Evaluation of skin damage owing to protecting measures against COVID-19 among health staff in the west of Iran

Background So far, studies have not been performed regarding skin damage owing to protective measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by health staff in Iran. Therefore, the present study was performed to assess skin damages owing to protecting measures against COVID-19 among health workers in Hamadan City located in the west of Iran. Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on 273health staff working in hospitals affiliated to Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. The inclusion criteria were health personnel working in hospitals involved in the care and treatment of patients with COVID-19 in the city of Hamadan. The authors used a researcher-developed questionnaire to gather data. All the analyses were done using Stata version 14-2. P value less than 0.05 was considered as significant. Results The most common skin signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in health staff were dryness, redness, and itch, representing in 83.78, 53, and 40.99% of hospital staff, respectively. All participants used hand disinfectants, with a frequency in the range of 1-5 times in 29.33% and more than 20 times in 19.79% of them. Using a mask for more than 6h in daily practice was significantly associated with skin dryness (P=0.007), skin redness (P=0.001), scaling (P=0.019), and skin pain (P=0.005). Conclusion The findings showed that the prevalence of skin damages related to using protective equipment is high, and simple interventions may help preserve health workers to care for patients infected by COVID-19.

Effects of Hypertension Alone and in Comorbidity with Diabetes on Death within 30 Days among Inpatients with COVID-19 Infection

Background: Hypertension and diabetes are common comorbidities in patients with COVID-19 and could be influencing the mortality of such patients. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of hypertension alone and in comorbidity with diabetes on the death within 30 days among inpatients with COVID-19 in presence of well-known determinates of COVID-19 death.Study Design: A case-control study.Methods: Four groups of COVID-19 inpatients including controls, diabetes alone, hypertension alone, and hypertension and diabetes comorbidities were defined. Each study groups did not have underlying diseases other than hypertension and diabetes. Demographic and general characteristics, underlying diseases, and hospital course events were extracted from medical records. The outcome of interest was alive at discharge/ death within 30 days after admission. Multivariable binary logistic analysis was employed to estimate the effect measures.Results: The number of death within 30 days among controls (n = 1359), diabetes alone (159), hypertension alone (406) and hypertension and diabetes comorbidities (188) were 12.68%, 15.72%, 20.74% and 26.74%, respectively. According to three multivariable analyses after adjusting older age, hospital length of stay, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission separately, the odds of death within 30 days in COVID-19 patients with having hypertension and diabetes comorbidities was 1.58, 2.13 and 1.91 times of patients without such comorbidities, respectively (P < 0.015). The effect of hypertension alone was also significant after adjusting hospital length of stay and ICU admission but not for older age.Conclusion: Our results suggest that comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes may be associated with COVID-19-related deaths independent of other underlying diseases, older age, and adverse hospital course events.

Frozen Shoulder in Patients with COVID-19

Introduction: Because COVID-19 with extrapulmonary manifestations is likely to lead to the development of musculoskeletal disorders in susceptible individuals due to immunological mechanisms, it is possible to see more frozen shoulder cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the relationship of frozen shoulder and COVID-19. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study from September 2020 to February 2021;patients who were referred to our shoulder clinic with stiffness and shoulder pain and diagnosed with adhesive capsulitis (AC) were evaluated for COVID-19 involvement. Shoulder range of motion was assessed as passive range of motion of forwarding flexion, internal rotation and external rotation in the arm at the side and 90 degrees abduction. The visual analogue scale was also used to assess pain intensity. SPSS software was used for analysis, and Chi-square test was used for qualitative data analysis and a t-test was used for quantitative data. Results: Seventy-two patients with frozen shoulders were included in the study;the results showed that AC occurs at a younger age in patients with COVID-19 infection (P < 0.039);the mean age of all patients was 52.73 +/- 8.68. The severity of pain was higher in patients with COVID-19 (P = 0.012). Furthermore, regarding the duration of referral in terms of months, it was shown that people with COVID-19 were referred in a shorter period after the onset of shoulder symptoms and there was a significant difference in terms of referral time and pain between the two groups (P < 0.01). Regular activity had a lower rate in patients with COVID-19 infection and the difference was significant in patients with and without COVID-19 (P < 0.029). Conclusion: Due to younger age, greater pain and faster visit of patients with a frozen shoulder after COVID-19, it is recommended to look for frozen shoulder in all COVID-19-infected patients by a complete clinical examination. This is more important in patients without regular physical activity.

