Thoughts on vaccine hesitancy in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic.

Vaccines have made great contributions to the prevention of infectious diseases, but vaccine hesitancy is widespread in the world. The reasons for vaccine hesitancy are complex, but the main reasons are the lack of public awareness of vaccine-preventable diseases and the lack of confidence in vaccine effectiveness and safety. In the context of the continuous spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, boosting public confidence and ensuring the orderly development of the vaccination work of COVID-19 vaccines and conventional vaccines are necessary to curb the resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic and prevent the outbreak of various infectious diseases in China. Under the current situation, the main measures to deal with vaccine hesitancy are to play the role of health care institutions, improve public health literacy, normalize the public opinion orientation of the media platform, strengthen the supervision of vaccine clinical research and production, and do a good job in surveillance and compensation for adverse events following immunization.Copyright © 2021 by the Chinese Medical Association.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT ON ALCOHOLIC HEPATITIS HEALTHCARE UTILISATION

Background and Aims: Alcoholic hepatitis (AH) is associated with significant morbidity, mortality and healthcare expenditure. The global SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic and related lockdown measures have potentially contributed to an increase in alcohol misuse. This study examines frequency and patient outcomes of AH admissions to an Australian quaternary liver transplant referral centre. We aimed to ascertain the change in AH severity, ICU admission rates and healthcare utilisation costs over the last 5 years to identify temporal associations with the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients aged 18 years and older fulfilling National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism diagnostic criteria for AH between January 2016 and March 2021 was conducted. Data were collected from electronic medical records and analysed. Primary endpoints were the frequency of AH admissions, ICU admission rates and healthcare costs, which were evaluated with a divergence at the beginning of lockdown restrictions (March 2020 – March 2021 “COVID cohort”) versus the “historical cohort” (January 2016 - February 2020). Results: In total, 105 eligible AH admissions were identified. Overall, 90 day mortality was 18% (19/105). AH admission rate for the COVID cohort was significantly higher at 3.38 cases/month (n = 44) compared to the historical cohort at 1.22 cases/month (n = 61), p < 0.001. The COVID cohort had greater disease severity with a higher Glasgow Alcoholic Hepatitis Score during admission [8.5 (IQR 7-10) vs 7 (IQR 6-9), p = 0.04]. The AH COVID cohort trended towards a greater proportion requiring ICU admission, inotropic support and longer ICU length of stay. Whilst per-episode adjusted healthcare costs were similar across the study, monthly costs of the COVID cohort were higher compared to the historical cohort due to increased admission frequencies [mean (SD) ≥137,549 (54,058) vs ≥38,000 (27,448), p = 0.02 (Figure 1)]. No patients in this study were diagnosed with COVID-19. Conclusion: In this study, alcoholic hepatitis admission frequency and healthcare costs were found to have increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. These observations provide the impetus for future studies to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has led to increased AH presentations and develop preventative strategies that reduce alcohol related admissions and associated costs (Figure Presented)

Combined Influence of Commenting and Forwarding on Information Propagation on the Chinese Sina Microblog

After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, social media platforms offer an essential channel for the public to obtain and discuss the latest development of the epidemic situation and vaccine research. On the Chinese Sina Microblog, which is one of the most popular social platforms in China, two unique interaction mechanisms promote the change of the intensity and breadth of online information propagation, namely 'commenting' and 'forwarding'. Based on that, we propose a Susceptible-Commenting-Forwarding-Immune (SCFI) dynamic model and use the actual public opinion event on the Chinese Sina Microblog to adopt a data-model dual-drive research approach. We focus on the differences between the influence of 'commenting community' and 'forwarding community' on the promotion of information propagation, which is conducive to grasping the law of public opinion propagation. Our experimental results show that the multiple interactive mechanisms can particularly affect public opinion propagation. Our conclusions can contribute to designing effective communication strategies for governments and related agencies to guide public opinion in response to public health emergencies. © 2022 IEEE.

