Infection control status of novel coronavirus pneumonia and radiation safety at CT workplace.

CT is an important imaging tool for the diagnosis of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), therefore, it's necessary to strictly control the disinfection of CT workplace and equipment and biosafety to avoid the place from becoming a potential infection source and to reduce the risk of infection of patients and radiological staff. It is also necessary to reduce the CT scan dose to minimize the radiation hazards on patients under the premise of ensuring the CT image quality and diagnostic efficiency. Based on the survey that novel coronavirus residues after disinfection at some CT workplace in domestic and overseas and the application of low-dose CT scan in diagnosis of COVID-19, as well as the current situation of radiological protection management in emergency hospital, this paper summarizes and proposes suggestions on infection control and radiological protection for CT workplace to strengthen the defense line of COVID-19 prevention and control.Copyright © 2021 by the Chinese Medical Association.

An Interdisciplinary Design Project for Undergraduate Engineering Training - Portable Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction System

Our world has been permanently changed by the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 starts around the end of 2019. In the first few months of 2020, the whole world was in urgent need of an effective, easy, and quick method for the identification of the infection of the new virus. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machine, which can test DNA samples by rapidly making millions of copies of a specific DNA sample through the PCR process, including the COVID-19 virus, can perfectly fit this demand. In this study, a design project on PCR is introduced for undergraduate education in electrical and mechanical engineering. The objective of this project is to develop a low-cost, ease-of-use, wallet-size, portable real-time PCR (RT-PCR) machine for accurate testing of various bacteria or viruses. The key function of the PT-PCR system is to precisely control and maintain the temperature of the bio-sample solution within a range between 55℃ and 95℃. The RT-PCR system is centrally controlled by a microcontroller Raspberry Pi 3. It receives temperature measurements from thermistors and operates the heating lid, the thermoelectric module, and the cooling fan to regulate the temperatures required in repetitive thermal cycles. This project provides students opportunities in studying and practicing a wide range of engineering technics and skills, including mechanical design, electronics design, microcomputer programming, system control, power electronics, sensors and actuators, data acquisition and processing, cellphone app development. Students can gain comprehensive understanding of the design of multiphysics system after they overcome various challenges emerging in the project. From the view of engineering education, the process of this project development has demonstrated the importance and benefits of adopting complex interdisciplinary engineering problems for student teams to solve, especially those involve contemporary issues. Copyright 2022. © by the International Institute of Informatics and Systemics. All rights reserved.

A Rare Complication of Pneumopericardium, Spontaneous Pneumothorax, and Subcutaneous Emphysema in a COVID-19 Pneumonia Patient Treated With High Flow Nasal Cannula.

Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM), unrelated to mechanical ventilation, has been newly described as a complication of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pneumonia without the associated risk factors. The main objective of presenting this case is to highlight a rare but important complication among patients with COVID-19 pneumonia treated only with a high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC). We aim to study the possible underlying pathophysiology of this phenomenon.

Review of taste and taste disturbance in COVID-19 patients

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has become a significant global public health concern. The virus gains entry to cells via angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptors, which have been found to be the functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2 infection. High expression of ACE2 is found in type II alveolar cells, macrophages, bronchial and tracheal epithelial cells and in the oral cavity, particularly on the tongue. Taste disturbance is one of the early symptoms of COVID-19, suggesting that taste cells in taste buds are vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Taste is modulated by hormones that are regulated in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Hypothetical causes of taste disturbance by SARS-CoV-2 may be due to direct cell and/or neuronal injuries, inflammatory responses and dysregulation of ACE2. © NZMA.

Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling Of The Efficacy Of HVAC Adjustments On Mitigating Airborne Transmission of SARS-COV-2

Assessing and improving the safety of social settings is pivotal for the reopening of facilities and institutions during the pandemic. Recent discoveries now suggest that the predominant medium of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is exposure to infectious respiratory aerosols. Airborne viral spread is particularly effective in indoor environments-which have been strongly implicated in high transmission rates and super-spreading events. This study focuses on computational fluid dynamics models developed to study the specific ventilation features of an indoor space and their effects on indoor particle spread. A case study is conducted on a typical classroom at the Cooper Union. Masked occupants are modeled in the room as aerosol sources to compare the performance of different ventilation settings on the exhaust rates of airborne particles. Simulation results reveal that increasing ventilation rates accelerate particle evacuation. Visualization and segregated data comparisons indicate regions of particle accumulation induced by the design and geometry of the classroom in relation to its occupants. Visualization is also used to observe a uniform distribution of airborne particles after only 10 minutes of simulated time-confirming the need for safety measures beyond the six feet distancing guideline. © 2021 by ASME.

