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Human beings were blessed with two kinds of immunity, born immunity and acquired immunity. As a multisystem organism, we have distinct functions to carry out for the duration of our life. We are not the simplest ones residing on earth;however, different microorganisms coexist with us in near proximity. In a manner, we are making a symbiotic relationship with the opposite microorganism. Sometimes those can become dominant species and might invade the human body. As we are blessed with our immune system, we are able to prevent them. In a contemporary situation, nutrients and minerals have played a considerable function in immunity booster within the COVID-19. Wuhan changed the origin of this deadly virus, which brought on a pandemic in 2020. Basically, COVID-19 virus attacks the immune system and turns on distinct inflammatory modulators, which seriously affect the human body. A scientific practitioner and a team of researchers observed that multivitamins and some micronutrients can assist to enhance the immune system. Vitamins, including A, B, C, D, K and micro vitamins together with zinc, sodium, potassium, and calcium, play a main function in such deadly diseases. In this chapter, we have focused at the function of nutrients within the immunity and immune associated diseases. © 2023 Scrivener Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.
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Uncertainty is associated with the COVID-19 disease progression among patients. There are evidences, that increased inflammatory markers can indicate causation of mortality in patients with Covid-19. The aim of the study is to correlate primary and secondary clinical outcome parameters in COVID-19 moderate and severe cases (survivors and non survivors) with CRP, D-dimer and CTSS. Also to determine the optimal cut-offvalues of these parameters with respect to mortality.Study was conducted in 100 adults admitted for moderate to severe COVID 19 disease assessed by primary and secondary outcome parameters in the survivor and non survivor groups. Study tools included serum CRP, D-dimer and CTSS.l9 patients belonged to moderate and 81 to severe groups. 55% patients were survivors and 45% were nonsurvivors. CRP, D-dimer, CTSS were significantly higher in non survivors as compared to survivors. The CRP levels, DDimer levels, CTS S were significantly different in severe survivors and non survivors. D-dimers and CRP are found to be positively associated with days of iCU stay while CRP, Ddimer and CTS S were found to be associated with the IMV. In ROC analysis for predicting mortality, D-dimer had a cut-off of794.5pg/L and strongest correlation, followed by CRP and CTSS.The severe COVID-19 disease was more likely to occur in middle aged men with the underlying co-morbidities. CRP and D-dimer were elevated in all patients admitted to hospital for Covid-19 and were significantly higher in the survivors group. D-dimer was the best predictor of mortality.
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Introduction: Autopsies of COVID-19 patients demonstrate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the brain endothelium, cerebrospinal fluid, glial cells, and neuronal tissue;while emerging clinical data suggest that ~40% of COVID-19 patients develop neurological symptoms. We examined the effects of SARS-COV-2 RBD spike protein on blood brain barrier (BB) integrity, and on the expression of tight junction proteins (TJP) that maintain BBB permeability and function. Materials / Methods: Primary human BMVEC were treated with recombinant SARS-COV-2 Spike protein (BEI Resources Inc) for 24-48 hrs, followed by immunofluorescent staining to quantify ACE2 receptor expression. Pro-inflammatory cytokines were quantified in culture supernatants using BioLegend's LEGENDLplexTM bead-based immunoassay. Additionally, a well validated 2D in-vitro BBB model was used to examine the effects of SARS-COV-2 on BBB integrity as measured by transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) across the membrane, and TJ protein gene expression levels were measured using real time quantitative PCR. Result(s): Data demonstrates that primary human BMVEC express the ACE2 receptor and treatment with SARS-COV-2 spike protein significant increases in ACE2 receptor expression. We observed a significant increase in the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha (p<0.01), IL-6 (p<0.0001), IL-10 (p<0.05), IL-23 (p<0.05) and IL-33 (p<0.01) in BMVEC treated with SARS-COV-2 spike protein compared to untreated controls. A 30% (p<0.05) decrease in TEER occurred in the BBB treated with SARS-COV-2 spike protein as compared to untreated controls, and SARS-COV-2 decreased TJP expression. Data demonstrates that SARS-COV-2 treatment decreased gene expression for the TJPs- ZO-1 (52%;p<0.05), ZO-2 (92%;p<0.001), Claudin-5 (97%;p<0.001) and JAM-2 (45%;p<0.05) as compared to untreated controls. Discussion(s): SARS COV-2 mediates its effects via the ACE2 receptor and therefore an increase in ACE2 expression on BMVEC suggests that neuroinvasion by SARS- COV2 is mediated via endothelial inflammation. Further, SARS-COV-2 induced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-8, and IL-10 corroborates the induction of a neuroinflammatory response, confirming hypercytokinemia, which may underlie neuroinflammation in COVID-19 associated encephalopathy. Our data suggest that