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For patients dealing with lingering respiratory symptoms from the coronavirus, a simple chest X-ray can now reveal its impact on the lungs. The two-dimensional (2D) scans simply can't distinguish compromised lung function and a more expensive CT scan is necessary. In a new study, researchers at the University of Iowa have developed what is called a contrastive learning model. This model "learns" from composite 2D images constructed from 3D CT images to detect compromised lung function in long-Covid patients. Another technique, called transfer learning, then conveys lung diagnostic information from a CT scan to a chest X-ray, thus allowing chest X-ray equipment to detect abnormalities the same as if those patients had used a CT scan. "The new element to the model is taking information from 3D CT scans showing lung volume and transferring that information to a model that will show these same characteristics in 2D images," said Ching-Long Lin, Edward M. Mielnik and Samuel R. Harding from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at Iowa. "Clinicians would be able to use chest X-rays to detect these outcomes. That's the bigger perspective," they said in a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology. Small airways disease affects a network of more than 10,000 tubes at the nexus in the lung where oxygenated air mixes with blood to be carried throughout the body. People with small airways disease have many of these vessels constricted, thus limiting the oxygen-blood exchange in the lungs, and impeding breathing overall. Lin and his team collected data points at two intervals in the CT lung scans -- when the patient inhaled and when the patient exhaled. The researchers compared their results with a control group that had not contracted the virus as they created the contrastive learning model. "Our models successfully identified decreased lung function from long-Covid patients compared to those who had not gotten the virus," said Lin. Lin's team advanced the model so it could separate patients with small airways disease from those with more advanced complications, such as emphysema. "The study demonstrated in an independent way that patients with post-Covid have two types of lung injuries (small airway disease and lung parenchyma fibrosis/inflammation) that are persistent after having recovered from their initial SARS CoV-2 infection," added Alejandro Comellas, a clinical professor of internal medicine-pulmonary, critical care, and occupational medicine. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/this-is-indias-decade-and-gdp-is-likely-to-cross-7-5-trillion-by-2031-says-morgan-stanley/articleshow/95256483.cms">This is India’s decade and GDP is likely to cross $7.5 trillion by 2031, says Morgan Stanley</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/indian-markets-trade-flat-despite-us-feds-75-bps-rate-hike/articleshow/95269969.cms">Indian markets trade flat despite US Fed’s 75-bps rate hike</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/indian-car-makers-drive-the-festive-boom-two-wheelers-showing-signs-of-revival/articleshow/95257140.cms">Indian car makers drive the festive boom, two-wheelers showing signs of revival</a>

A simple chest X-ray can now reveal long-Covid's impact on lungs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A man, 22, had a cough for weeks due to a tumor compressing the tube that carries air into his lung.</li><li>Doctors did open-chest surgery to remove the tumor, which was almost 7-inches long.</li></ul>Doctors found a 7-inch-long tumor in the chest of a 22-year-old man who had been coughing for weeks, according to a report.The unnamed man went to the Emergency Room to find out why he'd had a cough for three weeks, doctors wrote in a case report published in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9618309/">Journal of Surgical Case Reports</a> on October 30.He'd also experienced chest pain when the cough started, but this had got better, the surgeons working in New Jersey wrote.He didn't have any other diagnosed medical conditions, <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/treatments/how-to-stop-smoking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">didn't smoke</a>, and his <a href="https://www.insider.com/sick-dont-have-covid-flu-rsv-what-it-is-2022-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID-19 tests</a> were negative, they said. <h2>The man had an almost 7-inch mass compressing part of his airway</h2>However, a chest x-ray and CT scan revealed a mass measuring almost 7-inches ("up to 17.2 cm") in the right side of his chest, which was compressing the tube that carries air from the windpipe into the right lung, called the bronchus.Doctors diagnosed the man with a thymoma, which is a rare tumor of the thymus — a small organ that lies above the heart and beneath the breast bone. The thymus is part of the immune system and manufactures white blood cells.Thymomas are usually benign, but they <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4669252/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">can become malignant</a> and spread to other organs, like the lungs. The <a href="https://www.cancer.org/cancer/thymus-cancer/about/key-statistics.html#:~:text=They%20occur%20at%20a%20rate,Survival%20rates%20for%20thymus%20cancer." target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Cancer Society</a> estimates that about 400 people get diagnosed with thymic tumors each year.<h2>Symptoms of a thymoma include a cough that doesn't go away</h2>Signs and symptoms of a thymoma include: a cough that doesn't go away, breathlessness, chest pain, a hoarse voice, and swelling in the face, neck, upper body, or arms. Thymic carcinoma, another rare tumor that arises from the same organ, can cause similar symptoms so anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor, <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%2C%20also,heart%20and%20under%20the%20breastbone." target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the National Cancer Institute.</a><a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%20are,a%20cough%20and%20chest%20pain." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Treatment of thymoma</a> can include: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormone treatment.According to the report, the surgeons performed open-chest surgery to remove the mass, as well as part of the lung that was touching it, and a portion of the heart tissue. The man was discharged from hospital a week after surgery, and a month later he wasn't experiencing any shortness of breath, the doctors wrote. Thymomas <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%20are,a%20cough%20and%20chest%20pain." target="_blank" rel="noopener">can</a> <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%20are,a%20cough%20and%20chest%20pain." target="_blank" rel="noopener">recur</a> a "long time" after treatment is complete and there is an increased risk of "other cancers," <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%20are,a%20cough%20and%20chest%20pain." target="_blank" rel="noopener">the </a><a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%20are,a%20cough%20and%20chest%20pain." target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Cancer Institute</a><a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%20are,a%20cough%20and%20chest%20pain." target="_blank" rel="noopener"> states. </a>The man was due to receive radiotherapy within six months, according to the report, which <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/types/thymoma/patient/thymoma-treatment-pdq#:~:text=Thymoma%20and%20thymic%20carcinoma%20are,a%20cough%20and%20chest%20pain." target="_blank" rel="noopener">typically</a> is to lower the risk that the thymoma will come back.

A 22-year-old man had a cough for weeks. Doctors found a 7-inch tumor in his chest.

