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Introduction: Medical colleges in India are opening gradually for resumption of medical education. Assessment of learning behavior and perspectives of students toward COVID-19 pandemic is essential for effective medical education as well as to assess their role in pandemic if need arises. Hence, the present study aims to assess learning behavior and perspective of medical students on COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2020 among 392 medical students at various medical colleges of the country. An online self-administered questionnaire was designed to assess learning behavior of medical students about infection prevention and control practices in COVID-19 adopted during the course of pandemic. Snowball sampling method was used for data collection. Results: On assessment of 392 medical students about preventive measures during COVID-19 pandemic, more than 80% of medical students were aware of the importance of facemask, social distancing, frequent hand washing, and use of digital tools such as Aarogya Setu app in surveillance. Majority of students were aware of the symptoms, testing, and treatment protocols along with importance of self-reporting. Most of the students were aware of various sources of getting scientific and relevant information about pandemic. While majority of students were aware of rationale of quarantine, appropriate waste management technique, and post-COVID precautions, there was a lack of knowledge about appropriate disinfection measures. Conclusions: Medical students are an asset to health care;learning behaviors adopted by them can certainly help to assist health-care system in COVID times.
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The online environment has long been a sensory interaction between a brand or product and its consumers through visual imagery and sonic elements. While newer technologies have developed that cater to a customer's more psychological need for haptics (touch), gestation, and olfaction, brands have not explored its true potential. Immersions and other forms of Human-Computer interaction have vastly developed and present scope for more than just a single sense for online consumers. While brands are employing these multisensory interfaces (vs. single-sensory) in certain product categories, it remains to be seen whether customers who unknowingly experience sensations online want to adapt to it. Several product categories could find multisensory elements beneficial. This study aims to delve deeper and understand the motivations of such behavior and identify the need for a customer to engage all its senses beyond the traditional visuals and sound while interacting with brands virtually for a more holistic experience. While external environmental factors such as pandemics have resulted in the inevitable loss of physical touchpoints, the aim is to determine whether sensory elements beyond images and sounds will benefit customer engagement.Copyright © 2022 Novyi Russkii Universitet. All rights reserved.
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In recent decades, the accumulation and fragmentation of plastics on the surface of the planet have caused several long-term climatic and health risks. Plastic materials, specifically microplastics (MPs;sizes < 5 mm), have gained significant interest in the global scientific fraternity due to their bioaccumulation, non-biodegradability, and ecotoxicological effects on living organisms. This study explains how microplastics are generated, transported, and disposed of in the environment based on their sources and physicochemical properties. Additionally, the study also examines the impact of COVID-19 on global plastic waste production. The physical and chemical techniques such as SEM-EDX, PLM, FTIR, Raman, TG-DSC, and GC-MS that are employed for the quantification and identification of MPs are discussed. This paper provides insight into conventional and advanced methods applied for microplastic removal from aquatic systems. The finding of this review helps to gain a deeper understanding of research on the toxicity of microplastics on humans, aquatic organisms, and soil ecosystems. Further, the efforts and measures that have been enforced globally to combat MP waste have been highlighted and need to be explored to reduce its potential risk in the future. © 2022 by the authors.
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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost 100 million people worldwide. Although the disease spectrum has still not been fully understood, there have been the reports of the persistence of symptoms well beyond the acute stage or after discharge from the hospital. Therefore, there is a need to document the persistence of symptoms to identify and provide physical as well as psychosocial support for ensuring the complete recovery of COVID-19 survivors. The present study examines the postacute stage persistence of symptoms in severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 patients. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal follow-up study was conducted on 1170 patients discharged from COVID hospital. All the study participants were contacted after discharge and at 7-day intervals for 42 days, and details of the persistence of symptoms were sought from them. Results: It was found that 43.8% of patients had persistence of symptoms, and 12.4% had symptoms even after 30 days of discharge from the hospital. Among symptoms, the most common persisting symptom was found to be fatigue (26%) followed by respiratory difficulty. The presence of comorbidity (odds ratio 1.61, 95% confidence interval 1.56-2.25, P < 0.01) and moderate/severe disease were found to be independent risk factors for the persistence of COVID-related symptoms. Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that a large number of COVID-19 survivors continue to suffer from COVID-19 symptoms well after the recovery from the acute stage (discharge from hospital). Therefore, there is a genuine need for instituting measures for the monitoring of patients postdischarge and if required providing treatment to those having persistent symptoms of COVID-19. © 2022 by the Author(s).
