Mejercapps2560

Human Body Communication (HBC) utilizes the electrical conductivity properties of the human body to communicate between devices in and around the body. The increased energy-efficiency and security provided by HBC compared to traditional radio wave based communication makes it a promising alternative to communicate between energy constrained wearable and implantable devices around the body.However, HBC requires electrical signals to be transmitted through the body, which makes it essential to have a thorough analysis of the safety aspects of such transmission. This paper looks into the compliance of the current density and electric/magnetic fields generated in different modalities of HBC with the established safety standards. Circuit and FEM based simulations are carried out to quantitatively find the compliance of current density and fields with the established safety limits. The results show the currents and fields in Capacitive HBC are orders of magnitude smaller than the specified limits. However, certain excitation modalties in Galvanic HBC can result in current densities and fields exceeding the safety limits around the excitation point on the body near the electrode. A study with 7 human subjects (4 male, 3 female) is carried out over a month, using Capacitive HBC.The study monitors the change in 5 vital parameters (Heart Rate, Mean Arterial Pressure, Respiration Rate, Peripheral Capillary Oxygen Saturation, Temperature), while wearing a HBC enabled device. Analysis of the acquired data statistically shows no significant change in any of the vital parameters of the subjects, confirming the results of the simulation study.OBJECTIVE According to the European Reference Organization for Quality Assured Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Services (EUREF) image quality in mammography is assessed by recording and analyzing a set of images of the CDMAM phantom. The EUREF procedure applies an automated analysis combining image registration, signal detection and nonlinear fitting. We present a proof of concept for an end-to-end deep learning framework that assesses image quality on the basis of single images as an alternative. METHODS Virtual mammography is used to generate a database with known ground truth for training a regression convolutional neural net (CNN). Training is carried out by continuously extending the training data and applying transfer learning. RESULTS The trained net is shown to correctly predict the image quality of simulated and real images. Specifically, image quality predictions on the basis of single images are of similar quality as those obtained by applying the EUREF procedure with 16 images. Our results suggest that the trained CNN generalizes well. CONCLUSION Mammography image quality assessment can benefit from the proposed deep learning approach. SIGNIFICANCE Deep learning avoids cumbersome pre-processing and allows mammography image quality to be estimated reliably using single images.BACKGROUND West Nile virus (WNV) lineage 2, and especially the Hungarian clade, predominates in Europe. Most of the Hungarian clade strains cluster into 2 groups Central/South-West European and Balkan. OBJECTIVES Since there was not any study on WNV in mosquitoes in Bulgaria, the present study was designed to test Culex spp. mosquitoes in areas near the Danube river. The aim of the study was to gain an insight into the recent molecular epidemiology of WNV in Bulgaria. STUDY DESIGN A total of 1871 Culex pipiens mosquitoes collected in 2018 and clinical samples from 23 patients with West Nile neuroinavsive disease observed in 2018 and 2019 were tested by TaqMan RT-PCR and RT-nested PCR and PCR products were sequenced. RESULTS WNV RNA was detected in clinical samples from 10 patients and in five (12.2 %) of 41 pools of Cx. pipiens mosquitos by realtime RT-PCR, resulting in a minimum infection rate of mosquitoes of 0.27 %. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial NS3 gene sequences from one clinical sample and four mosquito pools showed that all sequences clustered into the Hungarian clade of WNV lineage 2 and all but one were identical to respective sequences from Romania. Whole genome sequences of one mosquito pool belong to the Hungarian group of WNV lineage 2 and cluster in a separate subclade from the Bulgarian strain from 2015, suggesting that at least two different introductions occurred in Bulgaria. CONCLUSIONS The current study provides insights into the geographic distribution of WNV in Bulgaria. Coronavirus disease 2019 is a pandemic influencing the first half of the year 2020. The virus has rapidly spread to many countries. Studies are rapidly published to share information regarding epidemiology, clinical and diagnostic patterns, and prognosis. The following review condenses the surge of information into an organized format. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus strain disease, has recently emerged in China and rapidly spread worldwide. This novel strain is highly transmittable and severe disease has been reported in up to 16% of hospitalized cases. More than 600,000 cases have been confirmed and the number of deaths is constantly increasing. COVID-19 hospitalized patients, especially those suffering from severe respiratory or systemic manifestations, fall under the spectrum of the acutely ill medical population, which is at increased venous thromboembolism risk. Thrombotic complications seem to emerge as an important issue in patients infected with COVID-19. Preliminary reports on COVID-19 patients' clinical and laboratory findings include thrombocytopenia, elevated D-dimer, prolonged prothrombin time, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. As the pandemic is spreading and the whole picture is yet unknown, we highlight the importance of coagulation disorders in COVID-19 infected patients and review relevant data of previous coronavirus epidemics caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). BACKGROUND The prognostic significance of diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) remains unknown. OBJECTIVES To assess the risk of ICU admission and morality risk in diabetic COVID-19 patients. STUDY DESING A database search was conducted to identify studies comparing diabetic COVID-19 patients hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU) and those reporting the overall mortality of these patients published up to March 25, 2020 within MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed in abstracting data and assessing validity. Quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale. The main outcome was the risk of ICU admission in diabetic patients with COVID-19 infection while the second was the mortality risk in overall diabetic COVID-19 patients. Data were pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel random effects models with odds ratio (OR) as the effect measure with the related 95 % confidence interval (CI). Statistical heterogeneity between groups was measured using the Higgins I2 statistic. RESULTS Among 1382 patients (mean age 51.5 years, 798 males), DM resulted to be the second more frequent comorbidities. Diabetic patients resulted to have a significant increased risk of ICU admission (OR 2.79, 95 % CI 1.85-4.22, p  less then  0.0001, I2 = 46 %). In 471 patients (mean age 56.6 years, 294 males) analysed for the secondary outcome diabetic subjects resulted to be at higher mortality risk (OR 3.21, 95 % CI 1.82-5.64, p  less then  0.0001, I2 = 16 %). CONCLUSIONS Diabetic patients with COVID-19 patients are at higher risk of ICU admission and show an higher mortality risk. BACKGROUND There are currently no FDA-cleared assays with a dual-claim for both diagnosis and monitoring of HIV-1. The Aptima HIV-1 Quant Dx Assay on the Panther platform (Panther) is the first commercially available test that is CE-marked for both HIV-1 diagnosis and monitoring, but only FDA-cleared for HIV-1 monitoring. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the Panther assay for use as a qualitative and quantitative HIV-1 assay in a pediatric population, including patients younger than 24 months old, and review its effect on laboratory efficiency and hands-on-time following its implementation. STUDY DESIGN 100 patient specimens previously tested on the Abbott m2000 RealTime HIV-1 assay (RealTime) and 185 patient specimens previously tested on the Aptima HIV-1 RNA Qualitative Assay (RNA Qual) were tested on the Panther. Verification panels were used to establish precision and linearity. In addition, 268 samples from 134 patients under 24 months of age were also evaluated on the Panther. RESULTS Overall agreement between the Panther and RealTime assays was 83 %. The mean difference between the two methods was 0.10 Log copies/mL. All Panther measurements were linear across the dynamic range (R2 = 0.999). The Panther and RNA Qual assays showed 100 % agreement. Implementation of the assay opened 600 sq. ft. of space, saved 0.4 FTE and reduced hands-on-time by 70 %. CONCLUSIONS The Panther assay is an excellent option for HIV-1 qualitative detection and quantitative testing in pediatric patients, including those under 24 months of age. HIV testing on one platform has opened up space in the clinical laboratory and reduced hands on testing time. BACKGROUND The Reveal G4 antibody rapid test is FDA-approved for HIV-1 detection using the versions LAB S/P and POC in CLIA-moderate complexity settings with serum/plasma and whole blood, respectively. The same Reveal tests are CE-marked for HIV-1 and HIV-2 detection in laboratory and point-of-care (POC) settings. OBJECTIVE We compared the performance of G4 LAB S/P with plasma and POC with whole blood (blood) for detecting early and established HIV-1/HIV-2 infections. STUDY DESIGN Matched well-characterized plasma and simulated blood were used to evaluate sensitivity in 104 HIV-1 and 55 HIV-2 established infections, specificity in 49 HIV-negative, and reactivity in early HIV-1 infection in a performance panel (n=38) and 18 plasma panels from seroconverters (SCs, n=183). Median number of days after first RNA-positive was calculated for 13 SCs. Impact of viral suppression (VS) was evaluated in 3 SCs receiving early antiretroviral therapy (ART). RESULTS Sensitivity was 100 % for HIV-1 and 98.18 % for HIV-2, while specificity was 100 %. All 38 plasma and blood become reactive by Fiebig stage V. Of 18 SCs, 10 had similar reactivity in plasma/blood, 7 showed delayed reactivity in blood, and 1 was nonreactive in plasma/blood. The median days for a G4-reactive after first RNApositive was 13 for plasma and 14 for blood. Long-term VS had no impact on G4 reactivity. selleckchem CONCLUSIONS Overall reactivity in early HIV-1 infections is delayed by one day in blood compared to plasma. If FDA-approved for POC settings, the G4 POC is a fast sensitive screening tool for HIV-1/HIV-2-specific IgG even during VS. Published by Elsevier B.V.Biodegradable active packaging is required to replace petroleum-based plastics. In this study, a biopolymer-based packaging material was prepared using a casting method, which consisted of a cellulose nanofiber/whey protein matrix containing titanium dioxide particles (1% TiO2) and essential oil droplets (2% rosemary oil) as functional components. The ability of this packaging to protect lamb meat from chemical and microbial spoilage during 15 days of refrigerated storage (4 °C) was analysed. The meat samples were periodically analysed for microbial count, chemical stability (pH, lipid oxidation, lipolysis), and optical properties. The active packaging significantly reduced microbial growth, lipid oxidation, and lipolysis of the lamb meat during storage, which led to an increase in shelf life from around 6 to 15 days. These biopolymer-based active packaging materials may therefore be suitable for application in meat products.