IFI27 transcription is an early predictor for COVID-19 outcomes, a multi-cohort observational study

PurposeRobust biomarkers that predict disease outcomes amongst COVID-19 patients are necessary for both patient triage and resource prioritisation. Numerous candidate biomarkers have been proposed for COVID-19. However, at present, there is no consensus on the best diagnostic approach to predict outcomes in infected patients. Moreover, it is not clear whether such tools would apply to other potentially pandemic pathogens and therefore of use as stockpile for future pandemic preparedness.MethodsWe conducted a multi-cohort observational study to investigate the biology and the prognostic role of interferon alpha-inducible protein 27 (IFI27) in COVID-19 patients.ResultsWe show that IFI27 is expressed in the respiratory tract of COVID-19 patients and elevated IFI27 expression in the lower respiratory tract is associated with the presence of a high viral load. We further demonstrate that the systemic host response, as measured by blood IFI27 expression, is associated with COVID-19 infection. For clinical outcome prediction (e.g., respiratory failure), IFI27 expression displays a high sensitivity (0.95) and specificity (0.83), outperforming other known predictors of COVID-19 outcomes. Furthermore, IFI27 is upregulated in the blood of infected patients in response to other respiratory viruses. For example, in the pandemic H1N1/09 influenza virus infection, IFI27-like genes were highly upregulated in the blood samples of severely infected patients.ConclusionThese data suggest that prognostic biomarkers targeting the family of IFI27 genes could potentially supplement conventional diagnostic tools in future virus pandemics, independent of whether such pandemics are caused by a coronavirus, an influenza virus or another as yet-to-be discovered respiratory virus

Human health risk of nitrate in groundwater of Tehran–Karaj plain, Iran

International audienceAbstract Groundwater pollution by nitrate has is a major concern in the Tehran–Karaj aquifer, Iran, where the wells provide up to 80% of the water supply for a population of more than 18 million—yet detailed human health risks associated with nitrate are unknown due to the lack of accessible data to adequately cover the aquifer in both place and time. Here, using a rich dataset measured annually in more than 75 wells, we mapped the non-carcinogenic risk of nitrate in the aquifer between 2007 and 2018, a window with the most extensive anthropogenic activities in this region. Nitrate concentration varied from ~ 6 to ~ 150 mg/L, around three times greater than the standard level for drinking use, i.e. 50 mg/L. Samples with a non-carcinogenic risk of nitrate, which mainly located in the eastern parts of the study region, threatened children’s health, the most vulnerable age group, in almost all of the years during the study period. Our findings revealed that the number of samples with a positive risk of nitrate for adults decreased in the aquifer from 2007 (17 wells) to 2018 (6 wells). Although we hypothesized that unsustainable agricultural practices, the growing population, and increased industrial activities could have increased the nitrate level in the Tehran-Karaj aquifer, improved sanitation infrastructures helped to prevent the intensification of nitrate pollution in the aquifer during the study period. Our compilation of annually mapped non-carcinogenic risks of nitrate is beneficial for local authorities to understand the high-risk zones in the aquifer and for the formulation of policy actions to protect the human health of people who use groundwater for drinking and other purposes in this densely populated region

Performance of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses in Blood Culture Procedure in Tabriz Hospitals in 2016

Background: Blood culture is a method in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and a gold standard for the diagnosis of infection that is essential for proper newborn management. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of nurses in the NICUs of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences using a standard sampling method. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 90 nurses working in Al-Zahra and Taleghani ‎Educational and Medical Centers, and Tabriz Children Hospital using the convenience sampling method. The study tool included a two-part questionnaire in which the first part contained demographic characteristics of the infants and nurses and the service area. The second part included a checklist of the nurses' performance before and during ‎the blood culture procedure. Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical software (version 21), as well as descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: Most nurses did not attend training courses for blood culture. The total performance scores before and during blood ‎culture sampling were ‎13.20‎‏±‏‎2.57 and ‎12.48‎‏±‏‎2‎.14‎, respectively.‎ Conclusion: Nurses are responsible for the correct sampling of blood culture and this procedure requires sufficient skill. Therefore, organizations must adapt their system to the standards in order to determine the benefits and disadvantages of the standards

Neonatal intensive care unit nurses' perceptions and knowledge of newborn individualized developmental care and assessment program: A multicenter study

Background: The newborn individualized developmental care and assessment program (NIDCAP) is a new multifaceted approach, which is developmentally and functionally supportive of health especially in premature newborns at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This study is designed for assessing the knowledge and perception of nurses as the most important members of the multidisciplinary team of NIDCAP about this program. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 nurses working in the NICUs of Alzahra, Taleghani, and Children hospitals affiliated to the educational and treatment centers of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences as well as 29 Bahman Hospital affiliated to Tabriz Social Security Organization in 2016 using census sampling method. Three questionnaires were employed to collect demographic data and to explore the nurses' perceptions and knowledge of the NIDCAP program. Results: Findings of the study indicated that the mean (SD) nurses' knowledge and perception scores for NIDCAP were 71.83 (1.64) and 76.80 (0.79), respectively. In the terms of knowledge, significant differences were found with regard to being married (t = -2.39, p 0.05), nor was there any significant relationship between perception and knowledge (p = 0.275). Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the majority of nurses participating in the study had high knowledge about NIDCAP

Inhibitors and facilitators of compliance with professional ethics standards: nurses’ perspective

Abstract Introduction The clinical practices of nurses should be in accordance with the principles of professional ethics. Respecting professional ethics principles depends on several factors. The present study was conducted to investigate the effective inhibitors and facilitators in compliance with professional ethics and their importance from the nurses’ perspective. Methods During this cross-sectional descriptive study, 452 nurses were included by the census sampling method. The data were collected via the “inhibitors of compliance with professional ethics standards by the nurses’ perspective” and “facilitators of compliance with professional ethics standards by the nurses’ perspective” questionnaires. Additionally, by designing the “open-ended question” section, other inhibiting and facilitating factors of professional ethics standards from the nurses’ perspective were investigated. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (Wilcoxon signed ranks test). Results The individual care-related dimension as a facilitator had the highest mean score compared to the other dimensions (76.62 ± 4.92). Furthermore, seven items in the inhibitor section, 19 items in the facilitator section had higher scores. Among them, there were seven items in common. Strong or weak belief in compliance with ethical issues had the highest mean scores in the role of facilitator and inhibitor (90.54 ± 12.13 and 89.54 ± 14.88, respectively). Conclusion Strong or weak belief in compliance with ethical issues was the most important inhibitor and facilitator from the nurses’ perspective, which makes it necessary to examine individual beliefs about ethical issues among applicants to enter the nursing profession

Additional file 1 of Inhibitors and facilitators of compliance with professional ethics standards: nurses’ perspective

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