Development of an Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Based on the Yeast-Expressed CO-26K-Equivalent Epitope-Containing Antigen for Detection of Serum Antibodies against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a severe contagious intestinal disease caused by the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which leads to high mortality in piglets. In this study, by analyzing a total of 53 full-length spike genes and COE domain regions of PEDVs, the conserved COE fragment of the spike protein from the dominant strain SC1402 was chosen as the target protein and expressed successfully in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris). Furthermore, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (iELISA) based on the recombinant COE protein was developed for the detection of anti-PEDV antibodies in pig sera. The results showed that under the optimized conditions, the cut-off value of COE-based indirect ELISA (COE-iELISA) was determined to be 0.12. Taking the serum neutralization test as standard, the relative sensitivity of the COE-iELISA was 94.4% and specificity 92.6%. Meanwhile, no cross-reactivity to other porcine pathogens was noted with this assay. The intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation were less than 7%. Moreover, 164 vaccinated serum samples test showed that overall agreement between COE-iELISA and the actual diagnosis result was up to 99.4%. More importantly, the developed iELISA exhibited a 95.08% agreement rate with the commercial ELISA kit (Kappa value = 0.88), which suggested that the expressed COE protein was an effective antigen in serologic tests and the established COE-iELISA is reliable for monitoring PEDV infection in pigs or vaccine effectiveness.

Reengineering Human Resources and Entrepreneurial Learning towards Organizational Revitalization in Malaysian Travel and Tourism Companies during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The interest in the reengineering process of human resources and entrepreneurial learning contributes to enhancing the success of organizational revitalization, especially concerning corporate sustainability. This study builds a conceptual research framework and adopts the descriptive analytical approach based on the data of 239 samples from the employees working in travel and tourism companies in Malaysia. The findings indicate the existence of a statistically significant effect of human resources reengineering on various dimensions of organizational revitalization. Amongst them, pioneering/entrepreneurial learning as a moderating variable also has a significant and positive influence on organizational revitalization. The implications of this study mostly emphasize the necessity for travel and tourism companies to maintain their sustainability through reengineering human resources. In accomplishing strategic tasks for human resource development and achieving the strategic goals, these essential issues such as encouraging workers to innovate and continuously raising their awareness of entrepreneurship need to be acknowledged.

Effect of Nucleic Acid Screening Measures on COVID-19 Transmission in Cities of Different Scales and Assessment of Related Testing Resource Demands-Evidence from China.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is in its epidemic period, and China is still facing the dual risks of import and domestic rebound. To better control the COVID-19 pandemic under the existing conditions, the focus of this study is to simulate the nucleic acid testing for different population size cities in China to influence the spread of COVID-19, assess the situation under different scenarios, the demand for the laboratory testing personnel, material resources, for the implementation of the nucleic acid screening measures, emergency supplies, and the configuration of human resources to provide decision-making basis. METHODS: According to the transmission characteristics of COVID-19 and the current prevention and control strategies in China, four epidemic scenarios were assumed. Based on the constructed SVEAIiQHR model, the number of people infected with COVID-19 in cities with populations of 10 million, 5 million, and 500,000 was analyzed and predicted under the four scenarios, and the demand for laboratory testing resources was evaluated, respectively. RESULTS: For large, medium, and small cities, whether full or regional nucleic acid screening can significantly reduce the epidemic prevention and control strategy of different scenarios laboratory testing resource demand difference is bigger, implement effective non-pharmaceutical interventions and regional nucleic acid screening measures to significantly reduce laboratory testing related resources demand, but will cause varying degrees of inspection staff shortages. CONCLUSION: There is still an urgent need for laboratory testing manpower in China to implement effective nucleic acid screening measures in the event of an outbreak. Cities or regions with different population sizes and levels of medical resources should flexibly implement prevention and control measures according to specific conditions after the outbreak, assess laboratory testing and human resource need as soon as possible, and prepare and allocate materials and personnel.