Assessing urban resilience to public health disaster using the rough analytic hierarchy process method: A regional study in China

In the context of frequent occurrences of disasters worldwide, disaster-coping capability is imperative for risk reduction and contemporary emergency management. The global COVID-19 pandemic since 2020 has further highlighted the significance of resilience construction at different geographical scales. Overall, the conceptual cognition of resilience in disaster management covers multiple elements and has diverse yielding on regional assessment. This study assesses the local resilience to the public health disaster at the prefecture-level cities, focusing on two dimensions consisting of vulnerability and capability in the targeted provincial region of Jiangsu in China. To this end, based on the vulnerability-capability framework, the Rough Analytic Hierarchy Process (RAHP) method was applied to the resilience assessment. Drawing upon the criteria derived from literature, the criteria weights were determined with the RAHP method and we assessed urban resilience with census data. In addition, the hierarchical factors contributing to urban resilience were determined using robustness analysis. This research provides constructive ideas for regional disaster reduction and contributes to the government's capability to improve urban resilience. © 2022

Continuity of cancer care: The surgical experience of two large Cancer Hubs in London and Milan

Introduction: A better understanding of the reality for cancer patients during COVID-19 will help us readapt current predication models. To further inform future clinical guidelines, we need a deep dive into rich data sources from apex Cancer Centres. We report on the outcomes of cancer patients receiving radical surgery between March-September 2020 (as well as 2019) in the European Institute of Oncology (EIO) in Milan and the South East London Cancer Alliance (SELCA). Methods: IEO is one of the largest cancer hospitals in Italy. SELCA includes 3 major hospital trust, treating about 8,000 new cancer patients per annum. Both institutions implemented a COVID-19 minimal pathway, whereby patients were required to shield for 14 days prior to admission and were swabbed for COVID-19 within 3 days of surgery. Positive patients had surgery deferred until a negative swab. Surgical outcomes assessed were: ASA grade, surgery time, theatre time, ICU stay>24h, pneumonia, length of stay (LOS), and admissions. For COVID-19, we focused on infection rate and mortality. Results: At IEO the number of radical surgeries (270 for gynaecological, 339 for head and neck, 377 for thoracic, and 491 for urological cancers) declined by 6% as compared to the same period in 2019 (n=1477 vs 1560). The main decline was observed for thoracic surgery (377 vs 460, i.e. -18%). Age, sex, SES, ethnicity, comorbidities, and performance status were all comparable between both periods (e.g. 58% male, 38% aged 70+, 48% high SES, 15% with existing cardiovascular diseases). Readmissions were required for 39%, and <1% (n=9) developed COVID-19, of which only 1 had severe disease and died. 11 died of other causes during follow-up (1%). At SELCA, the number of radical surgeries (321 for breast, 129 for colorectal, 114 for gynaecological, 152 for head and neck, 92 for liver, 56 for plastics/skin, 305 for thoracic, 72 for upper gastrointestinal, and 312 for urology) declined by 29% (n=1553 vs 2182). Even though a different geographical setting, characteristics were fairly comparable with the IEO: 58% males, 30% aged 70+, 34% high SES, 16% with existing cardiovascular diseases. Readmissions were required for 22%, <1% (n=7) developed COVID-19, and none died from it. 19 died of other causes within 30 days (1%). Conclusion: Milan and London were both at the epicentre of the first COVID-19 wave. Whilst a decline in number of surgeries was observed, the implemented COVID-19 minimal pathways have shown to be safe for cancer patients requiring radical treatment, with limited complications and almost no COVID-19 infections.

PrEP Use, Sexual Behaviour, and PrEP Adherence Among Men who have Sex with Men Living in Wales Prior to and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We examined PrEP use, condomless anal sex (CAS), and PrEP adherence among men who have sex with men (MSM) attending sexual health clinics in Wales, UK. In addition, we explored the association between the introduction of measures to control transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on these outcomes. We conducted an ecological momentary assessment study of individuals in receipt of PrEP in Wales. Participants used an electronic medication cap to record PrEP use and completed weekly sexual behaviour surveys. We defined adherence to daily PrEP as the percentage of CAS episodes covered by daily PrEP (preceded by ≥ 3 days of PrEP and followed by ≥ 2 days). Sixty participants were recruited between September 2019 and January 2020. PrEP use data prior to the introduction of control measures were available over 5785 person-days (88%) and following their introduction 7537 person-days (80%). Data on CAS episodes were available for 5559 (85%) and 7354 (78%) person-days prior to and following control measures respectively. Prior to the introduction of control measures, PrEP was taken on 3791/5785 (66%) days, there were CAS episodes on 506/5559 (9%) days, and 207/406 (51%) of CAS episodes were covered by an adequate amount of daily PrEP. The introduction of pandemic-related control measures was associated with a reduction in PrEP use (OR 0.44, 95%CI 0.20-0.95), CAS (OR 0.35, 95%CI 0.17-0.69), and PrEP adherence (RR = 0.55, 95%CI 0.34-0.89) and this may have implications for the health and wellbeing of PrEP users and, in addition to disruption across sexual health services, may contribute to wider threats across the HIV prevention cascade.

