GREEN BIOSYNTHESIS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES FROM TARAXACUM OFFICINALE ROOTS PLANT AND STUDYING ITS ANTIVIRAL PROPERTIES TO CORONAVIRUS (SARS-COV-2) INFECTED LUNG CELLS

Plants, especially medicinal plants, took up the most space during the production of silver nanoparticles and have shown significant promise for use in biotechnology. So the goal of this research was to focus on a type of lung cell line, the WI-38 cell line, infected with the Corona virus. The study also included the isolation of the active compounds from the roots of the Taraxacum officinale plant, their extraction, and the study of their biological effects. Used in this study were: Taraxacum officinale extract, silver nitrate, (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM), fetal bovine serum (FBS) L-glutamine, penicillin, streptomycin, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) from Sigma Aldrich, USA), and XTT (2,3-bis(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfo phenyl)-2H-tetrazolium5-carboxamide) from RIbobio-China. WI-38 CCL75 cell lines were purchased from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) identification. Source was the lung tissue for female-3 month gestation and the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Oils, flavonoids, glycosides, and tannins from Taraxacum officinale were extracted in the extraction device (Soxhlet) in successive stages using several solvents. Silver nanoparticles Ag NPs were synthesized using the green method from these extracts and diagnosed by X-Ray diffraction analysis XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Cell cultures were used to study the effect of nanoparticles on lung cells infected with the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) using lung cell lines (wi-38) . The activity of these particles as antivirals was evaluated due to their antiviral activity where pure cultures of cell lines were planted on DMEM where DEME was used as a positive control and the cell line with DMEM was a negative control. For each experiment, the diameter of the inhibition area was measured in millimeters. Finally, the XTT test was used to test the extracted and the nanoparticle solution to ensure its suitability for inhibition of the virus coronavirus (SARS-COV-2). The results showed that nanoparticles have strong antiviral efficacy against the coronavirus. 50 mg/L of the Ag NPs extract was found to have the greatest inhibition. The potent bioactivity of the synthetic green silver nanoparticles derived from medicinal plants supports their biological use as an antiviral. The study also showed the effects of different concentrations of silver nanoparticle solutions on cell growth. The presence of phenolics and flavonoids was found in the alcoholic and aqueous extracts of the T. officinale roots. The mechanism of action of Ag NPs was investigated. As noted, the Ag NPs alcoholic extract outperformed the Ag NPs aqueous extract in terms of growth because of its small size. From this study, we conclude that the method of green biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles is considered safe and inexpensive, and the materials produced are not contaminated. Nanoparticles can be applied in many applications depending on their physical properties, such as the size and shape of the particle. They were also tested in vitro against coronavirus (SARS-COV-2) utilizing the cell line. Interestingly, the antiviral activities of Ag NPs alcoholic and aqueous extracts against SARS-CoV-2 were noteworthy, with IC50 values of 32.50 and 29.03, respectively. The findings might be a suitable starting point for future optimization and more sophisticated preclinical and clinical research of molecules on single components, particularly alcoholic extract, for inhibiting and lowering the activity of the Coronavirus in infected cells. © 2023, Consulting and Training Center - KEY. All rights reserved.

Adaptive nonlinear controllers based approach to improve the frequency control of multi islanded interconnected microgrids

Islanded microgrids (MGs) are now widely used to electrify rural areas at a lesser cost and with greater efficiency. To maintain system balance and guarantee stability when exposed to various disturbances, MGs should be equipped with efficient controllers. Traditional controllers (like the PI controller) are linear and offer the best performance at a certain operating point, but the performance may degrade when the operating situation changes. To mitigate the drawbacks of fixed parameters controller, the paper suggested a fuzzy PI controller-based model reference adaptive control (FPI-MRAC) optimized by an advanced meta-heuristic optimization technique coronavirus herd immunity optimizer (CHIO) for enhancing the dynamic performance of several interconnected MGs. The proposed controller is non-linear adaptive controller that can improve the system performance over a wide range of operating conditions. The effectiveness of FPI-MRAC is assessed by subjecting the system to various disturbances, such as generation variation, load change, changing in uncertain system parameters and occurrence short circuit faults. Additionally, it investigated how quick reaction supercapacitors can improve the dynamic performance of the system. The acquired results show that, for all applied scenarios, the FPI-MRAC offers a much superior dynamic response than PI controller. Using super-capacitors also improves the system frequency when there are disruptions.

