Numerical Simulation and Design of COVID-19 Disease Detection System Based on Improved Computing Techniques

The high demand for testing the sickness has led to a lack of resources at emergency clinics as the coronavirus epidemic continues. PC vision-based frameworks can be used to increase the productivity of Coronavirus localization. However, a significant amount of information preparation is needed to create an accurate and reliable model, which is currently impractical given the peculiar nature of the illness. One such model is for differentiating pneumonia cases by using radiographs, and it has achieved sufficiently high exactness to be used on patients. Various models are currently being used inside the medical services sector to order different illnesses. This proposal evaluates the benefit of using motion learning to broaden the presentation of the Coronavirus location model, starting from the premise that there is limited information available for Coronavirus ID. Infections that affect the human lungs include viral pneumonia caused by the coronavirus and other viruses. The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) proclaimed Covid a pandemic in 2020; the sickness originated in China and quickly spread to other countries. Early diagnosis of infected patients aids in saving the patient's life and prevents the infection's further spread. As one of the quickest and least expensive methods for diagnosing the condition, the convolutional neural organization (CNN) model is suggested in this research study to assist in the early detection of the infection using chest X-Beam images. Two convolutional brain organizations (CNN) models were created using two different datasets. The primary model was created for double characterization using one of the datasets that only included pneumonia cases and common chest X-Beam images. The second model made use of the information advanced by the primary model using move learning and was created for three class divisions on chest X-Beam images of cases with the coronavirus, pneumonia, and regular cases

Seeking diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for childhood bacterial pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa: study protocol for an observational study

INTRODUCTION: Clinically diagnosed pneumonia in children is a leading cause of paediatric hospitalisation and mortality. The aetiology is usually bacterial or viral, but malaria can cause a syndrome indistinguishable from clinical pneumonia. There is no method with high sensitivity to detect a bacterial infection in these patients and, as result, antibiotics are frequently overprescribed. Conversely, unrecognised concomitant bacterial infection in patients with malarial infections occur with omission of antibiotic therapy from patients with bacterial infections. Previously, we identified two combinations of blood proteins with 96% sensitivity and 86% specificity for detecting bacterial disease. The current project aimed to validate and improve these combinations by evaluating additional biomarkers in paediatric patients with clinical pneumonia. Our goal was to describe combinations of a limited number of proteins with high sensitivity and specificity for bacterial infection to be incorporated in future point-of-care tests. Furthermore, we seek to explore signatures to prognosticate clinical pneumonia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Patients (n=900) aged 2-59 months presenting with clinical pneumonia at two Gambian hospitals will be enrolled and classified according to criteria for definitive bacterial aetiology (based on microbiological tests and chest radiographs). We will measure proteins at admission using Luminex-based immunoassays in 90 children with definitive and 160 with probable bacterial aetiology, and 160 children classified according to the prognosis of their disease. Previously identified diagnostic signatures will be assessed through accuracy measures. Moreover, we will seek new diagnostic and prognostic signatures through machine learning methods, including support vector machine, penalised regression and classification trees. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been obtained from the Gambia Government/Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia Joint Ethics Committee (protocol 1616) and the institutional review board of Boston University Medical Centre (STUDY00000958). Study results will be disseminated to the staff of the study hospitals, in scientific seminars and meetings, and in publications. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: H-38462

Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Chronic Lung Disease in Children and Adolescents in Zimbabwe: Chest Radiographic and High-Resolution Computed Tomographic Findings.

Background: Chronic respiratory symptoms are common among children living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We investigated the radiological features of chronic lung disease in children aged 6-16 years receiving antiretroviral therapy for ≥6 months in Harare, Zimbabwe. Methods: Consecutive participants from a HIV clinic underwent clinical assessment and chest radiography. Participants with an abnormal chest radiograph (assessed by a clinician) and/or those meeting a clinical case definition for chronic lung disease underwent high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). Radiological studies were scored independently and blindly by 2 thoracic radiologists. Relationships between radiological abnormalities and lung function were examined. Results: Among 193 participants (46% female; median age, 11.2 years; interquartile range, 9.0-12.8 years), the median CD4 cell count was 720/µL (473-947/µL), and 79% had a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) load of <400 copies/mL. The most common chest radiographic finding was ring/tramline opacities (55 of 193 participants; 29%). HRCT scans were evaluated in 84 participants (69%); decreased attenuation (present in 43%) was the dominant abnormality seen. The extent of decreased attenuation was strongly correlated with both the severity and extent of bronchiectasis (rs = 0.68 and P < .001 for both). The extent of decreased attenuation was also negatively correlated with forced expiratory volume in first second of expiration (rs = -0.52), forced vital capacity (rs = -0.42), and forced expiratory flow, midexpiratory phase (rs = -0.42) (P < .001 for all). Conclusions: The HRCT findings strongly suggest that obliterative bronchiolitis may be the major cause of chronic lung disease in our cohort. Further studies to understand the pathogenesis and natural history are urgently needed

