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1.
Curr Med Imaging ; 19(13): 1533-1540, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2267581

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Developing a reliable predictive tool of disease severity in COVID-19 infection is important to help triage patients and ensure the appropriate utilization of health-care resources. OBJECTIVE: To develop, validate, and compare three CT scoring systems (CTSS) to predict severe disease on initial diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. METHODS: One hundred and twenty and 80 symptomatic adults with confirmed COVID-19 infection who presented to emergency department were evaluated retrospectively in the primary and validation groups, respectively. All patients had non-contrast CT chest within 48 hours of admission. Three lobarbased CTSS were assessed and compared. The simple lobar system was based on the extent of pulmonary infiltration. Attenuation corrected lobar system (ACL) assigned further weighting factor based on attenuation of pulmonary infiltrates. Attenuation and volume-corrected lobar system incorporated further weighting factor based on proportional lobar volume. The total CT severity score (TSS) was calculated by adding individual lobar scores. The disease severity assessment was based on Chinese National Health Commission guidelines. Disease severity discrimination was assessed by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The ACL CTSS demonstrated the best predictive and consistent accuracy of disease severity with an AUC of 0.93(95%CI:0.88-0.97) in the primary cohort and 0.97 (95%CI:0.91.5-1) in the validation group. Applying a TSS cut-off value of 9.25, the sensitivities were 96.4% and 100% and the specificities were 75% and 91% in the primary and validation groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The ACL CTSS showed the highest accuracy and consistency in predicting severe disease on initial diagnosis of COVID-19. This scoring system may provide frontline physicians with a triage tool to guide admission, discharge, and early detection of severe illness.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adult , Humans , COVID-19/diagnostic imaging , Retrospective Studies , Triage/methods , ROC Curve , Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods
2.
arxiv; 2022.
Preprint in English | PREPRINT-ARXIV | ID: ppzbmed-2301.00031v1

ABSTRACT

Everybody knows very well about the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown, and its impacts and effects on every field of life, from childhood to senior citizens, from local to global. The underlying research study focuses on students' involvement in online classes. This paper assesses the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the students' participation and involvement during online classes compared to the physical classes, cheating behavior, health effects, and study styles of the students of diverse degrees and age groups. This research study contributes to the real problems and challenges that students faced during online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The percentages of the students' responses with different color schemes shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig.3(a), Fig.3(b) and Fig.4 are conveying powerful and meaningful insight. These figures and the results given in Table I and Table II indicate that most students are not fully involved during online classes due to technical issues, remote distance, etc. We applied the Test here because we do not have exact population means. We used ttest_1samp with default value 0 to compute the variables' statistics and p-value. These values are minimal in favor of rejecting the null or H0 (hypothesis) and accepting the alternate or H1 (hypothesis). It further means that students' involvement during online classes is severely affected.


Subject(s)
COVID-19
3.
Sci Rep ; 12(1): 17778, 2022 Oct 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2087291

ABSTRACT

The ability of Vitamin D (VitD) to modulate antiviral responses through induction of antimicrobial peptide is well established. However, the effect of VitD on host responses to SARS-CoV-2 is not well investigated. We here report the ability of VitD to enhance host IFN-alpha/beta (a/ß) signaling both in vitro and among severe COVID-19 patients treated with VitD. Blood and saliva specimens were obtained from severe COVID-19 patients treated (43 patients), or not (37 patients), with vitD, during their stay in intensive care unit. Patients were followed up to 29 days following admission, and patient survival outcomes were collected. Higher activity levels of RIG-1/MDA-5 and JAK-STAT signaling pathways were observed with significantly higher gene and protein levels of antiviral interferon stimulating genes (ISGs) such as MX-1 and ISG-15; both in vitro, following treatment of PBMCs with vitD, and in whole blood and saliva specimens of VitD treated patients. Moreover, VitD treated patients had lower risk of all-cause mortality by day 29 compared to untreated patients (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.37, 95% confidence interval of 0.14-0.94; P = 0.038). The herein uncovered regulatory role of VitD on type I IFNs suggests the importance of insuring a normal level of VitD for the prevention and probably treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additional mechanistic studies, however, are needed to fully elucidate the antiviral effects of VitD particularly in the setting of COVID-19 infection.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Humans , Vitamin D/pharmacology , SARS-CoV-2 , Interferons , Vitamins , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use
4.
Metabolomics ; 18(11): 81, 2022 Oct 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2085518

