GDM diagnosis criteria: Standard and Covid-19 criteria

Aim: Standard diagnosis of gestational diabetes (GDM) is based on the Oral Glucose Tolerance test (OGTT). During the Covid-19 outbreak, due to Covid restrictions, criteria were modified i.e Fasting Blood Glucose >=5.3 and/ or HbA1c >= 39 for diagnosis of GDM. After the lifting of the Covid restrictions, the standard criteria were reimplemented and on analyzing the data, it was highlighted that some of the patients could have tested negative for GDM based on Covid Criteria. Method(s): We analyzed the data of 43 patients based on standard criteria (OGTT and HbA1c) after Covid restrictions, with the following results. Result(s): 11/43(28%) patients who were diagnosed on the basis of standard criteria could have been missed based on Covid criteria. Out of 11 deliveries, 2 babies with weight above 4 kg. There were no admissions to NICU. One patient had postpartum hemorrhage with 670 mL of blood loss. Conclusion(s): This was a retrospective study in which we analyzed the data of 45 pregnant females diagnosed with GDM based on testing using the Covid criteria and compared this to 43 pregnant females who were diagnosed with GDM on the basis of OGTT based on GOLD standard NICE criteria. In addition, we also examined maternal and obstetric outcomes in both groups such as the mode of delivery, the baby's birth weight, the incidence of shoulder dystocia, mean blood loss (MBL), and NICU admission. We understand that Covid GDM diagnosis was a necessity of time. In this study, we want to learn what could have been missed with that diagnostic criteria. For future pandemics, we need to revise our diagnostic criteria to avoid the risk of underdiagnosing GDM and associated complications.

Attitudes of Medical Practitioners towards Collaboration with Dental Professionals during a Pandemic: A Past Experience and a Future alert

Aim: To determine the attitude of medical practitioners towards collaborating with dental professionals during a pandemic. Material(s) and Method(s): The present study is a cross sectional survey conducted among the medical practitioners of India. 2100 medical practitioners were randomly selected as study subjects. The data pertaining to their attitude toward collaboration with dental professionals were gathered using a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive studies. Result(s): Among the study subjects, 93% of the medical doctors said in the future if the pandemic occurs then they would feel contended if they were to be given the provision to be aided by a well-trained dental support team, 80% of them said they experienced high stress during the pandemic. When asked to specify the reason in case they have not approached the dentist during the pandemic, 89% said they did not ponder over the thought of taking help from the dentist. Conclusion(s): If a pandemic occurs in the future, the contribution of the dentist can be beyond dentistry provided we adopt and execute proper measures and plan them beforehand.Copyright © 2021 Muslim OT et al.

Association between diet quality and BMI with side effects of pfizer-biontech COVID-19 vaccine and SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G titers. (Special Issue: The relationship between nutrition and COVID-19.)

Purpose: The nutritional and anthropometric status can be essential in determining their immune response to vaccines. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the association between diet quality and anthropometric indices with the side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G titer among Kurdish adults. Design/methodology/approach: This cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted between December 2021 and February 2022. This paper included data on 115 adults, 20-89 years old, from the Kurdistan region. Dietary information was collected using a short food frequency questionnaire, and diet quality was assessed using a plant-based healthy diet score. A blood test was performed to measure the SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobin G (IgG) titer after the vaccination's first and second doses. Findings: Overweight and obese subjects reported more local pain, myalgia, headache, local bruising and local reactions after receiving the first dose of the vaccine (p = 0.04). People on a less healthy diet reported more local pain, myalgia and headache (p = 0.04) and more local bruising and reactions (p = 0.01) after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. On the other hand, the authors observed that those with healthy dietary habits had more IgG titer after the first and second doses of vaccination than those with less healthy dietary habits (p = 0.001). Originality/valueThe results showed that participants with a healthy diet and normal weight status had fewer side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine than obese people and those with a less healthy diet.

