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In recent years, a lot of research works have been done on object detection using various machine learning models. However, not many works have been done on detecting and tracking humans in particular. This study works with the YOLOv4 object detector to detect humans to use the detections for maintaining social distance. For this study, the YOLOv4 model is trained on only one class named 'Person'. This is done to improve the speed of detecting humans in real time scenario with satisfying accuracy of 97% to 99%. These detections are then tracked to build a system for maintaining social distance and alerting the authority if a breach in the social distance is detected. This system can be applied at ticket counters, hospitals, offices, factories etc. It can also be used for maintaining social distance among the students and the teachers in the classroom for their safety. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Medical images are a specific type of image that can be used to diagnose disease in patients. Critical uses for medical images can be found in many different areas of medicine and healthcare technology. Generally, the medical images produced by these imaging methods have low contrast. As a result, such types of images need immediate and fast enhancement. This paper introduced a novel image enhancement methodology based on the Laplacian filter, contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization, and an adjustment algorithm. Two image datasets were used to test the proposed method: The DRIVE dataset, forty images from the COVID-19 Radiography Database, endometrioma-11, normal-brain-MRI-6, and simple-breast-cyst-2. In addition, we used the robust MATLAB package to evaluate our proposed algorithm's efficacy. The results are compared quantitatively, and their efficacy is assessed using four metrics: Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Mean Square Error (MSE), Contrast to Noise Ratio (CNR), and Entropy (Ent). The experiments show that the proposed method yields improved images of higher quality than those obtained from state-of-the-art techniques regarding MSE, CNR, PSNR, and Ent metrics. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.
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Coronavirus disease 19, "COVID-19, "is occurred by a coronavirus called (SARS CoV-2), which causes severe infection in many infected persons. Early Identifying risk factors for this disease can significantly help manage critical cases and save patients' lives. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of the ferritin, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate ″ESR″, the C-reactive protein ″CRP ″, and white blood cell ″WBC″. Positive cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by "real-time polymerase chain reaction." From the patient's records were obtained demographic data and laboratory investigations were. According to clinical syndromes, patients were categorized into two groups, including COVID -19 patients with severe and non-severe diseases. Of 305 COVID-19 patients, they have a mean age of 42.73 ± 16.37 years, 59.01% of patients are female, and 40.99% are male. The levels of ferritin were variable in COVID-19 patients, our results revealed that18.68% had increased serum ferritin in patients, and the ESR, as well as CRP, were high in most patients;it's above the normal range. 4.91% of patients had decreased WBC, and the result showed lymphopenia in 1.96%. Neutrophils were above the normal range in 14.75% of patients, and 2.95% of patients had decreased serum platelets, a significant difference in WBC, Lymphocytes, Neutrophils and Basophils between severe and non-severe COVID-19 patients (p<0.05). A positive correlation was observed between the levels of ferritin and the severity of the disease. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
ABSTRACT
Emphasizing the significance of media information literacy, social media is playing a pivotal role in disseminating information and creating literacy among users. This research offers a momentous contribution to both researchers and policy makers as it sheds light on how social media creates awareness among masses during pandemic. This Study ensures to understand the relationship between social media and information literacy and also analyze the association between media literacy and youth behavior. The study employs quantitative research by using survey method to find out the behavior of youth towards disseminated information by social media regarding pandemic COVID-19. Convenience sampling benefits the research to draw a sample conveniently in relevance to social media usage and an exposure to the information of COVID-19. Theoretically, uses and gratification along with media literacy theory has been applied to analyze the current study which intends to focus the need to understand that how behavior of youth changes after getting exposed to the disseminated information regarding COVID-19 in terms of start taking precautions i.e wearing masks, using sanitizers, maintaining social distance. It clearly concludes that social media shows a great contribution in creating literacy among masses which eventually helps people to use precautionary measure against COVID-19. Copyright © 2022 by Cherkas Global University.
