Classification of COVID-19 with Belief Functions and Deep Neural Network.

At present, the entire world has suffered a lot due to the spike of COVID disease. Despite the world has been developed with so much of technology in the domain of medicine, this is a very huge challenge in all over the world. Though, there is a rapid development in medical field, those are not even sufficient to diagnose the symptoms of this COVID in earlier stage. Since the spread of this disease in all over the world, it affects the livelihood of the human. Computed Tomography (CT) images have given necessary data for the radio diagnostics to detect the COVID cases. Therefore, this paper addressed about the classification techniques to diagnose about the symptoms of this virus with the help of belief function with the support of convolution neural networks. This method initially extracts the features and correlates the features with the belief maps to decide about the classification. This research work would provide classification of more accuracy than the earlier research. Therefore, compared with the traditional deep learning method, this proposed procedure would be more efficient with desirable results achieved for accuracy as 0.87, an F1 of 0.88, and 0.95 as AUC.

Can the mouse model successfully predict mixed metal(loid)s bioavailability in humans from contaminated soils?

Mouse models have been employed by many scientific research groups worldwide to predict the bioavailability of metal (loid)s and other chemicals in humans. Their suitability for predicting mixed metal (loid) bioavailability has been questioned and debated for decades by many research teams. In this study soils contaminated by lead (Pb) and arsenic (As), either in the field or by spiking in the laboratory, were used in bioavailability and bioaccessibility tests. The spiked soils were aged for more than a year prior to testing to achieve steady state and eliminate soil ageing effects, as reported in previous research. The bioavailability of, firstly, Pb in the presence of As and secondly, As in the presence of Pb was determined using mice. Furthermore, bioaccessibility was determined using a range of in vitro methods: relative bioaccessibility leaching procedure (RBALP), the Unified Bioaccessibility Research Group Europe (BARGE) method (UBM) gastric and intestinal phases, and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) gastric and intestinal phases. The correlations between Pb and As bioavailability and their in vitro bioaccessibility when they were present in mixtures were analysed. The results indicated that the bioavailability of Pb in mice kidney tissues significantly correlated with bioaccessibility of Pb in RBALP (p < 0.01), UBM gastric (p < 0.01) and intestinal phases (p < 0.01) and RIVM gastric phases when Pb is present in metal (loid) mixtures. Results of the current study reveal that the RBALP, and UBM gastric and intestinal phase were by far the best methods for predicting the RB of Pb when it is present in metal (loid) mixtures. Consequently, the mouse model can successfully explain the in vivo in vitro correlation (IVIVC) of Pb when it is present in metal (loid) mixtures. However, we did find that a mouse model may not be the best one to explain the IVIVC of As when it is present in metal (loid) mixtures.

Prevalence of healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial use among inpatients in a tertiary hospital in Fiji: a point prevalence survey.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and antimicrobial use (AMU) are important drivers of antimicrobial resistance, yet there is minimal data from the Pacific region. We sought to determine the point prevalence of HAIs and AMU at Fiji's largest hospital, the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) in Suva. A secondary aim was to evaluate the performance of European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC) HAI criteria in a resource-limited setting. METHODS: We conducted a point prevalence survey of HAIs and AMU at CWMH in October 2019. Survey methodology was adapted from the ECDC protocol. To evaluate the suitability of ECDC HAI criteria in our setting, we augmented the survey to identify patients with a clinician diagnosis of a HAI where diagnostic testing criteria were not met. We also assessed infection prevention and control (IPC) infrastructure on each ward. RESULTS: We surveyed 343 patients, with median (interquartile range) age 30 years (16-53), predominantly admitted under obstetrics/gynaecology (94, 27.4%) or paediatrics (83, 24.2%). Thirty patients had one or more HAIs, a point prevalence of 8.7% (95% CI 6.0% to 12.3%). The most common HAIs were surgical site infections (n = 13), skin and soft tissue infections (7) and neonatal clinical sepsis (6). Two additional patients were identified with physician-diagnosed HAIs that failed to meet ECDC criteria due to insufficient investigations. 206 (60.1%) patients were receiving at least one antimicrobial. Of the 325 antimicrobial prescriptions, the most common agents were ampicillin (58/325, 17.8%), cloxacillin (55/325, 16.9%) and metronidazole (53/325, 16.3%). Use of broad-spectrum agents such as piperacillin/tazobactam (n = 6) and meropenem (1) was low. The majority of prescriptions for surgical prophylaxis were for more than 1 day (45/76, 59.2%). Although the number of handwashing basins throughout the hospital exceeded World Health Organization recommendations, availability of alcohol-based handrub was limited and most concentrated within high-risk wards. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of HAIs in Fiji was similar to neighbouring high-income countries, but may have been reduced by the high proportion of paediatric and obstetrics patients, or by lower rates of inpatient investigations. AMU was very high, with duration of surgical prophylaxis an important target for future antimicrobial stewardship initiatives.

Bianchi type-V dark energy cosmological model in general relativity in the presence of massive scalar field.

In this paper, we discuss spatially homogeneous and anisotropic Bianchi type-V dark energy cosmological model in the presence of an attractive massive scalar field in general relativity. We have solved the field equations using (i) the shear scalar of the metric is proportional to the expansion scalar which results a relationship between metric potentials and (ii) a power law between the massive scalar field and the average scale factor. We have computed the cosmological parameters like dark energy density, equation of state parameter, skewness parameters, deceleration parameter and statefinder parameters of our dark energy model with massive strings and discussed their physical significance in the light of the recent scenario of accelerated expansion of the universe and cosmological observations.

The prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity among adult patients attending a university dental clinic

Objective: To assess the prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity (DH) in an adult population and explore association with sociodemographic variables, dietary habits and oral health behaviours. Design and Methodology: Cross-sectional survey of consecutive dental patients (18 years and over) attending the UWI School of Dentistry polyclinic. Following informed consent, dental examinations were undertaken by two calibrated dentists. Presence of DH was assessed clinically by sensitivity to an air syringe on individual teeth. Patients were also administered a questionnaire which included age, gender, occupation, medical and dental history, brushing and dietary history. Data were processed using statistical software (SPSS version 24). Association between variables were analyzed using the Chi-Square test. Results: 300 patients participated. Age range 18 ­ 81years, mean 44.7 years (SD 15.69). 69% were female and the main ethnic groups were African (45.7%),Indian (30%) and mixed (23%). 48.3% were in employment. Over half of the participants (54.9%) reported a history of sensitive teeth and 52% reported sensitivity to the air syringe on one or more teeth. A history of sensitive teeth was significantly associated with gender (female), frequent consumption of citrus fruits and citrus juice, history of teeth grinding or clenching and twice daily tooth brushing (Chi-square test p <0.05). Conclusions: Prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity was high among this sample of dental patients and associated with gender, dietary practices, tooth grinding and brushing frequency. Management of this condition should include dietary advice, modification of oral habits and advice on tooth brushing techniques.

Parabens generate reactive oxygen species in human spermatozoa.

Parabens are used as antimicrobial preservative agent in many commercial products including cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Weak oestrogenic and antiandrogenic activities have been attributed to parabens in in vitro and in vivo studies. In this study, human spermatozoa were exposed to different concentrations of an equimolar paraben mixture containing methyl, ethyl, propyl and butylparaben as well as to methylparaben alone at a concentration that is typical of commercially available vaginal lubricants. The induction of oxidative stress and DNA damage was then assessed at different time points. Our results demonstrate that the paraben mixture was capable of stimulating the generation of mitochondrial and cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting sperm motility and viability in a dose-dependent manner. The ability of individual parabens to activate ROS generation and induce oxidative DNA damage was related to alkyl chain length. At the concentration used clinically, methylparaben inhibited sperm motility after both 2 and 5 h exposure (p < 0.05) and affected cell viability (p < 0.01) while augmenting ROS production and oxidative DNA damage. However, DNA fragmentation was not evident following methylparaben exposure. Based on these results, we conclude that, at the concentrations used in commercially available formulations, parabens may impair sperm motility, enhance the generation of mitochondrial ROS and stimulate the formation of oxidative DNA adducts. Taken together, these data underline the potential cytotoxic and genotoxic impact of such compounds in a clinical setting.

Surgical nuances in the separation of craniopagus twins - Our experience and a follow up of 15 years.

