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Since its discovery, the COVID-19 virus spread all over the world and caused millions of deaths, this paper focuses on studying the impact of the pandemic on the connected and non-connected automotive production lines. This study is developed on two production lines in an automotive manufacturing factory that assembles 700 cars per day and the study is elaborated following two main steps: firstly, studying the impact of the virus spreading on the OEE "Overall Equipment Effectiveness” of the production lines, which is a quantitative metric used for the evaluation of the line effectiveness based on availability, performance and quality, and secondly analyzing the relationship between these factors and the OEE using the Design of Experiments method © 2023, Suranaree Journal of Science and Technology.All Rights Reserved.
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Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, affects almost every aspect of human life. To confront this crisis, a separate ward called gray area was designed for emergency departments (EDs) and applied at the provincial level in East-Azerbaijan, Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of this project, increase the serviceability and segregation of the location of infected patients, and show how feasible and fruitful it can be. Methods: This study is an analytical study. The statistical data collection from 39 hospitals was performed between 20 March to 21 September 2020. Descriptive Statistics as well as correlation coefficients were calculated using the 26th version of IBM SPSS. Results: Among 77 489 COVID-19 patients admitted to the EDs, approximately 0.38% of patients died in EDs. 22.63% of EDs area was allocated to COVID-19 patients and 70.46% of ED nurses, worked in the gray area. There was no significant correlation between area, number of patients, number of nurses, number of shifts of nurses, number of nurses for each patient, number of nurse shifts for each patient, and area for each patient with mortality rate and rates of disposition in 6 and 12 hours. Conclusion: Gray area is an appropriate strategy to confront COVID-19 in EDs and if more studies approve these results, this strategy can be used to confront this pandemic and future similar conditions in resource-limited countries. © 2022 The Author(s).
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The COVID-19 pandemic has deepened issues of health inequity and social injustice against people with dementia. Despite having one of the highest mortality rates, little research focuses on the COVID-19 impact of people with dementia. This presentation aims to: 1) explore the COVID-19 experiences and key factors of health inequity among people with dementia during the pandemic;and 2) identify actions to improve the health equity of people with dementia in the pandemic. We collected 6,243 relevant tweets using the Twint application in Python from September 8, 2020, to December 8, 2021. Tweets were divided among eleven coders and analyzed using thematic analysis. Analysis identified three primary themes: structural inequities (e.g., restricted access to health and support services, ageism, social isolation, vaccination barriers, and inadequate staffing in care facilities);frustration and despair due to loss (e.g., loss of cognitive abilities, loss of time with loved ones, and loss of life);and resiliency and hope for the future (e.g., lifting of restrictions and COVID-19 vaccine). There is an urgent need for policymakers to improve the health equity of people with dementia in the pandemic. Tackling COVID-19 inequities requires revisiting infection control policies to improve access to health and support services, recognizing the essential role of family care partners, and providing resources to help support people with dementia during the pandemic. Moreover, it is essential that COVID-19 policy responses are informed by evidence-informed research and authentic partnerships that embrace the insight and lived experiences of people with dementia.
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INTRODUCTION: Diagnosis of COVID-19 is through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or typical involvement of the lung by the virus in computed tomography (CT) scan. However, PCR is not always available, and also CT scan has a high dose of radiation. This study was performed to find the role of complete blood cell (CBC) indices and qualitative C-reactive protein (CRP) in screening of symptomatic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A diagnostic accuracy study was performed on symptomatic cases in Abadan. Four stepwise logistic regression models were designed that the outcomes were PCR positivity, CT scan positivity, PCR and CT scan positivity, and COVID-19 positivity (i.e., PCR or CT scan positivity). Post-estimation receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed to report the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: A total of 104 patients were studied. The most accurate model was for the prediction of CT scan positivity (AUC = 0.874) in which the predictors were age [odds ratio (OR) =1.063] and CRP (OR = 2.661 for each plus of positivity). The second accurate model was for the prediction of COVID-19 positivity (AUC = 0.828) in which the predictors were white blood cell count (OR = 0.735 for every 1000 counts per μL) and neutrophil per lymphocyte ratio (OR = 1.248). CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of CRP are associated with and predictor of lung involvement in COVID-19 infection. CRP qualitative levels can be measured before a CT scan if there is no other indication for imaging. © 2022 Via Medica.
