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Background/Aims To assess the incidence and vulnerability of rheumatology patients to COVID-19 infection in early stages of pandemic. Methods Self completed questionnaire was posted to patients. Results Patients diagnosed with rheumatic diseases were categorised as people at high risk of infection with COVID-19 (pharmacologically immunosuppressed) and with possible worsening outcomes than the general population. This study was a self-completed questionnaire which was sent to all patients registered under a National Health Services specialist rheumatology department in the UK, between May 2020 and May 2021. A total of 610 responses were received and data was analysed statistically. The aim from this survey was to assess COVID19 infection prevalence amongst rheumatology patients under the care of this department, and to examine the profiles of patients with reported COVID-19 infection, their comorbidities, rheumatoidrelated medications and infection severity and outcome. Of 610 responders diagnosed with rheumatoid diseases, 12 patients (1.96%) received a diagnosis of COVID-19 based on their clinical presentation. However, when patients undertaken a Polymerase Chain Reaction test, only 2 patients (16.6%) returned positive results. In both the COVID-19 and non-COVID groups 60% were shielding (n=361). In our sample infection rate was around 30 times (1 in 50 rheumatoid patients, 2% in the sample population) the prevailing rate for the general population in the region (75 in 100,000, 0.075% in the general population). Negative testing did not preclude the presence of disease, but this may reflect poor efficacy and reliability of testing in the early days of the pandemic. The sample means and SD+/- were 63.96/ 13.23 for age and 27.76/5.79 for BMI. Sample population characteristics presented in Table 1. Conclusion This patient group were more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection compared to the general population but appear not to be at greater risk of severe disease.
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The COVID-19 crisis has emphasized the importance of the free flow of information and data-driven applications in the management of public health crises. This chapter examines the potential benefits, concerns, and solutions related to sustainable and secure access to public health data. We study some of the data-driven solutions in action worldwide and present them as replicable use cases. We also examine why a large volume of data from public and private sources never reaches the desks of decision-makers and suggest technical and policy solutions to eliminate these sources of ‘data friction'. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer 2022.
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Background: COVID-19 pandemic witnessed rapid development and use of several vaccines. In India, a country-wide immunization was initiated in January 2021. COVISHIELD, the chimpanzee adenoviral vectored vaccine with full length SARS-COV-2 spike insert and COVAXIN, the whole virus, inactivated vaccine, were used. Objective(s): The present study was aimed at assessment and comparison of antibody response to COVISHIELD and COVAXIN. Material(s) and Method(s): Blood samples were collected pre-vaccination, 1 month post-1/post-2 doses and 6 months post-dose-2, from healthcare workers receiving COVISHIELD and COVAXIN vaccines. The samples were tested for IgG-anti-SARS-CoV-2 (ELISA) and neutralizing antibodies (Nab, PRNT50). Result(s): In pre-vaccination-antibody negative COVISHIELD recipients (pre-negatives, n = 120), % Nab seroconversion increased from 55.1% post-dose-1 to 95.6% post-dose-2, that were independent of age/gender/BMI. Presence of co-morbidities reduced Nab titers (p = 0.004). In pre-positives (n = 67), Nab titers increased to 40.7 fold from 75 (IQR 29-129) before vaccination to 3050 (IQR 1282-3998, p<0.001) post-first-dose, but declined to 1740 (IQR 911-3116, p = 0.037) post-2nd-dose. Nab response in pre-positives was independent of age/gender/BMI/co-morbidities. Post-dose-2 seroconversion (50%, p<0.001) and Nab titers (6.75, 2.5-24.8, p<0.001) in COVAXIN recipients were lower than COVISHIELD. Diminished Nab titers were observed at 6 months post-dose-2 for both vaccines. Conclusion(s): This first-time, systematic, real-world assessment revealed generation of higher neutralizing antibody titers by COVISHIELD. Relation of dose interval and decline in Nab titers post- 2nd-dose in pre-positives need further assessment. Diminished Nab titers at 6 months emphasize early booster.
