| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Wulf Hanson, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
-
A global systematic analysis of the occurrence, severity, and recovery pattern of long COVID in 2020 and 2021
- 2022
-
Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Importance: While much of the attention on the COVID-19 pandemic was directed at the daily counts of cases and those with serious disease overwhelming health services, increasingly, reports have appeared of people who experience debilitating symptoms after the initial infection. This is popularly known as long COVID.Objective: To estimate by country and territory of the number of patients affected by long COVID in 2020 and 2021, the severity of their symptoms and expected pattern of recovery.Design: We jointly analyzed ten ongoing cohort studies in ten countries for the occurrence of three major symptom clusters of long COVID among representative COVID cases. The defining symptoms of the three clusters (fatigue, cognitive problems, and shortness of breath) are explicitly mentioned in the WHO clinical case definition. For incidence of long COVID, we adopted the minimum duration after infection of three months from the WHO case definition. We pooled data from the contributing studies, two large medical record databases in the United States, and findings from 44 published studies using a Bayesian meta-regression tool. We separately estimated occurrence and pattern of recovery in patients with milder acute infections and those hospitalized. We estimated the incidence and prevalence of long COVID globally and by country in 2020 and 2021 as well as the severity-weighted prevalence using disability weights from the Global Burden of Disease study.Results: Analyses are based on detailed information for 1906 community infections and 10526 hospitalized patients from the ten collaborating cohorts, three of which included children. We added published data on 37262 community infections and 9540 hospitalized patients as well as ICD-coded medical record data concerning 1.3 million infections. Globally, in 2020 and 2021, 144.7 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 54.8-312.9) people suffered from any of the three symptom clusters of long COVID. This corresponds to 3.69% (1.38-7.96) of all infections. The fatigue, respiratory, and cognitive clusters occurred in 51.0% (16.9-92.4), 60.4% (18.9-89.1), and 35.4% (9.4-75.1) of long COVID cases, respectively. Those with milder acute COVID-19 cases had a quicker estimated recovery (median duration 3.99 months [IQR 3.84-4.20]) than those admitted for the acute infection (median duration 8.84 months [IQR 8.10-9.78]). At twelve months, 15.1% (10.3-21.1) continued to experience long COVID symptoms.Conclusions and relevance: The occurrence of debilitating ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 is common. Knowing how many people are affected, and for how long, is important to plan for rehabilitative services and support to return to social activities, places of learning, and the workplace when symptoms start to wane.Key Points: Question: What are the extent and nature of the most common long COVID symptoms by country in 2020 and 2021?Findings: Globally, 144.7 million people experienced one or more of three symptom clusters (fatigue; cognitive problems; and ongoing respiratory problems) of long COVID three months after infection, in 2020 and 2021. Most cases arose from milder infections. At 12 months after infection, 15.1% of these cases had not yet recovered.Meaning: The substantial number of people with long COVID are in need of rehabilitative care and support to transition back into the workplace or education when symptoms start to wane.
|
|
| 3. |
- Wulf Hanson, Sarah, et al.
(författare)
-
Estimated Global Proportions of Individuals With Persistent Fatigue, Cognitive, and Respiratory Symptom Clusters Following Symptomatic COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). - : American Medical Association (AMA). - 0098-7484 .- 1538-3598. ; 328:16, s. 1604-1615
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IMPORTANCE: Some individuals experience persistent symptoms after initial symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection (often referred to as Long COVID).OBJECTIVE: To estimate the proportion of males and females with COVID-19, younger or older than 20 years of age, who had Long COVID symptoms in 2020 and 2021 and their Long COVID symptom duration.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Bayesian meta-regression and pooling of 54 studies and 2 medical record databases with data for 1.2 million individuals (from 22 countries) who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of the 54 studies, 44 were published and 10 were collaborating cohorts (conducted in Austria, the Faroe Islands, Germany, Iran, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US). The participant data were derived from the 44 published studies (10 501 hospitalized individuals and 42 891 nonhospitalized individuals), the 10 collaborating cohort studies (10 526 and 1906), and the 2 US electronic medical record databases (250 928 and 846 046). Data collection spanned March 2020 to January 2022.EXPOSURES: Symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Proportion of individuals with at least 1 of the 3 self-reported Long COVID symptom clusters (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings; cognitive problems; or ongoing respiratory problems) 3 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020 and 2021, estimated separately for hospitalized and nonhospitalized individuals aged 20 years or older by sex and for both sexes of nonhospitalized individuals younger than 20 years of age.RESULTS: A total of 1.2 million individuals who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection were included (mean age, 4-66 years; males, 26%-88%). In the modeled estimates, 6.2% (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 2.4%-13.3%) of individuals who had symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced at least 1 of the 3 Long COVID symptom clusters in 2020 and 2021, including 3.2% (95% UI, 0.6%-10.0%) for persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings, 3.7% (95% UI, 0.9%-9.6%) for ongoing respiratory problems, and 2.2% (95% UI, 0.3%-7.6%) for cognitive problems after adjusting for health status before COVID-19, comprising an estimated 51.0% (95% UI, 16.9%-92.4%), 60.4% (95% UI, 18.9%-89.1%), and 35.4% (95% UI, 9.4%-75.1%), respectively, of Long COVID cases. The Long COVID symptom clusters were more common in women aged 20 years or older (10.6% [95% UI, 4.3%-22.2%]) 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection than in men aged 20 years or older (5.4% [95% UI, 2.2%-11.7%]). Both sexes younger than 20 years of age were estimated to be affected in 2.8% (95% UI, 0.9%-7.0%) of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections. The estimated mean Long COVID symptom cluster duration was 9.0 months (95% UI, 7.0-12.0 months) among hospitalized individuals and 4.0 months (95% UI, 3.6-4.6 months) among nonhospitalized individuals. Among individuals with Long COVID symptoms 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection, an estimated 15.1% (95% UI, 10.3%-21.1%) continued to experience symptoms at 12 months.CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study presents modeled estimates of the proportion of individuals with at least 1 of 3 self-reported Long COVID symptom clusters (persistent fatigue with bodily pain or mood swings; cognitive problems; or ongoing respiratory problems) 3 months after symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
- Adolph, David, 1971, et al.
