Data Driven Models for Contact Tracing Prediction: A Systematic Review of COVID-19

The primary objective of this research is to identify commonly used data-driven decision-making techniques for contact tracing with regards to Covid-19. The virus spread quickly at an alarming level that caused the global health community to rely on multiple methods for tracking the transmission and spread of the disease through systematic contact tracing. Predictive analytics and data-driven decision-making were critical in determining its prevalence and incidence. Articles were accessed from primarily four sources, i.e., Web of Science, Scopus, Emerald, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Retrieved articles were then analyzed in a stepwise manner by applying Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISM) that guided the authors on eligibility for inclusion. PRISM results were then evaluated and summarized for a total of 845 articles, but only 38 of them were selected as eligible. Logistic regression and SIR models ranked first (11.36%) for supervised learning. 90% of the articles indicated supervised learning methods that were useful for prediction. The most common specialty in healthcare specialties was infectious illness (36%). This was followed closely by epidemiology (35%). Tools such as Python and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) were also popular, resulting in 25% and 16.67%, respectively. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-SPER-02 Full Text: PD

The Necessity of Close Contact Tracing in Combating COVID-19 Infection – A Systemic Study

Many contact tracing solutions developed by countries around the globe in containing the Covid-19 pandemic are in the area of location-based tracing, which does not enable them to identify close contacts accurately. As location-based tracing implementations continuous on, the results have not been as effective as intended. Thus, in providing some closure, this study will dissect the need for close contact tracing solutions for the pandemic by providing a comprehensive contact tracing characteristic framework (CCTCF) for Covid-19, which will help authorities toward better pandemic management. In this study, CCTCF for Covid-19 was constructed by applying several methods. Using Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) as the framework, methods conducted were: (1) Case study to analyze the contact tracing systems in 30 countries; (2) Systematic literature review (n=2056) regarding solutions’ elements, (3) Thematic analysis for characteristics framework development. A total of 25 items were obtained for CCTCF, along with valuable insights that necessitate close contact tracing for the pandemic. Results from CCTCF have also shown that the best contact tracing solution for Covid-19 is bi-directional human-to-human close contact tracing, which uses a retrospective approach and is able to identify the source as well as groups of infection using a personal area network (PAN). Doi: 10.28991/esj-2022-SPER-019 Full Text: PD

Predictive Analyses of COVID-19 Case Data to Estimate the Effectiveness of Nationwide Face Cover

This study provided comparisons of confirmed cases between face-cover-required states and partially or not-required states from a time-series analysis on effects of face mask use in public based on eight different states between March 1 and June 15, 2020. In comparing face-cover-required states and partially or not-required states, it was very encouraging that the slope of the daily case trends turned negative after face-cover requirements in statewide face-cover-required states, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. However, the patterns of the daily case have been showing positive trends continuously in partially or not-required states, including California, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. Based on our prediction model, if nationwide face-cover requirements with social distancing were enacted on March 16, the estimated number of deaths would be about 15,600, which is 94,300 less than the actual number of deaths by June 15, 2020. We recommend that all states and the federal government require face coverings in order to reduce the risk of infectious diseases

The rate of frequent co-existence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) genes in Escherichia coli isolates from retail raw chicken in South Korea

© 2022, The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology.Since plasmid-encoded antibiotic resistance facilitates the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the increasing prevalence of Escherichia coli harboring plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes is a public health concern. The objective of this study is to investigate the co-existence of PMQR and ESBL genes in E. coli isolates from retail raw chicken in South Korea. Among 67 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from 40 retail raw chicken, more than half of them carried PMQR genes, including qnrS, aac(6′)-Ib-cr, and oqxAB. The qnrS was predominantly (91.4%) detected in E. coli isolates carrying both PMQR and ESBL. The aac(6′)-Ib-cr was detected in seven ESBL-producing E. coli strains, and 85.7% of the aac(6′)-Ib-cr-positive strains also carried qnrS. Moreover, the strains co-harboring qnrS and aac(6′)-Ib-cr exhibited increased resistance to ciprofloxacin and kanamycin. These results demonstrate that PMQR genes are frequently detected in ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from retail raw chicken in South Korea.N

A Qualitative Analysis of Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening among Korean Americans

