Drug discovery for coronavirus disease 2019 based on text mining and biomedical databases.

Objective Based on text mining technology and biomedical database, data mining and analysis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were carried out, and COVID-19 and its main symptoms related to fever, cough and respiratory disorders were explored. Methods The common targets of COVID-19 and its main symptoms cough, fever and respiratory disorder were obtained by GenCLiP 3 website, Gene ontology in metascape database (GO) and pathway enrichment analysis, then STRING database and Cytoscape software were used to construct the protein interaction network of common targets, the core genes were screened and obtained. DGIdb database and Symmap database were used to predict the therapeutic drugs of traditional Chinese and Western medicine for the core genes. Results A total of 28 gene targets of COVID-19 and its main symptoms were obtained, including 16 core genes such as IL2, IL1B and CCL2. Through the screening of DGIdb database, 28 chemicals interacting with 16 key targets were obtained, including thalidomide, leflunomide and cyclosporine et al. And 70 kinds of Chinese meteria medica including Polygonum cuspidatum, Astragalus membranaceus and aloe. Conclusion The pathological mechanism of COVID-19 and its main symptoms may be related to 28 common genes such as CD4, KNG1 and VEGFA, which may participate in the pathological process of COVID-19 by mediating TNF, IL-17 and other signal pathways. Potentially effective drugs may play a role in the treatment of COVID-19 through action related target pathway.Copyright © 2022 Tianjin Press of Chinese Herbal Medicines. All Rights Reserved.

Pectin-Derived Drug Delivery Systems in Respiratory Diseases

The heart, liver, lungs, brain and kidney are the five most highly perfused organs. Incidentally, they are the ones prone to many diseases and disorders. There has been a phenomenal rise in lung diseases in the recent past which can be attributed to rising levels of environmental pollution, smoking and other lifestyle problems. The cytokine storm experienced in the COVID-19-affected population was a recent challenge faced by physicians around the globe. Scientists have tried different methods and delivery systems for effective delivery of drugs to the lungs. Pectin-based drug delivery systems have also been tried and tested suc- cessfully. This chapter will focus on the bumps and humps in the use of pectin as an effective polymer in delivering therapeutics to the lungs and management of various respiratory disorders. © The Author (s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

[Respiratory disorders of post-COVID-19 syndrome].

AIM: Assess the functional state of trespiratory system and effectiveness of therapeutic tactics for broncho-obstructive syndrome (BOS) in patients in the post-COVID period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A two-center cohort prospective study included 10 456 and 89 patients, respectively. A comprehensive assessment of the respiratory system included clinical, laboratory and functional data, spirometry, body plethysmography, and a study of diffusive capacity of the lungs (DLCO). Therapy consisted of budesonide suspension or fixed combination beclomethasone dipropionate/formoterol (EMD BDP/FORM). RESULTS: The frequency of BOS in the cohort was 72% (7497 patients). In 13% (n=974) of cases, bronchial asthma was diagnosed for the first time, in 4.4% (n=328) - chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Risk factors for the development and decrease in DLCO in the post-COVID period were identified. In the group of complex instrumental examination of lung function, the absence of violations of spirometric data and indicators determined by body plethysmography was determined. CONCLUSION: Risk factors for BOS in post-COVID period are atopy, a history of frequent acute respiratory infections, smoking, blood eosinophilia, moderate and severe forms of COVID-19. The advantage of a fixed combination of EMD BDP/FORM in MART mode compared with nebulized suspension budesonide + solution of salbutamol in treatment of BOS was shown. Risk factors for DLCO disorders were established: severe COVID-19, hospitalization in the intensive care unit, the need for additional oxygen therapy.

