Analysis of Headline News about Nurses before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: This study analyzed news titles related to nurses in Korea before and after the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic, and aimed to identify the implications of media reports. Methods: Data from January 2019 to December 2020 were collected from BIGKINDS regarding Korean nurses. Text mining and CONCOR analysis were conducted on the top 30 keywords using TEXTOM and Ucinet 6. Results: From the findings of this study, keywords were related to Taewom and Newborn death in 2019. Additionally, because of COVID-19 and the controversy over the encouragement of President Moon Jae-in, Taewom was included in 2020. Using CONCOR analysis, 6 clusters (characteristics and results of major incidents, the issue related target, Newborn abuse, Taewom, drugs, nursing education) were generated in 2019, and 6 clusters (emergency room, hero, controversy, Taewom, COVID-19, hospital infection) were generated in 2020. Conclusion: Before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the news headlines of nurses consisted of negative keywords, while there were few positive news headlines. In order to improve the image of nurses, it is necessary to continuously analyze media trends and establish strategies accordingly. ©2022 Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.

A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Multiple Ascending Dose Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of HM15136 in Obese or Overweight Subjects with Co-morbidities

HM15136 is a novel long-acting glucagon analogue with an extended half-life. In vivo efficacy studies of HM15136 in animal models showed its therapeutic potential in obesity, and treatment requiring hypoglycemia. We enrolled an obese and overweight subjects without diabetes (study Part 1) and with diabetes (study Part 2) in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of multiple subcutaneous doses of HM15136 for 12 weeks (NCT04167553). In Part 1, a total of 36 non-diabetic subjects randomly received HM15136 or its matching placebo in a ratio of 9: 3 in 3 cohorts (0.02, 0.04, and 0.06 mg/kg). The baseline mean age was 37.5 years, BMI was 33.9 kg/m2, and Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) was 92.3 mg/dL. The FPG increased with escalating doses of HM15136. The mean (SD) changes from baseline in FPG at week 12 were -1.0 (13.0) mg/dL for 0.02 mg/kg, 12.0 (10.7) mg/dL for 0.04 mg/kg, 17.9 (16.9) mg/dL for 0.06 mg/kg vs. 0.6 (6.5) mg/dL for placebo group. The FPG had returned to baseline at 3 weeks after study drug discontinuation. The presence of Anti-Drug Antibodies (ADAs) was confirmed in 5 subjects (18.5%) but dose-dependency was not observed. One (1) out of 5 ADA positive subjects had neutralizing ADA activity with no cross reactivity to endogenous glucagon. The most frequent Treatment Related Adverse Event (TRAE) was injection site erythema (11.1%), the frequency of TRAEs was not dose dependent. Throughout Part 1 and Part 2, all TRAEs were mild except for moderate hyperglycemia in patients with diabetes. Part 2 was completed earlier than planned due to the impact of COVID-19 and discontinued subjects due to the hyperglycemia. Part 2 was not included in this presentation because the interpretability of the data was limited. In conclusion, HM15136 was safe and well tolerated in non-diabetic obese subjects during the 12-week treatment at various dose levels. Treatment with HM15136 showed a dose dependent blood glucose increase. These results suggest future development opportunities for the management of treatment requiring hypoglycemia. A phase 2, Proof-of-Concept study in patients with congenital hyperinsulinism is currently ongoing (NCT04732416).Presentation: Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Virfie: Virtual Group Selfie Station for Remote Togetherness

Selfies have become a prominent means of online communication. Group selfies, in particular, encourage people to represent their identity as part of the group and foster a sense of belonging. During the COVID-19 pandemic, video conferencing systems are used as a tool for group selfies. However, conventional systems are not ideal for group selfies due to the rigidness of grid-based layout, information overload, and lack of eye contact. To explore design opportunities and needs for a novel virtual group selfie platform, we conducted a participatory design, and identified three characteristics of virtual group selfie scenarios, "context with narratives", "interactive group tasks", and "capturing subtle moments."We implemented Virfie, a web-based platform that enables users to take group selfies with embodied social interaction, and to create and customize selfie scenarios using a novel JSON specification. In order to validate our design concept and identify usability issues we conducted a user study. Feedbacks from the study participants suggest that Virfie is effective at strengthening social interaction and remote togetherness. © 2022 ACM.