the significant decrease in TJP gene expression levels directly affect BBB integrity and function thus enabling neuro-invasion and potential subsequent COVID-19 associated neuropathology. Conclusion(s): BMVEC have a paracrine-autocrine role in maintaining CNS homeostasis and the SARS-COV2 associated endothelial cell dysfunction preludes the neuropathology observed in COVID-19 infected patients. Potentially, anti-cytokine based therapeutics may be effective in treating patients with COVID- 19 associated neurological disease. Acknowledgements: Authors gratefully acknowledge funding from SUNY Research Seed Grant Program 2019-20 -RFP #20-03-COVID that was crucial to obtain data for this pilot project. Learning Objectives: Examine the basic neuromodulatory mechanisms that underlie SARS-COV-2 mediated neuropathology. Keywords: SARS-COV2;transendothelial electrical resistance;Blood Brain Barrier;permeability, Tight junction Copyright © 2022
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Objectives: To assess the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress (DAS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among health care workers Methods: The present study was conducted over a period of six months (June 2020-November 2020) during which mental health status of health care workers was assessed using semi-structured self-reporting study tool which included two standardized and validated tools (DASS-21 and IES-R). Sociodemographic profile and occupational history were also recorded. Health care workers of all categories who gave a written informed consent were recruited using non probability convenience sampling technique. Minimum sample size required was this study was calculated to be 440, using 4PQ/ L2 where, power was assumed to be 80%, absolute precision of 5%, and P as 50%, after adding non-response rate of 10%. Data was compiled and analyzed using EpiInfo07 software. Result(s): Out of a total of 822 participants included in the study, 12%,13% and 16% were found to have symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress with the odds being higher in females. The prevalence of PTSD was 18%. Those with education above intermediate and directly involved in COVID 19 related work and patient care were found to be at higher risk of depression, anxiety, stress and posttraumatic stress disorder. Conclusion(s): There is a need for a psychological support system for health care workers along with appropriate administrative action to ensure shift rotation, rest and appropriate working hours. Further, in-depth knowledge of prevention and control of the disease is necessary. Copyright © 2022, Institute of Medico-legal Publication. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: Lipids are fundamental biomolecules of the body. Infections like COVID-19 with intricate immune response in some patient’s leads to acute complications by affecting metabolic pathways at multiple levels. Metabolism of cholesterol, triglyceride and High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)-Cholesterol is deranged by cytokines and multiple inflammatory mediators. The sex differences in lipid metabolism may contribute in susceptibility, severity and outcome of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Performing lipid profile in COVID-19 patient may help in assessing severity and prognosis of disease. Aim: To assess the relationship between lipid profile and inflammatory markers in COVID-19 patients and also to evaluate the gender wise differences in lipid parameters and their correlations with inflammatory markers. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted in Department of Biochemistry at SHKM, GMC, Mewat, Haryana, India (tertiary care health centre) on COVID-19 positive patients attending Outpatient Department (OPD) and Inpatient Department (IPD), from October 2020 to December 2020. The data of 85 patients with COVID-19 positive, confirmed by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and who were prescribed for lipid profile along with C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and serum ferritin were included in the study. Serum total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-Cholesterol, CRP and ferritin were measured in the subjects. Data was statistically analysed using Student’s t test and Pearson correlation coefficient. results: Total 85 (46 males and 39 females) COVID-19 patients were included in the study. Mean age in male and female patients were 43.02±15.52 years and 42.02±15.25 years, respectively with a range of 5-82 years. Mean value of Serum triglycerides, HDL-C and total cholesterol was 204.94±141.27 mg/dL, 42.97±13.38 mg/ dL and 187.058±45.75 mg/dL, respectively. Serum triglycerides were statistically significantly higher in males than females (p-value=0.0413). The HDL-C however was significantly higher in females than males (p-value=0.0006). In male patients, r-value between cholesterol and CRP was -0.3538, and p-value was 0.016. Ferritin had a significant negative correlation with HDL-C (r-value=-0.3578, p-value=0.00079). Weak Positive correlation was noted between triglyceride and ferritin (r-value= 0.2285, p-value=0.035). conclusion: High levels of serum triglycerides, low total cholesterol, and low HDL-cholesterol correlates with inflammatory markers like CRP and ferritin in COVID-19 patients. Lipid profile may be used as a potential marker in all COVID-19 patients in assessing prognosis of disease.
