ABSTRACT
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a unique, highly curable subtype of acute myeloid leukemia, owing to the therapeutic advances of the last decades which led to high complete remission rates and excellent long-term survival. Nevertheless, it remains associated with high early mortality rates. Early death is the major cause of treatment failure in APL and is mainly attributed to coagulopathy, differentiation syndrome, and less commonly, infectious events. Timely recognition of each complication plays a crucial role in the management of patients diagnosed with APL. Coronavirus Infectious Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shown great heterogeneity in patient presentation. Clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic disease to severe forms, mainly characterized by a hyperinflammatory syndrome leading to acute respiratory distress and multiorgan failure. Patients with acute leukemia and concomitant COVID-19-related hyperinflammatory syndrome have particularly poor outcomes. We hereby report the case of a 28-year-old male patient who was diagnosed with high-risk APL, with severe associated coagulopathy at presentation. He was treated with chemotherapy according to the AIDA regimen. The first week of induction therapy was complicated by a differentiation syndrome manifesting as fever not attributable to infection and respiratory distress with pulmonary infiltrates, resolved after ATRA discontinuation and corticotherapy. On the fourth week of treatment, he tested positive for acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with minor pulmonary involvement. Clinical manifestations over the following days included tachycardia and hypotension, associated with elevated inflammatory markers and cardiac biomarkers (troponin I x58 upper NV). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging was consistent with myocarditis. COVID-19-associated myocarditis was successfully treated with methylprednisolone, intravenous immunoglobulins and Anakinra. Differentiation syndrome and COVID-19-associated myocarditis are two life-threatening complications that adversely impact survival. However, early recognition and prompt treatment initiation can improve clinical outcomes, as was the case of our patient.
ABSTRACT
Digitalization and sustainable development represent two highly topical subjects, each of them being primarily debated in the literature. Although it is evident that digitalization brings new opportunities and challenges for the management of organizations and for meeting their sustainable strategies, there are relatively few studies analyzing the relationship between the two. Therefore, the objective of the present study is to analyze the relationship between digitalization and sustainable development in the European Union (EU) countries, between 2019 and 2021, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. On this matter, the link between Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), on one side, and Sustainable Development Goal Index (SDG Index) and Spillover Index (SS Index), on the other side, has been analyzed using correlations. While DESI refers to the monitoring of digital advancement of the EU member states, SDG Index and SS Index are based on many indicators and give a multidimensional perspective regarding sustainable development. Results show a positive and significant relationship between DESI and SDG Index, and the effect gradually decreases during the analyzed period. Regarding the relationship between DESI and SS Index, the correlation was negative, but significant in 2020 and 2019 only. At the level of each geographical region, the relationship between DESI and SDG Index was positive, with a larger effect in the Northern and Western region and the Southern region compared to the Central and Eastern region, but this effect was not statistically significant. In addition, the relationship between DESI and SS Index was negative and significant at the level of the Central and Eastern region and the Southern region but positive and not statistically significant at the level of the Northern and Western region. In addition to previous papers on this field, this study adds the analysis between digitalization and the Spillover Index. In addition, while previous studies seek to identify the relationship between digitalization and sustainability at a single country level or region, this study presents the correlation analysis at the EU level and compares the results for each EU region. Following the results, our study gives arguments for reshaping the concept of sustainable development given that digitalization is becoming an essential business component.
ABSTRACT
This paper aims to examine the main challenges encountered by mobile grocery-shopping applications’ (MGSAs) users, wherein the analysis is based on the review comments for three popular MGSAs deployed by main grocery retailers in Europe. The research methodology used was qualitative in the form of a cross-sectional inductive approach, allowing for the identification of the main issues encountered by users and their classification into four categories for a more straightforward presentation. The research findings indicate that despite the below-average level of digital literacy, customers are trying to use MGSAs efficiently and are proposing different areas of improvement, such as the design, the general functionality of the applications, and other factors regarding the specific functionalities of MGSAs. The findings may be leveraged by grocery retailers to exploit this market efficiently in a post-pandemic context;moreover, the study’s results could provide meaningful knowledge to the mobile retail industry, as the detailed insights offer adequate support for enhancing mobile-shopping (m-shopping) applications.
ABSTRACT
One of the most important goals of humanity has always been happiness. In our daily life, happiness is conditioned by different variables, such as relationships with certain groups of individuals, health, security values, expectations, etc. Over the years, technology, especially digitalization, has revolutionized the world and changed our lives. In this context, empirical research on digitalization has grown enormously during the last decade;however, studies on the relationship between digitalization and happiness remain limited. As such, the objective of the present paper is to present an empirical investigation on the relationship between digitalization and happiness in the European Union (EU) during the period 2019–2021, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, the link between the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) and World Happiness Index (WHI) globally for all EU countries, at the level of each WHI variable and at the level of geographical groups in the EU was analyzed using correlations. While the DESI indicator acts as a basis for policymakers, governments, regional administrators and public officials to invest in areas of priority with an evidence-based approach, the WHI indicator can be an important tool for guiding public policy and measuring its effectiveness. The results show that there was a positive and significant relationship between the two indicators at the level of EU countries in all three years. The results also show that in the Western and Northern regions of the EU, the relationship between the two indicators was stronger compared to the other regions. Thus, our study offers supporting arguments for the digital transformation of happiness and provides alternate methodologies and perspectives on the interactions between digitalization and happiness. Moreover, it can help policymakers direct their attention to the importance of digitalization for people's happiness.