Assessment of importance of food and nutrition during COVID-19 outbreak among Indian citizens - A cross-sectional study

Background: COVID-19 (also commonly called coronavirus) pandemic is causing a lot of changes in the daily lives of people around the world. However, good nutrition is very important before, during, and after an infection. Optimal nutrition and dietary nutrient intake impacts the immune system, therefore, the only sustainable way to survive is to maintain a healthy diet to strengthen the immune system. The main aim of the study was to assess the importance of food, nutrition, and social distancing among the subjects. Methods: A cross-sectional, online-based survey was conducted on voluntary participants. Distribution of self-structured questionnaire was done through snowball sampling technique. Chi-square test was used to analyze the data. Results: The survey results showed that out of 402 subjects, 79.6% (P < 0.001) of subjects were eating citrus food for strengthening the immune system. About 94% (P < 0.001) of subjects were taking fresh foods and 95.5% (P < 0.001) of subjects were washing hands before every meal. About 75.6% (P < 0.001) of subjects were following social distancing protocol. Conclusion: The present study showed that subjects were aware about importance of food and nutrition during COVID-19 outbreak and they also agreed that good nutrition and social distancing while eating food were the best protection for them and others against COVID-19.

A survey on knowledge and awareness among Indian citizens toward application to fight against COVID-19: A cross-sectional study

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the greatest public health risks that the world has ever seen in the past 100 years. The global impact of COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid growth and the use of mobile health applications. Certain measures taken to prevent the spread of the disease include contact tracing, testing, and isolation. The main aim of this survey was to assess knowledge and awareness among Indian citizens toward application to fight against COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, web-based survey conducted during the peak period of the pandemic to assess knowledge and awareness among 489 Indian citizens toward application to fight against COVID-19. Using Google Forms, an online semi-structured questionnaire with informed consent form was generated. The survey link was sent through online platforms such as WhatsApp, e-mails, and Facebook to the investigator contacts. Chi-square test was used to determine the level of association between the variables. Results: The survey results showed that out of 489 participants, 99.5% (P < 0.001) heard about COVID-19 apps. Majority of participants, that is, 84.5% and 81.8% believed that these apps helped to protect them and community from COVID-19 and helped in self-assessment test for infection mitigation, respectively. Nearly 69.9% of participants believed that the purpose of these apps was to track COVID-19 cases, to help general population to fight against COVID-19, and to prevent spread of COVID-19 cases. Almost 85.5% of participants found that Aarogya Setu app was most beneficial for them. More than half of participants, that is, 58.9% believed that these apps alert users when they come in proximity to an infected person. Conclusion: This survey demonstrates strong public support for app-based contact tracing to tackle with COVID-19 pandemic. Majority of individuals agreed that these applications are informative and helped general population in self-assessment test and contact tracing. During this distress situation and a severe shortage oftesting facilities, the self-risk assessment function available in the apps can help identify the patients at risk for COVID-19.

Rapid antigen detection kit for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 - are we missing asymptomatic patients?

PURPOSE: To determine the utility, diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of the laboratory based Covid-19 antigen detection test (Coris Bio- Concept, Gembloux, Belgium) for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in a tertiary care hospital among symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. METHODS: The nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from the symptomatic patients and their contacts. The diagnostic accuracy of this antigen kit was determined in comparison to SARS-CoV-2 real-time reverse transcriptase (RT-PCR). RESULTS: A total of 825 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in the study; RT-PCR and antigen detection was performed simultaneously for 484 samples to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the test. The overall specificity and sensitivity was 99.32% and 71.96% respectively. Also, 3.7% of the asymptomatic patients who were negative by RAT were detected positive by RT-PCR. CONCLUSION: This rapid antigen test (RAT) was sensitive in the symptomatic patients presenting during the initial phase of the illness. Since, majority of the SARS-CoV-2 patients are asymptomatic and considering the huge population, the testing strategy formulated by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) at the national level was cost effective. Thus, Ag-RDTs could play a pivotal role in early diagnosis, policy making and surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2.