Sub-Zero Temperature Sensor Based on Laser-Written Carbon

Sub-zero temperature sensors (SZTSs) have potential applications in safely storing COVID-19 vaccines. Herein, an SZTS based on laser-induced carbonization (LIC) achieved by a nanosecond infrared laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm is reported. Direct laser writing is adopted for laser-induced carbon in Kapton polyimide sheets with a thickness of 125 µm. The sensor exhibits a good linear change in resistance to sub-zero temperatures ranging from 0 to −150 °C, where the coefficient of determination adjusted R-square (R2) value is 0.99238, which indicates a good linear fit. The sensor exhibits a stable static response at all temperatures over time. The dynamic responses by controlling the liquid nitrogen gas and placing an ice cube on the sensor are also measured to validate the sensor. Notably, the electrical performance of the sensor remains stable even after 15 h. The sensor response of the LIC sample validates the 3D variable range-hopping charge transport mechanism, governed by the Mott equation with a good linear fit, which is mainly owing to disorder in its structure. LIC-based SZTSs can enable sensors that are ultra-fast to fabricate, roll-to-roll processable, economical, and more significantly, can be interfaced with flexible printed circuit boards without any additional interfacing. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH

Fast and Easy Disinfection of Coronavirus-Contaminated Face Masks Using Ozone Gas Produced by a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Generator

During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have become limited in stock. Most of sterilization methods are not applicable for eliminating virus from face masks without compromising the filtration efficiency of the masks. In this study, using a human coronavirus (HCoV-229E) as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2 contamination on KF94 face masks, we show that the virus loses its infectivity with a 4 log reduction when exposed for 10 s to 120 ppm ozone gas produced by a dielectric barrier discharge plasma generator. Scanning electron microscopy, particulate filtration efficiency (PFE), and inhalation resistance tests revealed that there was no detectable structural or functional deterioration observed in the electrocharged filter layer of Korea Filter (KF) 94 masks even after their excessive exposure to ozone. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) showed decreases in amplification efficiency of HCoV-229E RNA recovered from masks exposed to ozone, indicating the damage to the RNA by the ozone treatment. Our results demonstrate that the plasma generator rapidly disinfects contaminated face masks at least five times without compromising filtration efficiency. ©

Assessment of thirty-day readmission rate, timing, causes and predictors after hospitalization with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the characteristics of 30-day readmission after hospitalization with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). OBJECTIVES: To examine the rate, timing, causes, predictors and outcomes of 30-day readmission after COVID-19 hospitalization. METHODS: From 13 March to 9 April 2020, all patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and discharged alive were included in this retrospective observational study. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of 30-day readmission, and a restricted cubic spline function was utilized to assess the linearity of the association between continuous predictors and 30-day readmission. RESULTS: A total of 1062 patients were included in the analysis, with a median follow-up time of 62 days. The mean age of patients was 56.5 years, and 40.5% were women. At the end of the study, a total of 48 (4.5%) patients were readmitted within 30 days of discharge, and a median time to readmission was 5 days. The most common primary diagnosis of 30-day readmission was a hypoxic respiratory failure (68.8%) followed by thromboembolism (12.5%) and sepsis (6.3%). The patients with a peak serum creatinine level of ≥1.29 mg/dL during the index hospitalization, compared to those with a creatinine of <1.29 mg/dL, had 2.4 times increased risk of 30-day readmission (adjusted odds ratio: 2.41; 95% CI: 1.23-4.74). The mortality rate during the readmission was 22.9%. CONCLUSION: With 4.5% of the thirty-day readmission rate, COVID-19 survivors were readmitted early after hospital discharge, mainly due to morbidities of COVID-19. One in five readmitted COVID-19 survivors died during their readmission.