The Outcome of BNT162b2, ChAdOx1-Sand mRNA-1273 Vaccines and Two Boosters: A Prospective Longitudinal Real-World Study.

To date, the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and booster doses has yet to be evaluated in longitudinal head-to-head studies. This single-center longitudinal study assessed the effectiveness of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, BNT162b2, and mRNA-1273 vaccines and assessed two BNT162b2 boosters in 1550 participants, of whom 26% had comorbidities. In addition, the SARS-CoV-2 antibody dynamics was monitored. A group of 1500 unvaccinated subjects was included as the controls. The study's endpoint was the development of virologically-proven COVID-19 cases after vaccine completion, while the secondary endpoint was hospitalizations due to severe COVID-19. Overall, 23 (4.6%), 16 (3%), and 18 (3.8%) participants vaccinated with ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, BNT162b2, and mRNA-1273, respectively, developed COVID-19 after vaccine completion, with an effectiveness of 89%, 92%, and 90%. Ten COVID-19 cases were reported in participants with comorbidities, three of whom were hospitalized. No hospitalizations occurred after boosters. SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels peaked 2-4 weeks after the second vaccine dose but declined after a mean of 28.50 ± 3.48 weeks. Booster doses significantly enhanced antibody responses. Antibody titers ≤ 154 U/mL were associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 emergence. Thus, COVID-19 vaccines effectively reduced COVID-19 and prevented severe disease. The vaccine-induced SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses declined after 28-32 weeks. Booster doses induced significant maintained responses. SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels may help determine the timing and need for vaccine booster doses.

The Degito-financial movement's impact of digital transformation on financial services

The digital revolution and big data are improving the real-time analysis capacity of organizations, allowing them to optimize their tools and processes and to confront the available data with greater efficiency. In this context, where the time spent on data collection is decreasing, many functions in the company see their missions evolve towards more analysis and communication to help decision making. The COVID-19 pandemic has given a tremendous boost to the development of digitalization in the world. How then will the digitalization of financial services in Africa consolidate after this pandemic and what are its challenges? © 2021, IGI Global.

COVID-19's impact on the cryptocurrency market and the digital economy

The digital revolution is impacting not only organizations but all areas of society. No sector of activity has been spared, and the survival of many organizations depends on their ability to transform and reinvent themselves in a new digital paradigm that is still very uncertain and relatively anxiety-provoking. Before tackling technological issues, it is important to ask the right questions and to acquire a minimum of digital culture that will enable the implementation of a transformation strategy and the use of appropriate technological tools. COVID-19's Impact on the Cryptocurrency Market and the Digital Economy proposes a dive into the digital ecosystem through a historical, sociological, political, and economic approach that supplies readers with a foundation they can build their future digital skills on. Covering topics such as cryptocurrency and economic resiliency, it is ideal for industry professionals, researchers, practitioners, scholars, academicians, and students. © 2022 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.