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Background: On March 30, 2020, coronavirus disease 19 was declared pandemic and many countries of the world started working on the development of vaccine soon after China released the genetic structure of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Drugs Controller General of India on January 3, 2021, accorded emergency use authorization to Oxford-AstraZeneca's ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine and vaccination drive commenced in India on January 16, 2021. The present study was conducted to determine the incidence adverse event following immunization (AEFI) among recipients of the first and second dose of the vaccine. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal descriptive study was conducted among 2529 vaccine beneficiaries who were asked about the side effects at 24 and 72 h after the first dose and second dose of vaccination with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. Passive surveillance was also done for 4 months. Results: AEFI was reported in 27.59%, 38.4%, and 19.96% of vaccines after both doses, first dose, and second dose, respectively. 14% did not report any AEFI with either dose of vaccine. Younger people had higher rates of AEFIs with both the doses. Pain at injection site and fever <102°F were the most common symptoms. Only three patients required admission after first dose and nil required admission after second dose, all three were discharged after 24 h observation without any complication or sequelae. Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that the vaccine has good safety profile and is recommended for use among 18-60 years. However, since majority of individuals in our study were young, studies may be undertaken in more than 60 years of age, persons with a history of allergy, and comorbidities to further evaluate safety profile of the vaccine among these groups of people. © 2022 Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth ;Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow.
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India is a country that consists of most process industries, where most of the end products are related to water or other liquid state materials. In recent days pharmaceutical industries have grown on a larger scale due to the COVID'19 situation. One of the major processes is to maintain the level of the liquid for having a continuous process. In this proposed process, Proportional Integral (PI), Internal Model Controller (IMC) based PI is implemented on a three-tank integrating system with two input and two output (TITO). IMC-PI gain values are acquired and decoupled using the decoupler matrix by determining RHP poles and zeros for the TITO system. Since two input tanks are involved, therefore two different gain values are calculated keep the liquid at the given level. The proposed system has given has resulted with 180 seconds and 190 seconds for Settling time and 5% and 0% of Overshoot for two tanks. © 2022 IEEE.
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Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection has spread throughout the globe and has become a terrible epidemic. Researchers all around the globe are working to understand the characteristics of coronavirus and are trying to find antiviral compounds as an alternative to vaccines. Objective(s): The present study has been conceptualized to screen the various metabolites of traditional therapeutic plants that can have crucial antiviral activity against COVID-19. Method(s): Medicinal plants are rich sources of therapeutic agents of human origin. In this study, active metabolites from plants such as O. sanctum, C. longa, A. indica, Z. officinale, A. paniculata, G. glabra, A. sativum, P. guajava, V. negundo and S. aromaticum have been studied. This study aims to control COVID-19, either by interfering with the Cysteine-like protease (3CLpro) component of COVID-19 or by blocking viral entry via the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2) receptor. The molecular docking of forty plant metabolites was studied with the 3Clpro component and ACE 2 receptors. In addition to this, the binding capacity of these two targets was also compared with hydroxychloroquine used for its treatment. Result(s): The results reveal that Glycyrrhizin binds to 3CLpro in a highly stable manner with the lowest binding energy. Glabridin, beta-sitosterol, beta-Caryophyllene, alpha-Curcumene, and Apigenin, among others, have shown effective interactions with both ACE 2 and 3CLpro. The study reveals the ability of more than 20 plant-based compounds against the COVID-19 infection cycle, which are more effective than hydroxychloroquine. Conclusion(s): Medicinal plant-based therapeutic compounds might provide quickly, sensitive, precise, and cost-effective alternative therapies. To reduce adverse effects, many pharmacological characteristics of medicinal plant agents should be adjusted. Copyright © 2022 Bentham Science Publishers.
