data were imported into RStudio Desktop Software and linked to R Software. The Bibliometrix R package and VOSviewer software were used for analysis. RESULTS: Most articles were published in 2020. These were produced by 4,937 authors and published in 379 journals. The keyword most used by the authors was "COVID-19." Publications from 77 countries were obtained. China had the highest article production ranking, and Spain collaborated the most. The articles addressed the implications of the pandemic on the aged, the relationship between vaccination in the aged, and the implications for the disease itself. CONCLUSION: Further research should be conducted, mainly concerning vaccines and vaccination of the aged, owing to the need for and importance of immunization in this risk group, including assessing the long-term effects of vaccines.

Risk Factors and Clinical Characteristics of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a worse prognosis in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Identification of AKI, particularly in COVID-19 patients, is important for improving patients' management. The study aims to assess risk factors and comorbidities of AKI in COVID-19 patients. We systematically searched PubMed and DOAJ databases for relevant studies involving confirmed COVID-19 patients with data on risk factors and comorbidities of AKI. The risk factors and comorbidities were compared between AKI and non-AKI patients. A total of 30 studies involving 22385 confirmed COVID-19 patients were included. Male (OR: 1.74 (1.47, 2.05)), diabetes (OR: 1.65 (1.54, 1.76)), hypertension (OR: 1.82 (1.12, 2.95)), ischemic cardiac disease (OR: 1.70 (1.48, 1.95)), heart failure (OR: 2.29 (2.01, 2.59)), chronic kidney disease (CKD) (OR: 3.24 (2.20, 4.79)), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (OR: 1.86 (1.35, 2.57)), peripheral vascular disease (OR: 2.34 (1.20, 4.56)), and history of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) (OR: 1.59 (1.29, 1.98)) were independent risk factors associated with COVID-19 patients with AKI. Patients with AKI presented with proteinuria (OR: 3.31 (2.59, 4.23)), hematuria (OR: 3.25 (2.59, 4.08)), and invasive mechanical ventilation (OR: 13.88 (8.23, 23.40)). For COVID-19 patients, male gender, diabetes, hypertension, ischemic cardiac disease, heart failure, CKD, COPD, peripheral vascular disease, and history of use of NSAIDs are associated with a higher risk of AKI.

Artificial Intelligence Approaches on X-ray-oriented Images Process for Early Detection of COVID-19.

Background: COVID-19 is a global public health problem that is crucially important to be diagnosed in the early stages. This study aimed to investigate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to process X-ray-oriented images to diagnose COVID-19 disease. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in Medline (through PubMed), Scopus, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and IEEE Xplore Digital Library to identify relevant studies published until 21 September 2020. Results: We identified 208 papers after duplicate removal and filtered them into 60 citations based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Direct results sufficiently indicated a noticeable increase in the number of published papers in July-2020. The most widely used datasets were, respectively, GitHub repository, hospital-oriented datasets, and Kaggle repository. The Keras library, Tensorflow, and Python had been also widely employed in articles. X-ray images were applied more in the selected articles. The most considerable value of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and Area under the ROC Curve was reported for ResNet18 in reviewed techniques; all the mentioned indicators for this mentioned network were equal to one (100%). Conclusion: This review revealed that the application of AI can accelerate the process of diagnosing COVID-19, and these methods are effective for the identification of COVID-19 cases exploiting Chest X-ray images.

Caracterización de pacientes en aislamiento por COVID-19 en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas. Cienfuegos, 2021 / Characterization of patients in isolation due to COVID-19 at the University of Medical Sciences. Cienfuegos, 2021

RESUMEN Fundamento: la pandemia de COVID-19 es la crisis sanitaria que define nuestro tiempo y que ha puesto a prueba los sistemas de salud en todo el mundo. Objetivo describir las características clínico epidemiológicas de pacientes sospechosos de COVID-19, en aislamiento durante el primer cuatrimestre del 2021. Métodos estudio observacional, descriptivo, transversal. El universo de estudio fue de 2 631 pacientes contactos y sospechosos de la enfermedad ingresados en dos centros de aislamiento en la Universidad de Ciencias Médicas de Cienfuegos, desde enero hasta abril 2021. Se analizaron las variables: edad, sexo, ocupación, municipio de residencia, antecedenetes epidemiológicos, comorbilidades y confirmación por la prueba de cadena de polimerasa en tiempo real. Se confeccionó una encuesta epidemiológica e historia clínica individual durante el aislamiento. Resultados: el 78,3 % de los pacientes en aislamiento fueron contacto de casos confirmados, los pacientes en edad laboral representaron el mayor porciento, con predominio del sexo femenino. El municipio de Cienfuegos aportó el mayor número de pacientes. El 59,2 % de estos tenía al menos una comorbilidad, más del 50 % eran hipertensos. El 8 % de los sospechosos fueron positivos a la COVID-19. Conclusiones el aislamiento de contacto y sospechosos como medida de contención de la pandemia representa una estrategia de impacto. Conocer las características de los pacientes aislados sirve como línea de base para el desarrollo de nuevas medidas sanitarias.