EFFECTIVENESS OF COVID-19 VIRAL VECTOR JANSSEN AD.26.COV2.S VACCINE AND COMPARISON WITH MRNA VACCINES IN CIRRHOSIS

commonly worldwide but their effectiveness in participants with cirrhosis is unknown. We explored the effectiveness of vaccination with the Janssen Ad.26.COV2.S compared to the mRNA Pfizer BNT162b2 or Moderna 1273-mRNA vaccine in participants with cirrhosis. Method: This was a test-negative case control study among participants with cirrhosis. This study design is widely used in evaluations of vaccine effectiveness and has the advantage of minimizing biases associated with access to vaccination or health care. Cases were those who were SARS CoV2 PCR positive, controls were those who tested negative during the study period between March 15, 2021 and October 3, 2021. Participants who did not undergo SARS CoV2 PCR testing, who had COVID-19 before the study period, or received a liver transplant, were excluded. COVID-19 was classified based on individual chart review using the National Institute of Health (NIH) COVID-19 severity scale as asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe or critical illness. Propensity score matching was used to match test positive cases and test negative controls. The propensity score of having COVID-19 were derived from a logistic regression that adjusted for the participant's sex, age, date of testing, race/ethnicity, location, alcohol as the etiology of liver disease, body mass index (BMI), diabetes mellitus, current tobacco use, current alcohol use, co-morbidities, and the Child Turcotte Pugh score. Multinomial logistic regression models were fit for COVID-19, to assess the adjusted effect from vaccination with either the Ad.26.COV2.S or the mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2 vaccines. Results: A total of 955 cases and 955 matched controls were included in the study population. The two groups were well matched to all baseline characteristics. The Ad.26.COV2.S vaccine had an effectiveness of 64% against COVID-19 (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 0.36, 95% CI 0.20-0.62, p=0.005). Effectiveness was lowest with asymptomatic illness (aOR 0.42, 0.18-0.73, p=0.03), and higher against mild (aOR 0.36, 0.15-0.63, p= 0.006), moderate (aOR 0.33, 0.14-0.49, p=0.002) and severe/critical (aOR 0.24, 0.08-0.83, p=0.04) COVID-19. In the same period, mRNA vaccines had a 73% effectiveness against overall COVID-19 (aOR 0.27, 0.19-0.37, p<0.0001), progressively higher from asymptomatic (aOR 0.38, 0.23-0.59, p=0.0004) to mild (aOR 0.29, 0.18-0.42, p<0.0001), moderate (aOR 0.27, 0.18-0.36, p<0.0001), and severe or critical illness (aOR 0.17, 0.06-0.32, p<0.0001). There were no statistically significant differences between the viral vector and mRNA vaccines. Conclusion: In participants with cirrhosis, the Ad.26.COV2.S demonstrated a 64% effectiveness against COVID-19, and a 74% effectiveness against severe or critical COVID-19, similar to that associated with mRNA vaccines. (Figure Presented)

Prevalence of COVID-19 Infection among Patients with Diabetes and Their Vaccination Coverage Status in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from a Hospital-Based Diabetes Registry.

Patients with diabetes have a higher risk of severe infection and mortality due to COVID-19. Considering the current limited effective pharmacological treatments, vaccination remains one of the most effective means to control the pandemic. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 infection and the rate of COVID-19 vaccination coverage among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The patients were identified from a diabetes hospital registry at Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in July 2021. The history of COVID-19 infection and the vaccination status were retrieved from the National Health Electronic Surveillance Network (HESN) program and the Seha platform, respectively. A total of 11,573 patients were included in this study (representing 99.5% of all patients in the registry). A total of 1981 patients (17.1%) had a history of confirmed COVID-19 infection. The rate of vaccination with a 1st dose was 84.8% (n = 9811), while the rate of full vaccination with the 2nd dose was 55.5% (n = 6422). The analysis showed that a higher proportion of male patients were fully vaccinated than female patients (61.0% versus 51.2%, p < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences among the age groups, with the full vaccination rate ranging from 59.0% for the 61-70-year-old age group to 49.0% for the > 80-year-old age group (p < 0.001). The patients with no previous history of COVID-19 infection were more likely to get fully vaccinated than those with a previous history of the infection (63.9% versus 14.6%, respectively, p < 0.001). The factors associated with a higher likelihood of unvaccinated status included the female gender (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.705 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.528-1.902)), elderly patients in the age group of 61-70 (aOR (95% CI) = 1.390 (1.102-1.753)), the age group of 71-80 (aOR (95% CI) = 1.924 (1.499-2.470)) and the age group of >80 (aOR (95% CI) = 3.081 (2.252-4.214), and prior history of COVID-19 infection (aOR (95% CI) = 2.501 (2.223-2.813)). In conclusion, a considerable proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes had confirmed COVID-19 infection. Continued targeted efforts are needed to accelerate vaccination coverage rates among patients with diabetes in general and the particular subgroups identified in this study.

