The relationship between telework and job characteristics: A latent change score analysis during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a sizable proportion of employees conducted home-based telework to contain virus spreading. This situation made it possible to investigate the relationship between telework and job characteristics. Many positive and negative associations between telework and job characteristics have been proposed in the literature, but most studies relied on cross-sectional data as well as narrow samples (e.g. employees voluntarily choosing to telework). Repeated measures designs investigating the association between telework intensity and job characteristics using less selective samples are currently rare. To address this research gap, we collected data at two time points in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 479) and investigated if change in telework intensity was associated with change in 19 job characteristics using structural equation modeling. Our analyses showed that—in contrast to several prior cross-sectional studies—telework intensity had a small to moderate association with only two out of the 19 job characteristics: Work scheduling and decision-making autonomy. Hence, the study challenges the previously assumed manifold positive and negative associations between telework intensity and job characteristics and adds to the debate about the role of telework intensity as an antecedent of work design. Future studies should investigate the generalizability of the findings to non-pandemic work contexts. © 2023 The Authors. Applied Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Association of Applied Psychology.

Fast one-pot microwave-assisted green synthesis of highly fluorescent plant-inspired S,N-self-doped carbon quantum dots as a sensitive probe for the antiviral drug nitazoxanide and hemoglobin

In this study, we report a one-pot, green, cost-efficient, and fast synthesis of plant-based sulfur and nitrogen self-co-doped carbon quantum dots (S,N-CQDs). By 4-min microwave treatment of onion and cabbage juices as renewable, cheap, and green carbon sources and self-passivation agents, blue emissive S,N-CQDs have been synthesized (λex/λem of 340/418 nm) with a fluorescence quantum yield of 15.2%. A full characterization of the natural biomass-derived quantum dots proved the self-doping with nitrogen and sulfur. The S,N-CQDs showed high efficiency as a fluorescence probe for sensitive determination of nitazoxanide (NTZ), that recently found wide applicability as a repurposed drug for COVID-19, over the concentration range of 0.25–50.0 μM with LOD of 0.07 μM. The nanoprobe has been successfully applied for NTZ determination in pharmaceutical samples with excellent % recovery of 98.14 ± 0.42. Furthermore, the S,N-CQDs proved excellent performance as a sensitive fluorescence nanoprobe for determination of hemoglobin (Hb) over the concentration range of 36.3–907.5 nM with a minimum detectability of 10.30 nM. The probe has been applied for the determination of Hb in blood samples showing excellent agreement with the results documented by a medical laboratory. The greenness of the developed probe has been positively investigated by different greenness metrics and software. The green character of the proposed analytical methods originates from the synthesis of S,N-CQDs from sustainable, widely available, and cheap plants via low energy/low cost microwave-assisted technique. Omission of organic solvents and harsh chemicals beside dependence on mix-and-read analytical approach corroborate the method greenness. The obtained results demonstrated the substantial potential of the synthesized green, safe, cheap, and sustainable S,N-CQDs for pharmaceutical and biological applications. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

A New Intelligent System for Evaluating and Assisting Students in Laboratory Learning Management System

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic the need for digital E-learning systems become mandatory. Also, most sectors that faced a shortage in E-learning systems are performing laboratory experiments remotely. For this reason, this research paper focuses on providing a complete Laboratory Learning Management System (LLMS) with generic and intelligent performance evaluation for experiments. The new LLMS offers many services from intelligently and automatically doing performance assessments and assistance for the students while performing the experiments online. The new performance assessment module provides regular assessment for experimental steps added to it the intelligent automatic assessment that detects if the students performed the experiments correctly from their mouse dynamics using an AI algorithm. Moreover, the new LLMS uses an analytic module to provide the teachers with analyzed results and charts to describe the behavior of students in various performed experiments. Regarding, the new performance assistant module provides students with complete assistance by pressing the help button to trigger the virtual tutor to explain any experimental steps. Furthermore, it intelligently to collects the mouse dynamics of the student performing the experiments and uses AI algorithms to detect if students face difficulties and provide them with suitable help automatically. Moreover, it can open a chat session with a real teaching assistant or a classmate to help the students. Furthermore, the new performance assessment and assistant services are considered generic because they used the mouse dynamic behavior of students which is suitable for any type of software used in the laboratory, without the need for a special device or extra cost. © 2022 IEEE.