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Air quality is a global concern, with particulate matter receiving considerable attention due to its impact on human health and climate change. Recent advances in low-cost sensors allow their deployment in large number to measure spatio-temporal and real-time air quality data. Low-cost sensors need careful evaluation with both regulatory approved methods and other data sets to understand their efficacy. In this work, PM concentrations measured by deploying low-cost sensors at four regional sites are evaluated through comparison with satellite-based model MERRA-2 and the SASS reference instrument. Daily PM2.5 mass concentration variation was analyzed at four regional sites of India from January 2020 to July 2020, including pre-lockdown and six different lockdown periods. Higher PM2.5 concentration was observed at Rohtak (119 mu g m-3) compared to Mahabaleshwar (33 mu g m-3), Bhopal (45 mu g m-3) and Kashmir sites during the pre-lock down period. During the lockdown period, the PM2.5 mass concentration was reduced significantly compared to the pre-lockdown period at every location, although the PM2.5 concentration was different at each location. The air quality trend was quite similar in both the measurements, however, MERRA-2 reconstructed PM2.5 was significantly lower in the pre-lockdown period compared to the lockdown periods. Significant differences were observed between low-cost sensor measurements and MERRA-2 reanalysis data. These are attributed to the MERRA-2 modelling analysis that measures less PM2.5 concentration as compared to ground-based measurements, whereas low-cost sensor are and biases.
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Globally cancer is the second leading cause of death;a drug that can cure cancer with the utmost negligible side effects is still a distant goal. Due to increasing antibiotic resistance, microbial infection remains a grave global health security threat. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic increased the risk of microbial and fungal infection. A new series of 3-(4-methyl-2-arylthiazol-5-yl)-5-aryl-1,2,4-oxadiazole (7a-t) have been synthesized. The structure of synthesized compounds was confirmed by the spectrometric analysis. The newly synthesized compounds were screened for cytotoxic activity against breast cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Against the MCF-7 cell line compounds 7f, 7 g and 7n showed excellent activity with GI50 0.6 muM to <100 nM concentration. Compound 7b showed good activity against MDA-MB-231 cell line with GI50 47 muM. The active derivatives 7b, 7e, 7f, 7 g and 7n were further evaluated for cytotoxicity against the epithelial cell line derived from the human embryonic kidney (HEK 293) and were found nontoxic. The thiazolyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives were also screened to evaluate theirs in vitro antimicrobial potential against Escherichia coli (NCIM 2574), Proteus mirabilis (NCIM 2388), Bacillus subtilis (NCIM 2063), Staphylococcus albus (NCIM 2178), Candida albicans (NCIM 3100) and Aspergillus niger (ATCC 504). Amongst the 7a-t derivatives, six compounds 7a, 7d, 7f, 7n, 7o, 7r showed good antifungal activity against C. albicans and eight compounds 7c, 7d, 7 g, 7h, 7i, 7k, 7l and 7o showed good activity against A. niger. The potential cytotoxic and antifungal activity suggested that the thiazolyl-1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives could assist in the development of lead compounds for the treatment of cancer and microbial infections.Copyright © 2022 The Authors
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Methods: multicentric observational study, included 6000 COVID-19 RT PCR Positive cases with lung involvement on HRCT thorax at entry point & categorised as Radiological presentation phenotypes as severity assessmentmild, moderate, severe as per lung segment involvement (mild<7, moderate 8-15 and severe 16-25), Evolving and Evolved phenotype- with or without GGOs, consolidations, and crazy paving with or without spreading edges, Anatomical phenotype-Unilateral or bilateral as per lung lobe segment or lobe involvement, Clinicalradiological-pathological phenotypes-five types as classical GGOs, consolidations, Bronchopneumonia, Necrotizing pneumonia and cavitating. Response to treatment phenotypes-easy to treat and difficult to treat as per interventions required & response to treatment. Radiological outcome phenotypes as Resolving, Persistent and Progressive as per lung reticular and fibrosing lesions as with or without honeycombing and or tractional bronchiectasis. Statistical analysis by Chi test and students t test and ANOVA. Observations and analysis:In 6000 radiological assessment of covid-19 pneumonia, significant association was documented in Evolving and Evolved pneumonia phenotypes (p<0.000026), Unilateral and Bilateral pneumonia anatomical phenotypes (p<0.00001), Clinical-radiological-pathological phenotypes (p<0.00001), Easy to treat and Difficult to treat pneumonia phenotypes (p<0.00001), Radiological final outcome phenotypes-Persistent, Progressive & Resolving phenotype (p<0.00001) conclusion: Radiological phenotypes will guide in assessing severity, predicting response to therapy and final outcome in covid-19 pneumonia.
