Gastrointestinal symptoms of COVID-19 in children

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic progresses. The clinical manifestation of the disease and the severity of its course vary significantly. There are considerable differences between symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the child and adult populations. The gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are an essential element in understanding the pathophysiology of the disease and in drawing conclusions concerning the diagnostic, therapeutic, and epidemiological management of COVID-19. The aim of the study was to characterize the gastroenterological symptoms of COVID-19 in the paediatric population and to find differences in the course of the disease between paediatric patients with and without GI symptoms of COVID-19. Material(s) and Method(s): We report the clinical characteristics of 321 children with COVID-19 (age 0-215 months) hospitalized between March 2020 and April 2021. The following division was used when processing the data: the first wave of cases in Poland lasted from the beginning of the pandemic to June 2020, the 2nd wave September-November 2020, and the 3rd wave February-May 2021. We specifically compared the differences between patients with and without GI symptoms. Result(s): Among all included patients, 95 (29.5%) had GI symptoms - the most common included abdominal pain (15.27%) and diarrhoea (14%). Approximately 3% of patients with GI symptoms required surgical intervention. As the pandemic progressed, GI symptoms were reported with increasing frequency - during the first wave 9%, the second wave 25%, and the third wave 38%. Patients with GI symptoms had more frequent and statistically significantly higher inflammatory parameters. During treatment, GI patients more often required the administration of antibiotics. The most common abdominal ultrasound abnormalities were liver enlargement, a slight amount of free fluid in the peritoneal cavity, and moderately enlarged individual lymph nodes. Conclusion(s): Gastrointestinal symptoms form an image of COVID-19, which is a possible prognostic risk factor for severe course of the disease. Gastrointestinal symptoms should be treated as a possible isolated image of COVID-19. Copyright © 2022 Termedia Publishing House Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Health Informatics on Big COVID-19 Pandemic Data via N-Shot Learning

Nowadays, very large amounts of data are generating at a fast rate from a wide variety of rich data sources. Valuable information and knowledge embedded in these big data can be discovered by data science, data mining and machine learning techniques. Biomedical records are examples of the big data. With the technological advancements, more healthcare practice has gradually been supported by electronic processes and communication. This enables health informatics, in which computer science meets the healthcare sector to address healthcare and medical problems. As a concrete example, there have been more than 635 millions cumulative cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide over the past 3 years since COVID-19 has declared as a pandemic. Hence, effective strategies, solutions, tools and methods - such as artificial intelligence (AI) and/or big data approaches - to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and possible future pandemics are in demand. In this paper, we present models to analyze big COVID-19 pandemic data and make predictions via N-shot learning. Specifically, our binary model predicts whether patients are COVID-19 or not. If so, the model predicts whether they require hospitalization or not, whereas our multi-class model predicts severity and thus the corresponding levels of hospitalization required by the patients. Our models uses N-shot learning with autoencoders. Evaluation results on real-life pandemic data demonstrate the practicality of our models towards effective allocation of resources (e.g., hospital facilities, staff). These showcase the benefits of AI and/or big data approaches in tackling the pandemic. © 2022 IEEE.

Analysis of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Chaos Among Children and Adolescents Using Machine Learning Algorithms

In recent times, the pandemic seems to have a serious impact on the mental health of people around the world across all age groups. This has been manifested in the form of unstable mental conditions, depression, anxiety, stress, and many other similar mental illnesses among individuals. In this study, we explore the use of machine learning classification algorithms to detect and classify children and adolescents with unstable mental conditions such as depression, stress, and anxiety through the Covid-19 period based on demographic information and characteristics using the DASS-21 Scale. Using a dataset of 2050 Chinese participants, an attempt has been made to classify their depression, stress, and anxiety behavior into different levels (Normal, Moderate, and Severe). The classification algorithms considered are Support Vector Machines, KNN, Naive Bayes, and Decision Trees. It is observed that the Support Vector Machine is the most effective method for the classification of mental depression, anxiety, and stress conditions. The goal of the study is to build a classification model for accurate categorization of unknown samples into appropriate psychological chaos levels. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Remote Laboratory for Learning on Automation of Systems and Control Process with Easy Access and Low-Cost

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many public and private institutions including universities which have suspended on-campus activities. This situation has encouraged universities to digitalize their laboratories practices since they are essential for students to complement theoretical knowledge. This paper describes the implementation of a remote laboratory for learning automation systems and operational process control from anywhere in the world. It is based on a client-server architecture and includes a module, a computer server, and a camera. This laboratory allows students to control and supervise the process of transport, selection, handling, and storage of metal and plastic objects. It is implemented with different security systems to avoid malfunctions. Also, it has an electrical and mechanical protection independent of the control system of the students to avoid damages to its moving components. This remote laboratory was developed at the Pedro Paulet Institute for Astronomical and Aerospace Research (IAAPP) to be used in the Control & Instrumentation Laboratory of the National University of San Augustin of Arequipa (UNSA). © 2022 IEEE.

