Enhancing thoracic disease detection using chest X-rays from PubMed Central Open Access.

Large chest X-rays (CXR) datasets have been collected to train deep learning models to detect thorax pathology on CXR. However, most CXR datasets are from single-center studies and the collected pathologies are often imbalanced. The aim of this study was to automatically construct a public, weakly-labeled CXR database from articles in PubMed Central Open Access (PMC-OA) and to assess model performance on CXR pathology classification by using this database as additional training data. Our framework includes text extraction, CXR pathology verification, subfigure separation, and image modality classification. We have extensively validated the utility of the automatically generated image database on thoracic disease detection tasks, including Hernia, Lung Lesion, Pneumonia, and pneumothorax. We pick these diseases due to their historically poor performance in existing datasets: the NIH-CXR dataset (112,120 CXR) and the MIMIC-CXR dataset (243,324 CXR). We find that classifiers fine-tuned with additional PMC-CXR extracted by the proposed framework consistently and significantly achieved better performance than those without (e.g., Hernia: 0.9335 vs 0.9154; Lung Lesion: 0.7394 vs. 0.7207; Pneumonia: 0.7074 vs. 0.6709; Pneumothorax 0.8185 vs. 0.7517, all in AUC with p< 0.0001) for CXR pathology detection. In contrast to previous approaches that manually submit the medical images to the repository, our framework can automatically collect figures and their accompanied figure legends. Compared to previous studies, the proposed framework improved subfigure segmentation and incorporates our advanced self-developed NLP technique for CXR pathology verification. We hope it complements existing resources and improves our ability to make biomedical image data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable.

Investigating the association of measures of epigenetic age with COVID-19 severity: evidence from secondary analyses of open access data.

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic modifications may contribute to inter-individual variation that is unexplainable by presently known risk factors for COVID-19 severity (e.g., age, excess weight, or other health conditions). Estimates of youth capital (YC) reflect the difference between an individual's epigenetic - or biological - age and chronological age, and may quantify abnormal aging due to lifestyle or other environmental exposures, providing insights that could inform risk-stratification for severe COVID-19 outcomes. This study aims to thereby a) assess the association between YC and epigenetic signatures of lifestyle exposures with COVID-19 severity, and b) to assess whether the inclusion of these signatures in addition to a signature of COVID-19 severity (EPICOVID) improved the prediction of COVID-19 severity. METHODS: This study uses data from two publicly-available studies accessed via the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) platform (accession references: GSE168739 and GSE174818). The GSE168739 is a retrospective, cross-sectional study of 407 individuals with confirmed COVID-19 across 14 hospitals in Spain, while the GSE174818 sample is a single-center observational study of individuals admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 symptoms (n = 102). YC was estimated using the (a) Gonseth-Nusslé, (b) Horvath, (c) Hannum, and (d) PhenoAge estimates of epigenetic age. Study-specific definitions of COVID-19 severity were used, including hospitalization status (yes/no) (GSE168739) or vital status at the end of follow-up (alive/dead) (GSE174818). Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between YC, lifestyle exposures, and COVID-19 severity. RESULTS: Higher YC as estimated using the Gonseth-Nusslé, Hannum and PhenoAge measures was associated with reduced odds of severe symptoms (OR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.91-1.00; OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.75 - 0.86; and OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.81-0.88, respectively) (adjusting for chronological age and sex). In contrast, a one-unit increase in the epigenetic signature for alcohol consumption was associated with 13% increased odds of severe symptoms (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 1.05-1.23). Compared to the model including only age, sex and the EPICOVID signature, the additional inclusion of PhenoAge and the epigenetic signature for alcohol consumption improved the prediction of COVID-19 severity (AUC = 0.94, 95% CI = 0.91-0.96 versus AUC = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93-0.97; p = 0.01). In the GSE174818 sample, only PhenoAge was associated with COVID-related mortality (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.87-1.00) (adjusting for age, sex, BMI and Charlson comorbidity index). CONCLUSIONS: Epigenetic age is a potentially useful tool in primary prevention, particularly as an incentive towards lifestyle changes that target reducing the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms. However, additional research is needed to establish potential causal pathways and the directionality of this effect.

