Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 in Children Graff, Kelly; Smith, Christiana; Silveira, Lori ...
The Pediatric infectious disease journal,
04/2021, Letnik:
40, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
There are limited pediatric data regarding severe COVID-19 disease. Our study aims to describe the epidemiology and identify risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease in children.
This is a ...retrospective cohort study among children with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR from March to July 2020 at Children's Hospital Colorado. Risk factors for severe disease were analyzed as defined by hospital admission, respiratory support, or critical care. Univariable and multivariable analyses were conducted.
Among 454 patients identified with SARS-CoV-2, 191 (42.1%) were females, median age 11 years. Fifty-five percent of all patients identified as Hispanic compared with 29% among all hospital visits in 2019 (P < 0.0001). In multivariable analyses, age 0-3 months or >20 years adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 7.85; P < 0.0001 and aOR, 5.1; P = 0.03, respectively, preterm birth history (aOR, 3.7; P = 0.03), comorbidities including immunocompromise (aOR, 3.5; P = 0.004), gastrointestinal condition (aOR, 2.7; P = 0.009), diabetes (aOR, 6.6; P = 0.04), asthma (aOR, 2.2; P = 0.04), and specific symptoms at presentation were predictors for admission. Age 0-3 months or >20 years, asthma, gastrointestinal condition, and similar symptoms at presentation were also predictors for respiratory support. Elevated C-reactive protein was associated with the need for critical care with median of 17.7 mg/dL (IQR, 5.3-22.9) versus 1.95 mg/dL (IQR, 0.7-5.5) among patients requiring critical versus no critical care (OR, 1.2; P = 0.02).
Extremes of age, comorbid conditions, and elevated CRP are predictors of severe disease in children. Findings from this study can inform pediatric providers and public health officials to tailor clinical management, pandemic planning, and resource allocation.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) can provide communication and control to people who are totally paralyzed. BCIs can use noninvasive or invasive methods for recording the brain signals that convey ...the user's commands. Whereas noninvasive BCIs are already in use for simple applications, it has been widely assumed that only invasive BCIs, which use electrodes implanted in the brain, can provide multidimensional movement control of a robotic arm or a neuroprosthesis. We now show that a noninvasive BCI that uses scalp-recorded electroencephalographic activity and an adaptive algorithm can provide humans, including people with spinal cord injuries, with multidimensional point-to-point movement control that falls within the range of that reported with invasive methods in monkeys. In movement time, precision, and accuracy, the results are comparable to those with invasive BCIs. The adaptive algorithm used in this noninvasive BCI identifies and focuses on the electroencephalographic features that the person is best able to control and encourages further improvement in that control. The results suggest that people with severe motor disabilities could use brain signals to operate a robotic arm or a neuroprosthesis without needing to have electrodes implanted in their brains.
Pyocyanin has recently emerged as an important virulence factor produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The redox-active tricyclic zwitterion has been shown to have a number of potential effects on ...various organ systems in vitro, including the respiratory, cardiovascular, urological, and central nervous systems. It has been shown that a large number of the effects to these systems are via the formation of reactive oxygen species. The limitations of studies are, to date, focused on the localized effect of the release of pyocyanin (PCN). It has been postulated that, given its chemical properties, PCN is able to readily cross biological membranes, however studies have yet to be undertaken to evaluate this effect. This review highlights the possible manifestations of PCN exposure; however, most studies to date are in vitro. Further high quality in vivo studies are needed to fully assess the physiological manifestations of PCN exposure on the various body systems.
Human platelet antigens - 2013 Curtis, B. R.; McFarland, J. G.
Vox sanguinis,
February 2014, Letnik:
106, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
To date, 33 human platelet alloantigens (HPAs) have been identified on six functionally important platelet glycoprotein (GP) complexes and have been implicated in alloimmune platelet disorders ...including foetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (FNAIT), posttransfusion purpura (PTP) and multitransfusion platelet refractoriness (MPR). The greatest number of recognized HPA (20 of 33) resides on the GPIIb/IIIa complex, which serves as the receptor for ligands important in mediating haemostasis and inflammation. These include HPA‐1a, the most commonly implicated HPA in FNAIT and PTP in Caucasian populations. Other platelet GP complexes, GPIb/V/IX, GPIa/IIa and CD109, express the remaining 13 HPAs. Of the recognized HPAs, 12 occur as six serologically and genetically defined biallelic ‘systems’ where the –a form designates the higher frequency allele and the –b form, the lower. Twenty‐one other HPAs are low‐frequency or rare antigens for which postulated higher frequency –a alleles have not yet been identified as antibody specificities. In addition to the HPA markers, platelets also express ABO and human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antigens; antibodies directed at the former are occasionally important in FNAIT, and to the latter, in MPR.