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is strongly linked to dysregulation of various molecular, cellular, and physiological processes that change abundance of different biomolecules including metabolites that may be ultimately used as biomarkers for disease progression and severity. It is important at early stage to readily distinguish those patients that are likely to progress to moderate and severe stages. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the utility of saliva and plasma metabolomic profiles as a potential parameter for risk stratifying COVID-19 patients. METHOD: LC-MS/MS-based untargeted metabolomics were used to profile the changes in saliva and plasma metabolomic profiles of COVID-19 patients with different severities. RESULTS: Saliva and plasma metabolites were screened in 62 COVID-19 patients and 18 non-infected controls. The COVID-19 group included 16 severe, 15 moderate, 16 mild, and 15 asymptomatic cases. Thirty-six differential metabolites were detected in COVID-19 versus control comparisons. SARS-CoV-2 induced metabolic derangement differed with infection severity. The metabolic changes were identified in saliva and plasma, however, saliva showed higher intensity of metabolic changes. Levels of saliva metabolites such as sphingosine and kynurenine were significantly different between COVID-19 infected and non-infected individuals; while linoleic acid and Alpha-ketoisovaleric acid were specifically increased in severe compared to non-severe patients. As expected, the two prognostic biomarkers of C-reactive protein and D-dimer were negatively correlated with sphingosine and 5-Aminolevulinic acid, and positively correlated with L-Tryptophan and L-Kynurenine. CONCLUSION: Saliva disease-specific and severity-specific metabolite could be employed as potential COVID-19 diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Metabolomics , SARS-CoV-2 , Saliva/metabolism , Chromatography, Liquid , Kynurenine/metabolism , Tryptophan/metabolism , C-Reactive Protein/metabolism , Sphingosine , Linoleic Acid/metabolism , Aminolevulinic Acid/metabolism , Tandem Mass Spectrometry , Severity of Illness Index , Biomarkers
5.
BMC Gastroenterol ; 22(1): 433, 2022 Oct 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2064737

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Liver diseases post-COVID-19 vaccination is extremely rare but can occur. A growing body of evidence has indicated that portal vein thrombosis, autoimmune hepatitis, raised liver enzymes and liver injuries, etc., may be potential consequence of COVID-19 vaccines. OBJECTIVES: To describe the results of a systematic review for new-onset and relapsed liver disease following COVID-19 vaccination. 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 incidence of new onset or relapsed liver diseases post-COVID-19 vaccination, published from December 1, 2020 to July 31, 2022, with English language restriction. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-five cases from one hundred and eighteen articles were included in the qualitative synthesis of this systematic review. Autoimmune hepatitis (138 cases) was the most frequent pathology observed post-COVID-19 vaccination, followed by portal vein thrombosis (52 cases), raised liver enzymes (26 cases) and liver injury (21 cases). Other cases include splanchnic vein thrombosis, acute cellular rejection of the liver, jaundice, hepatomegaly, acute hepatic failure and hepatic porphyria. Mortality was reported in any of the included cases for acute hepatic failure (n = 4, 50%), portal vein thrombosis (n = 25, 48.1%), splanchnic vein thrombosis (n = 6, 42.8%), jaundice (n = 1, 12.5%), raised liver enzymes (n = 2, 7.7%), and autoimmune hepatitis (n = 3, 2.2%). Most patients were easily treated without any serious complications, recovered and did not require long-term hepatic therapy. CONCLUSION: Reported evidence of liver diseases post-COIVD-19 vaccination should not discourage vaccination against this worldwide pandemic. The number of reported cases is relatively very small in relation to the hundreds of millions of vaccinations that have occurred and the protective benefits offered by COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh the risks.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Hepatitis, Autoimmune , Liver Failure, Acute , Venous Thrombosis , Humans , Chronic Disease , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines/adverse effects , Hepatitis, Autoimmune/complications , Hepatitis, Autoimmune/etiology , Liver Failure, Acute/complications , Vaccination/adverse effects , Venous Thrombosis/complications , Venous Thrombosis/etiology
6.
Sci Rep ; 12(1): 16019, 2022 09 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2042336