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Methods: observational study, included 6000 COVID-19 indoor cases confirmed with RT-PCR. Retrospective analysis with treatment records, laboratory markers as IL-6, D-dimer, Ferritin, LDH, BSL, HBA1C. All cases undergone thorough interview in 'post covid care' outdoor setting regarding symptomatology, documnted vital signs abnormality, & workup as HBA1C, BSL, TFT, KFT, ECG, chest x-ray, HRCT thorax, BMD, Echocardiography, MRI brain whichever is necessary. Statistical analysis by using Chi square test and ANOVA. Observations: Long covid manifestations were documented in 36.06% (2517/6000) post COVID cases as- Fatigue 41.95%, dyspnea 35.98%, cough 31.96%, chest discomfort 26.95%, anosmia 8.76%, joint pain & headache 11.96% , dizziness, vertigo&insomnia 22.95% &alopecia 4.18% cases, Lung fibrosis in 16.66%, minimal lung abnormality 23.65%, pulmonary embolism 7.18% cases, palpitations 25.56%, chest pain 11.3%, arrythmias 5.53%, cardiac dysfunction 24.31%, PTSD 28%, Impaired memory with or without poor concentration (brain fog) 24.03%, Anxiety and or depression 6.33%, Reduction in quality of life 33%, Diabetes mellitus-new onset26%, transient34%, uncontrolled27%, Osteoporosis38.08%, thyroid dysfunction12.1%. CT severity score, Intensive care treatment with or without oxygen and or ventilator use & Laboratory parameters (D-dimer, IL6, LDH, Ferritin) during hospitalization has significant association with long covid manifestations (p<0.00001) Conclusion(s): Long covid in underestimated, improperly evaluated and halfheartedly treated during follow-up. All treated cases needs prompt evaluation, more awareness regrding its manifestations and its impact on quality of life is must.
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Background: An unprecedented and unexpected COVID-19 pandemic resulted appalled lock-downs limiting movement of the entire population of the country and also across the globe. Downtime due to COVID-19 pandemic, led to adjournment of schools, colleges, different institutions, industries and business. This shutdown of work affected physical, mental and behavioral health of mankind from different age groups of different sectors. Methods- In this cross-sectional study, prevalidated questionnaire using the quick mode of communications like Whatsapp and emails through Google form was used. It was among the quick and inexpensive method to collect data from a wide cross-section of the general public. After ethical committee approval, link was distributed among health care trainee, employees and health care workers (HCWs) of various educational institutes and hospitals. Participants read informed consent for voluntary participation in the survey, which was administered in two parts: The first part asked participants basic demographic characteristics including age, gender, place of residence and in second part questions were asked to determine participation in specific behaviors related to their physical, mental and behavioral health. Result(s): Physical-Significant change in exercise habits was found in 45.3% participants who exercised daily and 32.7% participants did 2 to 3times exercise in a week but 22% participants did not follow any exercise routine. Mental-This study reveals profound impact of lockdown on mental fitness variables as well. Lockdown induced lack of regular work schedules changed sleep habits of 45.8% participants. Behavioral-As precautionary measure 76% of the participants washed their hands mostly 5-7times throughout the day and 84.2% among them followed 6-steps of hand hygiene. 95.5% of participants used mask compulsorily. Conclusion(s): This survey is an attempt to study knowledge and behaviors of people in face of current pandemic where more than 1.3 billion people are inside their homes since lockdown. Although lockdown is effective measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19 there are reasons to be concerned. Prolonged home confinement and shutdown of work affects physical, mental and behavioral health of people. People feel socially isolated due to lockdown however social media platforms offer an opportunity to ameliorate social isolation. The effect on lockdown on physical, mental and behavioral routine habits can give inside of how people are living under impact of lockdown and the findings can reveals the impact of these never seen restrictions on life of people.Copyright © 2022 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.