The Right to Accessible COVID-19 Testing in the Post-Epidemic Period under the Urban-Rural Integration: Haishu District, Ningbo City, China

The reasonable distribution of COVID-19 testing facilities is a crucial public necessity to protect the civil right of health and the proper functioning of society in the post-epidemic period. However, most of the current COVID-19 testing facilities are in large hospitals in China, partially overlooking the COVID-19 testing needs of rural dwellers. This paper used shortest-path analysis and the improved potential model to measure the accessibility of current and potential COVID-19 testing facilities, superimposing this with the testing demands of residents, as calculated by the population demand index, so as to comprehensively evaluate the equity of the spatial allocation of the current and potential testing facilities, with a particular focus on Haishu District, Ningbo City, China. The results revealed that the overall accessibility of the current testing facilities in Haishu District was high, while the internal spatial differentiation was considerable. The comprehensive accessibility of testing facilities gradually declined from the downtown areas towards the rural areas. Moreover, roughly half of the rural population needing COVID-19 tests encountered hindrances due to poor access to testing agencies. However, after fully exploiting the potential testing facilities, the comprehensive accessibility of testing facilities was significantly improved, and the inequity in the accessibility to testing facilities was effectively alleviated, which significantly improved the equity of the allocation of testing facilities in Haishu District. The leveraging of current medical facilities to boost the number of testing facilities in rural areas could eliminate the disparity of resource distribution caused by urban and rural binary opposition, and could quickly identify external sources of COVID-19 in rural areas in the post-epidemic period. Moreover, efficient COVID-19 testing combined with the travel records of infection carriers can effectively identify unknown infection cases and obviate large-scale infection outbreaks.

Isolation and management measures in hospitals during the COVID⁃19 epidemic

Prevention and control measures for isolation and centralized management of COVID‑19 patients and suspected patients are key measures in the COVID‑19 pandemic. It is crucial to rapidly activate the emergency plan and establish an isolation ward if confirmed or suspect COVID‑19 cases are found. Patients and staff management policies and procedures should be adopted and implemented. Strict implementation of the disinfection and isolation system is very important. Personal protection of patients and medical staff, and standardized disinfection of the ward should be implemented. Personalized treatment plan should be made according to the severity of each patient's condition, the situation of chronic diseases and the severity of COVID‑19. Great attention, strictly implementing the disinfection and isolation system, and standardizing the management of specific work can effectively help controling the infection in hospital. © 2022, Editorial Board of Medical Journal of Wuhan University. All right reserved.

Thought on Establishing the Joint Prevention, Control and Disposal Mechanism of Medical Waste under the COVID-19 Epidemic

A range of shortcomings was exposed in China's medical waste disposal capabilities in responding to public health emergencies under outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) epidemic. Especially, the traditional medical waste disposal capacity allocation and the prevention and control mechanism oriented to 'a single city' have been far from meeting the needs of medical waste disposal and management during the emergency period. Therefore, suggestions on establishing the regional joint prevention, control and disposal mechanism of medical waste were put forward in this paper with reference to the ideas of China's existing regional joint prevention and control mechanism for air and water pollution, which covered the aspects of establishment of coordinating agencies, cross-regional collaborative disposal, cross-regional joint response to emergencies, cross-regional collaborative management and effectiveness evaluation. © 2021 The authors and IOS Press.

