An another perspective of face masks in emotion recognition: Comment on Shepherd and Rippon (2022).

In a recent article, Shepherd and Rippon (2022) investigated the impact of widespread face mask use on emotion recognition. They found that mask-wearing led to reduced accuracy in identifying emotions such as fear, sadness, and disgust when participants were exposed to brief facial stimuli. Their study highlights the significance of masks in concealing facial areas crucial for non-verbal communication, potentially affecting emotional well-being. Here in this comment, we have argued that despite concerns about impaired emotional recognition and social interactions, balancing COVID-19 protection and effective communication is essential. We stress the importance of adhering to mask guidelines while enhancing alternative cues and communication strategies. In public health emergencies like COVID-19, such research should acknowledge the whole complexity and prioritize safety aspects in a manner that prevents controversial issues.

Multicentre surveillance of epidemiologically important pathogens causing nosocomial bloodstream infections and pneumonia trials in Brazilian adult intensive care units.

Introduction. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the most recurrent adverse event in hospitals worldwide and represent an important public health problem.Gap statement. There are a paucity of multicentric data describing severe HAIs such as bloodstream infection (BSI) and pneumonia in Brazil.Aim. To provide an up-to-date picture of the extent and patterns of HAIs in adult intensive care units (ICUs), as well as to identify variables associated with the risk of development of severe infections.Methodology. Point prevalence surveys were conducted using standardized protocols in 35 ICUs from Minas Gerais state, Brazil. Medical records of eligible inpatients at or before 8 am on the survey day were reviewed to identify HAIs present at the time of the survey. A matched-pairs case-control study was performed on a total of 66 pairs for BSI and 115 pairs for pneumonia according to the selection criteria developed.Results. Overall, 171 patients (45.7%) had at least one HAI, with most (78.4%) acquired in the ICU. These patients presented a total of 240 infections; including 123 pneumonia (51.3%) and 66 BSI (27.5%), and 78.9 and 80.3 %, respectively, were acquired in the ICU. Their aetiology showed a predominance of Gram-negative bacteria versus Gram-positive bacteria (48.9 versus 43.3 %), with Acinetobacter baumannii (13.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.8%) being prominent. One striking observation from our data was the higher prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (14.5%) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (10.2%) observed in the overall HAIs.Conclusion. A high severe ICU-acquired HAI burden was found when compared with findings from other low- and middle-income countries. These data can be utilized for better planning of nosocomial infection surveillance programmes in our hospitals.