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Background: Evaluation of the impact of stress on glycaemic control in hospitalized type-2 diabetes (T2DM) patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Methods: In this retrospective study conducted at a single centre in Maharashtra from May to July 2020 on hospitalized COVID-19 patients with T2DM who reported having stress of pandemic;they were selected using purposive sampling. DASS-12 stress sub-scale was used to estimate the severity of their stress. Fasting blood glucose (FBG) and post-prandial blood glucose (PPBG) before admission and at the time of discharge were compared. Results: One hundred and ninety-nine patients (mean age 54 years;61.30% females) were included. Mean±SD FBG before admission was 168.4±30.6 mg/dl which increased to 195.9±28.8 mg/dl at the time of discharge (P<0.001). Also, Mean±SD PPBG before admission was 312±62.3 mg/dl which increased to 351.6±61.9 mg/dl (P<0.001). A total of 73 (36.7%) participants had perceived stress. Moderate and severe/extremely severe stress was found in 44 (27.1%) and 19 (9.6%) patients, respectively. A significant difference was observed in the mean FBG before and during discharge in patients who had no stress and those with moderate stress (P<0.001). There was no difference in FBG in patients with severe/extremely severe stress (P=0.43). Similar observations were seen for PPBG (no stress P<0.001;moderate stress P<0.001;severe/extremely severe stress P=0.06). Conclusion: There was a rise in the glucose level in T2DM patients discharged after COVID-19 treatment. The increase was significant in T2DM without stress and those with moderate stress. In addition to traditional treatment, measures for psychological stress control should also be taken for such patients. © 2022 The authors.
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Background: COVID has caused a worldwide pandemic and brought the countries to a halt. It is not only a disease of the respiratory system but the entire body. RT-PCR remains the main stay of diagnosis for COVID, limited study has been done in terms of usability of cycle threshold (CT) values for understanding the severity of the disease. This study was done to find association between CT values, clinical features and biomarkers Material(s) and Method(s): this is an observational study done between November 2022 to October 2022. A total of 200 cases were studied. RT-PCR was performed using Quant studio 12K flex system. Biomarker estimation was done on Architect c8000 Results: A total of 200 cases studied. 43.28% cases had low CT value in E gene and 40.79% cases in RdRp gene. The predominant symptom noted in our study is breathlessness. No statistical correlation was made between CT values and clinical symptoms and also no statistical correlation was made between biomarkers. Conclusion(s): COVID RT-PCR is the gold standard diagnostic method but the viral load cannot be used as a prognostic marker because the sample collection technique is not standardised across the board and also the quantity of sample obtained during nasopharyngeal swabbing varies. Further studies and establishment of standardised protocols can bring about a usability for the CT values. Copyright © 2022 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.
