May 25, 2020 - a podcast by COVID19LST

Your daily COVID-19 LST Report:

— Climate:  COVID-19 brings to light the need for universal health care services and Italian authors demand further government investments in the development of such structures.   The COVID-19 pandemic has created dissonance between practicality and the traditional four pillars of medical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

— Epidemiology:  Authors speculate that anosmia is a specific symptom that can be used as a cheap and effective screening tool for COVID-19. Coupled with the fact that olfactory mucosa has a high expression of ACE2 transcript, they speculate that anosmia is due to direct damage to neuroepithelial stem cells.

— Understanding the Pathology:  An author presents a possible explanation for thromboses in COVID-19 patients.  They speculate that the virus could attack erythrocytes directly, resulting in antigen-antibody immune complex formation. This type III hypersensitivity reaction would release proteases that could destroy epithelium, mesothelium, and endothelium basement membrane as well as create antiphospholipid antibodies, which could lead to thrombosis.

— Transmission and Prevention:  A bioengineer affiliated with the Imperial College in London questions whether 2 meters (approximately 6.6 feet) is an appropriate distance for preventing droplet transmission of SARS-CoV-2 based on studies demonstrating exhalation behavior and travel of exhaled tobacco smoke (a possible surrogate for droplets) reaching a distance of up to 9 meters.

— Management:  Guidelines and recommendations for managing COVID-19 patients include: Post-extubation airway obstruction including laryngospasm,  Triaging newborns with mothers who are COVID-19 positive,  Pemphigus vulgaris patients,  Osteoarthritis patients

— Mental Health and Resilience:  Impacts on vulnerable populations and what we can do. 

— Silver Lining:  French patients with OSA, are now using their CPAP more.

— Visit COVID19LST.org for our full report with links to the articles.

— Reach out to us at: contact@covid19lst.org

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