A new strategy to integrate silver nanowires with waterborne coating to improve their antimicrobial and antiviral properties

PurposeThis study aims to focus on the preparation and characterization of the silver nanowire (AgNWs), as well as their application as antimicrobial and antivirus activities either with incorporation on the waterborne coating formulation or on their own.Design/methodology/approachPrepared AgNWs are characterized by different analytical instruments, such as ultraviolet-visible spectroscope, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction spectrometer. All the paint formulation's physical and mechanical qualities were tested using American Society for Testing and Materials, a worldwide standard test procedure. The biological activities of the prepared AgNWs and the waterborne coating based on AgNWs were investigated. And, their effects on pathogenic bacteria, antioxidants, antiviral activity and cytotoxicity were also investigated.FindingsThe obtained results of the physical and mechanical characteristics of the paint formulation demonstrated the formulations' greatest performance, as well as giving good scrub resistance and film durability. In the antimicrobial activity, the paint did not have any activity against bacterial pathogen, whereas the AgNWs and AgNWs with paint have similar activity against bacterial pathogen with inhibition zone range from 10 to 14 mm. The development of antioxidant and cytotoxicity activity of the paint incorporated with AgNWs were also observed. The cytopathic effects of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) were reduced in all three investigated modes of action when compared to the positive control group (HSV-1-infected cells), suggesting that these compounds have promising antiviral activity against a wide range of viruses, including DNA and RNA viruses.Originality/valueThe new waterborne coating based on nanoparticles has the potential to be promising in the manufacturing and development of paints, allowing them to function to prevent the spread of microbial infection, which is exactly what the world requires at this time.

Knowledge and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination in Sudan: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Vaccines are an essential part of public health interventions to mitigate the devastating health and non-health impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the fact that Sudan launched the COVID-19 vaccination program in March 2021, only 10% of the population received their two primary doses of vaccines by the end of May 2022. This delayed uptake of vaccines obviously warrants investigation. Therefore, we have conducted this study to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and acceptance of the general population in Sudan toward COVID-19 vaccines. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional community-based study. The data were collected using an electronic questionnaire from 403 individuals living in Khartoum, Sudan. The data were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), and data analysis was performed using appropriate tests. Results: 51% of the participants were found to have sufficient knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccine, and the knowledge level is higher among those educated beyond the secondary school and those who were employed. Among those unvaccinated, only 47% of the participants expressed their intention to take the vaccine when offered to them. The major reason for not trusting the vaccine is safety concerns expressed by 65.5% of the unvaccinated. Conclusion: Higher education levels and employment were associated with an increase in sufficient knowledge about the vaccine in around half of the participants. However, most of participants had not taken the vaccine at the time of the study, and the trust in vaccines is not high. Effective interventions by the health authorities are needed to address these issues in order to accelerate the COVID-19 vaccination program in Sudan.

A turning point in COVID-19 severity and fatality during the pandemic: A national cohort study in Qatar (preprint)

Background: This study assessed the evolution of COVID-19 severity and fatality by utilizing rigorous and standardized criteria that were consistently applied throughout the pandemic in Qatar. Methods: A national cohort study was conducted on Qataris, using data on COVID-19 acute-care and ICU hospitalizations, as well as severe, critical, and fatal COVID-19 cases classified according to the World Health Organization criteria. Results: The cumulative incidence of severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19 after 3.14 years of follow-up was 0.45% (95% CI: 0.43-0.47%). The incidence rate for severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19 throughout the pandemic was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.35-1.50) per 1,000 person-years. In the pre-omicron phase, first omicron wave, and combined phases, it was 2.01 (95% CI: 1.90-2.13), 3.70 (95% CI: 3.25-4.22), and 2.18 (95% CI: 2.07-2.30) per 1,000 person-years, respectively. The post-first omicron phase saw a drastic drop to 0.10 (95% CI: 0.08-0.14) per 1,000 person-years, a 95.4% reduction. Among all severe, critical, and fatal cases, 99.5% occurred during the primary infection. The cumulative incidence of fatal COVID-19 was 0.042% (95% CI: 0.036-0.050%), with an incidence rate of 0.13 (95% CI: 0.11-0.16) per 1,000 person-years. In the post-first omicron phase, the incidence rate of fatal COVID-19 decreased by 90.0% compared to earlier stages. Both severity and fatality exhibited an exponential increase with age and a linear increase with the number of coexisting conditions. Conclusions: The conclusion of the first omicron wave was a turning point in the severity of the pandemic. While vaccination and enhanced case management reduced severity gradually, the rapid accumulation of natural immunity during the initial omicron wave appears to have played the crucial role in driving this shift in severity.

All-cause and COVID-19 mortality in Qatar during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate all-cause mortality, COVID-19 mortality and all-cause non-COVID-19 mortality in Qatar during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A national, retrospective cohort analysis and national, matched, retrospective cohort studies were conducted between 5 February 2020 and 19 September 2022. RESULTS: There were 5025 deaths during a follow-up time of 5 247 220 person-years, of which 675 were COVID-19 related. Incidence rates were 0.96 (95% CI 0.93 to 0.98) per 1000 person-years for all-cause mortality, 0.13 (95% CI 0.12 to 0.14) per 1000 person-years for COVID-19 mortality and 0.83 (95% CI 0.80 to 0.85) per 1000 person-years for all-cause non-COVID-19 mortality. Adjusted HR, comparing all-cause non-COVID-19 mortality relative to Qataris, was lowest for Indians at 0.38 (95% CI 0.32 to 0.44), highest for Filipinos at 0.56 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.69) and was 0.51 (95% CI 0.45 to 0.58) for craft and manual workers (CMWs). Adjusted HR, comparing COVID-19 mortality relative to Qataris, was lowest for Indians at 1.54 (95% CI 0.97 to 2.44), highest for Nepalese at 5.34 (95% CI 1.56 to 18.34) and was 1.86 (95% CI 1.32 to 2.60) for CMWs. Incidence rate of all-cause mortality for each nationality group was lower than the crude death rate in the country of origin. CONCLUSIONS: Risk of non-COVID-19 death was low and was lowest among CMWs, perhaps reflecting the healthy worker effect. Risk of COVID-19 death was also low, but was highest among CMWs, largely reflecting higher exposure during first epidemic wave, before advent of effective COVID-19 treatments and vaccines.

Expert consensus statement on venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ECMO for COVID-19 severe ARDS: an international Delphi study.

BACKGROUND: The high-quality evidence on managing COVID-19 patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support is insufficient. Furthermore, there is little consensus on allocating ECMO resources when scarce. The paucity of evidence and the need for guidance on controversial topics required an international expert consensus statement to understand the role of ECMO in COVID-19 better. Twenty-two international ECMO experts worldwide work together to interpret the most recent findings of the evolving published research, statement formulation, and voting to achieve consensus. OBJECTIVES: To guide the next generation of ECMO practitioners during future pandemics on tackling controversial topics pertaining to using ECMO for patients with COVID-19-related severe ARDS. METHODS: The scientific committee was assembled of five chairpersons with more than 5 years of ECMO experience and a critical care background. Their roles were modifying and restructuring the panel's questions and, assisting with statement formulation in addition to expert composition and literature review. Experts are identified based on their clinical experience with ECMO (minimum of 5 years) and previous academic activity on a global scale, with a focus on diversity in gender, geography, area of expertise, and level of seniority. We used the modified Delphi technique rounds and the nominal group technique (NGT) through three face-to-face meetings and the voting on the statement was conducted anonymously. The entire process was planned to be carried out in five phases: identifying the gap of knowledge, validation, statement formulation, voting, and drafting, respectively. RESULTS: In phase I, the scientific committee obtained 52 questions on controversial topics in ECMO for COVID-19, further reviewed for duplication and redundancy in phase II, resulting in nine domains with 32 questions with a validation rate exceeding 75% (Fig. 1). In phase III, 25 questions were used to formulate 14 statements, and six questions achieved no consensus on the statements. In phase IV, two voting rounds resulted in 14 statements that reached a consensus are included in four domains which are: patient selection, ECMO clinical management, operational and logistics management, and ethics. CONCLUSION: Three years after the onset of COVID-19, our understanding of the role of ECMO has evolved. However, it is incomplete. Tota14 statements achieved consensus; included in four domains discussing patient selection, clinical ECMO management, operational and logistic ECMO management and ethics to guide next-generation ECMO providers during future pandemic situations.

Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants, age, vaccination, and prior infection on infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 infections.

In 2021, Qatar experienced considerable incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection that was dominated sequentially by the Alpha, Beta, and Delta variants. Using the cycle threshold (Ct) value of an RT-qPCR-positive test to proxy the inverse of infectiousness, we investigated infectiousness of SARS-CoV-2 infections by variant, age, sex, vaccination status, prior infection status, and reason for testing in a random sample of 18,355 RT-qPCR-genotyped infections. Regression analyses were conducted to estimate associations with the Ct value of RT-qPCR-positive tests. Compared to Beta infections, Alpha and Delta infections demonstrated 2.56 higher Ct cycles (95% CI: 2.35-2.78), and 4.92 fewer cycles (95% CI: 4.67- 5.16), respectively. The Ct value declined gradually with age and was especially high for children <10 years of age, signifying lower infectiousness in small children. Children <10 years of age had 2.18 higher Ct cycles (95% CI: 1.88-2.48) than those 10-19 years of age. Compared to unvaccinated individuals, the Ct value was higher among individuals who had received one or two vaccine doses, but the Ct value decreased gradually with time since the second-dose vaccination. Ct value was 2.07 cycles higher (95% CI: 1.42-2.72) for those with a prior infection than those without prior infection. The Ct value was lowest among individuals tested because of symptoms and was highest among individuals tested as a travel requirement. Delta was substantially more infectious than Beta. Prior immunity, whether due to vaccination or prior infection, is associated with lower infectiousness of breakthrough infections, but infectiousness increases gradually with time since the second-dose vaccination.

Online panel data quality: a sentiment analysis based on a deep learning approach

The rise of online access panels has profoundly changed the market research landscape. Often presented by their owners as very powerful tools, they nevertheless raise important scientific questions, particularly regarding the representativeness of the samples they produce and, consequently, the validity of the information they provide. In this paper, we present an innovative approach, based on deep learning and sentiment analysis techniques, to assess in real time the representativeness of an online panel sample. The idea is to measure the extent to which the opinions of an online panel converge with opinions on social networks. To validate the proposed method, we conducted a case study on the emerging discussion on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination. The results not only proved the representativeness of online panel sample, but also demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of our approach. © 2023, Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved.

'Micro-terrorism': COVID-19 makes the horrible face of microbiology

Micro-terrorism! We coin this term to show the horrible face of microbiology in a way similar to the current widespread terrorism throughout the world. Throughout the ages, tiny organisms were the immediate cause of devastating epidemics that killed hundreds of millions of the inhabitants of the planet. Corona virus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a prominent milestone in the history of microbiology. Historically, microbiology witnessed prominent milestones from the discoveries of Antoni Philips van Leeuwenhoek and Louis Pasteur to the development of antibiotics in the first half of the twentieth century. Nowadays we live a new milestone in microbiology history. From the public point of view, it is astonishing that a tiny unseen organism could produce such a huge transition in the history of the world. Extra jeopardy is that the COVID-19 patient put his contacts at work and household members at a real risk of rapidly transmitting the disease all over the world. © 2020 The author (s). Published by Zagazig University.

Long-term use of colchicine: "The time to guard against chronic toxicity among patients of familial Mediterranean fever”

Colchicine is a cheap easily available and accessible drug that has been tried in different diseases which are not limited to gout, familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), Behcet's disease, and constipation, and has recently been tried for the treatment of COVID-19 and heart diseases. There are many emerging reports of toxicity related to colchicine use. Patients with FMF are using this drug lifelong. We are sounding the alarm for monitoring patients with FMF to guard against chronic colchicine toxicity.

Clinical Outcomes of Lung Transplant Recipients with Covid-19 That Received Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis with Tixagevimab-Cilgavimab: A Single Center Experience

Lung transplant recipients (LTRs) are at risk of significant morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19. The neutralizing antibody response to vaccination among LTRs is reduced, particularly in those treated with anti-proliferative agents. Tixagevimab-cilgavimab (Tix-Cil) is a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-directed attachment inhibitor that is authorized under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in immunocompromised adults. We describe the clinical outcomes of LTRs who contracted COVID-19 despite Tix-Cil therapy. After IRB approval, we conducted a retrospective chart review and used descriptive statistics. Following EUA approval, 203 LTRs received Tix-Cil, and 24 (11.8%) subsequently contracted COVID-19. All 24 had undergone bilateral LT;14 (58.3%) were male;23 (95.8%) were vaccinated;and 23 (95.8%) were ≥6 months out from LT. The median age at COVID-19 diagnosis was 68.6 years, and most (75%) were on a standard 3-drug immunosuppressive regimen with tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone. The median time from Tix-Cil to COVID-19 diagnosis was 90.5 days (62.75-118.25). Five LTRs (20.8%) were hospitalized;3 (12.5%) required ICU level of care;and 2 (8.3%) were intubated. Two LTRs (8.3%) died;both were male, >70 years old, vaccinated, >2 years out from LT, and had co-morbidities. Both were treated with corticosteroids and tocilizumab;1 received anti-viral and monoclonal antibody therapy with remdesevir and sotrovimab, respectively. Both were critically ill, and 1 was intubated. LTRs that contracted COVID-19 despite pre-exposure prophylaxis with Tix-Cil had significant rates of hospitalization, critical illness, and mortality. More effective therapies are needed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in this vulnerable patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Heart & Lung Transplantation is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Guillain-Barré Syndrome after Mrna-1273 Covid-19 Vaccine Booster in an Immunosuppressed Double Lung Transplant Recipient

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated neurological disorder with an estimated incidence of 1 to 2 per 100,000 person-years. GBS is characterized by progressive and symmetric ascending muscle weakness, areflexia, sensory symptoms, and dysautonomia. Antecedent infection or vaccination may trigger GBS;however, there are few reports of GBS after either mRNA-1273 (Moderna) or mRNA-BNT-162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccines (1.21 and 1.05 GBS reports per million doses, respectively). A 2021 analysis of the Vaccine Safety Datalink found no increased risk of GBS after vaccination with either of the vaccines. We report a case of GBS after a third dose of mRNA-1273 in a lung transplant recipient (LTxR). A 38-year-old LTxR on standard 3-drug immunosuppression presented to clinic complaining of back pain 2 weeks after receiving a third dose of mRNA-1273. His pain was treated with analgesics;however, a week later he presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with worsening back pain, myalgias, and lower extremity weakness. Neurology was consulted and he underwent an extensive work-up including screening serologies for vasculitis and myasthenia gravis and blood tests for B12, folate, and creatinine kinase (CK) levels. Viral and bacterial infections were ruled out. A spinal MRI showed no evidence of nerve root enhancement;a lumbar puncture revealed albuminocytologic dissociation with a high protein level of 113 mg/dL and cell count of 1/uL. Autoimmune and paraneoplastic panels as well as oligoclonal bands were negative. He was diagnosed with GBS and completed a 5-day IVIG course which led to transient symptomatic improvement. Four weeks later, he reported to the ED in a wheel chair after multiple falls and an inability to stand or walk. His neurological exam showed symmetric ascending weakness of lower extremities that was worse distally, reduced hand-grip strength, and areflexia. Electromyography showed evidence of acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, confirming the GBS diagnosis. An additional 2-day IVIG course and intensive outpatient physical therapy led to neurologic improvement. Although current data does not suggest an increased risk of GBS after mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, GBS should be considered in LTxRs who develop symmetric motor and sensory deficits after vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Heart & Lung Transplantation is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Efficacy of pentasodium diethylenetriamine pentaacetate in ameliorating anosmia post COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has been frequently demonstrated to be associated with anosmia. Calcium cations are a mainstay in the transmission of odor. One of their documented effects is feedback inhibition. Thus, it has been advocated that reducing the free intranasal calcium cations using topical chelators such as pentasodium diethylenetriamine pentaacetate (DTPA) could lead to restoration of the olfactory function in patients with post-COVID-19 anosmia. METHODOLOGY: This is a randomized controlled trial that investigated the effect of DTPA on post-COVID-19 anosmia. A total of 66 adult patients who had confirmed COVID-19 with associated anosmia that continued beyond three months of being negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The included patients were randomly allocated to the control group that received 0.9 % sodium chloride-containing nasal spray or the interventional group that received 2 % DTPA-containing nasal spray at a 1:1 ratio. Before treatment and 30 days post-treatment, the patients' olfactory function was evaluated using Sniffin' Sticks, and quantitative estimation of the calcium cations in the nasal mucus was done using a carbon paste ion-selective electrode test. RESULTS: Patients in the DTPA-treated group significantly improved compared to the control group in recovery from functional anosmia to hyposmia. Additionally, they showed a significant post-treatment reduction in the calcium concentration compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed the efficacy of DTPA in treating post-COVID-19 anosmia.

Tocilizumab Outcomes in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients Admitted to the ICU and the Role of Non-Tocilizumab COVID-19-Specific Medical Therapeutics.

BACKGROUND: Tocilizumab is a monoclonal antibody proposed to manage cytokine release syndrome (CRS) associated with severe COVID-19. Previously published reports have shown that tocilizumab may improve the clinical outcomes of critically ill patients admitted to the ICU. However, no precise data about the role of other medical therapeutics concurrently used for COVID-19 on this outcome have been published. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to compare the overall outcome of critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU who received tocilizumab with the outcome of matched patients who did not receive tocilizumab while controlling for other confounders, including medical therapeutics for critically ill patients admitted to ICUs. METHODS: A prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study was conducted among critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU of 14 hospitals in Saudi Arabia between 1 March 2020, and October 31, 2020. Propensity-score matching was utilized to compare patients who received tocilizumab to patients who did not. In addition, the log-rank test was used to compare the 28 day hospital survival of patients who received tocilizumab with those who did not. Then, a multivariate logistic regression analysis of the matched groups was performed to evaluate the impact of the remaining concurrent medical therapeutics that could not be excluded via matching 28 day hospital survival rates. The primary outcome measure was patients' overall 28 day hospital survival, and the secondary outcomes were ICU length of stay and ICU survival to hospital discharge. RESULTS: A total of 1470 unmatched patients were included, of whom 426 received tocilizumab. The total number of propensity-matched patients was 1278. Overall, 28 day hospital survival revealed a significant difference between the unmatched non-tocilizumab group (586; 56.1%) and the tocilizumab group (269; 63.1%) (p-value = 0.016), and this difference increased even more in the propensity-matched analysis between the non-tocilizumab group (466.7; 54.6%) and the tocilizumab group (269; 63.1%) (p-value = 0.005). The matching model successfully matched the two groups' common medical therapeutics used to treat COVID-19. Two medical therapeutics remained significantly different, favoring the tocilizumab group. A multivariate logistic regression was performed for the 28 day hospital survival in the propensity-matched patients. It showed that neither steroids (OR: 1.07 (95% CI: 0.75-1.53)) (p = 0.697) nor favipiravir (OR: 1.08 (95% CI: 0.61-1.9)) (p = 0.799) remained as a predictor for an increase in 28 day survival. CONCLUSION: The tocilizumab treatment in critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU improved the overall 28 day hospital survival, which might not be influenced by the concurrent use of other COVID-19 medical therapeutics, although further research is needed to confirm this.