COVID-19 Detection from Chest X-Ray Images Using Detectron2 and Faster R-CNN

The COVID-19 outbreak has been causing immense damage to global health and has put the world under tremendous pressure since early 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared in March 2020 the novel coronavirus outbreak as a global pandemic. Testing of infected patients and early recognition of positive cases is considered a critical step in the fight against COVID-19 to avoid further spreading of this epidemic. As there are no fast and accurate tools available till now for the detection of COVID-19 positive cases, the need for supporting diagnostic tools has increased. Any technological method that can provide rapid and accurate detection will be very useful to medical professionals. However, there are several methods to detect COVID-19 positive cases that are typically performed based on chest X-ray images that contain relevant information about the COVID-19 virus. This paper goal is to introduce a Detectron2 and Faster R-CNN to diagnose COVID-19 automatically from X-ray images. In addition, this study could support non-radiologists with better localization of the disease by visual bounding box. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Impact of Active Cycle of Breathing Technique on Selected Pulmonary Outcomes in Post-COVID Syndrome Patients

Background Worldwide, the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has imposed a substantial burden. A large number of post-Covid-19 patients have long-lasting symptoms like fatigue and exercise intolerance. This condition been labelled 'post-acute sequelae of Covid-19' (PASC). Pulmonary rehabilitation is a comprehensive treatment that is based on a thorough assessment of the patient and is meant to improve the health of people with respiratory disease. Purpose To determine how active cycle breathing affects specific pulmonary outcomes in patients having post-COVID syndrome. Materials and methods 60 patients of both sexes (29 men and 31 women) took part. Their age was ranging from 40-50 years. Patients were randomized into 2 groups of the same size. Variables were assessed before and after training and statistically analyzed: Arterial blood gas analysis (ABG), the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and fatigue level Results: The mixed MANOVA statistical analysis results indicated no substantial change in any outcome measures between the two groups prior to treatment (p > 0.05). After treatment, comparisons across the groups showed that Group A had significantly increased (6MWT 11.09%, PaO2 3.5%, SaO2 2.7%) (Decrease fatigue 35.92% PaCO2 4.35%). Group B: (6MWT 21.61%, PaO2 12.41%, SaO2 6.43%) (Decrease fatigue 61.05%, PaCO2 10.75). Conclusion ABG parameters, fatigue level and six-minute walk test (6MWT) for post-COVID syndrome patients were all positively impacted by the active cycle of breathing technique, which is an efficient modality that may be incorporated into conventional physical therapy protocols. Copyright © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.

Factors Affecting Students’ Adoption of E-Learning Systems During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

The provision and usage of online and e-learning systems are becoming the main challenge for many universities during COVID-19 pandemic. E-learning system such as Moodle has several fantastic features that would be valuable for use during this COVID-19 pandemic. However, the successful usage of the e-learning system relies on understanding the adoption factors. There is a lack of agreement about the critical factors that shape the successful usage of e-learning systems during the COVID-19 pandemic;hence, a clear gap has been identified in the knowledge of the critical factors of e-learning usage during this pandemic. Therefore, an extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was developed to investigate the underlying factors that influence Students’ decisions to use an e-learning system. The TAM was populated using data gathered from a survey of 389 undergraduate Students’ who were using the based-Moodle e-learning system at Alazhar University. The model was estimated using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). A path model was developed to analyze the relationships between the factors to explain students’ adoption of the e-learning system. The findings indicated that Computer Anxiety, Course Content, Hedonic Motivation, Perceived Environment, Subjective Norm, and Technical Support effect significantly on both ease of use and usefulness. Subjective Norm effect significantly on intention to use. Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness effect significantly on intention to use. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

