Ultra-wideband radar application for sleep breathing monitoring is hampered by the difficulty of obtaining breathing signals for non-stationary subjects. This occurs due to imprecise signal clutter removal and poor body movement removal algorithms for extracting accurate breathing signals. Therefore, this paper proposed a Sleep Breathing Detection Algorithm (SBDA) to address this challenge. First, SBDA introduces the combination of variance feature with Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) to tackle the issue of clutter signals. This method used Daubechies wavelets with five levels of decomposition to satisfy the signal-to-noise ratio in the signal. Second, SBDA implements a curve fit based sinusoidal pattern algorithm for detecting periodic motion. The measurement was taken by comparing the R-square value to differentiate between chest and body movements. Last but not least, SBDA applied the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) method for extracting breathing signals before transforming the signal to the frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to obtain breathing rate. The analysis was conducted on 15 subjects with normal and abnormal ratings for sleep monitoring. All results were compared with two existing methods obtained from previous literature with Polysomnography (PSG) devices. The result found that SBDA effectively monitors breathing using IR-UWB as it has the lowest average percentage error with only 6.12% compared to the other two existing methods from past research implemented in this dataset.

Cystic lung formation secondary to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection was described during coronavirus disease pandemic, but with relatively low prevalence. A rare yet under‐recognized complication is that these cystic areas may progress to bullae, cavities and pneumothorax. We reported two cases of ruptured bullae with pneumothorax following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. Two patients were discharged following SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia, which did not require invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). However, both patients presented again a month later with shortness of breath. Repeated computed tomography (CT) thorax showed development of bullous lung disease and pneumothorax. The first patient underwent surgical intervention whilst the second patient was treated conservatively. Development of bullous lung disease following SARS‐CoV‐2 infection is rare but may be associated with serious morbidity. Patients whose general condition permits should be offered surgical intervention whilst conservative management is reserved for non‐surgical candidates.

Multiple primary malignant tumors of lung and colorectal incidence were extremely rare and in most cases, diagnosed incidentally. Due to its rarity, most physicians consider pulmonary lesions found in patients with a history of colorectal cancer as lung metastasis. To avoid misdiagnosis and treatment delays, it is critical to properly screen and explore for possible metastasis or the occurrence of a second primary tumor after a primary cancer has been diagnosed. We describe a 72-year-old woman who presented with rectal bleeding associated with altered bowel movement. Rectal biopsy revealed colon adenocarcinoma and subsequent CT scan showed sigmoid colon mass and right lower lobe lung mass with multiple mediastinal lymphadenopathies. Biopsies of the mediastinal lymph nodes also showed adenocarcinoma. PET/CT scans showed different SUVmax of lesions in the sigmoid colon and right lower lobe, which raised the possibility of separate colonic and lung primary tumors as opposed to colonic primary with lung metastasis. Further immunohistology studies confirmed separate primary lung tumor. These diagnoses facilitate the clinical approach and define treatment options for the patient.

The dynamics and protectiveness of the hybrid immune responses, especially in individuals who have experienced severe COVID-19, remain to be fully understood. This study aims to identify the prevalence and persistence of neutralising antibodies throughout time, and to investigate the longitudinal profile of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD) in patients recovering from severe COVID-19. A total of 42 hospitalised COVID-19 survivors were enrolled from three medical centres in Malaysia. Serial blood samples were collected at four time points post-discharge (approximately 90, 180, 270 and 360 days). IgG titres were quantified using ELISA and neutralising antibodies (NAbs). Statistical analyses were performed to explore antibody dynamics and correlations. Among 42 participants, 24 completed all four visits. Mean antibody titre showed an initial decline after the first visit, followed by a gradual increase over time, with the highest being at Visit 4 (360-390 days post-discharge). The highest titre (266.7 ± 30.9 BAU/mL) was observed in a recipient, 10 days after receiving the fourth vaccination. All participants except one demonstrated protective NAbs at the final visit. Higher BMI was significantly associated with disease severity (P = 0.006), while IgG titres were higher in individuals with more severe initial infections (Category 5). This study highlights the persistence of antibody response with hybrid immunity, with the booster vaccinations contributing to increased antibody titres. RBD-specific IgG titres provide useful insights into their trends, while the concurrent NAbs assessment is important for a comprehensive understanding of the protective efficacy following hybrid immunity.

Background. Chronic respiratory disease may be associated with severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. We review a case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient who developed acute breathlessness post COVID-19 infection, also focusing on the diagnostic approach. Case. A 69-year-old gentleman with background history of COPD GOLD D and ischemic heart disease was admitted with severe COVID-19 infection. He required high-flow nasal cannula upon presentation. A computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) thorax at day 10 of illness revealed moderate organizing pneumonia (OP) with emphysematous changes, without pulmonary embolism. He received oral baricitinib and intravenous methylprednisolone for 3 days, which was then followed by tapering prednisolone starting dose of 1mg/kg/day (60mg/day) with reduction of 10mg prednisolone every 3 days. COPD pharmacotherapy was optimized with early utilization of dual bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroid was withheld. He underwent inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation and was discharged with home oxygen therapy. Unfortunately, he was re-admitted after 2 weeks with shortness of breath and fever for 3 days. Blood results revealed leucocytosis with raised C-reactive protein. A repeat CTPA showed increase reticulations and crazy paving pattern with reduction in lung volume. Multidisciplinary team discussion concluded it as interstitial pneumonia with COVID-19 OP and fibrosis progression. Prednisolone was stopped and he responded well with antibiotics. A follow-up at 3 months post COVID-19 infection showed improvement of clinical symptoms with radiological resolution of ground glass changes. Conclusion. Corticosteroid inhaler should be cautioned in this case, in view of recent pneumonia and non-elevated serum eosinophil count. These groups of patients should be closely followed up to unmask interstitial lung disease that may present prior to COVID-19 and worsen post-infection. Optimizing pre-existing medical conditions should be the paramount intervention.