A new coronavirus infection in pregnant women: risks for the mother and the newborn

A review of the literature is devoted to the information on the effect of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) on the course of pregnancy, the possibility of vertical transmission of the virus from mother to fetus and the condition of the neonates. A review of the literature reveals similarities in the clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in pregnant and non-pregnant women. However, pregnant women are reported to have an increased risk of ICU admission and need for ventilatory support in various countries. Trans-placental transmission from the mother to the fetus has been widely reported. Preterm birth is now common among pregnancy outcomes, especially in women who have had moderate to severe COVID-19. In the assessment of newborns born to mothers with COVID-19, prematurity, hypoxic conditions and respiratory disorders predominated. Further study of the pathogenesis of a new coronavirus infection is necessary to determine factors of possible vertical transmission, the effect on fetal growth and development, the course of pregnancy and labor, and peculiarities of the early neonatal period in infants whose mothers had had this infection in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. © 2023, Media Sphera Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Recent trends in the nanozeolites-based oxygen concentrators and their application in respiratory disorders.

Medical-grade oxygen is the basic need for all medical complications, especially in respiratory-based discomforts. There was a drastic increase in the demand for medical-grade oxygen during the current pandemic. The non-availability of medical-grade oxygen led to several complications, including death. The oxygen concentrator was only the last hope for the patient during COVID-19 pandemic around the globe. The demands also are everlasting during other microbial respiratory infections. The yield of oxygen using conventional molecular zeolites in the traditional oxygen concentrator process is less than the yield noticed when its nano-form is used. Nanotechnology has enlightened hope for the efficient production of oxygen by such oxygen concentrators. Here in the current review work, the authors have highlighted the basic structural features of oxygen concentrators along with the current working principle. Besides, it has been tried to bridge the gap between conventional oxygen concentrators and advanced ones by using nanotechnology. Nanoparticles being usually within 100 nm in size have a high surface area to volume ratio, which makes them suitable adsorbents for oxygen. Here authors have suggested the use of nano zeolite in place of molecular zeolites in the oxygen concentrator for efficient delivery of oxygen by the oxygen concentrators.

Respiratory disorders and their association with clinical outcomes in COVID-19: a narrative review of current literature.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019, also known as COVID-19, has caused significant worldwide morbidity and mortality. Given the direct effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the respiratory system, it is important that clinicians who manage chronic respiratory conditions are familiar with the pathophysiology and impact of COVID-19 on pre-existing respiratory disease. METHODS: Literature review relating to COVID-19 and respiratory disorders from PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted, with aim to encompass all publications relating to the most commonly encountered respiratory diseases in clinical practice, namely chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), asthma, interstitial lung disease (ILD), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), as well as obesity given it's known effect on both gas exchange and mechanistic aspects of respiration. The publications were analyzed for relevance to clinical implications and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Additional manual literature review was conducted based on citations from large review articles and society guidelines/statement papers. KEY CONTENT AND FINDINGS: Certain respiratory disorders such as COPD, ILD, OSA, and obesity carry higher burden of morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19. Surprisingly, and in contrast to previously studied viral epidemics, asthma does not carry increased associated risk of contracting the virus or worse clinical outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: A thorough understanding of the mechanisms responsible for control of breathing and the effect of COVID-19 on pulmonary pathophysiology will allow clinicians who manage chronic respiratory disease to effectively predict associated clinical outcomes as well as improve management strategies.

Hand-breathe: Non-Contact Monitoring of Breathing Abnormalities from Hand Palm

In post-covid19 world, radio frequency (RF)-based non-contact methods, e.g., software-defined radios (SDR)-based methods have emerged as promising candidates for intelligent remote sensing of human vitals, and could help in containment of contagious viruses like covid19. To this end, this work utilizes the universal software radio peripherals (USRP)-based SDRs along with classical machine learning (ML) methods to design a non-contact method to monitor different breathing abnormalities. Under our proposed method, a subject rests his/her hand on a table in between the transmit and receive antennas, while an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal passes through the hand. Subsequently, the receiver extracts the channel frequency response (basically, fine-grained wireless channel state information), and feeds it to various ML algorithms which eventually classify between different breathing abnormalities. Among all classifiers, linear SVM classifier resulted in a maximum accuracy of 88.1%. To train the ML classifiers in a supervised manner, data was collected by doing real-time experiments on 4 subjects in a lab environment. For label generation purpose, the breathing of the subjects was classified into three classes: normal, fast, and slow breathing. Furthermore, in addition to our proposed method (where only a hand is exposed to RF signals), we also implemented and tested the state-of-the-art method (where full chest is exposed to RF radiation). The performance comparison of the two methods reveals a trade-off, i.e., the accuracy of our proposed method is slightly inferior but our method results in minimal body exposure to RF radiation, compared to the benchmark method. IEEE