Komplikácie COVID-19 u detí: PIMSTS/ MISC-C

The outbreak of a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, appears to be the greatest medical challenge of the last decade. In adult patients, COVID-19 affects the lungs in particular, manifesting in the form of interstitial pneumonitis (NSIP) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). According to available data, COVID-19 in children is less common and has a milder course, often in the form of asymptomatic carriage or with digestive problems only. It is very likely that the occurrence of the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 in this age group is underestimated. Currently, it is estimated to range from 0.9 to 12 percent in the paediatric population. The latest data on new mutations of the virus suggest its new "peculiarities”. It has turned out that the SARS-CoV-2 virus is becoming more infectious, from the summer months there has been a growing incidence of the disease in children and, moreover, there are more and more cases when it causes damage to various organs, including the brain. Temporal association with the COVID-19 infection reveals new units: paediatric multisystem inflammatory system temporally associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PIMS-TS / MIS-C / Kawa-COVID-19) – a systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology, similar to the Kawasaki disease or the Kawasaki shock syndrome, with sudden onset of cardiogenic and circulatory shock. Symptoms of Kawa-COVID-19 occur in paediatric patients approximately 2 – 4 weeks after recovery from SARS-CoV-2 and the most common complication occurring in 50% cases is myocarditis. Development of vasculitis may also lead to aneurysms and other cardiovascular complications. Much depends on the stage of the disease in which the child is admitted to the hospital, as well as on how fast the treatment is initiated. The objective of this article is to draw the attention of the expert public to the previously mentioned risks and to prevent potential cardiovascular complications © 2022, Lekarsky Obzor.All Rights Reserved.

Psycho-emotional states of future specialists in a socionomic area under lockdown and martial law: comparative analysis

The aim of the study is to perform comparative analysis of dominating psycho-emotional states of future specialists in a socionomic area under lockdown and martial law. A verification strategy is suggested for examining psychoemotional states. The research used participant observation, valid and reliable psycho-diagnostic instruments, factor analysis, coefficients of empirical data reliability. It was established that in the comparison of the selected complex of psychological content parameters Group 1 (under lockdown) and Group 2 (under martial law) there are no significant differences. Two factor structures of the respondents' psychoemotional states were created: one of them - during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (59.91%) and the other - during the martial law (69.89%). It was found out that the obtained data on psycho-emotional states during the lockdown and the martial law are essentially different that did not allow determining or disproving significant differences by means of statistical coefficients. The study substantiated that the established empirical facts are characterized by scientific novelty which should be taken into consideration by organizers of educational and professional training for specialists in a socionomic area.

County-level assessment of vulnerability to COVID-19 in Alabama

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unprecedented challenge to public health across the world and has further exposed health disparities and the vulnerability of marginal groups. Since the pandemic has exhibited marked regional differences, it is necessary to better understand the levels of vulnerability to the disease at local levels and provide policymakers with additional tools that will allow them to develop finely targeted policies. In this study, we develop for the State of Alabama (USA) a composite vulnerability index at county level that can be used as a tool that will help in the management of the pandemic. Twenty-four indicators were assigned to the following three categories: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The resulting subindices were aggregated into a composite index that depicts the vulnerability to COVID-19. A multivariate analysis was used to assign factor loadings and weights to indicators, and the results were mapped using Geographic Information Systems. The vulnerability index captured health disparities very well. Many of the most vulnerable counties were found in the Alabama Black Belt region. A deconstruction of the overall index and subindices allowed the development of individual county profiles and the detection of local strengths and weaknesses. We expect the model developed in this study to be an efficient planning tool for decision-makers.