Trophic state assessment of optically diverse lakes using Sentinel-3-derived trophic level index

An accurate estimation of trophic state of lakes with satellite remote sensing is a challenge due to the optical complexity and variability associated with inland waters. Match-up data from 393 sampling stations that has concurrent Sentinel-3 OLCI images were acquired across Wuhan lakes. Trophic Level Index (TLI) algorithms were developed within a global Optical Water Type (OWT) classification system. The performance of algorithms with limited training data gathered by using spectral similarity of highest Sowt was not improved compared with that on basis of no classification. In contrast, using spectral similarity of Sowt > 0.9 rather than the highest Sowt to group more training data with similar traits for each OWT can help build more robust algorithms, which performance is better than that on basis of no classification. Algorithm performance statistics of the test dataset for the stepwise multiple linear regression (SMLR) method were the following: Mean Absolute Error (MAE) = 5.56;Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) = 11.02 %;Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) = 7.24 and for the back propagation neural network on the basis of the Levenberg-Marquardt-Bayesian regularization algorithm (LMBR-BPNN) method MAE = 4.56;MAPE = 8.33 %;RMSE = 5.98. We detected 8 different OWTs (2,3,4,5,9,10,11,12) in Wuhan lakes and clear spatio-temporal patterns of the trophic state between 2018 and 2020.Our results revealed that the trophic state of Wuhan lakes did not decrease as expected during the COVID-19 lockdown period.

The relationship between negative emotions and risk perception of front-line medical staff in the early stage of novel coronavirus pneumonia

Objective To investigate the influence of negative emotions on risk perception in frontline medical staff at the early stage of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. Methods An online questionnaire survey was conducted on the dispatched medical staff of Wuhan Huoshenshan Hospital and the frontline anti-epidemic medical staff of Changhai Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University) from Feb. 3 to 5, 2020. The negative emotions were measured by the reduced version of negative affection scale composed of 7 negative emotions. The risk perception level was evaluated by the risk perception questionnaire of frontline anti-epidemic medical staff adapted from nursing staff risk perception questionnaire. Results A total of 220 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective rate of 85.94%. The total score of negative emotions of frontline medical staff at the early stage of COVID-19 outbreak was 11.18±4.58, and the scores of 7 negative emotions from high to low were tension (1.92±0.90), upset (1.75±0.92), fear (1.61±0.84), impatience (1.58±0.84), sadness (1.51±0.83), trembling (1.50±00.83) and guilt (1.31±0.64). The scores of impatience, sadness, upset and guilt of non-nursing staff were significantly higher than those of nursing staff (all P＜0.05). The total score of risk perception of medical staff was 17.68±4.60, and the score of time risk dimension was the highest (3.20±1.20). The organizational risk score (3.39±1.01 vs 2.88±1.01) and time risk score (3.46±1.22 vs 3.09±1.18) of the non-nursing staff were significantly higher than those of the nursing staff (P＜0.01 or P＜0.05). There was a positive correlation between the total score of negative emotions and the total score of risk perception (r＝0.499, P＜0.01). The score of each negative emotion classification had an indicating effect on different risk perception tendencies, and impatience had the most obvious indicating effect on time risk (β＝0.227, P＝0.033). Conclusion Medical staff with high negative emotions have high risk perception. The negative emotion management at the early stage of the epidemic can help frontline anti-epidemic medical staff to correctly understand the risk. © 2021 Second Military Medical University Press. All rights reserved.

Severe novel coronavirus pneumonia: a case report and literature review

Objective To describe the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with severe novel coronavirus pneumonia, and to improve the understanding and management of clinicians on novel coronavirus pneumonia. Methods The onset, development, treatment and outcome of a patient with severe 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia were retrospectively analyzed and relevant literatures were reviewed. Results At the beginning of the disease, the patient presented fever and dry cough, and later the disease progressed to dyspnea. Chest CT showed bilateral exudation of the lung. Lopinavir/ritonavir, IFN-a and immunoglobulin were given to the patient according to the expert group's opinion. The pneumonia was cured and the patient was discharged two weeks later. Conclusion Appropriate management strategies are effective on diagnosis and treatment of new coronavirus pneumonia.

The Effect of WeChat on Parental Care Burden, Anxiety, and Depression in Children after CHD Surgery during COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the effect of applying WeChat in the follow-up and health education of children after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic. METHODS: Data from 135 children were retrospectively analyzed. The care burden, anxiety, depression, and satisfaction of the parents of patients at home were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: One month after discharge, the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 scores of the WeChat follow-up group were significantly better than those of the outpatient follow-up group (p < 0.05). Compared with the discharge time, the SAS, SDS, and ZBI scores were significantly improved in the WeChat follow-up group but not in the outpatient follow-up group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 epidemic, the application of WeChat to the follow-up management of children after CHD surgery can effectively reduce care burden and relieve anxiety and depression in parents at home. It can also improve the satisfaction of parents with medical treatment.

