Fatal outcome due to aluminum phosphide poisoning in an old man with a psychiatric disorder as a latent post-COVID-19 challenge: A case report.

Aluminum phosphide is a metal phosphide widely implemented as a pesticide. In the country of Iran, it is recognized by the colloquial name of rice pill. Any trace of accidental or intentional ingestion of aluminum phosphidecan result in severe hemodynamic disorders and metabolic acidosis, ultimately leading to the patient's mortality. In this report, we document the unfortunate demise of an 85-year-old man who lived in isolation, having lost his wife to COVID-19. The patient consumed aluminum phosphide tablets and, despite resuscitation efforts, inevitably succumbed to the toxic effects.

Trends and Prevalence of Hospital Admissions Related to Deliberate Self-Poisoning and Used Substances in Romanian Adolescents between 2016 and 2022.

Rates of self-poisoning are increasing substantially all around the world, with self-poisoning being the most common form of self-harm leading to hospitalization in children and adolescents. This study aims to investigate the trends in the number of deliberate self-poisoning admissions in Romanian adolescents during the period of 2016-2022, as well as the most frequently used substances and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions due to self-poisoning and substance use in relation to these episodes. The sample included 178 patients admitted to the Clinic of Pediatric Psychiatry in Cluj-Napoca from 2016 to 2022 due to an episode of self-poisoning. Data were collected on patients' sociodemographic characteristics, psychosocial characteristics, and medical histories. We report a slight overall increase in the self-poisoning admission rate during the studied period. There was a decrease during the initial period of the pandemic, with significantly increasing rates in the second year of the pandemic. The mean prevalence rate of hospital admissions due to self-poisoning episodes during the study period was 3.14% (95% CI 2.72, 3.63). Adolescent girls were identified as the most vulnerable group, with the female-to-male ratio increasing dramatically. In terms of substance use, benzodiazepines; over-the-counter analgesics, including paracetamol; and antidepressants were the most frequently used substances. We emphasize the importance of careful consideration in prescribing psychotropic drugs, as well as the need for regulation of over-the-counter drug dispensation.

Clinical features of COVID-19 rapid antigen test exposures reported by an Australian poisons information centre: a prospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease COVID-19 rapid antigen tests are a useful tool in detecting infection, and their use has increased in many countries since they became commercially available in late 2021. Some rapid antigen tests contain sodium azide, which can be toxic in small doses. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of exposures to COVID-19 rapid antigen tests. METHODS: This is a prospective study conducted by the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre. From 22 January 2022 to 31 August 2022, rapid antigen test exposures were followed up to obtain outcome information. Data collected included: brand/ingredients, exposure route, demographics, symptoms, and disposition. RESULTS: We recorded 218 exposures in the seven-month study period. Complete follow-up information was available in 75% (n = 164). There were 53 exposures to sodium azide-containing products (35 with follow-up data) and 165 to non-sodium azide-containing products and unknown ingredient exposures (129 with follow-up data). Overall, unintentional exposures predominated (n = 182), and 151 were ingestions. The vast majority (>90%) did not develop symptoms, and all symptoms that developed were mild. Most cases (95%, n = 208) did not require referral to a healthcare facility. CONCLUSIONS: In this prospective series, few patients developed symptoms, regardless of the sodium azide content, likely due to low concentration and low volume within the test kits. However, ongoing toxicovigilance is warranted.

The use of analgesics for intentional self-poisoning: Trends in U.S. poison center data.

In the U.S., intentional self-poisonings with analgesics that are available without a prescription increased from 2000 to 2018. Given concerns regarding mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined and compared trends in pediatric and adult intentional self-poisoning with acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen from 2016 to 2021 using the National Poison Data System (NPDS) to see if these trends have continued. We extracted annual case counts of all suspected suicide attempts from intentional poisoning, and of suspected suicide attempts resulting in major effects or death, from the NPDS for non-prescription single ingredient adult formulation acetaminophen, non-prescription single ingredient adult formulation aspirin, single ingredient formulation ibuprofen, and single ingredient formulation naproxen. We enumerated the cases by year, age, and gender. Most cases of intentional self-poisoning within the review period involved acetaminophen and ibuprofen and the 13-19-year-olds constituted the highest proportion of intentional self-poisoning cases across age groups for all four analgesics. Cases involving females predominated cases involving males by 3:1 or greater. The 13-19-year-old age group also represented the largest proportion of cases that resulted in major clinical effects or deaths. An increasing trend in suicide poisoning cases with acetaminophen and ibuprofen was observed in the 6-19-years age group and this trend appeared to exacerbate from 2020 to 2021 corresponding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Environmental hygiene in outdoor food markets in Africa: a scoping review

