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In November of 2019 year, there was the first case of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) recorded, and up to 3rd of April of 2020, 1,116,643 confirmed positive cases, and around 59,158 dying were recorded. Novel antiviral structures of the 2019 pandemic disease Coronavirus are discussed in terms of the metric basis of their molecular graph. These structures are named arbidol, chloroquine, hydroxy-chloroquine, thalidomide, and theaflavin. Metric dimension or metric basis is a concept in which the whole vertex set of a structure is uniquely identified with a chosen subset named as resolving set. Moreover, the fault-tolerant concept of those structures is also included in this study. By this concept of vertex-metric resolvability of COVID antiviral drug structures are uniquely identified and help to study the structural properties of the structure. © 2023 - IOS Press. All rights reserved.
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During current COVID-19 crises, the antimicrobial textiles primarily those utilized in hospital by doctors and paramedical staff have become increasingly important. Thus, there is an unmet requirement to develop antimicrobial textiles for infection control and hygiene practices. Metallic nanoparticles exhibit great effectiveness towards resistant microbial species making them a potential solution to the increasing antibiotic resistance. Due to this, nanoparticles particularly copper and silver have become most prevalent forms of antibacterial finishing agents for the development of antimicrobial textiles. This review is mainly focused on the significance of copper and silver nanoparticles for the development of antimicrobial textiles. The comparative analysis of the antibacterial effectiveness of copper and silver nanoparticles as well as the possible physical and chemical interactions responsible for their antibacterial action are explained. The negative impact of pathogenic microbes on textiles and possible interactions of antimicrobial agents with microbes have also been highlighted. The significance of nanotechnology for the development of antimicrobial textiles and their applications in medical textiles domain have also been discussed. Various green synthesis and chemical methods used for the synthesis of Ag and Cu nanoparticles and their application on textile substrates to impart antimicrobial functionality have also been discussed. The various qualitative and quantitative standard testing protocols utilised for the antimicrobial characterization of textiles have also discussed in this review. The developed Cu and Ag coated textiles could be effectively applied in the field of hospital textiles for the preparation of antibacterial scrub suits, surgical gowns, panel covers, protective clothing, bedding textiles, coveralls, wound dressings, table covers, curtains, and chair covers etc. © The Author(s) 2022.
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Background. Despite multiple studies indicating a low prevalence of bacterial coinfection in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients, the majority of hospitalized COVID-19 patients receive one or more antibiotics. Patients with coinfection usually have multiple risk factors and poor clinical outcomes. Methods. A retrospective case control study was conducted comparing clinical characteristics and antimicrobial use in hospitalized adult COVID-19 patients with bacterial co-infections vs. randomly selected patients without co-infections (matched on month of admission). The study was conducted at three hospitals within the Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY between March 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020. A multivariable logistic regression model was developed to assess the relationship of each predictor variable with coinfection status. Secondary outcomes included hospital mortality, antibiotic days of therapy (DOT), and C. difficile infection. Results. A total of 150 patients with coinfection and 150 patients without coinfection were included in the analysis. Table 1 summarized baseline characteristics and risk factors. The multivariable logistic regression model indicated that presence of a central line (OR=5.4, 95% CI: 2.7-11.1), prior antibiotic exposure within 30 days (OR=5.3, 95% CI: 2.8-10.0), prior ICU admission (OR=3.6, 95% CI: 1.7-7.6), steroid use (OR=2.7, 95% CI: 1.4-4.9), and any comorbid condition (OR=2.7, 95% CI: 1.4-5.2) were significantly associated with the development of coinfection (table 2). Mortality was higher in patients with coinfection (56% vs. 11%, p < 0.0001) (table 3). Average antibiotic DOT was 10.5 in coinfected patients compared to 4 in noncoinfected patients, (p < 0.0001). Forty-one percent of coinfected patients had a multidrug resistant organism isolated. C. difficile rate was higher in coinfected patients (4% vs. 0%, p=0.03). Conclusion. As the healthcare community contends with a 3rd year of COVID-19 pandemic, understanding risk factors most predictive of bacterial coinfection can guide empiric antimicrobial therapy and targeted stewardship interventions. Ideally, co-infection risk scores are developed which may be useful for future inpatient surges.
