BACKGROUND: The high contagiousness and rapid spreading of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a high number of critical to severe life-threatening cases, which required urgent hospital admission and treatment in intensive care units (ICUs). The pandemic has been a tough test for all European national health systems and their capability to provide an adequate reaction. METHODS: The present work aims to reveal correlations between parameters such as COVID-19 incidence, ICU bed occupancy, ICU excess area, and mortality in Italian regions. Public data for the period of March 1 to July 16, 2020, were analyzed using several mathematical and statistical methods. RESULTS: The analysis defined two separate groups of Italian regions. The examined variables considered within these groups were interlinked and dependent on each other. The regions of the two groups shared the same kind of fitted model (linear) explaining mortality as a function of cumulative incidence, but with higher value of the constant in one group, so characterized by a high intrinsic "strength" of the pandemic, certainly playing a major role in the generation of a large number of severe and life-threatening cases. These results are confirmed at European level. Other factors may condition mortality and be linked to incidence, such as ICU saturation and excess. CONCLUSIONS: These quantitative results could be a very helpful tool to set up preventive measures and optimize biomedical interventions before the pandemic, in its recurrent waves, could overcome the reaction capacity of any public health system.

(1) Background: The diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in an intensive care unit (ICU)remains a challenge and the COVID-19 epidemic makes it even harder Here, we evaluatedAspergillus PCR input to help classifying IA in SARS-CoV-2-infected patients (2) Methods: 45COVID-19 patients were prospectively monitored twice weekly for Aspergillus markers and anti-Aspergillus serology We evaluated the concordance between () Aspergillus PCR and culture inrespiratory samples, and () blood PCR and serum galactomannan Patients were classified asputative/proven/colonized using AspICU algorithm and two other methods (3) Results: Theconcordance of techniques applied on respiratory and blood samples was moderate (kappa = 0 58and kappa = 0 63, respectively), with a higher sensitivity of PCR According to AspICU, 9/45 patientswere classified as putative IA When incorporating PCR results, 15 were putative IA because theymet all criteria, probably with a lack of specificity in the context of COVID-19 Using a modifiedAspICU algorithm, eight patients were classified as colonized and seven as putative IA (4)Conclusion: An appreciation of the fungal burden using PCR and Aspergillus serology was addedto propose a modified AspICU algorithm This proof of concept seemed relevant, as it was inagreement with the outcome of patients, but will need validation in larger cohorts

BACKGROUND: The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the health sector nationwide and internationally Across all disciplines, unique and novel modes of presentation with substantial morbidity and mortality are being encountered, and growing evidence suggests that psychiatric comorbidity is likely among COVID-19 patients OBJECTIVE: This article aims to broaden the current discussion on the psychiatric sequalae of COVID-19, which has largely focused on anxiety, and examine the recently documented psychiatric sequelae of COVID-19 infection, the secondary effects of the pandemic on public mental health, and future psychiatric conditions that may arise due to COVID-19 METHODS: We conducted an in-depth review of the current global psychiatric literature and describe the wide range of psychopathological presentations reported among past COVID-19 patients worldwide and those that are expected to emerge RESULTS: Current discussions in the psychiatric literature on COVID-19 report anxiety and anxiety disorders as a predominant set of clinical presentations during the pandemic The impacts of direct COVID-19 infection, associated psychopathological sequelae, and drastic lifestyle changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, are associated with a broad range of psychopathologies and other neuropsychiatric presentations Pre-existing societal conditions and burdens on the health system in South Africa prompt healthcare providers and public health planners to accordingly prepare for the expected rise in new psychiatric presentations CONCLUSION: Greater awareness of the various psychiatric conditions attributed to COVID-19 infection may allow for earlier screening, more effective treatment, and greater positive health outcomes and better prepare health systems to address the growing pandemic in South Africa