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Objective: The first case of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. In December 2020, the FDA approved two vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 infection. In the clinical trials of the vaccine, multiple side effects have been reported ranging from mild symptoms including injection site pain, myalgia, fatigue, and fever to more serious side effects including anaphylactic shock. However, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) after receiving COVID-19 vaccine was not been reported till (February 2, 2021) to the best of our knowledge. We reported the first case of GBS after receiving the first dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Background: An 82-year-old highly functional female presented to the emergency department with generalized body aches, paresthesia, and difficulty walking. She received first dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine two weeks prior to presentation. Physical examination demonstrated 5/5 strength in bilateral upper extremities in proximal and distal muscles, 4/5 in hip flexors and decrease sensation to light touch and pinprick in bilateral lower extremities up to the knees. Areflexia in both upper and lower extremities. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed albuminocytologic dissociation (protein of 88 and WBC of 4) suggestive of Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP). MRI lumbar spine demonstrated the enhancement of cauda equina nerve roots consistent with the diagnosis of GBS. The patient completed five days of IVIG with significant improvement and was discharged to acute rehabilitation facility. Design/Methods: NA Results: NA Conclusions: In this pandemic and with ongoing worldwide mass vaccination campaign, it is critically important for clinicians to rapidly recognize neurological complications associated with COVID-19 vaccination. We would like to highlight that the risk of neurological complications or any other adverse effect associated with COVID-19 vaccination is low and the benefits of the vaccination outweigh any potential risks or side effects, both at the individual and society levels.
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Objective: Outbreak of novel coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China and became global pandemic by March 2020. Federal Drug administration (FDA) has approved three vaccines for prevention of COVID-19 infection. Multiple neurological complications have been reported following vaccine administration. In July 2021 FDA issued warning about increased risk of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) following Johnson and Johnson (J&J) vaccine and since then cases have been reported during clinical trials. Here we report a real life case of GBS after receiving single dose of J&J vaccine. Background: A 53 year old female presented to emergency department with progressive bilateral symmetric proximal more than distal upper and lower extremity weakness, with bilateral ascending paresthesia's, 14 days after receiving the J&J COVID-19 vaccination. Exam consistent with motor strength 4/5 in hip flexors/extensors bilaterally, 4/5 knee extensors/flexors, 4/5 plantar flexion, 4/5 dorsiflexion bilaterally, 4/5 shoulder abductors/adductors, 4/5 elbow extensor/flexors, 2+ patellar reflex, 1+ Achilles tendon reflex bilaterally and decrease sensation to light touch and pinprick in lower extremities till mid-thigh bilaterally. MRI of the Lumbar Spine with and without contrast revealed subtle enhancement of the cauda equina nerve roots suggestive of Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy. CSF analysis consistent with mildly elevated protein 48, nucleated cell count of 0, glucose of 52. Negative GM1 and Gq1b antibodies. Due to the high suspicion for Guillain-Barre syndrome the patient was started on IVIG. After 5 days of treatment the patient had significant improvement and was discharged to rehab facility. Design/Methods: NA Results: NA Conclusions: As we continue mass vaccinations for COVID-19 prevention, clinicians should be able to recognize potential complications and side effects associated with COVID-19 vaccination and must educate and reassure their patients regarding the safety and rationale of COVID-19 vaccination because the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of COVID-19 infection and associated morbidity and mortality.
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Objective: To determine frequency of cardiac involvement in patients of COVID-19. Secondary objective was to determine association of cardiac involvement with prognosis. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Pak-Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Apr to Jul 2020. Methodology: We prospectively assessed the laboratory data, Electrocardiogram and transthoracic echocardiography of all the COVID-19 patients admitted to our institute. Outcomes of interest included length of hospital stay, admission to Intensive Care Unit and mortality. Acute myocardial injury was defined by a value of high-sensitivity troponin I (hs-TnI) above the 99th percentile upper reference limit. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used for all the analysis. Results: Our study included 1015 patients, mean age 50.34 (SD 13.71) years, 887 (87.3%) males and 128 (12.6%) females. Three hundred and thirty (n=330, 32.5%) patients had evidence of acute cardiac injury as shown by raised cardiac troponins, but 50, 4.92% had left ventricle dysfunction. Raised cardiac enzymes were associated with marginally prolonged hospital stay (10.03 versus 9.32 days, p-value 0.07) and higher mortality (OR 2.634, confidence interval 1.252-5.543, p-value 0.01). Conclusion: Cardiac involvement is quite common among patients suffering from COVID-19 and predicts worse prognosis. © 2021, Army Medical College. All rights reserved.