E-Learning in Pharmacology Education during COVID 19 Pandemic: Students' Preference & Perception of Assessments

Introduction: Pharmacology is one of the fundamental components of the undergraduate pharmacy curriculum, providing core knowledge on the mechanisms of drug action and toxicity, consequently laying the foundational concepts in rational pharmacotherapeutic decisions. The Covid-19 pandemic has urgently forced educational institutions to transition to online remote learning. This unprecedented move has not only affected teaching and learning, but also assessments, a known factor in driving student learning. This study served to determine students' preference and perceptions of the assessments utilised for pharmacology courses in the undergraduate pharmacy programme, during the online and distance learning period. Methods: An online survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) programme at the Faculty of Pharmacy, UiTM Selangor Puncak Alam Campus. Three hundred and fourteen students participated in the study. Collected data was then analysed using SPSS version 26. Results: Findings revealed that the majority of students preferred multiple choice questions (MCQs) test the most. Problem-based learning (PBL) was also among the most favoured especially among 3rd year students. In term of perceptions, this study disclosed that students acknowledged all assessments conducted for pharmacology courses contributed to their understanding towards course material, knowledge strength, analytical and critical thinking skills, problem analysis and learning feedback. Conclusion: Although the findings were mostly positive, a more thorough investigation is needed to identify how these assessments can be improved. Regular review on how curriculums are delivered and assessed are imperative in order to implement necessary measures for improving learning outcomes. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Some Detergents and Disinfectants Against Staphylococcus Aureus Isolated from Kirkuk Schools

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of some detergents and disinfectants against Staphyloccocus aureus, As (60) swabs were collected for a period of one month, and from various school environmental sources, which included the hands of students during their academic performance of their duties and age groups (13-19) years and after they underwent a corona virus examination and from health units for the school environment and student desks in the city of Kirkuk, The efficiency of the detergents and detergents used for hand washing and health institutions available in the local market was evaluated, which included: liquid soap (Fax), Bleach 6%, Flash, Dettol (EIFFEL), Hand santizer gel, Hand sanitizer spray.The results of the study showed that the detergents and disinfectants under study have inhibitory efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus according to the prepared concentrations (50,25,12.5)%,Flash and Hand sanitizer spray are among the most effective disinfectants and detergents, followed by Bleach, then Dettol and liquid soap, and Hand santizer gel was less effective against bacteria. © 2022 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.

Is It Possible to Anticipate the Severity of a Coronavirus Infection Using an lnterlukin-1 Receptor Antagonist?

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious illness brought on by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and spread mostly by touch and droplets. Numerous laboratory markers have been connected to sickness and fatality since the first case was reported in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The outbreak has steadily expanded across the country. Objective: This study investigated the impact of serum IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) levels on the clinical course and prognosis of COVID19. Materials and Methods: The study included 120 patients with COVID-19. The patients with COVID-19 were divided into three groups according to disease severity as critical disease (n=23), severe disease (n=37), and mild/moderate disease (n=60) compared with (60) healthy volunteers as control group. All basic demographic and clinical data of the patients were recorded, and blood samples were collected. Results: IL-1Ra levels were significantly higher in the all cases of patients with COVID-19 (p<0.0001). IL-1Ra levels were correlated with SpO2 and Lymphocyte negatively (r = -0.798 and -0.509 respectively;p ˂ 0.01), (r=0.32, p=0.002 and r=0.25, p=0.019, respectively), and correlated with age, SBP, DBP, WBCs, CRP, D-Dimer, Ferritin, FBG, ALT, AST, and ALP (r = 0.294, 0.525, 0.290, 0.656, 0.703, 0.724, 0.778, 0.660, 0.659, 0.703, and 0.620 respectively;p˂0.01) positively. A cutoff value of 27.525 pg/ml for IL-1Ra predicted severe COVID-19 with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 83.3% (AUC: 0.951, 95%CI 0.923–0.978;p<0.0001). Conclusion: In COVID-19, interlukin-1 receptor antagonist could be useful as a promising predictive biomarker for assessing disease severity. © 2022, ResearchTrentz Academy Publishing Education Services. All rights reserved.