Household Secondary Attack Rate of COVID-19 among Healthcare Workers and Related Factors

Background: The risk for transmission of COVID-19 to people in close contact with infected people, especially healthcare workers, has not been well estimated. Therefore the present study was conducted to assess the household secondary attack rate (SAR) of COVID-19 among healthcare workers and related factors. Material(s) and Method(s): The present prospective case-ascertained study was conducted on 202 healthcare workers with confirmed COVID-19 in Hamadan, diagnosed from March 1, 2020, to August 20, 2020. For households with close contact with the index case, RT-PCR was performed regardless of symptoms. We defined SAR as the proportion of secondary cases from the total contacts that live in the index case household. SAR was reported as a percentage and 95% confidence interval (CI). Multiple logistic regression was performed to explore the predictors of COVID-19 transmission of index cases to their households. Result(s): We found 36 secondary cases out of 391 household contacts with laboratory confirmation (RT-PCR), representing a household SAR of 9.2% (95% CI: 6.3, 12.1). Among factors related to the family member, female gender (OR: 2.9, 95% CI: 1.2, 6.9), being the patient's spouse (OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.6), and living in the apartment (OR: 2.78, 95% CI: 1.24, 6.23), and among factors related to index cases, hospitalization (OR: 5.9, 95% CI: 1.3, 26.9) and caught (OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.2) were the significant predictors of disease transmission to other family members (P<0.05). Conclusion(s): The findings of this study suggest that the SAR is remarkable in household contacts of infected healthcare workers. Some characteristics of family members of the index case, including female gender, being the patient's spouse, and living in the apartment, and some characteristics of the index case, including hospitalization and caught, were associated with the increased SAR.Copyright © 2022 NRITLD, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Iran.

COVID-19 preventive behaviors and related beliefs among diabetics: the use of protection motivation theory

Background: Recent data from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) confirm that diabetes, along with advanced age, is an important risk factor for adverse prognosis. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the status of COVID-19 prevention behaviors and related beliefs among diabetic patients in Hamadan province using protection motivation theory (PMT).

The Effects of Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention Based on the Protection Motivation Theory in Promoting COVID-19 Prevention Behaviors in the Older Adults

Background/Purpose: Due to the pandemic of COVID-19 and the need to pay attention to the older adults as one of the most vulnerable groups, this study aimed to determine the effects of educational programs based on the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) as non-pharmaceutical intervention in promoting protective behaviors against COVID-19 among the older adults in Hamadan. Method(s): The present study was a randomized controlled trial performed in 2021 on 80 older adults visiting retirement centers in Hamadan. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental (n=40) and control groups (n=40). The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire including demographic variables and constructs of PMT which were completed before and two months after the intervention. The intervention consisted of four sessions implemented for the experimental group. The collected data was analyzed in SPSS-16 using Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, and Wilcoxon tests. Result(s): There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of all demographic variables and theoretical constructs before the educational intervention. After the educational intervention, there was a significant difference in the constructs of perceived severity (P=0.012), perceived response efficiency (P=0.009), perceived self-efficacy (P=0.021), and perceived response cost (P <0.001) after the intervention. No significant changes were reported in the control group (P >0.05). Also, results showed that there was no significant difference in the mean of COVID-19 preventive behaviors between the two groups after the educational intervention (P >0.05). Conclusion(s): The results showed that the use of educational intervention as non-pharmaceutical intervention based on the PMT was an effective approach to perform preventive behaviors against infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Copyright © 2022, Full Universe Integrated Marketing Limited. All rights reserved.