(författare)
-
Growth of ZnO(0001) on GaN(0001)/4H-SiC buffer layers by plasma-assisted hybrid molecular beam epitaxy
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Journal of Crystal Growth. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-0248. ; 426, s. 129-134
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was used to grow ZnO(0001) layers on GaN(0001)/4H-SiC buffer layers deposited in the same growth chamber equipped with both N- and O-plasma sources. The GaN buffer layers were grown immediately before initiating the growth of ZnO. Using a substrate temperature of 445 °C and an O2 flow rate of 2.5 standard cubic centimeters per minute, we obtained ZnO layers with statistically smooth surfaces having a root-mean-square roughness of 0.3 nm and a peak-to-valley distance of 3 nm as revealed by atomic force microscopy. The full-width-at-half-maximum for x-ray rocking curves obtained across the ZnO(0002) and ZnO(10 1¯ 5) reflections was 198 and 948 arcsec, respectively. These values indicated that the mosaicity of the ZnO layer was comparable to the corresponding values of the underlying GaN buffer layer. Reciprocal space maps showed that the in-plane relaxation of the GaN and ZnO layers was 82% and 73%, respectively, and that the relaxation occurred abruptly during the growth. Roomerature Hall-effect measurements revealed that the layers were inherently n-type and had an electron concentration of 1×1019 cm-3 and a Hall mobility of 51 cm2/V s.
|
|
| 6. |
- Adolph, David, 1971
(författare)
-
Growth of ZnO/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy
- 2016
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis describes epitaxial growth of ZnO/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors by hybrid plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on GaN(0001). The unique hybrid approach employed the same growth chamber for continuous growth of both ZnO and GaN without exposing the layers to the ambient conditions. The Bragg reflectors consisted up to 20 periods as verified with cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The maximum achieved reflectance was 77 % with a 32 nm wide stopband centered at 500 nm. A profound study of the ZnO and the ZnO/GaN growth processes was carried out including growth along both ZnO(0001) and ZnO(000-1) directions. The impact of growth temperature, Oxygen flow-rate and the Zn-flux on the ZnO growth rate, structural quality and surface and interface morphology, was investigated in detail. The layers were studied with a wide range of materials characterization techniques such as x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, secondary-ion mass spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Low-temperature growth as well as two-step low/high-temperature deposition was carried out where the latter method improved the Bragg mirror reflectance. Samples grown along the ZnO(0001) direction yielded a better surface morphology as revealed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It was observed that the growth rate of ZnO decreased when the Oxygen flow rate was increased. This is unexpected with respect to the common knowledge in the molecular beam epitaxy research community. A detailed study of this effect involving optical emission spectroscopy of the O-plasma, revealed that the cause was an overall decrease of the amount of the active O provided by the plasma source. Reciprocal space maps showed that ZnO(000-1)/GaN reflectors are relaxed whereas the ZnO(0001)/GaN DBRs are strained. The ability to n-type dope ZnO and GaN makes the ZnO(0001)/GaN DBRs interesting for various optoelectronic cavity structures such as blue vertical surface emitting lasers and novel cavity-polariton devices. This is the first time ZnO/GaN DBRs have been demonstrated.
|
|
| 7. |
- Adolph, David, 1971, et al.
(författare)
-
Hybrid ZnO/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy
- 2016
-
Ingår i: APL Materials. - : AIP Publishing. - 2166-532X. ; 4:8, s. 086106-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate crack-free ZnO/GaN distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) grown by hybrid plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy using the same growth chamber for continuous growth of both ZnO and GaN without exposure to air. This is the first time these ZnO/GaN DBRs have been demonstrated. The Bragg reflectors consisted up to 20 periods as shown with cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The maximum achieved reflectance was 77% with a 32 nm wide stopband centered at 500 nm. Growth along both (0001) and (000-1) directions was investigated. Low temperaturegrowth as well as two-step low/high-temperature deposition was carried out where the latter method improved the DBR reflectance. Samples grown along the (0001) direction yielded a better surface morphology as revealed by scanningelectron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Reciprocal space maps showed that ZnO(000-1)/GaN reflectors are relaxed whereas the ZnO(0001)/GaN DBRs are strained. The ability to n-type dope ZnO and GaN makes the ZnO(0001)/GaNDBRs interesting for various optoelectronic cavity structures.
|
|
| 8. |
- Adolph, David, 1971, et al.
