ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global crisis. The month of Ramadan has coincided with the COVID-19 crisis in 2020. AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) toward the preventive measures during Ramadan 2020 and quarantine, among the Egyptian population. METHOD(S): This cross-sectional study is conducted among Egyptians >=15 years of age. A convenience sample of 1150 responders is taken, over the period of the month of Ramadan 2020. An online self-administrated questionnaire is used and shared through social networks. KAP toward preventive measures for COVID-19 during Ramadan are assessed. RESULT(S): Results show that mean scores of KAP are higher among participants >20 years, mean +/- SD (3 +/- 1.1, 5.6 +/- 1.4, and 11.2 +/- 2.6, respectively). A significant difference is found between KAP scores and age with p-values (0.012, 0.002, and 0.000, respectively). Furthermore, there is a significant difference between practices score and gender (p = 0.010). Greater Cairo has the highest KAP mean scores, in comparison with other regions, mean +/- SD (3.3 +/- 1, 5.8 +/- 1.2, and 11.6 +/- 2.5, respectively). A significant difference is recorded between urban and rural areas, regarding KAP with p-value (0.000, 0.050, and 0.000, respectively). CONCLUSION(S): In conclusion, low KAP scores are recorded among participants below the age of 20, and in rural areas and regions outside Greater Cairo. Low practices are associated more with males than females. The present study recommends raising awareness through the use of mass media, and health education programs that are to be directed to male members of the population, people under 20 years old, and to people residing in rural areas and in regions outside Greater Cairo, such as Upper and Lower Egypt, and border regions.Copyright © 2022 Suzan Hagag, Amira B. Kassem, Noha A El-Bassiouny, Sherouk M Okda, Mohammed Mustafa Abdel Razik Mohammed.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Shab Teaching Hospital is a tertiary referral center for cardiology and cardio-thoracic surgery, located in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. It provides emergency room (ER) services to cardiac patients as well as being a nationwide major referral center. Furthermore, it has a very active cardiac catheterization laboratory ( cath lab) performing coronary and valvular interventions as well as implanting cardiac devices. The COVID-19 pandemic had major impact on medical services in the country, and hospitals had to cope with unprecedented challenges. The first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Sudan on the 13th of March, 2020 and that was followed by major disruptions in the healthcare services especially for non-covid emergencies, a phenomenon seen worldwide. Objectives: To study the impact of COVID-19 on the emergency and cardiac catheterization services especially for acute MI ( acute myocardial infarction) Methods: This a retrospective hospital based study conducted at Shab Teaching Hospital. Data on total ER visits and MI admissions were collected for the months of April, May and June for the years 2019, 20202, and 2021. The volume of coronary angiographies and percutaneous coronary interventions for MI were also collected for the same periods. Results: The average monthly ER visits ( April, May and June) for the years 2019, 2020 and 2021 were 24,252, 25,548 and 31,889 per month respectively. Average monthly admissions for MI for 2019, 2020 and 2021 were 1603, 965 and 2,251 per month respectively . During the months of April , May and June of 2019, 2020 and 2021 the average number of diagnostic coronary angiograms, were 495, 186, and 408 per month respectively whereas average PCI volumes were 195,109, and 164 per month respectively . Conclusion: Cardiac emergency and interventional services at Shab Teaching hospital continued even at the height of the epidemic . Significant drop in emergency department visits was seen for MI in 2020 followed by a strong rebound and increase from pre-COVID 19 level in 2021. This may represent a delayed effect of patients avoiding ER visits during the peak of the epidemic. Regarding cardiac catheterization volumes and PCI for MI, there was also a significant drop in 2020 with partial rebound in 2021.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To evaluate the incidence of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iraq, at Al-Shifa Medical Center-Medical City, Baghdad. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis that was performed for the period from 1 March to 30 April 2020. A handy random sample of 54 patients, comprising 40 males and 14 females, was taken from Al-Shifa Medical Center-Medical City, Bagdad. In different locations in the city of Baghdad and outside the capital. Their ages ranged from 20 to 74 years. Results: The prevalence of CONVID-19 with positive real-Time polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) results was (87.04 per cent) negative (12.96 per cent) relative to the signs/symptoms of the disease recorded in the study (64.81 per cent). The highest proportion of male patients was between 42 and 52 years of age and hospitalization intervals were high-frequency (25, 46.3 per cent) for days (5-9) with (74.07 per cent) no need for a respiratory care unit and, overall, the frequency of death was 27.78 per cent and the rate of cure was 72.22 per cent. Conclusion: In this observational study, the prevalence of CONVID-19 was higher in the mean age of 46.69 years, males had a higher incidence rate of disease than females and, overall, a viral outbreak in Baghdad-Al-Rusafa was high frequency relative to Baghdad-Alkarkh and outside the capital as well, with a death-To-cure ratio was (0.38).
ABSTRACT
The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an infectious virus that causes mild to severe life-threatening upper respiratory tract infection. The virus emerged in Wuhan, China in 2019, and later spread across the globe. Its genome has been completely sequenced and based on the genomic information, the virus possessed 3C-Like Main Protease (3CLpro), an essential multifunctional enzyme that plays a vital role in the replication and transcription of the virus by cleaving polyprotein at eleven various sites to produce different non-structural proteins. This makes the protein an important target for drug design and discovery. Herein, we analyzed the interaction between the 3CLpro and potential inhibitory compounds identified from the extracts of Zingiber offinale and Anacardium occidentale using in silico docking and Molecular Dynamics (MD) Simulation. The crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 main protease in complex with 02J (5-Methylisoxazole-3-carboxylic acid) and PEJ (composite ligand) (PDB Code: 6LU7, 2.16 Å) retrieved from Protein Data Bank (PDB) and subject to structure optimization and energy minimization. A total of twenty-nine compounds were obtained from the extracts of Z. offinale and the leaves of A. occidentale. These compounds were screened for physicochemical (Lipinski rule of five, Veber rule, and Egan filter), Pan-Assay Interference Structure, and pharmacokinetic properties to determine the Pharmaceutical Active Ingredients. Of the 29 compounds, only nineteen (19) possessed drug-likeness properties with efficient oral bioavailability and less toxicity. These compounds subjected to molecular docking analysis to determine their binding energies with the 3CLpro. The result of the analysis indicated that the free binding energies of the compounds ranged between − 5.08 and − 10.24 kcal/mol, better than the binding energies of 02j (− 4.10 kcal/mol) and PJE (− 5.07 kcal/mol). Six compounds (CID_99615 = − 10.24 kcal/mol, CID_3981360 = 9.75 kcal/mol, CID_9910474 = − 9.14 kcal/mol, CID_11697907 = − 9.10 kcal/mol, CID_10503282 = − 9.09 kcal/mol and CID_620012 = − 8.53 kcal/mol) with good binding energies further selected and subjected to MD Simulation to determine the stability of the protein–ligand complex. The results of the analysis indicated that all the ligands form stable complexes with the protein, although, CID_9910474 and CID_10503282 had a better stability when compared to other selected phytochemicals (CID_99615, CID_3981360, CID_620012, and CID_11697907). © 2020, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University.