Outdoor food markets represent important locations where foodborne illnesses and other infectious diseases can spread. Countries in Africa face particular challenges given the importance of these markets in food supply and low rates of access to safely managed water and sanitation. We undertook a scoping review of evidence related to disease transmission in food markets in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and identified 46 papers for data extraction and synthesis. Vendor behaviour or awareness was reported in the majority of papers and about half reported on market infrastructure. Fewer studies have been reported on regulatory environments or food contamination. Studies on water supply, sanitation and handwashing facilities focused on the presence of services and did not evaluate quality, thus conclusions cannot be drawn on service adequacy. Studies of vendor behaviour were primarily based on self-reporting and subject to bias. Most studies reported high levels of vendor awareness of the need for hygiene, but where observations were also conducted, these showed lower levels of behaviours in practice. Our findings suggest that there are limited studies on environmental hygiene in outdoor food markets and this is an area warranting further research, including into the quality of services and addressing methodological weaknesses.

Does the ICU Requirement Score allow the poisoned patient to be safely managed without admission to the intensive care unit? - a validation cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The Intensive care unit (ICU) Requirement Score (IRS) has been defined as identifying poisoned patients on hospital admission who do not require ICU referral, in an effort to reduce health expenses. However, this score has been poorly validated. We aimed to evaluate the IRS in a large cohort of poisoned patients. METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study. IRS was calculated using clinical parameters obtained on admission including age, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, Glasgow coma score, intoxication type, co-morbidities (i.e., arrhythmia, cirrhosis, and respiratory insufficiency), and the combination of the intoxication with another reason for ICU admission. We evaluated the ability of IRS < 6 determined on admission to predict the lack of need for ICU treatment, defined as the need for mechanical ventilation, vasopressors, and/or renal replacement therapy in the first 24 h post-admission and/or death during the hospital stay. This score was compared to the usual prognostic scores, i.e., SAPS II and III, SOFA score, and PSS. RESULTS: During the 10-year study period, 2,514 poisoned patients were admitted, 1,011 excluded as requiring ICU treatment on admission, and 1,503 included. Among these patients, 232 met the endpoint whereas only 23/510 patients with IRS < 6 (4.5%) presented the endpoint and one patient died. The area under the curve of the IRS ROC curve was 0.736 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.702-0.770). The negative predictive value of IRS < 6 was 95% (95% CI, 93-97), sensitivity 89% (95% CI, 85-93), specificity 38% (95% CI, 36-41), and positive predictive value 21% (95% CI, 18-24). IRS performance was similar to those of the other tested scores, which are however not readily available on admission. CONCLUSION: Our data demonstrate the excellent negative predictive value of the IRS, allowing the exclusion of ICU requirements for poisoned patients with IRS < 6. IRS usefulness should be confirmed based on a prospective multicenter cohort study before extensive routine use.