Erythema Multiforme and COVID-19: A Case Report and Deep Insight

There are several differences in illness presentation in clinical practice. Because diseases are ever-evolving, a single negative test cannot totally exclude the presence of a disease. The most frequent etiologies of erythema multiforme (EM), a prevalent mucocutaneous condition, are herpes infection and the use of numerous medicines. As a novel virus, SARS-CoV-2 is not often the primary differential for EM eruptions. This case represents a young female patient who presented solely with EM symptoms involving the distal parts of her upper and lower extremities after a positive swab for SARS-CoV-2. The condition improved with symptomatic treatment, and there were no major complications.

A Generic AI-Based Technique for Assessing Student Performance in Conducting Online Virtual and Remote Controlled Laboratories

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of educational technology, e-learning has become essential in the educational process. However, the adoption of e-learning in sectors such as engineering, science, and technology faces a particular challenge as it needs a special Laboratory Learning Management System (LLMS) capable of supporting online lab activities through virtual and controlled remote labs. One of the most challenging tasks in designing such LLMS is how to assess a student's performance while an experiment is being conducted and how stuttering students can be automatically detected while experimenting and providing the appropriate assistance. For this, a generic technique based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is proposed in this paper for assessing student performance while conducting online labs and implemented as a performance evaluation module in the LLMS. The performance evaluation module is designed to automatically detect the student performance during the experiment run time and triggers the LLMS virtual assistant service to provide struggling students with the appropriate help when they need it. Also, the proposed performance assessment technique is used during the lab exam sessions to support the automatic grading process conducted by the LLMS Auto-Grading Module. The proposed performance evaluation technique has been developed based on analyzing the student's mouse dynamics to work generally with any type of simulation or control software used by virtual or remote controlled laboratories;without the need for special interfacing. The study has been applied to a novel dataset built by the course instructors and students simulating a circuit on TinkerCad. Using mouse dynamics fetching, the system extracts features and evaluates them to determine if the student has built the experiment steps in the right way or not. A comparison study has been developed between different Machine Learning (ML) models and a number of performance metrics are calculated. The study confirmed that Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) are the best models to be used for automatically evaluating student performance while conducting the online labs with a precision reaching up to 91%.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy as a supportive therapy for COVID-19 patients: a narrative review.

The Coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19) was first observed to induce fever, dry cough, pneumonia, and dyspnea in the lower respiratory tract. Atypical manifestations, including digestive problems and cardiac symptoms, were also observed. The rate of mortality in the older population is greater than in the younger group, as well as in individuals suffering from comorbidities. Oxygen supplementation through a facemask, non-invasive ventilation, mechanical ventilation, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation ECMO are some of the available supportive techniques. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) is thought to boost tissue oxygenation by increasing plasma soluble oxygen levels. HBOT also reduces inflammatory responses in COVID-19 patients, minimizing the negative impacts of the cytokine storm. Because the existing data on the efficacy of HBOT in COVID-19 patients is limited, the purpose of this article is to review the possible mechanisms of HBO, as well as data available on potential advantages, side effects and uses in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

The prognostic accuracy of neutrophillymphocyte ratio in COVID-19 patients

Aims/Objectives/Background COVID-19 is a newly emerging pandemic viral disease. Multiple management guidelines were introduced;nevertheless, their efficacy is still under debate. Thus, the presences of prognostic factors are essential for predicting which patients will need more invasive treatments. The study aims to investigate the prognostic accuracy of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in COVID-19 infection. Methods/Design This is a prospective study done in Al-Ain Hospital in the United Arab Emirates. All the Covid-19 patients presenting to the hospital were enrolled over one month from 20/3 to 20/4/2020. We gathered information about their age, sex, mode of transmission and calculated their Neutrophils/Lymphocytes ratio (NLR) from the first complete blood picture on admission. We divided the patients into two groups: those aged 50 years and above and those aged less than 50 years. We chose the best NLR cutoff value based on the Youden index and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The target endpoint was the presence or absence of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Results/Conclusions The study revealed that 48 patients (14%) needed ICU admission, while 296 patients (86%) were admitted to a ward or quarantine facilities. When the patient's age was > 50, and NLR was ≥ 3.10, it showed a sensitivity of 95.24% and a specificity of 92.86% for predicting the need for ICU admission. When NLR was ≥ 4.21, and the patient's age was < 50, the sensitivity and specificity were 70.3% and 93.7%, respectively. NLR proved to be highly specific and sensitive in helping to identify patients who need more invasive care among people over 50 years of age with COVID-19. Additionally, it can be used as a ruling out gadget for low-risk patients among people under 50 years old.

