A 76-year-old otherwise healthy man was delivered by ambulance to the emergency room with a 4-day history of fever (up to 39°C), a dry cough, and diarrhea. The main clinical findings were tachypnea and respiratory insufficiency (SpO2 93%, 15 L oxygen with reservoir mask). Laboratory tests detected elevated concentrations of C-reactive protein (86 mg/L) and lactate dehydrogenase (431 U/L); the procalcitonin level was normal. Pulmonary sonography at the bedside revealed areas of jagged fragmentary pleural line with partially confluent B lines, particularly in the upper anterior portion of the left lung; lung sliding was present (Figure a). In adjacent lung areas the sonographic findings were normal. A consolidation with liver-like echo texture and air bronchogram was visualized in the right costophrenic angle (Figure b). A pleural effusion was also seen. This pattern on pulmonary sonography is currently considered indicative of COVID-19 viral pneumonia. Computed tomography confirmed the morphological findings, with ground-glass opacities concentrated in the left upper lobe and a consolidation in the right lower lobe. Despite intensive treatment the patient developed severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiorgan failure. He died on day 14 after admission.

Background We aimed to create a questionnaire to assess the health-related quality of life including functioning, symptoms, and general health status of adult patients with current or previous COVID-19. Here, we report on Phase I and II of the development. Methods Internationally recognized methodology for questionnaire development was followed. In Phase I, a comprehensive literature review was performed to identify relevant COVID-19 issues. Decisions for inclusion, exclusion, and data extraction were completed independently in teams of two and then compared. The resulting issues were discussed with health care professionals (HCPs) and current and former COVID-19 patients. The input of HCPs and patients was carefully considered, and the list of issues updated. In Phase II, this updated list was operationalized into items/questions. Results The literature review yielded 3342 publications, 339 of which were selected for full-text review, and 75 issues were identified. Discussions with 44 HCPs from seven countries and 52 patients from six countries showed that psychological symptoms, worries, and reduced functioning lasted the longest for patients, and there were considerable discrepancies between HCPs and patients concerning the importance of some of the symptoms. The final list included 73 issues, which were operationalized into an 80-item questionnaire. Conclusion The resulting COVID-19 questionnaire covers health–related quality of life issues relevant to COVID-19 patients and is available in several languages. The next steps include testing of the applicability and patients’ acceptability of the questionnaire (Phase IIIA) and preliminary psychometric testing (Phase IIIB).

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund stellen eine heterogene Bevölkerungsgruppe dar mit einer Vielfalt an Ethnien, kulturellen und religiösen Ansichten und Erfahrungen. Die Diagnose und anschließende Behandlung einer Krebserkrankung gehen mit vielfältigen psychosozialen Belastungen einher. Daher war es Ziel dieser Studie, die aktuelle Perspektive von Ärzt/innen bezüglich Barrieren bei der psychoonkologischen Versorgung von MMH zu untersuchen sowie benötigte Hilfestellungen zu analysieren. Methode Es wurden bundesweit acht niedergelassene Ärzt/innen aus der hämatologisch-onkologischen Versorgung in qualitativen Einzelinterviews befragt. Die Interviews wurden digital aufgezeichnet und transkribiert. Die Auswertung erfolgte nach der inhaltlich strukturierenden Inhaltsanalyse mithilfe des Softwareprogramms MAXQDA 2020. Ergebnisse Identifiziert wurden 255 Codes in den Hauptkategorien „Definition Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund“, „Kommunikation“, „Kulturelle Unterschiede“, „Psychoonkologische Versorgung“, „Koordinierung & Vermittlung von psychoonkologischen Versorgungsangeboten“ sowie „Optimale psychoonkologische Versorgung“. Die Ergebnisse geben einen aktuellen Einblick in alltägliche und praxisrelevante Probleme, die sich in der transkulturellen Kommunikation, Barrieren hinsichtlich der Identifizierung von Bedürfnissen, in der psychoonkologischen Weiterversorgung oder auch während der Übersetzung durch Angehörige erkennen lassen. Diskussion Bereits die Identifizierung von Bedürfnissen während der ärztlichen Behandlung ist mit diversen Barrieren verbunden. Screening-Instrumente für Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund und Angehörige auf verschiedenen Sprachen und für unterschiedliche Kulturkreise könnten die Identifizierung unterstützen. Zudem müssten Netzwerke geschaffen werden, um Patient/innen anschließend auch psychoonkologisch versorgen zu können.

Background To date, no specific therapy or vaccination is available for West Nile virus (WNV) infections in humans; preventive strategies represent the only possibility to control transmission. To focus these strategies, detailed knowledge of the virus dynamics is of paramount importance. However, several aspects of WNV transmission are still unclear, especially regarding the role of potential vertebrate host species. Whereas mosquitoes’ intrinsic characteristics cause them to favour certain hosts (host preference), absolute selection is impossible in natural settings. Conversely, the selection carried out among available hosts and influenced from hosts’ availability and other ecological/environmental factors is defined as host selection. Methodology/Principal findings In July 2022, we searched PubMed database for original articles exploring host selection among WNV-transmitting Culex mosquitoes, the main WNV vector. We considered only original field studies estimating and reporting forage ratio. This index results from the ratio between the proportion of blood meals taken by mosquitoes on potential host species and the hosts’ relative abundance. From the originally retrieved 585 articles, 9 matched the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. All but one of the included studies were conducted in the Americas, six in the United States, and one each in Mexico and Colombia. The remaining study was conducted in Italy. American Robin, Northern Cardinal, and House Finch were the most significantly preferred birds in the Americas, Common Blackbird in Italy. Conclusions/Significance Although ornithophilic, all observed WNV-transmitting mosquitoes presented opportunistic feeding behaviour. All the observed species showed potential to act as bridges for zoonotic diseases, feeding also on humans. All the observed mosquitoes presented host selection patterns and did not feed on hosts as expected by chance alone. The articles observe different species of mosquitoes in different environments. In addition, the way the relative host abundance was determined differed. Finally, this review is not systematic. Therefore, the translation of our results to different settings should be conducted cautiously.