scholarly journals Survey of Saliva Components and Virus Sensors for Prevention of COVID-19 and Infectious Diseases

Biosensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Priya Dave ◽  
Roberto Rojas-Cessa ◽  
Ziqian Dong ◽  
Vatcharapan Umpaichitra
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Human Saliva ◽  
Field Application ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Close Distance

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers saliva contact the lead transmission mean of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Saliva droplets or aerosols expelled by sneezing, coughing, breathing, and talking may carry this virus. People in close distance may be exposed directly to these droplets or indirectly when touching the droplets that fall on surrounding surfaces and ending up contracting COVID-19 after touching the mucosa tissue of their faces. It is of great interest to quickly and effectively detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in an environment, but the existing methods only work in laboratory settings, to the best of our knowledge. However, it may be possible to detect the presence of saliva in the environment and proceed with prevention measures. However, detecting saliva itself has not been documented in the literature. On the other hand, many sensors that detect different organic components in saliva to monitor a person’s health and diagnose different diseases, ranging from diabetes to dental health, have been proposed and they may be used to detect the presence of saliva. This paper surveys sensors that detect organic and inorganic components of human saliva. Humidity sensors are also considered in the detection of saliva because a large portion of saliva is water. Moreover, sensors that detect infectious viruses are also included as they may also be embedded into saliva sensors for a confirmation of the presence of the virus. A classification of sensors by their working principles and the substances they detect is presented, including the sensors’ specifications, sample size, and sensitivity. Indications of which sensors are portable and suitable for field application are presented. This paper also discusses future research and challenges that must be resolved to realize practical saliva sensors. Such sensors may help minimize the spread of not only COVID-19 but also other infectious diseases.

Machine Learning Techniques to Identify and Characterize Sleep Disorders Using Biosignals

2021 ◽  
pp. 136-160
Author(s):  
Mercedes Barrachina ◽  
Laura Valenzuela López
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Sleep Disorders ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Future Research Directions

Sleep disorders are related to many different diseases, and they could have a significant impact in patients' health, causing an economic impact to the society and to the national health systems. In the United States, according to information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, those disorders are affecting 50-70 million in the adult population. Sleep disorders are causing annually around 40,000 deaths due to cardiovascular problems, and they cost the health system more than 16 billion. In other countries, such as in Spain, those disorders affect up to 48% of the adult population. The main objective of this chapter is to review and evaluate the different machine learning techniques utilized by researchers and medical professionals to identify, assess, and characterize sleep disorders. Moreover, some future research directions are proposed considering the evaluated area.

Review of Current Literature on the Economic Burden of Clostridium difficile Infection

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik R. Dubberke ◽  
Albert I. Wertheimer
Keyword(s):  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
Economic Burden ◽  
International Classification Of Diseases ◽  
The United States ◽  
Diagnosis Code ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Classification Of Diseases ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Healthcare Associated

Clostridium difficile is well recognized as the most common infectious cause of healthcare-associated diarrhea. Since 2000, this pathogen has demonstrated an increased propensity to cause more frequent and virulent illness that is often refractory to treatment. An analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that, in the United States, the number of patients discharged from hospitals who received the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision discharge diagnosis code for C. difficile infection (CDI) more than doubled from 2000 to 2003. Unpublished data indicate that this trend has continued and that more than 250,000 US hospitalizations were associated with CDI in 2005. A previously uncommon hypervirulent strain of C. difficile is thought to contribute, in part, to the dramatic increase in the incidence and severity of the infection. Although the economic impact of the disease is believed to be profound and is expected to increase, data on the costs associated with CDI are scarce. To more completely assess its economic burden, we performed a review of available literature that reported costs associated with the infection.

Infectious Diseases and Child Day Care

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 134-139
Author(s):  
Richard A. Goodman ◽  
Michael T. Osterholm ◽  
Dan M. Granoff ◽  
Larry K. Pickering
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Day Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Infectious Agents ◽  
Day Care Centers ◽  
Child Day Care ◽  
Recent Interest ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
Control And Prevention

The number of day care centers and home care facilities has steadily increased in the United States. Recent interest has focused on the possible relationship between attendance at child day care facilities and the occurrence of certain infectious diseases. A variety of infectious agents have been reported as causes of illness among children and staff in day care programs. In general, however, concurrent risks for these infections among children attending and those not attending day care programs have not been established by prospective studies. A review is made of the pathogens that have been associated with infections in day care settings, patterns of occurrence of infectious diseases in day care facilities, aspects of control and prevention of these diseases, and controversies related to infectious diseases in child day care facilities. Aspects of this problem that warrant further research are outlined.

