SARS-CoV-2 is the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, which has spread worldwide, affecting more than 200 countries, infecting over 140 million people in one year. The gold standard to identify infected people is RT-qPCR, which is highly sensitive, but needs specialized equipment and trained personnel. The demand for these reagents has caused shortages in certain countries. Isothermal nucleic acid techniques, such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) have emerged as an alternative or as a complement to RT-qPCR. In this study, we developed and evaluated a multi-target RT-LAMP for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The method was evaluated against an RT-qPCR in 152 clinical nasopharyngeal swab samples. The results obtained indicated that both assays presented a “good concordance” (Cohen’s k of 0.69), the RT-LAMP was highly specific (99%) but had lower sensitivity compared to the gold standard (63.3%). The calculated low sensitivity was associated with samples with very low viral load (RT-qPCR Cq values higher than 35) which may be associated with non-infectious individuals. If an internal Cq threshold below 35 was set, the sensitivity and Cohen’s k increased to 90.9% and 0.92, respectively. The interpretation of the Cohen’s k for this was “very good concordance”. The RT-LAMP is an attractive approach for frequent individual testing in decentralized setups.

Objectives To assess the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 specific immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG antibodies among workers of the three public higher education institutions of Porto, Portugal, up to July 2020. Methods A rapid point of care test for specific IgM and IgG antibodies of SARS-CoV-2 was offered to all workers. Testing was performed to and a questionnaire was completed by 4592 workers on a voluntary basis. We computed the apparent IgM, IgG, and combined IgM or IgG prevalence, along with the true prevalence and 95% credible intervals (95% CI) using Bayesian inference. Results We found an apparent prevalence of 3.1% for IgM, 1.0% for IgG, and 3.9% for either antibody class. The estimated true prevalence was 2.0% (95% CI 0.1-4.3) for IgM, 0.6% (95% CI 0.0-1.3) for IgG and 2.5% (95% CI 0.1-5.3) for IgM or IgG. A SARS-CoV-2 molecular diagnosis was reported by 21 (0.5%) workers, and of these, 90.5% had a reactive IgG result. Seroprevalence was higher among those reporting known contacts with confirmed cases, having been quarantined, having a previous molecular negative test, or having had symptoms. Conclusions The seroprevalence among workers from the three public higher education institutions of Porto after the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 infection was relatively low. However, the estimated true seroprevalence was approximately five times higher than the reported SARS-CoV-2 infection based on a molecular test result.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence in consumption of antidepressants and benzodiazepines among workers from a Portuguese university.Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted with university workers who underwent an occupational health consultation between 2013 and 2014. Data was collected by the occupational physician and entered into an anonymous database. The following characteristics were evaluated: age, gender, marital status, professional category, organizational unit, academic qualifications and pharmacotherapy. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences® (SPSS®) version 23.0 for Microsoft Windows®. The discrete variables were compared with the Chi-square test and in the multivariate analysis a logistic regression model was used to calculate Odds Ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The accepted level of significance was p <0.05.Results: The sample was composed of 1853 workers, in which 6.3% only took benzodiazepines, 4.6% only took antidepressants, 3.8% took drugs simultaneously from both groups and 14,7% were found to consume at least one of them. The most used antidepressants are fluoxetine, escitalopram and sertraline and the most used anxiolytics are alprazolam, ethyl loflazepate and diazepam. Higher consumption of these drugs was more prevalent among females, those in lower status job categories and older workers. Discussion/Conclusion: The consumption of antidepressants and anxiolytics is lower than that determined for the Portuguese population in 2013, seeming to support the idea that higher levels of education are a protective factor against anxiety and depression. University workers seem to be more protected against depressive disorders and anxiety. Identifying the most vulnerable groups serves as a starting point for the analysis of how labor related stress contributes to this reality and what factors can be modified.