ABSTRACT

Cytokines are major players in orchestrating inflammation, disease pathogenesis and severity during COVID-19 disease. However, the role of IL-19 in COVID-19 pathogenesis remains elusive. Herein, through the analysis of transcriptomic datasets of SARS-CoV-2 infected lung cells, nasopharyngeal swabs, and lung autopsies of COVID-19 patients, we report that expression levels of IL-19 and its receptor, IL-20R2, were upregulated following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of 202 adult COVID-19 patients, IL-19 protein level was significantly higher in blood and saliva of asymptomatic patients compared to healthy controls when adjusted for patients' demographics (P < 0.001). Interestingly, high saliva IL-19 level was also associated with COVID-19 severity (P < 0.0001), need for mechanical ventilation (P = 0.002), and/or death (P = 0.010) within 29 days of admission, after adjusting for patients' demographics, diabetes mellitus comorbidity, and COVID-19 serum markers of severity such as D-dimer, C-reactive protein, and ferritin. Moreover, patients who received interferon beta during their hospital stay had lower plasma IL-19 concentrations (24 pg mL-1) than those who received tocilizumab (39.2 pg mL-1) or corticosteroids (42.5 pg mL-1). Our findings indicate that high saliva IL-19 level was associated with COVID-19 infectivity and disease severity.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adult , Biomarkers , C-Reactive Protein , Cytokines , Ferritins , Humans , Interferon-beta , Interleukins/genetics , SARS-CoV-2 , Saliva , Up-Regulation
7.
PLoS One ; 17(9): e0274841, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2039431

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: T-helper 17 cell-mediated response and their effector IL-17 cytokine induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a major cause of COVID-19 disease severity and death. Therefore, the study aimed to determine if IL-17 level in saliva mirrors its circulatory level and hence can be used as a non-invasive biomarker for disease severity. METHODS: Interleukin-17 (IL-17) level was evaluated by ELISA in saliva and blood of 201 adult COVID-19 patients with different levels of severity. The IL-17 saliva level was also associated with COVID-19 disease severity, and need for mechanical ventilation and/or death within 29 days after admission of severe COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: We found that IL-17 level in saliva of COVID-19 patients reflected its circulatory level. High IL-17 level in saliva was associated with COVID-19 severity (P<0.001), need for mechanical ventilation (P = 0.002), and/or death by 29 days (P = 0.002), after adjusting for patients' demographics, comorbidity, and COVID-19 serum severity markers such as D-Dimer, C-reactive protein, and ferritin. CONCLUSION: We propose that saliva IL-17 level could be used as a biomarker to identify patients at risk of developing severe COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Adult , Biomarkers , C-Reactive Protein , COVID-19/diagnosis , Cytokines , Ferritins , Humans , Interleukin-17 , SARS-CoV-2
8.
Life Sci ; 307: 120909, 2022 Oct 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1996410

ABSTRACT

AIMS: The ability of vitamin D (VitD) to modulate immune responses in the clinical setting of COVID-19 infection is not well investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the ability of VitD to attenuate inflammatory responses in patients with severe COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples and nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from patients with severe COVID-19 who had been treated (20 patients), or not (25 patients), with VitD, during their stay in the intensive care unit. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expressions of STAT3, JNK and AKT signaling pathways and ELISA was used to measure levels of IL-6, IL-17, and IL-1ß in blood of these patients. KEY FINDINGS: Reduced levels of STAT3, JNK and AKT pathways and lower levels of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, IL-17, and IL-1ß were observed in VitD treated patients (50,000 IU of cholecalciferol weekly for 3 weeks), and in vitro following treatment of poly I:C stimulated PBMCs with VitD (50 nM of calcitriol). Moreover, lower circulatory levels of these proinflammatory cytokines following treatment with VitD were associated with lower serum levels of COVID-19-related severity markers such as D-dimer and C-reactive proteins (P < 0.001) which in overall resulted in shorter length of ICU stay for VitD treated compared to untreated patients (18 days for VitD treated vs. 28 days for VitD untreated; P = 0.01). SIGNIFICANCE: This study reveals that VitD plays immunomodulatory role during COVID-19 infection, which further emphasizes the importance of maintaining a normal level of this vitamin for the prevention of hyperinflammatory conditions associated with COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Vitamin D Deficiency , Calcitriol , Cytokines , Humans , Inflammation , Interleukin-17 , Interleukin-6 , Poly I , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt , Vitamin D/therapeutic use , Vitamin D Deficiency/complications , Vitamin D Deficiency/drug therapy , Vitamins/pharmacology , Vitamins/therapeutic use
9.
Webology ; 19(2):8556-8564, 2022.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-1958093

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of the current study was to explore the perceptions of undergraduate students about the importance of information communication technologies (ICTs) in education. All Public and Private sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were the populations of the study in which all undergraduate students of only southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were taken as samples of the study according to John Curry Sample Size rule of thumb. Self-developed questionnaire on the 6-Points Likert scale was used. The collected data were statistically analyzed through SPSS by using t-test, One Way ANOVA, and Linear Regression. T-test was used for gender and institution-wise comparison. One Way ANOVA was used to compare the perceptions of different respondents;and Linear Regression was used to know the effects of information communication technologies on Undergraduate students during COVID-19. Results and conclusions were drawn in which the role of ICTs was found highly successful for undergraduate students during COVID-19. The findings of the study highlighted the role of ICTs and especially the online sources in the teaching-learning process.