NON-KIDNEY INFECTIONS ARE CRITICAL FACTORS IN 5-YEAR KIDNEY GRAFT LOSS IN A TRANSPLANT POPULATION AT LOW RISK FOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Introduction: Kidney transplantation is the World's most common renal replacement therapy (RRT). In under-resourced countries, few transplant patients are elderly or diabetic, and the risk of cardiovascular events is low. Nevertheless, graft survival closely resembles that of living donor transplants in developed countries, where cardiovascular disease (CVD) death is a major cause of graft loss. Methods: This study evaluates kidney transplants performed in the Sulaimania Governate of Iraq from 2015 through 2019 and followed-up through 2021. There were 656 patients. The average age was 39.2 ± 14.0 years, 75% were under 50 years old, 3.5% were ≥ 65 years old, 19.7% were diabetic, and 11.7% had a BMI ≥ 30. All donors were living, and 96% of recipients were first-time transplants. Outcomes consisted of return to HD (RHD) and death with a functional graft (DWFG), and all graft loss (RHD+DWFG). Identified infections were pyelonephritis, PCR+ BK viremia (BKV), biopsy+ BK nephropathy (BKN), PCR+ COVID-19, and non-kidney-deep infections (NK-deep infections), the latter consisting of non-COVID pneumonia, septicemia, gastrointestinal infections, and hepatitis. Logistic regression tested the relationships between clinical characteristics, infections, and graft loss. Results: Graft failure consisted of 53 patients with RHD and 50 with DWFG. Sixty-eight patients died, 41 of infection, 14 of CVD, and 13 of other or undetermined causes. NK-deep infections consisted mainly of bacterial pneumonia and septicemia. Septicemia followed implantation wound infections in 4 patients and intensified immunotherapy for recurrent disease in 3 patients (Table). Pyelonephritis affected 79 patients, and 37 patients had BKV with BKN in five. One pyelonephritis and 3 BKN progressed to dialysis. Two BKN resolved, but both patients DWFG, one of fungal sepsis, and one of CVD. COVID infected 211 patients, with 11 deaths (5.2%), 2 DOD and 9 DWFG. DWFG was attributed to infections in 26 patients (17 NK-deep infections and 9 COVID), CVD in 11 patients, and other causes in 13 patients. NK-deep infections were all fatal and were the most significant variable affecting all graft loss (NK-deep infection, OR=233.1, 30.4-1786.6, p<0.001;age, p=0.85;BMI, p=0.24;diabetes, p=0.16;pyelonephritis, p=0.21;BKV, p=0.38;COVID, p=0.28). [Formula presented] Conclusions: BKN was associated with graft loss in part indirectly by DWFG. COVID was responsible for 18% of DWFG, but it was NK-deep infections causing pneumonia and septicemia that had the most significant influence on graft loss. COVID and NK-deep infections caused 52% of DWFG and exceeded CVD by 2.4:1. The 5-year rate of graft loss was 18.6%. Currently, this rate does not seem excessive and is probably an unavoidable complication of immunosuppression. The transplantation of older patients with more CVD risk factors will assuredly increase rates of DWFG. No conflict of interest

Pulmonary Phospholipid Components as Promising Natural Inhibitors against COVID-19 Mpro;Molecular Docking Analysis Based Study