Catalog of pedagogical practices, theories and teaching procedures for the elderly: contributions to the development of m-learning guidelines

This research presents a catalog of pedagogical practices, theories/methods, and teaching procedures for the elderly. Aging is a natural part of life and is a process of progressive and differential degradation. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the urgency of care for the elderly public. During the lockdown period, this audience's use of digital technologies grew, especially mobile devices. Despite the increase in the use of these devices, we see that the apps have not been developed considering the particular characteristics of the elderly, since aging can bring challenges and changes related to physical, sensory, perceptual, or cognitive issues. In the context of m-learning apps, it becomes even more urgent to consider pedagogical and accessibility aspects for this audience through specific guidelines for this domain. However, to propose such a guideline, it is necessary to know to define the scope and understand the user's context. Focusing on this context, we could mention AGE Guidelines - a set of m-learning pedagogical and accessibility guidelines for the elderly. This paper aims to discuss some aspects of the experimental and description phases to develop such guidelines: the establishment of a catalog of pedagogical practices, theories/methods, and teaching procedures. To create this catalog, six interviews with teachers specialized in the education of the elderly were carried out. Based on Bardin's method, the interviews were recorded and transcribed for later analysis. As a contribution, we expect that the presented catalog will help construct new educational artifacts, including pedagogical practices, theories/methods, and teaching procedures that effectively enable the teaching and learning process of the elderly in practice. © 2022 IEEE.

Emerging technologies in facility management in Brazil

PurposeAn interaction between emerging technologies (ETs) for facility management (FM) activities and stakeholder skills is necessary to promote the optimization of FM performance. Previous studies do not show strategies for the selection of ETs in FM considering the technological competencies of stakeholders. Thus, this study analyzes the interactions between ETs and FM from the perceptions of Brazilian professionals, identifying the most appropriate and effective technological solutions, based on a broad literature review. Design/methodology/approachThe steps of the methodology are as follows: systematic literature review (SLR);detailing the ETs for FM;online questionnaire based on SLR findings;sample of Brazilian FM professionals;statistical treatment;and discussion. FindingsResults indicate wireless sensor network, Internet of Thing, building information modeling and Big Data as ETs in FM with greater potential for optimization in the performance of FM activities, from survey respondents. Research limitations/implicationsThe scope of possible findings may have been biased, considering the small number of research participants and current transformations resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. changes to standard operating procedures). Practical implicationsThe results ensure greater security to facility managers in the effective implementation of ETs in FM activities. Originality/valueThe research explores the published studies and the consultation with Brazilian FM professionals in the selection of ETs.

Packaging and Optimization of a Capacitive Biosensor and Its Readout Circuit.

In pipeline production, there is a considerable distance between the moment when the operation principle of a biosensor will be verified in the laboratory until the moment when it can be used in real conditions. This distance is often covered by an optimization and packaging process. This article described the packaging and optimization of a SARS-CoV-2 biosensor, as well as the packaging of its electronic readout circuit. The biosensor was packed with a photosensitive tape, which forms a protective layer and is patterned in a way to form a well in the sensing area. The well is meant to limit the liquid diffusion, thereby reducing the measurement error. Subsequently, a connector between the biosensor and its readout circuit was designed and 3D-printed, ensuring the continuous and easy reading of the biosensor. In the last step, a three-dimensional case was designed and printed, thus protecting the circuit from any damage, and allowing its operation in real conditions.

Work Stress and Quality of Work Life of The Doctors During Covid 19 Pandemic in Malappuram District, Kerala

Anxiety, depression and stress were the news norm of working environment for doctors fighting against Covid 19 virus spread. Doctors practicing in Government and Private Hospitals were found to be the major victims of this unavoidable situations. This article was constructed with twin objectives to identifying: the prime factors that caused stress for doctors during the Covid Pandemic period in Malappuram district in Kerala and to assess the doctors' satisfaction towards the factors that influenced their QWL during Covid Pandemic period in Malappuram district in Kerala. Two hundred doctors serving in Malappuram district in Kerala, in both category of hospitals group were considered as the sample. Researcher moved by the behaviour and attitude of the doctors toward their patients and treating them without caring their personal health or not bothering of getting infected the Covid effected patients. Both Government and Private hospitals ensured that doctors through Kerala have said that they had satisfactory access needed PPE kits (73.70 per cent), satisfied with the support extended to the doctor's family who were deputed in Covid wards (73 per cent), supports from the colleagues and technical staff (71 per cent) and they feel happy that the hospitals were well equipped to handle patients (70.70 per cent). The empirical data of the article declared that there exist association between nature of stress faced by the doctors during the Covid Pandemic period and their satisfaction towards their performance during this period and doctors' satisfaction towards their performance during this period with the factors that influenced their QWL during Covid Pandemic period. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.