Airway mucus, infection, and therapeutic strategies

The respiratory tract epithelium is hydrated by a mucous layer, which forms a protective barrier for the defense against sometimes life-threatening foreign particles, including bacteria and viruses. The mucous layer is fluid in nature and facilitates ciliary beating, enabling mucociliary clearance. The mucus consists of a complex array of macromolecules called mucins, which are linked to complex long carbohydrate chains called O-glycans. Certain debilitating disorders such as cystic fibrosis, and even the recent COVID-19 can lead to the impairment of this layer by affecting its transport properties. In turn or individually, pathogens of the respiratory tract can evade this barrier by directly interacting with the intact mucus and bypassing it or by surviving in the already damaged layer. Therefore, understanding the specificities of mucin dysfunction and the mucin-pathogen relationship in immunocompromised infections is important for the development of therapeutics targeting mucin-associated mechanisms. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Daily Amplitude of Cerebral Regional Oxygen Saturation as a Criterion of Effectiveness of Intensive Care in Neonates with Respiratory Disorders.

Purpose. To determine non-invasive criteria of intensive care efficiency in neonates with respiratory disorders. Materials and methods. The study included 78 newborns with gestational age of 37 [34;39] weeks and clinical and laboratory markers of respiratory disorder. During the early neonatal period in addition to the standard monitoring of vital signs in all patients, we evaluated an abdominal and cerebral oxygenation using the INVOS 5100C cerebral/somatic oximeter (Covidien, Medtronic, USA). On the base of the time taken to reach cardiopulmonary stability (no need of any hemodynamic support and the presence of effective spontaneous breathing or switch to non-invasive mechanical ventilation), all patients were divided into three groups: 1st (25 patients) - 4 days of life, 2nd (31 patients) - 7 days of life, 3rd (22 patients) - more than 7 days. Results. Significant differences between the values at the beginning of intensive care and the time taken to reach cardiopulmonary stability were obtained only for daily amplitude of cerebral regional oxygen saturation - DELTAcrSO2 (15 [9;19] versus 6 [5;9], p1-4 =0.0049 in the first group and 12 [8;19] versus 8 [5;15], p1-7 =0.0156 in the second one);DELTAcrSO2 level in the groups was the following: 8 [5;15] in the 1st group, 11 [8;14] in the 2nd group, and the 3rd - 13 [9;22], respectively, p<0.0001. Significant positive correlations (p<0.0001) were noted between the NIRS parameters and traditional clinical status markers. Conclusion. Daily amplitude of cerebral regional oxygen saturation could serve as a tool for assessment of intensive care (respiratory and hemodynamic) efficiency in neonates with respiratory disorders.Copyright © 2020, Professionalnye Izdaniya. All rights reserved.

The role of Substance P in the defense line of the respiratory tract and neurological manifestations post COVID-19 infection.

Substance P (SP) has been a great interest for scientists due to its unique properties and involvement in various physiological and pathological phenomenon. It took almost a century for the current understanding of this peptide so far. Its role in brain and gut were initially discussed and later on it was widely studied and observed in cardiovascular system, asthma, traumatic brain injury, immune response, vasodilation, behavior, inflammation, arthritis, cancer, airway hyper responsiveness and respiratory disorders. Involvement of SP in sudden perinatal death and COVID-19 has also been discussed which shed light on its vital role in respiratory rhythm regulation and initiation of cytokine storming in COVID-19. This article will provide a comprehensive overview of the researches done to understand the basic functions and involvement of SP in different processes of cell and its association with various diseases. This article describes the historical and scientific journey of SP from its discovery until today, including its future perspectives.