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The prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the third registered spillover of an animal coronavirus to humans from the early 21st century. Coronaviruses are important human and animal pathogens. The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) rapidly spreads, resulting in an epidemic throughout China, followed by an increasing number of cases in other countries throughout the world. Recently, a wide range of inhibitors have been introduced for treatment of COVID-19, and also promising vaccines are in late phase of development. Here, we aim to present an overview of recent findings of the biological and clinical aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection, along with possible treatments and future vaccines.
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Background: Iran, after China, emerged as one of the first COVID-19 epidemic countries. Despite all efforts to interrupt new transmission chains, the virus continued to quickly spread across the country. WHO has highlighted a crucial role for social factors and intersectoral collaboration to tackle COVID-19. This study aimed to identify challenges related to the upstream determinants and downstream risk factors of COVID-19 infection in Iran as perceived by health professionals at different levels of service administration. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study in October 2020. A directed qualitative content analysis was done to explore the views of health professionals and administrators toward determinants of COVID-19 infection in Iran. Using a deductive approach, we tested the implications of the WHO Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) framework regarding COVID-19. Results: The determinants of COVID-19 infection in Iran are referred to as: 1) upstream social determinants, including political considerations in dealing with COVID-19, conflicting authority structures between and within organizations and sectors, poor intersectoral collaboration, unstable macroeconomic environment, pandemic crisis management, poor governance in the health system, cultural and societal values, trust and social capital, and individuals' socioeconomic status;and 2) downstream risk factors, including poor health literacy, poor compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines, secrecy related to the infection, individual's health status, lifestyle, and virus characteristics. Conclusion: It is essential to motivate people to practice preventive COVID-19 infection behaviors. To change the behavior at the population level, a complex fusion of policy and practice, and dealing with the complexity of structural determinants and downstream risk factors are needed. Please cite this article as: Jorjoran Shushtari Z, Shirazikhah M, Ahmadi S, Salimi Y, Biglarian A, Almasi A, Paykani T. Upstream Determinants and Downstream Risk Factors of COVID-19 Infection in Iran: A Qualitative Study of Health Professionals' Views. © Journal of Health Sciences and Surveillance System.All right reserved.
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COVID-19 has a vast impact on the power systems considering the customers' demand and human resources. During this situation, the utilization of microgrids (MGs) may help the power systems balance the generation and consumption of power, which leads to customer satisfaction. In this paper, the optimal power scheduling of energy sources in an islanded MG by considering the upside risk (UR) is proposed for the very first time. The intended islanded MG consists of various sources such as wind turbine (WT), photovoltaic (PV), diesel generator (DGR), and battery. The goals of this work are minimizing the energy not supplied (ENS) in islanded mode considering the COVID-19's effect and implementing the demand response program (DRP). The difference between target ENS and actual ENS when actual ENS is less than the target is defined as UR. The results indicate that the UR related to the ENS of the islanded MG decreases significantly by slightly increasing the ENS. Moreover, COVID-19 decreases the ENS considerably and has a bigger effect than the DRP. © 2022 IEEE.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). To assess the effect of COVID-19 disease on hematology, coagulation profiles, renal and liver function over the course of the disease, the following laboratory tests were performed: WBCs per mm3, lymphocytes count, Platelet, D-dimmer, AST, Albumin, LDH, Ferritin, CRP, blood culture and viral loads. Patients were grouped according to their initial viral load (Group1: low viral load (L), Group 2: moderate viral load (I), and Group 3, high viral load (H)). The study population median age of the patients was 58 years, and 69% were male. Generally, all patients were admitted to the intensive care unit. Most of the patients (79.5%) had an intermediate viral load, 14.5% had a high viral load, and 5.7% had a low viral load. The Kusakal-Walli's test revealed a significant difference in the levels of white blood cells, lymphocytes, platelet, D-dimer, AST, CRP, and ferritin (p <0.0001). One hundred twentytwo isolates were recovered from 5362 blood cultures;where as 75% were multiple resistant to three classes of antibiotics and more. True bacteremia was most commonly caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae (45%), Acinetobacter baumannii (30%), and C. albicans (7%). The potential risk factors of advanced age, lymphopenia, D-dimer concentrations greater than 2??g/mL, and ferritin concentrations greater than 400ng/mL may assist clinicians to improve the management of the case and reduce mortality.
