scholarly journals Copper-Alloy Surfaces and Cleaning Regimens against the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Dentistry and Orthopedics. From Fomites to Anti-Infective Nanocoatings

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Poggio ◽  
Marco Colombo ◽  
Carla Renata Arciola ◽  
Tiziana Greggi ◽  
Andrea Scribante ◽  
...  

The latest diffusion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has involved the whole world population. Even if huge efforts to control the pandemic have been done, the viral spread is still continuing. COVID-19 is reported as a zoonosis jumped from bats and pangolins to humans. After infection in humans, SARS-CoV-2 is found in the nasopharyngeal and salivary secretions. The virus has also been detected in the blood plasma of infected patients. The viral spread occurs through droplets exhaled from the nose and mouth of the infected people when they breath or talk, or through droplets propelled as a dense cloud by chough or sneeze. The virus can also be delivered as an aerosol from blood plasma, through surgical procedures. Following these ways, the virus can disperse in the air, then reaching and settling on the exposed surfaces. How long the virus will survive on a surface depends on the material the surface is made from. Infection via high-touch surfaces should be prevented. Copper alloy coatings, combined with efficient hygienic/disinfectant procedures and careful surgical practice, could be helpful to health protection in dental practice and can also be adopted in orthopedic traumatology.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiadi Lv ◽  
Zhenfeng Wang ◽  
Yajin Qu ◽  
Hua Zhu ◽  
Qiangqiang Zhu ◽  
...  

AbstractSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) invades the alveoli, where abundant alveolar macrophages (AMs) reside. How AMs respond to SARS-CoV-2 invasion remains elusive. Here, we show that classically activated M1 AMs facilitate viral spread; however, alternatively activated M2 AMs limit the spread. M1 AMs utilize cellular softness to efficiently take up SARS-CoV-2. Subsequently, the invaded viruses take over the endo-lysosomal system to escape. M1 AMs have a lower endosomal pH, favoring membrane fusion and allowing the entry of viral RNA from the endosomes into the cytoplasm, where the virus achieves replication and is packaged to be released. In contrast, M2 AMs have a higher endosomal pH but a lower lysosomal pH, thus delivering the virus to lysosomes for degradation. In hACE2 transgenic mouse model, M1 AMs are found to facilitate SARS-CoV-2 infection of the lungs. These findings provide insights into the complex roles of AMs during SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with potential therapeutic targets.


Diagnosis ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lippi ◽  
Camilla Mattiuzzi ◽  
Brandon M. Henry

Abstract The worldwide burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still unremittingly prosecuting, with nearly 300 million infections and over 5.3 million deaths recorded so far since the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic at the end of the year 2019. The fight against this new highly virulent beta coronavirus appears one of the most strenuous and long challenges that humanity has ever faced, since a definitive treatment has not been identified so far. The adoption of potentially useful physical preventive measures such as lockdowns, social distancing and face masking seems only partially effective for mitigating viral spread, though efficacy and continuation of such measures on the long term is questionable, due to many social and economic reasons. Many COVID-19 vaccines have been developed and are now widely used, though their effectiveness is challenged by several aspects such as low uptake and limited efficacy in some specific populations, as well as by continuous emergence of new mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome, accompanying the origin and spread of new variants, which in turn may contribute to further decrease the effectiveness of current vaccines and treatments. This article is hence aimed to provide an updated picture of SARS-CoV-2 variants and mutations that have emerged from November 2019 to present time (i.e., early December 2021).


Author(s):  
Thomas Ind

Proficient surgery requires good basic surgical skills and an understanding of the relevant anatomy. The time when a surgeon watched an operation, performed the same procedure, and then taught it has elapsed. Routine formulaic surgical procedures have become outdated and modern surgical practice is focused on individual patients and their specific needs. The main focus of surgery is now dedicated to the competent obtainment of skills and a complete understanding of human anatomy and its variations. This chapter focuses on the main anatomical structures encountered during gynaecological surgery. The anatomy of the pelvis in relation to the fetal skull is also covered.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Melissa Loh ◽  
Karthikeyan Iyengar ◽  
William YC Loh

