ABSTRACT
Background: Ongoing Pandemic led to embrace technology like never before, which can lead to a rise in the number of ocular complaints grouped under computer vision syndrome (CVS) and put them at a higher risk for developing myopia and serious eye problems in future. Objectives: To assess the magnitude of the emerging significant ocular health problems addressed as CVS and awareness regarding preventive measures to be taken to maintain good ocular health. Methodology: A modified structured Performa was distributed as google form among different sections of Indian society working digitally to collect sociodemographic information, knowledge about CVS, preventive measures taken while working digitally, and questions regarding screen time. A validated CVS questionnaire was administered to assess 16 symptoms, scored using two rating scales for frequency and intensity. A total score of 6 points is said to suffer from CVS. Statistical analysis was done by mean, standard deviation, chi-square test of independence, and p-value.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The advent of mRNA vaccines has been a major component of the vaccination effort against COVID-19. Immunization with mRNA vaccines has been associated with a systemic inflammatory response.1 We present two cases of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) in long-term remission who experienced flare following vaccination. Case description/methods: Patient 1: A 50-year-old female with history of UC in remission of 4 years on mesalamine who received both doses of the mRNA-1273 mRNA vaccine, 28 days apart, presented with diarrhea and bloody stools that developed 1 week after dose 1. Patient had worsening diarrhea 1 week following vaccination that progressed to hematochezia. Abdominopelvic CT demonstrated contiguous colitis. She was treated with mesalamine and methylprednisolone. Her symptoms improved in 2 days, and she was discharged on a steroid taper. Patient 2: A 52-year-old female with history of UC in remission of 5 years on mesalamine who received both doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, 21 days apart, presented with abdominal pain, diarrhea, and bloody stool that developed 1 day after dose 2. Abdominopelvic CT demonstrated diffuse colitis, and she underwent colonoscopy, which was aborted due to extensive colitis. Sigmoid colon biopsy confirmed crypt abscess formation architectural distortion and ulceration. She was treated with mesalamine and methylprednisolone. Her acute disease was complicated by bowel perforation, and she underwent total colectomy. Discussion: The presence of an environmental trigger is frequently linked to onset of disease flare in patients with UC.2 These two patients were in symptomatic remission on 5-ASA maintenance agents for several years prior to vaccination. The lack of clear alternate environmental changes in these patients suggests provocation of flare by the inflammatory response following vaccination. Existing literature evaluating SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine adverse-events in patients with UC suggests that gastrointestinal side-effects are uncommon.3 In addition, biologic agent use may decrease rate of vaccine-related adverse events.3 Recommendations from an international expert consensus favors vaccination of patients with UC.4 In addition, recent literature demonstrates strong immunologic response following vaccination of patients with UC despite concurrent use of biologic agents.5 Consideration should be given to pre-treatment of patients with UC in remission to decrease risk of flare.
ABSTRACT
Due to the sever circumstances in the global pandemic, there has been an immense need for disinfectant robot technology. This pandemic has made people much more aware about the severity of virus transmission in public areas. This prompts society to be much more aware of the need to maintain a clean environment. The purpose of this paper is to present the design principles of an Autonomous Indoor Cleaning Robot (AICR) developed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in indoor environments such as small shops and office settings. Its main purpose is to proactively disinfect the air and maintain a clean breathing environment by actively targeting populated areas with the use of a vision system, using Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (VSLAM) technology. Currently there are other air disinfection products on the market also making use of a combination of a High-Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) air purifier and Ultra Violet (UV) light to kill airborne viruses like the Coronavirus. However, all of these are stationary with lack of intelligence machines that have to be kept or manually wheeled from room to room. The device proposed in the paper is a fully autonomous air purifying device capable of going to certain critical regions of the indoor environment to disinfect the air in that area without any human interaction. The stationary purifiers should be much more powerful covering a larger area which makes them very expensive. In contrast, the developed autonomous air purifier needs much less power consumption compared to static purifiers, with the advantage of intelligently and dynamically learning the status of the room using the information captured from the occupancy, itself, and the environment. © 2021 IEEE
ABSTRACT
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an advisory for regular and thorough cleaning of hands besides other measures such as social distancing and self-isolation. The rationale for the same is to prevent the transfer of the virus from hands that have come in contact with fomites. While both alcohol-based hand rubs (ABHR) or washing with soap and water are claimed to have been effective, hand sanitizers have gained more popularity due to the ease of use. The increased frequency of ABHR use and the aerosols generated pose a potential threat to the skin and exposed mucosal surfaces, especially that of the eye due to the proximity of use. The adverse effects of alcohol in these sanitizers can be manifold. An allergic or inflammatory response can occur depending on the predisposing or preexisting conditions. This article describes the risks, underlying mechanisms, and preventive measures for sanitizer aerosol-driven ocular surface disease.