Many laboratories have begun to develop brain-computer interface (BCI) systems that provide communication and control capabilities to people with severe motor disabilities. Further progress and ...realization of practical applications depends on systematic evaluations and comparisons of different brain signals, recording methods, processing algorithms, output formats, and operating protocols. However, the typical BCI system is designed specifically for one particular BCI method and is, therefore, not suited to the systematic studies that are essential for continued progress. In response to this problem, we have developed a documented general-purpose BCI research and development platform called BCI2000. BCI2000 can incorporate alone or in combination any brain signals, signal processing methods, output devices, and operating protocols. This report is intended to describe to investigators, biomedical engineers, and computer scientists the concepts that the BCI2000 system is based upon and gives examples of successful BCI implementations using this system. To date, we have used BCI2000 to create BCI systems for a variety of brain signals, processing methods, and applications. The data show that these systems function well in online operation and that BCI2000 satisfies the stringent real-time requirements of BCI systems. By substantially reducing labor and cost, BCI2000 facilitates the implementation of different BCI systems and other psychophysiological experiments. It is available with full documentation and free of charge for research or educational purposes and is currently being used in a variety of studies by many research groups.
Current UNAIDS goals aimed to end the AIDS epidemic set out to ensure that 90% of all people living with HIV know their status, 90% initiate and continue life-long anti-retroviral therapy (ART), and ...90% achieve viral load suppression. In 2014 there were an estimated 2.6 million children under 15 years of age living with HIV, of which only one-third were receiving ART. Little literature exists describing retention of HIV-infected children in the first year on ART. We conducted a systematic search for English language publications reporting on retention of children with median age at ART initiation less than ten years in resource limited settings. The proportion of children retained in care on ART and predictors of attrition were identified. Twelve studies documented retention at one year ranging from 71-95% amongst 31877 African children. Among the 5558 children not retained, 4082 (73%) were reported as lost to follow up (LFU) and 1476 (27%) were confirmed to have died. No studies confirmed the outcomes of children LFU. Predictors of attrition included younger age, shorter duration of time on ART, and severe immunosuppression. In conclusion, significant attrition occurs in children in the first 12 months after ART initiation, the majority attributed to LFU, although true outcomes of children labeled as LFU are unknown. Focused efforts to ensure retention and minimize early mortality are needed as universal ART for children is scaled up.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a computer-based system that acquires, analyzes, and translates brain signals into output commands in real time. Perdikis and colleagues demonstrate superior ...performance in a Cybathlon BCI race using a system based on "three pillars": machine learning, user training, and application. These results highlight the fact that BCI use is a learned skill and not simply a matter of "mind reading."
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
The volume of data that will be produced by new-generation surveys requires automatic classification methods to select and analyse sources. Indeed, this is the case for the search for strong ...gravitational lenses, where the population of the detectable lensed sources is only a very small fraction of the full source population. We apply for the first time a morphological classification method based on a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for recognizing strong gravitational lenses in 255 deg2 of the Kilo Degree Survey (KiDS), one of the current-generation optical wide surveys. The CNN is currently optimized to recognize lenses with Einstein radii ≳1.4 arcsec, about twice the r-band seeing in KiDS. In a sample of 21 789 colour–magnitude selected luminous red galaxies (LRGs), of which three are known lenses, the CNN retrieves 761 strong-lens candidates and correctly classifies two out of three of the known lenses. The misclassified lens has an Einstein radius below the range on which the algorithm is trained. We down-select the most reliable 56 candidates by a joint visual inspection. This final sample is presented and discussed. A conservative estimate based on our results shows that with our proposed method it should be possible to find ∼100 massive LRG-galaxy lenses at z ≲ 0.4 in KiDS when completed. In the most optimistic scenario, this number can grow considerably (to maximally ∼2400 lenses), when widening the colour–magnitude selection and training the CNN to recognize smaller image-separation lens systems.
Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) use signals recorded from the brain to operate robotic or prosthetic devices. Both invasive and noninvasive approaches have proven effective. Achieving the speed, ...accuracy, and reliability necessary for real-world applications remains the major challenge for BCI-based robotic control.
Lightning increases the atmosphere's ability to cleanse itself by producing nitric oxide (NO), leading to atmospheric chemistry that forms ozone (O
) and the atmosphere's primary oxidant, the ...hydroxyl radical (OH). Our analysis of a 2012 airborne study of deep convection and chemistry demonstrates that lightning also directly generates the oxidants OH and the hydroperoxyl radical (HO
). Extreme amounts of OH and HO
were discovered and linked to visible flashes occurring in front of the aircraft and to subvisible discharges in electrified anvil regions. This enhanced OH and HO
is orders of magnitude greater than any previous atmospheric observation. Lightning-generated OH in all storms happening at the same time globally can be responsible for a highly uncertain, but substantial, 2 to 16% of global atmospheric OH oxidation.
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