<ul><li>The pandemic has made us realise the importance of preparedness and the need to predict and prevent such epidemics at all costs</li><li>Understanding the effects of all the potential viruses that can spread to human beings, by deploying <keyword id="6355999" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="ai" source="Orion">AI</keyword>, statistical models, and machine learning, is key to achieving this prevention</li><li>In this article, we take a closer look at how we can use AI models to spot the next pandemic and what are the obstacles that we may need to overcome</li></ul>Zoonosis, as defined by the World Health Organization (<keyword id="6366244" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="who" source="Orion">WHO</keyword>), can transmit infectious diseases from wild animals to humans – diseases that can be deadly enough to cause pandemics. The principal reasons for transmission are the increasing human encroachment on animal habitats, changing climate, and the increased movement of people, animals, and animal products because of international trade. The Global Virome Project estimates around 1.7 million animal viruses are known to cause infections in birds and mammals. Scientists believe almost half of those viruses can spread to humans. Understanding these has now become key to preventing pandemics or at least being better prepared in case one hits us. Research of this kind is an unbelievably huge task and has led to the development of a new discipline where machine learning (ML) and statistical models are used to predict the emergence of various diseases, likely animal hosts, geographical hotspots, and which viruses are most likely to affect humans. Scientists who support this technology firmly believe that the findings will guide the development of medicines and vaccines, and help everyone involved to study, observe, and predict situations accurately. Naturally, all researchers do not agree with this approach. Many do not believe predictive technology can keep up with the frequently changing virome or the scale of what exists at any given point. True, there is a constant improvement of data and <a href="https://www.infosysbpm.com/offerings/functions/annotation-services-for-ai-ml/insights/documents/data-annotation-the-life-blood-of-ai-ml-applications.pdf">artificial intelligence (AI) models</a>, but for such tools to be truly predictive of future pandemics, the efforts must include a very wide network of researchers spread across the globe. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="AI spotted the first signs of Covid-19" comment="subhead" text="AI spotted the first signs of Covid-19">AI spotted the first signs of Covid-19</cmsannotation> Canada-based Bluedot was one of the first organisations to recognise the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and sound the alarm. It uses an AI-based algorithm that continuously searches global data to pinpoint the next outbreak of an infectious disease. HealthMap, the algorithm run at the Boston Children’s Hospital, also caught these first signs of Covid-19. So was the case with Mayo Clinic’s Coronavirus Map Tracking Tool. Rapidly developing Natural-language processing (NLP) algorithms monitor global healthcare reports and news outlets in various languages, and flag mentions of diseases such as Covid-19, or endemic ones such as tuberculosis or HIV. Air-travel data is also monitored to assess the risks of spreading. Social media was found to be quite a reliable source of data during Covid-19. Data scientists at the University of Colorado, Boulder, used ML and a short-term forecasting model to analyse large datasets gathered from popular online platforms and compared the results to insights obtained from analysing the more conventional mobile device location data. As people travelled during the pandemic, or recovered and talked about their Covid experience, the technology recognised specific keywords and gathered relevant data. In 2021, when mask-wearing policies, lockdowns, and travel restrictions kept changing, this model was found to be far closer to reality than other models. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Early buzz but not much later" comment="subhead" text="Early buzz but not much later">Early buzz but not much later</cmsannotation> However, after that initial buzz, AI could not do much. Almost all AI models were weak when applied to real-world clinical settings. Deep-learning models, when applied to CT scans and chest x-rays, were found to be unsuccessful. Perhaps a major reason for these failures was that the AI models were working on a real pandemic for the first time. Four areas were identified as the primary roadblocks: imperfect datasets, human failures, automated discrimination, and complex global conditions. Researchers are hopeful that the disappointments during Covid-19 will pave the way to generate better and sturdier AI models. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Imperfect datasets" comment="subhead" text="Imperfect datasets">Imperfect datasets</cmsannotation> For AI models to predict the emergence of a pandemic, the primary requirement is large amounts of reliable datasets, which is not always easy to gather. Different institutes across different countries have varying policies about sharing healthcare data. Further, individuals may not want their data shared either, even anonymously. For all the aspects to come together, leaders in healthcare, government, and businesses must be on the same page about privacy issues. <a href="https://www.infosysbpm.com/offerings/functions/robotics-process-automation/case-studies/documents/bots-power-millions-of-savings-on-online-sales.pdf">AI models are only as good as the data they work on</a>. So, given the many barriers to collecting good datasets, the predictions during Covid-19 were understandably below par. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Human errors" comment="subhead" text="Human errors">Human errors</cmsannotation> Data entry errors because of tremendous pressure, insufficient manpower, hurry to reach conclusions, and wrong incentives – everything was at play during Covid-19. The inability of people in charge to interpret data and AI predictions correctly was another common error. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Automated discrimination" comment="subhead" text="Automated discrimination">Automated discrimination</cmsannotation> Predictions and decisions regarding treatment taken by healthcare authorities also affected recovery rates despite the availability of AI models. Many disadvantaged groups did not receive appropriate or poor treatment because of AI biases, which can again be traced to human biases. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Complex global conditions" comment="subhead" text="Complex global conditions">Complex global conditions</cmsannotation> As mentioned earlier, data sharing is governed by different rules in different countries and that affects the quality and quantity of reliable data available. During the pandemic, there were many discussions and debates about sharing genome sequences across countries. Populations of different countries also reacted differently to the idea of sharing health data. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Way forward" comment="subhead" text="Way forward">Way forward</cmsannotation> Prediction, diagnosis, and treatment are the three areas where AI can be best used. For AI models to learn and predict efficiently, a few factors must be corrected over time. <ol><li>Find better healthcare datasets, preferably in standardised formats, to create a centralised repository of data. Consider using synthetic data instead of real data to bypass the principles of privacy. New data processing techniques must be developed.</li><li>Ensure greater diversity in the data collected. This will prevent automated discrimination and underrepresentation of disadvantaged groups.</li><li>Promote greater cooperation across teams such as AI teams, researchers, clinicians, engineers, and even ethicists to ensure AI systems are aligned with the existing value systems.</li><li>International data sharing rules must be outlined to facilitate data sharing without breaking any privacy rules. AI teams must be trained to recognise differences in data gathered from different regions of the world. </li></ol>The fast spread of Covid globally and the struggle faced by health services to stay ahead of the disease pushes home the need to use the best AI models available to track and predict pandemics. AI developers must continue working on predictive models to ensure that the next pandemic, if any, can be preemptively predicted and contained at the right time. Disclaimer: This article is authored by Sudeep Patta, Head – Digital Transformation Office, Infosys BPM. The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Insider India