The Association between COVID-19 Media Literacy and the Fear of COVID-19 among Students During Coronavirus Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: The prevalence of the Covid-19 epidemic in Iran is associated with many psychological and social effects. This study aimed to examine the association between COVID-19 media literacy and the fear of COVID-19 among students during the coronavirus crisis. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional was conducted on 300 students of Hamadan Universities which were selected with a multistage sampling method. To collect the data, the COVID-19 media literacy scale (C-19MLS) and the fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) were used. Data were obtained using the SPSS software Version 23 and descriptive statistics, T-test, ANOVA, Chi-square, Pearson Correlation test, and regression analysis test were used. Results: As the study results, the mean score of the Fear of COVID-19 was 11.88 ± 4.34;also, the mean score of COVID-19 media literacy was 71.64 ± 11.36, respectively. The Fear of COVID-19 had a negative and significant correlation with the dimensions and total COVID-19 media literacy (P <0.001). Based on the simple linear regression analysis results, COVID-19 media literacy (β=-0.23) and usage of social media apps (β=0.58) were identified as predictors of the fear of COVID-19. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the COVID-19 media literacy was inadequate in participants. Also, COVID-19 media literacy was related to the Fear of COVID-19. Therefore, designing and implementing educational interventions to empower students in the field of media literacy related to COVID-19 and media consumption regime seems to be necessary to help reduce anxiety and stress and increase the immune system against COVID-19. © 2022, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.

Investigating the factors of hookah smoking before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Application of Protection Motivation Theory

INTRODUCTION In recent decades, hookah use has been considered a common method of smoking. Since hookah use is one of the factors exacerbating the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, the present study aimed to determine the factors affecting hookah smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic using protection motivation theory (PMT). METHODS This is a cross-sectional study and conducted on 560 people aged ≥13 years living in Hamedan. Data were collected electronically using a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of three parts. The first, second, and third parts included demographic information, questions about hookah use, and information about the constructs of PMT, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 software. RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 28.8 ± 9.6 years. In the regression analysis of perceived reward structures (β=0.378), perception sensitivity (β=0.208), self-efficacy (β=0.0166) were respectively the important predictors for the intention of hookah use behavior. Overall, the constructs of the PMT explain 71% of the variance of the changes in the behavioral intention construct in the participants. No significant relationship was observed between self-efficacy constructs (r=0.039) and perceived cost. The prevalence of hookah use before the COVID-19 pandemic in participants was 41.8%, which decreased to 35% during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS A greater correlation between the constructs of the PMT concerning protective behaviors against COVID-19 emphasizes designing educational programs based on this theory and the role of media to increase people’s knowledge in preventive behaviors.

Reduction in SARS-CoV-2 Oral Viral Load with Prophylactic Mouth Rinse

Objectives The medical and health facilities are at high risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study tested the preprocedural prophylactic mouthwash rinses to reduce the oral viral load. The findings from this study will help the practitioners to select the best mouthwash for the patients to mitigate the risk of transmission during aerosolizing. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of four commonly used types of mouthwash in reducing intraoral viral load among hospitalized coronavirus disease 2019 patients. Materials and Methods This prospective cohort study was conducted with 116 patients referred to the Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences of Hamadan City, and Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Patients were randomized into four groups with each group rinsed their mouth with 20 mL of 2% povidone-iodine, 1% hydrogen peroxide, normal saline as a control study group, or 0.12% chlorhexidine, respectively, for 20 seconds. The standard reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method evaluated the virus load before and at 1 hour, 2 hours, and 4 hours after using the mentioned mouthwash. Results Our results revealed that chlorhexidine and H 2O 2showed the highest efficiency in reducing SARS-Co-2 load in the oral cavity and nasopharyngeal region of patients;they increased the Ct values by 9 to 10 (before: 25.84 vs. after 32. 4, p < 0.455) (17.333 vs. after 26.497, p <0.097). Conclusion Our findings suggest that chlorhexidine and H 2O 2could be used in dental clinics to reduce the risk of transmitting the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infected individuals to dentists before dental procedures. © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Online Teaching on the Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Pain in Female Students during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the largest disruption in education systems in human history. The use of online teaching increased daily, finally affecting more than 200 million students worldwide. The aim of the present study was to compare the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in female students during the Covid-19 pandemic with the pre-pandemic period. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in two stages: before the Covid-19 pandemic (October to December 2019) and during the Covid-19 pandemic (January to February 2020). The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was used to determine the musculoskeletal pain points. Data was analyzed using the t-test, McNemar test, and logistic regression in SPSS ver. 22, and a P<0.05 was considered as the significance level. Results: A significant decrease in the hours of physical activity (PA) was observed during the pandemic (3.17±2.17 hours/week) (P<0.001) compared to the pre-pandemic period (4.76±4.92 hours/week), and a significant increase in hours of using e-learning aids was seen during the pandemic (45.29±23.24 hours/week) compared to the pre-pandemic period (13.01) (P<0.001). The McNemar test revealed a significant difference in musculoskeletal pain in nine areas before and during the Covid-19 pandemic (P<0.001). The results of the regression test also showed that increasing the hours of online teaching and decreasing the hours of PA increased the odds ratios of increasing musculoskeletal pain. Conclusion: Based on the present results, changing the teaching method during the Covid-19 pandemic and reducing physical activity has led to an increase in musculoskeletal pain in students. 2022© The Authors. Published by JRSR. All rights reserved.

