TODIM-VIKOR method based on hybrid weighted distance under probabilistic uncertain linguistic information and its application in medical logistics center site selection.

At a time of global epidemic control, the location of the medical logistics distribution center (MLDC) has an important impact on the operation of the entire logistics system to reduce the operating costs of the company, enhance the service quality and effectively control the COVID-19 on the premise of increasing the company's profits. Thus, the research on the location of MLDC has important theoretical and practical application significance separately. Recently, the TODIM and VIKOR method has been used to solve multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) issues. The probabilistic uncertain linguistic term sets (PULTSs) are used as a tool for characterizing uncertain information. In this paper, we design the TODIM-VIKOR model to solve the MAGDM in PULT condition. Firstly, some basic concept of PULTSs is reviewed, and TODIM and VIKOR method are introduced. The extended TODIM-VIKOR model is proposed to tackle MAGDM problems under the PULTSs. At last, a numerical case study for medical logistics center site selection (MLCSS) is given to validate the proposed method.

Construction and Validation of Mortality Risk Nomograph Model for Severe/Critical Patients with COVID-19.

Objective: A nomograph model of mortality risk for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was established and validated. Methods: We collected the clinical medical records of patients with severe/critical COVID-19 admitted to the eastern campus of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from January 2020 to May 2020 and to the north campus of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, from April 2022 to June 2022. We assigned 254 patients to the former group, which served as the training set, and 113 patients were assigned to the latter group, which served as the validation set. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariable logistic regression were used to select the variables and build the mortality risk prediction model. Results: The nomogram model was constructed with four risk factors for patient mortality following severe/critical COVID-19 (≥3 basic diseases, APACHE II score, urea nitrogen (Urea), and lactic acid (Lac)) and two protective factors (percentage of lymphocyte (L%) and neutrophil-to-platelets ratio (NPR)). The area under the curve (AUC) of the training set was 0.880 (95% confidence interval (95%CI), 0.837~0.923) and the AUC of the validation set was 0.814 (95%CI, 0.705~0.923). The decision curve analysis (DCA) showed that the nomogram model had high clinical value. Conclusion: The nomogram model for predicting the death risk of patients with severe/critical COVID-19 showed good prediction performance, and may be helpful in making appropriate clinical decisions for high-risk patients.

Perception of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Personnel on Society Recommendations on Personal Protective Equipment, Case Selection, and Scope Cleaning During Covid-19 Pandemic: An International Survey Study.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The Thai Association for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy published recommendations on safe endoscopy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to assess the practicality and applicability of the recommendations and the perceptions of endoscopy personnel on them. METHODS: A validated questionnaire was sent to 1290 endoscopy personnel globally. Of these, the data of all 330 responders (25.6%) from 15 countries, related to the current recommendations on proper personal protective equipment (PPE), case selection, scope cleaning, and safety perception, were analyzed. Ordinal logistic regression was used to determine the relationships between the variables. RESULTS: Despite an overwhelming agreement with the recommendations on PPE (94.5%) and case selection (95.5%), their practicality and applicability on PPE recommendations and case selection were significantly lower (p=0.001, p=0.047, p<0.001, and p=0.032, respectively). Factors that were associated with lower sense of safety in endoscopy units were younger age (p=0.004), less working experience (p=0.008), in-training status (p=0.04), and higher national prevalence of COVID-19 (p=0.003). High prevalent countries also had more difficulty implementing the guidelines (p<0.001) and they considered the PPE recommendations less practical and showed lower agreement with them (p<0.001 and p=0.008, respectively). A higher number of in-hospital COVID-19 patients was associated with less agreement with PPE recommendations (p=0.039). CONCLUSION: Using appropriate PPE and case selection in endoscopic practice during a pandemic remains a challenge. Resource availability and local prevalence are critical factors influencing the adoption of the current guidelines.

Digitalization of International Tax Dispute Resolution: Reflection in Light of the Covid-19 Pandemic

The mutual agreement procedure (MAP) has long been criticized. From the perspective of transaction cost theory, the deficiencies of the mechanism primarily reflect three types of transaction costs: agency cost, bargaining cost, and administrative cost, all of which can be economized via the digitalization of international tax dispute resolution (ITDR) processes. The impetus for the development of digital ITDR becomes more prominent considering the current Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, compared with dispute resolution mechanisms in many other domains, the ITDR process particularly lends itself to digital facilitation. However, data from peer review reports under Action 14 of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project shows that the international practice of the digital ITDR still remains at a rudimentary stage. This underdevelopment can largely be attributed to a decentralized approach to the ITDR development at the international level. In this regard, it is proposed that the OECD can play a greater role in leading and coordinating the development of digital ITDR at the global level. In particular, a global digital platform is envisaged to facilitate the digital ITDR processes among competent authorities.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of severe and non-severe patients with COVID-19: A retrospective cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who develop severe symptoms need to be determined in advance so that appropriate treatment strategies are in place. METHODS: To determine the clinic features of patients diagnosed definitely with COVID-19 and evaluate risk factors for severe outcome, the medical records of hospitalized patients were reviewed retrospectively by us and data were compiled. Laboratory data from 90 cases were analyzed, and COVID-19 patients were classified into two groups (severe and non-severe) based on the severity. RESULTS: Severe COVID-19 cases on admission had higher leukocyte and neutrophil counts, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein levels, and lower lymphocyte counts compared with those of non-severe cases (p < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) for leukocyte counts, neutrophil counts, and levels of C-reactive protein was 0.778, 0.831, and 0.800, respectively. The thresholds were 7.70 × 109 /L for leukocyte counts, 5.93 × 109/L for neutrophil counts, and 75.07 mg/L for C-reactive protein, respectively. Logistic regression analyses indicated that higher white blood cell (WBC) counts (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.05-1.71), neutrophil counts (OR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.06-1.73), and C-reactive protein levels (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 1.0-1.04) were several predictive factors for severe outcome. Severe COVID-19 patients had a reduction in WBC counts, D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and fibrinogen upon discharge from hospital, while lymphocyte counts increased (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Counts of WBC, neutrophil, and lymphocyte, NLR, and levels of C-reactive protein, D-dimer, and fibrinogen are helpful for prediction of the deterioration trend in patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

Digestive system involvement of novel coronavirus infection: Prevention and control infection from a gastroenterology perspective.

An epidemic of an acute respiratory syndrome caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, China, now known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), beginning in December 2019, has attracted an intense amount of attention worldwide. As the natural history and variety of clinical presentations of this disease unfolds, extrapulmonary symptoms of COVID-19 have emerged, especially in the digestive system. While the respiratory mode of transmission is well known and is probably the principal mode of transmission of this disease, a possibility of the fecal-oral route of transmission has also emerged in various case series and clinical scenarios. In this review article, we summarize four different aspects in published studies to date: (a) gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19; (b) microbiological and virological investigations; (c) the role of fecal-oral transmission; and (d) prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the digestive endoscopy room. A timely understanding of the relationship between the disease and the digestive system and implementing effective preventive measures are of great importance for a favorable outcome of the disease and can help climnicians to mitigate further transmission by taking appropriate measures.