Can AI spot the next pandemic before it starts?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An unknown pneumonia has killed three people and sickened six others in Argentina.</li><li>Tests for COVID-19, flu, and other pneumonia-causing bugs were negative, health authorities said.</li></ul>A pneumonia of unknown origin has killed three people and sickened six others in Argentina, with tests for pneumonia-causing bugs, including COVID-19, coming back negative, according to the country's health authorities.All of the cases have been reported in Tucumán — a small region in the northwest of Argentina, around 800 miles from the capital of Buenos Aires — since late August, according to the <a href="https://www.paho.org/en/documents/informative-note-cases-pneumonia-due-unknown-cause-tucuman-argentina" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).</a>Eight of the cases were health workers, and the other was a patient from an intensive care unit in a private clinic in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán, it said. As of Thursday, three people had died, and all of them had underlying health conditions, it said.Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global health at Edinburgh University, UK, and author of "Preventable," told <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/mystery-pneumonia-kills-two-infects-six-argentina/">The Telegraph</a>: "It's obviously concerning but we still need key information on transmission and hopefully [on the] underlying cause."She said: "This shows our collective vulnerability to <a href="https://www.insider.com/many-diseases-making-a-comeback-pandemic-reasons-why-2022-8">dangerous pathogens</a>. An outbreak in any part of the world – if not quickly contained – can spread rapidly given air travel and trade."<h2>Symptoms include fevers, muscle pain, and breathing problems</h2>The first six cases got symptoms — including <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/fever-temperature-symptoms-treatment">fevers</a>, muscle pain, abdominal pain, and difficulty breathing — between August 18 and August 22, <a href="https://msptucuman.gov.ar/analizan-las-muestras-de-los-casos-de-neumonia-de-causa-desconocida-en-tucuman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Ministry of Public Health of Tucumán Province.</a>Two of these patients died, three were hospitalized, and the other was in "good health" in isolation at home, it said. Three further cases — all health workers — developed similar symptoms between August 20 and 23, PAHO said.Luis Medina Ruiz, Tucumán's minister of health, said on Wednesday the patients all had a "severe respiratory condition," and <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/is-pneumonia-contagious">pneumonia</a> in both lungs that looked like COVID-19 on a chest x-ray, per The Telegraph.He said that the six unwell patients had been tested for <a href="https://www.insider.com/man-caught-deadly-fungal-infection-thought-it-was-covid-2022-8">COVID-19</a>, common <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/flu-symptoms">flu viruses</a>, and 26 other bugs, but nothing had been identified.Additional investigations, including toxicology tests, were ongoing, PAHO said.<h2>The cause of the pneumonia is unclear </h2>Jonathan Ball, a professor of virology at the University of Nottingham, UK, told The Telegraph that the illness could be a "rare event" caused by a known <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/conditions-symptoms/how-do-viruses-spread">respiratory virus</a> that hadn't been tested for, or something new. Genetic sequencing can distinguish between the two, he said.As COVID-19 restrictions that curb other respiratory viruses ease, Ball said that experts should be on alert for unusual symptoms."[This] might not be new illnesses – just a cluster of rare events from known illnesses," he said. "Expect more until we settle back into the normal seasonal ebb and flow of respiratory viruses."

Three people have died of an unknown pneumonia in Argentina, with COVID and dozens of other illnesses ruled out

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Jose Leon developed worsening flu-like symptoms this spring, but tested negative for COVID. </li><li>It took about a month for him to be diagnosed with Valley fever. By then, fungus covered his lungs.</li></ul>Jose and Carmen Leon thought they could finally exhale.The couple in Lemoore, California, had gotten through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic with five kids at home, and survived Carmen's three-week hospitalization with the virus in late 2021.They'd bought a house, and were ready for their next prosperous chapter of life. Then, in March 2022, Leon got sick. "Finally when we feel like, OK, we're getting better, we're back on our feet, we're able to work and he got hit with this," Carmen, a receptionist at an ophthalmology office, told Insider. "This" was <a href="https://www.insider.com/valley-fever-deadly-fungal-infection-spreading-north-climate-change-2019-9">Valley fever, a potentially deadly fungal infection</a> that's been on the rise in recent years.But Jose didn't get diagnosed until about a month after his symptoms began. All the while, his condition deteriorated, and he's still recovering today. "Things would have been much better," he told Insider, "if I would have gotten diagnosed earlier." <h2>Leon became so fatigued he couldn't care for his baby </h2>Leon, a 40-year-old machine operator at a cheese factory, used to weigh about 200 pounds and work out almost every day. But this past spring, he started getting winded at the gym and found himself so fatigued he'd jog in place at work just to stay awake.At home, he'd need to lie down. "And I hate laying down," said Jose, who worked nights and cared for the kids during the day. A couple of weeks later, he developed <a href="https://www.insider.com/valley-fever-fungal-infection-spreading-in-southwest-2019-6">a cough and body aches, then fevers and night sweats</a>. But he was double-vaccinated against COVID, and tests continued to come back negative. At one point, Jose felt so sick he called his oldest daughter home from high school to watch her 1-year-old sister. "That was one of the signs for me," said Carmen, who was working at the time. "I was like, 'Something is really wrong' because he's never not been able to" take care of the baby. <div type="image" title="Jose Leon before and during his illness." height="2048" width="2048" msid="93808151" hostid="261"></div>At a local clinic, the doctor told Jose she suspected Valley fever, but Jose's primary care doctor didn't take her recommendation to test Jose for it. Instead, the doctor conducted chest X-rays, which looked so damaged Jose was instructed to go straight to the emergency room. But even there, clinicians thought it was a bad case of COVID. Carmen said they sent him home with medications including steroids to take for a week, but Jose wasn't getting better. "He stopped wanting to get out of bed, he didn't want to eat," Carmen said. So she took him to the emergency room again, where he was eventually diagnosed with Valley fever. The infectious disease doctor raised the urgency of his case from a 7 (not so bad) to a 1 (very bad), Carmen said. "At this point, his lungs were full-blown white, they were full-blown pneumonia, up into his throat," Carmen said. As someone who grew up in the Valley and had been told he had some immunity against the infection, Jose couldn't believe his diagnosis. "I was in shock," he said. By then, he said, he'd lost about 50 pounds. <h2>Jose may be on antifungal pills for life</h2>Jose was treated with amphotericin B, a strong IV antifungal medication. He stayed in the hospital through the end of July to receive injections because his insurance wouldn't cover them in outpatient care. Over the summer months, Carmen cut back to part-time work, rotating between home with the kids and the hospital with Jose. "It was very difficult," she said. "At times, we had no money coming in." Carmen's sister started a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/jose-leon-and-family">GoFundMe account</a> to help with medical costs. Jose also missed his eldest's high-school graduation and his youngest's first words. "For four months, he was out of the house, which is not normal for us," Carmen said. "I know it sounds sappy, but we're always with our children, we're always with each other." <div type="image" title="Jose Leon sits with his family around him at his daughter's high school graduation" height="586" width="782" msid="93808152" hostid="261"></div>Now, Jose is home, but far from back to normal. He takes an oral antifungal medication daily that he may be on for life, and can't return to work until 2023 at the earliest. "I feel way better," he said, but that's relative: Now, Jose said, "I feel like I'm waking up with the flu every day." He's also constantly constipated and has an altered sense of smell and taste. When Carmen asked the doctor if there was anything else the the family could do to support Jose's recovery, she said, "move out of California." "That's not an option for us," Carmen said. <h2>Most people who inhale the fungus that causes Valley fever don't get sick </h2>Valley fever, or Coccidioidomycosis, is an infection caused by inhaling spores of Coccidioides fungus, which is found in soil.Not everyone who inhales the spores will get sick, but about 40% of those who do develop flu-like symptoms, Insider's Gabby Landsverk <a href="https://www.insider.com/valley-fever-deadly-fungal-infection-spreading-north-climate-change-2019-9">previously reported</a>. Around 1 in 10 patients can have serious side effects, like permanent lung damage. Rarely, people with Valley fever die if the infection spreads to places like the skin, joints, or spinal cord. It's not contagious, but the spores have been increasingly found in unexpected areas, like Washington and Oregon, likely due to climate change. Jose said he wants people to be aware of Valley fever as a potential cause of flu-like symptoms. "People need to know that it's out there and test for it," he said. "Make sure you catch it early, because the fungus grows."