Association of mental health status between self-poisoning suicide patients and their family members: a matched-pair analysis.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship of mental health status between self-poisoning suicide patients and their family members, and it also sought to identify potential patient's risk and parental factors for the prediction of suicide attempt, anxiety, and depression. METHODS: In this study, 151 poisoned patients were prospectively included, and they were matched 1:1 with 151 family members. We gathered information on patient's and their matched family member's demographics, lifestyle choices, mental health status, level of intimacy, and history of psychiatry disease. The relationship of patient's and their family member's mental health state was investigated using a correlation matrix. Multivariable analyses (multiple logistic regression) were conducted among patients and their matched family members, to identify potential risk factors for self-poisoning suicide, anxiety, and depression. RESULTS: Of the total patients, 67.55% (102/151) attempted self-poisoning suicide. Poisoned patients had more severe anxiety and depression symptoms than their matched family members, and this difference was even more pronounced among patients with self-poisoning suicide. Generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7) score for family members was significantly and favorably correlated with patient's GAD-7 score after eliminating non-suicide patients and their matched family members. The patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) score showed a similar pattern, and the family member's PHQ-9 score was strongly and favorably associated with patient's PHQ-9 and Beck hopelessness scale-20 (BHS-20) score. Multivariable analysis showed that married marital status (P = 0.038), quitting smoking (P = 0.003), sedentary time of 1 to 6 h (P = 0.013), and participation in a sports more than five times per week (P = 0.046) were all significantly associated with a lower risk of suicide by self-poisoning, while a more serious anxiety state (P = 0.001) was significantly associated with a higher risk of self-poisoning suicide. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that, specifically among self-poisoning suicide patients, married marital status (P = 0.011) and no history of psychiatry disease (P < 0.001) were protective factors for anxiety, while divorced or widowed marital status (P = 0.004), a sedentary time of 1 to 3 h (P = 0.022), and a higher monthly income (P = 0.027) were significant contributors to anxiety. The propensity of additional family-matched characteristics to predict patient's suicidality, anxiety, and depression was also examined. CONCLUSIONS: Self-poisoning suicide patients have severe mental health issues. Patients who self-poison have a close connection to their family member's mental health, particularly their levels of anxiety and depression. According to the findings, being married and adopting healthy lifestyle habits, such as quitting smoking and drinking, increasing their physical activity levels, and managing their idle time, are able to help patients with mental health concerns and even suicidal thoughts.

The relationship between smoking status and smoking index against COVID-19 disease course in treated patients at Dr. M Djamil General Hospital, Padang

Background: Smoking is a risk factor for the development and worsening of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19 infection. Smoking can increase the risk of the severity of COVID-19 by two times because in smokers there is an increase in the expression of the ACE-2 gene by 25% compared to non-smokers. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between smoking status and smoking index on the course of COVID-19 disease treated at Dr. M Djamil General Hospital. Method: An observational analytic study with a retrospective cohort approach on COVID-19 patients who were treated at Dr. M. Djamil General Hospital. Data were taken from January to March 2021. The relationship between smoking status and smoking index on the course of COVID-19 was analyzed by Chi-Square. Results: This study found the most age was above 50 years with a vulnerable age of 50-59 years (28.4%) and female gender (56.7%). Non-smoker status (64.2%) and moderate smoking index (51.4%) were the most commonly found in this study. Clinically non-progressive COVID-19 (53.7%) was the most common. This study found that the maximum length of stay for COVID-19 patients was less than 21 days (53.7%) and the outcome of patients recovered (62.2%). This study found a significant relationship between the smoking index on the clinical progress of COVID-19 patients and there was a significant relationship between smoking status and the outcome of COVID-19 patients. This study found that smoking status and the smoking index had no significant relationship with the length of stay of COVID-19 patients. Conclusion: Smoking status is related to outcomes in COVID-19 patients and the smoking index is related to a progression in COVID-19 patients treated at Dr. M. Djamil General Hospital.

Blockchain-Based Trusted Federated Learning with Pre-Trained Models for COVID-19 Detection

COVID-19 is a serious epidemic that not only endangers human health, but also wreaks havoc on the development of society. Recently, there has been research on using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for COVID-19 detection. As AI has entered the era of big models, deep learning methods based on pre-trained models (PTMs) have become a focus of industrial applications. Federated learning (FL) enables the union of geographically isolated data, which can address the demands of big data for PTMs. However, the incompleteness of the healthcare system and the untrusted distribution of medical data make FL participants unreliable, and medical data also has strong privacy protection requirements. Our research aims to improve training efficiency and global model accuracy using PTMs for training in FL, reducing computation and communication. Meanwhile, we provide a secure aggregation rule using differential privacy and fully homomorphic encryption to achieve a privacy-preserving Byzantine robust federal learning scheme. In addition, we use blockchain to record the training process and we integrate a Byzantine fault tolerance consensus to further improve robustness. Finally, we conduct experiments on a publicly available dataset, and the experimental results show that our scheme is effective with privacy-preserving and robustness. The final trained models achieve better performance on the positive prediction and severe prediction tasks, with an accuracy of 85.00% and 85.06%, respectively. Thus, this indicates that our study is able to provide reliable results for COVID-19 detection.