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Introduction: Ireland has been one of the worst affected countries affected by COVID-19 in Europe. Many primary studies from Ireland have documented prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders during the pandemic and their correlates. Objective(s): To study the prevalence range of anxiety and depression in Ireland, and their correlates during the pandemic. Method(s): We systematically searched Pubmed, PsycInfo and the WHO COVID-19 global research database using key words ( January 2020 - September 2021). We removed duplicates and extracted data into an excel database and carried out a narrative synthesis of the extracted data. Result(s): From a total 127 studies, we included 22 studies that met our criteria in our narrative review. Depending on the tool used and the type of population studied, the prevalence of general anxiety disorders varied between 20% and 49.5% while prevalence of depressive disorders ranged between 20.4% and 53.8%. Younger people, health care workers, those who had to give up physical activity, people who had lost income, those who lived alone, infected by COVID-19, or had a higher perceived risk of the disease had a higher prevalence of both anxiety and depression disorders during the pandemic. There was conflicting evidence on prevalence levels among men and women and on whether they had children or not. Conclusion(s): COVID-19 has had a profound effect on the mental health of the Irish population. Some population groups are more affected than the others. Addressing mental health concerns of Irish population during and post pandemic should remain as one of the top public health priorities.
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Industry 4.0 though launched less than a decade ago, has revolutionized the way technologies are being used. It has found its application in almost every field of manufacturing, cybersecurity, health, banking, and other services. Industry 4.0 is heavily dependent on interconnectivity and data. Machine learning (ML) acts as a foundation for building industry 4.0 applications. In this paper, we have provided a broad view of how ML is necessary to accomplish the benefits of industry 4.0. The paper includes ML usage in companies and the limitations of ML, which need to be mitigated. There are also some instances of the failure of ML algorithms and their repercussions. Though industry 4.0 requires a lot more inputs and capital than normal processes, the long-run benefits outweigh the initial costs. ML is gaining popularity, and extensive research is happening to exploit its potential and develop full smart applications.
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The focus of this study is to evaluate and examine a set of deep learning transfer learning techniques applied to chest radiograph images for the classification of COVID-19, normal (healthy), and pneumonia. In this work, we have used four transfer learning models, VGG16, InceptionV3, ResNet50, and DenseNet121 for the classification tasks. Our results indicate that the VGG16 method outperforms comparative classification models in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. The VGG16 model detects and classifies COVID-19, normal (healthy), and pneumonia with 94% test accuracy, 94% sensitivity, and 94.20% specificity. Code is publically available at: https://github.com/ayyaz-azeem/Covid19challenge.git © 2021 IEEE.
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Objective: To assess audiometry investigations in patients having complaint of tinnitus, vertigo or hearing impairment after recovery from COVID-19 disease, having no external or middle ear diseases. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: United Medical and Dental College, Creek General hospital, Korangi, Karachi Pakistan, from March to May 2021. Methodology: A total of 60 patients were included in this study who had recovered from the primary COVID-19 infection and reported with the complaints of tinnitus, vertigo and hearing loss. Pure tone audiogram was assessed for sensori-neural deafness, its severity and frequencies affected. Pearson Chi square test was used to see the relation of symptoms with severity of hearing loss. Results: There were 42 (70%) males and 18 (30%) female patients with age range from 18-50 years with mean age of 28.4 ± 8.1 years. Tinnitus was the most common complaint (83.3%) followed by hearing loss (28.3%) and vertigo (23.3%) patients. None of the patients with complaint of hearing loss had normal pure tone audiogram in either right or left ear (p=0.000). Patients with all the three complaints had more hearing impairment where majority had moderate or severe hearing loss (p=0.000). All patients with isolated complaint of vertigo (9 patients) had normal audiogram in both ears (p=0.000). Conclusion: Auditory and vestibular system involvement in reasonably common in COVID-19 patients. Tinnitus is the most frequent symptom and it should be investigated with full audiological investigations. © 2021, Army Medical College. All rights reserved.
