Author Interviews, Clots - Coagulation, COVID -19 Coronavirus, Heart Disease, JAMA / 30.12.2020
COVID-19 and Heart Attacks: Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Coronary Clots
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Ana Blasco, MD, PhD
Cardiology Department,
Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro–Majadahonda
Madrid, Spain
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Our group has been investigating issues related to coronary thrombosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction for years. Recently, we developed a standardized technique for the detection and quantification of extracellular neutrophil networks (NETs) in coronary thrombi. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Madrid, Spain, we had some cases of myocardial infarctions with ST elevation and a large thrombotic component among patients with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Given the important participation of NETs in severe COVID-19 disease, causing occlusion of microvessels as shown in pulmonary samples, we decided to analyze their role in coronary thrombi. Thanks to similar previous analyzes in patients without COVID-19, we have been able to compare our results with a historical series.
Dr. Chua[/caption]
Isaac Chua, MD, MPH
Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care
Brigham and Women's Hospital
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Patient surveys have shown that most people prefer to die at home at the end-of-life. However, during the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, anecdotal evidence from our colleagues and findings from a prior study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggested that majority of COVID-19 decedents died in a medical facility. However, less is known about care intensity at the end-of-life according to place of death among patients who died of COVID-19. Therefore, we characterized end-of-life care by place of death among COVID-19 decedents at Mass General Brigham (MGB), the largest health system in Massachusetts. 
Dr. Maru[/caption]
Sheela Maru, MD, MPH
Department of Health System Design and Global Health and
Arnhold Institute for Global Health and
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Universal screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection on Labor and Delivery (L&D) units is a critical strategy to manage patient and health worker safety, especially in a vulnerable high-prevalence community. We describe the results of a SARS-CoV-2 universal screening program at the L&D Unit at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY, a 545-bed public hospital serving a diverse, largely immigrant and low-income patient population and an epicenter of the global pandemic.
Asimanshu Das[/caption]
Asimanshu Das, Ph.D. student
Brown University School of Engineering
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Driving in a car with ride-share or car-pool is a widely prevalent social interaction. The study aimed to address the airflows inside cars in various window open/closed configurations using computer simulations, and also looking into the possibility of movement of aerosol-type of particles from one occupant to other.
The main findings are that opening windows provides a likely benefit to reduce the potentially pathogenic aerosols inside the cabin. Generally, more windows the better, but at the least it would be advisable to have one rear side window and one frontside window open.
Sitara Weerakoon[/caption]
Sitara Weerakoon, MPH (she/her)
PhD Candidate | Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Graduate Research Assistant
Center for Pediatric Population Health
UTHealth
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Measures to control the spread of COVID-19 included stay-at-home mandates and business lockdown policies which resulted in many facing a loss of income or employment and more time spent isolated at home. Life stressors (like job loss and social isolation) have been shown to be associated with increased drinking at unhealthy levels. Those with a history of mental health problems may be even more at risk.
We aimed to see if binge drinking (5 or more drinks [male] or 4 or more drinks [female] in one session) and levels of alcohol consumption among binge drinkers were impacted by these pandemic-related factors. We found that increased time spent at home (in weeks) was associated with a 19% increase in the odds of binge drinking and binge drinkers with a previous diagnosis of depression and current depression symptoms (during the early months of the pandemic) had a 237% greater odds of drinking more alcohol (vs drinking the same amount) compared to those with no history and current symptoms of depression.
Dr. Halpern-Felsher[/caption]
Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, FSAHM (pronouns: she/her)
Professor of Pediatrics
Taube Endowed Research Faculty Scholar
Professor (by courtesy), Epidemiology and Population Health
Professor (by courtesy), Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Director of Fellows’ Scholarship, Department of Pediatrics
Director of Research, Division of Adolescent Medicine
Co-leader, Scholarly Concentrations, Pediatrics Residency Program
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: To examine adolescent and young adult e-cigarette use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were 4 main findings:
Dr. Barrett[/caption]
Emily Barrett, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Rutgers School of Public Health
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: We started this study in the very early stages of the pandemic to look at SARS-CoV-2 viral transmission and disease severity in health care workers as compared to non-health care workers. There was a tremendous amount of fear and uncertainty about the virus and the early anecdotal reports coming out of China and Italy highlighted the plight of many frontline health care workers who had been infected on the job. We knew that our U.S. health care workers would soon be facing this tremendous challenge. We started this study to examine risks of infection in our vulnerable frontline health care workers and a comparison group of non-health care workers. Our results are from the early stages of the U.S. pandemic in March-April 2020.
Dr. Ganson[/caption]
Kyle T. Ganson, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
University of Toronto
Toronto, Canada
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Dr. Nagata[/caption]
Jason Nagata, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, California, USA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: A quarter of young adults in the US have reported being unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Young adults may be especially affected by employment loss as they often work in industries most adversely affected by social distancing.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?
Response: Among a sample of nearly 5,000 young adults age 18 to 26 in the US, we found that since March 2020, young adults who lost their job or were part of a household that experienced employment loss were more likely than those with secure employment to experience four common symptoms of anxiety and depression. This was also true of young adults who expected an employment loss in the next four weeks. The study also found that symptoms of anxiety and depression were common among the sample of young adults. In the seven days prior to the survey, 75% reported being nervous, anxious or on edge, 68% reported not being able to stop or control worrying, 67% reported having little interest or pleasure in doing things, and 64% reported feeling down, depressed, or hopeless.