Background. Fear is a negative emotional reaction to or persistent worry over an imminent public health event like COVID-19. The COVID-Fear Scale was developed in many countries, but not in China. The current study aims to examined the psychometric properties of Chinese version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale.Methods. Translation into Chinese and back-translation into English were conducted firstly. Item analysis and exploratory factor analysis in Sample 1, followed by validity tests in Sample 2). Likely, test-rest reliability was conducted in Sample 3.Results. A bifactor structure of Chinese version of FCV-19S with a general fear factor and two orthogonal group factors with fear thoughts and physical response was confirmed. Besides, it has good internal consistency reliability (=.92), composite reliability (CR=.92) and validity correlation validity.Conclusion. The results of the present study confirmed that the Chinese version of FCV-19S has good psychometric properties in the Chinese communities.

A study of 7-fold tilings that use a set of three proto-rhombs in a substitution scheme to tile a large area. A set is discovered that is thought to be the most minimal or smallest one. The scheme uses 11 proto-rhombs to tile the next generation of inflated tiles. The general form of 7-fold substitutions is shown and the role of the 7-fold magic number phi is derived. The figures include a number of newly discovered 7-fold tilings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global public health crisis. Given its inherent nature, social distancing measures are proposed as the primary strategies to curb the spread of this pandemic. Therefore, identifying situations where these protocols are violated, has implications for curtailing the spread of the disease and promoting a sustainable lifestyle. This paper proposes a novel computer vision-based system to analyze CCTV footage to provide a threat level assessment of COVID-19 spread. The system strives to holistically capture and interpret the information content of CCTV footage spanning multiple frames to recognize instances of various violations of social distancing protocols, across time and space, as well as identification of group behaviors. This functionality is achieved primarily by utilizing a temporal graph-based structure to represent the information of the CCTV footage and a strategy to holistically interpret the graph and quantify the threat level of the given scene. The individual components are tested and validated on a range of scenarios and the complete system is tested against human expert opinion. The results reflect the dependence of the threat level on people, their physical proximity, interactions, protective clothing, and group dynamics. The system performance has an accuracy of 76%, thus enabling a deployable threat monitoring system in cities, to permit normalcy and sustainability in the society.

The energy trade is an important pillar of each country's development, making up for the imbalance in the production and consumption of fossil fuels. Geopolitical risks affect the energy trade of various countries to a certain extent, but the causes of geopolitical risks are complex, and energy trade also involves many aspects, so the impact of geopolitics on energy trade is also complex. Based on the monthly data from 2000 to 2020 of 17 emerging economies, this paper employs the fixed-effect model and the regression-discontinuity (RD) model to verify the negative impact of geopolitics on energy trade first and then analyze the mechanism and heterogeneity of the impact. The following conclusions are drawn: First, geopolitics has a significant negative impact on the import and export of the energy trade, and the inhibition on the export is greater than that on the import. Second, the impact mechanism of geopolitics on the energy trade is reflected in the lagging effect and mediating effect on the imports and exports; that is, the negative impact of geopolitics on energy trade continued to be significant 10 months later. Coal and crude oil prices, as mediating variables, decreased to reduce the imports and exports, whereas natural gas prices showed an increase. Third, the impact of geopolitics on energy trade is heterogeneous in terms of national attribute characteristics and geo-event types.

BACKGROUND Soybean lecithin, a plant-based emulsifier widely used in food, is capable of modulating postprandial lipid metabolism. With arising concerns of sustainability, alternative sources of vegetal lecithin are urgently needed, and their metabolic effects must be characterized. OBJECTIVES We evaluated the impact of increasing doses of rapeseed lecithin (RL), rich in essential -linolenic acid (ALA), on postprandial lipid metabolism and ALA bioavailability in lymph-cannulated rats. METHODS Male Wistar rats (8 weeks old) undergoing a mesenteric lymph duct cannulation were intragastrically administered 1 g of an oil mixture containing 4% ALA and 0, 1, 3, 10, or 30% RL (5 groups). Lymph fractions were collected for 6 h. Lymph lipids and chylomicrons (CMs) were characterized. The expression of genes implicated in intestinal lipid metabolism was determined in the duodenum at 6 h. Data was analyzed using either sigmoidal or linear mixed-effects models, or one-way ANOVA, where appropriate. RESULTS RL dose-dependently increased the lymphatic recovery (AUC) of total lipids (1100 g/mLh per additional RL%; P = 0.010) and ALA (50 g/mLh per additional RL%; P = 0.0076). RL induced a faster appearance of ALA in lymph, as evidenced by the exponential decrease of the rate of appearance of ALA with RL (R2 = 0.26; P = 0.0064). Although the number of CMs was unaffected by RL, CM diameter was increased in the 30%-RL group, compared to the control group (0% RL), by 86% at 3-4 h (P = 0.065) and by 81% at 4-6 h (P = 0.0002) following administration. This increase was positively correlated with the duodenal mRNA expression of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (Mttp; = 0.63; P = 0.0052). The expression of Mttp and secretion-associated, ras-related GTPase 1 gene homolog B (Sar1b, CM secretion), carnitine palmitoyltransferase IA (Cpt1a) and acyl-coenzyme A oxidase 1 (Acox1, beta-oxidation), and fatty acid desaturase 2 (Fads2, bioconversion of ALA into long-chain n-3 PUFAs) were, respectively, 49%, 29%, 74%, 48%, and 55% higher in the 30%-RL group vs. the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In rats, RL enhanced lymphatic lipid output, as well as the rate of appearance of ALA, which may promote its subsequent bioavailability and metabolic fate.

BACKGROUND Studies investigating the effects of cold-water immersion (CWI) on the recovery of athletic performance, perceptual measures and creatine kinase (CK) have reported mixed results in physically active populations. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of CWI on recovery of athletic performance, perceptual measures and CK following an acute bout of exercise in physically active populations. STUDY DESIGN Systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression. METHODS A systematic search was conducted in September 2021 using Medline, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EmCare and Embase databases. Studies were included if they were peer reviewed and published in English, included participants who were involved in sport or deemed physically active, compared CWI with passive recovery methods following an acute bout of strenuous exercise and included athletic performance, athlete perception and CK outcome measures. Studies were divided into two strenuous exercise subgroups: eccentric exercise and high-intensity exercise. Random effects meta-analyses were used to determine standardised mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals. Meta-regression analyses were completed with water temperature and exposure durations as continuous moderator variables. RESULTS Fifty-two studies were included in the meta-analyses. CWI improved the recovery of muscular power 24 h after eccentric exercise (SMD 0.34 [95% CI 0.06-0.62]) and after high-intensity exercise (SMD 0.22 [95% CI 0.004-0.43]), and reduced serum CK (SMD - 0.85 [95% CI - 1.61 to - 0.08]) 24 h after high-intensity exercise. CWI also improved muscle soreness (SMD - 0.89 [95% CI - 1.48 to - 0.29]) and perceived feelings of recovery (SMD 0.66 [95% CI 0.29-1.03]) 24 h after high-intensity exercise. There was no significant influence on the recovery of strength performance following either eccentric or high-intensity exercise. Meta-regression indicated that shorter time and lower temperatures were related to the largest beneficial effects on serum CK (duration and temperature dose effects) and endurance performance (duration dose effects only) after high-intensity exercise. CONCLUSION CWI was an effective recovery tool after high-intensity exercise, with positive outcomes occurring for muscular power, muscle soreness, CK, and perceived recovery 24 h after exercise. However, after eccentric exercise, CWI was only effective for positively influencing muscular power 24 h after exercise. Dose-response relationships emerged for positively influencing endurance performance and reducing serum CK, indicating that shorter durations and lower temperatures may improve the efficacy of CWI if used after high-intensity exercise. FUNDING Emma Moore is supported by a Research Training Program (Domestic) Scholarship from the Australian Commonwealth Department of Education and Training. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION Open Science Framework: 10.17605/OSF.IO/SRB9D.