(författare)
-
Impact of O2 flow rate on the growth rate of ZnO(0001) and ZnO(000-1) on GaN by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy
- 2016
-
Ingår i: Physica Status Solidi (B): Basic Research. - : Wiley. - 1521-3951 .- 0370-1972. ; 253:8, s. 1523-1528
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We studied the effects of a varying O$ flow rate on the growth of ZnO(0001) and ZnO(000-1) layers on GaN/Al2O3-templates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The O2 flow rate through the O-plasma source was varied between 0.25--4.5 standard cubic centimeters per minute corresponding to a growth chamber pressure between 3.0 x 10^-6 -- 5.0x10^-5 Torr. We found that the change of the O2 flow rate had a profound effect on the ZnO layer growth rate. A maximum growth rate was reached for an O2 flow rate of 1.0--2.0 standard cubic centimeters per minute. The same growth rate dependence on the O2 flow rate was observed for ZnO(0001) layers that were grown on GaN/4H-SiC buffer layers for verification. To assess the amount of active O contributing to the ZnO-growth, the spectral composition of the plasma was investigated with optical emission spectroscopy. The integrated optical emission line intensity reached a maximum for an O2 flow rate between 1.0--2.0 standard cubic centimeters per minute. Essentially all emission lines exhibited a maximum intensity for an O2 flow rate between 1.0--2.0 standard cubic centimeters per minute thus coinciding with the flow rate yielding the maximum growth rate.
|
|
| 9. |
- Adolph, David, 1971, et al.
(författare)
-
Nucleation and epitaxial growth of ZnO on GaN(0 0 0 1)
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Applied Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-4332. ; 307, s. 438-443
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was used to grow ZnO(0001) layers on GaN(0001)/Al2O3 templates and GaN/4H-SiC(0001) layers. The GaN(0001)/Al2O3 template surfaces were subjected to various pre-treatment procedures (Zn, Ga or N pre-exposure or none) prior to the ZnO growth. We studied the impact of these pre-treatment procedures on the initial growth conditions of ZnO(0001). These layers were compared to ZnO layers deposited on 4H-SiC utilizing a GaN( 0001) buffer layer that was grown in situ on the 4H-SiC substrate and immediately before the growth of ZnO. The GaN buffer layers were not pre-treated or exposed to ambient. Atomic force and scanning electron microscopy as well as secondary ion mass spectroscopy revealed that the pre-treatment procedures resulted in a very high density of islands. The islands coalesced into films as the growth progressed. In contrast, no ZnO growth occurred on the untreated GaN( 0001)/Al2O3 template surfaces. Our main finding is that Ga,03, sub-oxides residing on the surface of the as-received GaN-templates, drastically reduced the ZnO nucleation rate and completely inhibited subsequent coalescence and growth. Our various surface pre-treatment procedures aimed at removing the sub-oxides were necessary for achieving ZnO growth on the GaN-templates. No surface pre-treatment was needed to enable ZnO growth on the in situ grown GaN(0001)14H-SiC layers.
|
|
| 10. |
- Adolph, David, 1971, et al.
(författare)
-
Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy of ZnO on in-situ grown GaN/4H-SiC buffer layers
- 2015
-
Ingår i: Frontiers of Materials Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2095-025X .- 2095-0268. ; 9:2, s. 185-191
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) was used to grow ZnO (0001) layers on GaN(0001)/4H-SiC buffer layers deposited in the same growth chamber equipped with both N- and O-plasma sources. The GaN buffer layers were grown immediately before initiating the growth of ZnO. Using a substrate temperature of 440 degrees C-445 degrees C and an O-2 flow rate of 2.0-2.5 sccm, we obtained ZnO layers with smooth surfaces having a root-mean-square roughness of 0.3 nm and a peak-to-valley distance of 3 nm shown by AFM. The FWHM for X-ray rocking curves recorded across the ZnO(0002) and ZnO(10 (1) over bar5) reflections were 200 and 950 arcsec, respectively. These values showed that the mosaicity (tilt and twist) of the ZnO film was comparable to corresponding values of the underlying GaN buffer. It was found that a substrate temperature > 450 degrees C and a high Zn-flux always resulted in a rough ZnO surface morphology. Reciprocal space maps showed that the in-plane relaxation of the GaN and ZnO layers was 82.3% and 73.0%, respectively and the relaxation occurred abruptly during the growth. Room-temperature Hall-effect measurements showed that the layers were intrinsically n-type with an electron concentration of 10(19) cm(-3) and a Hall mobility of 50 cm(2).V-1.s(-1).
|
|