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Objective: This survey study was carried out to assess the satisfaction of e-learning among undergraduate dental students. Materials & Methods: The questionnaire-based study was conducted in April 2020. The main target of research was undergraduate dental students of University of Health Sciences (UHS) affiliated dental colleges of Punjab. 1095 students were surveyed through online forms and data was analysed by SPSS 23. Convenient sampling method was used. Results: The results showed that the students were well aware of the current situation and almost all institutions offered online classes. Almost half of the respondents showed acceptance to E-learning. Majority of students faced difficulties in continuing their education through e-learning although a significant portion of them were in favour of home assignments. Majority of students wanted the online system to end and to cover the syllabus later. Conclusion: The dental students were well aware of the current situation and almost all institutions offered online classes. Almost half of the respondents showed acceptance to E-learning.
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Background: Medical students have faced an enormous disruption to their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on medical student’s psychological well-being in Pakistan. Following ethical approval, an online survey developed in collaboration with World Psychiatric Association (WPA) was distributed among medical students of 5 Medical colleges in the Punjab province of Pakistan between August and September 2020. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), and Risk Assessment Suicidality Scale (RASS) were used to assess psychological well-being. Data was analyzed using SPSS 26.0. Results: Eleven hundred medical students responded, 756 (69%) being females. More than 2/3rd admitted that their emotional state got worse in relation to appearance of anxiety, insecurity, and sadness, compared to before the outbreak of COVID-19. Prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms were 48.6% and 48.1%, respectively. Female medical students, pre-clinical students, and those with a previous psychiatric history reported experiencing more anxiety and depression symptoms (P value < 0.001). One in five medical students thought that it would be better if they were dead, and 8% admitted to often think of committing suicide during the past 2 weeks. RASS and subscales (intention, life, and history) scores were higher in females and students with previous psychiatric problems. Conclusion: Our findings underscore that the impact of COVID-19 on medical students has been significant;hence, it is crucial for medical colleges to employ strategies to maintain the student’s well-being with safeguards like reassurance, support, and confidential student-centered psychiatric services. The use of virtual platforms (websites, email) to educate and screen students by staff members can create a positive impact. The limitations of this study include cross-sectional design, the possibility of selective participation being web-based survey, response bias, and the possibility of reluctance of students to report mental health problems due to stigma. © 2021, The Author(s).
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Aim: To find out infection control practices among orthodontists in Punjab, Pakistan during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This cross sectional study was conceived from 1.6.2020 to 1.1.2021. A pre-designed proforma was used to find out the infection control practices in orthodontics. Each pre-designed proforma consisted of 10 questions about infection control. The pre-designed proforma was distributed among 50 orthodontists. The response rate was 100%. Results: The results showed that most of the orthodontists were up-dated and in practice of using proper infection control measures while COVID-19. Gloves, PPE, Protective eye wears and face shields were worn by most of the respondents. Most of them were using proper disinfection and sterilization measures. Conclusion: The knowledge and practices of infection control in orthodontics was appropriate and up to standards during COVID-19.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc throughout the world, with 150 million cases to date and over 3 million lives claimed worldwide. Objectives: To explore the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on psychological health parameters i.e. depression, anxiety and stress as well as on body mass index among medical students studying in a private medical college in Pakistan. Study Design: Experimental study. Methodology: This study with enrolled students (n=233) was carried out after ethical review committee’s (ERC) approval at CMH Kharian Medical College (CKMC), Physiology Department, Kharian-Pakistan. Both male and female medical students were enrolled. In phase 1, the students reported to the Physiology laboratory where age and gender were recorded. The pre-lockdown readings of BMI and DASS-21(Depression, Anxiety, Stress) scale were taken. In phase-2, the post-lockdown readings of BMI and DASS-21 scale were taken once the students returned to campus. Statistical analysis: Data was analyzed by SPSS software, version 21. BMI and DASS-21 score were presented as mean + SD. Statistical significance was taken at p value <0.05. Results: In present study, results showed that there was a decrease in level of depression post-Covid-19-lockdown among enrolled subjects with significant p-values (0.019*) in the pre and post covid-19-lockdown comparison. Conclusion: We concluded that significant difference was seen between Pre & Post Covid-19-lockdown depression with p-value of <0.019. However, insignificant difference was seen between Pre & Post Covid-19-lockdown anxiety and stress with p-value of >0.05. Key Words: Covid-19 lockdown, Medical students, Depression, BMI and Anxiety.