Characterization of pneumonia among children under five years of age hospitalized in Thimphu, Bhutan

[eng] The general objective of this thesis was to describe the epidemiology, aetiology, clinical presentation, and radiological findings of pneumonia among Bhutanese children to better characterize childhood pneumonia in Bhutan and to contribute to the understanding of this disease in the local context. This thesis also aimed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic performance of host-response biomarkers alone, combined, or in addition to clinical scoring scales to risk-stratify children hospitalized with pneumonia and predict their outcome. The first article acknowledges the need for local research in Bhutan and comments on the specific challenges experienced when trying to conduct it. The second article is a systematic review that summarizes current knowledge around childhood pneumonia in Bhutan and identifies knowledge gaps in this area. The findings of this review were used as the starting point to guide further research and to establish the objectives of the Respiratory Infections in Bhutanese Children (RIBhuC) study. We reported the findings of the RIBhuC study in articles 3 to 6 of this thesis. In brief, the RIBhuC study took place between 1 July 2017 and 30 June 2018. We prospectively enrolled all children between 2 and 59 months admitted to the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) in Thimphu with WHO-defined clinical pneumonia, provided parents or caregivers consented to study participation. On admission, we performed a comprehensive physical examination, including anthropometric and vital signs measurements. We recorded demographic and clinical data from medical files and through family interviews. We performed an antero-posterior chest radiograph within 24 hours of admission and classified children according to radiological findings following WHO radiological criteria. We collected blood samples upon enrolment or as soon as possible after enrolment for haematology, biochemistry, and bacterial culture, and two drops of blood on filter paper for the identification of Streptococcus pneumoniae by realtime polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, we measured plasma levels of eleven host-response biomarkers, including six markers of immune and endothelial activation: interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1), soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 (sTNFR1), angiopoietin-2 (Angpt-2), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1). Finally, we collected respiratory samples through nasopharyngeal washing for the molecular identification of seventeen respiratory viruses and four atypical bacteria and the detection and capsular typing of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The third article describes the aetiological profile and the demographic and clinical characteristics of this cohort of children admitted with WHO-defined clinical pneumonia. The fourth article reports data on the prevalence of pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriers and on the pneumococcal serotypes circulating among Bhutanese children with clinical pneumonia before the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in the country. We identified and compared respiratory viruses among children with and without pneumococcal nasopharyngeal colonization to contribute to the understanding of the interplay between pneumococcal nasopharyngeal colonization and viral coinfections. The fifth article describes the radiological findings of the RIBhuC cohort and the differences in radiological outcomes by demographic characteristics, aetiology, clinical features, and host-response biomarker levels. We also evaluated the utility of hostresponse biomarkers in discerning between bacterial and viral pneumonia, taking radiological endpoint pneumonia as a proxy for bacterial aetiology. The sixth and last article of this thesis assessed the performance of a wide range of clinical characteristics, laboratory testing, clinical scoring scales, and host-response biomarkers to risk-stratify children with clinical pneumonia in Bhutan and predict their outcome.[spa] El objetivo principal de esta tesis fue identificar y reducir las lagunas de conocimiento sobre la epidemiologia, la etiologia, la presentacion clinica y los hallazgos radiologicos de la neumonia infantil en Butan para caracterizar esta enfermedad y contribuir a su comprension en el contexto local. Esta tesis tambien tuvo como objetivo evaluar el rol diagnostico y pronostico de ciertos biomarcadores por si solos, combinados o en adicion a escalas de puntuacion clinica para estratificar el riesgo de los ninos hospitalizados con neumonia y predecir su resultado clinico. El primer artículo senala la necesidad de realizar investigacion a nivel local y comenta los desafios especificos encontrados en un pais como Butan para llevarla a cabo. El segundo artículo es una revision sistematica que resume el conocimiento actual sobre la neumonia infantil en Butan y que identifica las lagunas de conocimiento en este campo. Se utilizaron los resultados de esta revision y las carencias de conocimiento para enfocar los objetivos del estudio RIBhuC (del ingles Respiratory Infections in Bhutanese Children). Se detallan los principales hallazgos del estudio RIBhuC en los artículos 3 a 6 de esta tesis. El estudio RIBhuC se llevo a cabo entre el 1 de julio del 2017 y el 30 de junio del 2018 en el Hospital Nacional de Referencia Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, en Thimphu. Se recluto prospectivamente a todos los ninos entre 2 y 59 meses ingresados por neumonia clinica segun los criterios de la OMS, siempre que los padres o cuidadores aceptaran participar en el estudio. Al ingreso, se realizo un examen fisico completo incluyendo mediciones antropometricas y toma de signos vitales. Se recogieron datos demograficos y clinicos mediante entrevistas con los familiares y a partir del expediente medico. Se realizo una radiografia de torax anteroposterior en las primeras 24 horas del ingreso y se 20 clasificaron los ninos segun los criterios radiologicos de la OMS. Se recogieron muestras de sangre en el momento del reclutamiento, o lo antes posible despues del reclutamiento, para analisis de hematologia y bioquimica, cultivo bacteriano, e identificacion de Streptococcus pneumoniae mediante la reaccion en cadena de la polimerasa en tiempo real a partir de dos gotas de sangre recogidas en papel de filtro. Tambien se midieron los niveles plasmaticos de once biomarcadores de respuesta del huesped, incluyendo seis marcadores de activacion endotelial e inmune: la interleucina-6 (IL-6), la interleucina-8 (IL-8), el receptor de activacion soluble expresado en celulas mieloides-1 (sTREM-1), el receptor soluble del factor de necrosis tumoral 1 (sTNFR1), la angiopoyetina-2 (Angpt-2), y la tirosina quinasa-1 soluble similar a fms (sFlt1). Finalmente, se recogieron muestras respiratorias mediante lavado nasofaringeo para la identificacion molecular de 17 virus respiratorios y 4 bacterias atipicas, asi como para la deteccion y tipificacion capsular neumococica. El tercer artículo describe el perfil etiologico y las caracteristicas demograficas y clinicas de esta cohorte de ninos butaneses ingresados con neumonia clinica. El cuarto artículo presenta la prevalencia de portadores nasofaringeos neumococicos y los serotipos neumococicos circulantes entre los ninos butaneses ingresados con neumonia clinica antes de la introduccion de la vacuna antineumococica conjugada en el pais. Comparamos la prevalencia y tipos de virus respiratorios entre ninos con y sin colonizacion nasofaringea neumococica para contribuir a la comprension de la interaccion entre la colonizacion nasofaringea neumococica y las coinfecciones virales. El quinto artículo describe los hallazgos radiologicos y evalua las diferencias en cuanto a caracteristicas demograficas, etiologicas, clinicas y niveles de biomarcadores segun las caracteristicas radiologicas. En este articulo, tambien se evalua la utilidad de biomarcadores para diferenciar entre neumonia bacteriana y viral, considerando el hallazgo de neumonia radiologica (condensacion, derrame pleural o ambos) como indicador de neumonia bacteriana. El sexto y último artículo de esta tesis evalua el rendimiento de caracteristicas clinicas, pruebas de laboratorio, escalas de puntuacion clinica y biomarcadores para estratificar el riesgo pronostico de los ninos con neumonia clinica en el momento del ingreso y predecir su resultado clinico

