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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has prompted researchers to look for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogenicity in depth. Immune system dysregulation was one of the major mechanisms in its pathogenesis. The evidence regarding the levels of interferons (IFNs) and pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines in COVID-19 patients is not well-established. Objective(s): Therefore, this study evaluated the expression level of type-I, II, III IFNs, along with interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and FOXP3 genes in patients with severe COVID-19 to provide additional insights regarding the regulation of these cytokines during COVID-19 infection. Method(s): Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from two groups, including severe COVID-19 patients and healthy con-trols. Ribonucleic acid was extracted to evaluate the expression level of IFN-a, IFN-b, IFN-g, IFN-la, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and FOXP3 genes using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The correlations between the expression levels of these genes were also assessed. Result(s): A total of 40 samples were divided into two groups, with each group consisting of 20 samples. When comparing the severe COVID-19 group to the controls, the expression levels of IFN-g, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), IL-6, and IL-10 genes were sig-nificantly higher in the severe COVID-19 group. The two groups had no significant differences in IFN-a, IFN-b, IFN-la, IL-1, and FOXP3 expression. The correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between type I and type III IFNs (i.e., IFN-a and IFN-la) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., IL-1 and IL-10). Conclusion(s): This study suggests the possible upregulation of IFN-g, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-alpha during SARS-CoV-2 pathogenicity. The pre-liminary findings of this study and those reported previously show that the levels of IFNs and pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines are not uniformly expressed among all COVID-19 patients and might differ as the disease progresses to the severe stage.Copyright © 2023, Author(s).
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The issue of student engagement in online learning (SEOL) environments which gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to be a significant topic of interest in the innovative scholarship of teaching and learning space within business schools. This paper explores academic perspectives on the rhetoric and realities of SEOL in Australian universities. The study employs an exploratory qualitative research approach utilising interview (n = 33) data and content analysis of university policies and documents. The findings highlight technological hurdles, administrative negligence, piecemeal professional development initiatives, and policy ambiguities impeding SEOL. The paper discusses the implications of these findings in the context of the professional development of academics in a post-pandemic era. The paper makes broader analytical contributions toward evaluating the implementation of SEOL-related policies in Australian universities and beyond. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
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Barrow, inspired by the Covid-19 characteristics and its effect on human cells, explained that quantum gravitational effects might create complex and fractal properties on the black hole horizon. In this perspective, the entropy of a black hole no longer follows the law of area, but can instead be represented by exponential raising of the area Δ, where 0≤Δ≤1, and it indicates the quantum gravitational deformation effects. In this paper, starting from the first law of thermodynamics dE=ThdSh+WdV, at apparent horizon of a FRW universe, and using the entropy of Tsallis, [Formula presented] where [Formula presented], we derive modified Friedmann equations describing the dynamics of the universe. The Tsallis parameter q measures the nonextensivity, or extensivity, level of any specific system. In fact, we modify the cosmological field equations in order to include new additional expressions that act as an effective dark energy part. We also put constrain on the parameters of the model using observational data (Union2 and updated Pantheon data) For both cases;absence and presence of cosmological constant Λ. For the case where we do not consider an explicit cosmological constant the resulting cosmology is very interesting and in agreement with the observed behavior. The interesting feature of the model in this case is that modified geometry term of the Friedman equations caused by Barrow Tsallis entropy correction plays the role of dark energy and could explain the acceleration of the universe. For the case Λ≠0, the dark energy equation-of-state parameter deviates from ΛCDM cosmology at small redshifts, while lying always in the phantom regime, and at asymptotically large times the Universe moves to the dark-energy dominated, de Sitter phase. For the best fitted of the parameters in both cases, the model implying a universe which undergoes first a radiation dominated phase, followed by a matter dominated phase and allowing the intermediate matter epoch to happen slowly and finally reaching a dark energy dominated phase. This is exactly the expected behavior of the observed universe which is well modeled by a universe filled with radiation, dark matter and dark energy. © 2023 The Authors
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Objective: An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in late 2019. A better understanding of this disease will help us in preventing and managing it. This study evaluated the risk factors and clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients admitted to Shahid Sadoughi hospital in Yazd with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with the diagnosis of COVID-19 admitted to Shahid Sadoughi hospital in Yazd in May 2020, Iran. Patients’ clinical information, including their symptoms at admission, history of smoking or drug/ alcohol abuse, history of Td (tetanus, diphtheria) vaccine, radiographic/computed tomography (CT) scan findings, and blood oxygen saturation, was recorded. The patients were also asked about their previous history of diabetes, hypertension, autoimmune disorder, and cancer or history of diseases in heart, lung, liver, and thyroid. Laboratory findings, height, weight and body mass index of the patients were also recorded. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 21. Results: The mean age of 86 patients enrolled in the study was 61.40±17.37 years, of which 56 (65.11%) had mild pulmonary involvement and 30 (34.89%) had severe pulmonary involvement, according to CT scan results. Also, 26 (30.2%) of all patients had diabetes and about 30 (36%) had high blood pressure, but current smokers (6%) were rare. In patients with severe pulmonary involvement, the level of neutrophil, creatinine, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was higher than patients with mild pulmonary involvement. Out of 56 patients with mild pulmonary involvement, 47 patients had a history of Td vaccination in the last 5 years. Only one patient in the severe group had a history of Td vaccination. Conclusion: A lower percentage of blood lymphocytes as well as higher levels of neutrophils, creatinine, and LDH were observed in patients with severe pulmonary involvement. Numerous factors, especially more prominent laboratory abnormalities, determine the severity of the disease, and a better understanding of these factors can help physicians know the severity of the disease and its prognosis. These findings help us to further clarify the characteristics of COVID-19. Also, the effect of Td vaccine should be investigated in future studies. © 2022 The Author(s).
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Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Objectives: This review gives a bird's-eye view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its various effects on human society. Since knowledge about this virus is rapidly evolving, readers are urged to update themselves regularly. Methods: In this review, our searching was performed on international databases of Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI) from October 2019 to June 2020. Results: Most patients infected with COVID-19 have mild symptoms. Approximately 15% of patients have severe pneumonia, and about 5% acute distress syndrome or organ failure. In the absence of definitive treatment and vaccines, the most effective measure is to prevent infection, particularly in those at high risk of taking the severe form of the disease with adverse outcomes. Pharmacotherapy is essentially supportive;the role of antiviral agents is yet to be established. The commonest drugs used in treating this viral disease are tocilizumab, remdesivir, favipiravir, and camostat mesilate. Also, drugs related to malaria, AIDS, and Ebola, such as hydroxychloroquine, are widely used. Based on physical examinations alone, it is impossible to comment with certainty in mild cases of the disease. Accordingly, a wide range of methods is used for diagnosing and treating the disease. Various variables in reducing the severity of the epidemic and the effects of the virus require special management at the national, regional, and global levels. Conclusion: This review summarizes the latest findings in safety, management, and public services related to the COVID-19 virus epidemic.
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One of the powerful tools in studying the outbreak of pandemic diseases and providing the necessary predictions is to provide the mathematical model for the spread of these diseases. COVID-19 is a global pandemic that has severely affected the economies of countries and the daily lives of people. Using three mathematical models that are an extension of the classical SIR model, we model the spread of COVID-19 and predict the outbreak of this disease. The first model is the fractional SEIR model in which an exposed group is added to SIR model and we improve this model by adding daily birth and mortality. Using this model, we present a numerical simulation for the spread of COVID-19 in Iran and the world. The second model is a fractional SEIARW model in which we add three groups of exposed and asymptomatic individuals and a virus repository to classic SIR Model. Also to increase the efficiency of this model in simulating the release of COVID-19, we add to it the natural birth and death rate. The third model is a fractional SIRD model in which the group of deaths due to disease is added to the classical SIR model. Using this model, we simulate the second wave of COVID-19 transmission in Iran, Japan, Romania and Saudi Arabia. In these models we use the Caputo and Caputo-Fabrizio fractional order derivatives and we prove the existence of a solution by fixed point theorems and determine the equilibrium points of the system in each of the models. Also, we determine the reproduction number and calculate the approximate answer of the system using the numerical method. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Objectives: This review gives a bird’s-eye view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its various effects on human society. Since knowledge about this virus is rapidly evolving, readers are urged to update themselves regularly. Methods: In this review, our searching was performed on international databases of Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI) from October 2019 to June 2020. Results: Most patients infected with COVID-19 have mild symptoms. Approximately 15% of patients have severe pneumonia, and about 5% acute distress syndrome or organ failure. In the absence of definitive treatment and vaccines, the most effective measure is to prevent infection, particularly in those at high risk of taking the severe form of the disease with adverse outcomes. Pharmacotherapy is essentially supportive;the role of antiviral agents is yet to be established. The commonest drugs used in treating this viral disease are tocilizumab, remdesivir, favipiravir, and camostat mesilate. Also, drugs related to malaria, AIDS, and Ebola, such as hydroxychloroquine, are widely used. Based on physical examinations alone, it is impossible to comment with certainty in mild cases of the disease. Accordingly, a wide range of methods is used for diagnosing and treating the disease. Various variables in reducing the severity of the epidemic and the effects of the virus require special management at the national, regional, and global levels. Conclusion: This review summarizes the latest findings in safety, management, and public services related to the COVID-19 virus epidemic.
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Background and aims: Over the past year, millions of people around the world have infected with the COVID-19 virus. The SARS-CoV-2 replicates efficiently in the human upper respiratory tract. Infected people produce large amounts of the virus in their upper respiratory tract during an introductory period, which leads to more spread of the virus to other people. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that acute respiratory syndrome SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through person-to-person transmission and contact with contaminated surfaces. However, the rapid spread of the disease suggests that other routes, such as airborne transmission, may play a role. Several research studies have been performed to evaluate the possible transmission of the virus through the air. Although some studies have found no evidence of airborne transmission, recent work has confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2 even in public places. Experience and knowledge of the mechanism of similar viruses such as SARS-CoV also support this hypothesis. During COVID-19 pandemic, while the hospitals can be one of the most important centers in providing health care services, due to the inappropriate air ventilation and purification system, high traffic of people;some of them have been introduced themselves as one of the most high-risk sources of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The present study aimed to assess the SARS-CoV-2 in the air and surfaces of ICU ward in one of the designated hospitals in Tehran. So that, in addition to determining the possibility of inhalation and contact exposure in ICU, which is the main ward for presenting special medical care to patients with severe acute respiratory infections, it aimed to assess a hypothesis of SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission. Methods: This cross-sectional experimental study was performed on April 29, 2020 in the Covid-19 ICU ward in one of the designated hospitals, Tehran, Iran. The area of ward was 50 m2 and has seven beds, all of which were occupied at the time of sampling, and five medical staff were involving there. All patients were equipped with oxygen masks and all the staff used all conventional personal protective equipment such as Honeywell-75FFP100NL respirators. On average, surface disinfection was performed three times a day. The general ventilation system included the ceiling diffuser to supply fresh air into the room and wall-mounted exhaust vent and did not use natural ventilation (such as opening the window). It should be noted that the exhaust system did not work well at the time of sampling. This study was carried out in two phases including surface and air sampling. Impinger method was applied to air sampling. Thus, at a distance of 1.5 to 1.8 meters from the ground, the air of the ICU ward was passed through a sampling pump with an flow rate of 1.5 l/min into the porous midget impeller-30 ml containing 15 ml of virus transmission medium (PVTM) for 45 minutes. To reverse the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in air samples, the reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) reaction method was used. Sampling of surfaces was done with the help of swabs impregnated with the solution of the Viral Transport Medium from a certain area (25 cm2) from the desired part and putting it inside the vial containing the transfer medium (protein stabilizer, antibiotic and buffer solution). They are also were analyzed by RT-PCR technique. Prior to sampling, all laboratory equipment used was sterilized and autoclaved using a 70% alcohol solution according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocol. The air sampling was done at a distance of 1.5 to 2 meters from the patient's bed. The devices used to measure temperature, humidity and air velocity were multi-purpose anemometer (China BENETE, GM8910,) and air pressure, digital barometer (AIRFLOW, DB2, USA). The mean parameters of weather conditions included: air temperature 24 ° C, humidity 35%, air pressure 1005 mb and air velocity of 0.09 m / s. Results: Of the ten air samples, 6 were positive (60%), with the highest RNA concentrations observed at the point between beds 6 and 7 (3913 copies per ml). Most of the reported negative air samples were from the middle of the ward, which was further away from the patients' beds. The mean RNA concentration of the virus was obtained 820 ± 2601 copies per milliliter. In addition, of ten samples taken from different surfaces of the ward, 4 samples were positive (40%) and the highest concentration (8318 copies per ml) was related to the table next to bed number 3. All positive samples were observed close to the patient's bed, and the mean RNA concentration of the virus was 3227 ± 3674 copies per milliliter. Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that the virus was present in the inhaled air of the ward and its surfaces, especially in areas close to the bed of patients. These findings underscore the airborne transmission of the virus along with other ways of transmission, such as person-to-person contact and contact with contaminated surfaces. Due to the environmental pollution of the studied ICU ward to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the effective implementation of air isolation methods such as the use of respiratory protection equipment (N95 mask) and powered air-purifying respirator as well as ensuring the correct function of hospital ventilation systems and improving it, is essential for the protection of health care staff. Health care workers need to be continuously monitored and screened from a COVID-19 perspective, and infection prevention and control protocols (IPCs), such as respiratory protection, regular cleaning of the environment, and effective disinfection of areas have been implemented. In the case of the virus, the spread of the disease through both direct methods (drops and person-to-person) as well as indirect contact (contaminated objects and airborne transmission) has almost been proven, which reaffirms the need for precautionary measures regarding airborne isolation against the virus. It has been suggested that in order to more accurately assess the transmission behavior of the virus, similar studies but longitudinal ones have been done from the admission to discharge of the patients in different wards of the hospitals. Moreover, the role of natural and mechanical ventilation systems more comprehensively examined in the presence of airborne virus. © 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to assess the SARS-CoV-2 in the air and surfaces of ICU ward in one of the designated hospitals in Tehran;so that in addition to determining the possibility of inhalation and contact exposure in ICU, which is the main ward for presenting special medical care to patients with severe acute respiratory infections, it aimed to assess a hypothesis of SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission. This cross-sectional experimental study was performed on April 29, 2020 in the Covid-19 ICU ward in one of the designated hospitals, Tehran, Iran. The area of ward was 50 m2 and has seven beds, all of which were occupied at the time of sampling, and five medical staff were involving there. All patients were equipped with oxygen masks and all the staff used all conventional personal protective equipment such as Honeywell-75FFP100NL respirators. On average, surface disinfection was performed three times a day. The general ventilation system included the ceiling diffuser to supply fresh air into the room and wall-mounted exhaust vent and did not use natural ventilation (such as opening the window). It should be noted that the exhaust system didnchr(chr('39')39chr('39'))t work well at the time of sampling. This study was carried out in two phases including surface and air sampling. Impinger method was applied to air sampling. Thus, at a distance of 1.5 to 1.8 meters from the ground, the air of the ICU ward was passed through a sampling pump with an flow rate of 1.5 l/min into the porous midget impeller-30 ml containing 15 ml of virus transmission medium (PVTM) for 45 minutes. To reverse the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in air samples, the reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) reaction method was used. Sampling of surfaces was done with the help of swabs impregnated with the solution of the Viral Transport Medium from a certain area (25 cm2) from the desired part and putting it inside the vial containing the transfer medium (protein stabilizer, antibiotic and buffer solution). They are also were analyzed by RT-PCR technique. Prior to sampling, all laboratory equipment used was sterilized and autoclaved using a 70% alcohol solution according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protocol.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Gaining knowledge about underlying diseases and associated comorbidities in patients with COVID-19 can be beneficial in developing a proper understanding of the disease prognosis as well as comprehensive management, and treatment of the disease. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of underlying diseases and associated comorbidities in COVID-19 patients using a systematic review and meta-analysis.