SMJ // Infectious Disease

SMJ Article | Original Article

Neighborhood Ecologies, Cases, and Deaths during the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons for Current and Future Epidemics?

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disproportionately affected Black and Latinx communities. Ecologic analyses have shown that counties with a higher percentage of Latinx and Black people have worse COVID-19 outcome rates. Few ecologic analyses have been published at the neighborhood (census tract) level. We sought to determine...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128

SMJ Article | Original Article

Impact of Frailty on COVID-19 Hospitalizations: Results from the California State Inpatient Database

Objectives: Frail patients are at greater risk of experiencing adverse clinical outcomes in any critical illness due to decreased physiologic reserves, greater susceptibility to the adverse effects of treatment, and greater needs for intensive care. In this study, we sought to assess the prevalence of frailty and associated adverse in-hospital...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128

SMJ Article | Original Article

Effect of HIV Status and Charlson Comorbidity Index on COVID-19 Clinical Outcomes in a Case-Control Study

Objectives: During the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, numerous comorbidities were identified as risk factors for increased morbidity and mortality. Few studies have examined human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and COVID-19 co-infection and the impact of HIV on COVID-19 outcomes. In this study, we compared outcomes of people...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) And Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection19

SMJ Article | Original Article

Fit Testing Failure of Reprocessed “Duckbill”-Type N95 Masks

Objectives: In response to worldwide shortages of N95 masks during the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 pandemic, various strategies have been used. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend several strategies, including simple isolation to reprocessing methods using vaporized hydrogen peroxide to guide reuse of masks up to five times....

Posted in: Infectious Disease128

SMJ Article | Original Article

A Qualitative Study of Transportation-Related Barriers to HIV Care in South Carolina

Objectives: Addressing structural barriers to care for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the southern United States is critical to increase rates of viral suppression and to reduce existing HIV disparities. This qualitative study aimed to describe transportation-related barriers experienced by people living with HIV in South Carolina,...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) And Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection19

SMJ Article | Multidisciplinary Clinical Case Study

Undiagnosed HIV in Patients on Immunosuppressive Medications Presenting with HIV-Associated Kidney Disease

Approximately 158,500 adults and adolescents in the United States live with undiagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Missed or delayed diagnoses adversely affect disease management and outcomes. This is particularly salient for patients receiving immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapy for the management of chronic inflammatory conditions, in which additional immunosuppression may increase...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128 Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) And Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection19

SMJ Article | Original Article

Effects of Preoperative COVID-19 Status on Emergent or Urgent Colectomy Outcomes

Objectives: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has been described as eliciting a powerful immune response. The association of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection with diseases requiring emergent or urgent colectomies may exacerbate the risk of surgical complications. We investigated the effect of preoperative COVID-19 infection on the clinical outcomes...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128

SMJ Article | Original Article

Improving Communication with Family Members during a Global Pandemic: Effect on Patient Experience

Objectives: Communication with patients and their families/caregivers to facilitate informed decision making is an integral part of patient/family-centered care. Due to the high coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection rates and limited personal protective equipment, healthcare systems were forced to restrict patient visitors, limit patient–provider interactions, and implement other changes in...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128

SMJ Article | Original Article

Exercise, Sleep Quality, and Physical Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: Sufficient exercise and high-quality sleep are important for good health, and they may be particularly crucial during the coronavirus pandemic. Sleeping difficulties and insufficient exercise are prevalent in the United States, however, and data indicate little to no change—or even worsening—of these health behaviors before the pandemic. This study...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128

SMJ Article | Original Article

Ethical and Professional Issues Encountered by Fourth-Year Medical Students during a Critical Care Clerkship before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe ethical and professional issues encountered and the ethical and professional values cited by medical students during their critical care clerkship, with a comparison of issues encountered before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: In this single-center, retrospective mixed-methods...

Posted in: Infectious Disease128

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