10.
Clin Pharmacol Ther ; 112(6): 1214-1223, 2022 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1913781

ABSTRACT

Sotrovimab, an anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 monoclonal antibody is being utilized to prevent progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, to understand its benefits, we have conducted a retrospective analysis of all non-hospitalized patients with symptomatic COVID-19 who received a single infusion of sotrovimab and/or oral favipiravir at any Dubai COVID-19 related healthcare center between July 1, 2021, and October 31, 2021. The main outcome was to evaluate the risk of hospitalization for patients with COVID-19 or all-cause death within 28 days of treatment initiation. In this analysis, which included 10,882 patients (1,135 in the sotrovimab group, 2,653 in the sotrovimab/favipiravir group, and 7,094 in the favipiravir group), sotrovimab or sotrovimab/favipiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization (13 patients (1.5%) in the sotrovimab group and 71 patients (2.9%) in the sotrovimab/favipiravir group vs. 251 patients (4%) in the favipiravir group; hazard ratio (HR) for sotrovimab: 0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.09-0.28, P < 0.001; and for sotrovimab/favipiravir, HR: 0.42, 95% CI: 0.32-0.56, P < 0.001), or death by day 28 from the start of treatment (no death in the sotrovimab group and 2 deaths in the the sotrovimab/favipiravir group vs. 10 deaths in the favipiravir group; odds ratio: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04 to 0.81, P = 026). Safety was assessed in all the 3,788 patients in the sotrovimab and sotrovimab/favipiravir groups, and the reported adverse events were by 34 patients (<1%). In conclusion, sotrovimab was found to reduce the risk of progression of COVID-19 when administrated early to non-hospitalized patients with symptomatic COVID-19. No safety concern was detected.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Retrospective Studies , United Arab Emirates/epidemiology , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Treatment Outcome , Hospitalization
11.
Cureus ; 14(5): e25004, 2022 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1884691

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has various neuropsychiatric manifestations, including psychotic, mood, anxiety disorders, trauma-related disorders, and cognitive disorders, such as delirium. Although the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic contribute to an increase in psychiatric comorbidities, the COVID-19 virus is also an independent risk factor. Previous studies have revealed that the virus can invade the neural tissue, which causes an imbalance of neurotransmitters that cause neuropsychiatric symptoms. The aim of this article is to conduct a systematic review to determine the patterns of neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19, discussing the frequency and its impact on pre-existing psychiatric disorders. Thirty-nine case reports were collected and analyzed for a systematic review. They were full-text, peer-reviewed journal publications from November 2020 to February 2021. Fifty-three patients were included in our study. The most frequent symptom was abnormal/bizarre behavior (50.9%), followed by agitation/aggression (49.1%), and the third most common was altered mental status and delirium (47.2%). Only 48% of our patients had a pre-existing psychiatric disorder, including three not formally diagnosed but displayed psychiatric symptoms prior to the COVID-19 infection. Findings suggest a positive correlation of new-onset psychiatric symptoms with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, the exact pathophysiology of the virus itself causing neuropsychiatric manifestations needs to be investigated further.

12.
Front Psychol ; 13: 808338, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1834528

ABSTRACT

Healthcare workers in Pakistan are still fighting at the frontline to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and have been identified as the earliest beneficiaries for COVID-19 vaccination by the health authorities of the country. Besides, the high vaccination rates of frontline healthcare workers (FHWs) are essential to overcome the ongoing pandemic and reduce the vaccines hesitancy among the general population. The current research employed the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to investigate the COVID-19 vaccination behavior among FHWs in Pakistan as well as the predictors of such behavior. Following the epidemic control and prevention policies, a sample of 680 FHWs were accessed to fill in the questionnaire evaluating the components of the TPB. Moreover, the potential role of anticipated regret (AR) and perceived susceptibility (PS) on COVID-19 vaccination behavior was also assessed. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) results revealed that the TPB components, as well as the AR, have positive associations with the COVID-19 vaccination behavior. The results further confirmed that PS positively affects the anticipated regret, attitude (ATT), and subjective norm (SN) to vaccinate against SARS-CoV-2. The perceived susceptibility also has a positive association with COVID-19 vaccination behavior through the mediation of anticipated regret, ATT, and SN. Our findings highlighted the importance of COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers, which can be applied to reduce vaccine hesitancy among the general public.

13.
Journal of critical care medicine (Universitatea de Medicina si Farmacie din Targu-Mures) ; 8(1):41-48, 2021.
Article in English | EuropePMC | ID: covidwho-1733383

ABSTRACT

A case series is presented of five overweight or obese patients with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Miami, Florida, United States. A multitude of coagulation parameters was suggestive of a hypercoagulable state among the hospitalized COVID-19 patients. This article reports various manifestations of hypercoagulable states in overweight and obese patients, such as overt bleeding consistent with disseminated intravascular coagulation, venous thromboembolism, gastrointestinal bleeding as well as retroperitoneal hematoma. All of the required admission to the intensive care unit and subsequently patients died. The characteristics of COVID-19-associated coagulopathy are atypical and warrant a further understanding of the pathophysiology to improve clinical outcomes, specifically in overweight or obese patients.

14.
Sleep Sci ; 14(Spec 1): 56-62, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1579974

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: In the COVID-19 pandemic, physical and psychological health are of immense concern for the governing bodies and health policymakers in the period of lockdown and self-isolation. An in-depth analysis is required to recognize the changes in mental health among the public of different geographical areas. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate the sleep quality and anxiety among the population in Saudi Arabia during the lockdown period from March to June 2020. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study and surveyed the population in Saudi Arabia during the lockdown. We analyzed the anxiety and sleep quality in a population with variable socio-demographic profiles. We assessed anxiety using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) questionnaire and tested the sleep quality by using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) questionnaire. We analysed the questionnaire responses to determine the relationships between anxiety, stress, sleep disturbances by using SPSS, and considered the p-value<0.05 statistically significant. RESULTS: We collected 397 questionnaires from the participants. The respondents were mostly of youth age (19-24 years), 66.5% of respondents were male, while there were 33.5% females. Most of the participants did not contact any COVID-19 patients (75.1%, n=298). The finding revealed that most people did not consider associated anxiety as a worrying disorder as the vast majority were normal with only 12.6% had mild-to-moderate anxiety and almost 1% had moderate-to-severe anxiety. While correlating the sleep patterns disturbance in individuals who had contact with COVID-19 patients, there was a significant sleep disturbance. The disturbance of sleep was in having problems falling sleep (p-value=0.024), having bad/horrible dreams (p-value=0.017), feeling cold at sleeping (p-value=0.038), and difficulty staying active during eating or driving (p-value=0.012). There was a significant correlation with anxiety related to the COVID-19 contact and problems affecting the routine work (p-value=0.001). CONCLUSION: There is a significant correlation with anxiety related to the contact with COVID-19 positive patients and problems affecting the routine work among operational professionals. The sleep quality is poor due to the stay-at-home order, having a disorganized working schedule, and deprived lifestyle. The awareness regarding the publics' mental health related to the pandemic needs to be implemented and psychological guidelines ought to be available for the public. Health measures through the promotion of lifestyle modifications, mindful body practices, meditation, and home exercise can reduce stress and improve the quality of sleep.

15.
Pakistan Oral & Dental Journal ; 41(3):134, 2021.
Article in English | ProQuest Central | ID: covidwho-1513609

ABSTRACT

Exposure of dentists to coronavirus or better known as COVID-19 infection is high due to their work environment and the contiguity of the disease. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of the Royal Medical Services (RMS) dentists toward the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was distributed among a sample of RMS dentists using a pretested and valid questionnaire. Information on sociodemographic data and KAP regarding COVID-19 were collected and scored. Based on the total scores obtained in each domain, every participant was categorized into good, fair, and poor. The association between sociodemographic details and different KAP domains was analyzed using the chi-square test. The percentage of the participants with good knowledge and good practice regarding COVID-19 was (77.3%) and (61.7%) respectively. The knowledge and practice indexes in this study were 22.68(75.6%) and 17.82(66%) consecutively. Talking about the combined average knowledge and practice index (KP) score and index in this sample it was 40.5(71.05%). Significant relationship between qualification and good practice (p = 0.037) and between the knowledge and the practice (p = 0.002). It was concluded that RMS dentists showed good knowledge and practice concerning COVID-19. However, they had some knowledge gaps and uncertainties here and there, that needed to be addressed and cleared out.

