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Amid and post-COVID-19 pandemic, the matter of being in touch with patients to monitor their health matrices became somewhat challenging, especially in the rural areas of countries like Bangladesh and for elderlies. To address this issue, a patient health monitoring system is developed using a Programmable Intelligent Computer (PIC) microcontroller and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol with the help of a pulse sensor, IR sensor, photodiodes, temperature sensor, etc., to measure 3 (three) crucial health matrices such as heartbeat/pulse, oxygen saturation level, and body temperature from a fingertip of the patient in 20 s remotely. Whenever the system measures the health matrices, it sends a short message service (SMS) report to a personal caretaker over GSM automatically. If the system finds any anomaly based on predefined threshold levels for each health parameter, it sends a SMS alert report to the designated doctor automatically as well. A prototype of the developed system is made, verified, and tested to be working perfectly as designed and programmed. In the experiment with the developed system, heart rate ranged from 61 to 105 bmp, body temperature ranged from 95.3 to 99.1 ℉, and oxygen saturation was minimum at 97%. According to the set threshold levels, which led to an automatic SMS alert to the caretaker's mobile phone. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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The study investigates the return spillovers across 20 Islamic and 34 conventional banks among GCC markets (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait) over the period 2005–2022 based on Dieobold and Yilmaz (2014) and Barunik and Krehlik (2018) methods. The outcomes interestingly reveal that the spillover between markets is time-varying, asymmetric, and crisis-sensitive. Moreover, short-oriented spillovers dictate the long-oriented spillovers, while long-oriented spillovers establish the major chunk of the total return spillovers. The results of the DY and BK approach show a weak connectedness between all Islamic banks rather than conventional banks of GCC. Subsample analysis of COVID-19 and GFC strengthens the total and short-oriented spillovers more than long-term spillovers. The global financial stress is exposed with the most substantial coherence, increasing the connectedness of Islamic banks in the short and long-oriented markets compared to conventional banks. The results of the study have practical implications for bankers, central banks, Islamic banks, policymakers, international economic institutions, banking investors, FIIs, DIIs, and academia. Additionally, the current findings can be guiding forces for many investors across the world to take their portfolio decision by leveraging Islamic banks’ securities. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to have long-lasting profound repercussions on the mental health of surviving patients from COVID-19. The main goal of this study is to assess the mental strength among post-COVID-19 recovery patients. A pilot survey study was conducted with 60 participants who willingly completed the questionnaire consisting of PCL-5, GAD-7, PHQ-9, and relevant questions. Univariate, bivariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to find the significant risk and protective factors associated with the mental health of recovery patients. The result found that 48.33% of the patients had PTSD symptoms, 30% identified to have severe anxiety, and 53.33% of them had gone through severe depression. The severity of illness, hospitalization, ignorance by family members, people staying away from them even after recovery were significant risk factors, and eating nutritious food, wearing masks were significant protective factors for PTSD, anxiety, and depression (p<0.05). This study's findings can guide policymakers as well as family members to take proper initiatives towards COVID-19 recovery patients, such as providing counseling, ensuring rehabilitation, reducing social stigma, which may bring consequential relief from psychological illness.
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SARS-CoV-2, a new and fast circulating coronavirus strain, infected over 214 countries and territories worldwide and caused global health emergencies. The absence of appropriate medicines and vaccinations has further complicated the condition. SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) is crucial for its propagation, and it is considered a striking target. This study used several computational approaches to determine the probable antagonist of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro from bioactive phytochemicals of Syzygium aromaticum. A total of 20 compounds were screened through in silico approach. The molecular dynamics simulation studies were then carried out for further insights. We found crategolic acid, oleanolic acid, and kaempferol have considerable binding affinity and important molecular contacts with catalytic pocket residues, His41-Cys145. The pharmacological properties through ADMET analysis also showed that these compounds could be used as safe drug candidates. The molecular dynamics simulation study further confirmed these compound's stability with Mpro. However, further detailed in-vitro and in-vivo analyses are compulsory to evaluate the real potentiality of identified compounds.
