ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 has become a serious public health issue throughout the world's healthcare system due to its rapid spread. Because COVID-19 is so contagious, workers must be properly trained to prevent the virus from spreading to them. Protective clothing, sanitised gloves, and respirators are just a few examples of the safety precautions that need to be taken. Dental institutions and their affiliated health centres and research stations have been severely impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. According to the World Health Organisation (2020), the risk of fast infection is higher among individuals who are close to or who operate near the COVID-19 patients, for instance, family members or health practitioners. This research was conducted to determine the level of knowledge, preparedness, and perception of COVID-19 among dentists in the private and public dental sectors. Method(s): A cross-sectional study was conducted that used a non-probability sampling method. The data were collected through online questionnaires between February 2021 and June 2021, where standardized close-ended questions were asked via Google forms from dentists in public and private dental sectors in five regions of Saudi Arabia. A total of 145 people responded to the questionnaire;three of them decided not to participate in the study, while 30 respondents failed to select the correct answer to the quality assurance question. The remaining 112 respondents were included in the analysis. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences (IRB-2021-DOH-021). Result(s): The findings showed that most dentists (58%) had high knowledge of COVID-19, which was followed closely by those who had average knowledge (34.8%), while the rest (7.1%) had insufficient knowledge about COVID-19. In terms of evaluating the level of preparedness, which included the method of prevention and practice of dentists while dealing with COVID19, results showed that most of the respondents (42.9%) indicated that they have the highest preparedness level. Concerning the level of perception of dentists toward COVID-19, the results showed that the majority (48.2%) of dentists had the highest perception. However, the perception level was higher compared to their level of preparedness but lower compared to their level of knowledge. Conclusion(s): Dentists in KSA have enough understanding of COVID-19 transmission and general information. As the number of COVID-19 cases in KSA and other countries continue to grow, dentists must stay up to date on the latest information concerning the disease. Continuous educational programs are required to improve the understanding of infection management. Copyright © 2022 Alharbi et al.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Thrombosis and acute respiratory failure are among the leading causes of mortality in COVID-19 patients. The von Willebrand factor (VWF) is one of the main components in the blood coagulation system. It has been hypothesized that the increased VWF level results from vascular damage because VWF is stored in endothelial cells. Infection of endothelial cells with SARS-CoV-2 can stimulate the release of VWF. This study aimed to determine the level of VWF activity among the Saudi population affected by COVID-19 and investigate the correlation between VWF level and D-dimer level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is an analytical, retrospective, observational study conducted in a single-center tertiary hospital at King Fahad Military Medical Complex (KFMMC). A study sample of 80 hospitalized patients (aged >=18 years) diagnosed with COVID-19 confirmed by nasopharyngeal SARS-COV was randomly included in this study. Frozen blood samples were used to measure VWF antigen (Ag) level and activity for all patients. Historical data on hemostasis markers such as platelets (PLTS), fibrinogen, and D-dimer were obtained retrospectively, as well as demographic and clinical data. RESULT(S): Data of 80 patients were analyzed to assess VWF Ag level and activity in correlation to D-dimer level. The mean age of the patients was 58.3 (standard deviation 16.18), with nearly two-thirds being females (62.6%). The most common comorbidities were arterial hypertension (67.5%), diabetes (56.3%), and dyslipidemia (22.5%). Only 10% of patients were obese. The mean values of were 3.25 for D-dimer, 3.55 for fibrinogen, 226.4 for PLTS, 9.88 for white blood cell, 237.04 for VWF Ag, 253.21 for VWF activity, and 70.45 for C-reactive protein. Pearson's correlation coefficient revealed that the correlation between D-dimer and VWF Ag and D-dimer and VWF activity was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). Only six patients had overt thrombosis, but this has no significant correlation with VWF Ag, activity, D-dimer, or platelet count. VWF Ag and activity were higher in intensive care unit (ICU) than non-ICU patients. However, it is not significant statistically. VWF Ag and activity were significantly higher in deceased patients than in survivors. CONCLUSION(S): The results of this study showed that there was no significant correlation between VWF Ag and activity with D-dimer among Saudi patients with confirmed COVID-19. Copyright © 2022 Medknow. All right reserved.
ABSTRACT
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause disease ranging from the common cold to more severe cases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome. Coronaviruses have been determined to be responsible for approximately 15% of upper respiratory tract infections in adults. Severe acute respiratory syndrome can cause severe pneumonia, with mortality approaching 10%. In 2019, novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread rapidly in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The first cases were strongly associated with the Huanan seafood market, where animals were sold for food. As of March 2020, the number of affected countries has tripled with 203,613 cases in over 114 countries and caused far higher morbidity and mortality than either Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome despite rapid identification and robust public health measures. However, genomic research has provided evidence that the virus was introduced to the market from a different, yet unknown location, although human-to-human transmission may have occurred earlier. COVID- 19 caused far higher morbidity and mortality than either (severe acute respiratory syndrome) or (Middle East respiratory syndrome) despite rapid identification and robust public health measures disease severity independently predicted the composite endpoint. New therapies and clinical trials are needed for tracking the evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome and limit the spread of the disease. © 2020, Yerevan State Medical University. All rights reserved.