ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused more than 6.4 million deaths worldwide and is still spreading among global populations. The prevalent comorbidity between hypertension and severe COVID-19 suggests common genetic factors may affect the outcome of both diseases. As both hypertension and severe COVID-19 demonstrate sex-specific prevalence, common genetic factors among the two diseases may display gender-based differential associations. By evaluating COVID-19 association signals of 172-candidate hypertension single nucleotide polymorphisms derived from more than one million European individuals in two severe COVID-19 genome-wide association studies from UK BioBank with European ancestry, we revealed one functional cis expression quantitative trait locus of SPEG (rs12474050) associating with both hypertension and severe COVID-19 in female. The risk allele of rs12474050*T is correlated with lower SPEG expression in muscle-skeletal, heart-atrial appendage, and heart-left ventricle; among these tissues the SPEG expression is higher in female than in male COVID-19 patients. Further analysis revealed SPEG is mainly expressed in cardiomyocytes in heart and is upregulated upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, with significantly higher folder change of SPEG expression observed in female compared to male COVID-19 patients. Taken together, our analyses strongly suggest the involvement of SPEG in both hypertension and severe COVID-19 in female, which provides new insights for sex-specific effect of severe COVID-19 in female.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
As a novel technology to convert low-frequency energy into electric power, the triboelectric nanogenerator is a hot research topic recently. However, the nature of charge carriers and their transfer mechanisms still remain poorly understood, especially for the cases of liquid–solid triboelectric nanogenerator. In this paper, charges produced by a triboelectric charging process were designed to provide melt-blown nonwoven fabrics with high filtration efficiency by making full use of the electrostatic attraction filtration mechanism. Influences of water conductivity and drying temperature on the filtration efficiency of melt-blown nonwoven fabrics were investigated. And the corresponding properties such as the surface charge potential and charge stability were analyzed by using the electrostatic voltmeter, bio atomic force microscope and thermally stimulated discharge technique. In addition, metal and inorganic elements in the masterbatch and water before and after triboelectric charging were measured in order to uncover the charge transfer mechanism. Melt-blown nonwoven fabrics with filtration efficiency as high as 96.8% was obtained through the triboelectric charging treatment by using water with the conductivity as low as 1.1 μS/cm for the first time. Negative and positive surface charge density appeared randomly on both sides of melt-blown nonwoven fabrics after the triboelectric charging treatment from the bio atomic force microscope measurement while only one kind of surface charge density can be achieved in the research of TENG, that is, negative or positive. It seems there are both electron and ion transfers during the triboelectric charging process and electron transfer seems to have more important contribution for the generation of charges.
ABSTRACT
Ultraviolet disinfection has been proven to be effective for surface sanitation. Traditional ultraviolet disinfection systems generate omnidirectional radiation, which introduces safety concerns regarding human exposure. Large scale disinfection must be performed without humans present, which limits the time efficiency of disinfection. We propose and experimentally demonstrate a targeted ultraviolet disinfection system using a combination of robotics, lasers, and deep learning. The system uses a laser-galvo and a camera mounted on a two-axis gimbal running a custom deep learning algorithm. This allows ultraviolet radiation to be applied to any surface in the room where it is mounted, and the algorithm ensures that the laser targets the desired surfaces avoids others such as humans. Both the laser-galvo and the deep learning algorithm were tested for targeted disinfection.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to concerns around its subsequent impact on patients with non-COVID-19 diseases, and the health-seeking behavior of such patients must be investigated.Methods: Taking advantage of the remote ECG system covering 278 medical institutions throughout Shanghai, the numbers of hospital visits with ECG examinations during the lockdown (between January 23 and April 7, 2020), post-lockdown (between April 8 and December 31, 2020) and post-epidemic (between January 23 and April 7, 2021) periods were analyzed and compared against those during the same periods of the preceding years (2018 and 2019).Findings: Compared with those of the same period during pre-COVID years, the number of hospital visits decreased during the lockdown (a 38% reduction), followed by a rebound post-lockdown (a 17% increase) and a fall to the baseline level of the post-epidemic period. This decrease-rebound-fallback pattern was largely attributed to the dynamics of visits to community clinics rather than academic hospitals. The number of new COVID-19 cases or deaths announced on a given day correlated negatively with hospital visits during the same day and for the following 