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DDW 2022 Author Disclosures: KUMIKO UCHIDA: NO financial relationship with a commercial interest ;Takao Itoi: NO financial relationship with a commercial interest ;Masakatsu Fukuzawa: NO financial relationship with a commercial interest ;Akira Madarame: NO financial relationship with a commercial interest ;Takashi Kawai: NO financial relationship with a commercial interest Background: The outbreak of coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in 2020 has not yet ended in Japan and overseas, and droplet, contact, and aerosol infections have been suggested as routes of COVID-19 infection. As COVID-19 infection spreads, supply and demand for alcohol disinfectant solutions are temporarily tight, and hypochlorous acid water has attracted attention as a material available to the consumers.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the environmental bacteria in an endoscopy unit sprayed with hypochlorous acid water from the viewpoint of space purification as an infection control for aerosols. Methods: An unmanned endoscopy unit was used after the end of a day's work. The viable counts of environmental bacteria in the cleaning group (before and after normal cleaning) and in the spraying group (before and after spraying with hypochlorous acid water) were compared and examined. Sampling of adherent bacteria (environmental bacteria) on beds, floors, illuminating apparatus for endoscope, PC desks, and washbasins, which are considered to be exposed to aerosols, was evaluated using SCD agar medium (product name: Petan Check, manufacturer: Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd.). For normal cleaning, disinfectant solutions of quaternary ammonium, isopropyl alcohol, and 80% ethanol were use after the work was completed. The hypochlorous acid water was sprayed with IONLESSTM hypochlorous acid water (product name: CLFine, manufacturer: Nipro Corporation) in accordance with the working environment evaluation standard of the Industrial Safety and Health Act, and the atmospheric effective chlorine concentration was kept at about 0.03 ppm, which is considered to be the optimum concentration, for 5 hours. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the number of adherent bacteria. Results: There was no difference in the number of bacteria on the bed, illuminating apparatus for endoscope, computer desk, and washbasin between the cleaning and spraying groups. The median number of bacteria on the floor before cleaning was 26 CFU/10cm2, while that after cleaning was 23 CFU/ 10cm2. On the other hand, in the hypochlorous acid water group, the median value before spraying was 27 CFU/10cm2 and after spraying was 4 CFU/10cm2. Although there was no statistical difference (p=0.057), the hypochlorous acid water group tended to have fewer adherent bacteria. Conclusion: The hypochlorous acid spray tended to reduce the number of adherent bacteria (environmental bacteria) on the floor where aerosol exposure was possible, and the hypochlorous acid spray was considered to be useful in reducing environmental bacteria in endoscopy unit.
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Chat-based counselling has become increasingly popular in the era of telecommunication. The need for accessible therapy has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Given its text-based nature, chat-based counselling provides an opportunity for machine-based analysis. It even has the potential to provide machine-based counselling services. However, the informational resources for machine-based analysis and interaction are rather scarce especially in a Japanese-language context. We created a Japanese dictionary for sentiment analysis, using a technique via machine-based text analysis, tailored for counselling related text. It includes 2389 words that were frequently used in chat-based counselling corpora. The following attributes were included for each word: (1) valence rating by the general public, (2) valence rating by clinical psychologists, (3) emotionality, and (4) body-relatedness. © 2021 Owner/Author.
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INTRODUCTION: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is strongly associated with poor prognosis of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. The great pandemic made it challenging to allocate renal replacement therapy (RRT) such as hemodialysis or continuous hemodiafiltration to anuria patients in terms of infection control and medical resources. Herein, using an actual case, we argue that peritoneal dialysis (PD) could become a more practical and safer RRT, particularly during this pandemic crisis. METHODS: Our case was a 62-year-old male with a PCR test positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). He had a medical history of lung cancer and some commodities of hypertension, hyperuricemia, and hyperlipidemia. The next day after the admission, his oxygenation and hemodynamics rapidly deteriorated. We started mechanical ventilation, and administered vasopressors, favipiravir, and ciclesonide. Additionally, serum creatinine also became gradually elevated (creatinine: day1 0.77 mg/dL → day5 7 mg/dL). We diagnosed with COVID-19-associated AKI, because urine tests and sonography did not indicate any other cause. It progressed to anuria and made it difficult to control the serum potassium and the hemodynamics due to acidemia. On day 6, using a portable X-ray machine, we inserted the peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter to the recto-vesical pouch at the bedside and infused the peritoneal dialysate. Although the anuria persisted for a while, the increased amount of peritoneal dialysate easily normalized the acidemia and serum potassium level. After the normalization, the vasopressors could be tapered off, and the inflammation status was also improved. On day 14, the patient was discharged from our ICU with the PD catheter. SARS-CoV-2 was detectable in sputum, but not in the peritoneum and PD waste. The whole procedure of PD catheter insertion and dialysate exchange did not influence the respiratory status and hemodynamics at any time. RESULTS: Taken together, PD could be a useful option for the AKI management, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemics.