Web-based personal access control system using facial recognition with deep learning techniques

This paper presents a web application to control personnel access to a work area without contact;this makes it ideal to help combat the Covid-19 health emergency. For its implementation, deep learning and computer vision techniques have been used for face detection and recognition. The system consists of four phases, the first one aimed at detecting and aligning the face with deep learning algorithms. The second phase obtains the facial features to recognize different people. The third phase consists of implementing a module that detects face impersonation, and significantly prevents possible attacks on the system by identifying whether the face is real or fake;and the last phase is the design and development of the web interface. This interface performs the communication of the algorithms, the users and the administration. In order to evaluate this proposal, several experiments have been carried out under diverse real conditions. The main results to correctly identify the user show that it has an accuracy of 99 %, in an estimated time of 3 seconds, in the range of 20 cm to 90 cm away, with respect to the camera. In addition, the system is capable of identifying users wearing masks or glasses, in this case with an accuracy of 95% in 4 seconds. © 2022 IEEE.

Predictors of outcomes in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 pneumonitis

Introduction/Aim: Medium and long-term impacts of COVID-19 pneumonitis are being increasingly recognised. Our study aimed to evaluate outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients with moderate-to-severe respiratory compromise. Method(s): Patients admitted to a tertiary centre with COVID-19 pneumonitis (March 2020-October 2022) were followed in the Post-COVID Respiratory Clinic at 6-24 weeks. Baseline demographics, admission details, pulmonary function tests (PFTs), and clinic data were collected. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression were performed to investigate for predictors of persisting respiratory symptoms (dyspnoea, cough, chest pain) and functional limitation (self-reported). Result(s): 125 patients (64.8%male, 63.2+/-16.7years, 42.5% former/current smokers, BMI 31.0+/-8.0kg/m2, 49.6% fully vaccinated) with median follow-up time of 85 [interquartile range (IQR) 64-131] days were included. Pre-existing conditions included lung disease (29.6%), immunocompromise (15.2%), diabetes (24.8%) and hypertension (43.6%). 35.2% required ICU care (14.4% mechanical ventilated, 4% ECMO), 44.8% received high flow nasal prong oxygen and/or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). At initial clinic follow up, 65.4% had persisting X-ray changes. Mean predicted FEV1, FVC, DLCO were 86.8+/-20.7%, 85.3+/-20.3%, 82.2+/-19.8% respectively. Symptoms included dyspnoea (63.2%), fatigue (24.2%), cognitive dysfunction (12.9%) and musculoskeletal complaints (10.5%). Univariate predictors of continued respiratory and/or functional disability included age [odds ratio (OR) 1.03, 95%confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.06, p = 0.01), prior lung disease (OR2.98, 95%CI 1.05-8.48, p = 0.04), hypertension OR2.61, 95%CI 1.09-6.22, p = 0.03) and length of hospital stay (LOHS) (OR1.03, 95%CI 1.00-1.07, p = 0.04). On multivariable analysis, only LOHS was independently predictive of continued respiratory and functional limitations (OR1.03, 95%CI 1.00-1.07, p = 0.02). Conclusion(s): Patients recovering from COVID-19 pneumonitis have a large burden of disability at follow-up. Older age, hypertension, lung disease and LOHS are risk factors for delayed recovery.

Unresolved issues in the epidemiology and diagnosis of bacteremia: an opinion paper.

Bacteremia is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and, despite the diagnostic and therapeutic advances of the last decades, the evidence supporting many diagnostic aspects of bacteremia is scarce. Information on the epidemiological evolution of this entity is limited and many methodological aspects of blood culture collection and analysis are under discussion. Furthermore, the recommendations of the main scientific societies on many of these aspects are variable and, in many cases, have not been updated recently. In this scenario, we have arranged a series of questions on different aspects of bacteremia and reviewed the literature trying to find proper answers for them. We offer our opinion on the topics where the evidence was weak. The topics covered include epidemiological aspects of bacteremia, indications for blood culture extraction, methods for obtaining and incubating samples, or ways of transmitting results from the microbiology laboratory. We do not intend to summarize the current clinical practice guidelines, nor will we deal with the therapeutic management of this entity. The aim of this paper is to review the current perspective on the diagnosis of bacteremia with a critical approach, to point out the gaps in the literature, to offer the opinion of a team dedicated to infectious diseases and clinical microbiology, and to identify some areas of knowledge on which future studies should focus.

Cytomegalovirus reactivation in patients diagnosed with severe COVID-19: A point prevalence study in a general hospital.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of CMV reactivation in a population admitted for severe COVID-19 to a general hospital. METHODS: Point prevalence study in all hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 (admitted either to general wards or ICU). Determination of the presence of CMV DNA in circulating blood. COVID-19 was confirmed in patients with compatible clinical manifestations, usually with pneumonia and a positive nasopharyngeal PCR test. RESULTS: We included 140 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 who consented to participate. A total of 16 patients (11.42%), had circulating CMV-DNA in peripheral blood at the time of the study. Patients with positive CMV viral load were mainly ICU patients (11/37 -29,7%) and only 5/103 cases (4,85%) were hospitalized into general wards. The accumulated doses of corticosteroids (prednisone equivalents) in the study day were (median and IQR) 987.50 mg (396.87-2,454.68) and 187.50 mg (75.00-818.12) respectively in CMV positive and negative patients (p < 0.001). A significant proportion of CMV positive patients were discovered because of the study and were clinically unsuspected by their physicians. The coinfected COVID-CMV positive population had a higher risk of accumulated secondary nosocomially-acquired infections and a worse prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: CMV reactivation should be systematically searched in patients in COVID-19 cases admitted to the ICU.

Do contextual factors, tournament level, and location affect external match load in elite Brazilian youth soccer players?

Objective: The present study compares the external load of a Brazilian first-division U-20 team match between the tournament level (regional vs. national) and the match's location (home or away). Methods: Thirty-five athletes from a U-20 team belonging to the same Brazilian first-division team participated in the study (age=19.1 ±0.58 years;body mass=70.1 ±7.64 kg;height=176.1 ±6.28 cm). Twenty-eight games belonging to the national championship (14 Brasileirão matches) and regional championship (14 Carioca state matches) were analyzed, following these external load variables through a global positioning system: Total distance traveled (TD), player load (PL), distance traveled >20 km/h, distance traveled >25km/h, the number of accelerations and decelerations > 2 m/s2 (AD2) and >3 m/s2 (AD3) and the number of Repeat High-Intensity Efforts (RHIE). A two-factor ANOVA compared the tournament level and the match's location, and the effect size (ES) was verified, considering p≤0.05. Results: Significant differences were found in TD (F=3.42 and ES=0.7), PL (F=4.2 and ES=0.8), D20 (F=2.87 and ES=0.67), AD3 (F=6.49 and ES=0.97), RHIE (F=14.6 and ES=1.18) and in AD2 (F=10.1 and ES=1.24). No effects were found according to location or interaction effects (p>0.1). Conclusion: Findings indicated that the tournament type impacts the external match load - with higher effort values in the national tournament. The location did not affect the external load, but further studies are required to corroborate these results due to the lack of public presence because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following data may be helpful for the coaching staff to consider this factor when planning and programming the training load concerning the tournament in which they are participating. © JPES.

Customer Service Quality in Financial Entities a Factor for Generating Competitiveness in Times of Covid 19 Pandemic

In a globalized world, companies are under increasing pressure to generate a competitive advantage over others. Satisfying the needs or expectations of customers, becomes a predominant factor in attracting consumers for financial entities, so it is necessary to know the value of customer perception and satisfaction in such services. This study is based on analyzing the predominant factors, to know the perception that customers have on the quality of service of the financial companies of the segment 3 (assets: greater than 5′000.000,00 up to 20′000.000,00), according to the classification of the Standard for the segmentation of the entities of the popular and solidary financial sector [1]. These factors are immersed in variables of tangible aspects that reflect the perception of the service, as well as in aspects of an intangible nature that are perceived and valued by the customer. Those ones allow generating a competitive advantage in the financial services sector. The research was based on a model of variables to identify the tangible and intangible factors in customers satisfaction and their perception of quality and satisfied needs. The reliability analysis tested the hypotheses proposed in the research, while the factor analysis was used to identify the variables, their correlation and the validity of the study with its factors, the application of multiple linear regression analysis, allowed observing the effect of the independent variables on the dependent variables of perceived quality and satisfied needs. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

CLINICAL and SEROLOGICAL EVOLUTION of RHEUMATIC PATIENTS INFECTED by SARS-COV-2

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection is a public health problem due to its high contagiousness and mortality. Spectrum of symptoms ranges from no symptoms to interstitial pneumonia. Patients with rheumatic disease present an increased infectious risk, especially those treated with immunosuppressants or biologic therapy. Since the beginning of the pandemic, risk of contagion and development of complications in these patients has been questioned. Objectives: To describe hospitalization prevalence, seroconversion, and symptoms in patients under follow-up by the rheumatology department of a tertiary hospital. Methods: Observational, cross-sectional study conducted by phone interview including patients with different diagnosis of rhematic diseases. Data about symptoms, hospital admission, serology by ELISA (when >15 days of evolution), diagnosis and baseline treatment, from March 2020 to February 2021 were collected. Results: Eighty-six patients with different rheumatic diseases and positive COVID-19 PCR were included (82.35% women) in Table 1. Mean age was 49.30 years (16.16). The 48.71% received biological therapy, JAK inhibitors or apremi-last, with a median of 3.11 years (Q1 1,08;Q3 3,17). Secukinumab was the biological therapy most often used (24,32%), followed by Tocilizumab (13,51%). The 34,18% received DMARDs or immunosuppressors, with a median of 5.09 years (Q1 12,25;Q3 11.09). The most frequent symptoms were asthenia (72.15%), headache (66.23%) and cough (59.49%). Nine patients (11.25%) were admitted to hospital, eight of them (10%) for pneumonia. Three of them were admitted to intensive care and one died. Seroconversion occurred in 53.25%. low IgG titers were present in 2.94% and IgM persisted positive in 56.25% of this group. In 6.45% the result was indeterminate. Conclusion: Hospitalization and mortality rate obtained was low and the most frequent symptoms were mild. Seroconversion occurred in more than 50% of patients and the result of 6.45% was indeterminate. It's important to highlight that since March 2020 to May 2020 IgG positive prevalence was 25%, while since September 2021 to February 2021, this prevalence increased until 57,45%. This difference is due to a modifcation of autoantibody detection technique since summer 2020.

Air pollution and health prevention: A document of reflection.

Ambient air quality, pollution and its implication on health is a topic of enormous importance that is normally dealt with by major specialists in their particular areas of interest. In general, it is not discussed from multidisciplinary approaches or with a language that can reach everyone. For this reason, the Health Sciences Foundation, from its prevention area, has formulated a series of questions to people with very varied competences in the area of ambient air quality in order to obtain a global panorama of the problem and its elements of measurement and control. The answers have been produced by specialists in each subject and have been subjected to a general discussion that has allowed conclusions to be reached on each point. The subject was divided into three main blocks: external ambient air, internal ambient air, mainly in the workplace, and hospital ambient air and the consequences of its poor control. Along with the definitions of each area and the indicators of good and bad quality, some necessary solutions have been pointed out. We have tried to know the current legislation on this problem and the competences of the different administrations on it. Despite its enormous importance, ambient air quality and health is not usually a topic of frequent presence in the general media and we have asked about the causes of this. Finally, the paper addresses a series of reflections from the perspective of ethics and very particularly in the light of the events that the present pandemic raises. This work aims to provide objective data and opinions that will enable non-specialists in the field to gain a better understanding of this worrying reality.

Impacto de la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 en el diagnóstico y tratamiento de la Endocarditis Infecciosa en un hospital terciario

Introducción: Desde que se declaró la alerta sanitaria el 13 de marzo del 2020, todos nuestros protocolos de actuación se han visto modificados, dando prioridad al diagnóstico y tratamiento de aquellos pacientes infectados con SARS-CoV-2;lo cual creemos ha tenido un impacto negativo en el diagnóstico y tratamiento de otras patologías infecciosas, incluida la endocarditis Infecciosa (EI). Objetivos: Evaluar el impacto de la pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 en diagnóstico y tratamiento de la endocarditis infecciosa en un hospital terciario. Material y métodos: Estudio observacional retrospectivo de una base de datos obtenidos prospectivamente. La comparación entre periodos (2019 vs. 2020) se realizo utilizando un análisis de t de Fisher para las variables cualitativas y una prueba t para muestras independientes para las variables cuantitativas. Resultados: Al comparar los periodos de estudio (tabla), hemos encontrado una reducción del 62,5% en el número de casos diagnosticados con EI durante la pandemia (48 casos en 2019 vs. 18 casos en 2020). La mayoría de los casos (55,5%) de los casos diagnosticados durante la pandemia fueron mujeres, con un significativamente menor índice de Charlson ajustado por edad (5,69 vs. 4,38 p = 0,002). Cuatro de los casos de EI durante el 2020 tuvieron una coinfección por SARS-CoV-2;dos de los cuales fueron de adquisición nosocomial. Dentro de los efectos de la pandemia en el diagnóstico de la endocarditis hemos encontrado un aumento significativo en la media de días desde el primer contacto médico hasta el ingreso hospitalario de 18,7 días en 2019 a 35,3 días en 2020;al igual que en la adquisición nosocomial (18,7 vs. 37,3% p = 0,17) y el número de casos de endocarditis infecciosa por S. aureus resistente a meticilina (4,2% vs. 16,6 p = 0,095). El tiempo desde el diagnóstico hasta la cirugía también se vio significativamente aumentado de 36,8 días en 2019 a 69,8 días en 2020 (p = 0,015). [Formula presented] Conclusiones: La pandemia por SARS-CoV-2 ha tenido un impacto negativo tanto en el diagnóstico como en el tratamiento de la endocarditis infecciosa, retrasando tanto el ingreso hospitalario como el tiempo hasta la cirugía. Aunque ninguno de estos efectos ha tenido un impacto en la mortalidad de nuestros pacientes, quizás es un buen momento para reflexionar como deberemos modificar nuestros protocolos de actuación en los próximos años.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on Body Composition and Physical Performance of Elite Female Football Players

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unusual situation in sports. Players were forced to stay at home for an undefined period of time and not allowed to use any training facilities or even exercise outdoors. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on physical performance and body composition in elite female football players. During the confinement period, 19 players (n = 19, M = 27 years;SD = 4.19) volunteered to participate in the present study. Participants were confined during 5 months and performed six remotely guided sessions a week, designed and structured by a certified fitness coach. Pre-and postconfinement period, players were tested for body composition, strength in the squat exercise, vertical jump, 30-m sprint, kicking velocity, and intermittent endurance capacity (Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1). Fat mass and muscle mass remained unaffected after the confinement period, while only body mass showed a significant increase between periods (1.19%;p =.014). In addition, physical performance measures postconfinement showed positive changes in kicking (p <.001;effect size = 1.02), in contrast to a reduction in mean propulsive velocity against 40-kg load and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Level 1 total distance covered (p:.041 and.010, respectively). Present findings indicate that the implementation of home-based training programs during confinement periods could be sufficient stimulus to maintain body composition and physical performance (i.e., strength, vertical jump, and sprint), although they might not be sufficient to maintain intermittent endurance capacity in elite female football players. © 2022 University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG).

Nosocomial Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Involving Vaccinated Health Care Workers

COVID-19 vaccination has proven to be effective at preventing symptomatic disease but there are scarce data to fully understand whether vaccinated individuals can still behave as SARS-CoV-2 transmission vectors. Based on viral genome sequencing and detailed epidemiological interviews, we report a nosocomial transmission event involving two vaccinated health care-workers (HCWs) and four patients, one of them with fatal outcome. Strict transmission control measures, as during the prevaccination period, must be kept between HCWs and HCWs-patients in nosocomial settings. IMPORTANCE COVID-19 vaccination has proven to be effective at preventing symptomatic disease. Although some transmission events involving vaccinated cases have also been reported, scarce information is still available to fully understand whether vaccinated individuals may still behave as vectors in SARS-CoV-2 transmission events. Here, we report a SARS-CoV-2 nosocomial transmission event, supported on whole genome sequencing, in early March 2021 involving two vaccinated HCWs and four patients in our institution. Strict transmission control measures between HCWs and HCWs - patients in nosocomial settings must not be relaxed, and should be kept as strictly as during the prevaccination period.

High incidence of COVID-19 at nursing homes in Madrid, Spain, despite preventive measures.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of COVID-19 at nine nursing homes in Madrid, Spain, during the first wave of COVID-19 infection and lockdown period when preventive measures were taken to avoid transmission among residents. METHODS: Nine hundred forty-two residents and 846 staff members from nine nursing homes participated in the study (April 18 to June 20, 2020). All participants were tested for SARS-CoV-2 in the nasopharynx by PCR and for IgG antibodies detection. Microbiological status at sampling was defined as active infection (positive PCR ± presence of antibodies), past infection (negative PCR + presence of antibodies), or naïve participants (negative PCR + absence of antibodies). RESULTS: Laboratory results helped classify the residents as having active infection (n=224; 23.8%), past infection (n=462; 49.1%), or being naïve (n=256; 27.1%); staff members were actively infected (n=127; 15.1%), had had a past infection (n=290; 34.2%), or were naïve (n=429; 50.7%). Overall, the percentage of participants with COVID-19 was significantly higher in residents than in staff members (72.8% vs 49.2%; P=0.001). The clinical situation of residents vs staff at sampling was as follows: acute manifestations compatible with COVID-19 (7.3% vs 3.9%; P<0.01) and no manifestations of infection (92.7% vs 96.0%; P<0.01). A large proportion of both asymptomatic and symptomatic residents (69.4% vs 86.6%; P=0.015) had positive PCR results (mostly alongside positive IgG determinations). CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 affects 75% of the residents in nursing homes in Madrid. The high impact in these settings, despite the strict restrictions adopted during the lockdown, demonstrates the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to cause outbreaks.

COVID 19 Infection in Children in Colombia, Experience from a Nationwide Network (CORONARED)

Background. Worldwide SARS-CoV-2 infections increase every day. Despite the infection is less severe in children, it can be severe and associated with complications. However, local data remain scarce. We sought to describe epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 infection in this population across different age groups. Methods. Observational, multicenter study across 23 Colombian hospitals from 22 different territories. We included all patients from 0 months to 17 years with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection by either antigen or RT-PCR testing. Results. From March 1, 2020, to October 31, 2021, we identified 1,186 patients: neonates (88), 1 to 3 months (130), 4 to 23 months (306), 2 to 4 years (169), 5 to 11 years (229) and 12 to 18 years (226) with confirmed COVID-19 infection. Of those,77(6.2%) were asymptomatic, 631(53.2%) hospitalized, 132(11.2%) required PICU. 58 cases met WHO definition of MIS-C. Patients less than 24 months of age were characterized by fever (74%) and more respiratory distress (30.1%) compared to other groups. Patients >5yo seemed to have a more severe presentation. They had more gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms (31% vs 37.8%), had more need for ICU care given presentation with shock increased with age ( >5yo 9.5%;5-12yo 10.6%;12-18yo 11.5%). Lab markers including thrombocytopenia and Lymphopenia were more common on this age group. Antibiotic treatment was common (%%) especially in neonates (40.9%), despite bacterial coinfection was rare (8.7%), length of hospitalization was longer in older than 2-year-old groups. 23(1.9%) patients died, similar across different age groups. Conclusion. COVID-19 infection in Colombian children presented differently across different age groups. Children older than 5 years had a more severe clinical course and prolonged hospital stays. Clinical findings according to age groups could help clinicians in characterizing and identifying COVID 19 infections in Children.

Effects on the wellness state in period of confinement due to COVID-19 in professional soccer players

This study aimed to find changes in the wellness state, during the confinement period due to COVID-19, in professional soccer players from the first division B of Chile. The studied sample consisted of 28 professional male soccer players aged 26 +/- 6.3 years, body mass 74.2 +/- 5.5 kg, and height 177 +/- 0.05 cm. The degree of well-being was evaluated through a questionnaire (McLean et al., 2010) during the 2020 competitive and confinement periods. Statistically, significant differences (p <0.05) between the competitive period and the confinement period are shown in FT (t = 2.5;p = 0.0), SO (t = 2.71;p = 0.01), ES (t = 5.07;p = 0.0), EA (t = 1.82;p = 0.08), and T (t = 4.87;p = 0.0). Small TE were reflected in the variables EA and DM (d = 0.7;d = 0.4 respectively), moderate in FAT and SO (d = 1.0;d = 1.2 respectively), and very large in ES and T (d = 2.1;d = 2.0 respectively). The CP and CV between periods for the well-being variables were the following: for FAT, 11% and 11.6%, for DM, 5.3% and 13.1%;for SO, 9.3%;7.5%, ES 11.6% and 5.9, for EA 3.9%;5.2%, and finally for T 8.1% and 4.0% respectively. It is possible to conclude that the state of well-being in professional soccer players is altered in the period of confinement with respect to that of competition, finding significant changes in the variables FT, SO, ES, and T, which coincided with the changes from moderate to very large of these same variables, as well as the PC were larger than the CV between periods. Therefore, we could consider these changes as real, and they could be an effect attributable to the mandatory isolation.

Increase in the frequency of catheter-related bloodstream infections during the COVID-19 pandemic: a plea for control.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of nosocomial infections including ventilator-associated pneumonia and bacteraemia has been described during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs) is very limited. AIM: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the evolution of CR-BSIs in a large hospital. METHODS: This was a retrospective study comparing the incidence, aetiology and outcome of CR-BSIs during the months of March to May 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2020 (during the pandemic). FINDINGS: The number of patients with one or more CR-BSIs in 2019 and 2020 were 23 and 58, respectively (1.89 vs 5.53/1000 admissions); P<0.001. Median time from catheter implantation to demonstration of CR-BSI was 27.5 days (range 11.75-126.00 days) in the 2019 cases and 16.0 days (range 11.00-23.50 days) in the 2020 population (P=0.032). CONCLUSIONS: A dramatic increase of CR-BSIs was found during the COVID-19 pandemic. Reinforcement of classic and new preventive measures is necessary.