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A group of pneumonia patients was detected in Hubei Province, in China in December 2019. The etiology of the disease was unknown. Later, the researchers diagnosed the novel Coronavirus as the causal agent of this respiratory disease. On February 12th 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially named this disease Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Consequently, the disease spread globally and became a pandemic. As there is no specific treatment for the symptomatic patients and several vaccines are approved by WHO, the efficacy and effectiveness of these vaccines are not fully understood yet and the availability of these vaccines are very limited. In addition, new variants and mutants of SARS-CoV-2 are thought to be able to evade the immune system of the host. So, diagnosis and isolation of infected individuals is advised. Currently, real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is considered the gold standard method to detect novel Coronavirus, however, there are few limitations associated with RT-PCR such as false-negative results. This demanded another diagnostic tool to detect and isolate COVID-19 early and accurately. Chest computed tomography (CT) became another option to diagnose COVID-19 patients accurately (about 98% sensitivity). However, it did not apply to the asymptomatic carriers and sometimes the results were misinterpreted as from other groups of Coronavirus infection. The combination of RT-PCR and chest CT might be the best option in detecting novel Coronavirus infection early and accurately thereby allowing adaptation of measures for the prevention and control of the COVID-19.
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BACKGROUND: the prevention protocols of COVID-19 impact several restrictions in the sports world, the influence of this scenario in the athletes with impairment increased associated a multifactorial condition like environment, etiology. or psychological perception. The aim of this study was to identify the influences of impairments and sports on characteristics of load training during the COVID-19 Pandemic, life satisfaction and the expectation about the influence of pandemic on the performance in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. METHODS: One hundred eighty Brazilian para-athletes, in a cross-sectional study, answered a survey about their training load before and during the Pandemic, satisfaction with life and expectation about their performance. Athletes were divided into three groups according to their sport practiced: individual sports (Ind-1);Individual sports with opposition (Ind-2) and team sports (Team). The data were analyzed by impairments and sports roups. RESULTS: Hours of training, number of sessions and rating of perceived exertion reduced during the pandemic. Limb impairment and spinal cord injurygroups reduced training hours during pandemic. Team group showed lower training sessions per week than the Ind-1 group. No difference was found in life satisfaction among the groups. Most athletes believe that the pandemic will damage their performance in the Tokyo Paralympic Games. CONCLUSIONS: Influences of COVID-19 Pandemic on training loads were identified to all groups, however there were no differences between disabilities or sports in the life satisfaction and expectation about the influence of pandemic on the performance in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
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Background and Objectives: Vaccine acceptance could seriously affect global efforts to control the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to estimate the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance and its related factors in Tehran and Kermanshah. Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 850 participants in Tehran and Kermanshah using the random digit dialing method. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio of factors related to vaccine acceptance. Results: The frequency of the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance was 66.47% (95% confidence interval: 69.57%, 63.21%). Moreover, 86.02% of the participants stated that they would use any type of (Iranian / foreign) vaccine approved by the Iranian Ministry of Health. However, 13.98% of the participants stated that they only preferred foreign approved vaccines (if available). The variables of age, fatalism, and socioeconomic status had significant associations with the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the Covid-19 vaccine acceptance was moderate. In order to achieve herd immunity by vaccination faster in our society, the strategy of prioritizing vaccination can be planned based on the related variables such as religious beliefs and fatalism, younger age groups, and people with higher socio-economic status that are willing to receive the vaccine. © 2021, Iranian Epidemiological Association. All rights reserved.