Since its founding institutions the European Economic Community and Eratom, the European Union has paid great attention to energy issues. However, its powers have been updated in relatively recent times. Similarly, the EU has promoted in the post-Kyoto Protocol environmental issues with a leading by example approach and implementing an ambitious plan to decarbonize the economy with the energy transition and emission limitation through a market instrument, the emission trading system. The European emissions trading system has been the most ambitious management of negative externalities related to GHG set-up at the international level. The EU now considers that the costs of ecological industrial transition could limit the ability of European industries to compete in the globalized market with industries not subject to similar limits and costs. The EU intends to adopt a carbon adjustment tax at the border, to limit the phenomenon of reallocation and compensate for environmental costs. This paper analyses the various proposals and their advantages and disadvantages. The focus is on the charge on emissions mechanism, which is one of the three proposals the European Economic and Social Committee suggested to the European Commission for further investigation in view of the current competitive asymmetry now recognized by the EU Commission itself. The charge on emissions would value industrial emissions directly within the VAT and use the blockchain to track the emissive supply chain of products.

With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, clinicians, public officials, and citizens alike struggled to stay abreast of the constant and evolving stream of information about the clinical manifestations of illness, epidemiology of the disease, and the public health response. In this paper, we adapted (i.e., added and modified elements) Beasley and colleagues' information chaos framework to understand the context of citizens' experiences with information during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will show how our adapted framework can be used to characterize information associated challenges observed during this time and the possible impact of information chaos on peoples' cognition and behaviours. Ultimately, we believe that research will benefit by adopting a more holistic perspective using the information chaos framework than strictly studying the independent factors in isolation.

An International Lymphoma Radiation Oncology Group task force has developed emergency recommendations for the management of radiation therapy for patients with hematologic malignancies during the COVID-19 pandemic The recommendations, published in Blood, outline alternative radiation therapy (RT) regimens to address potential space, equipment and staff limitations, as well as to reduce the number of patient visits [ ]most of the normal tissues getting any dose with modern RT will get a low fraction size within the standard 2 Gy range, thereby reducing the risk for late effects

Introduction: Cell-based complement-dependent cytotoxicity crossmatch (CDC-XM) and solid phase assays were introduced for assessing HLA antibodies. However, the complexity of data from cell-based and solid phase assays have led to potential confusion about how to use the results for clinical decision making. Aim: Aim of this study was to compare results of cell-based assay and solid phase assay, to evaluate the usefulness of L-XM for pretransplant detection of HLA class I and II donor-specific IgG antibodies, correlate the mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) values of class I and class II L-XM assay and with CDC-XM and L-PRA (panel reactive antibodies) results. Methods: In this retrospective study, 380 prospective renal transplant recipients were tested for the presence of HLA antibodies by CDC-XM, IgG-L-XM, IgG-L-PRA & L-SAB screening with their corresponding donor. Results: Fifty-one recipients (13.42%) had a positive CDC-XM. L-XM was positive in 125 recipients (32.89%); class I-L-XM was positive in 46 (36.80%) cases, and class II-L-XM was positive in 58 (46.4%) cases and 21 (16.8%) samples were positive for class I and class II. High background was present in 22 (5.87%) samples, the results of which were confirmed by retesting or by correlation with L-PRA and L-SAB assays. Conclusion: The introduction of more sensitive approaches for the detection of anti-HLA-IgG-antibodies, such as L-XM and L-PRA assay, has allowed the identification of anti-HLA-antibodies in recipient serum which is not usually identified by CDC-XM alone. However, L-XM has some limitations; they can be overcome if we combine this assay with L-PRA.

Background: Hangman's fractures are one of the most frequent types of high cervical spine injuries Here, we present a quadriplegic patient due to a hangman's fracture treated during the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic Case Description: A 19-year-old male was quadriplegic and in spinal shock following a motor vehicle accident X-rays showed a C2 hangman's fracture with instability X-rays and CT studies both confirmed anterior dislocation at C2 on C3 with bilateral pedicle C2 fractures and 5 mm of subluxation In addition, he had an infiltrate in both lungs consistent with the diagnosis of COVID-19 The patient was intubated for respiratory failure and hemodynamically stabilized for his spinal shock Unfortunately, before surgical intervention could be undertaken, the patient sustained a fatal cardiorespiratory arrest Conclusion: Utilizing appropriate personal protective equipment, it was and should be possible to treat patients with spinal injuries in the presence of active COVID infection However, the risks of treating such spinal urgencies and emergencies should be thoroughly discussed with the entire nonsurgical and surgical treatment teams (e g , including anesthesiologists, physicians, nurses, and other caregivers) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Surgical Neurology International is the property of Scientific Scholar LLC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use This abstract may be abridged No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract (Copyright applies to all Abstracts )

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (SARS-CoV-2) is a rapidly spreading virus that appeared at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, China. To date, there is no effective treatment for COVID-19. Aloe vera is a widely used medicinal plant and its antiviral activities are well documented. A molecular docking approach was employed in this study to identify the drug lead compounds from Aloe vera against SARS-CoV-2 Non-Structural Protein 16 (NSP-16). A set of 14 Aloe vera compounds satisfying Lipinskys rule of five was collected from the literature. The results suggested that compounds feralolide, aloe-emodin, eupatorin, aloesaponarinII, chrysophanol and aloesaponarinI can bind strongly to the active site of NSP-16, and can be promising natural candidates to inhibit NSP-16.

OBJECTIVE: To understand severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing uptake in the labor and delivery unit and rationales for declining testing, and to institute a process to increase equitable testing uptake. METHODS: We conducted a quality-improvement initiative from May 28-June 25, 2020, during the first 4 weeks of universal SARS-CoV-2 testing in the Barnes-Jewish Hospital labor and delivery unit. All consecutive patients presenting for delivery without coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms were offered testing over four 1-week phases. Phase I documented the rate of testing uptake. Phase II recorded patients' reasons for declining testing. Phase III used phase II findings to create and implement shared decision-making tools. Phase IV offered each patient who declined nasopharyngeal testing an oropharyngeal alternative. The primary outcome was rate of SARS-CoV-2 testing uptake by phase. RESULTS: Of 270 patients, 223 (83%) accepted testing and 47 (17%) declined. Maternal age and mode of delivery were similar between groups, whereas testing uptake was higher among nulliparous, White, Hispanic, or privately insured patients. There was a significant increase in the primary outcome of SARS-CoV-2 testing across phases I-IV, from 68% to 76% to 94% to 95%, respectively (Somers' D 0.45; 95% CI of association 0.30-0.59). The most commonly cited reason for declining testing was concern regarding testing discomfort. In subgroup analyses by race and insurance type, there was a significant increase in testing uptake across phases I-IV for Black patients (56%, 54%, 91%, 92%; Somers' D 0.36; 95% CI of association 0.28-0.64), White patients (76%, 93%, 96%, 100%; Somers' D 0.59; 95% CI of association 0.38-0.8), those with Medicaid insurance (60%, 64%, 88%, 92%; 95%; Somers' D 0.39; CI of association 0.22 to 0.56), and those with private insurance (77%, 96%, 97%, 100%; Somers' D 0.63; 95% CI of association 0.40-0.86). CONCLUSION: Universal SARS-CoV-2 testing uptake significantly increased through a rapid-cycle improvement initiative. Aligning hospital policy with patient-centered approaches led to nearly universally acceptable testing.

SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), as well as SARS-CoV from 2003 along with MERS-CoV from 2012, is a member of the Betacoronavirus genus of the Nidovirales order and is currently the cause of the pandemic called COVID-19 (or Coronavirus disease 2019) COVID-19, which is characterized by cough, fever, fatigue, and severe cases of pneumonia, has affected more than 23 million people worldwide until August 25th, 2020 Here, we present a review of the cellular mechanisms associated with human coronavirus replication, including the unique molecular events related to the replication transcription complex (RTC) of coronaviruses We also present information regarding the interactions between each viral protein and cellular proteins associated to known host-pathogen implications for the coronavirus biology Finally, a specific topic addresses the current attempts for pharmacological interventions against COVID-19, highlighting the possible effects of each drug on the molecular events of viral replication This review intends to aid future studies for a better understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 replication cycle and the development of pharmacological approaches targeting COVID-19

Proximity tracing apps have been proposed as an aide in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis Some of those apps leverage attenuation of Bluetooth beacons from mobile devices to build a record of proximate encounters between a pair of device owners The underlying protocols are known to suffer from false positive and re-identification attacks We present evidence that the attacker's difficulty in mounting such attacks has been overestimated Indeed, an attacker leveraging a moderately successful app or SDK with Bluetooth and location access can eavesdrop and interfere with these proximity tracing systems at no hardware cost and perform these attacks against users who do not have this app or SDK installed We describe concrete examples of actors who would be in a good position to execute such attacks We further present a novel attack, which we call a biosurveillance attack, which allows the attacker to monitor the exposure risk of a smartphone user who installs their app or SDK but who does not use any contact tracing system and may falsely believe they have opted out of the system Through traffic auditing with an instrumented testbed, we characterize precisely the behaviour of one such SDK that we found in a handful of apps-but installed on more than one hundred million mobile devices Its behaviour is functionally indistinguishable from a re-identification or biosurveillance attack and capable of executing a false positive attack with minimal effort We also discuss how easily an attacker could acquire a position conducive to such attacks, by leveraging the lax logic for granting permissions to apps in the Android framework: any app with some geolocation permission could acquire the necessary Bluetooth permission through an upgrade, without any additional user prompt Finally we discuss motives for conducting such attacks ? 2020 ACM

The worldwide pandemic caused by the novel acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has resulted in a new and lethal disease termed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although there is an association between cardiovascular disease and COVID-19, the majority of patients who need cardiovascular care for the management of ischemic heart disease may not be infected with this novel coronavirus. The objective of this document is to provide recommendations for a systematic approach for the care of patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a recognition of two major challenges in providing recommendations for AMI care in the COVID-19 era. Cardiovascular manifestations of COVID-19 are complex with patients presenting with AMI, myocarditis simulating an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) presentation, stress cardiomyopathy, non-ischemic cardiomyopathy, coronary spasm, or nonspecific myocardial injury, and the prevalence of COVID-19 disease in the US population remains unknown with risk of asymptomatic spread. This document addresses the care of these patients focusing on (a) varied clinical presentations; (b) appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) for health care workers; (c) the roles of the emergency department, emergency medical system, and the cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL); and (4) regional STEMI systems of care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains the standard of care for STEMI patients at PCI-capable hospitals when it can be provided in a timely manner, with an expert team outfitted with PPE in a dedicated CCL room. A fibrinolysis-based strategy may be entertained at non-PCI-capable referral hospitals or in specific situations where primary PCI cannot be executed or is not deemed the best option.

In the present study, we upgraded Pyrococcus furiosus Argonaute (PfAgo) mediated nucleic acid detection method and established a highly sensitive and accurate molecular diagnosis platform for the large-scale screening of COVID-19 infection. Briefly, RT-PCR was performed with the viral RNA extracted from nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs as template to amplify conserved regions in the viral genome. Next, PfAgo, guide DNAs and molecular beacons in appropriate buffer were added to the PCR products, followed by incubating at 95 C for 20C30 min. Subsequently, the fluorescence signal was detected. This method was named as SARS-CoV-2 PAND. The whole procedure is accomplished in approximately an hour with the using time of the Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR instrument shortened from >1 h to only 3C5 min per batch in comparison with RT-qPCR, hence the shortage of the expensive Real-time PCR instrument is alleviated. Moreover, this platform was also applied to identify SARS-CoV-2 D614G mutant due to its single-nucleotide specificity. The diagnostic results of clinic samples with SARS-CoV-2 PAND displayed 100% consistence with RT-qPCR test.