ABSTRACT Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is the defining health crisis of our time that has put health systems to the test around the world. Objective: to describe the clinical epidemiological characteristics of patients in isolation, during the first four months of 2021. Methods: observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. The study universe consisted of 2 631 patients who were contacts and suspected of the disease admitted to two isolation centers at the University of Medical Sciences of Cienfuegos, from January to April 2021. The variables were analyzed: age, sex, occupation, municipality of residence, epidemiological antecedents, comorbidities and confirmation by the real-time polymerase chain test. An epidemiological survey and individual medical history were prepared during isolation. Results: 78.3% of the patients in isolation were contacts of confirmed cases, the patients of working age represented the highest percentage, with a predominance of the female sex. The municipality of Cienfuegos contributed the largest number of patients. 59.2% of these had at least one comorbidity, more than 50% were hypertensive. 8% of the suspects were positive for COVID-19. Conclusions: the isolation of contact and suspects as a measure to contain the pandemic represents an impact strategy. Knowing the characteristics of isolated patients serves as a baseline for the development of new health measures.

Sequences of COVID-19 in a child with WAGR syndrome: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: and importance: WAGR syndrome is a rare genetic disorder consist of Wilms tumor, Aniridia, Genitourinary abnormalities, and Intellectual disability. During the enduring COVID-19 pandemic, it has become extremely important to document the properties of SARS-CoV-2 and its interactions with other diseases. Herein, we present the first case of Syrian child with WAGR syndrome that has been affected by COVID-19. CASE PRESENTATION: a 17-month-old boy was diagnosed with WAGR syndrome. During the follow-up, he developed rhinorrhea, cough, and moderate dyspnea with no fever. Computed tomography scan was normal and polymerase chain reaction test was positive. The child started an oxygen therapy with broad-spectrum antibiotics based on laboratory findings. His vital signs and laboratory values improved gradually without any further complications. DISCUSSION: COVID-19 has a special interest regarding its course in children. Although the clinical presentation varies, the current data reveal a better prognosis in children. CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 infection may result in non-specific symptoms and normal CT scan findings in children with WAGR syndrome. The accurate diagnosis, effective isolation and monitoring of the child, and successful management can improve the prognosis and shorten the infection period.

Spleen infarct secondary to thrombus in COVID-19-related splenic vein: A case report.

Splanchnic venous thrombosis is a rare type of venous thromboembolism, and its actual incidence is still unknown. Splenic infarction develops due to splenic vein (SV) thrombosis. Patients with COVID-19 may be exposed to a risk of thrombotic events, and the system affected at the highest level by coagulopathy is the respiratory system. The case presented here is splenic infarction that developed because of SV thrombosis, which is a rare form of venous thromboembolism.

Factores de riesgo asociados a mortalidad en pacientes adultos con neumonía por SARS- CoV-2 en un hospital público de Lima, Perú / Risk factors for in-hospital mortality in SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia adult patients from Lima, Peru