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Background: The clinical and paraclinical symptoms of COVID-19 differ across age groups. This study investigated the differences between these parameters and their outcomes in young, middle-aged, and elderly patients admitted to a COVID-19 referral center. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study encompassed patients with COVID-19 hospitalized at Khorshid Hospital (Isfahan, Iran) during February 23 to April 30, 2020. The patients' predisposing conditions, clinical and paraclinical findings, and outcomes were compared among three young, middle-aged, and elderly groups. Results: Of the 1185 hospitalized patients with suspected COVID-19, 1065 were discharged or died at the end of the study. Among these 1065 patients, 654 patients with the mean age of 57.7 years had positive PCR results or typical CT scans and were included in the study, of whom 77 (11.8%), 353 (54%), and 234 (34.2%) patients were assigned into the young, middle-aged, and elderly groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference among the three groups regarding the prevalence of clinical symptoms. Moreover, CRP, ESR, WBC, BUN, Cr, and lymphocytes were higher in the elderly group. The ground-glass opacity (GGO) (24.1%), GGO-consolidation (27.4%), and consolidation (10.3%) were the most common CT scan findings in the young, middle-aged, and elderly groups, respectively. Fifty-three patients (8.1%) died, and the mortality rates were 10.36%, 7.27%, and 3.8% in the elderly, middle-aged, and young groups, respectively. Conclusion: COVID 19 symptoms do not depend on age;however, paraclinical findings differ across young, middle-aged, and elderly patients.
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Background and purpose: The actual prevalence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) can only be estimated by population-based serological examinations and individuals without clinical symptoms may not be identified or reported. In this sero-epidemiological study we aimed at exploring the serum prevalence of COVID-19 in highly exposed occupational groups in western Iran. Materials and methods: A total of 1106 people with jobs with a high potential for exposure to COVID-19 (excluding doctors) were selected in Sanandaj, Kermanshah, and Hamedan. Demographic information of all participants were recorded and venous blood samples (3 ml) were taken. IgG levels were measured to determine the serum prevalence of immunoglobulin using EUROIMMUN kit.
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Aims Obsession with COVID-19 scale examines the persistent and disturbing thinking about COVID-19. The current study aimed to determine the psychometric properties Instrument & Methods This research is a descriptive-cross sectional study to determine the psychometric properties of OCS. The study population included all people of Kermanshah in 2020. Four hundred individuals were included in the study using convenience sampling. The measurements utilized include the online forms of the demographic information questionnaire, Obsession with COVID-19 Scale, The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, and The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale. Data analysis was done using SPSS 21 and Amos 20. The descriptive statistics indicators, confirmatory factor analysis, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, and Cronbach’s alpha were applied. Findings The study population consisted of 94 male and 306 female individuals (23.50% and 76.50%, respectively). The mean±SD of the participants’ age was 29.48±9.32. Cronbach’s alpha of the scale was measured to be 0.79. There was a significant convergent validity between Obsession with COVID-19 Scale with The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (p<0.001). Also, the single-factor model of the scale had strong fitness indexes. Conclusion The obsession with the COVID-19 scale has high and acceptable validity and reliability in the general population of Kermanshah. Copyright © 2021, the Authors.
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At the time of writing this article, there have been 18 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, many industries were affected hardly from the pandemic and thousands of companies closed their doors. The automotive industry was also hit by COVID-19 due to the large number of human resources in this industry (8,397,451 Employees).This project is based on comparing connected and non-connected production lines and studying the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on each on. The comparative study is done on two production lines in an automobile manufacturing company that assembles 650 car per day.We will analyze the impact of the virus spreading on the number of workers, Quality Rate, Output Rate and the Ergonomics level. © 2020 IEEE.