PRIMROSE: A national trainee collaborative-led, multicentre prospective audit on the care of breast cancer patients with central nervous system disease in the UK

Introduction: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in the UK and the 4th leading cause of cancer-related death. Breast cancer brain metastases (BCBM) are a poor prognostic indicator and associated with very poor survival and only a minority of patients survive >1 year despite oncological treatment. The rising prevalence of patients with BCBM represent an increasing unmet healthcare need. However, in the UK there is a paucity of data about prevalence, survival and management. Guidance on managing brain metastases is improving, however it is unclear how this has been applied in the context of BCBM and whether recommended standards are uniformly applied across the UK Methods: PRIMROSE is a trainee collaborative-led initiative to estimate BCBM prevalence, assess current practice (comparing national/international standards) and determine long term outcomes/sequalae. Anonymised data is being pooled via secure REDCap database collating demographics, clinico-pathological information, prior treatment, BCBM treatment and other key variables. All UK hospitals can register, with recruitment driven by trainees via the UK Breast Cancer Trainees Research Collaborative Group and British Neurosurgical Trainee Research Collaborative. Senior oversight will be provided by a local consultant oncologist or neurosurgeon. Results: Opened in Jan 2020, 180 datasets have been entered, despite significant disrupted due to COVID-19 from Feburary to May). Over 25 sites are open/in the process of joining. Trainee networks have been established in all regions of the UK with the exception of Yorkshire and The Humber, East of England and North East England. Promotion of the network has occurred at significant oncology conferences (e.g. San Antonio Breast Meeting, and National Cancer Research Institute). We plan to expand to all major UK neurosurgical and oncology centres by December 2020, with data collection completed by December 2021. Conclusions: PRIMROSE demonstrates the utility of trainee collaborative networks in rapidly organising large-scale multicentre data collection to understand care of patients at a national level. Such information will be important for identifying current pactice and act as a benchmark for improving local service delivery for patients with BCBM.

An objective assessment of surgical technical skill decay during the mandated COVID-19 surgical shutdown

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: In March 2020, elective surgical procedures in the US were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential degradation of surgical skills during this hiatus has not yet been studied. Our previous work demonstrated that suturing performance is associated with urinary continence recovery after robotic prostatectomy. Herein, we use objective virtual reality (VR) simulation metrics to evaluate suturing technical skill degradation during the COVID-19 shutdown. METHODS: Surgeons completed a robotic VR suturing sponge exercise immediately prior to and after a mandated six-week surgical hiatus that ran from March 20, 2020 to May 5, 2020 at our institution. VR simulator metrics were collected including completion time, economy of motion, instrument collisions, needle drops, and missed targets. Comparisons of parameters before/after the shutdown were performed with either paired Student's t test or Wilcoxon-matched signed rank test. RESULTS: 22 urologic surgeons completed VR sessions preand post- COVID-19 shutdown. Surgeons were classified a priori as novice (<10 cases, n=6), training (10-300 cases, n=7), or expert (>300 cases, n=9) surgeons. Among all participants, weekly robotic surgery caseload decreased from median (IQR) 2.75 (0.5-6.0) pre- COVID to 0.75 (0-1.5) during the shutdown (p<0.001). Overall, we saw an increase in exercise completion time (p<0.001) and missed targets (p=0.004) as well as worse economy of motion (p=0.002) after the shutdown (Figure 1a, 2a, 3a). Our expert cohort had a significant increase in instrument collisions events (p=0.022) and missed targets (p=0.022) (Figure 3b) with significantly fewer needle drops (p=0.025). Our training surgeons had an increase in exercise completion time (p=0.020) and worse economy of motion (p=0.026) while our novice surgeons only showed worse economy of motion (p=0.037) (Figure 1c, 2c, 2d, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In just six weeks, we saw degradations in measures of efficiency and accuracy for our overall cohort. The observed degradation of technical skill warrants investigation of impacts on clinical outcomes as well as development of methods of retaining surgical skills during common periods of inactivity (sabbatical, maternity/ paternity leave).