Potential Risk Factors for Length of Hospitalization in COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Identifying the potential risk factors of the length of stay in hospital (LOSH) in COVID-19 patients could help the health system meet future demand for hospital beds. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting the length of stay in hospital in COVID-19 patients in Hamadan, the west of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 512 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Hamadan city. Demographic, clinical, and medical laboratory characteristics of the patients and their survival status were assessed by a checklist. Univariate and multiple negative binomial regressions were used by Stata 12. Results: The median hospitalization length for COVID-19 patients was five days (range: 0 to 47). In the discharged patients, the adjusted incidence rate ratios (95% CI) of LOSH for females, rural residents, patients with a history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, SPO2 less than 88%, prothrombin time higher than 13 s, platelet count lower than 130 x 1000 mu L, blood sugar higher than 105 mg/dL, and intensive care unit experience were 1.16 (1.03, 1.44), 1.22 (1.03, 1.44), 1.43 (1.07, 1.92), 1.41 (1.23, 1.61), 0.82 (0.71, 0.93), 1.32 (1.11, 1.56), 1.18 (1.03, 1.36), and 1.85 (1.59, 2.17) compared to their references, respectively. Conclusions: Our study added new insight into LOSH determining factors that could be used for future planning in combating the need for hospital beds. The present study revealed that some demographic, social, and clinical variables could increase the IRR of a more extended hospital stay.

Resilience, occupational burnout, and parenting stress in nurses caring for COVID-19 patients

Introduction: Care of patients with coronavirus disease may have an impact on the occupational burnout, resilience, and parenting of nurses. The study was performed to evaluate occupational burnout, resilience, and parenting stress in nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Material and methods: This cross-sectional study was based on Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement. A total of 630 nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in 5 hospitals were selected via convenience sampling. Participants completed the scales online. Data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22. Results: A total of 420 nurses completed and returned the questionnaires. The resilience mean score of the nurses who participated in the present study was 32.33 +/- 2.57 and the occupational burnout mean score was 32.33 +/- 2.57. Also, the parenting stress mean score of the 310 nurses who were married and had children was found to be 17.53 +/- 1.58 during the COVID-19 crisis. Occupational burnout has a negative correlation with resilience and a positive correlation with parenting stress and can predict 61.32% of changes in the occupational burnout variance of nurses Conclusions: Resilience, parenting stress, marital status, number of children, employment status, and gender predicted a high percentage of the nurses' occupational burnout variance. The nurse managers should use these findings to provide appropriate environments for nurses, to develop more comprehensive plans in support of nurses for the current and future crises.

Epidemiological Features of Covid-19 Epidemic in Hamadan Province, Finding of a Ten-Month Period

Background and Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of patients with Covid-19 in Hamadan Province. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, demographic and epidemiological data of all people who presented to hospitals in Hamadan Province from February 2019 to December 2020 were extracted using two checklists. Data were then analyzed using the Stata software. Results: In this study, 9674 covid-19 positive patients were examined. According to results, 49.11% of the cases occurred in the elderly over 60 years. The rate of involvement was higher in females than males (51.57% vs. 48.43%). Moreover, 72.05% of the definitive patients lived in the city and 0.76% reported traveling to areas with a high prevalence of the disease two weeks before the onset of symptoms. The highest incidence of this disease per one hundred thousand population was in Malayer, Hamedan and Nahavand counties and the highest fetality was in Razan and Dargazin, Tuyserkan and Asadabad counties, respectively. The data of suspected, probable, and definite outpatients with Covid-19 presenting to medical centers were not evaluated in this study. Conclusion: Due to the high death rate in the elderly, males, those with underlying diseases, and people living in rural areas, it is necessary to design and apply precautionary measures in these groups. Attention should be paid to these high-risk groups in the shortest possible time to reduce the burden of this disease on individuals as well as the health care system. © 2021, Iranian Epidemiological Association. All rights reserved.