A man thought he had COVID. It turned out to be a deadly fungal infection that spreads through dust.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rep. Ben McAdams, a Utah Democrat, was one of the first members of Congress to announce he'd contracted the coronavirus.</li><li>In an interview with Insider, he recounted how he went from experiencing "pretty mild" symptoms to difficulty breathing, to an 8-day hospital stay where he received oxygen and chest X-rays.</li><li>"I felt like I had a belt around my chest," he said. "It was just tight so I couldn't breathe deeply."</li><li>McAdams said that America needed to ramp up testing so that it's available more broadly, and for essential workers like doctors and nurses.</li><li>After dozens of House Democrats called for members to be able to vote remotely, McAdams said he supports remote voting, but believes it should only used in "times of national emergency."</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>It was only a matter of time before the coronavirus came to Congress.Because members travel back and forth between their districts, met with strangers and constituents, and packed into the Capitol's tight corridors and elevators, the question wasn't if a member of Congress would get it, but who would get it first.On March 18, Rep. Ben McAdams, a Utah Democrat, became one of the first two congressmen to announce they had contracted COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.For a few days, he experienced what some would consider mild symptoms. But then the disease took a turn. The 45-year old, who said he exercises daily, wound up in the hospital for over a week as he battled the disease. Over the course of his illness, his fever would spike to as high as 103 degrees Fahrenheit, and he received supplemental oxygen and X-rays to monitor his beleaguered lungs.Now virus-free and on the mend at home in Utah, McAdams spoke with Insider about how insidious the virus can be, and how his experience informed what he thinks Congress needs to do to protect Americans - and itself.From "pretty mild" symptoms to an 8-day hospital stayMcAdams began experiencing symptoms on March 14, just a few hours after he joined hundreds of his House colleagues to vote on a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/whats-in-the-coronavirus-bill-free-testing-benefits-paid-leave-2020-3">massive coronavirus relief package</a>. In hindsight, he believes he might have contracted the illness during a meeting with a constituent that week.He flew home to Utah's 4th district, and woke up the next day feeling unwell, with aches and a temperature that was inching up. At his doctor's advice, he was isolated as a precaution, but by Monday night, it was getting worse. "It was hard to breathe," McAdams told Insider. "I felt like I had a belt around my chest. It was just tight so I couldn't breathe deeply and my temperature shot up to about 102 degrees."The congressman announced a positive test result for COVID-19 on Wednesday, March 18. But he continued to work remotely and even granted interviews with the TODAY Show and CNN to about his experience.But on Friday evening, "it took a turn for the worse," McAdams said. "It just hit me really hard," McAdams continued. "I couldn't stand up and walk across the room without needing to stop and rest. My breath was really short, I was panting."Knowing that COVID-19 patients could quickly and suddenly deteriorate, his doctor instructed him to go to the hospital and have his oxygen levels checked. McAdams followed his doctors' orders and went to University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where tests revealed his oxygen levels were indeed low."They said they just wanted to watch because, you know, it is known that it can turn get really bad, very quickly so they wanted to watch me overnight," McAdams said. "So I stayed in. And one night became eight nights in the hospital.""This thing's kind of weird," McAdams said, "Because I would rally during the day - and I understand this is pretty common - I would feel much better and then I would just crash" in the afternoons and evenings.Because of strict isolation protocols, McAdams could only communicate with his wife and 4 children over FaceTime during his lengthy hospital stay.Congress passed a massive stimulus package. But McAdams says testing must come next.Congress recently voted to infuse the economy with an emergency $2 trillion stimulus package. Some of its key provisions provided Americans meeting a certain income thresh hold with a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/personal-finance/coronavirus-stimulus-check-questions-answers-2020-4"> one-time cash payment of up to $1,200</a> and a $500 billion Treasury Department lending program for airlines, businesses, states, and municipalities.But for McAdams, this is just the first step."What we've got to get to immediately is the ability to test broad numbers of individuals," McAdams said.It concerned him that "we're seeing that so many people can be contagious and asymptomatic," but healthcare providers still could only test a limited number of people. Just last week, the Centers for Disease Control director Dr. Robert Redfield said that <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/03/31/824155179/cdc-director-on-models-for-the-months-to-come-this-virus-is-going-to-be-with-us">as many as 1 in 4 people infected with the coronavirus could be asymptomatic.</a>At the moment, a scarcity of tests means that only patients who display enough symptoms that match the disease are being tested, a threshhold that initially excluded McAdams. But some asymptomatic celebrities, wealthy Americans, and other high-profile individuals have been able to receive tests. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-asymptomatic-celebrities-billionaires-get-coronavirus-tests-2020-3">Some likely used private labs to circumvent the traditional healthcare system.</a>"Nobody should be given priority for testing based on celebrity status," McAdams said. "It should be a medical decision made by doctors who are trying to assess the health of the community."He added: "But we've got to get to the point where testing is available for essential workers," like doctors and nurses on the frontline of the crisis.Congress needs to protect itself better, but not forget that, "We have an important job to do"McAdams' case raises a key question: How can Congress safely do its job, which necessitates meeting with constituents and packing the House and Senate floors to vote on legislation, in an era of social distancing?Since his announcement, a handful of other members tested positive for the coronavirus, including Rep. Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, who had self-quarantined after coming into contact with McAdams. On the Senate side, Rand Paul of Kentucky caused alarm and ire after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rand-paul-tests-positive-for-novel-coronavirus-2020-3">he revealed he'd tested positive for the coronavirus</a> but had continued to visit the Capitol as he awaited a diagnosis.<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/23/congress-remote-voting-coronavirus-144119">Dozens of House Democrats </a>have pushed to allow members to vote remotely, so they do not have to travel to the Capitol when Americans are being ordered to stay at home as much as possible.McAdams supports remote voting, but believes it should only be used "rarely" and in "times of national emergency.""We should do everything we can to like everybody else in this country to limit the spread of this virus, by, by working from home to the greatest extent possible," McAdams said, "But also recognize that we have an important job to do and that includes passing legislation that can assist in slowing the spread of this virus and, and also stabilizing the economy and helping those families that are really bearing the hardship of this pandemic.""So I think it's a matter of balancing the job that we have to do," he said, "And doing it in a way that presents the lowest amount of risk to the public and to other members of Congress."Read more:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rand-paul-tests-positive-for-novel-coronavirus-2020-3">Kentucky</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rand-paul-tests-positive-for-novel-coronavirus-2020-3"> Sen. Rand Paul has tested positive for the novel coronavirus</a>Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email <a href="mailto:covidtips@businessinsider.com">covidtips@businessinsider.com</a> and tell us your story.And get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-business-impact">coronavirus analysis and research</a> from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is impacting businesses.

'I felt like I had a belt around my chest': A congressman who was hospitalized for 8 days with the coronavirus tells his story

New Delhi, Jul 15 () Distinguished footballer and Dhyan Chand Awardee Syed Shahid Hakim has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently undergoing treatment at a quarantine centre in Hyderabad. The 81-year-old Hakim, who was a part of India's 1960 Rome Olympic squad, confirmed the development on Wednesday. "Yes, I have tested positive for COVID-19 six days back and I am currently at a hotel in Hyderabad which has been converted into a quarantine centre by the state government," Hakim told . "I can sense improvement in my health in the last two days and hoping that I will test negative soon and go back home in the coming few days," he added. Hakim said he fell ill after visiting Gulbarga in Karnataka. "I was having fever after visiting Gulbarga and I was taking medicine for fever. Later, I had an x-ray of my chest done and I was told that I had pneumonia. "Later, I was advised to undergo test for COVID-19 and the result returned positive. It was six days back." Hakim was conferred with the Dhyan Chand Award for Life Time Achievement in 2017 after former Indian player Shabbir Ali won it in 2011. After his football career, Hakim took to refereeing and officiated in international matches till 1989, including the 1988 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. He later took up coaching, following the footsteps of his illustrious father and India's greatest ever football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. Hakim had also served as the Chief Project Director at Sports Authority of India (SAI). PDS PDS KHS KHS KHS

Former footballer Hakim tests positive for COVID-19

New Delhi, Jul 15 () Distinguished footballer and Dhyan Chand Awardee Syed Shahid Hakim has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently undergoing treatment at a quarantine centre in Hyderabad. The 81-year-old Hakim, who was a part of India's 1960 Rome Olympic squad, confirmed the development on Wednesday. "Yes, I have tested positive for COVID-19 six days back and I am currently at a hotel in Hyderabad which has been converted into a quarantine centre by the state government," Hakim told . "I can sense improvement in my health in the last two days and hoping that I will test negative soon and go back home in the coming few days," he added. Hakim said he fell ill after visiting Gulbarga in Karnataka. "I was having fever after visiting Gulbarga and I was taking medicine for fever. Later, I had an x-ray of my chest done and I was told that I had pneumonia. "Later, I was advised to undergo test for COVID-19 and the result returned positive. It was six days back." Hakim was conferred with the Dhyan Chand Award for Life Time Achievement in 2017 after former Indian player Shabbir Ali won it in 2011. After his football career, Hakim took to refereeing and officiated in international matches till 1989, including the 1988 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. He later took up coaching, following the footsteps of his illustrious father and India's greatest ever football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. Hakim had also served as the Chief Project Director at Sports Authority of India (SAI). PDS PDS KHS KHS

Former footballer Hakim tested positive for COVID-19

Timbuktu, Jul 1 (AP) Harandane Toure started taking malaria pills when he first spiked a fever but as the days passed his illness only worsened. Doctors ultimately told him he was among the hundreds now infected with the coronavirus in this town long fabled for being inaccessible from the rest of the world. There are no commercial flights to Timbuktu, whose remote location in the Sahara Desert has long made the town's name synonymous with the ends of the Earth. Health officials say the global pandemic has managed to reach here all the same. Already there are more than 500 cases including at least nine deaths, making it Mali's largest outbreak outside the capital. At the local hospital, a cluster of tents set up outside now houses 32 COVID-19 patients. There isn't a single ventilator available. Temperatures regularly soar above 45 degrees Celsius, adding to the patients' misery as they battle fever. "I've been on the brink of death because there were times I was gasping for air like a fish that's just been taken out of the river," said Toure, a teacher in his 50s who can't pinpoint where exactly he might have contracted the virus. "At night I couldn't sleep, I feel like there was a rock weighing a ton on my chest that was choking me and keeping me awake. I could hardly breathe," he said. "For a moment, I asked to die so that I could be at peace because of the suffering I was going through, but God, inexplicably, miraculously, gave me a reprieve." COVID-19 first arrived in Mali back in March, when two cases emerged - one in the capital of Bamako, where international flights land, and the other in Kayes, a city with strong ties to the Malian diaspora in Europe. By April, the virus made its way 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the capital to Timbuktu, a more than 24-hour journey by road. There are just a few buses a week from the capital, though cars used as public transport also make the trip. The official death toll has reached nine, but at least six others who died later tested positive too. So far the hospital here has had enough oxygen tanks to treat its patients battling COVID-19. But having enough nurses to administer it remains a struggle especially now that there are 32 COVID-19 patients too sick to recover at home under confinement. Medical specialists remain woefully few to treat those with the coronavirus, whose complications have baffled doctors around the globe. There are no radiologists to read the chest X-rays, no lung specialists with experience in respiratory diseases or doctors specialized in kidney issues, which have emerged as one of COVID-19′s grave complications. "We don't have a public health doctor, let alone an epidemiologist," laments Djibril Kassogué, the regional health director for Timbuktu. The location isn't an easy one, either, when it comes to recruiting more health professionals. The risk of violence remains high in this region where Westerners have long been kidnapped for ransom by extremist groups. Regular UN peacekeeping patrols are a daily reminder of just how unstable northern Mali still is more than seven years after Islamic extremists were chased from power here. From the surrounding desert, extremists continue to plant roadside bombs across the north, adding to the isolation. The U.N. mission does run flights to and from Bamako, and often transports COVID-19 tests from distant locales to the capital. When that's not possible, local health officials have resorted to sending them aboard public buses, adding delays to the processing time anytime a bus breaks down. This month Mali's health ministry sent a mobile laboratory to Timbuktu and a team capable of conducting more than 100 tests a day. It's a major step in Mali, where two months into its outbreak in May the International Rescue Committee said the country was still only conducting 173 tests per 1 million people. By comparison, the United States at that time was carrying out 38,394 tests per 1 million amid widespread criticism that was far too few. There is also concern about what could happen if the virus were to infect even more remote parts of northern Mali, where the presence of extremists makes it too difficult for health teams to venture out and test. An outbreak among the nomadic populations in the north could be particularly difficult to track, experts warn. In Timbuktu, life has changed little amid the virus. Groups of people still pray at the mosque, mask use is not enforced and many doubt that COVID-19 is what's killing people. Moussa Hama Sankaré, the head of the hospital, has expressed concern about people making secret visits at night to see COVID-19 patients confined to their homes. Toure, the patient now recovering, worries people are not taking the virus seriously enough. "People have started leaving the masks behind and are going out in public without them," he says. "If people don't protect themselves I'm afraid this disease is going to hit Timbuktu hard." ___ Associated Press writer Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report. (AP) PMS PMS

COVID-19 cases mount at the ends of the Earth in Timbuktu

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Michael Goldsmith's COVID symptoms began March 11, 2020, the same day a pandemic was declared.</li><li>He spent 22 days in a medically induced coma as his family fought for access to experimental drugs.</li><li>He "miraculously" survived, and is physically strong but dealing with long-hauler mental symptoms. </li></ul>Michael Goldsmith doesn't remember much of last March.The now 35-year-old IT professional and dad in Bergenfield, New Jersey, spent the latter part of the month, as well as the beginning of April - 22 days in total - in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator due to a severe case of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>. Doctors had tried a variety of therapies, including antimalarials and antibiotics, but all failed. His family fought for access to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-treatment-data-on-gilead-remdesivir-who-2020-4">the drug remdesivir</a>, which they feared was his only chance of survival. "We were at the 'what the hell?' point," Goldsmith's wife, Elana, previously told Insider. "We didn't have anything to lose." But they were denied the drug due to what <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-goldsmith-covid-19-family-flights-gilead-for-remdesivir-2020-4">Goldsmith's father-in-law called a "bureaucratic glitch."</a>And yet, for reasons unknown to doctors, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wife-husband-coronavirus-22-day-coma-reunited-first-date-2020-4">called a "miracle" by his family</a>, Goldsmith survived.March 11, 2021 marks the one-year anniversary of the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> being declared a pandemic - and the one-year anniversary of Goldsmith's initial COVID-19 symptoms: a fever and dizziness. "I did not anticipate when I left the hospital that I and the world would still be dealing with COVID one year later," Goldsmith told Insider over email this week. "But I know now that we are moving in the right direction and making amazing medical advances to get the world back on track." <div type="image" title="Michael Goldsmith running 5K" height="2268" width="3023" msid="81452188" hostid="261"></div><h2>Goldsmith feels physical strong, but is dealing with some mental health complications </h2>When Goldsmith returned from the hospital in April 2020, he couldn't walk or climb stairs on his own. Now, he no longer needs occupational and physical therapy, his chest X-rays are clear, and he even ran his first-ever 5K on Thanksgiving. "I feel stronger than ever," he told Insider. His mental health, however, is more precarious. "I am experiencing a lot of anxiety, PTSD, and depression that didn't really surface until I had been home four or five months after the illness," he said. He's managing it, though, through therapy. Research has shown that COVID-19 can have wide-ranging and long-lasting <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/third-of-covid-survivors-diagnosed-neurological-illness-stroke-psychosis-2021-1">cognitive and neurological consequences</a>, including head and muscle aches, confusion and dizziness, seizures and strokes, and brain swelling and delirium. Survivors have also <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-have-coronavirus-delirium-brain-fog-memory-2020-7">reported terrifying hallucinations, coordination issues, and memory lapses</a>.People who've spent time in intensive care, like Goldsmith can also be prone to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-are-physical-psychological-effects-of-being-on-a-ventilator-2020-4">post-ICU syndrome </a>and medical PTSD. These emotional effects often surprise patients, <a href="https://med.umn.edu/bio/dom-a-z/craig-weinert">Dr. Craig Weinert</a>, a pulmonologist and critical-care physician at the University of Minnesota who's studied mental health outcomes of ICU patients, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-patients-and-survivors-suffer-from-panic-attacks-anxiety-2020-4">previously told Business Insider</a>. "I thought I just had a lung disease," he said patients often think. "Why am I crying? Why can barely walk even though I'm not short of breath? Why can't I think straight for more than five minutes?" Researchers are still searching for the answer. <h2>Goldsmith received a cochlear implant for severe hearing loss </h2>When Goldsmith was recovering in the hospital, he answered phone calls from medical staff - but couldn't hear them. Hospital staff replaced the phone several times before realizing Goldsmith had lost his hearing in his left ear, the <a href="https://www.acialliance.org/news/548909/Finding-a-New-Normal-After-Sudden-Single-Sided-Deafness.htm">American Cochlear Implant Alliance reported</a>. Permanent hearing loss seems to be an unusual complication of COVID-19, but some <a href="https://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/11/e238419">other cases have been reported</a>. After lots of research, appointments with audiologists and other experts, and social media discussions with people who have cochlear implants, Goldsmith NYU hospital's first COVID-19 patient to receive a cochlear implant in September.Now, he has 70% of his hearing back in that ear. <h2>The experience made Goldsmith 'realize that all people are inherently good' </h2>Goldsmith says learning he'd been on the brink of death has made him treasure his wife and kids even more. "Our family is the most important thing in my life," he said. He's grateful the pandemic has given him more time to cherish simple moments with them, like walks around the neighborhood and game nights. The experience also made Goldsmith realize "that all people are inherently good." He slowly learned after his discharge how many people had rallied behind him."It is still hard to fathom the fight that people fought on my behalf as well as the other COVID patients who had "fallen through the cracks." His family members, for example, filed <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSemYd9wN7Za3ue-YbddnBl68QckhS96G_Aqn1urO5mrnvdXJA/viewform?vc=0&amp;c=0&amp;w=1&amp;fbclid=IwAR2IF1g5Cn6ITkEbIHMQuboACNMGMhQuuK82EXImyWYAzrYHyq9SJGOI-OsHyq9SJGOI-Os"> a "physician's petition" </a>calling on President Donald Trump to help Goldsmith and other severely ill patients access remdesivir, and nurses held his hand when Elana was only allowed to visit virtually. "Strangers reached out to help find me experimental medications when my doctors were unable to, people all over the world prayed for my recovery," Goldsmith added. "When I learned about these things from Elana after I came home," he said, "I was simply overcome with the abundance of kindness people bestowed on me and my family, and I will be forever grateful for that."<div type="image" title="Michael Goldsmith returns home" height="2250" width="3000" msid="81452191" hostid="261"></div><h2>Goldsmith is in several studies as a long hauler </h2>When Goldsmith's recovery began, the world's battle against the pandemic was just beginning. Hospitals lacked PPE, the FDA was still six months away from approving a drug to treat the illness, millions of Americans had yet to get sick, and hundreds of thousands of deaths had yet to occur. "When I was admitted to the medical ICU, I was the youngest person inside," Goldsmith said, "but by the time I left, I unfortunately was not."And still, the pandemic isn't over. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-long-term-symptoms-rashes-covid-toes-inflammation-2020-10">Like other "long haulers,"</a> Goldsmith's own <a href="https://www.insider.com/women-with-coronavirus-for-six-months-fast-friends-through-facebook-2020-7">fight against COVID's long-term effects continues</a>. And many questions remain, like why people like him - young, healthy, with no underlying conditions - almost died, while others barely registered a cough. To help answer that and other questions, Goldsmith is enrolled in several studies. "I want to answer the 'why me?' question not to wallow in it, but to help future COVID patients and to inform doctors and scientists so we can all be better prepared for another outbreak."