The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2 has become a global crisis. Phospholipids are structural components of mammalian cell membranes that suppress viral attachment to the plasma membrane and subsequent replication in lung cells. Using the molecular docking approach, the inhibitory activity of phosphatidylcholine, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidyl-inositol, lysobisphosphatidic acid and sphingomyelin against SARS CoV-2 by targeting main protease (Mpro, PDB code: 6LU7) has been investigated. All phospholipids established excellent binding to Mpro active bocket by forming several H-bonds with the catalytic amino acids Cys145 and His4, as well as various amino acids involved in the bocket. Furthermore, a potent binding affinity is increased from -7.01 to -9.16 kcal/mol compared to compound N3 (N-[(5methylisoxazol-3-yl)carbonyl]alanyl-L (where L = valyl-N-1-(1R,2Z)-4-(benzyloxy)-4-oxo-1-{[(3R)-2-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]methyl}but-2-enyl)-L-leucinamide), a peptide linker, inhibitor for Covid-19 main protease. Co-crystalline ligand of enzyme 6LU7 of -9.99 kcal/mol. The sphingomyelin has the same binding affinity to main protease when compared to compound N3. These findings implied that the selected compounds have the potential to be developed as novel SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. Therefore, improved, well-designed, potent and structurally and pharmacokinetically effective drugs are urgently needed. Further investigations should focus on validating and finalizing effective drugs for COVID-19 beyond preliminary in silico and in vivo screening. © 2022 Chemical Publishing Co.. All rights reserved.

The epidemiological characteristics coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Halabja Province/Kurdistan -Iraq

The new highly transmitted pathogenic viral infection started from Wuhan, China at the end of 2019. The World Health Organization publicized that it is phylogenetically belonging to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), introduced as COVID-19 pandemic disease, and spread around the world. The first confirmed case in Kurdistan region was on 1st of March, 2020. While the first COVID-19 case in Halabja province/Kurdistan region was recorded on 27th of March, 2020. This study was designed, when the Wafa Hospital constructed in Halabja/Kurdistan region for infected patients. The data were collected from 14th April to the end of December, 2020 and included name and age of the infected persons. Samples were obtained nasopharyngeal using a sterilized swab following WHO guidelines and then the real time PCR (RT-PCR) machine was used for analysis. This study was particularly representing the impact of COVID-19 on suspected person. It was focused on the susceptibility of suspected cases in Halabja province, according to ages and sexes. During the study, 5183 cases were tested, 2796 (54%) cases were confirmed as positive result and 2387 (46%) cases were negative, including all ages, males and females. Confirmed male cases among 3116 cases were 1646 (60.1%), and 1150 (39.9%) positive cases recorded among 2067 female tests. In addition, the ages of the tested cases were divided into 10 sub-groups (0-9) years old to (90-99) years old, subsequently. The result of this study for both sexes, revealed that, the most confirmed cases among (30-39) years group and (40-49) years group were (1521) and (1223) confirmed positive cases. The lowest cases were among over 80 years old and below 9 years old (10, 3) confirmed cases. Besides, the confirmed cases for other age groups for both sexes were (50-59) years old was 397, (60-69) years old was 205, (70-79) was 77. Finally, the data showed that, the common confirmed cases were among groups 20-59 years old and the rare cases were under 9 and over 80 years.

To Evaluate the Outcome of Neck of Femur Fracture Treated by Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty in COVID-19-positive patients:- A Retrospective Study

Background: Orthopaedic trauma surgery focused mainly on femoral fragility fractures in the elderly, since the “lockdown” began on March 23, 2020 in our country. Proximal femur fractures carry a high mortality rate due the age and complications. Thus, orthopaedic surgeons face the daily dilemma of performing life-saving surgery on patients who, have severe respiratory compromise, have a higher risk of peri-operative death. The optimal surgical treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures is still debated. Hemiarthroplasty4 contributes to early ambulation and good functional recovery. Determining mortality and risk factors for adverse outcomes for patients with COVID-19 and a concurrent hip fracture is of great importance, as it can improve clinical pathways, perioperative management, and resource allocation. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 10 patients ≥60 years of age with a neck of femur fracture and COVID-19 who underwent hip hemiarthroplasty. Clinical characteristics and early postoperative outcomes were reported. Results: Seven out of the 10 COVID-positive hip fracture patients in our series were asymptomatic on admission with no clinical signs or symptoms of COVID-19 infection. One of the patient had cough and other 2 patients presented with hypoxia. 7 patients was given supplemental oxygen postoperatively which includes the patient presented with hypoxia. 7 patients required post op blood transfusion.None of the patients were put on mechanical ventilation. There was no case of surgical site infection.Average harris hip score was 80 with good outcome. The average length of inpatient stay was 15 days. Conclusions: Our study shows that neck of femur fracture patients who present with asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 who underwent hip hemiarthroplasty had a good functional outcome with few post op complications.