Can COVID-19 lead to Addison's disease in individual living with HIV? A case report and literature review.

We report a case of a 46-year-old female with HIV for the last 15 years admitted to our hospital with a history of fever. She was diagnosed with pneumonia and was treated with antibiotics and recovered well; however, she was found to be hyponatremic. She mentioned that she tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) 4 months prior to the admission, and she gradually lost weight since. Further investigation for hyponatremia showed that she had Addison's disease with isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency. Magnetic resonance imaging of the pituitary was normal, and all auto-immune, hormonal, and biochemical investigations were normal. COVID-19 is also associated with adrenal insufficiency, and we suggest that further research is needed to establish the link between adrenal insufficiency and COVID-19. Our case report is unique as it demonstrates isolated ACTH deficiency leading to adrenal insufficiency following COVID-19 infections.

Long-term COVID-19 booster effectiveness by infection history and clinical vulnerability and immune imprinting: a retrospective population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Long-term effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA boosters in populations with different previous infection histories and clinical vulnerability profiles is inadequately understood. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a booster (third dose) vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection and against severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19, relative to that of primary-series (two-dose) vaccination over a follow-up duration of 1 year. METHODS: This observational, matched, retrospective, cohort study was done on the population of Qatar in people with different immune histories and different clinical vulnerability to infection. The source of data are Qatar's national databases for COVID-19 laboratory testing, vaccination, hospitalisation, and death. Associations were estimated using inverse-probability-weighted Cox proportional-hazards regression models. The primary outcome of the study is the effectiveness of COVID-19 mRNA boosters against infection and against severe COVID-19. FINDINGS: Data were obtained for 2 228 686 people who had received at least two vaccine doses starting from Jan 5, 2021, of whom 658 947 (29·6%) went on to receive a third dose before data cutoff on Oct 12, 2022. There were 20 528 incident infections in the three-dose cohort and 30 771 infections in the two-dose cohort. Booster effectiveness relative to primary series was 26·2% (95% CI 23·6-28·6) against infection and 75·1% (40·2-89·6) against severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19, during 1-year follow-up after the booster. Among people clinically vulnerable to severe COVID-19, effectiveness was 34·2% (27·0-40·6) against infection and 76·6% (34·5-91·7) against severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19. Effectiveness against infection was highest at 61·4% (60·2-62·6) in the first month after the booster but waned thereafter and was modest at only 15·5% (8·3-22·2) by the sixth month. In the seventh month and thereafter, coincident with BA.4/BA.5 and BA.2·75* subvariant incidence, effectiveness was progressively negative albeit with wide CIs. Similar patterns of protection were observed irrespective of previous infection status, clinical vulnerability, or type of vaccine (BNT162b2 vs mRNA-1273). INTERPRETATION: Protection against omicron infection waned after the booster, and eventually suggested a possibility for negative immune imprinting. However, boosters substantially reduced infection and severe COVID-19, particularly among individuals who were clinically vulnerable, affirming the public health value of booster vaccination. FUNDING: The Biomedical Research Program and the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and the Biomathematics Research Core (both at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar), Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medicine, Qatar Genome Programme, and Qatar University Biomedical Research Center.

Fog computing-assisted path planning for smart shopping.