Risk management and bank performance: evidence from the MENA region

Purpose: The credit crunch of 2008 and recent COVID-19 influences underscored the importance of liquidity and credit risk management in businesses and financial institutions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of liquidity risk and credit risk management on accounting and market performances of banks operating in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses a panel data regression analysis on a sample of 51 listed commercial banks operating in 10 MENA countries during the period 2010–2018. Findings: The results show that credit risk management does not affect the accounting performance of banks, while it has a non-linear, convex relationship with market performance. Surprisingly, liquidity risk management is not a significant driver for either performance measure in studied banks. However, when a bank combines credit risk management with liquidity risk management efforts, liquidity risk management actions return significant results on both performances, illustrated by an inverted U-shaped relationship. In addition, this study examines the joint impact of both risks on bank performance. This study reveals that accounting and market performances are differently affected by joint risk management efforts. Their impact depends on the combination of risk management ratios upon which banks choose to focus their efforts. Practical implications: The findings help bankers and regulators further consider non-linearities and offer them new tools for managing the impact of credit and liquidity risk interactions towards achieving more financial stability. Originality/value: These results contribute to traditional banking in offering bankers and regulators new tools for managing the impact of credit and liquidity risk interactions on bank performance. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Model of an isolated rat heart during readaptation after hypokinesia. (Special Issue: Advances and applications in biological and agricultural sciences.)

The current study was carried out to evaluate the effect of motor activity (hypokinesia) limitation on the body and organ systems. Hypokinesia contributes to changes in the work of many adaptive systems of the body, which leads to disorders in the musculoskeletal system, respiratory, muscular, and cardiovascular systems. Of particular relevance and practical interest is the effect on the body not only of hypokinesia, but also the processes during the transition from it to an active motor regime (recovery period). The study was carried out on 2 groups of white outbred rats: group 1 - animals growing under limited motor activity for 30 days, group 2 - animals in the recovery period after 30 days of hypokinesia. The study of the functional parameters of the Langendorff heart of rats (LVP, HR, CF) was carried out on the selected groups. Results of the study revealed that after 30 days of hypokinesia and 14 days recovery period, the heart rate decreased 1.2 times and the coronary flow decreased 2 times. Further, the current study has shown a tendency to restore the heart rate parameters of an isolated heart but the restoration of the coronary flow and cardiac contractility has not been identified. The result of the study suggested that 14 days is not a full-fledged period for the restoration of the functional parameters of the body. This study devoted the effect of motor activity (hypokinesia) limitation on the body and organ systems are relevant and significant.

["Online from tomorrow on please": comparison of digital framework conditions of curricular teaching at national university ENT clinics in times of COVID-19 : Digital teaching at national university ENT clinics]. / "Ab morgen bitte online": Vergleich digitaler Rahmenbedingungen der curricularen Lehre an nationalen Universitäts-HNO-Kliniken in Zeiten von COVID-19 : Digitale Lehre an nationalen Universitäts-HNO-Kliniken.

BACKGROUND: The corona crisis not only affects professional activities but also teaching and learning at universities. Buzzwords, such as e­learning and digitalization suggest the possibility of innovative teaching approaches that are readily available to solve the problems of teaching in the current COVID-19 pandemic. The current conversion to digital teaching is not primarily driven by didactic rationale or institutional strategy but by external circumstances. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the teaching situation at national university ENT clinics and academic teaching hospitals at the start of the virtual corona summer semester in 2020. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A specifically self-designed questionnaire regarding the local situation and conditions as well as nationwide scenarios was sent to all 39 national university ENT clinics and 20 ENT departments at academic teaching hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 31 university hospitals and 10 academic teaching hospitals took part in the survey. There were obvious discrepancies between available resources and effectively available digital teaching and learning contents. Further criticism was expressed regarding the communication with the medical faculty, the digital infrastructure and particularly the frequent lack of collaboration with central support facilities, such as media, didactics and datacenters. CONCLUSION: There are positive examples of successful transformation of classroom teaching to an exclusively virtual summer semester 2020 within the university ENT clinics; however, critical ratings of assistant professors and medical directors regarding the current teaching situation predominated. A time-critical strategic advancement is urgently needed.