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Rapid detection, isolation, and contact tracing of community COVID-19 cases are essential measures to limit the community spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We aimed to identify a parsimonious set of symptoms that jointly predict COVID-19 and investigated whether predictive symptoms differ between the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) lineage (predominating as of April 2021 in the US, UK, and elsewhere) and wild type. We obtained throat and nose swabs with valid SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results from 1,147,370 volunteers aged 5 years and above (6,450 positive cases) in the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study. This study involved repeated community-based random surveys of prevalence in England (study rounds 2 to 8, June 2020 to January 2021, response rates 22%-27%). Participants were asked about symptoms occurring in the week prior to testing. Viral genome sequencing was carried out for PCR-positive samples with N-gene cycle threshold value < 34 (N = 1,079) in round 8 (January 2021). In univariate analysis, all 26 surveyed symptoms were associated with PCR positivity compared with non-symptomatic people. Stability selection (1,000 penalized logistic regression models with 50% subsampling) among people reporting at least 1 symptom identified 7 symptoms as jointly and positively predictive of PCR positivity in rounds 2-7 (June to December 2020): loss or change of sense of smell, loss or change of sense of taste, fever, new persistent cough, chills, appetite loss, and muscle aches. The resulting model (rounds 2-7) predicted PCR positivity in round 8 with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.77. The same 7 symptoms were selected as jointly predictive of B.1.1.7 infection in round 8, although when comparing B.1.1.7 with wild type, new persistent cough and sore throat were more predictive of B.1.1.7 infection while loss or change of sense of smell was more predictive of the wild type. The main limitations of our study are (i) potential participation bias despite random sampling of named individuals from the National Health Service register and weighting designed to achieve a representative sample of the population of England and (ii) the necessary reliance on self-reported symptoms, which may be prone to recall bias and may therefore lead to biased estimates of symptom prevalence in England. Where testing capacity is limited, it is important to use tests in the most efficient way possible. We identified a set of 7 symptoms that, when considered together, maximize detection of COVID-19 in the community, including infection with the B.1.1.7 lineage.

Over a period of two weeks at a hospital in Hong Kong 69 patients and 69 health care workers were admitted to isolation wards because of SARS. Thirty-two of those with SARS required intensive care, and five died. This report describes the clinical and radiologic features of SARS, and it analyzes the predictors of a poor outcome. 69 Patients and 69 health care workers were admitted to isolation wards because of SARS. Other articles describe clusters of cases in Hong Kong and in Canada . The full text of these articles is available free. In March 2003, there was an outbreak of atypical pneumonia in Hong Kong. As of March 27, there were 367 reported cases in Hong Kong and more than 1400 cases worldwide. 1 The disease may progress rapidly and often results in the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). As of this writing, there have been 10 deaths in Hong Kong related to the illness, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has named the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Globally, there have been at least 53 deaths related to SARS. 1 Schools have been closed in Hong Kong, and more than 1000 people who . . .

A 48-year-old man presented with fever, chills, myalgias, and diarrhea. On evaluation, he had generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, diffuse rash, and moderate eosinophilia. Diagnostic test results were received.

We sought to assess the role of procalcitonin in discriminating severe bacterial infections requiring antibiotic treatment from non-bacterial causes of fever or chills in chronic dialysis patients. Chronic hemodialysis patients who were admitted to the emergency room due to fever and/or chills were recruited to the study. The presence or absence of bacterial infection was defined after recruitment conclusion by an infectious disease specialist who was blinded to procalcitonin results. Procalcitonin levels were compared between infected and non-infected patients. Out of 54 patients recruited, 22 (41%) patients eventually diagnosed with infection. Mean (± SD) procalcitonin values were 4.3 (± 5.5) ng/ml among cases, 1.0 (± 2.0) ng/ml among controls with no infection (p = 0.02). A cutoff PCT value of 1 ng/ml or higher had 77% sensitivity and 59% specificity for the diagnosis of severe infection. Procalcitonin cannot usefully identify hemodialysis patient with bacterial infection.