scholarly journals Up in the Air? Future Research Strategies to Assess Aerosols in Dentistry

2021 ◽  
pp. 238008442098250
Author(s):  
M.L. Geisinger ◽  
E. Iaonnidou
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
The United States ◽  
Urgent Care ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Strategies ◽  
Dental Procedures ◽  
Route Of Transmission ◽  
Control And Prevention

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused major disruption in global health care delivery. In March 2020, based upon guidance from the American Dental Association and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, dental procedures in the United States were limited to emergent and urgent care. Establishment of an airborne route of transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has highlighted the potential risks associated with aerosol-generating dental procedures (AGDPs) during the provision of dental care. It has also served to open the door on novel research avenues that could have a meaningful downstream effect on the practice of dentistry and could enhance current infection control and prevention practices. This commentary seeks to identify gaps in our current knowledge regarding airborne disease transmission in dental practice and to draw attention to potential research questions regarding dental aerosols and their potential to cause disease. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Recent reports on the airborne transmission of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, have highlighted a need for investigation of dental aerosols and their infectious potential.

scholarly journals 184. Pharmacist role in antimicrobial stewardship research: a 30-year experience

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S98-S99
Author(s):  
Kelly E Pillinger ◽  
Ripal Jariwala ◽  
PharmD; Nicholas J Mercuro ◽  
Laura N Cwengros ◽  
Susan L Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Antimicrobial Stewardship ◽  
Guideline Implementation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Audit And Feedback ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Stewardship Program ◽  
Integral Role ◽  
Pubmed Search

Abstract Background Antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends co-leadership of both an infectious-diseases (ID) physician and ID-trained pharmacist. Pharmacists play a key role in the therapeutic management, administration, and implementation of ASP interventions. The purpose of this study, conducted on behalf of the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists, was to describe the involvement of pharmacists in publications of ASP interventional research. Methods A PubMed search was conducted to identify publications in the United States and Canada from 1990–2019 including “antimicrobial (or antibiotic) stewardship” or “antimicrobial (or antibiotic) intervention.” Articles were screened for active interventions with comparator arms. A random subset of 100 pharmacist-authored manuscripts were selected using a time-based clustering strategy to review specific study designs, populations, interventions, and endpoints. Results Of 1,426 publications, 340 met inclusion. Two-thirds (228/340) of all interventional antimicrobial stewardship studies included a pharmacist author. Pharmacists were lead authors in 59% (135/228) of studies that included a pharmacist. Among the randomized subset of pharmacist-authored manuscripts (n=100), the average impact factor of journals with pharmacists as the first author was 3.52, compared to 5.25 as middle authors. Most studies were inpatient focused (89%), included adults (81%), and conducted in a single-site setting (84%). Pediatrics, immunocompromised, post-acute care, and ambulatory populations comprised less than 10% of the publications. The most common interventions described were audit and feedback (55%), guideline implementation (49%), and education (40%). Endpoints included drug utilization (66%), clinical outcomes (57%), safety events (46%), cost (40%), and appropriateness of therapy (35%). Figure 1. Conclusion Pharmacists have an integral role in publication and dissemination of ASP research. Opportunities exist in multi-site collaboration as well as research in ambulatory, pediatric, and immunocompromised groups. Future research endpoints should be practical, generalizable, and patient-centered. Disclosures Kelly E. Pillinger, PharmD, BCIDP, Pharmacy Times (Other Financial or Material Support, Speaker) Haley Appaneal, PharmD, Shionogi (Grant/Research Support)

scholarly journals The Power of Music to Prevent and Control Emerging Infectious Diseases

