GPT-4 Vision on Medical Image Classification -- A Case Study on COVID-19 Dataset (preprint)

This technical report delves into the application of GPT-4 Vision (GPT-4V) in the nuanced realm of COVID-19 image classification, leveraging the transformative potential of in-context learning to enhance diagnostic processes.

Effect Analysis of Different Environmental Disinfection Methods on Reducing Contamination of Surfaces of Omicron Ba.2.2 Variant of Sars-Cov-2 in the Fever Clinic in The Out- Broken of Shanghai (preprint)

To investigate the effect of different environmental disinfection methods on reducing contamination of surfaces (CSS) of omicron BA.2.2 of Sars-Cov-2 in the fever clinic between March 20 to May 30, 2022 and analyze influence and related factors of the CSS. This study includes survey data from 389 positive patients (SPP) and 204 CSS in the fever clinic including the CSS type, the disinfection method; the duration time in the clinic, CT value, name, age, weight, mask type and gender of the SPP. Associations between study variables and specified outcomes were explored using uni-variate regression analyses. Among the 389 SPP, 22 SPP (CRP, 5.66%) caused CSS in the separate isolation room. 219 SPP (56.30%) were male. The mean age of SPP was 4.34±3.92 years old and the mean CT value was 12.44±5.11. In total, sampling times with exposure history were 9952, including 204 (2.05%) of CSS. Among the CSS, the positive rate of flat surface is the highest in either public area (2.52%) or separate isolation room (4.75%). Disinfection methods of Ultraviolet radiation + Chemical can significantly reduce the CSS in either public area (0% vs 4.56%) or separate isolation room (0.76% vs 2.64%) compared with the chemical alone (P＜0.05). Compared with ordinary SPP, the CRP is older (6.04y vs 4.23y) and the male proportion is higher (72.73% vs 55.31%). In particular, it is found that SPP contaminated their surroundings and therefore imposed risks for other people. Environment disinfection should be emphasized in Ultraviolet radiation + Chemical. The findings may be useful to guide infection control practice to omicron BA.2.2 of Sars-Cov-2.

IP-10 and MCP-1 as biomarkers associated with disease severity of COVID-19 (preprint)

Background: COVID-19 is a viral respiratory disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-Coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Patients with this disease may be more prone to venous or arterial thrombosis because of the activation of many factors involved in it, including inflammation, platelet activation and endothelial dysfunction. Interferon gamma inducible protein-10 (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein 1-alpha (MIP1α) are cytokines related to thrombosis. Therefore, this study focused on these three indicators in COVID-19, with the hope to find biomarkers that are associated with patients’ outcome. Methods: This is a retrospective single-center study involving 74 severe and critically ill COVID-19 patients recruited from the ICU department of the Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, China. The patients were divided into two groups: severe patients and critically ill patients. The serum IP-10, MCP-1 and MIP1α level in both groups was detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The clinical symptoms, laboratory test results, and the outcome of COVID-19 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: The serum IP-10 and MCP-1 level in critically ill patients was significantly higher than that in severe patients ( P <0.001). However, no statistical difference in MIP1α between the two groups was found. The analysis of dynamic changes showed that these indicators remarkably increased in patients with poor prognosis. Since the selected patients were severe or critically ill, no significant difference was observed between survival and death. Conclusions: IP-10 and MCP-1 are biomarkers associated with the severity of COVID-19 disease and can be related to the risk of death in COVID-19 patients.

Comparison of acute pneumonia caused by SARS-COV-2 and other respiratory viruses in children: a retrospective multi-center cohort study during COVID-19 outbreak (preprint)

Background: Until July 14, 2020, coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has infected more than 130 million individuals and has caused a certain degree of panic. Viral pneumonia caused by common viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, human bocavirus, and parainfluenza viruses have been more common in children. However, the incidence of COVID-19 in children was significantly lower than that in adults. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical manifestations, treatment and outcomes of COVID-19 in children compared to those of other sources of viral pneumonia diagnosed during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods: Children with COVID-19 and viral pneumonia admitted to 20 hospitals were enrolled in this retrospective multi-center cohort study. A total of 64 children with COVID-19 were defined as the COVID-19 cohort, of which 40 children who developed pneumonia were defined as the COVID-19 pneumonia cohort. Another 284 children with pneumonia caused by other viruses were defined as the viral pneumonia cohort. Results: Compared to the viral pneumonia cohort, children in the COVID-19 cohort were mostly exposed to family members confirmed to have COVID-19 (53/64 vs. 23/284), were of older median age (6.3 vs. 3.2 years), and had a higher proportion of ground-glass opacity (GGO) on computed tomography (18/40 vs. 0/38) (all P ＜0.001). Children in the COVID-19 pneumonia cohort had a lower proportion of severe cases (1/40 vs. 38/284, P =0.048), and lower cases with high fever (3/40 vs 167/284, P ＜0.001), requiring intensive care (1/40 vs 32/284, P ＜0.047) and with shorter symptomatic duration (median 5 vs 8 days, P ＜0.001). The proportion of cases with evaluated inflammatory indicators, biochemical indicators related to organ or tissue damage, D-dimer and secondary bacterial infection were lower in the COVID-19 pneumonia cohort than in the viral pneumonia cohort (all P ＜0.05). No statistical differences were found in the duration of positive PCR results from pharyngeal swabs in 25 children with COVID-19 who received antiviral drugs (lopinavir-ritonavir, ribavirin, and arbidol) as compared to duration in 39 children without antiviral therapy [median 10 vs. 9 days, P =0.885]. Conclusion: The symptoms and severity of COVID-19 pneumonia in children were no more severe than those in children with other viral pneumonias. Lopinavir-ritonavir, ribavirin and arbidol do not shorten the duration of positive PCR results from pharyngeal swabs in children with COVID-19. During the COVID-19 outbreak, attention also must be given to children with infection by other pathogens infection.