Epidemiology
· Faculty of Medicine from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China found previously affected countries were more likely to incur lower COVID-19 incidence (p=0.021) than countries not exposed to SARS and/or MERS.
· Pediatricians at Boston Children’s Hospital suggested several laboratory characteristics distinguish multisystem inflammatory syndrome from Kawasaki disease in children, including cytopenias, degree of hyperferritinemia, and pattern of cytokine production, making the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of these very similar presentations quicker.
Understanding the Pathology
· A Spanish letter to the editor outlines a proteomics analysis investigating the presence of coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 in domestic cat fleas. Based on the preliminary results, the authors recommend preventing against flea infestation in cats as a prophylactic measure against possible COVID-19 transmission from fleas to humans and an investigation of arthropods as intermediate hosts and vectors of COVID-19.
Management
· Prominent coagulation disorder is closely related to inflammatory response and could be as a prognostic indicator for ICU patients with COVID-19: Authors affiliated with Peking University found that coagulation dysfunction may be associated with multiple inflammatory markers, suggesting that coagulation tests (namely, PT, FDP, D-dimer, and antithrombin III) may be useful prognostic indicators for ICU patients with COVID-19.
R&D: Diagnosis & Treatments
· A case series found that 6 out of the 7 had a decrease in proinflammatory cytokines and inflammatory markers with clinical improvement in health/mortality compared to 17 control patients, suggesting that early anti-inflammatory therapy with infliximab may decrease cytokine storm related organ failure.