[Status and recommendations for interventional radiological procedures in COVID-19 patients]. / Status und Empfehlungen zur interventionell-radiologischen Versorgung bei COVID-19-PatientInnen.

BACKGROUND: Particularly at the beginning, the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic caused a reduction in the number of interventions in interventional radiology. At the same time, interventional training became more challenging. Infectious patients and disease transmission within interventional radiology departments continue to pose significant challenges. OBJECTIVES: This article describes the status and recommendations for interventional radiological procedures in COVID-19 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Guidelines and recommendations from international and national societies as well as original works and reviews were evaluated. RESULTS: Interventional radiological care of COVID-19 patients with complicated courses of infection has become established during the course of the pandemic. To protect patients and staff, interventions in COVID-19 patients should be prioritized, performed in separate procedure rooms if possible, and patients should be tested before interventions. Logistics, staff planning, and hygiene measures should be continuously optimized. CONCLUSIONS: Structured workflows within interventional radiology in dealing with COVID-19 patients appear necessary to minimize infection risks and to guarantee the staff's work capability and health. In order to develop concepts for the handling of COVID-19 patients and to be prepared for potential upcoming waves of infections, recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and (inter-)national professional societies are helpful.

The mediating role of time attitude in the relationship between self-esteem and resilience in high school students

The aim of this research was to investigate the mediating role of time attitudes in the relationship between self-esteem and resilience in high school students. High school students' self-esteem, time attitude, and resilience have been researched comparatively. The research was carried out with a quantitative research design and survey method. Participants, who were selected using a convenience sampling method, were high school students. The 1,932 participants consisted of students in the following grade distribution: 793 ninth grade (248 male, 545 female);365 tenth grade (78 male, 257 female);350 eleventh grade (90 male, 260 female);and 434 twelfth grade (130 male, 324 female). Participants were selected from secondary education institutions in Sakarya and Kocaeli during COVID-19 from January to May 2021. Data were collected using tools such as the Two Factored Self-Esteem Scale, Adolescent Time Attitude Scale, and Ego Resilience Scale. The data was analyzed with correlation analysis and regression-based mediation analysis to investigate the relationship between self-esteem, time attitude and resilience. The SPSS 22 package program was used to analyze the data. After analyzing the data, it has been concluded that the time attitude in adolescents indeed has a mediating role in the relationship between self-esteem and resilience. The results of the research will make important contributions to the related literature.Copyright © 2023, Pharmaceutical Association of Serbia. All rights reserved.

Mask-Associated Dry Eye (MADE) in healthcare professionals working at COVID-19 pandemic clinics.

Background: Healthcare professionals working at COVID-19 pandemic clinics have to work with masks during long hours. After the widespread use of masks in the community, many mask-related side effects were reported to clinics. The increase in the number of applicants with dry eye symptoms due to mask use in ophthalmology clinics has led to the emergence of the concept of mask-associated dry eye (MADE). We think that it would be valuable to evaluate ocular surface tests with a comparative study using healthcare professionals working in pandemic clinics, which we think is the right study group to examine the effects of long-term mask use. Aims: We aimed to evaluate the mask-associated dry eye (MADE) symptoms and findings in healthcare professionals who have to work prolonged time with face masks in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic clinics. Patients and Methods: In this prospective, observational comparative clinical study, healthcare professionals who use the mask for a long time and work in COVID-19 pandemic clinics were compared with an age and sex-matched control group consisting of short-term masks users, from April 2021 to November 2021. All participants underwent the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, tear film break-up time (T-BUT), Oxford staining score, Schirmer's test I, and meibography with infrared transillumination. Results: The long-term mask user group consisted of 64 people, while the short-term mask user group consisted of 66 people (260 eyes, total). The OSDI score and Schirmer I measurement were not statistically different between the two groups. T-BUT was statistically significantly shorter in the long-term group (P: 0.008); lid parallel-conjunctival fold, Oxford staining score, and upper and lower lid meibography score were found to be significantly higher in the long-term group (P < 0.001, P: 0.004, P: 0.049, P: 0.044, respectively). Conclusion: Healthcare professionals with longer mask-wearing times are at greater risk of ocular surface damage. It may be considered to prevent this damage by blocking airflow to the ocular surface, such as by wearing a face mask properly or fitting it over the nose with surgical tape. Those who have to work with a mask for a long time during the COVID-19 pandemic should keep in mind the ophthalmology follow-up for eye comfort and ocular surface health.

