Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a brief overview of features and current treatment

Since the report of the first cases of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019, COVID-19 has become a pandemic and is globally overwhelming healthcare systems. The symptoms of COVID-19 vary from asymptomatic infection to severe complicated pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure leading to death. The estimated case-fatality rate among infected patients in Wuhan, the city where the first case appeared, was 1.4%, with 5.1 times increase in the death rate among those aged above 59 years than those aged 30–59 years. In the absence of a proven effective and licensed treatment, many agents that showed activity against previous coronavirus outbreaks such as SARS and MERS have been used to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. The SARS-CoV-2 is reported to be 80% homologous with SARS-CoV, and some enzymes are almost 90% homologous. Antiviral drugs are urgently required to reduce case fatality-rate and hospitalizations to relieve the burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Randomized controlled trials are ongoing to assess the efficacy and safety of several treatment regimens

A homozygous variant in ABCA3 is associated with severe respiratory distress and early neonatal death

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/171017/1/cga12437.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/171017/2/cga12437_am.pd

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Brief Overview of Features and Current Treatment

Since the report of the first cases of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 in December 2019, COVID-19 has become a pandemic and is globally overwhelming healthcare systems. The symptoms of COVID-19 vary from asymptomatic infection to severe complicated pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure leading to death. The estimated case-fatality rate among infected patients in Wuhan, the city where the first case appeared, was 1.4%, with 5.1 times increase in the death rate among those aged above 59 years than those aged 30–59 years. In the absence of a proven effective and licensed treatment, many agents that showed activity against previous coronavirus outbreaks such as SARS and MERS have been used to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. The SARS-CoV-2 is reported to be 80% homologous with SARS-CoV, and some enzymes are almost 90% homologous. Antiviral drugs are urgently required to reduce case fatality-rate and hospitalizations to relieve the burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Randomized controlled trials are ongoing to assess the efficacy and safety of several treatment regimens

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Influenza Vaccination among Parents of Children with Asthma: A Cross-Sectional Study

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in childhood. Exacerbation is a significant problem for asthmatic patients, and viral infections remain the most frequent triggers of asthma exacerbations. This study explored knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of parents of asthmatic children towards providing influenza vaccine to their children. This cross-sectional study enrolled parents of asthmatic children who visited the outpatient respiratory clinics of two Jordanian hospitals. The present study enrolled 667 parents of asthmatic children (62.8% female). The median age of the participants’ children was 7 years. The results showed that 60.4% of the children with asthma never received a flu vaccine. Most of those who had received the flu vaccine reported that the side effects were mild (62.7%). Asthma duration was positively and significantly associated with increased vaccine hesitancy/rejection (OR = 1.093, 95% CI = (1.004–1.190), p = 0.04; and OR = 1.092, 95% CI = (1.002–1.189), p = 0.044, respectively). As the attitude towards flu vaccine score increases, odds of vaccination hesitancy/rejection decreased (OR = 0.735, 95% CI = (0.676–0.800), p p < 0.001, respectively). The main reasons for vaccination hesitancy/refusal included “I don’t think my child needs it” (22.3%) followed by “I forget it” (19.5%). The rate of vaccination among children was low and emphasized the necessity of encouraging parents with asthmatic children to vaccinate their children by conducting health awareness campaigns and also emphasized the role of doctors and other healthcare professionals

Vancomycin prescribing and therapeutic drug monitoring: Challenges of real clinical practice.

BackgroundVancomycin prescription and monitoring guidelines have been reported to be poorly followed by various centers.AimsIdentifying barriers to compliance with vancomycin dosing and therapeutic drug monitoring guidelines (TDM) and possible ways to enhance compliance based on the healthcare providers' (HCPs) perspective.MethodsA qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with HCP (physicians, pharmacists, and nurses) was conducted at two Jordanian Teaching Hospitals. Interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed through thematic analysis. The COREQ criteria for qualitative research were utilized to report the study findings.ResultsA total of 34 HCPs were interviewed. HCP perceived several factors as barriers to guideline recommendation compliance. Such factors included negative perception towards prescription guidelines, lack of knowledge regarding TDM guidelines, the hierarchy of medication management, work pressure, and ineffective communication among healthcare providers. Potential strategies to optimize guidelines adaptation included providing HCPs with more training and decision support tools in addition to activating the role of clinical pharmacists.ConclusionsThe main barriers to guideline recommendations uptake were identified. Interventions should address those barriers related to the clinical environment, including enhancing interprofessional communication related to vancomycin prescription and TDM, reducing workload and providing support systems, promoting educational and training programs, in addition to adopting guidelines suitable for the local environment

General characteristics of participants.

