Bridging science and spirituality: the intersection of religion and public health in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had global impacts on social interactions and religious activities, leading to a complex relationship between religion and public health policies. This article reviews impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religious activities and beliefs in relation to the spread of the virus, as well as the potential of religious leaders and faith communities in mitigating the impact of the pandemic through public health measures and community engagement. Methods: A literature review was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar, with search terms including "religion," "COVID-19," "pandemic," "coronavirus," and "spirituality." We included English articles published between January 2020 and September 2022, focusing on intersection of religion and COVID-19. Results: We identified two main themes emerging, with the selected 32 studies divided in 15 studies focused on the relationship between religious practices, beliefs, and the spread of COVID-19, while 17 studies explored the role of religious leaders and faith communities in coping with and mitigating the impact of COVID-19. Religious activities were found to correlate with virus spread, particularly in early days of the pandemic. The relationship between religiosity and adherence to government guidelines was mixed, with some studies suggesting increased religiosity contributed to misconceptions about the virus and resistance to restrictions. Religious beliefs were also associated with vaccine hesitancy, particularly conservative religious beliefs. On the other hand, religious leaders and communities played a crucial role in adapting to COVID-19 measures, maintaining a sense of belonging, fostering emotional resilience, and upholding compliance with public health measures. The importance of collaboration between religious leaders, institutions, and public health officials in addressing the pandemic was emphasized. Conclusions: This review highlights the essential role of religious leaders, faith-based organizations, and faith communities in promoting education, preparedness, and response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Engaging with religious leaders and communities can improve pandemic control and prevention efforts. Collaboration between religious leaders, governments, and healthcare professionals is necessary to combat vaccine hesitancy and ensure successful COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. The insights from this review can guide future research, policy development, and public health interventions to minimize the impact of the pandemic and improve outcomes for individuals and communities affected.

Transfer Times for Renal Patients to a Tertiary Centre

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The renal unit at Sunderland Royal Hospital (SRH) provides tertiary services to an area of North East England covering South Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham. An AKI service was commenced in September 2020 at University Hospital North Durham (UHND), which is part of the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) with aims to improve recognition and treatment, support early discharge planning, and prevent severe injury for patients with AKI and renal conditions. The service comprises two specialist nurses and a team of consultant renal physicians providing in-reach at UHND across Monday–Friday 52 weeks/year, with over 700 patients seen within the first 12 months of operation. With the introduction of this service, we carried out a review of transfer times for patients requiring transfer from UHND to SRH for inpatient renal management. Delays in patient transfer between hospitals can result in deferred treatment and poor patient outcomes, hence the importance of analysing the benchmarking the first year's performance to inform future service development both regionally and nationally. With the use of this data, we hope to share our model with other teams and trusts with the goal of enhancing and streamlining the referral methods to renal services. METHOD We examined transfer data for 36 patients from CDDFT to the renal unit at SRH over a 12-month period from August 2020 to July 2021. This information looked at transfers from the time of consultant acceptance to the time of arrival on the ward and was compiled in conjunction with the AKI specialist nurses at CDDFT. Using the computer system and phone records, we were able to accurately document time of acceptance to time of arrival. Data was split into categories to enable further comparison;pre-June 2021 (when haematology patients were excluded from the inpatient ward at SRH due to protective isolation during COVID-19) increasing the availability of acute renal beds and June 2021 onwards. Additionally, we analysed patients with acute kidney injury versus those that were known to us with chronic kidney disease, and times by week days and where emergency cover is usual. RESULTS The data showed a median time between acceptance and arrival for patients accepted pre-June 2021 of 8 h 7 min compared with 6 h 18 min from June 2021 onwards. Median time between acceptance and arrival of acute patients was 8 h 7 min compared with 6 h 35 min for chronic kidney disease patients. Acceptance and arrival times varied also depending on time of transfer;6 h 29 min during working hours on a weekday, 9 h 23 min out-of-hours on a weekday and 8 h 48 min on a weekend. The overall median transfer time from acceptance to arrival across all categories was 7 h 38 min. CONCLUSION Currently, no standard national target exists for the transfer of patients to tertiary renal services, however there are ongoing discussions surrounding this and how it could be implemented. There are difficulties in compiling data to effect change in referral methods, in part due to the inter-trust movement of patients and challenges in coding;however, our initial findings support the positive impact of the AKI service at CDDFT and highlight the scope for further service development across the region. For example, in commissioning at software to streamline, process audit data using a web-based portal, accessible to all parties and extending nurse presence across 7 days due to the delayed times for weekend and evening transfers. Additionally, we were encouraged that our prevalent patients, usually dialysis recipients, experienced the shortest wait.FIGURE 1: Median Time Between Acceptance and Arrival Based on Time of Patient Transfer.