Fear and COVID-19 protective behaviors among high school students in hamadan, Iran;Application of an extended parallel process model

Aims: Throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the role of students in transmitting the infection has received special attention aiming at protecting the younger generation against COVID-19 and other known respiratory diseases. This research aimed to specify factors related to Covid-19 preventing behaviors in high school students. Instrument & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2852 students aged 13 to 18 in Hamadan in 2020. Participants were selected using the multistage cluster sampling method. The data were collected with a researcher-made EPPM questionnaire. Data were analyzed statistically by Stata 14.2 software using the Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. Findings: The vast majority of students (67.02%) were in the danger control response phase. The response efficacy (77.3%) and perceived efficacy (75.3%) had the highest percentage of the mean from the maximum obtainable score among constructs of the model. There was a significant difference between categories of the EPPM model with doing healthy behaviors. Moreover, the proportion of doing health behaviors was significantly higher in students in the danger control phase. Conclusions: The predominance of the perceived threat of COVID-19 on the perceived efficacy affects preventive health behaviors. Therefore, a theory-based behavioral modification program can be developed based on gender among high school students. Higher grade students and poor socioeconomic status require intense educational interventions to modify their hygienic behaviors. © 2021, the Authors.

Demographic and clinical features association with mortality in patients with covid-19: A cross-sectional study in the west of Iran

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as an emergency public health concern has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths in the world. Identifying predictors of death in COVID-19 patients is a key to improving survival and helping patients triage, better management, and assist physicians and health care. The present study was conducted on 512 positive COVID-19 patients confirmed by real-time PCR hospitalized in Sina Hospital, Hamadan, in 2020. The data of demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, chest examination, and disease outcome were collected. The logistic regression model was performed to explore the predictors of in-hospital mortality. Among 512 patients, 57 (11.1%) deaths have occurred. The adjusted odds ratios (OR) estimate of death in COVID-19 for patients with age more than 60 years versus those lower than 60 years was 3.15 (95% CI: 1.06, 9.37). The adjusted OR estimate of death in patients with hypertension comorbidity versus those with no comorbidity was 3.84 (95% CI: 1.27, 11.59). In addition, the adjusted OR estimate (95% CI) of death in patients with respiratory rate above 30 per minute, BUN >20 mg/dL, LDH >942 U/L and SGOT >45 U/L against lower than those values was respectively 10.72 (1.99, 57.68), 5.85 (2.19, 15.63), 13.42 (2.17, 83.22) and 2.86 (1.02, 8.05). The risk of death was higher among the patients with multiple comorbidity diseases, systolic BP lower than 90 mmHg, SPO2 lower than 88 and more than ten days hospitalization in comparison with COVID-19 patients with no comorbidity disease (P=0.002), systolic BP higher than 90 mmHg (P=0.002), SPO2 higher than 88 (P<0.001) and hospitalization for lower than ten days (P=0.012). Our findings suggest that older age, pre-existing hypertension and/or multiple co-morbidities, high respiratory rate, elevated BUN, LDH and SGOT, low systolic BP, and hypoxemia were independently associated with in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. These results can be helpful for physicians and health care workers to improve clinical management and appropriate medical care of COVID-19 patients.

Rates of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress Among High School Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China, and has since then spread worldwide, resulting in a large number of hospitalizations and deaths. To the best of our knowledge, the study about the mental health status (depression, anxiety, and stress) among high school students during COVID-19 has not been performed in Iran. Objective: This study was performed to investigate rates of anxiety, depression, and stress among high school students during the pandemic of COVID- 19. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among high school students (12-18 years) from 30 April until 1 June 2020, in Hamadan City, west of Iran. In total, 2852 students contributed to the present study. Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) was used in this study. Statistical analyses were conducted in STATA 14 with a significant level of 0.05. Results: The present study showed that although stress status was normal among most high school students (70.3%), the status of anxiety and depression was high. The boys had reported a higher proportion of normal status of depression (51.62% vs. 44.97%), anxiety (31.71% vs. 26.91%), and stress (77.66% vs. 66.10%) compared to the girls. Also, students in grades 7-9 had reported a higher percentage of normal status in all three dimensions of stress, anxiety, and depression. Conclusion: These findings suggest that as rates of depression and anxiety are high, schoolage children may benefit from policymakers and other authorities' active role.

