Information Disclosure During the COVID-19 Epidemic in China: City-Level Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Information disclosure is a top priority for official responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The timely and standardized information published by authorities as a response to the crisis can better inform the public and enable better preparations for the pandemic; however, there is limited evidence of any systematic analyses of the disclosed epidemic information. This in turn has important implications for risk communication. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe and compare the officially released content regarding local epidemic situations as well as analyze the characteristics of information disclosure through local communication in major cities in China. METHODS: The 31 capital cities in mainland China were included in this city-level observational study. Data were retrieved from local municipalities and health commission websites as of March 18, 2020. A checklist was employed as a rapid qualitative assessment tool to analyze the information disclosure performance of each city. Descriptive analyses and data visualizations were produced to present and compare the comparative performances of the cities. RESULTS: In total, 29 of 31 cities (93.5%) established specific COVID-19 webpages to disclose information. Among them, 12 of the city webpages were added to their corresponding municipal websites. A majority of the cities (21/31, 67.7%) published their first cases of infection in a timely manner on the actual day of confirmation. Regarding the information disclosures highlighted on the websites, news updates from local media or press briefings were the most prevalent (28/29, 96.6%), followed by epidemic surveillance (25/29, 86.2%), and advice for the public (25/29, 86.2%). Clarifications of misinformation and frequently asked questions were largely overlooked as only 2 cities provided this valuable information. The median daily update frequency of epidemic surveillance summaries was 1.2 times per day (IQR 1.0-1.3 times), and the majority of these summaries (18/25, 72.0%) also provided detailed information regarding confirmed cases. The reporting of key indicators in the epidemic surveillance summaries, as well as critical facts included in the confirmed case reports, varied substantially between cities. In general, the best performance in terms of timely reporting and the transparency of information disclosures were observed in the municipalities directly administered by the central government compared to the other cities. CONCLUSIONS: Timely and effective efforts to disclose information related to the COVID-19 epidemic have been made in major cities in China. Continued improvements to local authority reporting will contribute to more effective public communication and efficient public health research responses. The development of protocols and the standardization of epidemic message templates-as well as the use of uniform operating procedures to provide regular information updates-should be prioritized to ensure a coordinated national response.

Penile pyoderma gangrenosum: Successful treatment with thalidomide.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare ulcerating inflammatory neutrophilic dermatosis. Different clinical manifestations have been described, including ulcerative, pustular and bullous, and vegetative variants. Classic PG usually occurs on the lower extremities (~70% of cases) but can also involve the hands, head, neck, and scrotum. Genital involvement of PG has rarely been reported. Treatment of the genital PG is usually difficult and resistance to conventional therapeutic regimens was frequently observed. The present authors reported a 16-year-old male patient who presented with progressive genital ulceration for 3 weeks. He was treated successfully low dose thalidomide (50 mg/d) and minocycline.

Accuracy of freehand pedicle screws versus lateral mass screws in the subaxial cervical spine.

STUDY DESIGN: Radiographic comparative study with prospectively collected data. OBJECTIVES: To assess the accuracy of subaxial cervical pedicle screw (CPS) placement with freehand technique compared to lateral mass screws (LMS). The freehand cervical pedicle screw insertion technique guided by intraoperative lateral C-arm imaging has been shown to be both safe and effective. However, no study has performed a 100% audit of this technique using pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) to determine its true accuracy, as well as its reduction capability of CPS and LMS instrumentation. METHODS: 36 consecutive patients treated surgically by a single surgeon with the exclusive practice of LMS and subsequently CPS over 2 years were included. CT and EOS slot scanner were performed pre- and post-operatively to determine the extent of pedicle screw breach and to assess sagittal alignment reduction between CPS and LMS groups. Predictors of pedicle screw breaches were also identified using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: CPS fixation was more effective in restoring global cervical angle and had superior reduction capability of cervical lordosis at the levels of C3/4 (5.00 ± 3.92, p = 0.008), C4/5 (6.63 ± 5.5, p = 0.010) and C5/6 (7.22 ± 6.19, p = 0.004) compared to LMS fixation. Pedicle screw breaches occurred most commonly at C4 (p = 0.003), and most commonly involved the lateral pedicle wall (p < 0.001). Placement of freehand pedicles screws on the concavity of rotated vertebrae was predictive of pedicle screw breach (OR 2.567, 95% CI 1.058-6.228, p = 0.037). There was no significant difference in the complication rate. CONCLUSIONS: Although freehand cervical pedicle screw fixation is technically more demanding, it is generally safe and effective. However, the increased risk of screw breaches in the context of a rotated spine should be taken into consideration. Lateral mass screw fixation is advised if spinal realignment is not necessary.