Impact of Topical v/s Systemic Steroids on Regaining Olfaction in Post Covid-19 Patients, A Randomized Controlled Trail

Background: Covid-19 is a spectrum of infection not only causing fever and respiratory changes but including alteration in chemosensory functions including;olfactory dysfunction and gustatory dysfunction. In covid-19, olfactory dysregulation could be treated with either systemic steroids or with topical steroids. Objective(s): To assess and compare role of systemic and topical steroids in regaining normal olfactory functions. Material(s) and Method(s): A Randomized control trial was conducted at Central Park Teaching Hospital Lahore after getting ethical approval and prior written informed consent from participants. A total of 35 patients were recruited were segregated into two groups;Group 1 who were treated with topical steroids (n=17) and Group 2 who were given and treated with systemic steroids (n=18). Time frame of regain of olfaction was compared between the groups using Mann Whitney U test. A p value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Result(s): A total of 35 participants participated in this randomized controlled trial who were segregated into two groups with the mean ages of 47.12 + 11.94 and 43.72 + 13.74 with no significant mean difference. On appliance of Mann-Whitney U test in Group 1 and group 2 (52 + 39 v/s 4 + 2) it was observed that systemic steroid patients regain olfaction earlier as compared to group 1 (topical steroids) with the p value of .0001. Practical implication: Systemic Steroids will help in prompt regaining of normal olfaction and should be part of COVID-19 infection management. Conclusion(s): Olfaction management till the regaining of normal olfactory functions should be part of covid-19 management and role of steroids in crucial yet unavoidable. Systemic steroids play a key role in early regain of normal olfactory response so should be encouraged under the physician observation. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Lockdown Fatigue in Pediatric Respiratory Patients: Lessons from the First COVID-19 Year.

Lockdown policies have been implemented worldwide to limit the spread of COVID-19. "Lockdown fatigue" is a state of exhaustion related to the accumulating effects of repeated lockdowns. The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of repeated lockdowns on children with respiratory disorders. Data on children aged 0−18 years old with respiratory disorders were collected by an electronic survey during the third lockdown in Israel. The retrieved information included demographics and baseline medical status, respiratory clinical status during the third lockdown compared to pre-lockdown periods, lockdown adherence, lifestyle modifications and caregiver emotional status. The results were compared to those of a similar questionnaire distributed during the first lockdown. A total of 234 patients (62% males, 37% females, mean age 6.8 years (confidence interval 6.1−7.5)) were enrolled. Respiratory symptoms and exacerbation frequency were reduced in 76 (35.5%) and 58 (27.4%) patients, respectively, compared to the pre-lockdown period and similar to the first lockdown (p = 0.840 and p = 0.063, respectively). However, compared to the first lockdown, the third lockdown was associated with greater use of reliever medications (p = 0.006), less use of inhaled corticosteroids as routine treatment (p = 0.027), and more pediatric emergency room visits and hospitalizations (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). The results also showed an increase in sedentary lifestyle (e.g., reduced physical activity (p = 0.025), less healthy eating habits (p = 0.001)) and reduced adherence to lockdown policies (p < 0.001). These data show that the continuing stability of clinical improvement during lockdown was accompanied by deleterious sequelae that potentially indicate "lockdown fatigue" among children with respiratory disorders.

Medicinal plants used for the management of respiratory diseases in Zimbabwe: Review and perspectives potential management of COVID-19.

Respiratory diseases have in the recent past become a health concern globally. More than 523 million cases of coronavirus disease (COVID19), a recent respiratory diseases have been reported, leaving more than 6 million deaths worldwide since the start of the pandemic. In Zimbabwe, respiratory infections have largely been managed using traditional (herbal) medicines, due to their low cost and ease of accessibility. This review highlights the plants' toxicological and pharmacological evaluation studies explored. It seeks to document plants that have been traditionally used in Zimbabwe to treat respiratory ailments within and beyond the past four decades. Extensive literature review based on published papers and abstracts retrieved from the online bibliographic databases, books, book chapters, scientific reports and theses available at Universities in Zimbabwe, were used in this study. From the study, there were at least 58 plant families comprising 160 medicinal plants widely distributed throughout the country. The Fabaceae family had the highest number of medicinal plant species, with a total of 21 species. A total of 12 respiratory ailments were reportedly treatable using the identified plants. From a total of 160 plants, colds were reportedly treatable with 56, pneumonia 53, coughs 34, chest pain and related conditions 29, asthma 25, tuberculosis and spots in lungs 22, unspecified respiratory conditions 20, influenza 13, bronchial problems 12, dyspnoea 7, sore throat and infections 5 and sinus clearing 1 plant. The study identified potential medicinal plants that can be utilised in future to manage respiratory infections.