Exploring the Newer Horizons of Online Therapy – Its use and Effectiveness

The advancement of computing technology is becoming more important in the healthcare industry. Remotely assisted pain management treatments (Eaton et al., 2014) and tele-psychology (Godleski et al., 2012;Caver et al., 2020) have both been effectively adopted in the Veterans Affairs (VA) system throughout the United States. The American Psychological Association (2013) notes that the increasing reliance on technology to facilitate the delivery of psychological services brings with it a number of novel possibilities, factors to consider, and obstacles to practise. Glueckauf et al. (2018) found that although approximately 40% of practising clinical psychologists in the United States had utilised tele-psychology, the vast majority (60%) had never done so. Most clinical psychologists they surveyed expressed reservations about providing services through video chat and hence exclusively saw patients in person. Glueckauf et al. (2018) found that over half of psychologists surveyed felt they needed more training in crisis management for online therapy, and that nearly all therapists (79%) were worried about issues related to security, confidentiality, and HIPAA. © 2023, Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities. All Rights Reserved.

Post-Covid-19 Pandemic IT Project Management Skills and Challenges

Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has harmed social, financial, and work life. The novel coronavirus has caused problems in all business sectors, including Information Technology(IT). Many Projects have been stopped or delayed due to the impact of this pandemic. Most of the companies recognized the importance of IT to achieve competitive advantage and to survive. Companies are investing a lot of money in IT projects. More than 60% of IT project fail. Lack of professional IT project management is one of the main reasons for that fail. Managing IT projects is a complex problem. Crises such as COVID 19 and uncertainty are increasing the complexity and challenges in IT projects management. This paper investigates what are the IT project management Key success factors required during and after the Pandemic. Secondary data were collected from literature review in the field of IT project management. an online questionnaire was used to collect the primary data from 107 IT firms. 323 respondents were participated. It is concluded that the following Key success factors are required: e-communication, centralization of data, online project monitoring, designing new policies and guidelines for incorporating new work culture, gaining and establishing project risk management exercises, especially cybersecurity and data protection by gaining access to the latest tools, establishing a culture for strict usage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to help project managers complete projects safely, and top management support. © 2023 IEEE.

The Impact of Extended E-Learning on Emotional Well-Being of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia.

Educational institutions in Saudi Arabia extended e-learning until the third semester of the academic calendar to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection and to achieve 70% inoculation for the Saudi population. This study assesses the impact of extended e-learning and other associated stressors on the emotional health of university students in Saudi Arabia. An online cross-sectional survey collected data between the months of January-March 2021. The emotional signs of stress were measured by using a subset of items from the COVID-19 Adolescent Symptom and Psychological Experience Questionnaire (CASPE). Data about demographic variables, educational characteristics and academic performance were also collected. A regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of emotional health. A total of 434 university students including females (63%) and males (37%) provided responses. One-third of students (33%) indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting changes including online distance studies greatly influenced their daily lives in a negative way. The regression analysis demonstrated that female students and students with average academic performance had increased vulnerability to experience emotional signs of stress (p < 0.05). The factors 'Not going to university' and 'Not having a routine life' were significant predictors of stress responses (p < 0.01) and (p < 0.001) respectively. E-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic made it possible for students to complete their studies as per academic calendar; simultaneously, it increased the vulnerability to experience stress, particularly for female students and students with average academic performance. These findings imply that academic advising and counseling services should be more readily available during digital studies to support at risk students.

Telemedicine for diabetes management during COVID-19: what we have learnt, what and how to implement.

The past two decades have witnessed telemedicine becoming a crucial part of health care as a method to facilitate doctor-patient interaction. Due to technological developments and the incremental acquisition of experience in its use, telemedicine's advantages and cost-effectiveness has led to it being recognised as specifically relevant to diabetology. However, the pandemic created new challenges for healthcare systems and the rate of development of digital services started to grow exponentially. It was soon discovered that COVID-19-infected patients with diabetes had an increased risk of both mortality and debilitating sequelae. In addition, it was observed that this higher risk could be attenuated primarily by maintaining optimal control of the patient's glucose metabolism. As opportunities for actual physical doctor-patient visits became restricted, telemedicine provided the most convenient opportunity to communicate with patients and maintain delivery of care. The wide range of experiences of health care provision during the pandemic has led to the development of several excellent strategies regarding the applicability of telemedicine across the whole spectrum of diabetes care. The continuation of these strategies is likely to benefit clinical practice even after the pandemic crisis is over.

Role of Natural Products in the Management of COVID-19: A Saudi Arabian Perspective.

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented circumstance that has never previously occurred. This has caused the Saudi Arabian people to recognize the necessity of preventive measures and explore alternative systems, such as using natural products (NPs), for treating their infection. Therefore, the specific objectives of this study were to explore the factors that influence the selection of NPs for COVID-19 management and to know the outcome of using NPs in COVID-19 infection management. This observational cross-sectional study was conducted in Saudi Arabia between February and April 2022. The validated pretested questionnaire was distributed among different regions of the country via a purposive snowball sampling procedure. Both descriptive statistics and stepwise regression analyses were carried out to evaluate the parameters related to the use of medicinal plants for the prevention of COVID-19 and the treatment of respiratory symptoms during the pandemic. The data obtained were statistically analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Of the 677 participants, 65% reported using NPs for themselves or family members during COVID-19. Utilizing NPs is always given priority by a significant (p < 0.001) percentage of survey respondents. Further, a highly significant (p < 0.001) percentage of participants felt that using NPs reduced their COVID-19 symptoms without having any remarkable (p < 0.001) adverse effects. Family and friends (59%) were the most frequent sources of information about utilizing NPs, followed by personal experience (41%). Honey (62.7%) and ginger (53.8%) were the most utilized NP among participants. Moreover, black seeds, garlic and turmeric were used by 40.5%, 37.7% and 26.3% of the surveyors, respectively. Those who used NPs before COVID-19 were 72.9% more likely to use them during COVID-19. NPs are more likely to be used by 75% of people who live in the central part of the country and whose families prefer it. This is true even if other factors are considered, such as the practice of using NPs along with traditional therapies and the fact that some participants' families prefer it. Our findings show that NPs were commonly used to treat COVID-19 infection among Saudi Arabian residents. Close friends and family members mainly encouraged the use of NPs. Overall, the use of NPs was high among those who participated in our study; such practices are strongly impacted by society. It is essential to promote extensive studies to improve the recognition and accessibility of these products. Authorities should also educate the people about the benefits and risks of using commonly used NPs, especially those reported in this study.

Major cardiovascular events after COVID-19, event rates post-vaccination, antiviral or anti-inflammatory therapy, and temporal trends: Rationale and methodology of the CORONA-VTE-Network study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with excess risk of cardiovascular and thrombotic events in the early post-infection period and during convalescence. Despite the progress in our understanding of cardiovascular complications, uncertainty persists with respect to more recent event rates, temporal trends, association between vaccination status and outcomes, and findings within vulnerable subgroups such as older adults (aged 65 years or older), or those undergoing hemodialysis. Sex-informed findings, including results among pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as adjusted comparisons between male and female adults are similarly understudied. METHODS: Adult patients, aged ≥18 years, with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed COVID-19 who received inpatient or outpatient care at the participating centers of the registry are eligible for inclusion. A total of 10,000 patients have been included in this multicenter study, with Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA) serving as the coordinating center. Other sites include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Anne Arundel Medical Center, University of Virginia Medical Center, University of Colorado Health System, and Thomas Jefferson University Health System. Data elements will be ascertained manually for accuracy. The two main outcomes are 1) a composite of venous or arterial thrombotic events, and 2) a composite of major cardiovascular events, defined as venous or arterial thrombosis, myocarditis or heart failure with inpatient treatment, new atrial fibrillation/flutter, or cardiovascular death. Clinical outcomes are adjudicated by independent physicians. Vaccination status and time of inclusion in the study will be ascertained for subgroup-specific analyses. Outcomes are pre-specified to be reported separately for hospitalized patients versus those who were initially receiving outpatient care. Outcomes will be reported at 30-day and 90-day follow-up. Data cleaning at the sites and the data coordinating center and outcomes adjudication process are in-progress. CONCLUSIONS: The CORONA-VTE-Network study will share contemporary information related to rates of cardiovascular and thrombotic events in patients with COVID-19 overall, as well as within key subgroups, including by time of inclusion, vaccination status, patients undergoing hemodialysis, the elderly, and sex-informed analyses such as comparison of women and men, or among pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Recurrent Liver Abscess in a Non-Toxic Patient

Introduction: Liver abscesses are caused by direct spread from peritonitis, biliary tract infection or via hematogenous seeding from a distant source. Most are polymicrobial, however Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae are the most common offending pathogens. Patients usually present with pain, fever, and clinical signs of infection. We describe a case of spontaneous liver abscess in a non-toxic patient that recurred 10 years after a previous abscess. Case Description/Methods: A 73-year-old-man with a history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, CAD status post CABG and PCI 3 years ago, and abdominal aortic aneurysm status post endovascular aneurysm repair presented with 2 weeks of dark urine. After receiving his COVID-19 booster and influenza vaccinations, he developed flu-like symptoms with a self-resolving fever of 101.8degreeF. He had dark amber urine without dysuria or hematuria. Later, he experienced generalized weakness and decreased oral intake. Outpatient labs showed elevated liver function tests, and he was told to present to the ED. On arrival, he was afebrile with stable vitals. Physical exam was unremarkable. Laboratory evaluation showed a hemoglobin of 11.7 g/dL, sodium of 133 mEq/L, creatinine of 1.4 mg/dL, aspartate aminotransferase of 117 U/L, alanine aminotransferase of 212 U/L, alkaline phosphatase of 825 U/L, total bilirubin of 4.1 mg/dL, and direct bilirubin of 2.1 mg/dL. Triple-phase CT showed a 2.8 cm mass in the right liver lobe with linear enhancement. Ultrasound showed mixed echogenicity measuring 3.6 x 2.9 x 3.3 cm in segment 8 of the liver. On further evaluation, patient had an E. coli abscess diagnosed 10 years prior, managed with antibiotics and drainage. At that time, the abscess was within the right inferior liver lobe, similar to his current abscess. LFTs downtrended. Abscess was aspirated, with culture growing oxidase negative, gramnegative rods, likely E. coli. Patient started on ceftriaxone and metronidazole, to undergo colonoscopy as an outpatient and rule out colonic bacterial translocation. Discussion(s): Pyogenic liver abscess can result in significant morbidity and mortality because of worsening infection and sepsis. Abscesses occur because of spread from adjacent infection or after recent surgeries. Recurrence is very rare. Here, we describe a very unusual case of a pyogenic liver abscess growing E. coli in a non-toxic patient, with the same location and causative organism as an abscess managed 10 years prior. (Figure Presented).

Reflecting on Hybrid Events: Learning from a Year of Hybrid Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden shift to virtual work and events, with the last two years enabling an appropriated and rather simulated togetherness - the hybrid mode. As we return to in-person events, it is important to reflect on not only what we learned about technologies and social justice, but about the types of events we desire, and how to re-design them accordingly. This SIG aims to reflect on hybrid events and their execution: scaling them across sectors, communities, and industries;considering trade-offs when choosing technologies;studying best practices and defining measures of "success"for hybrid events;and finally, identifying and charting the wider social, ethical, and legal implications of hybrid formats. This SIG will consolidate these topics by inviting participants to collaboratively reflect on previous hybrid experiences and what can be learned from them. © 2023 Owner/Author.

Severity of the Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant compared with the previous lineages: A systematic review.