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This article adds to extant research by examining the relationship between employees' fear of COVID-19 and their suffering from insomnia. It specifically proposes mediating roles of employees' economic concerns and psychological distress and a moderating role of mindfulness in this process. The research hypotheses are tested with survey data collected through two studies among Pakistani-based professionals: 316 in Study 1 and 421 in Study 2. The results pinpoint a salient risk for employees who experience fear during a pandemic crisis, in that the associated economic and psychological hardships make the situation worse by undermining their sleep quality, which eventually could diminish the quality of their lives even further. It also reveals how organizations can mitigate this risk if employees can leverage pertinent personal resources, such as mindfulness. © 2021 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.
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The purpose of this study is to examine the potential of Lebanese banks to address the economic challenges posed by COVID-19. These banks faced the disturbances of the 2011 Arab Spring, and these two crises have resulted in similar economic conditions, leading to an assessment of how Lebanese banks are dealing with the pandemic-led challenges. Exploratory analysis revealed the common features in the two events, and confirmatory analysis examined the hypotheses underlying a theoretical framework. Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative data helped to scrutinize the two events. Content analysis of data collected from semi-structured interviews with seven senior banking professionals confirms that the Lebanese banking sector’s experience gained during the Arab Spring is a valuable asset for bankers, the Banque du Liban (BDL), and the government, which can be used to anticipate and deal with the COVID-driven economic crisis. The study finds three key moderating factors: trust deficit, inherited characteristics of the economy, and fiscal and monetary policy. Most of these conditions are permanent in nature and require long-term planning. As this research was conducted before the catastrophe caused by the August 2020 Beirut explosion, no aspects of the financial consequences to the Lebanese banking sector and economy resulting from this immerse shock are included. © Rania Itani, Muhammad Azeem, Nawazish Mirza, 2020.
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Objectives: As COVID-19 spreads around the globe, parents are being presented with new challenges to meet their children’s needs. We investigated parental stress and its impact on their parenting practices alongside focusing on the impact on mothers of hospitalized children, during the COVID-19 outbreak in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: Following IRB approval, using a web-based questionnaire and telephonic interviews, data were collected in April 2020. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale. Parents were also asked to report on their parenting practices as well as emotional and behavior changes noticed in their children in the last 1 month. In-depth semi-structured telephonic interviews were also conducted with 24 mothers of COVID-19–positive children admitted at Mayo Hospital Lahore. Results: A total of 355 parents participated, with a mean age of 35.3 years ± 8.2, and 64.3% were mothers. The majority (55%) of the mothers had at least 1 child between the ages of 1 and 5 years, and 9% had children with special needs. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and anxiety were 25.6% and 21.6%, respectively. Mothers of hospitalized COVID-19–positive children reported stress, anxiety, irritability, grief, and fear of death and infecting others. The most commonly identified sources of worry were problems experienced during the hospital stay, worry about the admitted child’s physical and emotional health, care provision for children left at home, rumors, and stigma. Parental stress was affecting parenting, with at least 50% of parents reporting more than the usual consequences (shouting at children, taking privileges away, and slapping child) in the past 1 month. However, positive impacts—that is, parents spending more time in activities with their children (93%)—were also observed. Unhealthy eating and sleeping patterns (24.5%), irritability (21.1%), anxiety (16.3%), aggression (14.6%), and sleep difficulties (12.7%) were the most common problems noticed by parents in their children since the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions: Significant parental stress observed during the COVID-19 outbreak can adversely impact a child’s physical and mental health outcomes. Provision of effective strategies to support parents to respond to and care for children are urgently needed. PAT, FAM, STRESS
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Bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhage is exceedingly rare. To our knowledge, our patient is the first reported case of a confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient who had bilateral basal ganglia hemorrhage. In the absence of other risk factors for bilateral deep cerebral involvement, we suspect that COVID-19 may be contributing to these rare pathologies. Most published data represent a correlation between COVID-19 and neurologic complications, and more research is still needed to prove causation.