Barriers influencing diabetic adults' demand for diabetic retinopathy screening during the covid-19 pandemic in Taif city;patients' perspectives

Background: Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a complication of uncontrolled Diabetic mellitus (DM). It affects the vision-related quality of life significantly, and it is one of the leading causes of blindness. Various socio-cultural elements affect eye health-seeking behavior and barriers to access DR screening services (DRSS) by people with DM (PwDM). However, studies assessing barriers to DR screening among people with diabetes in Saudi Arabia are limited. The principal aim of this study was to evaluate the barriers to DR screening among Saudi diabetics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, survey-based study conducted in Taif, Saudi Arabia, from October 2020 to September 2021. Data was collected using a predesigned self-administered online questionnaire. Then data were analyzed by the SPSS program, version 25 at a level of significance of 0.05. Results: A total of 1042 adults with diabetes were enrolled in the study. About 39% of them had diabetes duration of fewer than five years. Around 3.8% of the participants agreed that poor glycemic control enhances diabetic retinopathy progression, 18.9% agreed that diabetic individuals might have advanced diabetic retinopathy despite having good vision, 7.5% agreed that comorbidities enhance diabetic retinopathy progression and 3.9% agreed that DR can be detected early might save vision. Conclusion: Finally, the study found that patients had an appropriate degree of awareness on DR;however, several knowledge areas should be improved. Furthermore, our findings demonstrated that COVID-19 caused a delay in patient care, resulting in poorer outcomes in patients with DR.

Bell's Palsy Caused by SARS-CoV-2

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to major healthcare and everyday life challenges. Every day, new disease associations and systemic manifestations are being explored and reported. Peripheral facial nerve paralysis or Bell's palsy has been reported to be caused mainly by viral infections. This case represents a COVID-19-positive patient with Bell's palsy making SARS-CoV-2 as the most likely culprit of his condition.

Co-Infection with COVID-19 and Malaria in a Young Man

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by Plasmodium protozoa, which can be fatal if not diagnosed and treated promptly. COVID-19 is a newly emerging disease that can affect different body systems;however, the respiratory system is mainly reported. This case describes a 20-year-old man who presented with fever and joint pain and was found to have P. falciparum malaria in addition to a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. The patient improved after he was treated with antimalarial medications in addition to supportive therapy. A co-infection of malaria and COVID-19 can occur. Thus, more studies need to be conducted on this co-infection. Besides, other diagnoses should be highly suspected in patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in vulnerable patients.

The effect of aerobic training versus cognitive behavioral therapy in management of anxiety, depression and stress related to COVID 19 pandemic among university students: A randomized controlled trial

Background: The prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress increased due to COVID 19 crises. Anxiety and depression are the most common psychiatric disorders. The goal of the current study was to compare the effects of aerobic training to cognitive behavioral therapy on university students suffering from mild to moderate anxiety and depression as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic. Methods: an online invitation to participate in the study was sent through the university system. Fifty four undergraduate students with mild to moderate anxiety and depression voluntarily participated in this study (mean age: 20.77 +/- 1.16) and assigned into two groups;aerobic training aerobic training and cognitive behavioral therapy. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale were used in an online assessment, performed before and after the treatment. For 8 weeks, an online treatment guide and follow-up were provided, with 5 days per week of AT and one session per week of CBT. Results: A significant improvement of DASS scores after treatment in both groups (p <= 0.001). IPAQ scores showed a significant improvement in GA and GB with non-significance in vigorous activities;category. GA showed a significant reduction of anxiety more than GB with a non-significant difference in stress and depression (p >= 0.05). Conclusions: In students with mild to moderate anxiety and depression, both AT and CBT are effective in improving manifestations of anxiety, depression, and stress following the COVID-19 pandemic. Aerobic exercise is more effective in treatment of anxiety.