Alarming rates of psychological problems among caregivers of pediatric kidney patients admitted during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

INTRODUCTION: Caregivers of children with comorbidities suffer from various psychological problems. We envisage more such complications during this COVID-19 pandemic. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study to assess psychological issues in caregivers of children with kidney diseases, admitted during lockdown period in India was done. Psychological tools including Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI), Insomnia Severity Index, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS II), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and a new "COVID Stress Survey Questionnaire" were used. Standard statistical analysis using SPSS Statistic 23 (IBM SPSS Statistics, New York, United States) was done. RESULTS: Forty-seven caregivers (33 mothers; 14 fathers) were included. Of these, 33 (70.2%) experienced psychological distress. On PANAS, 45 (95.7%) scored below cut off on a positive affect and 42 (89.4%) scored above cut off on a negative effect. The DASS II score revealed that 38 (80.9%) reported mild stress, 23 (48.9%) severe anxiety, and 37 (78.7%) had moderate depression. Upper middle socioeconomic status caregivers reported more insomnia. Further, parents of children with acute kidney injury (AKI) or prolonged hospital stay scored higher on subjective distress and aversive feelings. CONCLUSION: We observed an alarming level of distress, insomnia, and anxiety among caregivers, more so in upper middle socioeconomic status, children with AKI and prolonged hospital stay. We suggest due counseling should be done.

Telemedicine Experience of General Surgery Trainees: Impact on Patient Care and Education.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on patient care, including the increased utilization of contact-free clinic visits using telemedicine. We looked to assess current utilization of, experience with, and opinions regarding telemedicine by general surgery residents at an academic university-based surgical training program. DESIGN: A response-anonymous 19-question survey was electronically distributed to all general surgery residents at a single academic university-based general surgery residency program. SETTING: University of Southern California (USC) general surgery residency participants: Voluntarily participating general surgery residents at the University of Southern California. RESULTS: The response rate from USC general surgery residents was 100%. A majority of residents (76%) had utilized either video- or telephone-based visits during their careers. No resident had undergone formal training to provide telemedicine, although most residents indicated a desire for training (57.1%) and acknowledged that telemedicine should be a part of surgical training (75.6%). A wide variety of opinions regarding the educational experience of residents participating in telemedicine visits was elicited. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic brought telemedicine to the forefront as an integral part of future patient care, including for surgical patients. Additional investigations into nationwide telemedicine exposure and practice among United States general surgery residencies is imperative, and the impact of the implementation of telemedicine curricula on general surgery resident telemedicine utilization, comfort with telemedicine technology, and patient outcomes are further warranted. COMPETENCIES: Practice-based learning, systems-based practice, interpersonal and communication skills.

Prevalence and potential consequences of child labour in India and the possible impact of COVID-19 - a contemporary overview.

Child labour is a global phenomenon occurring predominantly in countries with lower socioeconomic status and resources. Societal and familial poverty, loss or incapacitation/illness of parents, lack of social security and protection, and ignorance about the value of, or limited access to, education are among the myriad reasons for the involvement of children in the workforce. Child labour is a barrier to the development of individual children and their society and economy. Global estimates indicate that 152 million children (64 million girls and 88 million boys) are working, accounting for almost one in 10 of all children worldwide. Currently the COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market consequences are having a major impact on people's lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, impoverished families and their children are often the first to suffer, which may push many more vulnerable children into child labour situations. Child labour in India is more prevalent than in many other countries, with approximately 10 million children actively engaged in, or seeking, work. This paper focuses on the issue of child labour, its causes and its ill effects. Further, it also reviews the international legal framework relating to child labour and legislative issues in India. There is clearly an urgent need for this issue to be effectively addressed and resolved.

Genetic comparison among various coronavirus strains for the identification of potential vaccine targets of SARS-CoV2.

On-going pandemic pneumonia outbreak COVID-19 has raised an urgent public health issue worldwide impacting millions of people with a continuous increase in both morbidity and mortality. The causative agent of this disease is identified and named as SARS-CoV2 because of its genetic relatedness to SARS-CoV species that was responsible for the 2003 coronavirus outbreak. The immense spread of the disease in a very small period demands urgent development of therapeutic and prophylactic interventions for the treatment of SARS-CoV2 infected patients. A plethora of research is being conducted globally on this novel coronavirus strain to gain knowledge about its origin, evolutionary history, and phylogeny. This review is an effort to compare genetic similarities and diversifications among coronavirus strains, which can hint towards the susceptible antigen targets of SARS-CoV2 to come up with the potential therapeutic and prophylactic interventions for the prevention of this public threat.