Physical and psychological health of medical students involved in the coronavirus disease 2019 response in Switzerland.

Students involved in the COVID-19 response reported a similar proportion of COVID-19 symptoms or confirmed diagnoses, but lower levels of anxiety, depression and burnout compared with their non-involved peers.

Telehealth information and communication technology access for family caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health needs.

BACKGROUND: Telehealth is increasingly used to deliver mental health services. However, the potential benefits of telehealth for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health needs (IDD-MH) may not be fully realized. This study addresses gaps in knowledge about access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) for individuals with IDD-MH from the perspective of their family caregivers. OBJECTIVE: What factors are associated with access to ICTs among family caregivers of people with IDD-MH who use START services? METHODS: Retrospective analysis of cross-sectional interview data gathered for START use at the onset of COVID-19. START is a crisis prevention and intervention evidence-based model for people with IDD-MH implemented across the USA. To assess needs during COVID-19, START coordinators conducted interviews with 1455 family caregivers between March and July 2020. A multinomial regression model examined correlates of ICT access, as indicated by an index (poor, limited, and optimal access). Correlates included the level of IDD, age, gender, race, ethnicity, rural setting of the person with IDD-MH, and caregiver status. RESULTS: Age (ages 23-30 years) and sole caregiver status were significantly associated with limited access (both p ≤ .001). Age (ages 23-30 years and ≥31 years, p < .001), race (Black or African American, p = .001), ethnicity (Hispanic, p = .004), and sole caregiver status (p < .001) were significantly associated with poor access. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities existed in ICT access for adults, specific racial/ethnic groups, and sole caregiver households. Healthcare policy related to telehealth must consider how ICT access can be equitable for all users with IDD-MH.

Rompiendo la infodemia: descubriendo el SARS-CoV-2 / Breaking infodemic: discovering SARS-CoV-2

By December 2019, multiple cases of unexplained pneumonia were reported in some hospitals in the city of Wuhan, China. Since then, it had been confirmed that it corresponded to an acute respiratory infection caused by a new coronavirus that spread quickly, becoming pandemic in a very short time. On the other hand, this pandemic forced confinement for months, something unprecedented. In that time, millions of people went online for entertainment, education, etc. Consequently, the use of the Internet increased, bringing, on the one hand, online education, and entertainment on the Internet, ensuring social distancing; and on the other hand, it brought new new risks to human life, among them rumors. In this way and given the large number of publications that could denote the level of misinformation about COVID-19 and the impact it could have on global public health, various scientific publications were analyzed and identified from a bibliometric point of view. Potential relationships between the descriptors obtained from the bibliometric search were identified. The results were conglomerated into 5 clusters: Cluster 1, related to studies on access to information provided on COVID-19; cluster 2 shows the list of studies that have been carried out on the information on the COVID-19 vaccine, cluster 3 analyzes the different responses given by conspiracy theories, rumors and misinformation about COVID-19, the Group 4 shows cross-sectional and longitudinal research on COVID-19 and the information it provides to the health sector, and cluster 5 represents studies on scientific production and communication that have contributed to global health during the pandemic(AU)

Para diciembre de 2019, se registraron múltiples casos de una neumonía inexplicables en algunos hospitales de la ciudad de Wuhan, China. Desde ese momento se había confirmado correspondía a una infección respiratoria aguda causada por un nuevo coronavirus que se propagó rápidamente haciéndose pandémico en muy poco tiempo. Por otra parte, esta pademia obligó a un confinamiento por meses, algo sin precedente. En ese tiempo, millones de personas se conectaron en línea para entretenimiento, educación, etc. En consecuencia, el uso de Internet aumentó trayendo, por una parte, educación online y entretenimiento en Internet asegurando el distanciamiento social; y por otra parte, trajo nuevos nuevos riesgos a la vida humana, entre ellos los rumores. En ese sentido, y ante la gran cantidad de publicaciones que podrían denotar el nivel de desinformación sobre el COVID-19 y el impacto que podría tener en la salud pública mundial, se analizaron e identificaron diversas publicaciones científicas desde el punto de vista bibliométrico. Se identificaron las relaciones potenciales entre los descriptores arrojados de la búsqueda bibliométrica. Los resultados se conglomeraron en 5 clúster: El clúster 1, relacionado con los estudios sobre el acceso a la información proporcionada sobre COVID-19; el clúster 2, muestra la relación de los estudios que se han realizado sobre la información de la vacuna COVID-19, el clúster 3, analiza las distintas respuestas que dan las teorías conspirativas, los rumores y la desinformación sobre el COVID-19, el grupo 4 muestra investigaciones transversales y longitudinales sobre el COVID-19 y la información que brinda al sector salud, y el clúster 5 representa los estudios sobre producción y comunicación científicas que han contribuido a la salud mundial durante la pandemia(AU)

