ABSTRACT
Background: Currently, there is an increasing number of patients reporting dizziness, which has resulted in a positive COVID-19 PCR test. In this paper, we analyzed the ENG signals recorded from patients with a positive COVID-19 PCR test. Methods: In this paper, both linear and nonlinear analyses of time series were employed to determine the regularity and complexity of a recorded ENG signal. Results: The Wilcoxon rank-sum test indicated that the COVID-19 and non-COVID groups have significant differences based on different extracted features. Various machine learning methods including Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Naïve Base (NB), K-nearest Neighbours (KNN), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) were used to classify COVID-19 and non-COVID groups. The best accuracy, precision and FCR achieved by SVM are 86%, 91% and 0.13. Conclusion: In this study, ENG signals were recorded from COVID-19 and control groups. Linear and non-linear features were extracted from the recorded signals to identify significantly different features. Subjects were classified based on SVM and different classifiers. The SVM (polynomial kernel) classifier showed the best result. The proposed method had not been used for the classification of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 subjects before. This work helps other researchers conduct more research on the development of machine learning methods to diagnose the COVID-19 virus using ENG and other physiological signals.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare inherited genetic skin disorder with severe skin itching and recurrent blisters and erosion. There is no effective and specific therapy for all types of EB. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate a topical formulation of henna (Lawsonia inermis Linnaeus) in the management of wounds and the itching sensation in patients with EB. Methods: This is a pilot single-arm clinical trial. Nine patients with recessive dystrophic EB, with the age range of 5 to 32 years were enrolled in the study. The patients were instructed to apply the topical 1% henna ointment once daily on two erosions and on also two sites with moderate to a severe itching sensation. The total duration of the intervention was 4 weeks with weekly follow-up visits. Patient global impression of improvement, visual analog scale, and clinical global impression of improvement were used for assessing the wound healing process and itching discomfort. Results: There was a significant improvement in the skin symptoms of epidermolysis bullosa including skin redness, itching, burning, and local warmness (P < 0.05). Local pain decreased during the study period, but this was not statistically significant (P < 0.19). One patient reported moderate xerosis of skin after continuous usage. Conclusions: It seems that the topical formulation of henna may be effective in the management of itching, burning, stringing, and cutaneous warmness sensation in patients with EB. Further controlled studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to better evaluate this formulation.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Contact dermatitis is a common complication in prosthetic limb users. There are no effective, available and cheap treatments for skin problems of these patients. In traditional Iranian medicine, henna (Lawsonia inermis L.) is a plant that has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and skin-enhancing properties, all of which are beneficial for people with artificial limbs. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a topical henna preparation in management of contact dermatitis in patients using lower limb prosthetics. METHODS: The current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on ninety-five participants with lower extremity amputation using limb prosthetics, aged 12-70 years who complained of contact dermatitis. They were randomly assigned to receive either two weeks of topical henna preparation every night as the intervention group, or topical placebo as the control group. Participants were instructed to spread henna preparation on the surfaces of the amputated limb that were in contact with the prosthesis. Severity of contact dermatitis symptoms was set as the primary outcome measure. Edema, papules and erythema were evaluated by a physician using standard color atlas. Secondary outcomes included symptoms such as burning, itching, pain, thickness and skin sweating evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: A significant improvement was observed in the symptoms of contact dermatitis including skin edema, itching, sweating, skin thinning and pain (p-value<0.05) in the henna group compared to the placebo group. Skin burning decreased more in the henna group compared to the placebo group, but this was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.052). Moreover, skin redness significantly increased in the henna group (p-value = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Topical formulation of henna might be a complementary choice for improving contact dermatitis in patients using lower limb prosthetics.