Association of Covid-19 Infection in Acute Stroke and Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The resultant inflammatory process due to COVID-19 infection increases the susceptibility to systemic thromboembolic complications. Objective(s): 1. To determine the proportion of COVID -19 infection in acute coronary syndrome and acute stroke patients. 2. To determine the association of COVID -19 infection in acute coronary syndrome and acute stroke patients. Material(s) and Method(s): After taking approval from the hospital ethics committee, a retrospective study was conducted in the department of Emergency Medicine, KMC Hospital, Ambedkar Circle. Patients who were admitted to the Emergency department with the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome/acute stroke were retrospectively studied to find out the association of COVID 19 in these patients. Result(s): It was found that about 84.5 % of covid positive patients had Acute Coronary Syndrome and 15.5% had Acute Stroke, however this was not statistically significant (P= 0.09). Conclusion(s): COVID 19 infection has multiple effects on the different organ systems. As thromboembolic events can be life threatening complications, early recognition and treatment of the same along with treatment of the infection could decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with the infection. Copyright © 2022 University of Agriculture. All rights reserved.

Safety assessment of a natalizumab home administration procedure: results from a real-life cohort at the Lille university hospital

Introduction: Natalizumab (NTZ) is a well-established disease modifying therapy used in active multiple sclerosis (MS). The most serious adverse event (AE) is progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. For safety reasons, hospital implementation is mandatory. Risk management strategy consists in monitoring exposition index to the JC virus (JCV) and regular MRI evaluation depending on the JCV exposition. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has deeply affected hospital practices leading French authorities to temporarily authorize to administer the treatment at home. The safety of NTZ home administration should be assessed. Objective(s): To describe the procedure and assess the safety in a home infusion NTZ model. Method(s): Patients presenting remitting-MS treated by NTZ for over two years, non-exposed to JCV and living in the area covered by the home care department were included from July 2020 to February 2021 to receive NTZ infusion at home every four weeks for 12 months. We did not include patients with inconsistent adherence to proper clinical and MRI monitoring or who had significant cognitive impairment. Each infusion was necessarily preceded by a teleconsultation (TC) with a neurologist to allow or cancel infusion the day before the scheduled date. A home care physician then received the information and notified the nursing team intervening at home. JCV serologies and clinical examination were organized and performed every 6 months for each patient at the hospital. Patients could ask for a visit in hospital at any time if neurological status was suspected to have changed. TC occurrence, JCV risk management, annual MRI completion were analyzed. Result(s): From 198 NTZ-treated patients in Lille MS center,35 were eligible and included in the analysis. Seven of them did not complete the one-year home infusion follow-up. Preliminary results show that 369 TC allowing infusion were performed, 100% (369/369) of the home infusion were preceded by a TC. Two TC canceled the scheduled infusion, two TC led to a hospital visit to assess a potential relapse. No AE related to the home infusion process was reported. All 28 patients who have completed the follow-up benefited from hospital examination and JCV serologies two times and one annual MRI. Conclusion(s): Preliminary results suggest that the established home NTZ procedure was safe. However, multicenter, prospective and comparative cohorts with large numbers are needed to confirm the safety of a home infusion NTZ model.

Increased incidence of gallbladder dysplasia and Cancer during COVID19 pandemic

Aims: Cholecystectomy is one of The most frequently performed operations in The United Kingdom. Following The spread of COVID19 infection, reduced operational capacity has led to lengthen The waiting time for cholecystectomy, which leads to significant readmission rate, growing financial burden and increased complexity of The surgical intervention. Our study aims to identify changes in gallbladder (GB) histopathological findings before and during COVID19 pandemic. Method(s): Data was collected retrospectively on 337 patients who underwent cholecystectomy between 01/2019-12/2019 (pre-COVID19) and 296 patients between 09/2020-10/2021 (during COVID19) at Princess Alexandra Hospital, including preoperative clinical-radiological, Surgery waiting time, operation details, postoperative histology and complications. Statistical analysis performed using chi-square tests (p-value<0.001). Result(s): A total of 2 (0.6%) female cases (average age 75.6) had gallbladder dysplasia (GD) and 1 of them had GB adenocarcinoma found pre-COVID19 versus 8 (2.7%) (7F:1M, average age 46.6) with GD and 5 (1.7%) (3F:2M, average age 72.6) with adenocarcinoma during pandemic. Other histopathological findings were 153 (45.4%) GB with chronic inflammation, 2 (0.5%) with necrosis or perforation pre-COVID19 versus 127 (42.9%) and 6 (2%) respectively during pandemic. The average Surgery waiting time for patients with GD or adenocarcinoma was 135 days before COVID19 versus 224.21 (33-676) during pandemic. Conclusion(s): GD is associated with increased Cancer risk at GB and other biliary tract sites. Our data demonstrated a statistically significant increase of incidence of GD and adenocarcinoma (p-value<0.00089) in patients who underwent cholecystectomy during pandemic versus pre-COVID19. Further ongoing study is recommended to understand The correlation with prolonged Surgery waiting time.