42 days, with the correlation at its most prominent at seven days. Hospital visit dynamics differed for various cardiovascular diseases. Whereas hospital visits for sinus bradycardia exhibited a typical decrease-rebound-fallback pattern, hospital visits for ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction did not fall during the lockdown period but did exhibit a subsequent increase during the post-lockdown period. By comparison, the volume for ventricular tachycardia remained constant throughout this entire period.Interpretation: The health-seeking behavior of patients with cardiovascular diseases exhibited a decrease-rebound-fallback pattern following the COVID-19 lockdowns. Hospital visits for diseases with more severe symptoms were less influenced by the lockdowns, showing a resilient demand for healthcare.Funding: Shanghai Hospital Development Center, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Declaration of Interest: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.Ethical Approval: This study was approved by the ethics committee at Xinhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Encephalitis, Arbovirus , Tachycardia, Ventricular , Cardiovascular DiseasesABSTRACT
Background: The mature pericarp of Citri Reticulatae 'Chachi' (PCRC) is one of the six traditional Chinese medicinal materials that should be used after long storage, and it was regarded that the longer the medicine was stored, the better. However, the aging mechanism of the medicine is not clear. Methods: : In order to further investigate the effect of aging on the main active flavonoids of PCRC, ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) and metabolomics analysis were used to analyze the flavonoids of PCRC stored for different periods. Results: : In the results, 219 flavonoids were detected. 5,7,3',4',5'-pentamethoxy dihydroflavone and 2'-hydroxy-3,4,5,3'4',6'-hexamethoxychalcone were found from PCRC for the first time. According to the clustering analysis of metabolites, aging times of 0, 1, and 2 were clustered into one group, and aging times of 3, 4, and 29 were clustered into the other group. Quantitative analysis showed that the former group contained a greater amount of 4 flavonoids than the latter group, while the latter group contained a greater amount of 15 polymethoxyflavonoids. The newly harvested PCRC was compared with the other 5 groups of PCRC (stored for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 29 years). Eight flavonoids, tectochrysin, apigenin, 2'-hydroxyisoflavone, luteolin, 6-hydroxyluteolin, gallocatechin, quercetin -O- acetylhexoside and apigenin -7-O-[β-D-glucuronide (1→2) -O-β-D-glucuronide], were used as marker components to discriminate newly harvested PCRC and aging PCRC. In addition, the antioxidant potency composite index (APC) indicated that the PCRC stored for three or four years had stronger antioxidant activity than the PCRC stored for other periods. By means of molecular docking, it was reviewed that the amount of antiviral components against SARS-CoV-2 in freshly harvested PCRC was significantly higher than that in aging PCRC. The results in this study supplied scientific data for quality control, evaluation, and rational utilization of PCRC and basic information for further analysis of the metabolic regulation of the active components of the PCRC.
Subject(s)
Multiple SclerosisABSTRACT
To evaluate the efficacy of N95 respirators and medical masks for protection against respiratory infectious diseases, including COVID-19. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies evaluating the use of N95 respirators and medical masks for protection against respiratory infectious diseases. We retrieved relevant articles published from January 1994 to January 2020 by searching the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases. The study quality was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool with RevMan 5.3 software. Eleven RCTs adjusted for clustering were included in the meta-analysis. Compared with the control group, N95 respirators or medical masks conferred significant protection against respiratory infectious diseases (odds ratio (OR) = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.29–0.84). Compared to medical masks, N95 respirators conferred significant protection against respiratory infectious diseases (OR = 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57–0.99). Meta-analysis of 10 observational studies adjusting for clustering also suggested that N95 respirators and medical masks are effective for protection against respiratory infectious diseases (OR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.42–0.82). However, only one case report showed the effectiveness of medical masks for preventing COVID-19. Although medical masks and N95 respirators may confer significant protection against respiratory infectious diseases, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that these types of personal protective equipment offer similar protection against COVID-19. Therefore, in the absence of sufficient resources during an epidemic, medical masks and N95 respirators should be reserved for high-risk, aerosol-generating producing procedures.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Communicable DiseasesABSTRACT