Health Literacy and Difficulty Accessing Information About the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Parents Who Are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing.

People who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) struggle with information marginalization and limited health literacy, challenging their ability to access information on preventing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study assessed the relationship between language preference, health literacy, and COVID-19 information barriers among parents who are DHH in the United States. Data were drawn from a larger study focused on individuals who are DHH who had given birth in the past 10 years. Respondents completed a web-based survey between March 2020 and July 2021. We segmented respondents by language preference [i.e., American Sign Language (ASL), English, or bilingual ASL/English] and used logistic regression models to test the hypothesis that language preference and health literacy were both associated with COVID-19 information marginalization. Of the total sample (N = 417), approximately 17% had limited health literacy, and 22% reported experiencing difficulty accessing information about COVID-19. In adjusted analyses, respondents with limited health literacy ([adjusted odds ratio] aOR = 2.245) and Hispanic ethnicity (aOR = 2.149) had higher risk of reporting information access barriers. There was no association between language preference and reporting COVID-19 information barriers. However, individuals who are DHH with limited health literacy were at higher risk of experiencing information marginalization during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for tailored information based on access needs. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2022;6(4):e310-e315.].

Leveraging an established neighbourhood-level, open access wastewater monitoring network to address public health priorities: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the US opioid epidemic triggered a collaborative municipal and academic effort in Tempe, Arizona, which resulted in the world's first open access dashboard featuring neighbourhood-level trends informed by wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE). This study aimed to showcase how wastewater monitoring, once established and accepted by a community, could readily be adapted to respond to newly emerging public health priorities. METHODS: In this population-based study in Greater Tempe, Arizona, an existing opioid monitoring WBE network was modified to track SARS-CoV-2 transmission through the analysis of 11 contiguous wastewater catchments. Flow-weighted and time-weighted 24 h composite samples of untreated wastewater were collected at each sampling location within the wastewater collection system for 3 days each week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) from April 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021 (Area 7 and Tempe St Luke's Hospital were added in July, 2020). Reverse transcription quantitative PCR targeting the E gene of SARS-CoV-2 isolated from the wastewater samples was used to determine the number of genome copies in each catchment. Newly detected clinical cases of COVID-19 by zip code within the City of Tempe, Arizona were reported daily by the Arizona Department of Health Services from May 23, 2020. Maricopa County-level new positive cases, COVID-19-related hospitalisations, deaths, and long-term care facility deaths per day are publicly available and were collected from the Maricopa County Epidemic Curve Dashboard. Viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 (genome copies per day) measured in wastewater from each catchment were aggregated at the zip code level and city level and compared with the clinically reported data using root mean square error to investigate early warning capability of WBE. FINDINGS: Between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, 1556 wastewater samples were analysed. Most locations showed two waves in viral levels peaking in June, 2020, and December, 2020-January, 2021. An additional wave of viral load was seen in catchments close to Arizona State University (Areas 6 and 7) at the beginning of the fall (autumn) semester in late August, 2020. Additionally, an early infection hotspot was detected in the Town of Guadalupe, Arizona, starting the week of May 4, 2020, that was successfully mitigated through targeted interventions. A shift in early warning potential of WBE was seen, from a leading (mean of 8·5 days [SD 2·1], June, 2020) to a lagging (-2·0 days [1·4], January, 2021) indicator compared with newly reported clinical cases. INTERPRETATION: Lessons learned from leveraging an existing neighbourhood-level WBE reporting dashboard include: (1) community buy-in is key, (2) public data sharing is effective, and (3) sub-ZIP-code (postal code) data can help to pinpoint populations at risk, track intervention success in real time, and reveal the effect of local clinical testing capacity on WBE's early warning capability. This successful demonstration of transitioning WBE efforts from opioids to COVID-19 encourages an expansion of WBE to tackle newly emerging and re-emerging threats (eg, mpox and polio). FUNDING: National Institutes of Health's RADx-rad initiative, National Science Foundation, Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust, J M Kaplan Fund, and The Flinn Foundation.