Updates in Management of SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) has spread worldwide from the beginning of 2020. The infection is mostly asymptomatic but some patients may develop COVID‑19 (coronavirus disease 2019) with a severe or critical course leading to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and multiorgan failure. Apart from the virus‑related damage of the lungs, pathomechanism of the disease seems to be linked to thromboembolism and inflammation accompanied by overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, termed a cytokine storm, responsible for multiorgan damage and death. Since the development of a new therapeutic molecule, dedicated strictly to a particular virus is time‑consuming, physicians and scientists have started to test and repurpose old medications. Unfortunately, after one year of pandemics, there is still a lack of optimal therapy and no clear indicators of recovery. A major issue is also insufficient knowledge on predictors of the severe or deadly course of the disease, which could also help to switch from one therapeutic option to another. Due to many gaps still existing in the management of COVID-19, there is a need for the accumulation of new data particularly from real-world experience, which could be applicable to practice guidelines. The objective of this special issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine is to provide an update on the mangement for the diagnostic workup and pharmacotherapy of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection

Diseases of the Chest, Breast, Heart and Vessels 2019-2022

This open access book focuses on diagnostic and interventional imaging of the chest, breast, heart, and vessels. It consists of a remarkable collection of contributions authored by internationally respected experts, featuring the most recent diagnostic developments and technological advances with a highly didactical approach. The chapters are disease-oriented and cover all the relevant imaging modalities, including standard radiography, CT, nuclear medicine with PET, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as imaging-guided interventions. As such, it presents a comprehensive review of current knowledge on imaging of the heart and chest, as well as thoracic interventions and a selection of "hot topics". The book is intended for radiologists, however, it is also of interest to clinicians in oncology, cardiology, and pulmonology

Diseases of the Chest, Breast, Heart and Vessels 2019-2022

This open access book focuses on diagnostic and interventional imaging of the chest, breast, heart, and vessels. It consists of a remarkable collection of contributions authored by internationally respected experts, featuring the most recent diagnostic developments and technological advances with a highly didactical approach. The chapters are disease-oriented and cover all the relevant imaging modalities, including standard radiography, CT, nuclear medicine with PET, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging, as well as imaging-guided interventions. As such, it presents a comprehensive review of current knowledge on imaging of the heart and chest, as well as thoracic interventions and a selection of "hot topics". The book is intended for radiologists, however, it is also of interest to clinicians in oncology, cardiology, and pulmonology