Impacts of Air Pollution and Dampness on Occupant Respiratory Health in Unplanned Houses: A Case Study of Bandung, Indonesia

This paper presents the results from field measurements and household surveys on the severity of indoor mold risk and its impact on respiratory health in a typical unplanned neighborhood of kampungs in Bandung, Indonesia. Mold risk was investigated using fungal risk detectors (n = 102), while air pollution levels were established with total suspended particulate (TSP) and particulate matter (PM2.5) (n = 38). The self-reported prevalence of respiratory diseases was obtained using a questionnaire form (ATS-DLD-78) (n = 599). The results showed that respiratory health problems were higher in the rainy season, particularly among children. Most houses suffered from severe mold risk, primarily due to extreme humid weather conditions, especially during rainy season (97%) where water leakage was prevalent (60%). In addition, the TSP and PM2.5 concentrations exceeded the WHO standards in most kampung houses, where around 58% of the houses recorded higher outdoor mean PM2.5 concentrations than indoors. Further, the path analysis showed that allergies followed by humidity rate and smell, which were affected by window-opening duration, directly impacted children’s respiratory health. Smoking behavior and building-related health problems, due to exposure to outdoor air pollution, affected the respiratory health of those aged 15 years old and over.

Assessment and Impacts of Air Pollution from Brick Kilns on Public Health in Northern Pakistan

Brick kilns add enormous quantities of organic pollutants to the air that can cause serious health issues, especially in developing countries;poor air quality is associated with community health problems, yet receives no attention in Northern Pakistan. The present study, therefore, assessed the chemical composition and investigated the impacts of air pollution from brick kilns on public health. A field-based investigation of air pollutants, i.e., PM1, PM2.5 and PM10, CO2, CO, NO, NO2, H2S, and NH3 using mobile scientific instruments was conducted in selected study area locations. Social surveys were conducted to investigate the impacts of air pollution on community health. The results reveal the highest concentrations of PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, i.e., 3377, 2305, and 3567.67 µg/m3, respectively, in specific locations. Particulate matter concentrations in sampling points exceeded the permissible limits of the Pakistan National Environmental Quality Standard and, therefore, may risk the local population’s health. The highest mean value of CO2 was 529 mg/L, and other parameters, such as CO, NO, NO2, H2S, and NH3 were within the normal range. The social survey’s findings reveal that particulate matter was directly associated with respiratory diseases such as asthma, which was reported in all age groups selected for sampling. The study concluded by implementing air pollution reduction measures in brick kiln industries to protect the environment and community health. In addition, the region’s environmental protection agency needs to play an active role in proper checking and integrated management to improve air quality and protect the community from air hazards.

Automatic COVID-19 Diagnostic and Classification Intelligent System (ACDCIS)

Coronaviruses are a huge gathering of infections that can contaminate both creatures and people. An assortment of coronaviruses is known to cause respiratory infections in people, extending from the common cold to more extraordinary sicknesses such as the Center East Respiratory Disorder (MERS) and extraordinary intense respiratory disorder (SARS). COVID-19 is caused by a recently distinguished coronavirus. Recognizing and diagnosing these cases of respiratory infections and the COVID-19 infection has been troublesome for health associations. Therefore, in this research, we will develop an Automatic COVID-19 Diagnostic and Classification Intelligent System (ACDCIS) based on Machine Learning (ML). The proposed ACDCIS consists of two sub-systems the three-classifier system and two-classifier system. The two-classifier system is used to determine if the patient has a Covid-19 or not, while the three-classifier system is used to specify the type of infection COVID-19, bacterial infection, or virus pneumonia infection. The high accuracy of the proposed ACDCIS system will increase the speed of diagnosis. © 2022 IEEE.

