ABSTRACT
Aim: To ascertain whether killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genes polymorphisms and HLA-I ligands are associated with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Eighty-seven COVID-19 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 and one hundred and fourteen healthy controls were enrolled in this study for genotyping of the 16 KIR genes, HLA-C1 and -C2 allotypes and HLA-G 14-bp indels polymorphisms using the sequence specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) method. KIR genotype frequency differences and combination KIR-HLA-C ligand were tested for significance. Results: Framework genes KIR2DL4, KIR3DL2, KIR3DL3, and KIR3DP2 were present in all individuals. The frequencies of KIR2DL2 and KIR2D4 were higher in COVID-19 positive patients than in healthy individuals. The frequencies of the combination KIR2DL2-HLA-C2 was also significantly higher in patients affected by COVID-19 compared with healthy controls. Conclusion: It was found that the inhibitory KIR2DL2 gene in isolation or combined with its HLA-C2 ligand could be associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 in the Saudi population.
ABSTRACT
An unexpected shift from face-to-face to online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic has given a massive challenge to the students. This study aims to determine the common obstacles and their effect on nursing students' attitudes towards open and distance learning (ODL) during Covid-19. The study employed a quantitative research design. The findings showed that 2% of nursing students had obstacles during ODL. The most common dimension of ODL obstacles was curriculum content. There was a statistically significant between obstacles faced and their attitude towards ODL. Nursing students encounter no difficulties during the ODL. However, their attitudes were greatly affected throughout the ODL.
ABSTRACT
The unprecedented health catastrophe derived from the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2 infection) met with a phenomenal scientific response across the globe. Worldwide, the scientific community was focused on finding a cure for the deadly disease. A wide range of research studies has consistently revealed the link between SARS-CoV-2 infection severity and abnormal gut microbiomes, suggesting its potential in developing novel therapeutic approaches. Probiotics have been extensively studied to promote health in human hosts and reestablish a balance in the dysbiotic gut microbiome; however, there is strong skepticism about their safety and efficacy. Consequently, the metabolic signatures of probiotics, often referred to as "postbiotics", could prove of paramount importance for adjuvant cures in patients with SARS-CoV-2. Postbiotics exhibit safety, enhanced shelf-life, and stability and, therefore, could be implemented in SARS-CoV-2 prophylactic strategies with no undue adverse side effects. The current study is a preliminary investigation of the antiviral properties of postbiotic metabolites derived from Leuconostoc mesenteroides GBUT-21. The study focuses on the potential biological role in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 and reducing related inflammatory pathways.
ABSTRACT
Makkah in Saudi Arabia hosts the largest annual religious event in the world. Despite the many strict rules enacted, including Hajj cancellation, city lockdowns, and social distancing, the region has the second highest number of new COVID-19 cases in Saudi Arabia. Public health interventions that identify, isolate, and manage new cases could slow the infection rate. While RT-PCR is the current gold standard in SARS-CoV-2 identification, it yields false positive and negative results, which mandates the use of complementary serological tests. Here, we report the utility of serological assays during the acute phase of individuals with moderate and severe clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19). Fifty participants with positive RT-PCR results for SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled in this study. Following RT-PCR diagnosis, serum samples from the same participants were analyzed using in-house ELISA (IgM, IgA, and IgG) and microneutralization test (MNT) for the presence of antibodies. Of the 50 individuals analyzed, 43 (86%) showed a neutralizing antibody titer of ≥20. Univariate analysis with neutralizing antibodies as a dependent variable and the degree of disease severity and underlying medical conditions as fixed factors revealed that patients with no previous history of non-communicable diseases and moderate clinical manifestation had the strongest neutralizing antibody response "Mean: 561.11". Participants with severe symptoms and other underlying disorders, including deceased individuals, demonstrated the lowest neutralizing antibody response. Anti-spike protein antibody responses, as measured by ELISA, showed a statistically significant correlation with neutralizing antibodies. This reinforces the speculation that serological assays complement molecular testing for diagnostics; however, patients' previous medical history (anamnesis) should be considered in interpreting serological results.
ABSTRACT
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a collection of viruses that can infect the respiratory system. This virus only causes mild respiratory infections, such as the flu. The process of handling Corona infection patients is indeed much different from other disease patients. Covid-19 can cause various symptoms in its sufferer. These symptoms depend on the type of corona virus that attacks, and how serious the infection is. The design of this application uses DFD and ERD modeling which is built using the web-based PHP programming language and uses a MySQL database. The assessment of the efficiency level of COVID-19 was carried out in one of the provinces in Indonesia, namely in the province of Aceh, using samples from 12 existing hospitals. All the hospitals that we have taken data every day will continue to increase and decrease. This application is built using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method, where the search process is determined by the lindo software. The input criteria in this application are suspected patients, probable patients, confirmed patients, and patients being treated. While the output of this application is the patient recovers, and the patient dies. All the data we get is real data that we get directly from the hospital and the results are confirmed via the Internet. All calculation processes use predetermined formulas. The computational result obtained from the DEA CCR Model on the 8 DMUs is 1, it is the gain from dividing the output variable by the input variable, then the results obtained from 8 DMUs are efficient and 4 DMUs are inefficient.
ABSTRACT
The distribution of ingredients within the food supply chain has become the foremost necessary issue raised within the current COVID-19 program. Market activities became global and sophisticated since the Covid-19 pandemic has become more widespread, these problems have resulted during high demand for food supplies, especially for affected communities, so blockchain technology advocated to extend the distribution's traceability during a decentralized and transparent manner. This method realizes the effective delivery of food supply chains in real-time, including physical conditions and geographical positions, on the premise of protecting privacy and security. It concluded interconnectivity from decentralization and transparency advantages for the COVID-19 program, both communities, and organizations. This paper introduces new inventories to the model and methodology of chain management techniques, supported general supply chain modeling with suppliers, logistics, and distributors, as a matter of optimization of distribution in several general principles and assumptions that support writing workshops. The point of this paper is to spot food supply chain management to share availability information in improving decentralized distribution.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 global pandemic has caused massive disruptions in many sectors of society including higher education. Although the mainstream news outlets and social media have discussed how Malaysia’s higher education system coped with the disruptions caused by COVID-19, a fuller narrative needs to be properly documented. This qualitative narrative review involved an analysis of various types of publications including scholarly articles, world organizations’ reports, university documents as well as commentaries and reports from mainstream news outlets and social media that directly focus on the topic. It is evident from the review that Malaysian HEIs’ priority was in safeguarding student and staff welfare in terms of their health and safety. While providing emergency aid to students and support for institutions, the Ministry of Higher Education together with HEIs developed administrative measures to safeguard the delivery of programmes through remote online learning. The analysis confirmed that while online learning is considered appropriate during an emergency period, the digital divide clearly still exists, posing the greatest challenge to Malaysia’s recovery post COVID-19. The critical review on the immediate impacts of the pandemic on teaching and learning point to key recommendations for leadership, student welfare, and the importance of flexible education and evidence-based policymaking. © Penerbit UMT