Symptoms and risk factors for long COVID in Tunisian population.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented various challenges, one of which is the discovery that after the acute episode, around 30% of patients experience persistent symptoms or develop new ones, now known as long COVID. This new disease has significant social and financial impacts. The objective is to determine the prevalence of long COVID in the Tunisian population and identify its predictive factors. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among Tunisians who were infected with COVID-19 between March 2020 and February 2022. An online self-administered questionnaire was distributed through social media, radio, and television channels over the course of one month (February 2022). Long COVID was defined as the persistence of existing symptoms or the development of new symptoms within three months after onset, lasting for at least two months, and with no differential diagnosis. We performed univariate and multivariate analyses using binary stepwise logistic regression with a significance level set at 5%. RESULTS: A total of 1911 patients participated in our study, and the prevalence of long COVID was 46.5%. The two most frequent categories were general and neurological post-COVID syndrome, with a prevalence of 36.7% each. The most commonly observed symptoms were fatigue (63.7%) and memory problems (49.1%). In the multivariate analysis, the predictive factors for long COVID were female gender and age of 60 years or older, while complete anti-COVID vaccination was found to be a protective factor. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that complete vaccination was a protective factor against long COVID, while female gender and age of 60 years or older were identified as the main risk factors. These findings are consistent with studies conducted on other ethnic groups. However, many aspects of long COVID remain unclear, including its underlying mechanisms, the identification of which could guide the development of potential effective treatments.

Compassion fatigue among frontline healthcare workers during the covid-19 pandemic in Tunisia.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are highly vulnerable to compassion fatigue (CF), which not only leads to decreased mental and physical health, but also to deterioration in the safety of care delivered. Our study aims to measure compassion satisfaction (CS), CF levels and their predictors among Tunisian HCWs. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among HCWs caring for confirmed and suspected Covid-19 patients, staff at two university hospitals in Sousse, Tunisia during the 4thwave of coronavirus through a self-administrated Questionnaire, using the French version of the Professional Quality of Life scale ProQol, version 5. RESULTS: A total of 274 professionals were recruited with a mean age of 32.87±8.35 years. HCWs tend to have an overall moderate levels of compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress and burnout with mean scores 35.09±7.08, 29.72±7.62, 28.54±5.44 respectively. Self-reported resilience (ß = 0.14, p = 10-3), work engagement (ß = 0.39, p = 10-3) and burnout (ß = -0.32, p = 10-3) were the predictors of compassion satisfaction in the linear regression analysis (adjusted r2 = 0.45). Similarly, limited work experience, compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic sub-scores were the determinants of burnout (ß = -0.1, p = 0.04; ß = -0.54, p = 10-3; ß = 0.35, p = 10-3 respectively); (adjusted r2 = 0.48). Regarding STS, female professionals (ß = 0.20, p = 10-3), being married (ß = 0.19, p = 10-3), the fear of transmitting the infection (ß = 0.11, p = 0.03) and burnout (ß = 0.39, p = 10-3) were the predictors for the occurrence of secondary traumatic stress (adjusted r2 = 0.48). CONCLUSION: More resilience promoting interventions and more coping skills programs must be implemented to fulfill HCWs' psychological well-being needs.

Hesitation of the Tunisian population to COVID-19 vaccination, and its associated factors.

BACKGROUND: Many people are reluctant to be vaccinated against COVID-19. AIM: To determine the intention to accept COVID19 vaccine and its associated factors among Tunisians. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among Tunisians from December 2020 to January 2021 using an online questionnaire. Factors associated with intention to accept coronavirus vaccine were analysed using multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: In total, 169 Tunisians participated in our study. The majority were female (85.2%). The mean age was 48.3 ± 11.8 years. Only 33.1% intended to accept to be vaccinated when COVID-19 vaccine will be available in Tunisia and 22.5% were still hesitant. In multinomial logistic regression, participants having high or very high perceived personal risk of COVID-19 infection (aOR: 3.257, 95% CI : 1.204 - 8.815) were more prone to hesitate to accept COVID-19 vaccine rather than those being willing to accept it. Respondents undergoing seasonal influenza vaccination (aOR: 0.091, 95% CI : 0.019 - 0.433) were less prone to refuse COVID-19 vaccine rather than those being willing to accept it. Young ones aged less than 40 years (aOR: 4.324, 95% CI: 1.180 - 15.843) were more prone to refuse COVID-19 vaccine rather than those being willing to accept it. CONCLUSION: The acceptance rate of coronavirus vaccination was moderate. Therefore, a good communication and health education at a community level are needed.

Facteurs de sévérité chez les patients Algériens hospitalisés pour COVID-19 Severity factors in Algerian patients hospitalized for COVID-19

