-
The Science of the Total Environment Aug 2020In this study, we aimed at analyzing the associations between transmission of and deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 and meteorological variables, such as average temperature,...
In this study, we aimed at analyzing the associations between transmission of and deaths caused by SARS-CoV-2 and meteorological variables, such as average temperature, minimum temperature, maximum temperature, and precipitation. Two outcome measures were considered, with the first aiming to study SARS-CoV-2 infections and the second aiming to study COVID-19 mortality. Daily data as well as data on SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 mortality obtained between December 1, 2019 and March 28, 2020 were collected from weather stations around the world. The country's population density and time of exposure to the disease were used as control variables. Finally, a month dummy variable was added. Daily data by country were analyzed using the panel data model. An increase in the average daily temperature by one degree Fahrenheit reduced the number of cases by approximately 6.4 cases/day. There was a negative correlation between the average temperature per country and the number of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections. This association remained strong even with the incorporation of additional variables and controls (maximum temperature, average temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation) and fixed country effects. There was a positive correlation between precipitation and SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Countries with higher rainfall measurements showed an increase in disease transmission. For each average inch/day, there was an increase of 56.01 cases/day. COVID-19 mortality showed no significant association with temperature.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Climate; Coronavirus Infections; Humans; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 32353724
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138997 -
Cureus Nov 2023A heat stroke (HS) is a medical emergency that can occur when the body is unable to cool itself down after overexertion in a hot condition. It is characterized by a high...
A heat stroke (HS) is a medical emergency that can occur when the body is unable to cool itself down after overexertion in a hot condition. It is characterized by a high body temperature (usually greater than 40.5 degrees Celsius or 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit) and altered mental status. HS can cause a wide range of physiological changes in the body, including damage to the brain, heart, liver, kidneys, and muscles. In the case report presented, the patient was a 40-year-old man who developed severe HS. His condition rapidly deteriorated, and he developed multi-organ failure, involving the brain, liver, kidneys, muscles, and hematological system. The patient was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and intubated, despite aggressive treatment. After an 18-day stay in the ICU, the patient achieved full recovery except for myopathy, which necessitated physiotherapy.
PubMed: 38111401
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.48984 -
Statistics in Medicine Jul 2014We provide a template for finding target allocation proportions in optimal allocation designs where the target will be invariant for both shifts in location and scale of...
We provide a template for finding target allocation proportions in optimal allocation designs where the target will be invariant for both shifts in location and scale of the response distributions. One possible application of such target allocation proportions is to carry out a response-adaptive allocation. While most of the existing designs are invariant for any change in scale of the underlying distributions, they are not location invariant in most of the cases. First, we indicate this serious flaw in the existing literature and illustrate how this lack of location invariance makes the performance of the designs very poor in terms of allocation for any drastic change in location, such as the changes from degrees centigrade to degrees Fahrenheit. We illustrate that unless a target allocation is location invariant, it might lead to a completely irrelevant and useless target for allocation. Then we discuss how such location invariance can be achieved for general continuous responses. We illustrate the proposed method using some real clinical trial data. We also indicate the possible extension of the procedure for more than two treatments at hand and in the presence of covariates.
Topics: Computer Simulation; Humans; Models, Statistical; Neuralgia, Postherpetic; Pain; Pregabalin; Research Design; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid
PubMed: 24549681
DOI: 10.1002/sim.6110 -
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Jun 2022The new summer index (SSI) which was established to determine climate comfort was classified according to the index. Climatic comfort areas will increase and thus...