Craniopagus twins are conjoined twins fused at the cranium. This is the rarest anomaly seen in conjoined twins and craniopagus twins account for 2- 6% of conjoined twins. Conjoined twins are also extremely rare, with the anomaly seen in about 10-20 subjects per billion births. A female preponderance has been noted. Craniopagus twins can be classified into complete or partial, depending on whether or not they have shared dural venous sinuses. They can be further classified into angular or total depending on the alignment of the inter-twin longitudinal axis. Surgical separation of these cases can be an elective procedure or an emergency, mandated by the death of one of the twins. Surgical separation of craniopagus twins is a complex exercise needing detailed evaluation and planning. For the successful management of these twins, a multi-disciplinary approach involving neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, anesthetists, radiologists, pediatric critical care specialists and ancillary staff is mandatory. We present a case of partially successful elective separation of partial angular craniopagus twins performed in 2002.The surviving twin was managed conservatively for a cerebrospinal fluid leak. The patient subsequently developed a pseudomeningocele, necessitating re-exploration, excision of the gliotic tissue, and repair of the dura and the overlying scalp flap. The patient has a skull defect for which cranioplasty has been deferred. The child is neurologically intact. The post-operative evaluation and the detailed periodic neurological assessment till date (with a follow up of 15 years) have been presented in this study.

Detection and analysis of mycovirus-related RNA viruses from grape powdery mildew fungus Erysiphe necator.

The fungus, Erysiphe necator Schw., is an important plant pathogen causing powdery mildew disease in grapevines worldwide. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of double-stranded RNA extracted from the fungal tissue combined with bioinformatics was used to examine mycovirus-related sequences associated with E. necator. The results showed the presence of eight mycovirus-related sequences. Five of these sequences representing three new mycoviruses showed alignment with sequences of viruses classified in the genus Alphapartitivirus in the family Partitiviridae. Another three sequences representing three new mycoviruses showed similarity to classifiable members of the genus Mitovirus in the family Narnaviridae. These mycovirus isolates were named Erysiphe necator partitivirus 1, 2, and 3 (EnPV 1-3) and Erysiphe necator mitovirus 1, 2, and 3 (EnMV 1-3) reflecting their E. necator origin and their phylogenetic affiliation with other mycoviruses.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-Based Nanofiber Mats as an Organic Bioelectronic Platform for Programming Multiple Capture/Release Cycles of Circulating Tumor Cells.

In this investigation, we employed a novel one-step electrospinning process to fabricate poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) core/shell nanofiber structures with improved water resistance and good electrochemical properties and characterized them using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry imaging. We then integrated a biotinylated poly-(l-lysine-graft-ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG-biotin) coating with three-dimensional (3D) PEDOT-based nanofiber devices for dynamic control over the capture/release performance of rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) on-chip. The detailed capture/release behavior of the circulating tumor cells was studied using an organic bioelectronic platform comprising PEO/PEDOT:PSS nanofiber mats with 3 wt % (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane as an additive. We have demonstrated that these nanofiber mats deposited on five-patterned indium tin oxide finger electrodes are excellent candidates for use as functional bioelectronic interfaces for the isolation, detection, sequential collection, and enrichment of rare CTCs through electrical activation of each single electrode. This combination behaved as an ideal model system displaying a high cell-capture yield for antibody-positive cells while resisting the adhesion of antibody-negative cells. Taking advantage of the electrochemical doping/dedoping characteristics of PEDOT:PSS materials, the captured rare cells could be electrically triggered release through the desorption phenomena of PLL-g-PEG-biotin on device surface. More than 90% of the targeted cancer cells were captured on the 3D PEDOT-based nanofiber microfluidic device; over 87% of captured cancer cells were subsequently released for collection; approximately 80% of spiked cancer cells could be collected in a 96-well plate. Therefore, this 3D PEDOT-based nanofiber approach appears to be an economical route for the large-scale preparation of systems for enhancing the downstream characterization of rare CTCs.

Comparative analysis of speciation and bioaccessibility of arsenic in rice grains and complementary medicines.

In many countries, rice grains and complementary medicines are important sources of arsenic (As) consumption. The objective of this study was to compare the speciation and bioaccessibility of As in selected rice grains and complementary medicines. A number of rice grain samples, and a range of herbal and ayurvedic medicines were analyzed for total As, speciation of As using sequential fractionation and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques, and bioaccessibility of As using an in vitro extraction test. The daily intake of As through the uptake of these As sources was compared with the safety guidelines for As. The results demonstrated higher levels of As in ayurvedic medicines compared to herbal medicines and rice grains. The sequential fractionation showed the dominance of organic-bound As species in rice grains and herbal medicines, however, inorganic-bound As species dominated the ayurvedic medicines. This implies that As is derived from plant uptake in herbal medicines and rice grains, and from inorganic mineral input in ayurvedic medicines. Arsenic bioaccessibility was higher in ayurvedic than herbal medicines and rice grains, suggesting that inorganic As added as a mineral therapeutic input is more bioaccessible than organic As species derived from plant uptake. This study also showed a positive relationship between soluble As fractions and bioaccessibility indicating that solubility is an important factor controlling bioaccessibility. The daily intake values for As as estimated by total As content are likely to exceed the safe threshold level in rice grains that are enriched with As.