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Background: Due to the unprecedented magnitude of the current Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, vaccine development was fast-tracked;yet, there were barriers to vaccination uptake. Aim and Objectives: The objectives of this study were to understand the factors promoting vaccination and the barriers to vaccination, to explore the infection prevention and control practices followed after vaccination. Materials and Methods: A qualitative study using in depth interviews, both face to face and telephonic;among beneficiaries willing to participate and given at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the institutions’ vaccination center, stratified sampling technique was used. Informed consent was obtained. Absolute confidentiality was ensured. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and validated by back translation into vernacular. The results obtained were analyzed using framework approach and categorized into themes and subthemes and valid conclusions drawn. Results: Various factors promoting willingness for vaccination and barriers perceived by the participants in their community, social, and occupational setting have been revealed in the present study. Availability of vaccine along with clear and accurate information can go a long way in overcoming vaccine hesitancy and promoting vaccine literacy. Conclusion: Clear and accurate information should be disseminated. The role of social media, mass media, and dissemination of information by word of mouth cannot be undermined. It is hoped that results of the present study will aid in formulating future vaccination programs.
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Those affected by sickle cell disease have an increased susceptibility to infection by encapsulated bacteria and hepatitis B virus due to reduced splenic function and increased likelihood of receiving blood transfusions. Sickle cell disease patients are also more likely to suffer from complications, such as vaso-occlusive crises or acute chest syndrome, following infection with influenza or COVID-19. Standards for Clinical Care of Adults with Sickle Cell Disease in the UK (2018) outline that that those with sickle cell disease are recommended to be vaccinated against invasive pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenza type B, Neisseria meningitis types ACWY and type B, hepatitis B, and influenza . These patients are also recommended to have their hepatitis B immunity reviewed annually and to receive a hepatitis B vaccination booster if hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) levels are less than 100 mIU/ml. According to the Standards , hospital staff is advised to remind and check with the patients' primary care teams whether these vaccinations have been administered. In this audit, we examined the records of 64 patients with sickle cell disease who receive regular care at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We collected data on the uptake of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23 or Pneumovax) within 5 years, two doses of Meningitis B vaccine, Meningitis ACWY vaccine (MenACWY), Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Hib/MenC), influenza vaccine within 1 year, hepatitis B vaccine (HepB), whether HBsAb levels have been reviewed within 1 year, HepB booster if HBsAb levels were less than 100 mIU/ml, and two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. These records were obtained from electrical medical records provided by patients' general practitioners. Data collection took place from 23 September to 4 November 2021. The uptake of vaccinations was 67.4% for PCV13, 61.0% for PPV23 or Pneumovax within 5 years, 75.0% for Hib/MenC, 45.3% for MenACWY, 42.2% for the first dose of MenB and 29.3% for the second dose of MenB, 54.7% for influenza within 1 year, 75.0% for HepB, 71.9% for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 68.3% for the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. 43.8% had their HbsAB reviewed and 20.0% received a HepB booster following HBsAb levels of less than 100mIU/ml. The uptake levels for the recommended vaccinations are lower than expected in our hospital trust. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the effect of health inequalities and the uptake of the vaccination programme by patients of different ethnicities. During our patient support group, patients identified the Tuskegee syphilis experiment as one of the reasons why there is still distrust of the medical profession by those with Afro-Caribbean heritage. Beyond directed patient education, more communication is needed with the primary care teams to raise awareness of which vaccinations are required for sickle cell patients. Certain vaccinations, such as MenACWY and MenB were only introduced in 2015, meaning that some general practitioners may be still unaware of their necessity in adults with sickle cell disease..