Solid Organ Rejection following SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination or COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Solid organ rejection post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or COVID-19 infection is extremely rare but can occur. T-cell recognition of antigen is the primary and central event that leads to the cascade of events that result in rejection of a transplanted organ. OBJECTIVES: To describe the results of a systematic review for solid organ rejections following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or COVID-19 infection. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched Proquest, Medline, Embase, Pubmed, CINAHL, Wiley online library, Scopus and Nature through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for studies on the incidence of solid organ rejection post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or COVID-19 infection, published from 1 December 2019 to 31 May 2022, with English language restriction. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-six cases from fifty-two articles were included in the qualitative synthesis of this systematic review (56 solid organs rejected post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and 40 solid organs rejected following COVID-19 infection). Cornea rejection (44 cases) was the most frequent organ observed post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and following COVID-19 infection, followed by kidney rejection (36 cases), liver rejection (12 cases), lung rejection (2 cases), heart rejection (1 case) and pancreas rejection (1 case). The median or mean patient age ranged from 23 to 94 years across the studies. The majority of the patients were male (n = 51, 53.1%) and were of White (Caucasian) (n = 51, 53.7%) and Hispanic (n = 15, 15.8%) ethnicity. A total of fifty-six solid organ rejections were reported post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination [Pfizer-BioNTech (n = 31), Moderna (n = 14), Oxford Uni-AstraZeneca (n = 10) and Sinovac-CoronaVac (n = 1)]. The median time from SARS-CoV-2 vaccination to organ rejection was 13.5 h (IQR, 3.2-17.2), while the median time from COVID-19 infection to organ rejection was 14 h (IQR, 5-21). Most patients were easily treated without any serious complications, recovered and did not require long-term allograft rejection therapy [graft success (n = 70, 85.4%), graft failure (n = 12, 14.6%), survived (n = 90, 95.7%) and died (n = 4, 4.3%)]. CONCLUSION: The reported evidence of solid organ rejections post-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination or COIVD-19 infection should not discourage vaccination against this worldwide pandemic. The number of reported cases is relatively small in relation to the hundreds of millions of vaccinations that have occurred, and the protective benefits offered by SARS-CoV-2 vaccination far outweigh the risks.

Smartphone Ownership, Smartphone Utilization, and Interest in Using Mental Health Apps to Address Substance Use Disorders: Literature Review and Cross-sectional Survey Study Across Two Sites.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been increasing interest in implementing digital technologies to diagnose, monitor, and intervene in substance use disorders. Smartphones are now a vehicle for facilitating telepsychiatry visits, measuring health metrics, and communicating with health care professionals. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the movement toward web-based and hybrid clinic visits and meetings, it has become especially salient to assess phone ownership among individuals with substance use disorders and their comfort in navigating phone functionality and using phones for mental health purposes. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to summarize the current literature around smartphone ownership, smartphone utilization, and the acceptability of using smartphones for mental health purposes and assess these variables across two disparate substance use treatment sites. METHODS: We performed a focused literature review via a search of two academic databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) for publications since 2007 on the topics of smartphone ownership, smartphone utilization, and the acceptability of using mobile apps for mental health purposes among the substance use population. Additionally, we conducted a cross-sectional survey study that included 51 participants across two sites in New England-an inpatient detoxification unit that predominantly treats patients with alcohol use disorder and an outpatient methadone maintenance treatment clinic. RESULTS: Prior studies indicated that mobile phone ownership among the substance use population between 2013 and 2019 ranged from 83% to 94%, while smartphone ownership ranged from 57% to 94%. The results from our study across the two sites indicated 96% (49/51) mobile phone ownership and 92% (47/51) smartphone ownership among the substance use population. Although most (43/49, 88%) patients across both sites reported currently using apps on their phone, a minority (19/48, 40%) reported previously using any apps for mental health purposes. More than half of the participants reported feeling at least neutrally comfortable with a mental health app gathering information regarding appointment reminders (32/48, 67%), medication reminders (33/48, 69%), and symptom surveys (26/45, 58%). Most patients were concerned about privacy (34/51, 67%) and felt uncomfortable with an app gathering location (29/47, 62%) and social (27/47, 57%) information for health care purposes. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of respondents reported owning a mobile phone (49/51, 96%) and smartphone (47/51, 92%), consistent with prior studies. Many respondents felt comfortable with mental health apps gathering most forms of personal information and with communicating with their clinician about their mental health. The differential results from the two sites, namely greater concerns about the cost of mental health apps among the methadone maintenance treatment cohort and less experience with downloading apps among the older inpatient detoxification cohort, may indicate that clinicians should tailor technological interventions based on local demographics and practice sites and that there is likely not a one-size-fits-all digital psychiatry solution.