Focus on laryngeal disease in the cat

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Retrospective analysis of forensic toxicology data from 2021 to identify patterns of various forensic cases.

PURPOSE: Knowing and analyzing the characteristics and trends of forensic toxicology cases in a certain area is particularly important for a local government to establish an effective prevention and control system. The purpose of this work was to summarize data from forensic toxicology cases received by the Academy of Forensic Sciences (AFS) in 2021. METHODS: As requested by the police or according to the details of cases, samples were systematically screened or analyzed by various methods. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to identify medicinal drugs, drugs of abuse, pesticides, poison gases, etc. RESULTS: AFS received a total of 17,758 cases in 2021, of which 314 cases underwent autopsy. The main cause of death was sudden death, and the manner of death was mainly accident. Among 13,744 drug abuse cases, the number of positive cases was 1721, with a positive rate of 12.5%, and synthetic cannabinoids were the most frequently detected substances. In 3640 traffic cases, 85.3% of drivers were suspected of drunk driving. In 103 poisoning cases, hydrogen sulfide poisoning and pesticide suicide account for a large proportion. In drug-facilitated crimes, zolpidem was the most frequently tested component. In 55 case of dog poisonings, the main poisons were cyanides and succinylcholine, and the main poisoning tools were poisonous baits and poisonous syringe darts. CONCLUSIONS: This study profiles the toxicological characteristics of forensic toxicological cases conducted at the AFS in 2021 and provides a scientific basis for poisoning cases and drug abuse prevention.

Significant Increase in Deliberate Self-Poisonings Among Adolescents During the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a decline in mental health of adolescents. The aim of this study was to analyze the rate of deliberate self-poisonings (DSPs) among adolescents reported to the Dutch Poisons Information Center before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A retrospective study from 2016 until 2021 was performed to characterize DSPs among adolescents, and to analyze trends in the number of DSPs. All DSPs among adolescents with the age of 13 up to and including 17 years were included. DSP characteristics included: age, gender, bodyweight, used substance, dose, and treatment advice. Trends in the number of DSPs were analyzed using time series decomposition and Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average models. RESULTS: Six thousand nine hundred fifteen DSPs in adolescents were recorded from January first 2016 until December 31st 2021. Females were involved in 84% of adolescent DSPs. A strong increase in the number of DSPs was observed in 2021 (45% increase compared to 2020), which deviated from the predicted trend based on previous years. This increase was most prominent in 13-, 14-, and 15-year-old female adolescents. Commonly involved drugs were paracetamol, ibuprofen, methylphenidate, fluoxetine, and quetiapine. The contribution of paracetamol rose from 33% in 2019 to 40% in 2021. DISCUSSION: The strong increase in the number of DSPs during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic suggests that long-term containment measures such as quarantines, lockdowns, and school closures may enhance self-harm behavior among adolescents, especially among younger females (13-15 years of age), with a preference for paracetamol as DSP substance.

Impact of COVID-19 on poisoning-related mortality in Iran: An interrupted time series study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic had many negative effects worldwide. These effects involved mental health status issues such as suicide, depression, and the pattern of death associated with drug/poisonings. One of the major concerns of the healthcare community during the pandemic was mortality from poisonings. This study aimed to investigate the trends of mortality from different types of poisonings before and after COVID-19. METHODS: The patients who died from six different categories of drugs or poisons were identified by forensic analysis of body fluids/tissues in Tehran, Iran. The pandemic was separated into the pre-COVID-19 period (April 2018 to January 2020), and the COVID pandemic (February 2020-April 2022). Demographic characteristics were collected from each victim, and comparisons of death trends before and after the pandemic were conducted using the interrupted time series analysis. The absolute number of deaths and proportion of deaths from each type of drug/poisoning were used for the analyses. RESULTS: A total of 6,316 deaths from drugs/poisoning were identified between April 2018-Mar 2022). During this period, 2,485 deaths occurred pre-COVID, and 3,831 were during the COVID-19 era. There were no statistical differences in terms of demographic characteristics before and after the pandemic, except for job status. There was a sharp increase in proportion of methanol death among all poisonings after the start of the pandemic (16.5%, p-value = 0.025), while there was a decreasing trend during the pandemic (-0.915 deaths monthly, p-value = 0.027). The trends for opioids, stimulants, and drug-related deaths changed from decreasing to increasing. No change was seen in the trends for ethanol and volatile substance deaths. This pattern was mirrored in the proportion of each type of poisoning relative to the total number. CONCLUSION: Changes in poisoning-related mortality patterns showed dramatic changes after the start of the pandemic, especially deaths from methanol. Other poisonings such as opioids, stimulants, and drugs should also be addressed as there was an increasing trend during the COVID-19 period, compared to the pre-COVID data.