The Impact of LED Color Rendering on the Dark Adaptation of Human Eyes at Tunnel Entrances.

The dark adaptation of drivers' eyes at a tunnel entrance seriously affects traffic safety. This can be improved by the design of tunnel lighting. Light-Emitting Diode (LEDs) have been applied as a new type of luminaire in tunnel lighting in recent years, but at present, there are few studies on the influence of color rendering of LEDs on tunnel traffic safety, and there is no explicit indicator for the selection of appropriate color rendering parameters in tunnel lighting specifications, which has aroused researchers' concern. In this article, several new color rendering evaluation indexes were compared, and as a result, it is considered that CRI2012 (a color difference-based color rendering index) is more suitable for evaluating the color rendering of LEDs used at tunnel entrances. The dark adaptation phenomenon was simulated in the laboratory. Four CRI2012s, three color temperatures and eight colored targets were used in the experiments. The results showed that yellow, silver and white can provide shorter reaction times, while red and brown lead to longer reaction times, which can provide a reference for the design of road and warning signs at tunnel entrances. The effect of target color on reaction time was greater than that of color rendering. Under most target colors, the higher the CRI2012, the shorter the reaction time. When designing the color rendering of the LEDs at a tunnel entrance, the value should thus be as large as possible (close to 100), and a lower color temperature value (about 2800 K) should be selected. This paper provides technical support for tunnel lighting design and a reference for tunnel lighting specifications, which is of significance to improve driving safety and avoid traffic accidents in highway tunnels.

Endoscopic Endonasal Approach to Mesencephalic Cavernous Malformations.

BACKGROUND: Symptomatic cavernous malformations involving the brainstem are difficult to access by conventional approaches, which often require dramatic brain retraction to gain adequate operative corridor. Here, we present a successful endoscopic endonasal transclival approach for resection of a hemorrhagic, symptomatic mesencephalic cavernous malformation. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 20-year-old woman presented with acute onset of headache, nausea, and vomiting. Computed tomography scan revealed a ventral midbrain hemorrhage. On day 3 of admission, the patient developed left-sided hemiparesis, restriction of medial and lateral left-eye movements, and loss of left pupillary light reflex. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an increase of the midbrain lesion to 1.2 cm × 1.7 cm. Diffusion tensor imaging showed compression and lateral displacement of the right corticospinal tract near the thalamus and cerebral peduncle. Given the patient's clinical presentation and the findings on imaging, we suspected a mesencephalic cavernous malformation. CONCLUSIONS: The patient underwent an endoscopic endonasal transclival resection of a ventral midline mesencephalon cavernous malformation. A dark red lesion was directly visualized under the endoscope. After a small cortiectomy, the pial and perforator vessels were dissected, and dark-brown blood was drained from the cavernoma cavity. Using a biopsy forceps and with careful attention to the cavernoma borders, the lesion was removed and hemostasis was achieved. Pathologic examination confirmed cavernous malformation. One week after the operation, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated total resection of the lesion. A 3-month follow-up revealed improved neurologic symptoms with minimal surgical morbidity.

Effect of bulking agents on maturity and gaseous emissions during kitchen waste composting.

This study investigated the effect of bulking agents on the maturity and gaseous emissions of composting kitchen waste. Three different bulking agents (cornstalks, sawdust, and spent mushroom substrate) were used to compost kitchen waste under aerobic conditions in 60-L reactors for a 28-d period. A control treatment was also studied using kitchen waste without a bulking agent. During the experiment, maturity indexes such as temperature, pH value, C/N ratio, and germination index were determined, and continuous measurements of leachate and gaseous emissions (CH4, N2O, and NH3) were taken. The results showed that all of the composts with bulking agents reached the required maturity standard, and the addition of spent mushroom substrate gave the highest maturity (C/N ratio decreased from 23 to 16 and germination index increased from 53% to 111%). The bulking agents also reduced leachate production and CH4 and N2O emissions, but had little impact on NH3 emissions. Composting with sawdust as a bulking agent was found to emit less total greenhouse gas (33 kg CO2-eqt(-1) dry matter) than the other treatments.