Demographic Characteristics and Digital Platforms for Physical Activity Among the Chinese Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mediating Analysis

Background E-health apps play a vital role in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. More people across the globe have started to use fitness and health apps to mitigate the COVID-19 negative impacts on the health-related quality of life. E-health treatments are becoming more common these days. Aim The present research aim was to explore the mediating role of digital platforms for physical activity and fitness with demographic characteristics among Chinese people during the pandemic. Methods The primary data was collected through an online survey across China under the snowball sampling technique. A total of 5351 respondents took part in the online questionnaire survey. After quantification and quality check of the data, a total of 5000 respondents’ responses were added in the final analysis. The collected data were analyzed by using SPSS-25 and SmartPLS 3.0 software. Results The structural equation model analysis H1 (β = 0.227, t = 18.725, p = < 0.000), H2 (β = 0.225, t = 17.892, p = < 0.000), H3 (β = 0.229, t = 17.845, p = < 0.000), H4 (β = 0.54, t = 60.928, p= < 0.000), H5 (β = 0.553, t = 57.291, p = < 0.000), H6 (β = 0.559, t = 56.956, p = < 0.000), H7 (β = 0.358, t = 24.779, p = < 0.000), H8 (β = 0.259, t = 19.617, p = < 0.000) and H9 (β = 0.288, t = 19.92, p = < 0.000) results confirm the proposed hypothesis of the study. Conclusion E-health apps are playing a vital role in maintaining an active lifestyle through physical activity. Fitness and health apps can promote physical activity and improve health-related quality of life. Results of the current study concluded that E-health apps are promising to promote physical activity and fitness during the COVID-19 preventive measures.

A review on the novel corona virus with international and Indian perspective

On 31 December 2019, pneumonia of unknown cause was detected in Wuhan, China, and was first reported to the WHO Country Office in China. On 30 January 2020, the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It was an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection that occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and got spread across China and beyond. WHO officially named the disease - Corona virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on February 12, 2020. It has been spreading worldwide for a period of atleast a year & half. This review article addresses the current scenario caused by the SARS- Co V along with the treatment protocols and ongoing vaccines.

Environmental contamination and personal protective equipment contamination with SARS-CoV-2 virus in a real-life clinical setting.

The importance of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via contact routes and its stability on surfaces is becoming increasingly recognised. There is ongoing concern that patients can become infected through person-to-person spread and environment-to-person spread. This study assessed whether SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA can be detected in the environment either on staff members' personal protective equipment (PPE), on high-touch surfaces or around the bedspace of COVID-19-positive patients in a range of different ward settings to evaluate if there was any contamination of these. Results showed all PPE and high-touch surface swabs were negative. All swabs taken in the negative-pressure room where aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) were being undertaken detected viral RNA (5/5 positive), whereas there was minimal contamination in the intensive therapy unit (1/5 positive) and none detected in the cohort bay. These findings would be consistent with the understanding that areas where AGPs are regularly performed are at higher risk of environmental contamination.

Vertical transmission potential of SARS-CoV-2 from infected mother to twin neonates.

Background: Limited details are available regarding the vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in pregnant women. The authors' current study aimed to report the vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in a woman pregnant with twins. Case description: The authors report the case of a 27-year-old woman infected with SARS-CoV-2. The patient was pregnant with dichorionic diamniotic fraternal twins and admitted to Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. After undergoing a cesarean section, the patient gave birth to premature twins, who tested positive for COVID-19 infection. Interpretation: Findings from this case suggest a possibility of intrauterine infection caused by vertical transmission in a woman infected with COVID-19.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of COVID-19 in patients with rheumatic diseases.

This study aimed to assess the baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with rheumatic diseases and identify the risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. This was a retrospective study in a tertiary care center conducted through the period between March 2020 and November 2020 and included all adult patients with rheumatic diseases who tested positive on the COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. We assessed the patients' demographic data, history of rheumatic disease, COVID-19 symptoms and experimental treatment, if any, their disease course, and outcome. In all, 47 patients were included, and most were females. The commonest rheumatic diseases were rheumatoid arthritis (53.2%), followed by systemic lupus erythematosus (21.3%), and psoriatic arthritis (10.6%). Methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine were the most commonly used disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in 36.1% and 25.5%, respectively. Out of 47 patients, 48.9% required hospitalization with a median hospital stay of 7 days. Severe COVID-19 pneumonia, defined as clinical signs of pneumonia plus one of the following: respiratory rate > 30 bpm, severe respiratory distress, or oxygen saturation < 90% in room air was observed in 19.1% of the patients, and one patient died. We found that elderly patients with a mean age of 65.3 years were more likely to develop severe COVID-19 pneumonia and that was statistically significant. Our study showed that elderly patients with a mean age of 65 years and having rheumatic diseases had an increased risk of hospital admission and development of severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

Evidence and speculations: vaccines and therapeutic options for COVID-19 pandemic.

A novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) emerged in China, at the end of December 2019 which posed an International Public Health Emergency, and later declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) named it SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2), while the disease was named COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease- 2019). Many questions related to the exact mode of transmission, animal origins, and antiviral therapeutics are not clear yet. Nevertheless, it is required to urgently launch a new protocol to evaluate the side effects of unapproved vaccines and antiviral therapeutics to accelerate the clinical application of new drugs. In this review, we highlight the most salient characteristics and recent findings of COVID-19 disease, molecular virology, interspecies mechanisms, and health consequences related to this disease.