The effect of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic on the NHS in the UK has been profound and unprecedented. Many surgical specialities, including dentistry, throughout the country have not been exempt from this effect. As there are many aerosol-generating procedures and aerosol-generating exposures in surgical specialities, there has been a substantial cancellation of elective treatment. This has been in part because of the limited availability of personal protective equipment for surgeons as this is being use elsewhere by clinicians to aid the reduction of viral spread in the community. As the UK is preparing to emerge from the ‘lockdown’ during the pandemic, restarting elective surgical and dental treatment is an expected challenge. This article looks at the possible roadmap to recovery of elective surgical management and dentistry, taking into consideration possible predicted further peaks and troughs of COVID-19 infections.


Author(s):  
Marino Paroli ◽  
Maria Isabella Sirinian

ABSTRACT Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health emergency caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to evaluate whether technical analysis (TA) indicators, commonly used in the financial market to spot security price trend reversals, might be proficiently used also to anticipate a possible increase of SARS-Cov-2 spread. Methods: Analysis was performed on datasets from Italy, Iran, and Brazil. TA indicators tested were: (1) the combined use of a faster (3-d) and a slower (20-d) simple moving averages (SMA), (2) the moving average converge/divergence (MACD), and (3) the divergence in the direction of the number of new daily cases trend and the corresponding MACD histogram. Results: We found that the use of both fast/slow SMAs and MACD provided a reliable signal of trend inversion of SARS-Cov-2 spread. Results were consistent for all the 3 countries considered. The trend reversals signaled by the indicators were always followed by a sustained trend persistence until a new signal of reversal appeared. Conclusions: TA indicators tested here proved to be reliable tools to identify in the short mid-term a subsequent change of direction of viral spread trend either downward, upward, or sideward.


Author(s):  
Roberto Lo Giudice

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, and the etiological agent of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). This infection spreads mainly through direct contact with Flügge micro droplets or core droplets that remain suspended as aerosol. Moreover, it has been reported that infected subjects, both with and without clinical signs of COVID-19, can transmit the virus. Since the infection typically enters through mouth, nose, and eyes, dentistry is one of the medical practices at highest risk of infection due to the frequent production of aerosol and the constant presence of saliva. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that only emergency/urgent procedures should be performed during the coronavirus outbreak. Considering the virus’ route of transmission, a specific protocol should be applied to reduce the risk of infection in addition to measures that prevent the spread of infection from a patient to another person or medical tools and equipment (cross-infection). This protocol should be implemented by modifying both patient management and clinical practice, introducing particular devices and organizational practices. This paper aims to discuss and suggest the most appropriate procedures in every aspect of dental practice to reduce infection risk.


2020 ◽  
pp. eabf1555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zijun Wang ◽  
Julio C. C. Lorenzi ◽  
Frauke Muecksch ◽  
Shlomo Finkin ◽  
Charlotte Viant ◽  
...  

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), primarily infects cells at mucosal surfaces. Serum neutralizing antibody responses are variable and generally low in individuals that suffer mild forms of COVID-19. Although potent IgG antibodies can neutralize the virus, less is known about secretory antibodies such as IgA that might impact the initial viral spread and transmissibility from the mucosa. Here we characterize the IgA response to SARS-CoV-2 in a cohort of 149 convalescent individuals following diagnosis with COVID-19. IgA responses in plasma generally correlated with IgG responses. Further, clones of IgM-, IgG-, and IgA-producing B cells were derived from common progenitor cells. Plasma IgA monomers specific to SARS-CoV-2 proteins were demonstrated to be two-fold less potent than IgG equivalents. However, IgA dimers, the primary form of antibody in the nasopharynx, were on average fifteen times more potent than IgA monomers against the same target. Thus, dimeric IgA responses may be particularly valuable for protection against SARS-CoV-2 and for vaccine efficacy.