AN ALREADY SICK HEART: A CASE OF FATAL SARS-COV-2 MYOCARDITIS

TOPIC: Cardiovascular Disease TYPE: Medical Student/Resident Case Reports INTRODUCTION: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) myocarditis has recently been described in case reports. A systematic review in early 2021 found fourteen case reports of myocarditis or myopericarditis secondary to this viral infection. We describe an interesting case of proven non-ischemic cardiac dysfunction in the setting of acute infection. Despite steroid treatment, which has been suggested to have favorable outcomes, our patient did not survive. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a 77-year-old man with extensive electrophysiologic and ischemic cardiac disease who presented to the hospital for generalized weakness, malaise, and shortness of breath. The patient's cardiac history was significant for atrial flutter s/p ablation, coronary artery disease s/p coronary artery bypass graft in the distant past, peripheral artery disease s/p right lower extremity revascularization, and carotid stenosis s/p carotid endarterectomy. SARS-CoV-2 PCR test was positive. The patient had increasing hypoxia which required non-invasive ventilation and eventually, tracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. The hospital course was complicated by the development of persistent chest pain associated with elevated cardiac enzymes. EKG showed diffuse ST-segment depressions. An echocardiogram revealed diffuse left ventricular hypokinesis and a reduced ejection fraction of 20% which was not present previously. In this setting, the patient was ruled in for acute coronary syndrome and underwent cardiac catheterization. Cardiac catheterization demonstrated patent grafts and no significant obstructive disease. A presumptive diagnosis of myocarditis was made. The patient's clinical status deteriorated despite optimal medical treatment, and he developed hemodynamically unstable atrial fibrillation that did not respond to pharmacologic treatment or cardioversion and resulted in cardiogenic shock and, ultimately, his death. DISCUSSION: SARS-CoV-2 myocarditis has been described in select case reports internationally. Many of these cases are described in patients with no previously identified comorbid conditions. This case suggests that in patients with underlying electrophysiologic dysfunction, SARS-CoV-2 myocarditis is associated with poor outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanism of the effect of SARS-CoV-2 on the heart is unclear and includes myocarditis or myopericarditis. In our patient, cardiac catheterization which was performed during his hospitalization confirmed no ischemic disease and suggested the presence of myocarditis which was ultimately fatal in the setting of refractory cardiogenic shock. Further research is needed into the optimal management of myocarditis associated with SARS-CoV-2. REFERENCE #1: Sawalha K, Abozenah M, Kadado AJ, et al. Systematic Review of COVID-19 Related Myocarditis- Insights on Management and Outcome. Cardiovasc Revasc Med. Feb 2021;23:107-113. REFERENCE #2: Purdy A, Ido F, Sterner S, et al. Myocarditis in COVID-19 presenting with cardiogenic shock: a case series. Eur Heart J Case Rep. Feb 2021;5(2):ytab028. REFERENCE #3: Fried JA, Ramasubbu K, Bhatt R, et al. The Variety of Cardiovascular Presentations of COVID-19. Circulation. 2020;141(23):1930-1936. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Sravani Gajjala, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Stacey Jou, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Zein Kattih, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Rosaline Ma, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Akhilesh Mahajan, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Vinayak Shenoy, source=Web Response

Quantum ReLU activation for Convolutional Neural Networks to improve diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and COVID-19

This study introduces a quantum-inspired computational paradigm to address the unresolved problem of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) using the Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) activation function (AF), i.e., the ‘dying ReLU’. This problem impacts the accuracy and the reliability in image classification tasks for critical applications, such as in healthcare. The proposed approach builds on the classical ReLU and Leaky ReLU, applying the quantum principles of entanglement and superposition at a computational level to derive two novel AFs, respectively the ‘Quantum ReLU’ (QReLU) and the ‘modified-QReLU’ (m-QReLU). The proposed AFs were validated when coupled with a CNN using seven image datasets on classification tasks involving the detection of COVID-19 and Parkinson's Disease (PD). The out-of-sample/test classification accuracy and reliability (precision, recall and F1-score) of the CNN were compared against those of the same classifier when using nine classical AFs, including ReLU-based variations. Findings indicate higher accuracy and reliability for the CNN when using either QReLU or m-QReLU on five of the seven datasets evaluated. Whilst retaining the best classification accuracy and reliability for handwritten digits recognition on the MNIST dataset (ACC = 99%, F1-score = 99%), avoiding the ‘dying ReLU’ problem via the proposed quantum AFs improved recognition of PD-related patterns from spiral drawings with the QReLU especially, which achieved the highest classification accuracy and reliability (ACC = 92%, F1-score = 93%). Therefore, with these increased accuracy and reliability, QReLU and m-QReLU can aid critical image classification tasks, such as diagnoses of COVID-19 and PD. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd

Unmasking the conversation on masks: Natural language processing for topical sentiment analysis of COVID-19 Twitter discourse