Disparate impacts on online information access during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated important changes in online information access as digital engagement became necessary to meet the demand for health, economic, and educational resources. Our analysis of 55 billion everyday web search interactions during the pandemic across 25,150 US ZIP codes reveals that the extent to which different communities of internet users enlist digital resources varies based on socioeconomic and environmental factors. For example, we find that ZIP codes with lower income intensified their access to health information to a smaller extent than ZIP codes with higher income. We show that ZIP codes with higher proportions of Black or Hispanic residents intensified their access to unemployment resources to a greater extent, while revealing patterns of unemployment site visits unseen by the claims data. Such differences frame important questions on the relationship between differential information search behaviors and the downstream real-world implications on more and less advantaged populations.

From Open Access to Circular Health: Ilaria Capua's Journey through Science and Politics.

This paper highlights the career of an exceptional woman virologist, Dr. Ilaria Capua. It recollects her major achievements, awards and noteworthy events that have shaped her scientific and political career. It retraces Dr. Capua's major contributions to the study of viral zoonoses, in particular influenza virus, and her strong commitment to an open, more ethical science at the service of society in its broadest sense. It describes how she became the long-term champion of "Open Access" and "Data Sharing" for virus genetic sequences and introduces her new concept of "Circular Health", where health becomes a circular system that represents a central and vital connection hub between humans and nature. This paper features Dr. Capua's value as a role model for young women scientists and their empowerment.

Mental Health and Access to Information in Times of COVID-19: The Role of Social Work.

The confinements and limited social interactions that have derived from COVID-19 have aggravated the situation of people with previous pathologies. As a result, access to health and its rehabilitation or support resources has been limited and redirected toward online care. People with mental health problems have considerably suffered during the pandemic because, for many of them, accessing different information resources through telematic means proved to be a great difficulty in their everyday lives. This exploratory research work aims to establish which elements have successfully facilitated access to online information for people with mental health problems. This is especially urgent in times of COVID-19 when misinformation has significantly harmed this group. To do so, we followed the communicative methodology and held interviews with two professionals and nine users who participated in the case study. The main results show that, in developing digital communicative competencies in accessing information with this group, individualization of care to overcome barriers, the link with social workers as references of truthful information, and the importance of emotional work and interactions are critical elements.

Open access methods and protocols promote open science in a pandemic.

This Backstory discusses the development of a SARS-CoV-2 detection method using widely available laboratory equipment. The approach, reported in Cell Reports Methods and STAR Protocols, is intended as a diagnostic tool for COVID-19 that is accessible for resource-limited areas. We describe how the published method and protocols encourage adoption of the detection strategy in different areas and a variety of biological contexts. For complete details on the UnCovid method and protocols, please refer to (Alcántara et al., 2021a; Alcántara et al., 2021b; Mendoza-Rojas, et al., 2021).

Meet the authors: Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman.

We talk to first and last authors Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman about their seminal 2005 paper ''Suppression of RNA recognition by Toll-like receptors: the impact of nucleoside modification and the evolutionary origin of RNA", about how they see the work in retrospect, the current progress in the field, and their inspiration-then and now.

It is time for open access in clinical care.

A healthcare center widely sharing its internal guidelines on how to treat COVID-19 patients "just wasn't done." As the pandemic raged at a Boston hospital, the next generation of clinical leaders pushed for change.

A Golden Ten: A Decade of Open Access Society Publishing.

Shining On! Happy first 10 years, ChemistryOpen! From little more than a new trend in chemistry publishing, the Open Access model has grown into a major theme in publishing in the last decade. The idea of Open Science has become instrumental for the collaboration among scientists, not only during the pandemic, and ChemistryOpen is ready to start its next decade in a much more open world!