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Face coverings such as a face mask are one of the important preventive measures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, by limiting exhaled particles and reducing expiratory droplet spread. Adding a filter to face masks may offer extra protection against the virus. Nevertheless, there remains a significant concern where thicker, tightly woven materials of masks may reduce the ability to breathe comfortably, due to inadequate moisture management properties of woven fabric in existing disposable surgical face masks. Therefore, the study on the properties of air permeability, water vapor permeability, and flexural rigidity of a face mask fabric is highly essential. This study is aimed at analyzing the potential application of electrospun nanofibers fabricated from electrospinning technique, as filter inserts in commercial surgical face masks. The function of electrospun nanofiber filter (NF) inserted in commercial surgical face masks was introduced in the study. The results indicated the significant reduction in air permeability and water vapor permeability along with the additional usage of electrospun NF within the surgical face masks, due to the smaller fiber size and interspaces in the filter layer as analyzed from FESEM analysis. The percentage of air permeability value was slightly decreased by 15.9%, from 339.5 to 285.5 mm/s, whereas the value of flexural rigidity of surgical face masks with and without electrospun NF insert is 0.1358 and 0.1207 mg/cm, respectively. Hence, the NF inserts are recommended as the potential core component in a face mask. © 2022 Fatirah Fadil et al.
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Objective: To assess the awareness of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) among dental undergraduates, interns and postgraduate students. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire based online survey with regards to knowledge, attitudes, practice was completed by 424 dental students. The questionnaire was divided into 4 sections comprising 13 questions. The initial section collected demo-graphic information of the participants like age, gender, and education status. The knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental students regarding COVID-19 was evaluated in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th section, respectively. Results: An overall mean score of 9.74 ± 2.31 out of 15 was noted. The mean score for knowledge among participants was 3.06 ± 0.17, which indicated that the participants level of knowledge was fair. In total, 81.8% of participants were aware of the main symptoms of the disease. However, 78.8% of participants reflected a positive attitude towards the use of a mask specifical-ly for the carriers with a droplet spread disease. Students' t-test did not show any significant difference with respect to knowl-edge, attitude and practice among male and female participants. Whereas a statistically significant differences in participants' knowledge and attitude domains was noted with respect to the education levels, as postgraduate students possessed a higher mean scores when compared to interns and undergraduate students Conclusion: Awareness about COVID-19 among undergraduate, intern and postgraduate dental students was fair.
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Objective: The main objective of this study was to reveal the death number of the individuals infected by COVID-19 according to the cluster which had been determined by the Malaysia Ministry of Health. There are four main clusters had been identi-fied. This cluster has involved infection up to the third generation. The aim of this study also was to determine the distribution of chronic disease among COVID-19 death patients by revealing the frequencies of the most common chronic diseases. Besides that, trend analysis according to the number of individuals in the ICU and the number of individuals in the ICU with ventilator support is being studied. This is very important to predict the number of ventilators needs while the trend of patients in ICU is increased. The last objective of this study is to determine the distribution of chronic diseases among male and female patients, revealing the most common chronic disease among death patients. Materials and Methods: Data collection started on March 8th 2020 till April 6th, 2020 among the individual who died with COVID-19. The collected data consist of the gender, the cluster of infection, patient chronic disease, number of daily data on COVID-19 death, individuals in the ICU, individual in the ICU with the ventilator. SPSS software version 26.0 and MINITAB 17 was used to assess the important information through descriptive statistics, multiple response analysis, and trend analysis. Results: The total COVID-19 death in Malaysia till April 6th 2020 was 62 cases. It was higher in male with 48 (77.4%) cases as compared to female which was 14 (22.6%) cases. Most of the infected cases are come from the Sri Petaling tabligh religious gathering which contributes about 11 (34.3%), travel history to oversea 11 (34.3%) and follow by close contact with Covid-19 cases 8 (25.0%). Through multiple response analyses, it was found that, most of the individuals who died with Covid-19 have chronic disease such as hypertension (31.1%), diabetes mellitus (28.4%) and heart disease (11.9%). Most of the dead patients shows that they have hypertension. Besides that, the number of covid-19 patients also was summarized according to the hospital in Malaysia. Sarawak General Hospital having the highest death of covid-19 patients followed by Kuala Lumpur Hospital. Trend analysis was plotted in order to see the pattern of the patient which being entered to ICU, and the patient which depen-dent on the ventilator used. Conclusion: The number of death cases continues on an upward trend, but it is still under control. This is because of the suc-cess of first Malaysian Movement Control Order (MCO) which is implemented by the Malaysian government on March 18th, 2020. Based on the daily increasing number of death cases reported and also the infected number of COVID-19, the Malaysian government once again announced the extension of MCO up to the 14th of April 2020. The finding from this study will provide some information about the Malaysian situation and also prepared the strategy to decrease the number of infections and death among the COVID-19.