Hemodialysis (HD) is one of the important modalities of renal replacement therapy in acute renal failure (ARF) as well as chronic renal failure (CRF). This study was performed to evaluate the various intradialytic complications that occur during HD and their management. This is a retrospective study performed in patients who underwent conventional HD during the period of 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2011 at our center. Clinical details, various complications faced and their management were retrieved from dialysis case sheets. A total of 2325 patients of renal failure (790 ARF and 1535 CRF patients) were assessed for the intradialytic complications of HD. During the study period, there were 12,785 bicarbonate dialyses performed on these patients. In the ARF patients, the common intradialytic complications were: Hypotension, seen in 1296 sessions (30.4 %), nausea and vomiting seen in 1125 sessions (26.4 %), fever and chills seen in 818 sessions (19.2 %), headache seen in 665 sessions (15.6 %), cramps seen in 85 sessions (2.0 %), chest pain and back pain seen in 82 sessions (1.92 %), hypoglycemia seen in 77 sessions (1.8 %), first-use syndrome seen in 72 sessions (1.7 %) and femoral hematoma seen in 31 sessions (0.73 %). In the CRF group, common complications were hypotension in 2230 sessions (26.1 %), nausea and vomiting in 1211 sessions (14.2 %), fever and chills in 1228 sessions (14.4 %), chest pain and back pain in 1108 cases (13.0 %), hypertension in 886 sessions (10.4 %), headache in 886 sessions (10.4 %), cramps in 256 sessions (3.0 %), hematoma in 55 sessions (0.64 %), intracerebral hemorrhage in three sessions (0.03 %) and catheter tip migration in three sessions (0.03 %). There is a need for special attention for the diagnosis and management of intradialytic complications of HD because such complications could be managed successfully without the need for termination of the dialysis procedure.

The heterophile antibody (Monospot), initial test of choice for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated infectious mononucleosis, is both sensitive (70-92%) and specific (96-100%). False positives have been demonstrated in cases of viral hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus, leukemia, lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, systemic lupus erythematosus, and rubella. We present a case of a 46-yr-old male who developed fever, chills, headaches, myalgia, fatigue, and photophobia 1 d after returning from the Philippines. He demonstrated a mild transaminitis and significant thrombocytopenia (12,000 cells/μL). His initial evaluation revealed a positive heterophile antibody test. Without a classic EBV presentation, a fever in returning traveler evaluation was instituted resulting in a positive dengue test by direct fluorescence IgM (8.82 IU) and IgG (7.13 IU), respectively. Both his EBV DNA polymerase chain reaction and IgM by viral capsid antigen were negative. Dengue, an RNA flavivirus, and the dengue antibody have demonstrated cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses including Japanese encephalitis virus, yellow fever virus, West Nile virus, and St. Louis encephalitis. However, EBV is a double-helix DNA herpesvirus and structurally very different. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of cross-reactivity between dengue and EBV that describes a potential false positive for the heterophile antibody test.

The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing worldwide. Renal replacement therapy is the lifesaving treatment modality in end-stage renal disease. Among various renal replacement modalities, hemodialysis (HD) is widely preferred one. Intradialytic complications are common and mostly inevitable. This study was conducted to determine pattern of intradialytic complications and its associated factors. This is a cross-sectional study conducted for six months duration among all CKD patients who were undergoing maintenance HD in B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal. Of 228 patients, most were male 141 (61.8%) with median age 50 years (22–77). In this study, diabetic nephropathy (38.2%) was the most common etiology of CKD. Among 228 patients, complications were noted in 133 (58.3%) patients. Common complications were chills and rigor (44.3%), backache (30.7%), and hypotension (27.2%) in the study patients. Intradialytic complications were significantly associated with increasing age (P <0.001) and irregular HD (P <0.001). The common complications among CKD patient undergoing maintenance HD were chills, backache, and hypotension. Increasing age and irregular HD were significantly associated with intradialytic complications.