RESUMEN Objetivo: describir los principales factores asociados a la mortalidad en una cohorte de pacientes hospitalizados por neumonía por SARS-CoV-2 en un hospital público de Lima, Perú. Materiales y métodos: estudio de cohorte retrospectivo con muestreo no aleatorio por conveniencia. Se incluyó pacientes adultos con sospecha clínica o confirmados para SARS-CoV-2 con pruebas rápidas y/o moleculares. Se identificaron variables demográficas, clínicas, de laboratorio, tomográficas y de tratamiento. Se emplearon técnicas de estadística descriptiva, análisis bivariado y de regresión de Poisson para determinar el riesgo relativo (RR) ajustado. Resultados: se incluyó 122 pacientes, 70,5% del sexo masculino, edad promedio de 55,8 años, con antecedentes de obesidad (25,4%) e hipertensión arterial (HTA 13,1%). El análisis multivariado de los factores clínicos identificó que la edad (RR ajustado [RRa] 1,03; IC 95%: 1,00-1,06, p=0,021), el índice de masa corporal (IMC, RRa 1,03; IC 95%: 1,01-1,05; p=0,006), la HTA (RRa 1,68; IC 95%: 1,09-2,56; p=0,017), el índice de PaO2/FiO2 (RRa 0,99; IC 95%: 0,99-1,00; p<0,001), la exposición a lopinavir/ritonavir (RRa 0,83; IC 95%: 0,76-0,91; p<0,001), y corticoides sistémicos (RRa 1,18; IC 95%: 1,09-1,27; p<0,001) estuvieron asociados a la mortalidad de manera significativa. Conclusiones: la edad, IMC, HTA, índice PaO2/FiO2, y la exposición a corticoides y LPV/r estuvieron asociadas a la mortalidad en pacientes hospitalizados por neumonía por SARS-CoV-2.

ABSTRACT Objective: this study aimed to describe the main factors associated to mortality in a cohort of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in a public hospital in Lima, Peru. Materials and methods: this was a retrospective cohort study, with a non-random convenience sampling. Adult patients with confirmed/suspicious SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia with rapid and/ or molecular tests were included. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, tomographic and treatment variables were identified. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and Poisson regression techniques were used to determine the adjusted relative risk (aRR). Results: 122 patients were included, 70.5% were male, with a mean age of 55.8 years, with a history of obesity (25.4%) and high blood pressure (HBP, 13.1%). The multivariate analysis of clinical factors identified that age (aRR 1.03; 95% CI: 1,00- 1.06; p=0.021), body mass index (BMI; aRR 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.05; p=0.006), HBP (aRR 1.68; 95% CI: 1.09-2.56; p=0.017), PaO2/FiO2 index (aRR 0.99; 95% CI: 0.99-1.00; p<0.001), exposure to lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r; aRR 0.83; 95% CI: 0.76-0.91; p <0.001), and systemic corticosteroids (aRR 1.18; 95% CI: 1.09-1.27; p<0.001) were significantly associated with mortality. Conclusions : Age, BMI, HBP, PaO2/FiO2 index, and exposure to corticosteroids and LPV/r were associated with mortality in our cohort of patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

Publishing research during pandemics: are you vulnerable to the COVID-19 or predatory publishers?

The coronavirus disease-2019 outbreak has spread rapidly affecting 1.4 million people across the world in only four months. Healthcare fraternity is struggling to circumvent the consequences of this fast spreading infection and communicating their scientific discoveries through research publications. As a result, the scientific output on COVID-19 is growing rapidly and both the journal editors and authors are interested to publish results on scientific discoveries about it as soon as possible. However, novice and improperly trained authors are at high risk for getting duped by deceptive journals , which might keep their research unnoticed by the scientific and general community. This paper discusses these potential risks posed by deceptive (predatory) journals, for prospective authors and scientific community, during the COVID-19 outbreak. It also presents ways to address those risks and the role of journal editors and academic organisations.

Immune responses and pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 during an outbreak in Iran: Comparison with SARS and MERS.

The beginning of 2020 has seen the emergence of COVID-19, an outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, an important pathogen for humans. There is an urgent need to better understand this new virus and to develop ways to control its spread. In Iran, the first case of the COVID-19 was reported after spread from China and other countries. Fever, cough, and fatigue were the most common symptoms of this virus. In worldwide, the incubation period of COVID-19 was 3 to 7 days and approximately 80% of infections are mild or asymptomatic, 15% are severe, requiring oxygen, and 5% are critical infections, requiring ventilation. To mount an antiviral response, the innate immune system recognizes molecular structures that are produced by the invasion of the virus. COVID-19 infection induces IgG antibodies against N protein that can be detected by serum as early as day 4 after the onset of disease and with most patients seroconverting by day 14. Laboratory evidence of clinical patients showed that a specific T-cell response against SARS-CoV-2 is important for the recognition and killing of infected cells, particularly in the lungs of infected individuals. At present, there is no specific antiviral therapy for COVID-19 and the main treatments are supportive. In this review, we investigated the innate and acquired immune responses in patients who recovered from COVID-19, which could inform the design of prophylactic vaccines and immunotherapy for the future.