A Smart City (SC) is a viable solution for green and sustainable living, especially with the current explosion in global population and rural-urban immigration. One of the fields that is not getting much attention in the Smart Economy (SE) is customer satisfaction. The SE is a component of SC that is concerned with using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve stages of the traditional economy. In this paper, we propose a fog computing-based shopping recommendation system. Our simulations used Al-Madinah city as a case study. It aims to improve the customer shopping experience. Customers in shopping malls can connect to the system via Wi-Fi. Then the system recommends products to the shoppers according to their preferences. It optimizes shoppers' schedules using price, the distance between the shops, and the congestion. It also improves customers' savings by up to 30%. It also increases the shopping speed by up to 6.12% compared to the system proposed in the literature.

Assessment of the levels of antispike SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and their association with clinical characteristics in cohort of patients in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global public health crisis. The disease is known to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, but the detailed characteristics of the immune response to this novel virus have not been fully elucidated yet. In this study, we aimed to determine the level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and their correlation with clinical features at three time points postinfection in a group of patients in Saudi Arabia. Method: In this prospective observational study, we collected the demographic and clinical data from 43 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed patients and measured the COVID-19 antispike IgG levels at three different visits. Result: The seroconversion rate after COVID-19 infection was 88.4% in the study participants, with no significant changes in the IgG levels through the three visits. The duration of shortness of breath had a significant positive correlation with the IgG level of the patients. Using the logistic regression model, participants having coughs were found to be 12.48 times more likely to develop positive IgG. The IgG levels were less in smokers than nonsmokers [Odds ratio = 6.42 (95% CI 2.11-19.48); P = 0.001]. Conclusion: Positive IgG levels have been developed in most COVID-19 patients and did not significantly change over 3 months following the diagnosis. The level of IgG antibodies was found to be significantly associated with the presence of cough, duration of shortness of breath, and the smoking habit of the patients. These findings have clinical and public health significance and need to be validated in larger studies in different populations.

Bone Health in People Living with HIV/AIDS: An Update of Where We Are and Potential Future Strategies.

The developments in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) treatment and in the care of people living with HIV (PLWHIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) over the last three decades has led to a significant increase in life expectancy, on par with HIV-negative individuals. Aside from the fact that bone fractures tend to occur 10 years earlier than in HIV-negative individuals, HIV is, per se, an independent risk factor for bone fractures. A few available antiretroviral therapies (ARVs) are also linked with osteoporosis, particularly those involving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF). HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) coinfection is associated with a greater risk of osteoporosis and fracture than HIV monoinfection. Both the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) and measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) via a DEXA scan are routinely used in the assessment of fracture risk in individuals living with HIV, as bone loss is thought to start between the ages of 40 and 50 years old. The main treatment for established osteoporosis involves bisphosphonates. Supplementation with calcium and vitamin D is part of clinical practice of most HIV centers globally. Further research is needed to assess (i) the cut-off age for assessment of osteoporosis, (ii) the utility of anti-osteoporotic agents in PLWHIV and (iii) how concomitant viral infections and COVID-19 in PLWHIV can increase risk of osteoporosis.

Early Diagnosis of COVID-19 Images Using Optimal CNN Hyperparameters.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a worldwide epidemic that poses substantial health hazards. However, COVID-19 diagnostic test sensitivity is still restricted due to abnormalities in specimen processing. Meanwhile, optimizing the highly defined number of convolutional neural network (CNN) hyperparameters (hundreds to thousands) is a useful direction to improve its overall performance and overcome its cons. Hence, this paper proposes an optimization strategy for obtaining the optimal learning rate and momentum of a CNN's hyperparameters using the grid search method to improve the network performance. Therefore, three alternative CNN architectures (GoogleNet, VGG16, and ResNet) were used to optimize hyperparameters utilizing two different COVID-19 radiography data sets (Kaggle (X-ray) and China national center for bio-information (CT)). These architectures were tested with/without optimizing the hyperparameters. The results confirm effective disease classification using the CNN structures with optimized hyperparameters. Experimental findings indicate that the new technique outperformed the previous in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, recall, F-score, false positive and negative rates, and error rate. At epoch 25, the optimized Resnet obtained high classification accuracy, reaching 98.98% for X-ray images and 98.78% for CT images.