Nanoconjugated materials as sensors in point-of-care diagnostic tools: Detection of small molecules and viruses

Diagnostic point of care (POC) tools have seen important advances through the many materials introduced to enhance and validate their wide range applications. One of the most used POC tools are paper-based colorimetric formats. These POC are generally based on the use of antibody-antigen pairs interaction for the detection. However, small molecules can be a challenge for these formats and drastically reduce the sensitivity of POC. Therefore, novel conjugated materials using nanoparticles, polymers, and other composites have been developed which helped to tackle the sensitivity issues and, by using these materials, the portable sensors became more trustworthy for the detection of small molecules. These materials can be sculpted into various nanostructures and networks such as nanovesicles and nanogels with high biocompatibility and tunability. These are regarded as promising tools in the current and future lab-on-chip devices due to their accessibility and ease to manufacturing. In addition, the application of portable biosensing devices is of great importance in large-scale screenings of viruses including the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic) or road control (i.e., substance of abuse). These approaches were made more accessible using smartphone-assisted analyses allowing for the decentralization of diagnosis. In this chapter, we present the latest findings in the development of polymeric-based materials and biosensors aimed for the detection of viruses and small molecules of drug abuse through simplified approaches including colorimetric paper-based assays and electrochemical sensors. The use of nano-scaled bioconjugated materials became an integral component in sensing applications due to their various structural advantages in producing highly sensitive tools that rival bench-top instruments. New developments in material design opened the door for decentralized dispensation of medicines and public protection that allows effective onsite and point-of-care diagnostics. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Concomitant acute lower extremity arterial and deep vein thrombosis developing in a patient under anticoagulant therapy after COVID 19 infection

The hypercoagulable state continues after the Coronavirus 2019 (Covid 19) infection and prophylactic anticoagulants are recommended in this period. However, arterial and venous thromboembolic events can be observed during the convalescence period after the Covid 19. Here, we present the case of acute lower extremity arterial and venous thromboembolism developed in the post-Covid 19 period in a 77-years-old patient, under therapeutic doses of anticoagulant therapy (enoxparin 1mg/kg of weight every 12 hours). The patient, who had no previous history of arterial or venous thrombosis, was taken to emergency surgery with the diagnosis of ALI (acute limb ischemia) due to acute arterial thrombosis. An arterial thrombectomy was performed with the help of a 4F Fogarty catheter inserted from the left femoral artery under local anesthesia. All distal pulses of the patient were palpable in the postoperative period. After the platelet count became >100,000 mm(3), 100 mg of acetylsalicylic acid daily was added to the therapeutic dose of enoxaparin sodium treatment. The patient was discharged, uneventfully, except for a minimal diameter increase secondary to deep venous thrombosis (DVT) on the fifth postoperative day, with a combination of enoxaparin and acetylsalicylic acid treatment. Endothelial injury, chronic immuno-thrombogenicity, and increased platelet aggregation in the post-Covid 19 recovery period can cause major thrombotic events, even weeks after the recovery. Anticoagulant therapy is recommended for thromboprophylaxis when the following statuses exist: >= 65 years, critical illness, cancer, prior VTE, thrombophilia, severe immobility, and elevated D-dimer. Combination treatment with long-term antiaggregant therapy may be prudent in thromboembolic events developed under anticoagulant therapy.

Analysis of Covid 19 disease with SIR model and Taylor matrix method

Covid 19 emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019 has continued to spread by affecting the whole world. The pandemic has affected over 328 million people with more than 5 million deaths in over 200 countries which has severely disrupted the healthcare system and halted economies of the countries. The aim of this study is to discuss the numerical solution of the SIR model on the spread of Covid 19 by the Taylor matrix and collocation method for Turkey. Predicting COVID-19 through appropriate models can help us to understand the potential spread in the population so that appropriate action can be taken to prevent further transmission and prepare health systems for medical management of the disease. We deal with Susceptible–Infected–Recovered (SIR) model. One of the proposed model’s improvements is to reflect the societal feedback on the disease and confinement features. We obtain the time dependent rate of transmission of the disease from susceptible β(t) and the rate of recovery from infectious to recovered γ using Turkey epidemic data. We apply the Taylor matrix and collocation method to the SIR model with γ, β(t) and Covid 19 data of Turkey from the date of the first case March 11, 2020 through July 3, 2021. Using this method, we focus on the evolution of the Covid 19 in Turkey. We also show the estimates with the help of graphics and Maple. © 2022 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press.

ANALYZING A NOVEL CORONAVIRUS MODEL (COVID-19) IN THE SENSE OF CAPUTO-FABRIZIO FRACTIONAL OPERATOR

In this paper, a new model has been proposed to analyze the infection due to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The model emphasizes the importance of environmental reservoir in spreading the infection and infecting others. It also keeps control measures regarding infection at the highest level by using non-constant transmission rates in the model. The analysis of the coronavirus model has been done via Caputo-Fabrizio fractional derivative operator. The existence of solutions of the model has been examined by using a fixed-point approach and the uniqueness of the solution has also been obtained. Further, the stability analysis of the model has been performed in the sense of Hyers-Ulam stability. Finally, the numerical solution has been obtained by using the Adam-Basford numerical approach, and also simulations for different fractional derivative values have been carried out. As a result, the mathematical modeling of the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) has been applied to fractional-order derivatives and integral operators and its simulations with the real data have been shown.