2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-188
Author(s):  
MaryKate Driscoll ◽  
Hyun Kee Chung ◽  
Manisha S Desai

Surgeons influence the introduction and development of anesthesia in many ways. Robert Emmett Farr is frequently cited as the first to describe the use of brachial plexus anesthesia in children. A surgeon based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he passionately believed that regional anesthesia was superior to general anesthesia for many surgical procedures. He wrote extensively promoting other regional techniques, including local infiltration of local anesthetics for pyloromyotomy and harelip repairs, as well as caudal blocks for lower abdominal procedures. Anesthesia texts from the early 1900’s suggest that regional anesthesia was not popular as a reliable alternative to general anesthesia. Undeterred, Farr continued promoting his view that regional anesthesia was the future of surgery. We examine how Farr promoted regional anesthesia in children and adults, in a way changing surgical practice and improving clinical care. We also hope to highlight the other contributions to medicine made by this pioneer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 417
Author(s):  
Mega Elvianasti ◽  
Liszulfah Roza ◽  
Maesaroh Maesaroh ◽  
Husnin Nahry Yarza

ABSTRAKVirus Corona atau Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) adalah jenis virus yang menyerang sistem pernapasan dan kekebalan tubuh manusia. Di Indonesia sendiri jumlah orang yang terinfeksi terus meningkat karena masih kurangnya kesadaran masyarakat untuk menerapkan protokol kesehatan. Orang yang terinfeksi Covid-19 memiliki gejala yang berbeda satu sama lain. Ada yang menyebabkan gangguan ringan pada sistem pernapasan, infeksi paru-paru yang berat, hingga kematian. Virus Corona ini adalah jenis baru dari Coronavirus yang menular ke manusia. Virus ini bisa menyerang siapa saja, mulai dari bayi, anak-anak, orang dewasa, ibu hamil dan ibu menyusui serta lansia. Bahkan lansia menjadi kelompok orang yang paling beresiko tertular. Berdasarkan wawancara dengan beberapa lansia, mereka mereka belum memiliki pemahaman dan pengetahuan yang benar mengenai Covid-19, selain itu dalam penyampaian informasi kepada lansia tidak memungkinkan untuk dilakukan secara online. Tujuan dari kegiatan ini adalah untuk memberikan edukasi tentang COVID-19 kepada masyarakat khususnya kepada lansia yang berada di RW 05 Kelurahan Jaticempaka Pondokgede Bekasi. Langkah-langkah yang dilakukan dalam kegiatan pengabdian ini, yaitu 1) Sosialisasi kepada mitra 2) mendata jumlah lansia yang ada di Kelurahan Jaticempaka RW 05, 3) Menyiapkan media edukasi dengan menggunakan x banner, 4) Memberikan edukasi covid-19 dengan cara door to door untuk menghindari kerumunan , 5) Memberikan bantuan pangan kepada warga lansia dan warga yang terdampak covid-19. Hasil dari kegiatan para lansia dapat memahami apa itu virus Covid-19, bagaimana penyebarannya, dan bagaimana menerapkan protokol kesehatan sehingga terhindar dari infeksi virus Covid-19. Kata Kunci: edukasi; lansia; covid-19. ABSTRACTCoronavirus or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a type of virus that attacks the human respiratory and immune systems. In Indonesia, the number of infected people continues to increase due to the lack of public awareness to apply health protocols. People infected with Covid-19 have different symptoms from one another. Some cause minor problems in the respiratory system, severe lung infections, and death. This Corona virus is a new type of Coronavirus that is transmitted to humans. This virus can attack anyone, from infants, children, adults, pregnant and nursing mothers and the elderly. Even the elderly are the group of people most at risk of contracting it. Based on interviews with several elderly people, they do not have the correct understanding and knowledge about Covid-19, besides that it is not possible to convey information to the elderly people online. The purpose of this activity is to provide education about COVID-19 to the community, especially to the elderly who are in RW 05 Jaticempaka Pondokgede Bekasi Village. The steps taken in this service activity are 1) Outreach to partners 2) recording the number of elderly people in Jaticempaka Village RW 05, 3) Preparing educational media using x banners, 4) Providing covid-19 education by means of door to door to avoid crowds, 5) Providing food assistance to elderly residents and residents affected by Covid-19. The results of the activities of the elderly can understand what the Covid-19 virus is, how it spreads, and how to implement health protocols to avoid Covid-19 virus infection. Keywords: education; elderly people; covid-19


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