Childhood Immunoglobulin A Vasculitis Associated with COVID-19: A Case Report

Primary immunoglobulin A vasculitis (IgAV) is one the most common childhood vasculitis. A 5-year and 10-month-old girl child patient presented with confluent palpable purple red rash, mainly over both ankles. This was associated with edematous, tender ankles, limited range of movement, and inability to walk. A concomitant coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was documented by nasopharyngeal swab. This case suggested that COVID-19 can trigger IgAV in children. Hence, awareness of COVID-19 infection in IgAV should be present, and it may be useful to investigate COVID-19 as one of the causes of IgAV, especially in the presence of an epidemic.

Modelling and Analysis the Population Density Effect on the Infectiousness Rate of COVID-19 Novel Virus and the Mortality Rate Percentage Regarding Oxford’s Stringency Index Model of Governmental Response in MATLAB

Numerical data on fifty pioneer adopting countries of Covid-19 novel pandemic has been put into study each on their first month of the virus’s spread. Ten groups were created with each including the countries of around the same average population density. This was meant to study the difference between each group’s growth of infected cases in addition to their mortality percentage rates (MPR). Modeling was done for each group with the use of MATLAB;for the growth rate, the exponential growth equation was considered, and for the mortality rate percentage, the equation was modeled over the span of the first chosen thirty days of the virus’s spread. An analysis was done with the consideration of Oxford’s Stringency Index Model (SIM) of government responses for each day in order to understand the effect of such taken regulations in the virus’s spread and fatality for different groups of population densities. Eventually, it was found that population density is not a significant factor in the virus’s infectiousness and mortality percentage rates;Instead, taking governmental responses of appropriate stringencies is found to be the key solution for control and protection. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The forgotten oral microbial transplantation for improving the outcomes of COVID-19.

Ever since the uncovering of the severe discrepancy of COVID-19 manifestations, irrespective of viral load, scientists have raced to locate and manage factors contributing to the genesis of a critical state. Recent evidence delineates the role of oral dysbiosis in the development of low-grade inflammation, characterized by the increase of inflammatory cytokines common to those fundamental to the development of severe COVID. Furthermore, high periodontopathic bacteria were recorded in severe acute respiratory syndrome in COVID patients, as well as its common provoking comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension. This can be explained by the immigration and elimination of oral bacteria into the airways, which, in the context of an injured lung, allows for their preferential overgrowth familiar to that, causing the progression to advanced lung diseases. This is why we indicate the promising usage of oral microbiome transplantation as a treatment of oral microbial dysbiosis, not only associated with the worst outcomes of COVID-19 but also in other disorders of low-grade inflammation.

Psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on University Students: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: This study is an attempt to detect the psychological impact of (COVID-19) among Taif University students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Taif University students using Google Forms questionnaire in the period from May to December 2020. The questionnaire was designed to assess psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of the lockdown and curfew. 619 participants age ranged from 18-30 years were eligible to participate in this study. This study was carried out using well-structured electronic questionnaire contain socio-demographic characteristics and psychological health parameters (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21)). Results: This study revealed a significant correlation between age and depression;age 18-21 years old showed higher frequency of mild to moderate and severe to very severe depression than age 22-30 years old (p>0.003). Similarly, there was a significant correlation between age and stress among participants;age 18-21 years old, showed higher frequency of severe to very severe stress and anxiety compared to aged 22-30 years (p > 0.05). On the other hand, there was no significant correlation between gender, nationality and marital status. Regarding the type of education, there was a significant correlation between medical students and depression (p > 0.06). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that there was a significant association between age, depression and stress and non- significant relation between gender, nationality and marital status, while there was a significant correlation between medical students and depression.

Impact of the 2019 Coronavirus Disease Pandemic on Health-Related Quality of Life and Psychological Status: The Role of Physical Activity

This study investigated the impact of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological status among Saudi adults, and whether physical activity modifies this association. The participants were 518 adults aged >=18 years (67.4% men). Using an online survey, data regarding demographic information, the impact of COVID-19 (assessed by the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5), HRQoL (Short Form-8), psychological distress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale), and physical activity behavior (International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form) were collected. The results demonstrate that adults reporting moderate or high levels of impact of COVID-19 had a lower HRQoL and higher psychological distress than adults reporting a low impact. HRQoL was higher for adults reporting any level impact (low, moderate, or high) of COVID-19 when they participated in recommended levels of physical activity (>=600 metabolic equivalent (MET)-min/week of total physical activity). Psychological distress was lower for adults reporting a high level of impact when they participated in recommended physical activity. Moderate or high levels of impact of COVID-19 were associated with a significantly lower HRQoL and higher psychological distress than the low impact of COVID-19. However, these associations were moderated by the recommended levels of physical activity.