The Omicron variant was first detected in October 2021, which evolved from the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and was found to possess many mutations. Immune evasion was one of the notable consequences of these mutations. Despite Omicron exhibiting increased transmissibility, the rates of hospitalizations and deaths among patients infected with this variant were substantially lower when compared to other strains. However, concluding that the Omicron variant is less severe than other variants of SARS-CoV-2 requires consideration of multiple factors, including the vaccination status of infected patients as well as any previous infections with other variants. This review compiled data about any reported indicators of severity in Omicron-infected patients, including studies comparing Omicron with other variants while adjusting for confounders. A comprehensive search was conducted using different databases to target any studies about Omicron. In total, 62 studies met our inclusion criteria and were included in this study. Many studies reported a significantly reduced risk of hospitalization, ICU admission, need for oxygenation/ventilation, and death in Omicron-infected patients compared to patients infected with other variants, such as Delta. Some studies, however, reported comparable severity in Omicron infected patients as to other variants emphasizing a substantial risk for severe illness. Furthermore, the COVID-19 vaccines were less effective against Omicron relative to previous lineages, except after receiving the booster dose. One study recommended vaccination during pregnancy, which may help prevent future cases of severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia in neonates and young infants due to the transfer of humoral response from the mother.

A MULTI-MEDIATION MODEL ANALYSIS OF INDUSTRY 4.0, MANUFACTURING PROCESS FACTORS AND GREEN PERFORMANCE UNDER COVID-19

This research focuses on investigating the impact of industry 4.0 (I4.0) on green performance through manufacturing process factors under COVID-19 by drawing on resource dependency theory. The research uses a quantitative approach, and the data were collected from 614 manufacturing companies in Egypt and were analysed using CB-SEM. The results indicated that there is a direct significant relationship between I4.0 and green performance. In addition, results revealed that manufacturing process factor pull system can significantly mediate the relationship between industry 4.0 and green performance. However, setup time reduction and continuous flow did not have a significant mediating role. Finally, COVID-19 contingency policies had a negative significant moderating role in the impact of industry 4.0 and pull system on green performance. The findings of this research will help in extending RDT through conceptualising it in different settings and using its ideas to build a model that can support manufacturers in maintaining green practices through unitising lean manufacturing and I4.0, especially that focusing on green practices is challenging, and market disruptions, such as COVID-19, increase the difficulty of enhancing green performance. This will also fill the gap regarding the dynamic relationship between I4.0, lean manufacturing and green performance under COVID-19. © 2023 Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling.

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.

Climate of Online e-Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic in a Saudi Medical School: Students' Perspective.

INTRODUCTION: The circumstances of the COVID-19 lockdown offered an opportunity to develop remote educational strategies in medical education. OBJECTIVES: To assess medical students' experiences with online e-learning (OeL) satisfaction, intellectual environment, and communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, University of Bisha, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered questionnaire (21 items) was used to evaluate OeL in three domains of satisfaction (nine items), intellectual environment (seven items), and communication (five items). Students from years one to six were invited to fill out the questionnaire form with five-point Likert scale responses. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and independent t-test were used to evaluate the association between variables. RESULTS: Out of 237 participants, 96.6% (158 male and 71 female) responded to the questionnaire. Most students (86.5%) preferred the blackboard for their e-learning. The mean total scores were 30.18 ± 6.9 out of 45 for satisfaction, 19.67 ± 5.4 out of 25 for communication 25.43 ± 5.1 out of 35 for the intellectual environment. Over 50% of the students rated moderate scores on satisfaction and intellectual environment domains. About 85% of the students rated moderate scores in the communication domain. Male students rated higher significant scores than female students for satisfaction (31.3 ± 6.3 vs 27.6 ± 7; P < .001) and intellectual environment (26.3 ± 4.32 vs 3.5 ± 6.1; P < .001). There were no significant differences in students' responses to the tested domains related to GPA level. Significantly higher levels of scores for satisfaction (33.3 ± 5.6 vs 28.8 ± 6.9; P < .001) and communication (21.2 ± 4.5 vs 18.9 ± 5.7; P = .019) were obtained by clerkship students than pre-clerkship. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students' experiences with e-learning are encouraging, which might be more effective with continuous training programs for students and tutors. Although OeL is an acceptable methodology, further studies are needed to analyze its impact on the target learning outcomes and students' academic achievement.