Investigation of a COVID-19 Outbreak and Its Successful Containment in a Long Term Care Facility in Qatar.

Introduction: The objective of this study is to investigate the COVID-19 outbreak and its successful containment in a long-term care facility, Qatar. Materials and Methods: It was a retrospective case series of 24 COVID-19 positive patients inclusive of elderly, patient attenders, and front-liners from 06th to 18th June 2020. Laboratory, radiological, and treatment findings were assessed from electronic records. Results: The outbreak management team concluded that despite all the pre-existing preventive measures implemented at the start of the pandemic, there was still evidence of lapses in infection control practices such as breach of infection control protocols like improper use of personal protective equipment. The infection prevention and control team promptly reassessed and implemented more stringent infection control methods and practices that successfully contained the outbreak on July 1, 2020. Among the seven elderly patients, the average age was 76.28 years ± SD25.5 and all were females. 57% of the patients were symptomatic. The most common comorbidities were Dementia (57%), Diabetes mellitus (43%), Coronary Artery Disease (43%), and Seizures (43%). Ground glass appearances in the lungs were found in 29% of the patients. Among the three deceased patients, Dementia and Coronary Artery Disease were the common comorbidities. Persistent elevation in blood glucose levels was observed among all patients during this period of infection. Conclusion: Elderlies in long-term care facilities are with certain pre-existing comorbidities which makes them more prone to develop COVID-19 complications. Thus, intensive infection control measures like ongoing education and awareness, staff compliance monitoring, quick contact tracing, visitor policy revision, ongoing patient and caregivers monitoring are inevitable recommendations for effective outbreak prevention and management.

Colorectal cancer screening during covid-19 pandemic;A systematic review

The pandemic of COVID 19 has led to the postponement of all elective procedures including screening colonoscopy due to the rising risk of infection with covid-19. Routine use of screening tests for colorectal cancer is not applicable during covid 19 pandemic including colonoscopy, computed tomographic colonography, colon capsule endoscopy, and fecal immunochemical test. Focused reviewing of the impact of covid-19 on the various diagnostic modalities for colorectal cancer screening is the objective of this review. Databases of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for literature published before June 2020. This narrative review was created from a conscious dissection of different data obtained from the related articles. Careful categorical writing of the recommendations was done in an easy simple manner. The risk of the spread of COVID 19 infection could be higher after using aerosol-generating procedures such as upper and lower GIT endoscopy. Also, CT might raise the risk of infection. Colon capsule endoscopy may be considered a potentially valuable procedure for colorectal cancer screening during the pandemic of COVID 19. During the post-COVID-19 recovery phase, it is expected to have a high demand for colonoscopy services as waiting lists will grow in that time. Colon capsule endoscopy may be considered a valuable diagnostic modality for prioritizing those who will need screening colonoscopy. Colon capsule endoscopy seems to be superior to other modalities for the screening of colorectal cancer during the pandemic of COVID 19 while postponement of colonoscopy service. Colon capsule endoscopy can be used for triaging those requiring further endoscopic procedures. © 2021 Teikyo University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

Assessment of potential risk factors for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) among health care workers.