Evaluating the mobility of polymer-stabilised zero-valent iron nanoparticles and their potential to co-transport contaminants in intact soil cores.

The use of zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) has been advocated for the remediation of both soils and groundwater. A key parameter affecting nZVI remediation efficacy is the mobility of the particles as this influences the reaction zone where remediation can occur. However, by engineering nZVI particles with increased stability and mobility we may also inadvertently facilitate nZVI-mediated contaminant transport away from the zone of treatment. Previous nZVI mobility studies have often been limited to model systems as the presence of background Fe makes detection and tracking of nZVI in real systems difficult. We overcame this problem by synthesising Fe-59 radiolabelled nZVI. This enabled us to detect and quantify the leaching of nZVI-derived Fe-59 in intact soil cores, including a soil contaminated by Chromated-Copper-Arsenate. Mobility of a commercially available nZVI was also tested. The results showed limited mobility of both nanomaterials; <1% of the injected mass was eluted from the columns and most of the radiolabelled nZVI remained in the surface soil layers (the primary treatment zone in this contaminated soil). Nevertheless, the observed breakthrough of contaminants and nZVI occurred simultaneously, indicating that although the quantity transported was low in this case, nZVI does have the potential to co-transport contaminants. These results show that direct injection of nZVI into the surface layers of contaminated soils may be a viable remediation option for soils such as this one, in which the mobility of nZVI below the injection/remediation zone was very limited. This Fe-59 experimental approach can be further extended to test nZVI transport in a wider range of contaminated soil types and textures and using different application methods and rates. The resulting database could then be used to develop and validate modelling of nZVI-facilitated contaminant transport on an individual soil basis suitable for site specific risk assessment prior to nZVI remediation.

Speciation and bioavailability of lead in complementary medicines.

Complementary medicines have associated risks which include toxic heavy metal(loid) and pesticide contamination. The objective of this study was to examine the speciation and bioavailability of lead (Pb) in selected complementary medicines. Six herbal and six ayurvedic medicines were analysed for: (i) total heavy metal(loid) contents including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), Pb and mercury (Hg); (ii) speciation of Pb using sequential fractionation and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) techniques; and (iii) bioavailability of Pb using a physiologically-based in vitro extraction test (PBET). The daily intake of Pb through the uptake of these medicines was compared with the safety guidelines for Pb. The results indicated that generally ayurvedic medicines contained higher levels of heavy metal(loid)s than herbal medicines with the amount of Pb much higher than the other metal(loid)s. Sequential fractionation indicated that while organic-bound Pb species dominated the herbal medicines, inorganic-bound Pb species dominated the ayurvedic medicines. EXAFS data indicated the presence of various Pb species in ayurvedic medicines. This implies that Pb is derived from plant uptake and inorganic mineral input in herbal and ayurvedic medicines, respectively. Bioavailability of Pb was higher in ayurvedic than herbal medicines, indicating that Pb added as a mineral therapeutic input is more bioavailable than that derived from plant uptake. There was a positive relationship between soluble Pb fraction and bioavailability indicating that solubility is an important factor controlling bioavailability. The daily intake values for Pb as estimated by total and bioavailable metal(loid) contents are likely to exceed the safe threshold level in certain ayurvedic medicines. This research demonstrated that Pb toxicity is likely to result from the regular intake of these medicines which requires further investigation.

Analytical characterisation of nanoscale zero-valent iron: A methodological review.

Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (nZVI) have been widely tested as they are showing significant promise for environmental remediation. However, many recent studies have demonstrated that their mobility and reactivity in subsurface environments are significantly affected by their tendency to aggregate. Both the mobility and reactivity of nZVI mainly depends on properties such as particle size, surface chemistry and bulk composition. In order to ensure efficient remediation, it is crucial to accurately assess and understand the implications of these properties before deploying these materials into contaminated environments. Many analytical techniques are now available to determine these parameters and this paper provides a critical review of their usefulness and limitations for nZVI characterisation. These analytical techniques include microscopy and light scattering techniques for the determination of particle size, size distribution and aggregation state, and X-ray techniques for the characterisation of surface chemistry and bulk composition. Example characterisation data derived from commercial nZVI materials is used to further illustrate method strengths and limitations. Finally, some important challenges with respect to the characterisation of nZVI in groundwater samples are discussed.

In Vivo Autofluorescence Spectroscopic Study and Evaluation of DNA Damage By Comet Assay in Smokers.