In this exploratory study, we scrutinize a database of over one million tweets collected from March to July 2020 to illustrate public attitudes towards mask usage during the COVID-19 pandemic. We employ natural language processing, clustering and sentiment analysis techniques to organize tweets relating to mask-wearing into high-level themes, then relay narratives for each theme using automatic text summarization. In recent months, a body of literature has highlighted the robustness of trends in online activity as proxies for the sociological impact of COVID-19. We find that topic clustering based on mask-related Twitter data offers revealing insights into societal perceptions of COVID- 19 and techniques for its prevention. We observe that the volume and polarity of mask-related tweets has greatly increased. Importantly, the analysis pipeline presented may be leveraged by the health community for qualitative assessment of public response to health intervention techniques in real time.

Thoughts on vaccine hesitancy in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic

Vaccines have made great contributions to the prevention of infectious diseases, but vaccine hesitancy is widespread in the world. The reasons for vaccine hesitancy are complex, but the main reasons are the lack of public awareness of vaccine-preventable diseases and the lack of confidence in vaccine effectiveness and safety. In the context of the continuous spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, boosting public confidence and ensuring the orderly development of the vaccination work of COVID-19 vaccines and conventional vaccines are necessary to curb the resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic and prevent the outbreak of various infectious diseases in China. Under the current situation, the main measures to deal with vaccine hesitancy are to play the role of health care institutions, improve public health literacy, normalize the public opinion orientation of the media platform, strengthen the supervision of vaccine clinical research and production, and do a good job in surveillance and compensation for adverse events following immunization. Copyright © 2021 by the Chinese Medical Association.

Erratum: Study on clinical characteristics of 173 cases of COVID-19 and effect of glucocorticoid on nucleic acid negative conversion

[This corrects the article on p. 4251 in vol. 13, PMID: 34150012.].

Study on clinical characteristics of 173 cases of COVID-19 and effect of glucocorticoid on nucleic acid negative conversion

Objective: To study the clinical characteristics, changes in relevant test parameters, time of nucleic acid negative conversion, and effect of glucocorticoid treatment in Wuhan area patients with the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19). Methods: Data of 173 inpatients at Huoshenshan Hospital from February 10 to March 17, 2020, were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical characteristics, partial test results, and the influence of glucocorticoid therapy on the clinical outcomes of nucleic acid negative conversion and changes in lung CT images were compared. The patients were divided at admission into 4 groups according to the course of disease and glucocorticoid treatment. Differences among the groups were analyzed statistically. Results: The median age of 173 patients was 62 years, and 91.3% were over 40 years old. Underlying diseases occurred in 50.3% of patients, 32.6% had family gatherings, and 24.3% had exposure while shopping or at a hospital. Median times of nucleic acid negative conversion in group A+B (course of disease 3 weeks) and group C+D (course of disease 3 weeks) were 23 days and 37 days, respectively (P 0.05). Other group comparisons, i.e., of A+C with B+D, A with B, or C with D, were not statistically different. One week after reexamination, chest CT lesion area had changed by 52% in group C and 50% in group D (P 0.05). In some patients, administration of glucocorticoid for more than 4 weeks significantly promoted the reduction of inflammatory shadow in the lung. Conclusion: Most patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Wuhan were middle-Aged and elderly people with underlying diseases and a history of family gatherings. Glucocorticoid therapy did not affect nor prolong the duration of nucleic acid negative conversion. Glucocorticoid therapy could promote improvement of lung lesions within 3 weeks after disease onset. Beyond 3 weeks, the treatment did not promote reduction in lung shadow area, however the density of shadow did decrease. © 2021 E-Century Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.

Face Mask Recognition Based on MTCNN and MobileNet

The COVID-19 can be transmitted by air droplets, aerosols, and other carriers, the spread of the virus can be effectively prevented by wearing masks in public. Therefore, it is meaningful to identify whether a mask is worn in particular places. In this paper, a method based on multi-task convolutional neural networks (MTCNN) and MobileNet algorithms is proposed to implement mask recognition on human face. Firstly, MTCNN is used to detect facial contours. Then the output image is used to train MobileNet model. By comparing the extracted facial feature data, the human with mask or not can be marked. The method has been tested in a 1.8 GHz Intel Core machine with 160 × 160 static images. Average accuracy rate of 94.73% and detection speed of 1.9 s are achieved. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.