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Background: An unprecedented and unexpected COVID-19 pandemic resulted appalled lock-downs limiting movement of the entire population of the country and also across the globe. Downtime due to COVID-19 pandemic, led to adjournment of schools, colleges, different institutions, industries and business. This shutdown of work affected physical, mental and behavioral health of mankind from different age groups of different sectors. Methods- In this cross-sectional study, prevalidated questionnaire using the quick mode of communications like Whatsapp and emails through Google form was used. It was among the quick and inexpensive method to collect data from a wide cross-section of the general public. After ethical committee approval, link was distributed among health care trainee, employees and health care workers (HCWs) of various educational institutes and hospitals. Participants read informed consent for voluntary participation in the survey, which was administered in two parts: The first part asked participants basic demographic characteristics including age, gender, place of residence and in second part questions were asked to determine participation in specific behaviors related to their physical, mental and behavioral health. Result(s): Physical-Significant change in exercise habits was found in 45.3% participants who exercised daily and 32.7% participants did 2 to 3times exercise in a week but 22% participants did not follow any exercise routine. Mental-This study reveals profound impact of lockdown on mental fitness variables as well. Lockdown induced lack of regular work schedules changed sleep habits of 45.8% participants. Behavioral-As precautionary measure 76% of the participants washed their hands mostly 5-7times throughout the day and 84.2% among them followed 6-steps of hand hygiene. 95.5% of participants used mask compulsorily. Conclusion(s): This survey is an attempt to study knowledge and behaviors of people in face of current pandemic where more than 1.3 billion people are inside their homes since lockdown. Although lockdown is effective measure to reduce the spread of COVID-19 there are reasons to be concerned. Prolonged home confinement and shutdown of work affects physical, mental and behavioral health of people. People feel socially isolated due to lockdown however social media platforms offer an opportunity to ameliorate social isolation. The effect on lockdown on physical, mental and behavioral routine habits can give inside of how people are living under impact of lockdown and the findings can reveals the impact of these never seen restrictions on life of people. Copyright © 2022 Ubiquity Press. All rights reserved.
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With the increase in advanced technologies, the health industry has developed a lot recently. Medical cyber-physical system (MCPS) plays a vital role in this. It consists of various medical devices which are networked together for smooth and efficient working. The patient’s EHR is collected and stored on the cloud which is then easily accessible by doctors. The health industry has always been on top of cyber-attacks. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a sudden surge in telemedicine adoption, remote working and makeshift sites for virus testing and treatment, and under-preparedness, all contributing to new vulnerabilities and giving cybercriminals a new opportunity. In the medical world, we need our medical systems to be secure, reliable, efficient, and should ensure economic data storage and sharing for both patients and medical institutes. Motivated by these facts, we did a review on various MCPS techniques and algorithms that already existed. In this paper, we tried to summarize those techniques and provide a comparative study for the same. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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Aim and background: Mechanical Power in ARDS has predictive value for both VILI and mortality. Driving pressure and mechanical power are two new targets in the mechanical ventilation of ARDS patients. COVID-19 pneumonia has two different phenotypes H type and L type which have different lung compliance, elasticity, and recrutability with different ventilatory strategies. We want to observe how Mechanical Power behaves in H type COVID-19 ARDS and its correlation with compliance and driving pressure. Objective: To study the correlation of Mechanical Power with Driving Pressure and Compliance in H type of COVID-19 pneumonia. Materials and methods: It is a prospective observational study conducted in COVID-19 patients admitted to the Medical Intensive Care unit. We included 65 adult COVID-19 patients aged between 18 and 70 years requiring invasive mechanical ventilation for at least 24 hours. Patients who developed spontaneous pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum before initiation of mechanical ventilation were excluded. Patients were categorised to H type based on lung compliance (<40 mL/cmH2O), recrutability, and lung weight. The Mechanical Power was calculated using the following equation, MP = 0.098 × TV × RR (Paw-1/2 ΔP). Paw-peak airway pressure, ΔP-driving pressure, TV-tidal volume, RR-respiratory rate. The variables are taken at 3 different time intervals in the first 24 hours of invasive mechanical ventilation. All patients are ventilated according to ARDSNET protocol. The Driving pressure and compliance were recorded. The correlation of Mechanical Power with Driving pressure and Compliance were analysed using Pearson Correlation. Results: The mean age of the patients was 57.04 ± 13.96 years (mean ± SD), gender distribution 75% were males and 25% were females. A positive correlation was observed between Mechanical power and Driving pressure (Pearson correlation 0.245) which is statistically significant p = 0.049. A negative correlation was observed between Mechanical power and Compliance (Pearson correlation 0.183) which is not statistically significant. Conclusion: The Mechanical Power and Driving pressure the new targets of Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury (VILI) and also predictors of mortality in ARDS patients. The positive correlation between Mechanical Power and Driving pressure was observed in H type of COVID-19 patients which behaves similar to other ARDS and independent risk factors of mortality in H type of COVID-19 ARDS too.