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Continuous ventilators are a critical resource for the treatment and management of respiratory diseases, particularly in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare technology management professionals (HTMs) are instrumental toward protecting the safety of patients by ensuring that ventilators and ventilator accessories (ventilator-related medical devices) remain functional during their lifetime. This article discusses a retrospective analysis on the failure modes described in ventilator-related medical device reports that were submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration Medical Product Safety Network (MedSun). In addition, the article also examines MedSun case studies, obtained from medical device reports, to provide HTMs with a comprehensive analysis of the lifecycle of a safety signal and how their input is essential to improve the safety and effectiveness of medical devices. Postmarket medical device surveillance in a constantly changing medical device ecosystem benefits from the first-hand knowledge that HTMs contribute to the cross-functional collaboration between the clinical community, medical device manufacturers, and the US Food and Drug Administration.
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Objective: To evaluate and compare the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on admission rates and mortality in patients presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) to a tertiary care cardiac setup in Pakistan. Study Design: Comparative cross-sectional study Place and Duration of Study: Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology/National Institute of Heart Disease (AFIC/NIHD) Rawalpindi, from Apr to May 2020. Methodology: All ST elevation myocardial infarction patients presenting to our hospital for two months (April, May) during COVID-19 pandemic were studied. Similar patients were also analyzed from pre-COVID era for an equivalent period. Para-meters compared include total number of ST elevation myocardial infarction patients, age, gender, door to balloon (DTB) time, MI type (anterior versus non-anterior) and prognosis in terms of mortality. Categorical variables are presented as absolute numbers and percentages and compared by chi-square test. Odds ratio was determined to study the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on ST elevation myocardial infarction mortality. SPSS-23 was used for all the analysis. Results: We observed a significant 43% reduction in the total numbers of ST elevation myocardial infarction admissions compared to equivalent time before pandemic. There was a decrease in patients >75 years of age (4.1%, p-value 0.007), decrease in female patients (21.7%, p-value 0.001), mild improvement in door to balloon (1.3%, p-value 0.4), increase in anterior MI (1.2%, p-value 0.7). The ST elevation myocardial infarction case fatality rate during the pandemic increased from 4-7.1% (Odds ratio 1.81, confidence interval 1.01 to 3.24, p-value 0.04). Conclusion: Although ST elevation myocardial infarction admissions decreased after COVID-19 but there was a paradoxical increase in mortality. Late presentation to hospital due to contagion fear, various lockdown measures, unavailability of public transport, economic instability may be some of the contributing factors, in addition to the COVID-19 infection itself, that need to be studied further. © 2021, Army Medical College. All rights reserved.
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The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged healthcare structures across the globe. Although a few therapies are approved by FDA, the search for better treatment options is continuously on rise. Clinical management includes infection prevention and supportive care such as supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilatory support. Given the urgent nature of the pandemic and the number of companies and researchers developing COVID-19 related therapies, FDA has created an emergency program to move potential treatments with already approved drugs to patients as quickly as possible in parallel to the development of new drugs that must first pass the clinical trials. In this manuscript, we have reviewed the available literature on the use of sequence-specific degradation of viral genome using short-interfering RNA (siRNA) suggesting it as a possible treatment against SARS-CoV-2. Delivery of siRNA can be promoted by the use of FDA approved lipids, polymers or lipid-polymer hybrids. These nanoparticulate systems can be engineered to exhibit increased targetability and formulated as inhalable aerosols.