This 35-year-old dad almost died from COVID-19. A year later, he's walking but battling long-hauler mental health symptoms.

London, Jun 26 () By analysing X-ray imaging findings, scientists have identified a pattern of inflammatory conditions in children with COVID-19, including in their airways, lungs, and abdominal area. The case series, published in the journal Radiology, examined the spectrum of X-ray scan findings in children who were hospitalised from April 14 to May 9 with the post-COVID-19 inflammatory condition known as Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome. According to the researchers, including those from Evelina London Children's Hospital in the UK, the children displayed signs of airway inflammation and rapid development of edema in the lungs, localised swelling of the coronary artery, and extensive intra-abdominal inflammatory changes. They said the hospital experienced a surge of children with a multi-system hyperinflammatory syndrome and a variety of symptoms, including fever, headaches, abdominal pain, rashes, and conjunctivitis. These clinical features and lab findings shared some similarities to those of Kawasaki disease which causes inflammation in the walls of blood vessels, the study noted. "Our hospital saw an unprecedented cluster of children presenting with MIS-C, a new hyperinflammatory syndrome in children related to the current COVID-19 pandemic -- the recognition of which led to a national alert," said the study's lead author Shema Hameed from the Evelina London Children's Hospital. In the current study, the scientists performed a retrospective review of the clinical, laboratory, and imaging findings of the first 35 children under age 17 who were admitted to the pediatric hospital that met the case definition for MIS-C. From their analysis, the researchers said the most common clinical presentation was fever, found in 33 (94 per cent) of the children, gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea in 30 (86 per cent) of the children, rash (13 or 37 per cent), and conjunctivitis (9 or 26 per cent). According to the scientists, the clinical status was severe enough to warrant management in the pediatric intensive care unit in 24 of 35 children, of which seven required mechanical ventilation. Two children required special oxygen support due to severe heart dysfunction, they said. Based on lab tests, the study said all of the children had abnormal white blood cell counts. In imaging findings of post COVID-19 MIS-C children, the scientists found airway inflammation, rapidly progressive pulmonary edema, coronary artery aneurysms, and extensive abdominal inflammatory changes. They said all the 35 children underwent chest X-ray due to fever, sepsis, or features of multisystem inflammation. Nineteen X-rays were abnormal, the scientists said, adding that the most common finding being was thickening of the large air passages which lead from the windpipe to the lungs. "As pediatric radiologists, we were interested in the emerging pattern of imaging findings that we observed in these children. Our intention is to bring these findings to the attention of the wider radiological community," Hameed said. The researchers believe that future studies should be conducted in a larger group of patients, utilising multi-center databases to assess the radiological findings alongside the complex clinical course of children. VIS VIS

Scientists identify signs of lung inflammation in children with COVID-19

<ul class="summary-list"><li>It's challenging for doctors to predict <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-key-mild-severe-cases-genes-receptors-2020-5">which people who get the coronavirus</a> will develop severe cases, facing a higher risk of hospitalization and death.</li><li>In a new study, researchers created a model that uses a trio of biological markers to predict whether a patient was likely to die from <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>.</li><li>The model was able to forecast the death of individual patients more than 10 days in advance with at least 90% accuracy.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Doctors are struggling to identify which <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> patients will develop severe cases that require hospitalization and put them at risk of death.Newly <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-020-0180-7">published research</a> may offer a way to accurately predict a patient's risk of dying from COVID-19. The authors of a study published Thursday in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence created a model that looks at three biological markers — which can be measured in a drop of blood — that can indicate whether a patient's case might get dangerously severe more than 10 days ahead of time, with at least 90% accuracy.Taken together, these three clues could "play a crucial role in distinguishing the vast majority of cases that require immediate medical attention," the authors wrote, adding that their model "provides a simple and intuitive clinical test to precisely and quickly quantify the risk of death."<h2>A trio of indicators that suggest a higher risk of death</h2><div type="image" title="Coronavirus china wuhan doctors" height="683" width="1024" msid="75776384" hostid="261"></div>In Wuhan, China, <a href="http://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?&amp;title=The%20epidemiological%20characteristics%20of%20an%20outbreak%20of%202019%20novel%20coronavirus%20diseases%20%28COVID-19%29%20in%20China&amp;journal=Zhonghua%20Liu%20Xing%20Bing%20Xue%20Za%20Zhi&amp;volume=41&amp;pages=145-151&amp;publication_year=2020ublication_year=2020">research shows</a> 14%-19% of infected patients became severely sick. Among those critically ill cases, the death rate was <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lanres/PIIS2213-2600(20)30079-5.pdf">higher than 60%</a>. To identify commonalities between these severe cases, the researchers analyzed blood samples taken repeatedly from 485 coronavirus patients at Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China, between January 10 and February 18. They tested for myriad kidney, heart, and blood-clotting issues, noted whether those patients had survived or died, then used machine-learning algorithms to look for biological patterns.The results found that the following indicators can predict whether a patient had a higher risk of death than other infected people:<ol><li>High levels of the enzyme lactic dehydrogenase (LDH). This is associated with lung damage and the type of tissue breakdown that happens during pneumonia.</li><li>Lymphopenia, the term for low levels of lymphocytes — white blood cells that defend the body against invading pathogens. </li><li>An increase in high-sensitivity C-reactive proteins, or hs-CRP for short. This indicates inflammation in the lungs.</li></ol>Using those indicators, the computer model could predict what happened to the hospital patients 10 days in advance of their clinical outcomes."The three key features, LDH, lymphocytes and hs-CRP, can be easily collected in any hospital," the researchers wrote in the study. "In crowded hospitals, and with shortages of medical resources, this simple model can help to quickly prioritize patients, especially during a pandemic when limited healthcare resources have to be allocated."<h2>A coronavirus 'risk score'</h2><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2766086">Another study</a> published this week took a similar approach, pinpointing 10 biomarkers that can help doctors assess individual patients' risk levels. That research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday, suggested using these markers to determine the likelihood that a hospitalized COVID-19 patient will become critically ill — admitted to an intensive-care unit or put on a ventilator — or die. <div type="image" title="coronavirus nyc hospital" height="1362" width="2000" msid="75776388" hostid="261"></div>The researchers retrospectively examined medical records from 1,590 patients who were treated in 575 hospitals across China between November 21, 2019 and January 31. Two of those biomarkers overlap with those suggested in the Nature study: high levels of LDH and a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-57366-y">high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio</a> (which is associated with lower levels of lymphocytes).The other eight risk predictors include a history of cancer, high number of preexisting medical conditions, older age, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, unconsciousness, abnormal chest X-rays, and high levels of bilirubin (a substance in the blood that, in elevated amounts, indicates liver damage).The researchers used those 10 indicators to develop an online <a href="http://118.126.104.170/">coronavirus risk "calculator"</a> that could help predict which hospitalized <keyword id="8873995" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="COVID-19-patients">COVID-19 patients</keyword> will become critically ill.That prediction tool could enable doctors and healthcare workers optimize hospital resources, the study authors wrote."If the patient's estimated risk for critical illness is low, the clinician may choose to monitor, whereas high-risk estimates might support aggressive treatment or admission to the ICU," they said.Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/patients-risk-of-death-from-coronavirus-predicted-blood-markers-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