The new summer index (SSI) which was established to determine climate comfort was classified according to the index. Climatic comfort areas will increase and thus raising the quality of living in areas. The temperature values felt in the study were calculated with the SSI formula, and then the maps of the study area were classified. The study area was the Hayal Park and its surroundings in the Toros Quarter of Cukurova District, which is surrounded by multi-story and dense buildings in the north of Adana. Although the vertical construction is very high, it is richer in terms of green areas compared to other large central districts. Cukurova, which is one of the largest districts of Adana (according to population), has Seyhan dam lake in the north and Seyhan district in the south. The study area is on the border of Seyhan district and is adjacent to Yüreğir and Sarıçam districts. With the portable Smart SENSOR AS 847 measuring device, temperature and relative humidity were measured at 1.5 m above the ground on Tuesday, August 20 at 07.00, at 14.00, and 21.00. Bioclimatic comfort areas were determined by measuring temperature and relative humidity at 25 points with different textures in the study area. In this study, measured instantaneous temperature (°C) and relative humidity (%) data were transferred to GIS medium by ArcGIS 10.6 program and then modeled with the Kriging method, which is one of the interpolation methods, and temperature and relative humidity maps were created. The temperature map created in degrees Celsius (°C) by the Kriging method and was converted to Fahrenheit degrees (°F) in the Raster Calculator. The reason for this change is that SSI is calculated with the formula Fahrenheit (°F). These maps were then calculated on the Raster Calculator using the SSI formula, and sensed temperature values were obtained The SSI, which normally has 8 classes, has 3 classes in the study area. These classes are 83 ≤ SSI < 91 slightly hot, 91 ≤ SSI < 100 hot, and 100 ≤ SSI < 112 very hot. When we look at the maps, the places outside of Hayal Park are in the hot class at 07.00 in the morning, and we can see that the green spaces have a positive effect on the bioclimatic comfort areas. The small area is in a very hot class. When we look at 14.00 h, it is a totally hot class. Normally, the temperature is the highest of these times and also coincides with the multi-story buildings in the study area; asphalt and concrete areas increased the temperature. As a result, there is a very hot air in the study area. It was determined that the maps identified non-comfortable areas. Since urban form and settlement affect climate comfort values, the urban plan should be revised, and the area should be brought to the bioclimatic comfort value range. For reducing the effect of temperature in the working area and creating comfortable areas is increasing the density of green areas compared to asphalt and concrete areas. Considering that the Cukurova district will grow further, urban planning should be done very well to reach the comfort range in the following settlements.
Topics: Cities; City Planning; Data Collection; Environmental Monitoring; Hot Temperature; Parks, Recreational; Temperature
PubMed: 35731448
DOI: 10.1007/s10661-022-10172-y -
Cureus Oct 2021Antipsychotic medications are used in the management of schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medications treat both positive and negative symptoms via the dopamine D2 receptor...
Antipsychotic medications are used in the management of schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medications treat both positive and negative symptoms via the dopamine D2 receptor and serotonin 5-HT2A blockade pathway. Side effects include hyperprolactinemia, prolonged QTc, and neuroleptic malignant syndrome. However, antipsychotic medication-induced hyperthermia potentiating a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is a rare side effect that is less well known. A 47-year-old male presented to the emergency department (ED) via emergency medical services for altered mental status. He was given naloxone without improvement in mental status. His glucose was 110 mg/dL. Upon presentation to the ED, he was hyperthermic (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and tachycardic (heart rate of 160's beats/minute). Home medications included risperidone and fluphenazine. After the resolution of his hyperthermia, he had a right-sided facial droop concerning a cerebrovascular accident. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain confirmed an early/acute subacute right cerebellar infarction. The patient received optimal treatment; his mental status returned to baseline, and he was discharged home without antipsychotic medications. Patients who are prescribed antipsychotics should be aware of the potentially fatal adverse events that can occur from these medications. Thermoregulation may be impaired in these patients, resulting in significant hyperthermia, in which case antipsychotic medications should be discontinued.
PubMed: 34659926
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.18651 -
Advances in Skin & Wound Care Jan 2018Diagnosis of wound infection can be challenging because it relies on a combination of clinical signs and symptoms that are often nonspecific. Increased periwound... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVE
Diagnosis of wound infection can be challenging because it relies on a combination of clinical signs and symptoms that are often nonspecific. Increased periwound cutaneous temperature is a classic sign of deep and surrounding wound infection, and its quantitative measurement is one of the most reliable and valid clinical signs of deep and surrounding skin infection at the bedside. Skin surface temperature differences may be detected using commercially available noncontact infrared thermometers. However, techniques to detect temperature using noncontact infrared thermometers vary, and no studies have evaluated these methods. Two such measurement techniques include the "4-point" and "whole-wound" scanning methods. This study assessed the ability of different infrared thermometers using the aforementioned techniques to detect clinically meaningful differences in periwound cutaneous temperatures used in the diagnosis of wound infection.