CONTEXT: Tobacco is known environmental factor to alter the chemical composition of cells and the structure of DNA. Cellular level changes of smoker's mucosa are assessed by autofluorescence spectroscopy and the DNA damage can be evaluated by single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay). AIM: To substantiate the changes in the autofluorescence due to smoking with that of early DNA damage without any clinical change. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Group I consists of 20 individuals with normal mucosa and Group II consists of 40 individuals with smoking habit. Only males were included in this study and their age ranging from 25 to 35 years. In vivo fluorescence spectra from both groups were obtained by using hand held fiber optic probe attached to Varian Cary Eclipse fluorescence spectrophotometer and comet assay was carried out for normal and smokers by their peripheral blood. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Independent-Samples t-test was used for statistical analysis. P-value was obtained to discriminate the statistical differences between the two groups. RESULTS: The averaged excitation and emission spectra of normal and smoker's mucosa showed significant differences statistically. In comet assay, the mean tail length of smoker group was higher than the normal group. The results showed statistically significant differences (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: These techniques will be very useful for monitoring of very early changes of mucosa before clinical manifestation of the lesion in high risk smokers and thus prevents the occurrence of premalignant disorders and early invasive carcinoma.

Lipomyelocele with osseous dysraphic hamartoma: A rare case report.

Lipomyelocele is the most common occult spinal dysraphism. However, it can rarely be associated with aberrant tissues such as bone--making it one of the rarest of spinal dysraphism type, called as "osseous dysraphic hamartoma." The authors report such a rare case of lipomyelocele with osseous dysraphic hamartoma. CT and MRI play a complimentary role in accurate diagnosis of this rare dysraphism. Detection of aberrant bone helps plan the surgery.

Non-labile silver species in biosolids remain stable throughout 50 years of weathering and ageing.

Increasing commercial use of nanosilver has focussed attention on the fate of silver (Ag) in the wastewater release pathway. This paper reports the speciation and lability of Ag in archived, stockpiled, and contemporary biosolids from the UK, USA and Australia, and indicates that biosolids Ag concentrations have decreased significantly over recent decades. XANES revealed the importance of reduced-sulfur binding environments for Ag speciation in materials ranging from freshly produced sludge to biosolids weathered under ambient environmental conditions for more than 50 years. Isotopic dilution with (110 m)Ag showed that Ag was predominantly non-labile in both fresh and aged biosolids (13.7% mean lability), with E-values ranging from 0.3 to 60 mg/kg and 5 mM CaNO3 extractable Ag from 1.2 to 609 µg/kg (0.002-3.4% of the total Ag). This study indicates that at the time of soil application, biosolids Ag will be predominantly Ag-sulfides and characterised by low isotopic lability.

A study of predictors for identification of risk of complications in patients with liver abscess.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver abscess is a significant health problem in developing countries and the complications associated with it are frequently fatal. Hence identification of these complications and anticipating the same will lead to reduction in the mortality and morbidity rate. Such a work will facilitate in identifying patients with risk of complications and will allow for planning of an early intervention. The aim of this study was to identify the predictors of risk of complications in patients with liver abscess. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data for this retrospective study was obtained from hospital records and included 100 patients diagnosed to have solitary or multiple liver abscess. Complications were defined and history, lab and radiological findings and course of treatment were observed and analyzed in correlation with occurrence of complications. A predictive scoring system was designed for 15 points by giving two points to the factors with 100% correlation and one point to other factors with strong correlation. The score was applied to a validation cohort of 114 different patients and results were noted. RESULTS: Out of the 100 cases studied 24 cases had complications of and the predictive factors included history of alcoholism (> 10 yrs), INR > 1.7 , TLC > 20000/cc and pleural effusion, while other factors had a varying degree of correlation with complication occurrence. It was observed that the new scoring system was successful in identifying patients at risk of developing complications with 100% sensitivity and 93.75% specificity. CONCLUSION: Management of liver abscess can be clearly defined by dividing patients into categories depending upon a new scoring system described in the study and intervention can be planned.

Diagnostic Disparity in Solitary Cysticercosis of the Forearm in a Child.

Solitary cysticercosis of muscle is a rare disease causing diagnostic dilemma. Cysticercosis commonly affects the central nervous system and other tissues by dissemination imposing a serious health problem. We report this rare presentation of solitary cysticercosis of flexor digitorum superficialis in a five year old otherwise healthy child. The fine needle aspiration cytology and histopathological diagnosis were inconclusive but ultrasonography of the muscle clinched the diagnosis.