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upplement for young children with moderate acute malnutrition and provide insight into mechanisms by which this targeted manipulation of microbiota components may be linked to growth. (Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04015999.).Introduction. An on-going coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a challenge all over the world. Since an endoscopy unit and its staff are at potentially high risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, we conducted a survey for the management of the gastrointestinal endoscopic practice, personal protective equipment (PPE), and risk assessment for COVID-19 during the pandemic at multiple facilities.Methods. The 11-item survey questionnaire was sent to representative respondent of Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University Hospital, and its 19 related facilities.Results. A total of 18 facilities submitted valid responses and a total of 373 health care professionals (HCPs) participated. All facilities (18/18 100%) were screening patients at risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection before endoscopy. During the pandemic, we found that the total volume of endoscopic procedures decreased by 44%. Eleven facilities (11/18 61%) followed recommendations of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society (JGES); consequently, about 35%-50% of esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were canceled. Mask (surgical mask or N95 mask), face shield/goggle, gloves (one or two sets), and gown (with long or short sleeves) were being used by endoscopists, nurses, endoscopy technicians, and endoscope cleaning staff in all the facilities (18/18 100%). SARS-CoV-2 infection risk assessment of HCPs was conducted daily in all the facilities (18/18 100%), resulting in no subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection in HCPs.Conclusion. COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on the gastrointestinal endoscopic practice. The recommendations of the JGES were appropriate as preventive measures for the SARSCoV-2 infection in the endoscopy unit and its staff.

Sweat chloride testing (SCT) is the mainstay for the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis (CF) and biomarker in the evaluation of CFTR-modifying drugs. To be a reliable and valid tool, analytical variance (CVA) must be minimized. However, external quality assessments have revealed significant deviations in routine clinical practice. Our goal was to identify and quantify technical errors through proficiency testing and simulations.

Chloride concentrations of three blinded samples (each as triplicates) were measured in 9 CF centers using a chloridometer in a routine setting. Technical errors were simulated and quantified in a series of measurements. We compared imprecision and bias before and after a counseling session by evaluating coefficients of variation (CV), adherence to tolerance limits, and inter-rater variability coefficients.

Pipetting errors resulting in changes in sample volume were identified as the main source of error with deviations up to 41%. After the counseling session, the overall CVA decreased from 7.6 to 5.2%, the pass rate increased from 67 to 92%, and the inter-rater variability diminished. Significant deviations continued to be observed in individual centers.

Prevention of technical errors in SCT decreases imprecision and bias. Quality assurance programs must be established in all CF centers, including staff training, standard operating procedures, and proficiency testing.

Prevention of technical errors in SCT decreases imprecision and bias. Quality assurance programs must be established in all CF centers, including staff training, standard operating procedures, and proficiency testing.The lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a major healthcare challenge, is a worldwide threat to public health, social stability, and economic development. The pandemic has affected all aspects of society, dramatically changing our day-to-day lives and habits. It has also changed clinical practice, including practices of clinical laboratories. Brimarafenib in vivo After one year, it is time to rethink what has happened, and is still happening, in order to learn lessons for the future of laboratory medicine and its professionals. While examining this issue, I was inspired by Italo Calvino's famous work, "Six memos for the next millennium".But I rearranged the Author's six memos into "Visibility, quickness, exactitude, multiplicity, lightness, consistency".Blood pressure is a reliable indicator of many cardiac arrhythmias and rheological problems. This study proposes a clinical set-up using conventional monitoring systems to estimate systolic and diastolic blood pressures continuously based on two photoplethysmogram signals (PPG) taken from the earlobe and toe. Several amendments were applied to conventional clinical monitoring devices to construct our project plan. We used two monitors to acquire two PPGs, one ECG, and invasive blood pressure as the reference to evaluate the estimation accuracy. One of the most critical requirements was the synchronization of the acquired signals that was accomplished by using ECG as the time reference. Following data acquisition and preparation procedures, the performance of each PPG signal alone and together was investigated using deep convolutional neural networks. The proposed architecture was evaluated on 32 records acquired from 14 patients after cardiovascular surgery. The results showed a better performance for toe PPG in comparison with earlobe PPG. Moreover, they indicated the algorithm accuracy improves if both signals are applied together to the network. According to the British Hypertension Society standards, the results achieved grade A for both blood pressure measurements. The mean and standard deviation of estimation errors were +0.3 ± 4.9 and +0.1 ± 3.2 mmHg for systolic and diastolic BPs, respectively. Since the method is based on conventional monitoring equipment and provides a high estimation consistency, it can be considered as a possible alternative for inconvenient invasive BP monitoring in clinical environments.