Disease state prediction for 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia using CT manifestations and body temperature dynamic analysis: A SQUIRE-compliant study.

ABSTRACT: 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new acute infectious disease of respiratory system, posed a great threat to human health because of its strong infectivity and rapid progress. This study aimed to assess the severity of COVID-19 Pneumonia by analyzing the change of CT manifestations and body temperature.This retrospective review included 22 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The imaging manifestations and clinical features were observed and evaluated.Most of the infected patients were men (13/22, 59%). Fever (>38°C) (17/22, 77%) and cough (6/22, 27%) were the main symptoms. Leukocytes count decreased in 23% of patients and lymphocyte decreased in 41%. Twenty-one patients with pneumonia had abnormal findings on chest CT. The special CT manifestations were observed at the first CT examination when the lesions progressed, including a single ground glass nodule with uneven density, multiple ground glass opacities distributed in subpleural, and the ground glass opacities confined in superior lobe. The special CT manifestations were observed at the first CT examination when the lesions resolved, including ground glass opacities with homogeneous density. The lesion involved in the bilateral lungs and the absorption of the lesions mainly occurred in bilateral inferior lobes. Three patients had normalized body temperature increased more than 1°C within 1 to 2 days after admission. Ten patients fluctuated more than 1°C within 1 to 7 days after admission and the second CT scans showed the disease was at the progressive stage.Dynamic analysis of CT manifestations and body temperature have the potential to predict the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia.

Telemedicine usage via WeChat for children with congenital heart disease preoperatively during COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: During the COVID-19 pandemic, parents of infants having medical problem face challenges of insufficient medical resources at home. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of WeChat-based telehealth services on the preoperative follow-up of infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 190 infants with CHD who underwent remote follow-up via WeChat from December 2019 to May 2020 in Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. In addition, the psychological benefits of WeChat on the parents of these infants were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 190 infants were involved in this study, including 72 cases of ventricular septal defects, 42 cases of patent ductus arteriosus, 55 cases of atrial septal defects, 3 cases of tetralogy of Fallot, 2 cases of endocardial cushion defects, 12 cases of pulmonary stenosis, 2 cases of total anomalous pulmonary venous connection and 2 cases of aortic arch constriction. During the follow-up period, 48 infants who received surgical indications were hospitalized in time for surgical treatment. It was recommended that 10 infants with respiratory tract infections be treated in local hospitals through the WeChat platform. We provided feeding guidance to 28 infants with dysplasia through the WeChat platform. The psychological evaluation results of parents showed that the median score and range of Self-Rating Depression Scale scores were 42 and 32-58, respectively. Nine parents (4.7%) were clinically depressed, while the majority had mild depression. The median score and range of Self-Rating Anxiety Scale scores were 44 and 31-59, respectively. Twenty parents (10.5%) had clinical anxiety, while the rest had mild anxiety. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, follow-up management and health services for infants with CHD prior to surgery through the WeChat platform were useful in identifying the state of an infant's condition as well as in identifying and relieving care pressure, anxiety and depression in the parents.

Combination of chest CT and clinical features for diagnosis of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia.

In December 2019, novel coronavirus pneumonia-19 (COVID-19) was discovered in the viral pneumonia cases that occurred in Wuhan, China, and then quickly spread around the world. This report described the clinical course of two COVID-19 patients and the purpose of the study was to discuss the combination of chest CT and clinical features for diagnosis of COVID-19. The first case was a typical COVID-19 case. A 66-year-old female presented to our hospital with a 3-day history of fever. She had contact with a COVID-19 patient. Chest CT showed a typical COVID-19 appearance. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 by a positive nucleic acid test. The second case was a 50-year-old male with a 2-day history of fever. He denied having been to Wuhan. Chest CT also showed typical features of COVID-19 pneumonia. COVID-19 nucleic acid tests were repeated up to seven times and the results remained controversial. Eventually, he was diagnosed with COVID-19. Our study shows that chest CT has high sensitivity for diagnosis of COVID-19 in clinical practice, particularly when the nucleic acid test is negative. The chest CT should be considered as a diagnostic tool for the COVID-19 screening, comprehensive evaluation, and follow-up and patients would benefit from effective treatments in time.