METHODS
A prospective cohort study was conducted from 2015 to 2016 of consenting adult patients 18 years or older with an open wound attending a regional wound care clinic. One hundred patients with wounds underwent surface temperature measurement. Infection was not a specific inclusion criterion as the primary objective was to conduct a comparative assessment of infrared thermometry devices. Demographic data (age, height, weight, gender, and ethnicity) were also collected. Each wound was measured using 4 different noncontact infrared thermometers: Exergen DermaTemp 1001 (Exergen Corporation, Watertown, Massachusetts), Mastercraft Digital Temperature Reader (Mastercraft, Toronto, Ontario, Canada), Mastercool MSC52224-A (Mastercool Inc, Randolph, New Jersey), and Etekcity ETC-8250 Temperature Heat Pen (Etekcity, Anaheim, California). Data analysis was based on a comparison of 4 periwound skin surface temperature measurement differences (ΔT in degrees Fahrenheit) between the wound site and an equivalent contralateral control site.
OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome of the ability of each thermometer to detect a clinically significant difference in temperature was assessed with χ analysis. Paired t tests were conducted to compare the ΔT measurements of each specific thermometry device between the 2 measurement techniques. Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were calculated for the temperature ΔT for both measuring techniques for all devices to determine level of agreement. A 1-way analysis of variance was conducted to compare temperature measurements among the infrared thermometry devices.
MAIN RESULTS
There was no significant difference in the ability of each thermometer to detect a clinically meaningful difference of 3° F by either the 4-point (P = .10) or whole-wound techniques (P = .67). When a definition of 4° F was used, results were similar (4-point, P = .15; whole wound, P = .20). Comparisons among devices and techniques showed strong correlations (>0.80). Etekcity ETC-8250 and the 4-point measurement compared with the Exergen device using the whole-wound technique had a correlation coefficient of 0.72. Spearman ρ demonstrated a similarly high degree of correlation between techniques and devices, and only the Etekcity ETC-8250 device had a coefficient of 0.71 to 0.90 when compared with others. Paired t testing for each thermometry device comparing measurement techniques for raw temperatures ΔT demonstrated no significant difference (P > .05). No statistical differences among the ΔT values for the 3 different thermometers were noted when using the whole-wound method (P = .095). Similarly, no significant differences among the ΔT values were noted for the 4 different thermometers when using the 4-point method (P = .10).
CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study demonstrate that both the 4-point and whole-wound methods of temperature acquisition using cost-efficient infrared thermometers provide accurate and similar results in clinical wound care settings.
Topics: Aged; Analysis of Variance; Cohort Studies; Female; Humans; Infrared Rays; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Skin Temperature; Thermography; Thermometers; Wound Infection
PubMed: 29240589
DOI: 10.1097/01.ASW.0000527352.75716.70 -
International Journal For Quality in... Feb 2021The emergence of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) highlights the necessity of rapidly identifying and isolating potentially infected individuals. Evaluating this...
QUALITY ISSUE
The emergence of coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) highlights the necessity of rapidly identifying and isolating potentially infected individuals. Evaluating this preparedness requires an assessment of the full clinical system, from intake to isolation.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Unannounced Standardized Patients (USPs) present a nimble, sensitive methodology for assessing this readiness.
CHOICE OF SOLUTION
Pilot the USP methodology, which employs an actor trained to present as a standardized, incognito potentially infected patient, to assess clinical readiness for potential COVID-19 patients at an urban, community safety-net clinic.
IMPLEMENTATION
The USP was trained to present at each team's front desk with the complaint of feeling unwell (reporting a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit in the past 24 hours) and exposure to a roommate recently returned from Beijing. The USP was trained to complete a behaviorally anchored assessment of the care she received from the clinical system.
EVALUATION
There was clear variation in care USPs received; some frontline clerical staff followed best practices; others did not. Signage and information on disease spread prevention publicly available was inconsistent. Qualitative comments shared by the USPs and those gathered during group debrief reinforced the experiences of the USPs and hospital leadership.
LESSONS LEARNED
USPs revealed significant variation in care practices within a clinical system. Utilization of this assessment methodology can provide just-in-time clinical information about readiness and safety practices, particularly during emerging outbreaks. USPs will prove especially powerful as clinicians and systems return to outpatient visits while remaining vigilant about potentially infected individuals.
Topics: COVID-19; Disaster Planning; Humans; New York City; Pandemics; Patient Isolation; Patient Simulation; Pilot Projects; SARS-CoV-2; Safety-net Providers
PubMed: 32991675
DOI: 10.1093/intqhc/mzaa116 -
Annals of Science Oct 2020Accounts of how the concept of temperature has evolved typically cast the story as ancillary to the history of the thermometer or the history of the concept of heat. But...
Accounts of how the concept of temperature has evolved typically cast the story as ancillary to the history of the thermometer or the history of the concept of heat. But then, because the history of temperature is not treated as a subject in its own right, modern associations inadvertently get read back into the historical record. This essay attempts to lay down an authoritative record not of what people in the past thought about what we call 'temperature' but of what they thought about what they called 'temperature' (or one of its cognates), from medieval times to today. It is found that invention of the thermometer had little impact on the concept of temperature. Much more significant were Fahrenheit's invention of a reliable instrument and William Thomson's effort to make a degree of temperature a unit of measure. Overlapping definitions of temperature then emerged in the late nineteenth century, and twentieth-century scientific developments forced physicists to reconsider temperature's conceptual boundaries. It turns out that the concept of temperature has evolved through stages that correspond to four increasingly sophisticated types of measurement. Its maturity sheds light on the philosophy of conceptual change.
Topics: Historiography; History, 15th Century; History, 16th Century; History, 17th Century; History, 18th Century; History, 19th Century; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; History, Ancient; History, Medieval; Philosophy; Physics; Temperature
PubMed: 32981446
DOI: 10.1080/00033790.2020.1817980 -
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases Jun 2024West Nile virus (WNV) is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States, resulting in hundreds of reported cases yearly in California alone. The...
Exploring the role of temperature and other environmental factors in West Nile virus incidence and prediction in California counties from 2017-2022 using a zero-inflated model.
West Nile virus (WNV) is the most common mosquito-borne disease in the United States, resulting in hundreds of reported cases yearly in California alone. The transmission cycle occurs mostly in birds and mosquitoes, making meteorological conditions, such as temperature, especially important to transmission characteristics. Given that future increases in temperature are all but inevitable due to worldwide climate change, determining associations between temperature and WNV incidence in humans, as well as making predictions on future cases, are important to public health agencies in California. Using surveillance data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), meteorological data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and vector and host data from VectorSurv, we created GEE autoregressive and zero-inflated regression models to determine the role of temperature and other environmental factors in WNV incidence and predictions. An increase in temperature was found to be associated with an increase in incidence in 11 high-burden Californian counties between 2017-2022 (IRR = 1.06), holding location, time of year, and rainfall constant. A hypothetical increase of two degrees Fahrenheit-predicted for California by 2040-would have resulted in upwards of 20 excess cases per year during our study period. Using 2017-2021 as a training set, meteorological and host/vector data were able to closely predict 2022 incidence, though the models did overestimate the peak number of cases. The zero-inflated model closely predicted the low number of cases in winter months but performed worse than the GEE model during high-transmission periods. These findings suggests that climate change will, and may be already, altering transmission dynamics and incidence of WNV in California, and provides tools to help predict incidence into the future.
PubMed: 38913741
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0012051 -
Journal of Analytical Toxicology May 2017The clinical presentation, autopsy findings and toxicology results in an acute fatality involving N-ethylpentylone, a new cathinone derivative, are described. Law...
The clinical presentation, autopsy findings and toxicology results in an acute fatality involving N-ethylpentylone, a new cathinone derivative, are described. Law enforcement transported a male who was agitated and exhibiting unusual behavior to a local hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, his body temperature was 105.5 degrees Fahrenheit and his blood pH was 6.7. Clinical laboratory analysis revealed elevated troponins, rhabdomyolysis, hypoglycemia, hepatic and renal injury, respiratory failure and disseminated intravascular coagulation. He was intubated and admitted to the intensive care unit, treated with cooling blankets, bicarbonate and intravenous fluids. Despite medical treatment, he went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead ~36 h after admission. Autopsy findings identified some abrasions on his arms and legs, a bloody nose and a mildly enlarged heart. Antemortem blood was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer which identified N-ethylpentylone. Based on clinical presentation, autopsy findings and toxicology results, the medical examiner concluded the cause of death was intoxication by N-ethylpentylone and the manner of death was accident.
Topics: Autopsy; Benzodioxoles; Butylamines; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Fever; Forensic Toxicology; Heart Arrest; Humans; Male
PubMed: 28137731
DOI: 10.1093/jat/bkx004