Infection control status of novel coronavirus pneumonia and radiation safety at CT workplace

CT is an important imaging tool for the diagnosis of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), therefore, it's necessary to strictly control the disinfection of CT workplace and equipment and biosafety to avoid the place from becoming a potential infection source and to reduce the risk of infection of patients and radiological staff. It is also necessary to reduce the CT scan dose to minimize the radiation hazards on patients under the premise of ensuring the CT image quality and diagnostic efficiency. Based on the survey that novel coronavirus residues after disinfection at some CT workplace in domestic and overseas and the application of low-dose CT scan in diagnosis of COVID-19, as well as the current situation of radiological protection management in emergency hospital, this paper summarizes and proposes suggestions on infection control and radiological protection for CT workplace to strengthen the defense line of COVID-19 prevention and control. Copyright © 2021 by the Chinese Medical Association.

Instruments of health and harm: how the procurement of healthcare goods contributes to global health inequality.

Many healthcare goods, such as surgical instruments, textiles and gloves, are manufactured in unregulated factories and sweatshops where, amongst other labour rights violations, workers are subject to considerable occupational health risks. In this paper we undertake an ethical analysis of the supply of sweatshop-produced surgical goods to healthcare providers, with a specific focus on the National Health Service of the United Kingdom. We contend that while labour abuses and occupational health deficiencies are morally unacceptable in the production of any commodity, an additional wrong is incurred when the health of certain populations is secured in ways that endanger the health and well-being of people working and living elsewhere. While some measures have been taken to better regulate the supply chain to healthcare providers in the UK, further action is needed to ensure that surgical goods are sourced from suppliers who protect the labour and occupational health rights of their workers.

Value of multiparameter quantitative CT in evaluating the prognosis of COVID-19

Objective: To investigate the value of multi-parameter quantitative CT combining with HRCT in evaluating the prognosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: Sixty-nine cases were included in this retrospective study. All of the cases were primarily diagnosed with common type of COVID-19 when admitted to hospital. According to the clinical prognosis and the changes of image appearance, three groups were divided. Group A with decreasing extent of lesions (21 cases) and group B with increasing extent of lesions (25 cases) were both common type of COVID-19 without converting into severe type. Group C (23 cases) converted common type into severe type during hospitalization. Multiple CT parameters among the groups were compared. Results: The changes of the multiple parameters of CT after treatment, such as the total volume of lesions, GGO volume, and the volume of the consolidation and MLA, had a significant difference among the three groups. When the cut-off values for the increasing total volume, GGO volume, consolidation volume, and MLA were determined to be 231.46 cm3, 168.58 cm3, 74.46 cm3, and 57 Hu, the sensitivity (95.7%, 82.6%, 73.9%, and 78.3%) and specificity (91.3%, 91.3%, 93.5%, and 87%) of the diagnosis of common type converting into severe type were optimal and the areas under ROC curve were 0.961, 0.914, 0.885, and 0.885. Conclusion: The changes of the volumes of total lesions, GGO and consolidation and the change of MLA between follow-up CT and first CT are important prognostic factors in patients with COVID-19. Common type COVID-19 patients with total volume of lesions increasing >231.46 cm3, GGO volume increasing >168.58 cm3, consolidation volume increasing >74.46 cm3, or MLA increasing >57 Hu are more likely to convert into severe type. The multiparameter quantitative CT combined with HRCT has an effect on evaluating the prognosis of COVID-19. © 2021, Editorial Board of Medical Journal of Wuhan University. All right reserved.

Liver injury could be associated with severe disease in COVID-19 patients: A meta-analysis

Objective: To assess the association between liver injury and the severity of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease. Methods: Articles including severe vs non-severe or dead vs surviving COVID-19 patients were identified by searching the electronic database including PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library database. The meta-analysis was carried out using software RevMan 5.3. A fixed- or random-effects model was used depending on the heterogeneity between studies. Furthermore, publication bias was evaluated by the visual inspection of funnel plot. Results: Thirty-six studies involving 7083 patients were taken into analysis. The incidence of patients with chronic liver disease was not significantly associated with an enhanced risk of severe COVID-19 (OR: 1.36, 95% CI: 0.89-2.07, P = .16). The total bilirubin (TB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were found to be obviously elevated in COVID-19 patients with severe group [TB: MD: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.17-2.19, P < .0001;LDH: MD: 122.66, 95% CI: 86.50-158.81, P < .0001;ALT: MD = 5.73, 95% CI (4.32, 7.14), P < .0001;AST: MD = 9.41, 95% CI (6.51, 12.31), P < .0001] and mortality group [TB: MD: 3.90, 95% CI: 2.63-5.18, P < .0001;LDH: MD: 246.30, 95% CI: 176.78-315.82, P < .0001;ALT: MD = 5.64, 95% CI (0.52, 10.75), P = .03;AST: MD = 12.93, 95% CI (4.95, 20.91), P = .002]. Albumin was significantly lower in COVID-19 patients with severe group (MD: -4.48, 95% CI: -6.51, -2.44, P < .0001) and mortality group (MD: -4.80, 95% CI: -5.94, -3.67, P < .0001). Based on visual inspection of funnel plots, no evidence of publication bias was found. Conclusions: According to our results, liver injury may be an important sign of COVID-19 associated to a severe form of disease, which can guide the clinicians in recognizing critically ill patients earlier and faster. However, due to the limitations of this study, more high-quality research is required.