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Introduction: According to the WHO guidelines the use of masks has been advocated as one of the most essential and effective barriers against the transmission of the Novel Coronavirus. Objectives: For oral healthcare professionals it is imperative to understand details regarding personal protective equipment. This is because they are in proximity to the patients while carrying out treatments and as such are at a high risk of transmission because of various aerosol-generating procedures. Different types of masks are available which have different efficiency levels in terms of filtration, fluid resistance and shielding from the virus. Description and Results: This article reviews the different types of masks and respirators available and how effective they are in providing protection and safety against virus transmission. Conclusion: Use of an appropriate mask or respirator, depending on the procedure being done, is the need of the hour along with proper personal protective measures.
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Background: COVID-19 outbreak is being studied throughout the world. Adding more analysis to date strengthening the information about the illness. Here, we analysis the data of Malaysian Ministry of Health from February 15, 2020 until January 10, 2021 was analysed using linear regression model statistical analysis with aim to forecast the trend. Materials and Methods: This study reviewed the data by Malaysia Ministry of Health from February 15, 2020, until January 10, 2021. Linear regression model statistical analysis was used for predictive modelling. The forecasting of the linear trend of the Covid-19 outbreak prediction is purposed to estimate the number of confirm cases according to the number of recoveries patients. Results: Malaysia is currently anticipating another lockdown restriction as new confirmed case of COVID-19 hit new record high. The cumulative confirmed Covid-19 cases in MCO predicted a sharp increase. At the first of March, 2021, the predicted cumulative confirmed Covid-19 cases are 319,477 cases. Conclusions: Covid-19 cases projected to 315766 by end of February 2021 with 3000-4000 daily cases predicted. Initiative and proactive measurement by Malaysian government hopefully can reduce the number of cases and flatten the infection curve. © 2021, Ibn Sina Trust. All rights reserved.
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Background: Pandemics are associated with anxiety, depression, and/or even death. The present study was planned to measure the psychological stress due to current pandemic-COVID19 amongst resident of Hail, Saudi Arabia. Method: It was a survey based cross sectional study. Non-Probability convenient sampling was used to collect the information from 240 respondents. Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7) was used as study tool. Data was displayed as number and percentages. Chi square test was used to measure inferential statistics. Results: More than 55% of study respondent reportedly found to have some level of anxiety during lockdown. However, nearly 35% had mild anxiety. Interestingly, statistically significant association was observed amongst, gender, level of education, Income, nationality, profession, place of resident, and age. Conclusion: The findings of present study may not be generalizable to Hail city. However, more than 50% of study respondent reported some sort of anxiety. Mild anxiety was most commonly reported. Level of anxiety was found to be statistically associated with various socio demographic variables. It is recommended to have further studies to measure the relationship of psychological stress on individuals of various backgrounds.