ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study determines the information dissemination during the Covid-19 pandemic and examine the impact on the educational activity of postgraduate students in Allied Health Sciences institute in Pakistan. Methodology: Present quantitative study is based on survey method that was carried out to assess the effectiveness of information dissemination during Covid-19 pandemic among postgraduate allied health science students in different universities in Lahore Pakistan. Finding(s): The response rate of the study remained 80%. Majority of users, about 69.5% (n=66) students responded that they did not have challenges in information dissemination during Covid-19, while 30.5% (n=29) students respond that the information was poor. Respondents of the study found highly satisfied with the efficiency of library on providing e-services during Covid-19 (P-Value = 0.487). usability of libraries in information dissemination in which 74 (78%) responded that libraries provide access to reliable and trustworthy Covid-19 pandemic information via different media. 75(79%) students are agreed on providing awareness sensitization on how to restrain the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, online and offline services provided by libraries to allied health science students, challenges faced by libraries in the dissemination of information 77 (81%) Students respond that there is inadequate skills and knowledge of utilizing the Internet resources and services. The recommendations of the study might be beneficial to enhance the effectiveness of resources and services of universities libraries. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: This study analyses the impact on postgraduate students' educational activity at an Allied Health Sciences institute in Pakistan as well as the information distribution during the Covid-19 pandemic. Methodology: The current quantitative analysis is based on a survey that was conducted among postgraduate allied health science students in various universities in Lahore, Pakistan, to evaluate the efficacy of information distribution during the Covid- 19 pandemic. Finding(s): The response rate of the study remained 80%. Majority of users, Approximately 69.5% (n=66) of students said they had no trouble getting information during COVID-19, whereas 30.5% (n=29) of students said the information was subpar. Respondents of the study found highly satisfied with the efficiency of library on providing e-services during Covid-19 (P-Value = 0.487). usability of libraries in information dissemination which 74 (78%) respondents said that libraries offer access to trustworthy and reliable Covid-19 pandemic information through a variety of media There is consensus among 75 (or 79%) of the students on the importance of raising awareness and educating people on how to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, as well as the difficulties libraries face in disseminating information. 77 (81%) students said they lack the knowledge and abilities necessary to effectively use the tools and services available on the Internet. The recommendations of the study might be beneficial to enhance the effectiveness of resources and services of universities libraries. Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Several coronavirus vaccine have been fast-tracked to halt the pandemic, the usage of immune adjuvants that can boost immunological memory has come up to the surface. This is particularly of importance in view of the rates of failure of seroconversion and re-infection after COVID-19 infection, which could make the vaccine role and response debatable. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) have an established immune-modulatory role, but their effects as adjuvants to vaccination have not been explored to date. It is increasingly recognized that PPAR agonists can upregulate the levels of anti-apoptotic factors such as MCL-1. Such effect can improve the results of vaccination by enhancing the longevity of long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs). The interaction between PPAR agonists and the immune system does not halt here, as T cell memory is also stimulated through enhanced T regulatory cells, antagonizing PD-L1 and switching the metabolism of T cells to fatty acid oxidation, which has a remarkable effect on the persistence of T memory cells. What is even of a more significant value is the effect of PPAR gamma on ensuring a profound secretion of antibodies upon re-exposure to the offending antigen through upregulating lipoxin B4, therefore potentially assisting the vaccine response and deterring re-infection. SHORT CONCLUSION: In view of the above, we suggest the use of PPAR as adjuvants to vaccines in general especially the emerging COVID-19 vaccine due to their role in enhancing immunologic memory through DNA-dependent mechanisms.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has caused devastating mortality and posed a significant threat to public health worldwide. Despite the severity of this illness and 2.3 million worldwide deaths, the disease mechanism is mostly unknown. Previous studies that characterized differential gene expression due to SARS-CoV-2 infection lacked robust validation. Although vaccines are now available, effective treatment options are still out of reach. RESULTS: To characterize the transcriptional activity of SARS-CoV-2 infection, a gene signature consisting of 25 genes was generated using a publicly available RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) dataset of cultured cells infected with SARS-CoV-2. The signature estimated infection level accurately in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy and infected patients (mean 0.001 vs. 0.958; P < 0.0001). These signature genes were investigated in their ability to distinguish the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a single-cell RNA-Sequencing dataset. TNFAIP3, PPP1R15A, NFKBIA, and IFIT2 had shown bimodal gene expression in various immune cells from severely infected patients compared to healthy or moderate infection cases. Finally, this signature was assessed using the publicly available ConnectivityMap database to identify potential disease mechanisms and drug repurposing candidates. Pharmacological classes of tricyclic antidepressants, SRC-inhibitors, HDAC inhibitors, MEK inhibitors, and drugs such as atorvastatin, ibuprofen, and ketoconazole showed strong negative associations (connectivity score < - 90), highlighting the need for further evaluation of these candidates for their efficacy in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, using the 25-gene SARS-CoV-2 infection signature, the SARS-CoV-2 infection status was captured in BALF cells, PBMCs and postmortem lung biopsies. In addition, candidate SARS-CoV-2 therapies with known safety profiles were identified. The signature genes could potentially also be used to characterize the COVID-19 disease severity in patients' expression profiles of BALF cells.