Perspectives of physiotherapists and rehabilitation providers on the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic and potentially therapeutic roles

By the end of 2019 and the initial of 2020, similar symptoms of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) pandemic are presented in China. Extraordinarily, COVID-19 has extensively spread worldwide within the last three months affecting humans' life and causing permanently a fearing sensation among all populations. All agencies worldwide recommended their populations to stay home to prevent and terminate this fatal infectious disease. During exposure to any pandemic infectious disease over history, many modalities of the treatment were reported to control and prevent its prevalence such as improving the public health, rehydration, and vaccinations that became the ideal strategies to exterminate these infectious diseases. No treatment modalities were reported to prevent or control the COVID-19 infection. Therefore, we have to highlight the role of physical therapy and rehabilitation against the outbreak of viral infection. This manuscript suggests that physical therapy and rehabilitation may eliminate the common harmful respiratory, circulatory, and physical complications that follow the exposure to viral infections. Also, it explains that the rehabilitation program may present an effective approach to retrieve physical and psychological functions besides medical treatment. In conclusion, serious recommendations have to be considered for conducting exercise training and telerehabilitation to prevent and control the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Effects of Corona Virus (COVID-19) Outbreak on the Individuals' Mental Health and on the Decision Makers: A Comparative Epidemiological Study

Background: The results of epidemiological studies help in developing protective and treatment plans for community members, and identifying the psychological support services that individuals need to reduce the negative effects of these stressful conditions. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the effect of the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19 on the mental health of individuals. A survey descriptive design was used in this study to detect the level of psychological problems and to determine the differences in psychological problems due to nationality, age, sex, social status, learning level, and income. Method: A random sample consists of 5611(3423 Egyptians and 2188 Saudis) participants was chosen, their ages ranged between (16 to more than 50) year. The study sample was divided into sub-groups according to nationality, age, sex, social status, learning level, income level. The researchers in this study prepared psychological problems symptoms inventory that has been applied online to the sample. Results: The findings indicated that the increased prevalence of COVID-19 has a negative effect on the mental health of individuals, as the level of psychological problems were increased, and the results also found differences in the prevalence of psychological problems symptoms due to demographic variables. Conclusion: The study results emphasized the importance of prevention and treatment of psychological problems symptoms caused by the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19. As well as, these findings stressed on the role of counseling and therapy via the internet as well as, cross-cultural counseling and treatment.

The Prognostic Accuracy of Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio in COVID-19 Patients

Introduction: COVID-19 is a newly emerging pandemic viral disease. Multiple management guidelines were introduced;nevertheless, their efficacy is still under debate. Thus, the presences of prognostic factors are essential for predicting which patients will need more invasive treatments. Objective: The study aims to investigate the prognostic accuracy of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in COVID-19 infection. Methods: This is a prospective study done in Al-Ain Hospital in the United Arab Emirates. All the Covid-19 patients presenting to the hospital were enrolled over 1 month from 20/3 to 20/4/2020. We gathered information about their age, sex, mode of transmission, and calculated their Neutrophils/Lymphocytes ratio (NLR) from the first complete blood picture on admission. We divided the patients into two groups: those whose age was 50 years and above and the those aged less than 50 years. We chose the best NLR cut-off value based on the Youden index and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and the target endpoint was presence or absence of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Results: The study revealed that 48 patients (14%) needed ICU admission, while 296 patients (86%) were admitted to a ward or quarantine facilities. When the patient's age was > 50, and NLR was >= 3.10, it showed a sensitivity of 95.24% and a specificity of 92.86% for predicting the need for ICU admission. When NLR was >= 4.21, and the patient's age was < 50, the sensitivity and specificity were 70.3% and 93.7%, respectively. Conclusions: NLR proved to be highly specific and sensitive in helping to identify patients who need more invasive care among people over 50 years of age with COVID-19.