Comparison of the Clinical Characteristics of Pediatric Poisoning Patients Who Visited Emergency Department Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to investigate changes in the clinical characteristics of pediatric poisoning patients who visited the emergency department (ED) before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. METHODS: Poisoning cases below age 18 who visited the ED from January 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively analysed. The study period was then divided into pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 pandemic to compare poisoning patterns. RESULTS: During the study period, 86,153 visits to the pediatric ED had been recorded, with 625 patients being included the final analysis. During the COVID-19 period, the proportion of poisoned patients increased from 0.62% to 0.98%. The average age of the patients was higher in the COVID-19 period, with 53.4% of the cases being intentional (pre-COVID-19, 32.5%; P < 0.001). Moreover, 70.4% of poisoning cases during the COVID-19 period were caused by drugs (pre-COVID-19, 60.6%; P = 0.038). More patients underwent decontamination and laboratory investigation during the COVID-19 period than during the previous period (P = 0.007 and P < 0.001, respectively). The length of ED stay and the proportion of hospitalisation were significantly greater during the COVID-19 period. After analysing accidental poisoning cases, we found that antipyretics/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and respiratory drugs were more common in the pre-COVID-19 group, whereas iron/vitamins, cardiovascular drugs and hormones were more common in the COVID-19 group. After analysing intentional poisoning cases, we found that 73.6% and 76.4% of the patients in the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 group had a history of psychiatric disease, respectively. Although no difference was observed in the frequency of previous first suicide attempts, 19.0% of the patients in the COVID-19 group attempted suicide more than three times. CONCLUSION: During the COVID-19 pandemic, intentional poisoning cases, especially in adolescence, increased and were treated more. Many of the patients with intentional poisoning had a history of mental illness or suicide in the past. Therefore, it seems that policy consideration for mentally vulnerable adolescents during this new pandemic period is necessary.

Infection Diseases Following Natural Disaster in Children: Health Prevention and Assessment

[17] Diseases with a long incubation period (leishmaniasis and leptospirosis) and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue should be considered as possible infections during the recovery phase (> 4 weeks) of natural disasters. [20] Outbreaks of group A streptococcus infection in camps could have devastating consequences, not just as a cause of respiratory infection, but also of wound infections. [10] In the post-earthquake period, the first wave of infectious diseases is caused by food-borne and/or water-borne infections, and/or by infections transmitted by respiratory droplets. [Extracted from the article] Copyright of Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases is the property of Thieme Medical Publishing Inc. 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 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 . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Addressing another threat to food safety: Conflict

Conflicts across the globe affect food security and also have a heavy toll on food safety. Many of the areas affected by conflict are breadbaskets for multiple countries. When the production of staple crops is compromised by diverse conflicts, it becomes necessary to grow them somewhere else to satisfy local, regional, and/or international requirements. However, if that production is done in tropical and subtropical zones, it must be done incorporating strategies to prevent mycotoxin contamination, which has negative health, social, and economic impacts. Otherwise, increased production of susceptible crops in mycotoxin-prone areas may augment the already occurring negative impacts, which are severe in the global south.

Awareness raising and dealing with methanol poisoning based on effective strategies.

