Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

A stepwise guide for healthcare professionals requesting compassionate release for patients who are incarcerated

PurposeCompassionate release is a process that allows for the early release or parole of some incarcerated people of advanced age, with life-limiting illness, complex medical care needs or significant functional decline. Despite the expansion of State and Federal compassionate release programs, this mechanism for release remains underutilized. Health-care professionals are central to the process of recommending compassionate release, but few resources exist to support these efforts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a guide for health-care professionals requesting compassionate release for patients who are incarcerated.Design/methodology/approachThis study is stepwise guide for health-care professionals requesting compassionate release for patients who are incarcerated.FindingsThis study describes the role of the health-care professional in requesting compassionate release and offers guidance to help them navigate the process of preparing a medical declaration or request for compassionate release.Originality/valueNo prior publications have created a step-wise guide of this nature to aid health-care professionals through the compassionate release process

Reliability and validity of goniometric turnout measurements compared with MRI and retro-reflective markers.

There is no consensus on a valid and reliable method of measuring turnout. However, there is a building awareness that such measures need to exist. Total turnout is the sum of hip rotation, tibial torsion, and contributions from the foot. To our knowledge, there has been no research that directly measures and then sums each individual component of turnout to verify a total turnout value. Furthermore, the tibial torsion component has not previously been confirmed by an imaging study. The purpose of this study was to test the validity and reliability of a single total passive turnout (TPT) test taken with a goniometer by comparing it with the sum of the individual components. Fourteen female dancers were recruited as participants. Measurements of the subjects\u27 right and left legs were gathered for the components of turnout. Tibial torsion was measured using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Retro-reflective marker assisted measurements were used to calculate the static components of TPT. Hip external rotation, TPT, and total active turnout (TAT) were measured by goniometer. Additional standing turnout values were collected on rotational disks. Tibial torsion and hip rotation were summed and compared with three whole-leg turnout values using Two-Tailed T-Tests and Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. Tibial torsion measurements in dancers were found to demonstrate substantial variation between subjects and between legs in the same subject. The range on the right leg was 16 degrees to 60 degrees, and the range on the left leg was 16 degrees to 52 degrees. Retro-reflective markers and biomechanical theory demonstrated that when the knee is extended and locked, screwed home, it will not factor into a whole-leg turnout value. TAT and turnout on the disks were not statistically significant when compared with the summed total. Statistical significance was achieved in four of the eight measurement series comparing TPT with the summed value of tibial torsion and hip rotation. The advantages of a standard, valid, and reliable method of measuring turnout are many, and the risks are few. Some advantages include improved training techniques, mastery of the use of turnout at an earlier age, better dancer and teacher compliance with suggested turnout rates, understanding the use of parallel position, understanding the etiology of many dance-related injuries, and possible development of preventative measures

First Draft Genome Sequence of the Pathogenic Fungus Lomentospora prolificans (Formerly Scedosporium prolificans)

Here we describe the sequencing and assembly of the pathogenic fungus Lomentospora prolificans using a combination of short, highly accurate Illumina reads and additional coverage in very long Oxford Nanopore reads. The resulting assembly is highly contiguous, containing a total of 37,627,092 bp with over 98% of the sequence in just 26 scaffolds. Annotation identified 8896 protein-coding genes. Pulsed-field gel analysis suggests that this organism contains at least 7 and possibly 11 chromosomes, the two longest of which have sizes corresponding closely to the sizes of the longest scaffolds, at 6.6 and 5.7 Mb

Polarity governs atomic interaction through two-dimensional materials

International audienceThe transparency of two-dimensional (2D) materials to intermolecular interactions of crystalline materials has been an unresolved topic. Here we report that remote atomic interaction through 2D materials is governed by the binding nature, that is, the polarity of atomic bonds, both in the underlying substrates and in 2D material interlayers. Although the potential field from covalent-bonded materials is screened by a monolayer of graphene, that from ionic-bonded materials is strong enough to penetrate through a few layers of graphene. Such field penetration is substantially attenuated by 2D hexagonal boron nitride, which itself has polarization in its atomic bonds. Based on the control of transparency, modulated by the nature of materials as well as interlayer thickness, various types of single-crystalline materials across the periodic table can be epitaxially grown on 2D material-coated substrates. The epitaxial films can subsequently be released as free-standing membranes, which provides unique opportunities for the heterointegration of arbitrary single-crystalline thin films in functional applications