BackgroundVancomycin prescription and monitoring guidelines have been reported to be poorly followed by various centers.AimsIdentifying barriers to compliance with vancomycin dosing and therapeutic drug monitoring guidelines (TDM) and possible ways to enhance compliance based on the healthcare providers’ (HCPs) perspective.MethodsA qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with HCP (physicians, pharmacists, and nurses) was conducted at two Jordanian Teaching Hospitals. Interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed through thematic analysis. The COREQ criteria for qualitative research were utilized to report the study findings.ResultsA total of 34 HCPs were interviewed. HCP perceived several factors as barriers to guideline recommendation compliance. Such factors included negative perception towards prescription guidelines, lack of knowledge regarding TDM guidelines, the hierarchy of medication management, work pressure, and ineffective communication among healthcare providers. Potential strategies to optimize guidelines adaptation included providing HCPs with more training and decision support tools in addition to activating the role of clinical pharmacists.ConclusionsThe main barriers to guideline recommendations uptake were identified. Interventions should address those barriers related to the clinical environment, including enhancing interprofessional communication related to vancomycin prescription and TDM, reducing workload and providing support systems, promoting educational and training programs, in addition to adopting guidelines suitable for the local environment.</div

Interview guide (translated version).

BackgroundVancomycin prescription and monitoring guidelines have been reported to be poorly followed by various centers.AimsIdentifying barriers to compliance with vancomycin dosing and therapeutic drug monitoring guidelines (TDM) and possible ways to enhance compliance based on the healthcare providers’ (HCPs) perspective.MethodsA qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with HCP (physicians, pharmacists, and nurses) was conducted at two Jordanian Teaching Hospitals. Interviews were audio-recorded and analyzed through thematic analysis. The COREQ criteria for qualitative research were utilized to report the study findings.ResultsA total of 34 HCPs were interviewed. HCP perceived several factors as barriers to guideline recommendation compliance. Such factors included negative perception towards prescription guidelines, lack of knowledge regarding TDM guidelines, the hierarchy of medication management, work pressure, and ineffective communication among healthcare providers. Potential strategies to optimize guidelines adaptation included providing HCPs with more training and decision support tools in addition to activating the role of clinical pharmacists.ConclusionsThe main barriers to guideline recommendations uptake were identified. Interventions should address those barriers related to the clinical environment, including enhancing interprofessional communication related to vancomycin prescription and TDM, reducing workload and providing support systems, promoting educational and training programs, in addition to adopting guidelines suitable for the local environment.</div

Impact of COVID-19 infection on lung function and nutritional status amongst individuals with cystic fibrosis: A global cohort study

International audienceBackground: Factors associated with severe COVID-19 infection have been identified; however, the impact of infection on longer-term outcomes is unclear. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 infection on the trajectory of lung function and nutritional status in people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF).Methods: This is a retrospective global cohort study of pwCF who had confirmed COVID-19 infection diagnosed between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021. Forced expiratory volume in one second percent predicted (ppFEV 1 ) and body mass index (BMI) twelve months prior to and following a diagnosis of COVID-19 were recorded. Change in mean ppFEV 1 and BMI were compared using a t-test. A linear mixed-effects model was used to estimate change over time and to compare the rate of change before and after infection.Results: A total of 6,500 cases of COVID-19 in pwCF from 33 countries were included for analysis. The mean difference in ppFEV 1 pre-and post-infection was 1.4 %, (95 % CI 1.1, 1.7). In those not on modulators, the difference in rate of change pre-and post-infection was 1.34 %, (95 % CI -0.88, 3.56) per year (p = 0.24) and -0.74 % (-1.89, 0.41) per year (p = 0.21) for those on elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor. No clinically significant change was noted in BMI or BMI percentile before and after COVID-19 infection.Conclusions: No clinically meaningful impact on lung function and BMI trajectory in the year following infection with COVID-19 was identified. This work highlights the ability of the global CF community to unify and address critical issues facing pwCF