Study and impact of COVID-19

Recently a Novel Corona Virus has been emerged at Wuhan named as COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2. The aim of this paper is to present a literature review of various articles which is contributing in study, prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2. We also graphically present global impact of this virus based on different criteria like;age-wise and sex-wise mortality rate, weekly and cumulative increment of infectious people, mortality rate in people suffering from pre-existing disease such as diabetes, chronic respiratory problem, cancer etc. We also discussed the observations of this impact which has been concluded from statics, collected from various resources.

The clinical significance of COVID-19 in patients with lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges to healthcare systems worldwide. Patients with cancer, and particularly those with lung malignancies, represent a highrisk group for COVID-19 since they are more susceptible to infection and have a higher risk of severe outcomes. However, the restructuration of the healthcare environment, the development of guidelines for treatment and surveillance, and the improvement of vaccination coverage allowed adequate patient shielding and continuity of oncological care of cancer patients. By shedding light on the characteristics of COVID-19 patients with thoracic malignancies, recent studies also contributed to the development of personalized therapeutic strategies. Accordingly, several determinants were identified to predict disease outcomes. These include the ECOG performance status, the levels of C-reactive protein, neutrophils and procalcitonin, the disease stage, and the presence of pneumonia. COVID-19 vaccines are safe in patients with lung cancer. In order to obtain adequate immunization, the booster dose is recommended in these patients. Copyright © PROFESSIONAL PUBLISHING HUNGARY.

Influence of 40 Hz and 100 Hz Vibration on SH-SY5Y Cells Growth and Differentiation-A Preliminary Study.

(1) Background: A novel bioreactor platform of neuronal cell cultures using low-magnitude, low-frequency (LMLF) vibrational stimulation was designed to discover vibration influence and mimic the dynamic environment of the in vivo state. To better understand the impact of 40 Hz and 100 Hz vibration on cell differentiation, we join biotechnology and advanced medical technology to design the nano-vibration system. The influence of vibration on the development of nervous tissue on the selected cell line SH-SY5Y (experimental research model in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's) was investigated. (2) Methods: The vibration stimulation of cell differentiation and elongation of their neuritis were monitored. We measured how vibrations affect the morphology and differentiation of nerve cells in vitro. (3) Results: The highest average length of neurites was observed in response to the 40 Hz vibration on the collagen surface in the differentiating medium, but cells response did not increase with vibration frequency. Also, vibrations at a frequency of 40 Hz or 100 Hz did not affect the average density of neurites. 100 Hz vibration increased the neurites density significantly with time for cultures on collagen and non-collagen surfaces. The exposure of neuronal cells to 40 Hz and 100 Hz vibration enhanced cell differentiation. The 40 Hz vibration has the best impact on neuronal-like cell growth and differentiation. (4) Conclusions: The data demonstrated that exposure to neuronal cells to 40 Hz and 100 Hz vibration enhanced cell differentiation and proliferation. This positive impact of vibration can be used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. It is planned to optimize the processes and study its molecular mechanisms concerning carrying out the research.

Combined Effect of Caspase-Dependent and Caspase-Independent Apoptosis in the Anticancer Activity of Gold Complexes with Phosphine and Benzimidazole Derivatives.

Since the potential anticancer activity of auranofin was discovered, gold compounds have attracted interest with a view to developing anticancer agents that follow cytotoxic mechanisms other than cisplatin. Two benzimidazole gold(I) derivatives containing triphenylphosphine (Au(pben)(PPh3)) (1) or triethylphosphine (Au(pben)(PEt3)) (2) were prepared and characterized by standard techniques. X-ray crystal structures for 1 and 2 were solved. The cytotoxicity of 1 and 2 was tested in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Cells were incubated with compounds for 24 h with concentrations ranging from 10 µM to 1 nM, and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined. 1 and 2 showed an IC50 of 2.7 and 1.6 µM, respectively. In order to better understand the type of cell death induced by compounds, neuroblastoma cells were stained with Annexin-FITC and propidium iodide. The fluorescence analysis revealed that compounds were inducing apoptosis; however, pre-treatment with the caspase inhibitor Z-VAD did not reduce cell death. Analysis of compound effects on caspase-3 activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in SH-SY5Y cells revealed an antiproliferative ability mediated through oxidative stress and both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent mechanisms.