3 clues in coronavirus patients' blood could help doctors predict their risk of death 10 days in advance, with 90% accuracy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Robbins Research International employee Debbie Kosta says self-help guru <keyword id="199820" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tony-Robbins">Tony Robbins</keyword>' company tried to push her out of her job as she recovered from <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>. </li><li>Kosta was put into a medically induced coma while on a ventilator after testing positive for COVID-19 in April.</li><li>In a chest X-ray taken as she recovered, doctors also found a cancerous tumor. </li><li>Kosta said she was denied a modified schedule in the following months and was told to take disability leave with no healthcare benefits or be let go and receive a severance payment instead.</li><li>Now she's suing the company for disability violations, saying Robbins and his company exploited her diagnosis then wouldn't help her get back to work as she recovered. </li></ul>A Tony Robbins employee currently on unofficial leave says the self-help guru's company tried to force her out of her job in the months after she woke up from a coma brought on by COVID-19, according to a new <keyword id="6377259" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Lawsuit">lawsuit</keyword> filed this week.Despina Kosta, who has worked as a sales specialist at Robbins Research International (RRI) for 18 years, filed the lawsuit in US District Court in the Southern District of New York. In the lawsuit, she accuses Robbins and his company of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and New York state and city human rights laws in the months after she tested positive for COVID-19.Kosta alleges that Robbins downplayed the severity of COVID-19 and that <a href="https://www.tonyrobbins.com/podcasts/covid-19-facts-from-the-frontline/">he exploited her diagnosis on a podcast</a>, according to the lawsuit. Kosta was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April. Within days, she was hospitalized and placed on a ventilator, and on April 12 she was put into a medically induced coma.She emerged from the coma on May 5 with strained vocal cords and atrophied muscles, and while on unpaid medical leave, a chest X-ray revealed a cancerous tumor that needed to be removed.<h2>Kosta said her requests for a modified work schedule while recovering from COVID-19 were denied</h2>While recovering from COVID-19 and dealing with the tumor, Kosta requested a modified work schedule, but it wasn't granted, according to her lawsuit in which Kosta said she was told she would have to go on disability leave without <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> insurance if she wanted more time off, or be let go with severance pay.She declined both of those options and while she was not formally terminated from the company, according to her lawyer, Nina Ovrustky, who said Kosta is on an unofficial leave and is not currently doing work for Robbins Research International."They were more or less trying to say, 'Listen, you're no good to us anymore. You're sick. So either take the disability or we'll give you a severance,'" Kosta told Insider. "I'm never going to go back to that company … it's a huge betrayal."Alongside her health issues, Kosta also learned Robbins had falsely claimed he was instrumental in her recovery from COVID-19, saying he convinced doctors to take her off of a ventilator, and instructed her manager to find information about Kosta's health from her teenaged daughter, according to the lawsuit.<h2>Kosta's lawyer accused Robbins of exploiting Kosta's COVID-19 diagnosis for his 'own personal benefit.'</h2>Ovrustky criticized Robbins and Robbins Research International in an interview with Insider."The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented time that we're all living through. And I think it's an absolute shame how much some employers, such as Tony Robbins and RRI are handling some," she said.Ovrustky accused Robbins of exploiting Kosta's situation for his "own personal benefit.""It was unknown whether or not she would make it through," she said of Kosta's COVID-19 diagnosis. "And he falsely claimed to save her life. So the least that he could have done, the very least his company could have done was to provide her a reasonable accommodation while she recovered, allowing her time to get through this difficult period in her life."Kosta's lawsuit names Robbins, Robbins Research International, and the self-help guru's wife, Sage Robbins as defendants.Her attorneys are asking for an undisclosed amount of damages in the lawsuit, and are demanding a jury trial for the case."I hope that she is compensated financially for what she's done, and for the emotional toll this has taken on her," Ovrustky said of the lawsuit. "And I hope that it gives Debbie peace of mind to move forward in her life because not only has she dedicated so many years to this company that just putting that behind her would be difficult, but the way she separated from this company was so traumatic for her.""I just want her to be able to move on with her life peacefully, knowing that she stood up for herself, she fought for herself, and she did everything that she can do so that she can set an example for other people going through this."<h2>A spokesperson for Robbins denied Kosta's allegations in a statement to Insider</h2>Jennifer Connelly, official spokeswoman for Robbins and Robbins Research International, requested Insider publish a full statement from her. She said: "It is regrettable that Ms. Kosta, who remains a current employee at Robbins Research International (RRI), has chosen to use the media as a tool in an attempt to advance her ridiculous and baseless claims. When we were informed Ms. Kosta had contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized, Mr. Robbins and his organization inquired with compassion and support for her. RRI answered all of her questions, provided all needed accommodations, and did not retaliate against her in any way. Ms. Kosta remains employed by RRI and the organization continues to pay the complete cost of her medical insurance, even though its legal obligation to do so ended in June."Any suggestion by Ms. Kosta that RRI acted unprofessionally or out of compliance with any applicable laws, in her situation or in the regular conduct of its business, is patently false."While we wish Ms. Kosta only the best in her health and success, her allegations concerning RRI, Mr. Robbins and his wife, are false. RRI will vigorously defend itself through appropriate legal channels against any fabricated or exaggerated claims made to further a personal agenda or gain enrichment. It is evident that Ms. Kosta is attempting to use the media in a misguided effort to force RRI to pay her money she is not entitled."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/tony-robbins-accused-sexual-misconduct-teen-girl-summer-camp-2019-11">A woman says Tony Robbins forcefully kissed and groped her when she was a teenage girl at a California summer camp in 1985</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/tony-robbins-book-cancelled-amid-misconduct-allegations-2019-5">A book Tony Robbins was working on has been pulled by the publisher amid sexual misconduct allegations</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/tony-robbins-n-word-seminar-film-2019-5">Self-help guru Tony Robbins filmed using N-word repeatedly during 1980s seminar</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/4-more-women-accuse-tony-robbins-of-sexual-misconduct-2019-5">After shocking audio of Tony Robbins berating a woman was released, 4 more women have come forward to accuse the self-help guru of sexual misconduct</a></li></ul>

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