A Qualitative Study On People's Experiences Of Covid-19 Media Literacy

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has been associated with many psychological and social effects, followed by a rise of fake news and false information about the condition. This study's main aim was to deeply understand people's experiences and precise opinions about social media information on COVID-19. This qualitative study was conducted to examine the COVID-19 social media literacy using the content analysis. Participants in the study were 20 people from Hamadan Province, Iran. Data were analyzed using the MAXQDA software version 2010. Considering the results for the volume of social media literature about COVID-19, 21 subcategories and five categories were obtained. The five categories included purpose with three subcategories such as,sales for economic gain", constructedness with five subcategories such as profiteering,advertising companies", audience with one subcategory such as,all people", format with five subcategories such as, highlighting the disease consequences", and lifestyles with seven subcategories such as, drinking alcohol". Familiarity with individuals' views based on culture and context for designing and planning educational literacy programs for media skills and competence in the new media age for distinguishing between fake and credible COVID-19 media messages and critically evaluating media content for all people is essentialespecially in the new media infodemic ecosystem. The themes obtained in the study can be used for designing educational interventions and appropriate assessment tools as well as promoting health media literacy in the field.

Cytokine Profiles in Periodontitis and COVID-19

Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that causes an infectious disease named COVID-19. Respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ failure are the common outcomes of COVID-19 that may finally lead to death. During COVID-19, cytokine storm takes place that is known by the release of notable amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α. The Hypothesis: Periodontal disease are a group of inflammatory diseases in which elevated levels of some cytokine such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α are observed in patients' serums. Due to the similarity of cytokine expressions in these two diseases, there might be a possible association between COVID-19 and periodontitis, especially the chronic type. Also, genotype polymorphisms of IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α have been proposed to be in association with chronic periodontitis susceptibility. Evaluation of the Hypothesis: Assessment of these polymorphisms may also play a significant role in detection of these diseases. © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 preventive behaviors and its related beliefs among health workers: The role of threat and coping appraisals

Aims Health workers are at high risk of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) and preventive behaviors play an important role in reducing the incidence and deaths of this infection. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate COVID-19 Preventive Behaviors and its Related Beliefs among Health Workers of Hamadan province using the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). Instruments & Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 950 health workers in Hamadan, in 2020 who were selected by multistage random sampling method. The data were collected using a questionnaire including demographic information and EPPM constructs. Data were analyzed in STATA 14 using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation test. Findings Behaviors of avoiding contact with others and frequent hand washing with soap and water with 97.8% and 95.3%, respectively, had the highest frequency among health personnel. The condition of EPPM constructs was evaluated at a relatively favorable level. Also, 46.0% of health personnel were involved in the risk perception process. Conclusions It is necessary to improve the level of perceived self-efficacy of employees and also to emphasize the effectiveness of the recommended strategies in the prevention of Covid-19 disease. Copyright © 2020, ASP Ins.

Socio-economic inequality in global incidence and mortality rates from coronavirus disease 2019: an ecological study.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Epidemiological and clinical features of patients with COVID-19 have been examined but socio-economic aspects have been less studied. This study aimed to identify the role of the human development index (HDI) in the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 worldwide. Information on the incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 was obtained from the Worldometer and data about the HDI 2019 were obtained from the World Bank database. Correlations between incidence, mortality rates and HDI parameters were assessed using linear regression. We calculated the concentration index to measure socio-economic inequality in COVID-19-related mortality and incidence. A linear regression analysis showed a direct significant correlation between the incidence and mortality rate of COVID-19 and HDI at the global level. The concentration index was positive for incidence rate (0.62) and mortality rate (0.69) of COVID-19, indicating the higher concentration of the rates among groups with high HDI. The high incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19 in countries with high and very high HDI are remarkable and should be the top priority for interventions by global health policy-makers. Health programmes should be provided to reduce the burden of this disease in regions with high incidence and mortality rates of COVID-19.