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Background: The health-care workers (HCWs) who are overburdened during the COVID-19 pandemic are at increased risk of developing psychological disorders. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and fear of COVID-19 among the HCWs and to study their correlates. Material and Methods: The study is an online multicentric cross-sectional survey of mental health problems in the HCWs of three tertiary level COVID care centers in Central India. HCWs were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7 (GAD-7), and Fear of COVID-19 Scale. Results: Out of 467 HCWs assessed, 25.5% of the participants had depression (defined by PHQ-9 score of more than 5), whereas anxiety was present in 24.4% of the study subjects (defined by GAD-7 score of more than 5). Forty-six percent of the participants had medium-to-high levels of fear of COVID-19. Female gender, working in the nonclinical department, direct involvement in care of COVID-19 patients, perceived worsening of physical health status following the pandemic outbreak, and past history of psychiatric problem were the factors significantly associated with presence of depression as well as anxiety. Age of the participant had a positive correlation with fear of COVID-19 and a negative correlation with depression and anxiety levels. Conclusion: HCWs serving in COVID hospitals are vulnerable to develop mental health problems and appropriate screening measures and interventions should be designed so as to preserve mental health of this vital task force.
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The pandemic from COVID-19 impinged our day-to-day lives and wreaked havoc upon many sectors in our society. This worldwide pandemic, which had its onset in January 2020, has forced us to reconsider our perception of what “normal” should be. While there’s no official cure yet, various vaccines have been rolled out and are expected to take effect soon. However, the efficacy of vaccines has been a debatable issue. Thus, the most effective way to battle this situation would be to strictly follow the precautionary measures advised by the governing authorities. Wearing mask and following the social distancing norms are considered as one of the most effective ways to control the spread of infection [1]. However, this new normal becomes difficult to implement as many people tend not to follow social distancing. While it is difficult to check whether people are following social distancing, we propose a solution which would come in handy in such circumstances and would hasten the process of contact tracing in comparison to manual inspection. In this study, we strive to present a video surveillance model, which would allow the detection of social distancing between people based on object detection and tracking algorithms. The specific algorithm used in our study for object detection is the YOLO algorithm and monitoring the distance between any two persons is done using a technique called Perspective Transformation. The proposed method shows promising results which could be implemented as a surveillance system for monitoring social distancing. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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The year 2019 witnessed a pandemic named COVID-19 caused by infection severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and has affected millions since then. It led to a global cry for vaccine development. Scientists arrayed the SARS-CoV-2 genome within a month of the outbreak. They used the parallels between SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 to speed up the vaccine preparation. As of now, different types of COVID-19 vaccines are prevailing. © 2022 Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal (BBRJ).
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the 2019 novel coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). Despite vast research about the adult population, there has been little data collected on acute kidney injury (AKI) epidemiology, associated risk factors, treatments, and mortality in pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to the ICU. AKI is a severe complication of COVID-19 among children and adolescents. Therefore, understanding all aspects of the disease is crucial to further developing treatment and preventative care strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality. This study aims to assess AKI incidence among COVID-19 pediatric patients in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) within North America using the Virtual Pediatric Systems (VPS) database. Additionally, this study assesses AKI associated risk factors, treatments such as kidney replacement therapy (KRT) and associated mortality rates among COVID-19 pediatric patients within North America using VPS data. This is a retrospective study of COVID-19 pediatric patients (age < 24 years) in the pediatric ICU within North America using the VPS COVID-19 database between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020. Currently data regarding 1240 pediatric COVID-19 patients has been analyzed. 172 of these patients had renal/urinary system involvement. Of the 172 patients with renal involvement, there were 19 confirmed deaths. This means that 45% of all confirmed pediatric COVID-19 deaths were associated with renal involvement. 36 patients received KRT and there are 2 confirmed deaths in this group. Additionally, 264 (24.67%) patients were diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C). Although COVID-19 in the pediatric population tends to present more favorably, renal involvement among the pediatric COVID-19 patient population may be considered a negative prognostic factor with respect to patient outcomes.
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Introduction: The coronavirus pandemic had overwhelmed the healthcare sector and a need was felt to utilize the services of medical undergraduate students. For this, it was imperative that they have the right knowledge and perceptions about it. Therefore, a study was planned to assess the level of awareness and perception regarding the prevention and management of Covid-19 infection among medical undergraduates. Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted over a period of two months in a tertiary care hospital of North India. A written and informed consent was taken. The google form-based questionnaire was distributed to MBBS students via online modes like email and WhatsApp for recording the responses. The categorical data were expressed as frequency, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Batchwise comparison was done using ANOVA. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 381 (76.2%) medical undergraduates participated in the study. They had an average knowledge score of 69.8%. The participants had a favorable attitude and majority of the students (96.2%) agreed that health education and campaigns have a pivotal role in preventing Covid-19. Two-third of students felt that the general public is not practicing Covid appropriate behavior adequately. On inter batch comparison, M.B.B.S second professional (2019 batch) students had significantly higher knowledge (p <0.001) and attitude (p <0.001) scores in comparison to the other batches. Conclusion: The undergraduate medical students were considerably aware of various aspects of Covid-19 infection and had a positive attitude towards the state of affairs as regards to the control and management of the pandemic in the country, with some scope for improvement.