Résumé Introduction. La détermination du profil des patients COVID-19 ayant une basse saturation pulsée de l’hémoglobine en oxygène(SpO2) aidera les cliniciens à identifier ceux ayant des facteurs de mauvais pronostic. Objectif. Identifier et comparer les données cliniques, biologiques et radiologiques des patients Algériens hospitalisés pour COVID-19 et repartis selon le niveau de la SpO2 à l’admission mesurée au repos et à l’air ambiant. Méthodes. Une étude prospective était menée auprès des patients Algériens hospitalisés pour COVID-19 (période: 19 mars au 30 avril 2020). Les caractéristiques générales et les données cliniques, biologiques, radiologiques des patients étaient déterminées. Résultats. 86 patients étaient inclus dans l’étude [G1:SpO2 >95% (n=51) et G2: SpO2 ≤95% (n=35)]. Comparativement au G1, le G2 était plus âgé (48±14 contre 61±12 ans, p=0,0001), incluait plus de patients âgés ≥ 50 ans (37,2 contre 80,0%, p=0,0001), hypertendus (21,6 contre 45,7%, p=0,0180), cancéreux (0,0 contre 14,3%, p=0,0054), anémiques (25,6 contre 56,3%, p=0,0069), ayant une hyperleucocytose (4,7 contre 21,9%, p=0,0236), un syndrome inflammatoire biologique (82,5 contre 100%, p=0,0142), une hyper-urémie (7,0 contre 37,5%, p=0,0185), une hyper-créatininémie (4,7 contre 18,8%, p=0,0356), un dommage tissulaire (41,0 contre 66,7%, p=0,0341), des signes radiologiques en verre dépolie en plage (52,0 contre 71,4%, p=0,0397), des condensations en bande (30,0 contre 54,3%, p=0,0244), une extension sévère (2,0 contre 25,7%, p=0,0008), et incluait moins de patients qui se plaignaient de diarrhée (49,0 contre 22,9%, p=0,0145), ayant un signe radiologique en verre dépoli nodulaire (66,0 contre 40,0%, p=0,0177) et une extension légère (78,0 contre 40,0%, p=0,0004). Conclusion. Les critères associés à une SpO2 basse chez les patients COVID-19 hospitalisés étaient un âge avancé, la présence d’antécédents d’hypertension-artérielle et de cancer, des fréquences élevées de certaines anomalies biologiques ou des signes radiologiques. Le symptôme diarrhée, l’aspect radiologique en verre dépoli nodulaire et une extension légère des lésions radiologiques apparaissent comme des éléments protecteurs. MOTS-CLES : Coronavirus, Pneumonie, COVID-19, désaturation, SpO2, biomarqueurs de sévérité, Profil des patients, Afrique du Nord

Toward new multi-wavelets: associated filters and algorithms. Part I: theoretical framework and investigation of biomedical signals, ECG, and coronavirus cases.

Biosignals are nowadays important subjects for scientific researches from both theory, and applications, especially, with the appearance of new pandemics threatening the humanity such as the new coronavirus. One aim in the present work is to prove that wavelets may be a successful machinery to understand such phenomena by applying a step forward extension of wavelets to multi-wavelets. We proposed in a first step to improve multi-wavelet notion by constructing more general families using independent components for multi-scaling and multi-wavelet mother functions. A special multi-wavelet is then introduced, continuous, and discrete multi-wavelet transforms are associated, as well as new filters, and algorithms of decomposition, and reconstruction. Applied breakthroughs of the paper may be summarized in three aims. In a first direction, an approximation (reconstruction) of a classical (stationary, periodic) example dealing with Fourier modes has been conducted in order to confirm the efficiency of the HSch multi-wavelets in approximating such signals and in providing fast algorithms. The second experimentation is concerned with the decomposition and reconstruction application of the HSch multi-wavelet on an ECG signal. The last experimentation is concerned with a de-noising application on a strain of coronavirus signal permitting to localize approximately the transmembrane segments of such a series as neighborhoods of the local maxima of an numerized version of the strain. Accuracy of the method has been evaluated by means of error estimates and statistical tests.

Profil clinique, biologique et radiologique des patients Algériens hospitalisés pour COVID-19: données préliminaires.

INTRODUCTION: Aucune étude antérieure n'a élaboré le profil des patients Algériens hospitalisés pour COVID-19. L'objectif de cette étude était de déterminer le profil clinique, biologique et tomodensitométrique des patients Algériens hospitalisés pour COVID-19. MÉTHODES: Une étude prospective était menée auprès des patients hospitalisés pour COVID-19 (période: 19 mars-30 avril 2020). Les données cliniques, biologiques et radiologiques, le type de traitement reçu et la durée de l'hospitalisation étaient notés. RÉSULTATS: Le profil clinique des 86 patients atteints de COVID-19 était un homme non-fumeur, âgé de 53 ans, qui était dans 42% des cas en contact avec un cas suspect/confirmé de COVID-19 et ayant une comorbidité dans 70% des cas (hypertension artérielle, diabète sucré, pathologie respiratoire chronique et allergie, cardiopathie). Les plaintes cliniques étaient dominées par la triade «asthénie-fièvre-toux¼ dans plus de 70% des cas. Les anomalies biologiques les plus fréquentes étaient: syndrome inflammatoire biologique (90,1%), basocytémie (70,8%), lymphopénie (53,3%), augmentation de la lactico-deshydrogénase (52,2%), anémie (38,7%), augmentation de la phosphokinase (28,8%) et cytolyse hépatique (27,6%). Les signes tomodensitométriques les plus fréquents étaient: verre dépoli (91,8%), condensations alvéolaires (61,2%), verre dépoli en plage (60,0%), et verre dépoli nodulaire (55,3%). Un traitement à base de «chloroquine, azithromycine, zinc, vitamine C, enoxaparine, double antibiothérapie et ± corticoïdes¼ était prescrit chez 34,9% des patients. La moyenne de la durée d'hospitalisation était de 7±3 jours. CONCLUSION: La connaissance des profils des formes modérées et sévères du COVID-19 contribuerait à faire progresser les stratégies de contrôle de l'infection en Algérie.