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most-commonly diagnosed cancer among Korean Americans after breast cancer, with incidence rates exceeding that of lung, prostate, and stomach cancers. However, CRC screening rates are lower among Korean Americans than the general U.S. population. To understand barriers to screening in this population, we conducted 11 focus groups with 51 Korean Americans ages 40+ in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area between 2011 and 2016. Our analysis used the Health Belief Model as a framework. Motivators to seek screening include a family or personal history of cancer or gastrointestinal disease (high perceived susceptibility), knowing people with CRC (high severity), favorable test results reducing worry (high benefits), and physician recommendations (cues to action). Barriers to screening include the common misperception that Korean lifestyles prevent CRC (low susceptibility), the belief that cancer is normal for older adults (low severity), the assumption that screening only benefits symptomatic people (low benefits), the costs and potential risks of testing along with a preference for traditional Korean approaches to wellness (high barriers), and lack of health insurance (low self-efficacy). Interventions seeking to increase the rate of cancer screening in the Korean American community will benefit from emphasizing the burden from CRC among Korean Americans (increasing perceived susceptibility to CRC), explaining that colonoscopies can prevent CRC rather than just diagnosing it (increasing perceived benefits of screening), reducing anxieties about test procedures and embarrassment (reducing perceived barriers to screening), and improving clinical communication (improving cues to action and self-efficacy)

Potentiation of β-Lactams against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Using Octyl Gallate, a Food-Grade Antioxidant

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is resistant to a number of antibiotics of clinical importance and is a serious threat to public health. Since bacteria rapidly develop resistance even to newly discovered antibiotics, this study aimed to develop drug potentiators to enhance the antibacterial activity of existing antibiotics for the control of MRSA. Based on our previous studies, screening of antimicrobial synergy was conducted with gallic acid and its derivatives using checkerboard assays. Antimicrobial synergy was confirmed with MRSA isolates from clinical cases. Combinations of penicillin, ampicillin, and cephalothin with octyl gallate (OG), an antioxidant approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), consistently exhibited synergistic bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities against MRSA, rendering MRSA sensitive to β-lactams. The fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) and fractional bactericidal concentration (FBC) indices exhibited that the antimicrobial effects of OG were synergistic. The results of a permeability assay showed that OG significantly increased the permeability of the bacterial cell wall. Despite the intrinsic resistance of MRSA to β-lactams, the findings in this study demonstrated that OG enhanced the activity of β-lactams in MRSA and sensitized MRSA to β-lactams, suggesting that OG can be used as a drug potentiator to control MRSA using existing antibiotics

Knowledge Management Technologies for Collaborative Intelligence: A Study of Case Company in Korea

To create wide and deep knowledge flows by providing implicit and explicit knowledge services, organizations have constructed knowledge management systems (KMS). As employees are major knowledge resources in an organization, it is essential to use their collaborative intelligence in KMS, but there has been little research on how the heterogeneous networks of people interact to produce intelligent outcomes. This research suggests a new KM framework that leverages collaborative intelligence techniques, such as collaborative search, collaborative filtering, and social network analysis, as well as conventional knowledge management techniques including smart sensor technology. Finally, this paper reports our experience in a real world KMS development case that applied the framework and suggests challenges of knowledge management learned from this research

Antimicrobial Synergy between Aminoglycosides and Licorice Extract in Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can develop serious invasive infections. Among foodborne pathogens, L. monocytogenes exhibits the highest case fatality despite antibiotic treatment, suggesting the current therapy should be improved. Although ampicillin and gentamicin are used as a combination therapy to treat listeriosis, our results showed there is no synergy between the two antibiotics. We discovered that aqueous extract of licorice generated significant antimicrobial synergy when combined with aminoglycosides, such as gentamicin, in L. monocytogenes. In the presence of 1 mg/mL licorice extract, for instance, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of gentamicin was reduced by 32-fold. Moreover, antimicrobial synergy with licorice extract made gentamicin-resistant clinical isolates of L. monocytogenes susceptible to gentamicin. Given the common use of licorice as a food sweetener in Western countries and a herb in Oriental medicine, our findings suggest that licorice extract can be potentially used as an antibiotic adjuvant to improve the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment of listeriosis