BACKGROUND: Understanding COVID-19 infection among health workers and the risk factors for adverse outcomes is important not only for characterizing virus transmission patterns and risk factors for infection, but also for preventing the future infection of health workers and other patients and reducing secondary COVID-19 transmission within health care settings. Our aim was to identify risk factors for infection among health care workers to limit adverse events in health care facilities. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 336 HCWs from COVID-19 treatment hospitals took part in the study with varying COVID-19 exposure risk depending on job function and working site. All participants were asked about risk factors for COVID-19 infection. RESULTS: Among our participants, 42.6% were medical doctors, 28.6% nurses and 7.4% assistant nurses and 21.4% were others. Forty four percent of participants had work experience 5-10 years. More than half of participants received training in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) (56.8%) about COVID 19; 91% have hand hygiene facilities and 69% admitted availability of PPE. More than half of participants admitted that they always follow IPC measures. Two thirds of participants (66.7%) had close contact with a patient since admission; 42.3% were present in aerosolizing procedures for patients. Forty two percent of participants had respiratory symptom; the most common was sore throat representing (32.4%). The highest frequency of respiratory symptoms was among of nurses and assistant nurses 51%. Frequency of respiratory symptoms was higher among those who contacted the patient directly or for prolonged period compared to those who do not admitted these contacts. CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors for COVID-19 represented by those who were smokers, nurses and assistant nurses were more liable to catch COVID-19 than doctors as they contacted the patient directly for prolonged period or his/her body fluids, materials or surfaces around him.

Experiential training during COVID-19 pandemic: a virtual attachment experience from a college of pharmaceutical sciences in the United Arab Emirates

Description: The COVID-19 pandemic compelled the traditional higher educational institutions to make a quick transition to the virtual instruction model. Considering the COVID-19 restrictions, the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacology at Ras Al Khaimah College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, United Arab Emirates restructured their original onsite experiential training for final year Bachelor of Pharmacy students as a virtual online experience to ensure educational continuity. Evaluation: The virtual experiential training was conducted over two weeks and was imparted employing different virtual platforms like Google Classroom, Google Meet, Google Forms, Google Docs, etc. As a part of the community pharmacy training, the students were given different e-activities and tasks like e-case scenario analysis and interpretation, e-prescription screening, virtual patient education and were shown various 3-D animated videos related to community pharmacy. For the hospital training, the students were given different e-cases for developing pharmaceutical care plans, e-case scenario analysis, e-drug information query and were shown different animated videos related to rounds of different hospital departments. Conclusion: The virtual experiential training was successfully conducted achieving the desired learning outcomes and was well received by the students. Based on this experience, it is recommended that efforts should be made to develop an integrated model for experiential training in the future, which can be an amalgamation of online tools and traditional experiential methods.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in the urban population of Qatar: An analysis of antibody testing on a sample of 112,941 individuals.

The study objective was to the assess level of detectable severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in the urban population of Qatar. Antibody testing was performed on residual blood specimens for 112,941 individuals (∼10% of Qatar's urban population) attending for routine/other clinical care between May 12 and September 9, 2020. Seropositivity was 13.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 13.1-13.6%) and was independently associated with sex, age, nationality, clinical care encounter type, and testing date. Median optical density (antibody titer) among antibody-positive persons was 27.0 (range = 1.0-150.0), with higher values associated with age, nationality, clinical care encounter type, and testing date. Seropositivity by nationality was positively correlated with the likelihood of having higher antibody titers (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.47-0.96). Less than two in every 10 individuals in Qatar's urban population had detectable antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, suggesting this population is still far from herd immunity and at risk of subsequent infection waves. Higher antibody titer appears to be a biomarker of repeated exposures to the infection.

Herd Immunity against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection in 10 Communities, Qatar.

We investigated what proportion of the population acquired severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and whether the herd immunity threshold has been reached in 10 communities in Qatar. The study included 4,970 participants during June 21-September 9, 2020. Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 were detected by using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Seropositivity ranged from 54.9% (95% CI 50.2%-59.4%) to 83.8% (95% CI 79.1%-87.7%) across communities and showed a pooled mean of 66.1% (95% CI 61.5%-70.6%). A range of other epidemiologic measures indicated that active infection is rare, with limited if any sustainable infection transmission for clusters to occur. Only 5 infections were ever severe and 1 was critical in these young communities; infection severity rate of 0.2% (95% CI 0.1%-0.4%). Specific communities in Qatar have or nearly reached herd immunity for SARS-CoV-2 infection: 65%-70% of the population has been infected.