Intoxication with methanol most commonly occurs as a consequence of ingesting, inhaling, or coming into contact with formulations that include methanol as a base. Clinical manifestations of methanol poisoning include suppression of the central nervous system, gastrointestinal symptoms, and decompensated metabolic acidosis, which is associated with impaired vision and either early or late blindness within 0.5-4 h after ingestion. After ingestion, methanol concentrations in the blood that are greater than 50 mg/dl should raise some concern. Ingested methanol is typically digested by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), and it is subsequently redistributed to the body's water to attain a volume distribution that is about equivalent to 0.77 L/kg. Moreover, it is removed from the body as its natural, unchanged parent molecules. Due to the fact that methanol poisoning is relatively uncommon but frequently involves a large number of victims at the same time, this type of incident occupies a special position in the field of clinical toxicology. The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase in erroneous assumptions regarding the preventative capability of methanol in comparison to viral infection. More than 1000 Iranians fell ill, and more than 300 of them passed away in March of this year after they consumed methanol in the expectation that it would protect them from a new coronavirus. The Atlanta epidemic, which involved 323 individuals and resulted in the deaths of 41, is one example of mass poisoning. Another example is the Kristiansand outbreak, which involved 70 people and resulted in the deaths of three. In 2003, the AAPCC received reports of more than one thousand pediatric exposures. Since methanol poisoning is associated with high mortality rates, it is vital that the condition be addressed seriously and managed as quickly as feasible. The objective of this review was to raise awareness about the mechanism and metabolism of methanol toxicity, the introduction of therapeutic interventions such as gastrointestinal decontamination and methanol metabolism inhibition, the correction of metabolic disturbances, and the establishment of novel diagnostic/screening nanoparticle-based strategies for methanol poisoning such as the discovery of ADH inhibitors as well as the detection of the adulteration of alcoholic drinks by nanoparticles in order to prevent methanol poisoning. In conclusion, increasing warnings and knowledge about clinical manifestations, medical interventions, and novel strategies for methanol poisoning probably results in a decrease in the death load.

Scientometric analysis of methanol intoxication literature: Global publication output between 1980 and 2019

Aim: Scientometrics refers to the analysis of scientific literature related to a certain field. Even though the number of publications on methyl alcohol poisoning has recently increased, there has been no bibliometric or scientometric analysis conducted to date. In 2020 in particular, cases of methyl alcohol poisoning have increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to draw greater attention to this field. Material(s) and Method(s): All data used in this study were collected from four databases accessed via the Web of Science. All studies published between 1980 and 2019 identified by searching for the keywords "methanol" and "poisoning" were included in the study. The relationship between the number of publications and productivity and characteristics of countries was analyzed with Spearman's correlation test, while GunnMap and VOSviewer were used to create infographics and infomaps. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki Results: A total of 744 articles, most of which were original (79.70%), were identified from the four databases accessed via the Web of Science. An analysis of the number of publications by country ranked the United States in the first place, with 174 articles (23.387 %), while the Czech Republic was found to have the most productive researchers. The most popular area was toxicology (20.565%), and Charles University was the most productive institution. It was found that the number of publications and citations did not increase over the years Discussion: The developed countries dominated the literature on methyl alcohol poisoning. It was further observed that articles on methyl alcohol abuse started to appear in 2020 in developing countries, which can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mistaken belief that it has anti-viral properties. Since the diagnosis and treatment of methyl alcohol poisoning are gaining significance, we recommend that researchers be encouraged to make further studies in this area.Copyright © 2022, Derman Medical Publishing. All rights reserved.

A data sharing method for remote medical system based on federated distillation learning and consortium blockchain

With the development of Medical Internet of Things (MIoT) technology and the global COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals gain access to patients' health data from remote wearable medical equipment. Federated learning (FL) addresses the difficulty of sharing data in remote medical systems. However, some key issues and challenges persist, such as heterogeneous health data stored in hospitals, which leads to high communication cost and low model accuracy. There are many approaches of federated distillation (FD) methods used to solve these problems, but FD is very vulnerable to poisoning attacks and requires a centralised server for aggregation, which is prone to single-node failure. To tackle this issue, we combine FD and blockchain to solve data sharing in remote medical system called FedRMD. FedRMD use reputation incentive to defend against poisoning attacks and store reputation values and soft labels of FD in Hyperledger Fabric. Experimenting on COVID-19 radiography and COVID-Chestxray datasets shows our method can reduce communication cost, and the performance is higher than FedAvg, FedDF, and FedGen. In addition, the reputation incentive can reduce the impact of poisoning attacks. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.