16.
Hum Vaccin Immunother ; 18(1): 1-9, 2022 12 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1506743

ABSTRACT

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among health-care workers (HCWs) is crucial for controlling the pandemic and ensuring HCW and patient safety. Information on the acceptance of different COVID-19 vaccines is lacking. Despite the United Arab Emirates (UAE) having vaccinated most of its population, vaccine acceptance still raises concerns. This study explores COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, vaccine choice, and associated factors among HCWs in the UAE. An online national cross-sectional study was conducted among 517 HCWs. Acceptance and choice of COVID-19 vaccines were assessed, and logistic regression analysis identified predictors for vaccine acceptance. More than half (58%) of HCWs were willing to take the vaccine and give it to their family. Reasons for taking the vaccine were concerns for families contracting COVID-19 (67%) and social responsibility (64%). Reasons for refusals included concerns with side-effects (61%). Most HCWs knew of the Pfizer (79%) and Sinopharm (57%) vaccines; however, acceptance was higher for Pfizer (35%) and AstraZeneca (21%) vaccines. Being male and being influenza vaccinated predicted willingness to take the vaccine (aOR: 2.34; 95% CI:1.34-4.08; p ≤ 0.001) and (aOR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.29-3.51; p ≤ 0.001), respectively. HCWs who expressed concerns with inadequate safety data were less likely to take the vaccine (aOR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.10-0.30; p ≤ 0.001). Additionally, side effects, perception of risk, and level of trust of company and country of manufacture predicted acceptance and choice of vaccines. Effective vaccine policy campaigns to improve acceptance should target HCW's knowledge and awareness of perceived risks of COVID-19, safety data, social responsibility, and individual preferences for vaccine choice.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Influenza Vaccines , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19 Vaccines , Cross-Sectional Studies , Health Personnel , Humans , Influenza Vaccines/adverse effects , Male , United Arab Emirates/epidemiology , Vaccination
17.
Air Qual Atmos Health ; 14(3): 381-387, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-778065

ABSTRACT

Turkish people are facing several problems because of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), as the pandemic has brought about drastic changes to their daily routines. This study mainly investigates the impact of this pandemic on the daily routines of Turkish. It also unveils how COVID-19 affects the air environment. The adopted methods for data collection are based on open-ended questions and Facebook interviews as per recommended by QSR-International (2012). The sample of this study comprises of Turkish students as well as professional workers. The findings of the research show that there are eighteen different results of COVID-19 that have been identified according to the Turkish people's daily routines. Results reveal that increasing unemployment, decrease in air contamination, high stress and depression, a slowdown in the economic growth, and the tourism industry are profoundly affected due to the COVID-19 in Turkey. Furthermore, on the one hand, the consequences of the pandemic are segregated into social problems and psychological issues in daily routines. On the other hand, they have shown a positive impact on the air environment. This study concludes that, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the lives of the people in Turkey are subject to deterioration, while the air environment of Turkey is gradually improving.

18.
J Biomol Struct Dyn ; 39(11): 4089-4099, 2021 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-610639

ABSTRACT

An rare pandemic of viral pneumonia occurs in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, which is now recognized internationally as Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the etiological agent classified as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it has so far expanded to more than 213 countries/territories worldwide. Our study aims to find the viral peptides of SARS-COV-2 by peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF) in order to predict its novel structure and find an inhibitor for each viral peptide. For this reason, we calculated the mass of amino acid sequences translated from the SARS-CoV2 whole genome and identify the peptides that may be a target for inhibition. Molecular peptide docking with Moringa oleifera, phytochemicals (aqueous and ethanolic) leaf extracts of flavonoids (3.56 ± 0.03), (3.83 ± 0.02), anthraquinone (11.68 ± 0.04), (10.86 ± 0.06) and hydroxychloroquine present therapy of COVID-19 in Pakistan for comparative study. Results indicate that 15 peptides of SARS-CoV2 have been identified from PMF, which is then used as a selective inhibitor. The maximum energy obtained from AutoDock Vina for hydroxychloroquine is -5.1 kcal/mol, kaempferol (flavonoid) is -6.2 kcal/mol, and for anthraquinone -6 kcal/mol. Visualization of docking complex, important effects are observed regarding the binding of peptides to drug compounds. In conclusion, it is proposed that these compounds are effective antiviral agents against COVID-19 and can be used in clinical trials.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Moringa oleifera , Anthraquinones , Flavonoids/pharmacology , Humans , Hydroxychloroquine , Peptides , RNA, Viral , SARS-CoV-2
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