Analysis of Respiratory Signals in Spectral Domain for Detecting Respiratory Disorders with Emphasis on COVID-19

Sound signals from different processes of respiratory system are vital indicators of human health. With the onset of Coronavirus pandemic, the importance of early diagnosis of respiratory disorders has further been highlighted. In this paper, research works related to analysis of respiratory system functioning in spectral domain using acoustic signal processing methods has been reviewed with special focus on work related to COVID-19 diagnosis using non-invasive techniques. Various deep learning and machine learning models for identifying acoustic biomarkers of COVID-19 have been studied and summarised. Three modalities that have been considered are breathing, cough and voice recordings. Feature extraction techniques on these modalities have been reviewed for classification, prediction and similarity metrics analysis. Another vital health parameter is the rate of respiration that can be estimated by performing spectral analysis of sound signal envelope of breathe signal recording. Various datasets and pre-processing techniques related to sounds associated with symptoms of respiratory disorders including COVID-19 sounds have also been listed. © 2022 IEEE.

Vibrotherapy in respiratory disorders, including COVID­19

Successfully used for years in the rehabilitation of various diseases, the techniques of manual vibration massage and therapeutic vibrations generated by medical devices distinguish a new type of physical therapy – vibrotherapy. Therapeutic vibration stimulates blood and lymph circulation, the neuromuscular system, and, in the form of respiratory vibration therapy, helps clear airways of secretions and strengthens respiratory muscles, improving tissue oxygenation in patients with cystic fibrosis and, more recently, in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19). Although the use of respiratory vibration therapy is well established in cystic fibrosis, it has yet to be sufficiently studied in other pulmonary disorders, and since the clinical potential of respiratory vibration therapy is broad, the authors of this literature review wish to point out that it should not be neglected. Particularly in automated form during pandemic times, as in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic –hindering rehabilitation services, quarantine isolations – respiratory vibration therapy can be crucial in rehabilitation, enriching both hospital and home physiotherapy offers. © 2021, DJ Studio. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 detection from lung ultrasound images

Early-stage detection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is crucial for patient medical attention. Since lungs are the most affected organs, monitoring them constantly is an effective way to observe sickness evolution. The most common technique for lung-imaging and evaluation is Computed Tomography (CT). However, its costs and effects over human health has made Lung Ultrasound (LUS) a good alternative. LUS does not expose the patient to radiation and minimizes the risk of contamination. Also, there is evidence of a relation between different artifacts on LUS and lung’s diseases coming from the pleura, whose abnormalities are related with most acute respiratory disorders. However, LUS often requires an expert clinical interpretation that may increase diagnosis time or decrease diagnosis performance. This paper describes and compares machine learning classification methods namely Naive Bayes (NB) Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN) and Random Forest (RF) over several LUS images. They obtain a classification between lung images with COVID-19, pneumonia, and healthy patients, using image’s features previously extracted from Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix (GLCM) and histogram’s statistics. Furthermore, this paper compares the above classic methods with different Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) that classifies the images in order to identify these lung’s diseases. © 2022 SPIE.

Detecting COVID-19 from respiratory sound recordings with transformers

Auscultation is an established technique in clinical assessment of symptoms for respiratory disorders. Auscultation is safe and inexpensive, but requires expertise to diagnose a disease using a stethoscope during hospital or office visits. However, some clinical scenarios require continuous monitoring and automated analysis of respiratory sounds to pre-screen and monitor diseases, such as the rapidly spreading COVID-19. Recent studies suggest that audio recordings of bodily sounds captured by mobile devices might carry features helpful to distinguish patients with COVID-19 from healthy controls. Here, we propose a novel deep learning technique to automatically detect COVID-19 patients based on brief audio recordings of their cough and breathing sounds. The proposed technique first extracts spectrogram features of respiratory recordings, and then classifies disease state via a hierarchical vision transformer architecture. Demonstrations are provided on a crowdsourced database of respiratory sounds from COVID-19 patients and healthy controls. The proposed transformer model is compared against alternative methods based on state-of-the-art convolutional and transformer architectures, as well as traditional machine-learning classifiers. Our results indicate that the proposed model achieves on par or superior performance to competing methods. In particular, the proposed technique can distinguish COVID-19 patients from healthy subjects with over 94% AUC. © 2022 SPIE.