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BACKGROUND: The new Covid, later dubbed Corona virus, is an incurable disease that can be transmitted to humans. It originally appeared in late December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where it documented cases of pneumonia of unclear etiology. After its rise, it marked as an episode that caused real concern for the general public by the World Wellbeing Association (WHO), and in the middle of Journey 2020, the WHO declared a global pandemic due to a dramatic increase in global diseases affecting many nations. More than 108 million cases had been validated worldwide as of February 14, 2021, with 5.99 million cases reported in the Eastern Mediterranean region. As a result of this global emergency, segregation and detention measures were being taken by international and governmental organizations to prevent the spread of the disease. Additional measures include airline suspension, large assembly congestion, and compulsory use of face masks in many countries, community evacuation, telephone work, child education and home-based care. CONCLUSION: There is a need to build the mindfulness among the different media stages about mental difficulties during pandemics and feature the significance of looking for help and taking part in actual work for the administration of emotional well-being messes. Moreover, an increment in mindfulness among the medical care experts in recognizing and focusing on the high-hazard gatherings of the populace who are in danger in creating psychological well-being issues is crucially significant. © The Electrochemical Society
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The outburst of coronavirus in December 2019 from Wuhan, China leads to the global COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic by WHO at the beginning of 2020. This resulted in lockdown in many countries, as a preventive measure. Due to the lockdown, people were forced to stay at home, which increased the feeling of loneliness, anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts. Mental health is the least discussed topic but most important. With the outbreak of the highly infectious virus, public fear, anxiety, stress due to lethality, uncertainty also follows. This review article is aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of individuals and groups of individuals. A twenty percent increase in mental illnesses was reported in a survey by the Indian Psychiatric Society, since the coronavirus outbreak in India. In China, a study showed 16.5% moderate to severe depressive symptoms;28.8% moderate to severe anxiety symptoms;8.1% moderate to severe stress due to COVID -19. Different countries all over the world showed similar statistics. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had probably been the greatest pandemic in modernized human history. To prevent the transmission of coronavirus, the lockdown was imposed, which forced everyone to stay at home. The isolation had an adverse effect on the mental health of individuals.. The mental health of females of all age groups was more adversely affected than the males. Older people were more prone to mental illness, as compared to youngers. Students lacked interest in studies and their motivation to study was decreased. Health care professions were in the most important position during the entire pandemic, however, they weren't resistant to anxiety, stress, or depression. © The Electrochemical Society
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The past year saw our world afflicted by COVID-19 undergo a digital transformation which led to a majority of people and organizations gravitate towards the internet. A remote working environment complicated the pre-existent crisis of phishing where the vulnerable population incurred huge losses at the hands of internet miscreants. A phishing attack comprises an attacker that creates fake websites to fool users and steal client-sensitive data which may be in form of login, password, or credit card details. Timely detection of phishing attacks has become more crucial than ever. Hence in this paper, we provide a thorough literature survey of the various machine learning methods used for phishing detection. This thesis will discuss in detail, different approaches used by various authors over the past few years. This survey aims to identify and narrow down the best machine learning algorithms that can be adopted to develop a hybrid model which can be implemented to detect whether a website is legitimate or phishing in nature.