Background: Recently, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak started in Wuhan, China. Although the clinical features of COVID-19 have been reported previously, data regarding the risk factors associated with the clinical outcomes are lacking. Objectives: To summary and analyze the clinical characteristics and identify the predictors of disease severity and mortality. Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science Core Collection, Embase, Cochrane and MedRxiv databases were searched through February 25, 2020. Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) recommendations were followed. We extracted and pooled data using random-effects meta-analysis to summary the clinical feature of the confirmed COVID-19 patients, and further identify risk factors for disease severity and death. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I2 method and explained with subgroup analysis and meta-regression. Results: A total of 30 studies including 53000 patients with COVID-19 were included in this study, the mean age was 49.8 years (95% CI, 47.5-52.2 yrs) and 55.5% were male. The pooled incidence of severity and mortality were 20.2% (95% CI, 15.1-25.2%) and 3.1% (95% CI, 1.9-4.2%), respectively. The predictor for disease severity included old age ([≥] 50 yrs, odds ratio [OR] = 2.61; 95% CI, 2.29-2.98), male (OR =1.348, 95% CI, 1.195-1.521), smoking (OR =1.734, 95% CI, 1.146-2.626) and any comorbidity (OR = 2.635, 95% CI, 2.098-3.309), especially chronic kidney disease (CKD, OR = 6.017; 95% CI, 2.192-16.514), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, OR = 5.323; 95% CI, 2.613-10.847) and cerebrovascular disease (OR = 3.219; 95% CI, 1.486-6.972). In terms of laboratory results, increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), C-reactive protein (CRP) and D-dimer and decreased blood platelet and lymphocytes count were highly associated with severe COVID-19 (all for P < 0.001). Meanwhile, old age ([≥] 60 yrs, RR = 9.45; 95% CI, 8.09-11.04), followed by cardiovascular disease (RR = 6.75; 95% CI, 5.40-8.43) hypertension (RR = 4.48; 95% CI, 3.69-5.45) and diabetes (RR = 4.43; 95% CI, 3.49-5.61) were found to be independent prognostic factors for the COVID-19 related death. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first evidence-based medicine research to explore the risk factors of prognosis in patients with COVID-19, which is helpful to identify early-stage patients with poor prognosis and adapt effective treatment.
Subject(s)
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive , Cardiovascular Diseases , Diabetes Mellitus , Cerebrovascular Disorders , Blood Platelet Disorders , Death , Hypertension , COVID-19 , Renal Insufficiency, ChronicABSTRACT
Background Since December 2019, pneumonia associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has emerged in Wuhan, China. The exponential increase of the confirmed number of cases of 2019n-CoV is of great concern to the global community. The fears and panic among residents in the epicenters have prompted diverse responses, which are understudied. During such a crisis, community trust and support for the government and health authorities are important to contain the outbreak. We aimed to investigate the influence of institutional trust on public responses to the 2019-nCoV outbreak. Methods An anonymous Internet-based, cross-sectional survey was administered on January 29, 2020. The study population comprised all residents currently residing or working in the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is the capital city. The level of trust in information provision and preventive instructions, individual preventive behaviors and treatment-seeking behaviors were queried. Findings The majority of the participants expressed a great extent of trust in the information and preventive instructions provided by the central government than by the local government. A high uptake of 2019-nCoV preventive measures was found, particularly among people who had been placed under quarantine. Being under quarantine (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.80 to 3.08) and having a high institutional trust score (OR = 2.23, 95% CI 1.96 to 2.53) were both strong and significant determinants of higher preventive behavior scores. The majority of study participants (85.7%, n = 3,640) reported that they would seek hospital treatment if they suspected themselves to have been infected with 2019 n-CoV. Few of the participants from Wuhan (16.6%, n = 475) and those participants who were under quarantine (13.8%, n = 550) expressed an unwillingness to seek hospital treatment. Similarly, being under quarantine (OR = 2.36, 95% CI 1.80 to 3.09) and having a high institutional trust score (OR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.96 to 2.49) were two strong significant determinants of hospital treatment-seeking. Interpretation The results of this study suggest that institutional trust is an important factor influencing adequate preventive behavior and seeking formal medical care during an outbreak. In view of the 2019-nCoV being highly pathogenic and extremely contagious, our findings also underscore the importance of public health intervention to reach individuals with poor adherence to preventive measures and who are reluctant to seek treatment at formal health services. Funding National Key R&D Program of China, Ningbo Health Branding Subject Fund, Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, K.C. Wong Magna Fund in Ningbo University, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shanxi Province. Keywords: 2019-nCoV; institutional trust; preventive behaviors