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Introduction: While our knowledge is limited about COVID-19 immunity, recent cases of reinfection have raised concerns. Case presentation: Here, we report a case of COVID-19 reinfection after three months from recovery in a healthcare worker with negative IgM and IgG at the second infection and positive nasopharyngeal swab Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test despite being discharged with two negative RT-PCR tests at the first admission. Symptoms at first admission were fever, headache, sore throat, diarrhea, and vomiting and got changed to myalgia and anosmia. Conclusion: The strength of this case report is the long period (three months) between the infection and reinfection while other cases reported in literature were reinfected less than one month after their first infection. © 2021 Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
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Background: Healthcare professionals are prone to many psychosocial issues including job burnout, depression, and anxiety, which can affect the healthcare systems and societies. This has been intensified by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the caregivers' problems are due to insufficient psychosocial competence and lack of suitable training for basic skills such as self-awareness, rapport, empathy, compassion, reasoning, decision-making, etc. The main purpose of this study was to design a psychosocial service package for caregivers to help them throughout their lives. Methods: Data gathering was performed by conducting 2 focus groups, searching for studies to identify urgent and important healthcare needs, and finding the best way to address their necessities through a proactive and sustainable method. Results: The online "healers' healing" platform is designed with 3 general objectives. The first objective was to present practical and effective materials to support caregivers in order to improve their psychosocial competence. The second objective was to monitor the member's progress and measure the effectiveness of the program. Moreover, to make the members more active in training and their own health promotion, this platform leads and supports self-help groups for caregivers as the third purpose of this project. Furthermore, healers can be active in content development and community education in order to experience a more productive interaction within the communities of caregivers. © 2021, Vesnu Publications. All rights reserved.
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After its occurrence in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly became a pandemic, but there is still no effective treatment for the disease (1). The novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV2 destroys the lung epithelial cells and results in acute respiratory problems. A cytokine storm after overactivation of immune cells due to the virus infection along with acute respiratory distress are the major causes of adverse conditions of hospitalized patient in the intensive care units (3). Despite using antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs for patients, at least in some cases, the medicinal efforts are not effective and the disease leads to death. Therefore, it is necessary to propose novel treatment options with immunomodulatory effects. Vitamin D is a critical regulator of the immune system that increases the production of antioxidants and anti-microbial factors (11). A growing body of reports indicates that vitamin D not only is a useful supplement for the prevention of COVID-19 complications but also may have therapeutic effects in the patients (18, 19, 48). The seasonal prevalence of particular viral diseases such as influenza along with decreased serum levels of vitamin D in the winter season suggests an association between vitamin D deficiency and the increased risk of viral respiratory diseases (44). Beyond its classic role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism, vitamin D has an important role in boosting and regulating the immune system (11, 12). The active form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D) is produced from 25-hydroxy vitamin D by action of an enzyme known as 1-alpha hydroxylase, which along with vitamin D receptors are present in all cells of the innate immune system. By activation of macrophages, 1-alpha hydroxylase enzyme is activated and turns vitamin D into its active form. The increased amount of vitamin D in macrophages leads to the release of a large number of antimicrobial agents such as cathelicidin and defensin, which in turn enhance the microbicidal effects of macrophages and monocytes (12). Vitamin D receptors are absent in inactive B and T lymphocytes but by activation, they will express these receptors. Therefore, the release of vitamin D from macrophages also affects the function of surrounding lymphocytes, which in turn will be effective in defense against viruses (12). Vitamin D also exerts its anti-inflammatory effects through various mechanisms. First, vitamin D inhibits prostaglandins production by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase 2, and therefore, exerts an anti-inflammatory effect. Prostaglandins facilitate the migration of immune cells into the tissue and increase the symptoms of inflammation due to increasing the permeability of postcapillary venules. Second, vitamin D through activation of the enzyme phosphatase-5 inhibits the phosphorylation and activation of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, which is a specific pathway for the production of inflammatory cytokines. Further, vitamin D also reduces the transcription of inflammatory cytokine genes by inhibiting the nuclear factor kappa B (NFB) (13). The antioxidant role of vitamin D is attributed to the increased expression of enzymes that produce antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase 1 and 2, thioredoxin reductases, and glutathione (13). Taken together, vitamin D via modulating and improving the function of innate and adaptive immune cells, and also reducing the inflammation caused by the overactivation of the immune cells could decrease the COVID-19 symptoms. According to different studies, a sufficient amount of serum levels of vitamin D should be more than 30 ng/ml and the optimal amount is between 40 and 60 ng/ml (11, 18). Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin under the influence of sunlight UV radiation (23, 25). However, due to the special climatic conditions and religious and cultural beliefs, most of the population especially women in Iran are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency (28, 36). Iran's geographical location is between 25- and