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Aim: The aim of the study was to correlate environmental changes with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in four metropolitan cities. Methodology: Data on monthly cumulative new cases, monthly average temperatures, humidity, precipitation, and average monthly air quality index (AQI) levels for the four Indian cities - Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, and biomedical waste (BMW) quantity at national level were ed for the period from March 2020 to December 2020. Results: An inverse correlation was observed between temperature and transmission of the disease in New Delhi and Kolkata which was of fair degree for New Delhi (r = 0.299, P = 0.402) and poor for Kolkata (r = 0.200, P value = 0.579). Positive correlation of fair and poor degrees was observed between temperature and transmission of the disease in Mumbai (r = 0.272, P = 0.448) and Chennai (r = 0.196, P = 0.588), respectively. A positive correlation was observed between the transmission of the disease and humidity in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, which was of moderate-to-good degree for Mumbai (r = 0.729, P = 0.017) and poor for New Delhi (r = 0.242, P = 0.501) and Kolkata (r = 0.123, P = 0.735). A significant positive correlation was observed between the rise in COVID-19 cases and the quantity of BMW generated (r = 0.88, P = 0.009). Furthermore, significant improvement in air quality AQI in four metros and water quality biological oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand of Yamuna river was observed. Conclusions: Understanding of the interplay of environmental meteorological factors on COVID-19 disease transmission and vice versa is necessary for better informed policy framing and future research. © Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth 2022.
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The main objective of this research paper is to highlight the challenges faced by the staffs of the hospitality industry in India during and after the COVID pandemic. It is of utmost importance that the frontline staffs who are working in the hotels & restaurants need to take the optimum safety measures to keep themselves safe while in the operations. After a lockdown of more than 60 days, on 1st June 2020 India started its first unlock. The hospitality industry had to start following new standard operating procedures to prevent the spreading of the disease further. However, the hospitality industry didn’t start then. The orthodox practices need to get re-designed according to the situations. The resumption commenced after another one month of the unlocking phase. Hence, with the instantaneous catastrophe there were also serious concerns regards to the continual progression in such times of distress. Many employees were asked to stay back at home as the industry decided to resume with half or less than half of the staffs so that it can combat the revenue crunch. The essayists have collected plenty of information from reputed International & National chain category of hotels’ staffs based on which this paper has been presented. © 2022. Specialusis Ugdymas. All Rights Reserved.
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Introduction: Right from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, health-care workers (HCWs) have been at the forefront in combating this deadly disease. The sudden emergence of COVID-19 and its continued persistence, has led to an unprecedented psychological stress among HCWs. To assess the level of stress and its effects on sleep quality of HCWs caring for COVID-19 patients, the present study was conducted among staff working in a dedicated COVID hospital. Methodology: The cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs at a dedicated COVID hospital in northern India from September to October 20. To assess the levels of stress and quality of sleep, the participants were administered the Perceived Stress Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Results: One hundred and forty-two HCWs out of 162 responded completely. The mean age of the participants was 31.6 +/- 6 years. Ninety-one (64.1%) were doctors and the rest 51 (35.1%) were paramedical staff. The mean PSQI global score was 6.9 +/- 3.19. More than 50% of participants across all age categories reported moderate-to-high stress and poor sleep quality. Conclusion: This study shows that a high proportion of HCWs working in dedicated COVID hospitals suffer from stress and its varied deleterious effect, especially on sleep. Therefore, it is prudent for all stakeholders and decision-makers to take adequate steps for provision of psychological support for stress mitigation and implement measures for prevention and early identification of stress-related symptoms among HCWs working in COVID hospitals.
