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Ultraviolet-C (UVC) radiation-based sanitization has globally gained enormous importance in the current COVID-19 (caused by SARS-COV-2 virus) pandemic situation. The effectiveness of radiation sanitization is quantified in terms of ‘radiation dose’, which in turn is derived from a radiometric parameter ‘irradiance’, measured using UVC radiometer. Metrological traceability of irradiance/dose measurement is essentially required for achieving requisite accuracy of measurements, and hence germicidal efficacy. In the present article, the derivation of traceability for irradiance measurement using UVC radiometer is demonstrated. The critical conditions to be considered while using detector/radiometer for measuring UVC irradiance/dose in practical conditions are elaborated, avoiding which, significant errors in the UVC irradiance/dose may arise, and hence, may compromise the performance of the Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) devices.
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) first appeared in China, and it spreads rapidly around the world which is considered pandemic by WHO. It has left the world devastated as daily lives and public health of people around the world have been affected. It is better to detect the positive cases of COVID-19 as soon as possible, so the further spread of virus can be reduced, and the affected patients can be treated quickly. Earlier studies found that with the use of radiology imaging techniques, positive case of COVID-19 can be detected as these images contain information of the epidemic. Utilization of cutting-edge AI methods combined with radiological imaging can be useful for the precise identification of this epidemic and can likewise be assistive to doctors. Training of convolutional neural network (CNN) requires a lot of computation power and time. The COVID-19 dataset is limited, and to train a model from scratch on such dataset requires lot of time for training and heavy computation power. Such existing models trained from scratch do not perform well on dataset with multi-class classification. The study proposes an approach that utilizes transfer learning to make the CNN more efficient with less training and computation cost. In transfer learning, a model trained on very large dataset with high computation power is taken as the starting point. This pre-trained model is then trained on smaller dataset which requires less computation power and time. The proposed model is used to classify COVID-19 versus no finding versus pneumonia on X-ray images. The proposed model is evaluated on labeled and unlabeled test sets which resulted in an accuracy of 97% and 92%, respectively. The study shows that transfer learning approach performs better as compared with models trained from scratch. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: The Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by 2019 novel coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan, China. It is a disease of the respiratory system with clinical presentation of fever, cough, breathlessness, headache, fatigue etc. Transmission route is through person to person contact and through direct contact with respiratory droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. In such cases usage of facemasks is very crucial. At the same time awareness regarding the same in the community is very important. Hence, through this survey authors have assessed and recorded the awareness about facemasks and its usage in the community in the Indian population along with the basic hygiene precautions taken by the people. Aim: To conduct a detailed survey regarding the awareness and usage of facemask in the rural population in Maharashtra. Materials and Methods: The study was a three month cross-sectional online survey conducted by Maharashtra Academy of Engineering Education and Research's (MAEER's) Talegaon Dabhade Physiotherapy College in the rural community of western Maharashtra, India, from October 2020 to December 2020. A self-administered online questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was prepared regarding the awareness about masks usage and proper methods to be considered with reference to the guidelines given by World Health Organisation (WHO), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and literature reviews. The forms were shared on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram using Google forms. Statistical analysis was done by descriptive analysis using percentage. Results: Out of total 390 participants, 210 (53.84%) were males and 180 (46.15%) were females. Considering the knowledge about the types of masks available was 67.1%, self-education was 88%. A 44% of the population thinks that one can wear a facemask up to eight hours if worn properly. Similarly knowledge about disinfecting the mask before throwing was 86%. Active efforts to maintain good hygiene by washing hands was 90%. Also, 55% of the population avoids touching their mask frequently. In practice, 56.1% of the population avoids wearing a mask while walking or jogging. Varieties of masks are being used by the people depending on the cost and availability. Conclusion: The coronavirus pandemic has evoked a sense of awareness about self-care, hygienic habits and being updated about one’s health. Further work can be done on cost effectiveness and availability of the good quality masks.