[Observation on therapeutic effect of round-sharp needle of new nine-needle and elongated needle for piriformis syndrome with triple puncture method].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy differences between round-sharp needle of new nine-needle and elongated needle for piriformis syndrome, and explore its action mechanism. METHODS: Eighty cases were randomly divided into a round-sharp needle of new nine-needle group (round-sharp needle group) and an elongated needle treatment group (elongated needle group), 40 cases in each group. The round-sharp needle group was treated with round-sharp needle (0.60 mm x 125 mm) at three points in piriformis with triple puncture method, while the elongated needle group was treated with elongated needle of ordinary specifications (0.32 mm x 125 mm) at three points in piriformis with triple puncture method. Besides, the two groups were also treated with routine acupuncture at Weizhong (BL 40) and Yanglingquan (GB 34), 3 times every week, 2 weeks as one course of treatment. After one course of treatment, the clinical effect was evaluated and the pain threshold values were measured before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS: The total effective rate in the round-sharp needle group was 92.5% (37/40), which was superior to 77.5% (31/40) in the elongated needle group (P < 0.05). Compared before treatment, the pain threshold values after treatment in two groups were improved significantly (both P < 0.01). The increment of pain threshold value in the round-sharp needle group was higher than that in the elongated needle group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Round-sharp needle of new nine-needle is effective in treatment of piriformis syndrome and is better than ordinary elongated needle, which is related to that it can effectively increase pain threshold value of the local tissue.

[Emergent treatment process for raw water polluted by heavy metal Pb (II)].

Based on two common coagulants-polyferric sulfate (PFS) and polyaluminum chloride (PACl), some measurements and processes in the background of Pb (II) concentration sudden increase in water were studied. The removal efficiency of Pb(II) was compared between PAC and diatomite absorption with coagulation. The effect of coagulant dosage, initial concentration of Pb(II), pH value and KMnO4 preoxidation on coagulation were investigated. The results showed that using PFS was better than PACl for the removal of Pb(II). The regulating pH value up to 9 could improve the removal efficiency of Pb(II) up to 95% by coagulation under the optimum dosage of coagulant PFS of 10 mg/L. KMnO4 preoxidation could improve the removal efficacy of Pb(II) by coagulation of PACl only. The Pb(II) removal efficiency of PAC and diatomite absorption with coagulation were almost equal. Pb(II) concentration could be lowered from 402 microg/L to below 10 microg/L under the condition that dosages of PAC or diatomite were 10 mg/L or 25 mg/L by using PFS. The same effect could be got under the condition that dosages of PAC or diatomite were 20 mg/L or 50 mg/L by using PACl. KMnO4 and diatomite are dosed at the same time would weaken their function each other. Therefore, diatomite adsorption coupled with coagulation is the simplest and most effective method for removing Pb(II).

Correlation between chemical-safety knowledge and personal attitudes among Taiwanese hairdressing students.

BACKGROUND: Hairdressers are exposed daily to a variety of chemicals; insufficient protection and non-compliance are issues of concern in this trade. We examined the relationship between the knowledge hairdressing-students have concerning chemical safety and precautionary handling practices with their intentions and beliefs as regards chemical use, handling precautions, perceptions of associated risk, peer norms, and perceived self-efficacy toward preventing personal exposure. METHODS: A total of 163 full-time students from two vocational schools were recruited to complete a questionnaire and a 60-min structured interview. RESULTS: Students scoring lower in knowledge regarding chemicals were less likely to report the intention to wait for favorable air conditions prior to their using chemicals in the workplace (odds ratio (OR)=2.45, 95% confidence interval (95% CI=2.03-2.96). Those scoring higher were more likely to disagree with the statement that exposure to certain hairdressing-related chemicals is not harmful to human health (OR=0.13, 95% CI=0.03-0.62), and that such chemical exposure does not cause cancer (OR=0.13, 95% CI=0.04-0.40), and were more unlikely to report being too busy to use personal-protective equipment when occupationally using such chemicals (OR=0.45, 95% CI=0.21-0.95). Those participants revealing a low knowledge score with regards to chemicals were also shown to exhibit a poor perception of the long-term harm posed by skin exposure to certain work-related chemicals (OR=2.33, 95% CI=1.10-4.93). Associations between knowledge of chemicals and preventive measures, however, were not found in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Our study's findings support the need to promote primary prevention of potential hazardous chemical exposure by providing a safe occupational environment for hairdressers by means of providing appropriate education and training with regard to safety measures necessary for the safe handling of relevant chemicals.