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio A. Benavides ◽  
Cristina Caparrós ◽  
Ramiro Monã da Silva ◽  
Tiziana Lembo ◽  
Philip Tem Dia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Task Force ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Population Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
Public Health Authorities ◽  
Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Music is a powerful approach to engage communities and disseminate information. Specifically, health campaigns employing music have been used to promote behaviors that can prevent emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). For example, hip hop artists supported campaigns to prevent acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in the 70s in the United States, while Brazilian funk promoted vaccination to mitigate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, we broadcast musical messages in local languages to increase community awareness and support prevention measures in Guinea and Liberia in response to the recent Ebola outbreak in 2021. Given the potential of music to promote both individual and population-level behavioral changes to prevent transmission, there is a need to consolidate information on music-based health interventions, and on how we can measure their effectiveness. In this perspective, we provide examples of relevant initiatives, discussing challenges and solutions associated with implementing interventions based on our experience with the 2021 Ebola outbreak. We recommend four steps for a successful music-based health intervention including (1) establishing a task force, (2) compose a “catchy” song including critical preventive measures, (3) deliver the song to the target audience, and (4) evaluate the campaign effectiveness. We argue that close interactions between scientists and musicians can produce rapid musical content for disease prevention. We also identify and discuss several methodological frameworks for testing the effectiveness of such interventions. We conclude that support from public health authorities, government media departments, and international agencies, is necessary to deliver wide outreach and long-term sustainability of musical messaging toward effective EID prevention.

scholarly journals Mask mandate and use efficacy in state-level COVID-19 containment

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Damian Guerra ◽  
Daniel J Guerra
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Transmission Rates ◽  
High Transmission ◽  
Lower Case ◽  
Control And Prevention ◽  
Lower Infection

Background: Containment of the COVID-19 pandemic requires evidence-based strategies to reduce transmission. Because COVID-19 can spread via respired droplets, many states have mandated mask use in public settings. Randomized control trials have not clearly demonstrated mask efficacy against respiratory viruses, but observational studies suggest greater mask compliance may be associated with lower infection rates. We hypothesized that statewide mask mandates and mask use are associated with lower COVID-19 case growth rates in the United States. Methods: We calculated total COVID-19 case growth and mask use for the continental United States with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. We estimated post-mask mandate case growth in non-mandate states using median issuance dates of neighboring states with mandates. Results: Case growth was not significantly different between mandate and non-mandate states at low or high transmission rates, and surges were equivocal. Mask use predicted lower case growth at low, but not high transmission rates. Growth rates were comparable between states in the top and bottom mask use quintiles adjusted for normalized total cases early in the pandemic and unadjusted after peak Fall-Winter infections. Mask use did not predict Summer 2020 case growth for non-Northeast states or Fall-Winter 2020 growth for all states. Conclusions: Mask mandates and use are not associated with slower state-level COVID-19 spread during COVID-19 growth surges. COVID-19 containment requires future research and implementation of existing efficacious strategies.

scholarly journals Development of a Dissemination Platform for Spatiotemporal and Phylogenetic Analysis of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Jara ◽  
Rocio Crespo ◽  
David L. Roberts ◽  
Ashlyn Chapman ◽  
Alejandro Banda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Infectious Bronchitis Virus ◽  
Spatial Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Viral Origin ◽  
Infectious Bronchitis ◽  
Control And Prevention

Infecting large portions of the global poultry populations, the avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) remains a major economic burden in North America. With more than 30 serotypes globally distributed, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, and Massachusetts are among the most predominant serotypes in the United States. Even though vaccination is widely used, the high mutation rate exhibited by IBV is continuously triggering the emergence of new viral strains and hindering control and prevention measures. For that reason, targeted strategies based on constantly updated information on the IBV circulation are necessary. Here, we sampled IBV-infected farms from one US state and collected and analyzed 65 genetic sequences coming from three different lineages along with the immunization information of each sampled farm. Phylodynamic analyses showed that IBV dispersal velocity was 12.3 km/year. The majority of IBV infections appeared to have derived from the introduction of the Arkansas DPI serotype, and the Arkansas DPI and Georgia 13 were the predominant serotypes. When analyzed against IBV sequences collected across the United States and deposited in the GenBank database, the most likely viral origin of our sequences was from the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Delaware. Information about vaccination showed that the MILDVAC-MASS+ARK vaccine was applied on 26% of the farms. Using a publicly accessible open-source tool for real-time interactive tracking of pathogen spread and evolution, we analyzed the spatiotemporal spread of IBV and developed an online reporting dashboard. Overall, our work demonstrates how the combination of genetic and spatial information could be used to track the spread and evolution of poultry diseases, providing timely information to the industry. Our results could allow producers and veterinarians to monitor in near-real time the current IBV strain circulating, making it more informative, for example, in vaccination-related decisions.

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