Prevalence of Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Context

Hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) is one of the complications of a stroke.

Objectives

This study aimed to determine shoulder pain prevalence in cerebrovascular accident (CVA) patients.

Methods

This meta-analysis study searched English and Persian descriptive or descriptive-analytical full-text studies on CVA patients. The search was carried out in all databases by two researchers using keywords such as stroke, pain, CVA, hemiplegic, and shoulder pain. Data analysis was done with the software CMA3.

Results

In the initial search, 109 articles were found, and finally, the data from four articles were analyzed. The prevalence of HSP was 23% (confidence interval (CI) = 10.3% - 43.5%).

Conclusions

Considering the HSP prevalence (28.1%) among CVA patients, it is necessary to carry out rehabilitation interventions to prevent such pain in these patients. It is also suggested that rehabilitation interventions be included in the patient education of the healthcare system.

Environmental Surface Contamination with SARS-CoV-2: Toilets as the Most Contaminated Surfaces in COVID-19 Referral Hospital

INTRODUCTION

The possibility of surface transmission in hospitals with high density of COVID- 19 patients is unneglectable. The aim of this study is to determine the extent of surface contamination in coronavirus central hospital of Ilam province in western Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this experimental study, 205 samples were taken from environmental surfaces in hospital. SARS-CoV-2 RNA detected by Real-time RT-PCR.

RESULTS

121 out of 205 (50.02%) samples were positive. The most contaminated objects were toilet sites (5/5,100% ICU; 5/5, 100% isolation wards).

CONCLUSION

High surface contamination with SARS-CoV-2 proposes the surface as a potential route of transmission.

Prevalence and clinical presentation of COVID-19 infection in hemodialysis patients

Introduction: Hemodialysis (HD) patients are at increased risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in HD patients. Patients and Methods: This is a single-center study conducted at HD center, in Ilam, Iran. The study was included 87 HD patients to be tested. SARS-CoV-2 infection was diagnosed with confirmed test by rRT-PCR (real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) assay. Results: Around 35.63% of HD patients were diagnosed as COVID-19 infection; most of them were male (74.4%). Dyspnea (58.1%) and cough (45.2%) were the most common symptoms among HD cases with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Diabetes (16.1%) and hypertension (19.4%) were the most coexisting medical illnesses. About 12.9% of patients needed ICU care. Additionally, 16.1% of our patients died, which all of them were male. Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of COVID-19 among our HD group, accompanied by mild symptoms. The HD population is probably among the most sensitive and high-risk groups for COVID-19 because of advanced age, comorbidities disease, low-immune function and frequent required visits, and patient overload in HD centers. Preventive measures should be taken in order to minimize the virus transmission in dialysis centers.

The recovery of an elderly woman with asthma and diabetes from COVID-19 infection: a case report

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 has caused a great deal of fear indifferent communities. In this study, we reported the recovery of a diabetic elderly woman with a history of asthmafromCOVID-19 infection.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 61-year-old woman was hospitalized due to dyspnea and low blood O2 saturation and later diagnosed with COVID-19, as confirmed by PCR. The patient had a history of asthma and diabetes and used salbutamol and Atrovent spray. She also had a history of hospitalization at one month prior to the current admission. Despite all these, COVID-19was successfully managed, and she was discharged with a good clinical condition after the improvement of respiratory complications.

CONCLUSION

Despite having an advanced age and underlying diseases (diabetes and asthma), the recovery of this elderly woman shows that even such patientscandefeatCOVID-19 as long as the disease is not progressed to advanced phases and appropriate therapeutic measures are taken. By reporting such cases, it is possible to give people hope and motivation and reduce their fear of the disease.

Hospital indoor air quality monitoring for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus

On December 31, 2019, the novel human coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified in Wuhan, China and swiftly spread in all nations and territories around the globe. There is much debate about the major route of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmissions. So, more evidence is required to determine the potential pathway of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 including airborne transmission. Therefore, we examined the potential aerosol transmission of the virus through hospital wards indoor air by confirmed COVID-19 patients on May 7, 2020. In order to capture airborne SARS-CoV-2, the liquid impinger biosampler was used to take fourteen air samples in different wards of the indoor air of the hospital. The specific primer and probe real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were applied to detect viral genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in positive air samples. Accordingly, we found two positive air samples (in the ICU) out of 14 ones taken from different wards with confirmed COVID-19 patients. The results revealed the possibility of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 though more studies are required to determine the role of actual mechanisms such as cough, sneeze, normal breathing and speaking in the emission of airborne size carrier aerosols. Likewise, more quantitative analyses are needed to estimate airborne viability of SARS-CoV-2 in the carrier aerosols.