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Background: The change in serological status of community may be used as input for guiding the public health policy. Hence, the present study was conducted to determine change in seroprevalence of COVID-19 among healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: From the baseline multicentric study sample, a subsample was followed up, and a seroepidemiological study was conducted among them between 6 and 22 weeks after the second dose of the vaccination. Multistage population proportion to size sampling was performed for the selection of subsample of HCWs. The serosurvey was conducted using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based IgG antibody test (COVID KAVACH). Results: Follow-up serological testing was done in subsample of 1122 participants of original 3253 participants. The mean age of the participants was 34.6 (8.13) years. A total of 300 (26.7%) participants were females. The seroprevalence was 78.52, (95%CI:76-80.1). Among those who were seronegative at initial test, 708 (77.04%) were seroconverted. Those who were not seroconverted (241 (21.5%)) have longer duration from the second dose of the vaccination (93 (31.4) vs. 56 (38.4); p value < 0.001). The COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with seropositive status and being a medical staff was associated with remaining seronegative on follow-up. The higher age (≥50 years) was found to be significantly associated with seroreversion. Conclusion: Four in five HCWs had detectable antibodies. Seroepidemiological studies carry vital information to control the public health response in the course of the pandemic. The study can also further help as a platform to study the seroconversion and effect of vaccination among HCWs for newer variants of SARS-CoV-2.
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Background-aim: The world witnessed the emergence of a new disease, COVID-19 caused by SARS–CoV-2 which is now a global pandemic. This proinflammatory disease, establishes a scenario of an acute on chronic condition on the already nutritionally and immunologically compromised CKD patients. Much has been speculated on the possible link between nutrient status and COVID-19 mortality. The aim of our study was to assess the association between nutritional and inflammatory biomarkers in these patients in the Indian population. Methods: A prospective, cross sectional study was performed on 100 adult known cases of CKD, who were recently diagnosed as COVID-19 positive by rRT-PCR in a designated tertiary-care hospital in India. On the day of admission prior to initiation of any treatment, the serum levels of nutritional and inflammatory biomarkers of the subjects were measured and analysed. Results: High serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers – IL6 and hsCRP, and low serum levels of nutritional biomarkers – Albumin and Cholesterol, with Prealbumin levels near the lower limit of the normal reference range were found in the study population. A significant negative correlation between inflammatory biomarker IL6 and nutritional biomarkers Vitamin C (r= -0.21, p=0.03*) and Prealbumin (r= -0.30, p=0.00*), and between inflammatory biomarker hsCRP and nutritional biomarkers Albumin (r= -0.21, p=0.03*), Zinc (r= -0.24, p=0.01*) and Folate (r=-0.20,p=0.04*)was noted. Conclusions: Since a negative association was found between some of the measured nutritional and inflammatory biomarkers, it is suggested that achieving a good nutritional status might indirectly, slow down the progression of both CKD and COVID-19 and thus aid in better management and prognosis of both. There is thus a need to reassess the nutrition regimens of patients with kidney diseases in the midst of COVID-19.
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Background: Despite having an effective COVID-19 vaccine, the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and the delta variant continues to cause havoc across several continents. The present study was conducted to analyze and describe the occurrence of COVID-19 cases among completely vaccinated individuals. Methods: In an educational institute in Western Maharashtra, we analyzed a cluster of RTPCR positive COVID-19 cases among fully vaccinated students which occurred in 12 days. The cases were linked to a series of curricular and co-curricular events in the institute. A detailed epidemiological investigation and genome sequencing of cases were conducted. IgG antibodies against S1 protein of novel SARS-CoV-2 were estimated for cases and age, sex, and vaccination status matched controls. Results: All 37 identified cases were mild COVID. 188 high risk (HR) contacts of the cases were identified. The overall secondary attack was 9.5%. Out of 31 cases and 50 controls, 09 (29%) cases and 08 (16%) controls were found to have IgG antibodies against S1 protein of novel SARS-CoV-2 titer of more than 60 U/ml. Whole-genome sequencing of 15 samples of the cluster showed the presence of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2. No correlation was observed between Ct value and IgG S1 antibody titers. Conclusion: The study provides significant evidence that only vaccination alone does not completely protect against SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant infection. An all-encompassing multicomponent strategy involving implementation of NPIs, robust contact tracing, early identification and isolation of cases, and high vaccination coverage is the way forward for the prevention of COVID-19.