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Introduction: Myocardial injury during active coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection is well described however, its persistence during recovery is unclear. We assessed left ventricle (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) using speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in COVID-19 recovered patients and studied its correlation with various parameters. Methods: A total of 134 subjects within 30-45 days post recovery from COVID-19 infection and normal LV ejection fraction were enrolled. Routine blood investigations, inflammatory markers (on admission) and comprehensive echocardiography including STE were done for all subjects. Results: Of the 134 subjects, 121 (90.3%) were symptomatic during COVID-19 illness and were categorized into mild: 61 (45.5%), moderate: 50 (37.3%) and severe: 10 (7.5%) COVID-19 illness groups. Asymptomatic COVID-19 infection was reported in 13 (9.7%) patients. Subclinical LV and right ventricle (RV) dysfunction were seen in 40 (29.9%) and 14 (10.5%) patients respectively. Impaired LVGLS was reported in 1 (7.7%), 8 (13.1%), 22 (44%) and 9 (90%) subjects with asymptomatic, mild, moderate and severe disease respectively. LVGLS was significantly lower in patients recovered from severe illness (mild:-21 ± 3.4%;moderate:-18.1 ± 6.9%;severe:-15.5 ± 3.1%;P < 0.0001). Subjects with reduced LVGLS had significantly high interleukin-6 (P < 0.0001), C-reactive protein (P = 0.001), lactate dehydrogenase (P = 0.009) and serum ferritin (P = 0.03) levels during index admission. Conclusions: Subclinical LV dysfunction was seen in nearly a third of recovered COVID-19 patients while 10.5% had RV dysfunction. Our study suggests a need of close follow-up among COVID-19 recovered subjects to elucidate long-term cardiovascular outcomes.
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The novel-corona-virus is presently accountable for 547,782 deaths worldwide. It was first observed in China in late 2019 and, the increase in number of its affected cases seriously disturbed almost every nation in terms of its economical, structural, educational growth. Furthermore, with the advancement of data-analytics and machine learning towards enhanced diagnostic tools for the infection, the growth rate in the affected patients has reduced considerably, thereby making it critical for AI researchers and experts from medical radiology to put more efforts in this side. In this regard, we present a controlled study which provides analysis of various potential possibilities in terms of detection models/algorithms for COVID-19 detection from radiology-based images like chest x-rays. We provide a rigorous comparison between the VGG16, VGG19, Residual Network, Dark-Net as the foundational network with the Single Shot MultiBox Detector (SSD) for predictions. With some preprocessing techniques specific to the task like CLAHE, this study shows the potential of the methodology relative to the existing techniques. The highest of all precision and recall were achieved with DenseNet201 + SSD512 as 93.01 and 94.98 respectively.
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Background: The recent new coronavirus disease or COVID-19 pandemic has affected the health services, particularly the essential services too. One of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is that vaccination efforts that help control other diseases may be put on hold. This may lead to increased strain on health systems, and increase in morbidity and mortality due to vaccine-preventable disease in the coming years in future generation. Aims and Objectives: This study aim to study the impact of lockdown and reasons for this impact on vaccination. Materials and Methods: The proposed study is a cross-sectional type of study conducted among people accompanying the children to the UTHC, Amritsar, for vaccination. They were interviewed in a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire. Results: Most of the children were accompanied by their mothers (70.61%). Majority of the children had a delay of 1 week–1 month (32.62%) followed by 1–3 months gap (23.66%) in the first scheduled vaccination post-lockdown. Majority (50.44%) of them said that because of fear of COVID, they did not come for vaccination on due date. In the 2nd scheduled dose following first schedule dose post-lockdown was <1 month delay (94.74%) and the reason for delay was family problems (43.75%). Majority of the children delay in the 3rd scheduled dose following the first and second schedule doses, post-lockdown was <1 week (89.29%) and only 10.71% had a delay of 1 week–1 month. Conclusion: Many parents were not able to vaccinate their children because of fear of COVID and lockdown restrictions. There is an urgent need to address these issues.