Blood cancer in children infected with COVID-19: A comprehensive systematic review (preprint)

Background: Blood cancer is the most common type of cancer and the leading cause of death by disease past infancy among children. Children with blood cancer are vulnerable population to viral infections such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objectives: To estimate the incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in blood cancer children and analyse the demographic parameters, clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes in blood cancer children with COVID-19 illness. Methods: For this systematic review, 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) guideline for studies on the development of COVID-19 in children with blood cancer, published from December 1, 2019 to April 30, 2023, with English language restriction. Results: Of the 3077 papers that were identified, 155 articles were included in the systematic review (83 case report, 54 cohort and 18 case-series studies). Studies involving 1289 blood cancer children with confirmed COVID-19 were analysed. Leukaemias (1141 cases) were the most frequent types of blood cancer observed in children who developed COVID-19, followed by non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (59 cases), Hodgkin’s lymphomas (36 cases), Langerhans cell histiocytosis (7 cases), myelodysplastic syndrome (7 cases) and myeloid neoplasm (1 case). Among all 1289 blood cancer paediatric cases who transmitted SARS-CoV-2, some children were documented to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) (n = 175, 13.6%), intubated and placed on mechanical ventilation (n = 111, 8.6%), suffered acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 144, 11.2%) or died (n = 111, 8.6%). Overall, COVID-19 in children with different types of blood cancer resulted in no or low severity of disease in more than 78.6% of all included cases (COVID-19 severity: asymptomatic = 239, mild = 603, or moderate = 171). Treatment for COVID-19 was not necessary in a high number of blood cancer children (n = 94, 7.3%). Fatality in blood cancer children with COVID-19 was reported in any of the included blood cancer categories for leukaemias (n = 99, 8.7%), non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (n = 7, 11.9%), Hodgkin’s lymphomas (n = 2, 5.5%), myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 1, 14.3%) or myeloid neoplasm (n = 1, 100%). Fatality rate in blood cancer children infected with SARS-CoV-2 was the highest in patients with Hispanic ethnicity (n = 44/111, 39.6%) and COVID-19–related fatality was highest in male patients (76.5% of deceased patients). Most studies reported to alter the intensity and regimen of anticancer treatment in blood cancer children during course of SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, many studies have reported to successfully treat COVID-19 without any changes to the anticancer treatment. Conclusion: Globally, leukaemias were the most prevalent and myeloid neoplasms were the least prevalent blood cancer types in children who developed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Children with blood cancer tend to have milder COVID-19 symptoms and are less likely to be hospitalized and have better prognosis when compared to adults. Continuation of anticancer treatment in individual paediatric blood cancer patients with COVID-19 seems to be possible.

Adverse effects of COVID-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged 5-18 years in Saudi Arabia

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can infect children of all ages. Despite the fact that children have a lower risk of exposure and are tested less frequently than adults, their incidence is similar to that of adults. The most effective way to prevent COVID-19 infection is by vaccination. The study's objective was to document vaccination side effects in children aged 5 to 18 years. This cross-sectional study had 303 participating kids between the ages of 5 and 18 in its sample. During the months of March and April 2022, a validated modified questionnaire was circulated as a Google form to KSA citizens via social networking sites. The questionnaire asked questions about the participant's background, socio-demographic information, vaccination history, the mild and major adverse effects of the Pfizer vaccine and how those symptoms affected the child's health and quality of life. There was a total of 303 responses;all of them received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine. They were 163 female children (54 %) and 140 males (46 %). The most frequently reported minor adverse effects were body tiredness (88.2%), moderate fever (76.5%), mild headache (72.3%) and discomfort, redness and swelling at the injection site (90.7%). The most reported severe side effects were severe headache (32.8%) and high fever (21.8%). Only five children (4.2%) required hospitalization for 1-3 days. The most common side effects for the Pfizer Covid-19 were the mild and moderate one including pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, fever and headache. Most of the symptoms were not severe to need hospital admission.

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.