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This technical paper primarily focuses on requirement of automation in medical sector. As in the current scenario, we can see that from November 2019 to April 2021, more than 15 crores[1] patients were admitted to hospitals and this number is only contributed by Covid-19 without considering other viruses and diseases. Thus, it is the need of hour to introduce a system which can resolve the problems in appointment booking in such a crisis.As of now, world is reaching towards a population of 8 billion[2] but only 164,500[3] hospitals are available worldwide in 2015 which is quite low with respect to population. So our model helps in managing the appointments in such a large extent which will ultimately reduce the load on hospitals. Our model provides the facilities like instant appointment booking with the generation of unique patient ID which will identify any patient worldwide. Thus it will help in tracking any patient's medical reports with the option of online payment, reducing the use of paper and this will be a big step in saving the trees and environment. Our model also gives a comparison feature, enabling the users to get a glance of various prices, ratings of hospitals and doctors. Another important feature which our model provides is locating nearest hospitals from patient's location. © 2021 IEEE.
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Medical imaging techniques are often used in treatment and follow-ups for diagnosed diseases. Image scans provide quick acquisition of images and clear and precise information, along with a magnified view of a particular portion of the body. Chest images can demonstrate various lung disorders, such as, COVID-19, Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) and Chronic lung disease, Pneumonia, Bronchiectasis, Cystic Fibrosis, etc. However, subtle changes in the volume and character of lung abnormalities can be difficult to assess even by expert radiologists. This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) comes in. AI can aid traditional medical imaging technology by offering computational prowess that process images with greater speed and precision. This work presents a solution that performs AI-empowered analysis of Chest image scans for diagnosis, tracking and prognosis of various lung diseases. © 2021 IEEE
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Background: The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed an unprecedented strain on Indian healthcare systems, with rapidly increasing demand for life-saving equipment and intensive care unit beds. The present study presents an analysis of average length of stay (LOS) as per different demographic and clinical factors in a dedicated COVID hospital. As the pandemic escalates, average LOS in COVID hospital will form the basis of determining the optimum requirement for healthcare resources (beds, staff, and equipment), which is a key priority for bolstering a strong public health response against COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Using the medical records at a dedicated COVID-19 hospital, the demographic details and select clinical characteristics of 342 admitted patients (from July 13, 2020, to August 30, 2020) were ed. Hospital LOS, calculated from the actual admission and discharge dates, was compared within the categories of demographic and clinical characteristics using Student's test and analysis of variance. SPSS version 20 was used for descriptive as well as inferential statistics. Results: The mean LOS was 9.93 +/- 4.45 days with a range of 3-37 days. LOS increased with increasing age, with maximum being for >61 years (12.69 +/- 7.14) and minimum for the younger age category of <40 years (8.88 +/- 1.95) (P = 0.001). As COVID-19 severity increased, LOS increased, with longest being for severe patients (25.59 +/- 7.30) and shortest being for Mild patients (8.74 +/- 1.80) (P = 0.001). LOS was also longer for patients having multiple comorbidities (13.00 +/- 7.96) and shortest for those with no comorbidities (9.33 +/- 2.96) (P = 0.001). Conclusion: LOS is significantly affected by age, severity, and comorbidities. The actual duration and factors influencing LOS are crucial for health administrators and policymakers to better allocate the already scarce health resources.