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Background: With the advent of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in December 2019, numerous case studies have been reported on its impact on cardiac cells, and we purpose to perform a systematic review that explains the symptomatology, prognosis, and clinical findings of COVID-19-related myocarditis patients. Methods: PRISMA guidelines were employed and peer-reviewed journals in English related to COVID - 19 were included. Exclusion criteria included <50 y, known heart problems. Age criteria was guided by prior systematic report by Kariyanna et al (2020). Search engines included Pubmed, Google scholar, Cochrane Central and Web of Science database using SARS-CoV-2 or COVID 19 and myocarditis. The data were analyzed and synthesized qualitatively using MS Excel PIVOT and quality was rated using the Research and Quality Scoring Method by Sackett and Haynes, the Jadad scale, and the items published by Cho and Bero (Han et al., 2011). Results: A total of 22 studies on 37 patients were included;6 were confirmed myocarditis while the rest have possible myocarditis. Among all these 62% were male and showing dominance. The most common presenting symptoms appear to be fever, chest pain, shortness of breath, and cough. Most of the patients have shown elevation in cardiac biomarkers (troponin levels, CRP, CK level, CK-MB, NT-pro BNP). Electrocardiogram changes include sinus rhythm, tachycardia, and non specific ST - segment elevation and T wave changes. Echocardiography results commonly found were left ventricular dysfunction and increased wall thickness. CMR was performed in 8 patients, with features of reduced ejection fraction, myocardial edema, and hypokinesia, whereas biopsy has been performed among 3 patients due to the invasive nature of the procedure and common findings include inflammatory biomarkers were raised. Overall Prognosis appears to be bad in which 25% of patients were not able to survive and 75% of them were recovered. Conclusions: Myocarditis-related COVID-19 mortality continues to be high and under-estimated. The patient manifestations are identical and difficult to distinguish from COVID-19-related symptoms. Just a limited number of patients undergo confirmatory tests, such as an MRI or an endomyocardial biopsy, which may not be available. Further studies are needed to confirm and quantify the actual prognosis and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 myocarditis. Moreover, available data on the usage of glucocorticoids in the coronavirus infection is controversial to our knowledge. Corticosteroid therapy is unsuccessful in the treatment of viral myocarditis, according to a Cochrane systematic review conducted in 2013. It also allows viral clearance to be overdue. Corticosteroids, on the other hand, reduce the chance of mortality for ICU patients in Wuhan. To concede, more studies, clinical trials, and duration is needed for a thorough understanding of COVID - 19, and its impact on cardiac health.
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Introduction: Coronavirus, a novel menace, is exacting terrible human toll and mass death till date. It was thought that COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, but recent studies have reported gastrointestinal manifestations as well. However, the incidence of acute pancreatitis in the setting of COVID-19 is a rising debate due to unknown mechanisms, especially in the absence of any precipitating factors for pancreatitis Case Description/Methods: An otherwise healthy 30-year-old female presented to the emergency department with pain in the lower abdomen radiating to the back, fever, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, and sore throat for the past seven to ten days. Her initial examination revealed a temperature of 100°F, a pulse rate of 85 beats /minute, blood pressure of 110/70 mmHg, respiratory rate of 20 breaths/minute, and oxygen saturation of 94% on room air. Her swab result for SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) came positive. Laboratory testing revealed a rise in serum lipase and serum lipase level. Her ultrasonography (USG) of the abdomen was suggestive of fatty liver changes (hyperechoic parenchymal echogenicity) and no gallstones. She was managed conservatively with intravenous fluid, analgesics and antibiotics for bacterial infection. Absence of any predisposing factor for pancreatitis in the setting of COVID led to the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis induced by COVID-19. Her contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) of the abdomen also confirmed our suspicion. Discussion: The rationale behind the development of acute pancreatitis in the presence of COVID- 19 infection, with no past medical history and precipitating risk factor for pancreatitis, is suggestive of COVID-19 as a triggering factor. This case highlights the importance of pancreatic enzyme monitoring if patients have abdominal complications and without further delay, proper management can be set up if diagnosed early. Future complications such as chronic pancreatitis and pseudocyst formation can also be prevented if timely diagnosed. (Figure Presented) .
ABSTRACT
Covid – 19 national disasters of India declared on 13 March 2020. The word Covid 19-means China originated virus in December 2019.Covid-19 is emerging disease worldwide and perhaps a pandemic as declared by WHO on 11 March 2020, and came into existence from Wuhan China, Hubei province on 1 December 2019. Covid-19 which not only caused havoc but also lead to an economic crisis because of health care systems.Some advancement in health and its regulations. It has mainly affected elderly persons and immuno-compromised patients;pregnant women have not shown more chances of infection until now. Patients mainly present with cough, fever, shortness of breath.patient are categorized as suspected and confirmed cases, high risk and.moderate risk. Here is a discussion on pathology, clinical aspects, gynae-cological aspects, forensic aspects, diagnosis, management, prevention. Pre-ventive measures include self-isolation, quarantine, wearing a mask, use of alcohol-based sanitizer and are discussed further. Its management has antivi-ral therapy, ventilators support. This has set an example of community spread. It is a concern of public health emergency. It has geared up hospitals for an increase in the number of beds, staff and an emergency. © 2020 International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences. All rights reserved.