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With the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV2, the incidence of the disease is increasing each day with a higher infectivity rate and unpredictable morbidity and mortality. The second wave in India has higher morbidity and mortality compared to the previous wave of SARS-Cov2. With the increasing trend of screening hypoxic patients with high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of thorax, treatment modalities, and investigational approaches have changed drastically. Here we report a case of a 31-year-old female who presented to a tertiary care centre in the rural area with a history of fever five days back and a history of breathlessness of 3 days duration and dry cough of 3 days duration. She was hypoxic on admission and later on diagnosed with SARS-Cov2 infection. HRCT thorax revealed a CT severity score of 25/25. She was treated according to standard treatment protocols. The patient was discharged after 46 days with normal oxygen saturation on room air. The aim of this case study is to emphasize the wholesome approach in the management of COVID-19.
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There is growing evidence that thrombotic and inflammatory pathways contribute to the severity of COVID-19. Common medications such as aspirin, that mitigate these pathways, may decrease COVID-19 mortality. This retrospective assessment was designed to quantify the correlation between pre-diagnosis aspirin and mortality for COVID-19 positive patients in our care. Data from the Veterans Health Administration national electronic health record database was utilized for the evaluation. Veterans from across the country with a first positive COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction lab result were included in the evaluation which comprised 35,370 patients from March 2, 2020 to September 13, 2020 for the 14-day mortality cohort and 32,836 patients from March 2, 2020 to August 28, 2020 for the 30-day mortality cohort. Patients were matched via propensity scores and the odds of mortality were then compared. Among COVID-19 positive Veterans, preexisting aspirin prescription was associated with a statistically and clinically significant decrease in overall mortality at 14-days (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.32-0.46) and at 30-days (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.33-0.45), cutting the odds of mortality by more than half. Findings demonstrated that pre-diagnosis aspirin prescription was strongly associated with decreased mortality rates for Veterans diagnosed with COVID-19. Prospective evaluation is required to more completely assess this correlation and its implications for patient care.
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Like the Covid-19 pandemic, smallpox virus infection broke out in the last century, wherein 500 million deaths were reported along with enormous economic loss. But unlike smallpox, the Covid-19 recorded a low exponential infection rate and mortality rate due to advancement in medical aid and diagnostics. Data analytics, machine learning, and automation techniques can help in early diagnostics and supporting treatments of many reported patients. This paper proposes a robust and efficient methodology for the early detection of COVID-19 from Chest X-Ray scans utilizing enhanced deep learning techniques. Our study suggests that using the Prediction and Deconvolutional Modules in combination with the SSD architecture can improve the performance of the model trained at this task. We used a publicly open CXR image dataset and implemented the detection model with task-specific pre-processing and near 80:20 split. This achieved a competitive specificity of 0.9474 and a sensibility/accuracy of 0.9597, which shall help better decision-making for various aspects of identification and treat the infection. © 2021 Tech Science Press. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: Risk communication is a vital component of the management of health-care crisis including the present pandemic. The health-care professionals play an important role in risk communication;however, health-care professionals have been found wanting when it comes to risk communication during any health-care crisis. The doctors/health-care professionals, being the technical personnel, are required to provide the technical information in a nontechnical or laymen language to the relevant authorities, which in turn are expected to share this knowledge to the people at risk. This study attempts to unravel the perceptions of health-care professionals on this important topic concerning public health. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was designed for the study question. An online survey was conducted based on Google Forms using snowball sampling technique. The data, collected using a pilot-tested questionnaire, were compiled in MS Excel and analyzed using SPSS software version 23. Requisite permission was taken from the institutional ethic committee. All participants were informed of the voluntary nature of the study, and the data collection was done in an anonymous manner. Results: A majority of participants (61.5%) answered in affirmative when asked if they know what risk communication is and 13 (7.7%) were not aware of it. A majority of the participants (60.9%) perceived risk communication as an exchange of information between health experts and general public, whereas 23 (13.6%) participants felt that risk communication is exchange of information between health experts and other health-care workers. Rumor management was not considered an essential part of risk communication by about half (48.5%) of the participants. Conclusion: We found significant gaps in the knowledge and perception of risk communication in the health-care professionals, which can be attributed to lack of training. Risk communication needs to be incorporated as a part of formal medical education to plug this gap. © 2021 Medical Journal of Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth.