Walk the Talk: The Boohoo Case Study

This case study of a UK-based global fast fashion brand Boohoo encourages critical exploration of a complex, ethical and reputational crisis. Taking a macromarketing perspective, the reader is encouraged to consider all of the factors, actors and relationships in the industry, society and the supply chain to appreciate the resulting ethical considerations that arise. Boohoo has been described as a successful online company that provides a wide range of products, including clothing, footwear, beauty products and accessories. However, the company came under fire in July 2020 after an exposé published in the Sunday Times, the Sunday paper of The Times, named Britain's most trusted national newspaper. The exposé published a report from an undercover investigation that revealed some unacceptable practices in relation to working conditions. The poor working conditions were worsened by the COVID-19 outbreak. As the media criticised Boohoo, the company launched an independent review which eventually confirmed the allegations and stated that the investigation's findings were "substantially true”. Written from the perspective of a PR consultancy that wants to help Boohoo restore its reputation, the case uses secondary information to thoroughly understand Boohoo's situation. The PR consultants therefore investigate the Sunday Times' allegations, Boohoo's practices and responses to those allegations, and the company's practices from an ethical point of view. The PR consultancy also investigates the fashion industry, with a focus on fast fashion, which creates an environment where suppliers and retailers in the system try to produce products as cheaply and profitably as possible. To fully understand those affected by this exposé, those influential to the industry and those stakeholders who govern or put pressure on the industry, they consider: the people and local government of Leicester (pronounced Lester), the supplier factories, national government websites and views of pressure groups and charities. © The Author(s) 2023.

MUSCULOSKELETAL MANIFESTATIONS among PATIENTS with COVID-19 INFECTION

Background: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is declared as a global pandemic [1]. It is caused by a novel coronavirus with structural similarities to the virus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) [2].While the pulmonary consequences have received a lot of attention, the impact of the disease extends far beyond the respiratory system and affects other organs of the body such as heart,kidney or liver [3]. Although different musculoskeletal (MSK) manifestations have been linked to COVID-19 infection, a systematic approach to outline these manifestations is still lacking [4]. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, distribution and determinants of MSK manifestations in patients with COVID-19 infection. Methods: Patients with a history of confrmed COVID-19 infection were asked to answer a web-based survey. The survey consisted of multiple questions centered around demographic, clinical and COVID-19 infection data in addition to MSK discomfort form based on the Nordic MSK Questionnaire. The inclusion criteria included age of ≥18 years. Patients who had malignancies or any chronic rheumatic, MSK, neurological disease were excluded. Results: There was a total of 110 participants, mostly females (72.7%), with mean age 37.7 years, only 9 (8.2%) were current smokers while 31 (28.2%) had associated comorbid conditions. Headache (75.5%), loss of smell (61.8%) and fever were the most main COVID-19 presenting symptoms. The MSK manifestations reported during or shortly after COVID-19 infection were myalgia (95.5%), arthralgia (81.8%) and facial muscle pain (7.3%). The severity of COVID-19 related arthralgia ranged from mild (18.2%), moderate (32.7%), severe (23.6%) and very severe (7.3%). The most affected part was low back (60%), neck (33.3%), and upper back (30%) (Figure 1). MSK manifestations were significantly associated with shortness of breath (p=0.004), fever (p=0.004), loss of taste (p<0.001), diarrhea (p=0.018), fatigue (p<0.001), higher severity of COVID-19 infection (p<0.001), and longer duration of COVID-19 symptoms (from the first day until symptoms resolved) (p<0.001). Conclusion: MSK manifestations are prevalent among patients with COVID-19 infection. They are usually associated with more severe COVID-19 infection and longer disease duration.

Severity of Pediatric COVID-19: Role of Vitamin D

Objective Vitamin D has many immune benefits and because its deficiency impacts most age groups, it became a nutrient of interest in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era. The objective of this study was to highlight the contribution of vitamin D status to the disease severity of hospitalized pediatric patients suffering from COVID-19 infection. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted on 42 children with documented positive polymerase chain reaction for COVID-19 infection. Detailed history taking and thorough clinical examination were done for each recruited patient. Besides the laboratory and radiological assessment done for COVID-19 patients, 25 hydroxy vitamin D levels [25(OH) D] in the serum were estimated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Results Using the cutoff level of 10 ng/mL, only 40% of the patients were below this level and 60% had their vitamin D level more than or equal to 10 ng/mL. Significantly more patients of the first group needed oxygen support (denoting more severe COVID-19 infection and lung involvement). The older the patients, the more evident was vitamin D deficiency among them, and 25(OH) D values were not correlated to weight for length nor weight categories in the studied series of patients suffering from COVID-19. Conclusion Vitamin D deficiency affects the severity of pediatric COVID-19 infection in hospitalized patients. It is prudent to advise vitamin D level assessment in such cases and promptly manage the patients accordingly. We recommend further studies to assess the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the clinical outcome of COVID-19 in the pediatric population and other vulnerable groups.

A new unit distribution: Properties, inference, and applications

We propose a new bounded distribution called the Marshall–Olkin reduced- Kies distribution, which is a competitive model to the generalized beta, Kumaraswamy and beta distributions. It is able to model both negative and positive skewed data. Eight classical estimation methods are used to estimate its parameters. A simulation study is conducted to compare the performance of the different estimators. The performance ordering of these estimators is explored using partial and overall ranks to determine the best estimation method. Two COVID-19 data sets on to recovering and death rates in Spain are analyzed to show the flexibility of the new distribution to model such data. The expected values of the first and last order statistics are used to estimate the minimum and maximum recovery and death rates. © 2022

Tocilizumab Treatment Reduces Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19: A Retrospective Cohort Study at a New York City Hospital

Aims This study aimed to investigate the potential of tocilizumab therapy in minimizing mortality and mechanical ventilation (MV) requirements among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods A single-center, retrospective, observational cohort study of 375 patients with severe COVID-19 (from March 1 to April 22, 2020) included 150 patients treated with tocilizumab and 225 consecutive control patients adjusted for age and sex. Both groups received concomitant standard of care treatments in addition to tocilizumab. The statistical methods relied on survival analyses, conditional logistic regression models, and contingency analyses. The outcomes included in-hospital mortality and the MV requirement. Results Tocilizumab associated with improved in-hospital mortality (34.7% vs 46.7%, P = 0.0136) and lower requirement for MV on days 1, 3, and 5 after treatment (P = 0.005, P < 0.0001, and P = 0.0021, respectively). Lower mortality was observed if tocilizumab was administered within 48 hours after admission (P = 0.0226). Older age and low blood oxygen saturation on admission decreased the odds of survival (P < 0.005). Conclusions Our study demonstrates a significant reduction in mortality and decreased requirement of MV with tocilizumab treatment in addition to the standard of care. Early administration of tocilizumab within 48 hours reduces the risk of mortality.

A novel approach to myringotomy simulation.

OBJECTIVE: In the wake of the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic, elective cases and opportunities for clinical application have decreased, and the need for useful simulation models has become more apparent for developing surgical skills. A novel myringotomy with ventilatory tube insertion simulation model was created. METHODS: Residents across all levels at our institution participated in the simulation. Participants were evaluated in terms of: time of procedure, microscope positioning, cerumen removal, identification of middle ear effusion type, canal wall trauma, tympanic membrane damage and tube placement. RESULTS: Eleven residents participated. Scores ranged from 14 to 34, out of a maximum of 40. The average score among junior and senior residents was 24 and 31, respectively. The simulation was felt to be representative of the operating theatre experience. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a low-cost simulation model that captures several important, nuanced aspects of myringotomy with tube insertion, often overlooked in previously reported simulations.

A new weighted version of alpha power transformation method: properties and applications to COVID-19 and software reliability data

This paper is an effort to propose a new method to generate probability distributions based on alpha power transformation method for more flexibility. We refer to the new method as modified alpha power transformed method. The new proposed method can be considered as a weighted version of the alpha power transformation method with more ability to model various types of data. A special case has been studied in detail namely;one parameter exponential distribution. The new generalization of the traditional exponential distribution provides a better fit than the exponential distribution and some competitive models. It appears to be a distribution capable of allowing constant, decreasing and increasing hazard rates based on its parameters. Various properties of the new method as well as the new distribution are derived, including explicit expressions for the quantiles, moments, moment generating function and expression of entropies. The point and interval estimations are investigated using maximum likelihood method. A simulation study is carried out and two applications, one for COVID-19 data and the other for software reliability data are considered to show the flexibility of the proposed distribution. The results show that the new distribution provides a better fit than some other competitive distributions including exponential, alpha power exponential, Weibull and gamma distributions.

Inferences for generalized Topp-Leone distribution under dual generalized order statistics with applications to Engineering and COVID-19 data

This article accentuates the estimation of a two-parameter generalized Topp-Leone distribution using dual generalized order statistics (dgos). In the part of estimation, we obtain maximum likelihood (ML) estimates and approximate confidence intervals of the model parameters using dgos, in particular, based on order statistics and lower record values. The Bayes estimate is derived with respect to a squared error loss function using gamma priors. The highest posterior density credible interval is computed based on the MH algorithm. Furthermore, the explicit expressions for single and product moments of dgos from this distribution are also derived. Based on order statistics and lower records, a simulation study is carried out to check the efficiency of these estimators. Two real life data sets, one is for order statistics and another is for lower record values have been analyzed to demonstrate how the proposed methods may work in practice. © 2021 - IOS Press. All rights reserved.

Development of a Colorimetric Tool for SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Viruses Detection Using Sialic Acid Fabricated Gold Nanoparticles

Sialic acid that presents on the surface of lung epithelial cells is considered as one of the main binding targets for many respiratory viruses, including influenza and the current coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) through the viral surface protein hemagglutinin. Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are extensively used in the diagnostic field owing to a phenomenon known as 'surface plasmonic resonance' in which the scattered light is absorbed by these NPs and can be detected via UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Consequently, sialic acid conjugated Au NPs (SA-Au NPs) were utilized for their plasmonic effect against SARS-CoV-2, influenza B virus, and Middle-East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (MERS) in patients' swab samples. The SA-Au NPs system was prepared by a one-pot synthesis method, through which the NPs solution color changed from pale yellow to dark red wine color, indicting its successful preparation. In addition, the SA-Au NPs had an average particle size of 30 +/- 1 nm, negative zeta potential (-30 +/- 0.3 mV), and a UV absorbance of 525 nm. These NPs have proven their ability to change the color of the NPs solutions and patients' swabs that contain SARS-CoV-2, influenza B, and MERS viruses, suggesting a rapid and straightforward detection tool that would reduce the spread of these viral infections and accelerate the therapeutic intervention.

COVID-19 Mortality in Transplant Recipients

Background: Organ transplant recipients are vulnerable to multiple infectious agents and in a world with a circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus, it would be expected that patients who are immunosuppressed would have higher mortality. Objective: To determine the COVID-19 mortality in transplant recipients. Methods: We conducted a search in PubMed and Google scholar databases using the keywords for COVID-19 and transplantation. All related studies between January 1, 2020 and May 7, 2020 were reviewed. All relevant published articles related to COVID-19 in transplant recipients were included. Results: 46 articles were included;they studied a total of 320 transplant patients—220 kidney transplant recipients, 42 liver, 19 heart, 22 lung, 8 HSCT, and 9 dual organ transplant recipients. The overall mortality rate was 20% and was variable among different organs and different countries. 65 transplant recipients died of complications attributable to COVID-19;33 were males (15% of males in this cohort), 8 females (8% of females in this cohort), and 24 whose sex was not determined. They had a median age of 66 (range: 32–87) years. The median transplantation duration was 8 years (range: 30 days to 20 years). The most frequent comorbidity reported was hypertensions followed by diabetes mellitus, obesity, malignancy, ischemic heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The most frequent cause of death reported was acute respiratory distress syndrome. Conclusion: Transplant recipients in our cohort had a high mortality rate. However, outcomes were not the same in different countries based on outbreak settings. Mortality was noted in elder patients with comorbidities. © 2020, International Journal of Organ Transplantation Medicine. All Rights Reserved.