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There are many paths for the transmission of SarsCov2 virus. The main routes are nasal and oral and the droplets carrying the virus can also be transmitted thru ocular and skin tissues. The gastrointestinal (small intestine), nasal, ocular and skin tissues all present an acidic pH milieu and therefore any treatment with antibodies thru these routes has to have the antibodies remain active at acid pH as well as be resistant to typical protease digestion. To this end we profiled our anti-SarasCov2 receptor binding domain IgY antibodies for retention of activity at acidic and basic pHs and trypsin digestion. We find that the IgY are strongly resistant to denaturation at acid pH as well as not digested by trypsin. Our data strongly support the use of these IgY in treatment of viral transmission thru the GI, nasal, ocular and skin all tissues where the pH is acidic. We also provide an enabling platform to rapidly asses the suitability of any antibody or protein therapeutic for use at acidic pH.
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Gastrointestinal DiseasesABSTRACT
The start of the COVID-19 pandemic and official lockdown announcements had created uncertainty in global business operations. For the first time, the Indian stock market has significantly impacted. India is one of the most important rising economies in the world and has seen the value of its crucial stock indices plummet by about 40%. There are several studies on the impact of the pandemic on the stock market, but very few studies have focused on a comparative analysis of the first and second COVID-19 pandemic waves. The Fama French model of an event study is used to analyze the response of various sectoral indices during the pandemic. Although all industries were briefly damaged, the financial industry was the hardest hit. Industries such as pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and information technology had favorable or minor effects in both waves. The second wave had an insignificant impact compared to the first one, clearly indicating optimism and normality in the market despite the looming pandemic threat. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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The generation of personal protective equipment (PPE) waste due to the impact of COVID has increased multi-fold globally. In this study, pyrolysis of polyolefin-based PPEs was carried out using a bench-scale reactor of 2 kg per batch capacity. Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis of face masks was carried out to identify the optimal parameters for the pyrolysis process. Different combinations of catalysts (ZSM-5 and montmorillonite), catalyst to feed ratio (2.5% and 5%), experiment duration (2 h and 3 h), and process temperature (450 degrees C and 510 degrees C) were tested to determine the maximum yield of the pyrolysis oil. The oil and char obtained from the pyrolysis of PPEs were analyzed for its gross calorific value (GCV), elemental analysis (CHNS), and chemical composition. Based on the experiments conducted, the optimum pyrolysis temperature, catalyst, catalyst to feed ratio, and batch time for maximum oil yield (55.9% w/w) were determined to be 510 degrees C, ZSM-5, 5%, and 2 hours, respectively. Oil was free of sulfur and had a calorific value of 43.7 MJ/kg, which is comparable to commercial diesel fuel and makes it a suitable alternative fuel for ships, boilers, and furnaces.
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Introduction: Adherence to lifestyle modifications can prevent diabetes;however, this poses a challenge for most individuals. CGM is an effective tool for glycemic control and lifestyle modifications in patients with diabetes on insulin therapy. We explored the impact of CGM use in individuals with prediabetes. Hypothesis: Individuals using CGM in addition to diabetes education will show improved adherence to lifestyle modifications and greater reduction of HbA1c as compared to those receiving diabetes education alone.Design57 individuals with prediabetes were randomized to use CGM for 3 months along with diabetes education (CGM group) or receive diabetes education alone (EDU group). Food frequency (UKDDQ) and physical activity (IPAQ) questionnaires were completed by participants at the beginning and at the end of the study (6 months). Primary outcomes were lifestyle modifications and changes in HbA1c. Secondary outcomes were changes in weight and blood pressure. Results: Both groups reported an increase in healthy food choices;however, EDU group performed better (EDU: 12.4 vs 9.2, p<0.01, CGM: 10.6 vs 9.5, p 0.08). Unhealthy food choices were reduced in both groups. CGM group reported a greater increase in moderate physical activity levels (CGM: 230 vs 61 minutes/week, p 0.01, EDU: 78.5 vs 48 minutes/week, p 0.22). Vigorous physical activity was reported by more individuals in CGM group than EDU (35% vs 4%). Greater reduction in mean HbA1c was noted in CGM group (5.7 vs 5.9%, p 0.05) compared to EDU (5.8 vs 5.9%, p 0.01). 33% of participants in both groups had normalization of HbA1c at the end of study. CGM group had greater reduction in weight (3.5 vs 0.8 lb, p 0.1) and systolic BP (12 vs 2.4 mmHg, p 0.01) than EDU. Irrespective of group assignment, the study population had improvement in all outcomes despite the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic during 4th month of the study. Smaller number of participants in the CGM group reported negative impact of the pandemic on their lifestyle modifications than EDU (Diet: 68% vs 80%, Physical activity: 48% vs 64%). Majority of CGM group participants were able to maintain lifestyle changes after discontinuing CGM use (Diet: 72%, Physical activity: 84%). On comparing both interventions, 56% of CGM group participants felt CGM to be more helpful than education for lifestyle modifications, while 40% felt both interventions helped equally. Conclusions: CGM use in addition to diabetes education resulted in improvement in physical activity, food choices, HbA1c, weight, and BP in individuals with prediabetes. The significance of diabetes education was noted by greater improvement in food choices in EDU group. CGM can be an effective tool for diabetes prevention with lifestyle modifications in prediabetes. The long-term impact of CGM use and cost-benefit analysis in high-risk patients needs to be explored further.Presentation: Saturday, June 11, 2022 12:00 p.m. - 12:15 p.m.
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Background: Severe COVID-19 pneumonitis in elderly frail patients is associated with poor outcomes, and therefore invasive mechanical ventilation is often deemed an inappropriate course of action. Some evidence suggests high-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) may prevent the need for invasive ventilation in other groups of patients, but whether it is an appropriate ceiling of care for older frail patients is unknown. Method(s): We retrospectively identified patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonitis requiring FiO2 >60% who were deemed inappropriate for invasive ventilation or non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure ventilation (CPAP). Our local protocol based on national guidance suggested these patients should be considered for HFNO. We observed whether the patients received HFNO or standard oxygen therapy (SOT) and compared mortality and survival time in these groups. Result(s): We identified 81 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. From this group, 24 received HFNO and 57 received SOT. The HFNO group was similar in age, BMI and co-morbidities to the SOT group but less frail, as determined by the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). All 24 patients that received HFNO died in comparison to 46 patients (80.7%) in the SOT group. Mortality in the HFNO group was significantly higher than in the SOT group. Conclusion(s): Elderly frail patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonitis deemed inappropriate for invasive ventilation and did not benefit from HFNO. Further, HFNO may have been associated with harm in this group. Copyright © 2022 Merchant et al.
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Teaching is one of the most stressful professions since teachers have many responsibilities to meet the targets such as teaching, lesson planning, classroom management and discipline, supervisory role, extracurricular activity, etc. However, during the COVID-19 outbreak, teaching has become challenging for professional teachers. A total number of 85 professional teachers were screened, by which 73 subjects provided informed consent to take part in the study and were included in the study. A stress questionnaire developed by International Stress Management Association UK (ISMA) was used to assess the stress among professional teachers. Among the 50 subjects, five subjects had a history of hypertension, one subject had diabetes mellitus, 11 subjects had low back pain, five subjects had knee pain, and two subjects had migraine. The stress assessment questionnaire revealed that 64% of subjects were towards moderate risk, 34% high risk, and 2% low risk for stress. The present study concludes that professional teachers are at moderate to high risk of developing occupational-related stress associated with health-related problems.
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Peerconnect is a great solution for virtual event management. Peerconnect is an all-in-one event management platform for promoting and conducting online events on the same platform. The point of virtual event management software is to allow users to create hosts and manage the events at ease without having to depend on many software to accomplish different tasks. So, the event management software Peerconnect has established the pipeline for people who want to promote, manage and conduct virtual events. Organizers can create the events on the platform and can promote and sell the tickets to other users on the same platform. Organizers can host live chat rooms and live discussions with video calling capabilities as well. Peerconnect is a web application using which the user can get to know about the events which are conducted virtually. Once the user selects the event, then he has to register for it. Once the registration is successful, user can attend the event on the same platform. Once the registration is successful, users can successfully login and they can search for an event that they are interested in and filter them according to their interests. Once the user selects the event then they have to register for it. Once registration for the event is successful, user can join the event in just one click and attend the event on the same platform and can download the participation certificate as well. If a registered user misses an event, he can still watch the recorded session of that event anytime after its completion. The event organizer can create an organization and later post the event. During the event, the organizer can send files and use the chat feature to engage and clear doubts of the attendees. They can also share their screen so that it is visible to all the attendees. Organizers can also capture the attendance of those who are attending, based on which the attendees can be able to download their participation certificates. © 2022 IEEE.
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As rightly said, prevention is better than cure. Vaccines have been instrumental in preventing pathogenic infectious diseases for humans, and among seventy infectious diseases, we have only thirty vaccines that help us unreliable. Some basic vaccines have to be taken by every single individual. It will prevent us from getting prone to diseases. The main motive of this project is to provide a virtual platform that gives all the detailed information regarding the vaccines along with the age limit provided through reminder short messages service (SMS) and an email message. It recommends hospitals that provide the required vaccines in their locality. It also shows the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. It also helps the user access the web application in their preferred language to be helpful to understand. It checks the user’s age and matches with the eligibility for the vaccine. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has received extensive media coverage, with a vast variety of claims made about different aspects of the virus. In order to track these claims, we present COVID-19 Claim Radar(1), a system that automatically extracts claims relating to COVID-19 in news articles. We provide a comprehensive structured view of such claims, with rich attributes (such as claimers and their affiliations) and associated knowledge elements (such as events, relations and entities). Further, we use this knowledge to identify inter-claim connections such as equivalent, supporting, or refuting relations, with shared structural evidence like claimers, similar centroid events and arguments. In order to consolidate claim structures at the corpus-level, we leverage Wikidata(2) as the hub to merge coreferential knowledge elements, and apply machine translation to aggregate claims from news articles in multiple languages. The system provides users with a comprehensive exposure to COVID-19 related claims, their associated knowledge elements, and related connections to other claims. The system is publicly available on GitHub(3) and DockerHub(4), with complete documentation(5).
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Background and aims: A global study with equitable participation for cirrhosis and chronic liver disease (CLD) outcomes is needed. We initiated the Chronic Liver disease Evolution And Registry for Events and Decompensation (CLEARED) study to provide this global perspective. Aim to evaluate determinants of inpatient mortality and organ dysfunction in a multi-center worldwide study. Method: We prospectively enrolled pts with CLD/Cirrhosis >18 years without organ transplant or COVID-19 who were admitted non-electively. To maintain equity in outcome analysis, a maximum of 50 pts/site were allowed. Data for admission variables, hospital course, and inpatient outcomes (ICU, death, organ dysfunction [ODF]) were recorded. This was analyzed for death and ODs using significant variables on admission and including World Bank classification of low/middle-income countries (LMIC). A model for in-hospital mortality for all variables during the hospital course, including ODs) was analyzed. Results: 1383 pts (55 ± 13 yrs, 64% men, 39% White, 30% Asian, 10% Hispanic, 9% Black, 12% other) were enrolled from 49 centers (Fig A). 39% were from high-income while the rest were from LMICs. Admission MELDNa 23 (6–40) with history in past 6 months of hospitalizations 51%, infections 25%, HE 32%, AKI 23%, prior LVP 15%, hydrothorax 8% and HCC 4%. Leading etiologies were Alcohol 46% then NASH 23%, HCV 11% and HBV 13%. Most were on lactulose 52%, diuretics 53%, PPI 49% and statins 11%, SBP prophylaxis 16%, beta-blockers 35% and rifaximin 31%. 90% were admitted for liver-related reasons;GI bleed 30%, HE 34%, AKI 33%, electrolyte issues 30%, anasarca 24% and 25% admission infections. In-hospital course: Median LOS was 7 (1–140) days with 25% needing ICU. 15% died in hospital, 3% were transplanted, 46% developed AKI,15% grade 3–4 HE, 14% shock, 13% nosocomial infections and 13% needed ventilation. Logistic Regression: Fig B shows that liver-related/unrelated factors on admission which predicted in-hospital mortality and development of organ dysfunction with MELDNa and Infections being common among all models. Nosocomial infections and organ dysfunctions predicted mortality when all variables were considered. High-income countries had better mortality outcomes likely due to transplant and ICU availability. AUCs were >0.75 (Figure Presented) Conclusion: In this worldwide equitable experience, admission cirrhosis severity and infections are associated with inpatient outcomes, which are greater in low-income settings. Liver-related and unrelated factors and regional variations are important in defining critical care goals and outcome models in inpatients with cirrhosis.
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The fourth booster vaccination was approved in Israel during Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant surge due to increasing SARS-CoV2 breakthrough infections among recently vacci-nated, reasons for this resurgence is not clear. In this Observational study, we analyzed verified SARS-CoV2 infections among over 60 years of age based on vaccination schedule (December 20, 2020-January 29, 2022);infec-tions, severe illness and deaths based on vac-cine immunity (between August 1, 2021-Janu-ary 29, 2022) using Israel COVID-19 dashboard data. There were a total of 214,394 SARS-CoV2 infections (December 20, 2020-Janaury 29, 2022;based vaccination schedule), 165,899 infections;6,267 severe illnesses and 2,031 deaths (August 1, 2021-Janaury 29, 2022) an-alyzed based vaccine immunity among over 60 years old. Vaccination with two doses, main-tained vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 93.2% (95% CI 90-95.5%) for 16 weeks until May 8, 2021 with 14.2% breakthrough infections. When there were no public health restrictions (June-July 2021) partially vaccinated has significantly lower infection rates (X2 [2, N=721]=190.79,p<0.001) with VE of 80.4% (95% CI 69.1-98.3%), while in-fection rates among vaccinated with two doses and unvaccinated are not statistically significant and decline of VE to 6.4% (95% CI -9.9-19.3%) among vaccinated with two doses. After rein-statement of restrictions since July 29, 2021, the VE of vaccinated with two doses improved to 68.0% (95% CI 56.7-76.7%), the third booster showed significantly higher breakthrough infec-tions (26.4%) and a shorter period of 12 weeks effectiveness until October 23, 2021 and by No-vember 20, 2021 the infections rates of vacci-nated with third booster are not statistically bet-ter than partially vaccinated (X2 [1, N=54]=1,85, p=0.17). During the Omicron variant surge, the VE of third booster declined to 42.7% (95% CI 39.9-45.3%) and the infection rates were sig-nificantly higher than vaccinated with two doses (X2[1,N=5898]=8.50, p=0.003) as of January 15, 2022 and subsequently showed improvement in VE to 51.7% (95% CI 50.2-53.2%) and signifi-cantly lower infection rates than vaccinated with two doses (X2[1,N=12380]=98.28, p=<0.001) by January 29, 2022. The vaccinated without valid-ity group (partially vaccinated;past 1-2 doses with expired Green Passes) showed significant-ly lower infection rates (X2 [1, N=15727]=295.3, p<0.001) during December 5,2021-January 29, 2022 period compared to vaccinated with validity (95% of them received third booster dose, and have Green Pass access) group that showed significantly increased infection rates and substantially increased percentages of se-vere illness and deaths.
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Observations have suggested that during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, because of lockdown students who are in process of doing their thesis related work exhibit responses related to stress due to the fear of spread contagion and because of various limitations in performing thesis work, especially patient-oriented collection of data and clinical work. The present study aimed to determine various problems faced by the students in postgraduate courses for completing their thesis during pandemic. This was a prospective and cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire. This study was comprised of a total sample size of 300 postgraduate students of different disciplines in the health stream. The study was conducted between June 2021 and December 2021. The prepared study questionnaire was sent to postgraduates by use of electronic mail. Of the total selected students, 280 had responded with complete answers to the questionnaire. Collected data were entered into a Microsoft Excel sheet and analyzed for percentage distribution. 50.7% of postgraduates were found in the age range of 26-30 years, 73.1% were female and 35.6% were in their final year of postgraduation. It was seen that 6.5% were unable to procure ethical approval due to the pandemic, and 43.1% were not able to get permission from the board due to the sudden pandemic. 64.9% were unable to collect data for their thesis, and 18% were unable to report to supervisors. 86.9% of postgraduates suffered from anxiety due to the inability to perform thesis work. 78.9% of postgraduate students had a decrease in motivation for a thesis and 89.1% suffered from anxiety. Due to the ongoing pandemic, postgraduate students are facing many problems in completing their thesis work. This resulted in anxiety and stress themselves.
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Introduction: Novel coronavirus affects different individuals in different ways, with most people recovering with mild to moderate illness not requiring hospitalization. Liver transplant for end-stage liver disease is a lifesaving procedure, and though living donor liver transplant (LDLT) is a well-planned elective surgery, it was considered a semi-emergency owing to the decompensation of the recipient posing a challenge to the transplant team owing to the situation of the pandemic. The availability of liver grafts from cadaveric donors in India was 0.65 per million population until 2019 as per the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization statistics which was sparse and further accentuated, leaving LDLT as the only option during the pandemic. Aim: This study aims to describe our experience and testing protocol for COVID-19 disease for the patients undergoing liver transplant during the pandemic at our hospital, which is a tertiary care referral hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study done at AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, India. Fifty adult patients who underwent LDLT and deceased donor liver transplant from May 2020 to December 2020 were included in the study. Exclusion Criteria: All recipients and donors with reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) positive for SARS CoV2;and COVID-19 disease reporting and data system (CO-RADS) score of 4 or 5 on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) chest. Results: The mean age of the recipients was 46 years, and the donors was 36 years;the most common indication being acute-on-chronic liver failure with failed medical therapies and the second common being hepatocellular carcinoma. All the 50 recipients were RT-PCR negative for SARS CoV2;8 out of whom had a CO-RADS score of 3;and 4 out of the 8 were post-COVID-19 infection who had IgG positive and IgM negative;and the other 4 were both IgG and IgM negative, similarly 4 out of 8 donors were IgG positive. Intraoperative and postoperative period was uneventful. None of the donors or recipients were infected with COVID-19 disease during the hospital stay and up to 1 month postoperative. One patient died within 1 month due to sudden cardiac arrest. Conclusion: In our experience, with meticulous testing and proper care, there is a favorable outcome for liver transplant even during the pandemic.
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COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered corona virus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. This paper focuses on a Time Series Model to predict COVID-19 Outbreaks in India. Every day data of fresh COVID-19 confirmed cases act as an exogenous factor in this frame. Our data envelops the time period from 01st Sep, 2020 to 9th Dec, 2020. COVID-19 Corona virus disease has been recognized as a worldwide hazard, and most of the studies are being conducted using diverse mathematical techniques to forecast the probable evolution of this outbreak. These mathematical models based on various factors and analyses are subject to potential bias. Here, we put forward a natural Times Series (TS) model that could be very useful to predict the spread of COVID-19. Here, a popular method Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) TS model is performed on the real COVID-19 data set to predict the outbreak trend of the prevalence and incidence of COVID-19 in.India. The time series under study is a non-stationary. Results obtained in the study revealed that the ARIMA model has a strong potential for prediction. The model predicted maximum COVID-19 cases in India at around 14, 22,337 with an interval (12, 80,352 - 15, 69, 817) during 1st Sep to 9th Dec period cumulatively. As per the model, the number of new cases shall fluctuate drastically in India. The results will help governments to make necessary arrangements as per the estimated cases. This kind of analysis and implications of ARIMA models and fitting procedures are useful in forecasting COVID-19 Outbreaks in India. © 2022 Author(s).
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Patient queues are frequent in medical care, and one indicator of access to healthcare is waiting time. We explain queuing theory - an empirical method that provides service providers with a lot of experience in the design and management of existing services. This paper focuses on the pattern of arrival and the facilities available in the hospital in Vijayanagara District. The most important purpose of this research was to provide policymakers with knowledge to contribute to the well-being of the population by reducing waiting time for service, since long queues in exceeding cases will delay effective decisions about a particular disease that may cause death while waiting for service by patients. In this study, the waiting time of patients in the ambient department was first analyzed with the M / M/1 queuing method after measuring the mean number of patients served per hour and their median number in the hour. Additional findings of the workers questionnaire were evaluated to know. © 2022 Author(s).
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INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: As of June 2021, three vaccines have been issued Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to combat SARS-CoV-2. However, vaccine hesitancy rates have remained steady with 10.2% of Americans stating they probably not get a vaccine, and 8.2% stating they would definitely not get a vaccine. Thus, we evaluated the current reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the unvaccinated U.S. population. METHODS Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) was used to survey the unvaccinated U.S. adult population between June 30 - July 1, 2021. The survey was available to complete for individuals above the age of 18 located in the United States who never received any COVID-19 vaccine at any time. The anonymous 32-question survey focused on identifying perceptions toward COVID-19 vaccination and potential factors that may encourage uptake. Demographic information such as age, race/ethnicity, and relationship status were collected for analysis. RESULTS: A total of 914 adults responded to our survey with 53% of respondents identifying as cis-male and 42% as cis-female. When assessing reasons why individuals have elected against vaccination, we found that 58% are worried about unknown long term adverse effects (Figure 1A). Of these, 41% believed the 'COVID-19 vaccines can negatively impact reproductive health and or fertility, and 38% were unsure of the effects on fertility (Figure 1B). In addition, 48% of all unvaccinated respondents said additional information and research conducted on COVID-19 vaccines would encourage vaccination while only 11% of them claimed that financial incentives would encourage them. CONCLUSIONS: Using Amazon MTurk, we demonstrated that fertility concerns constitute a significant barrier to vaccine uptake among the unvaccinated U.S. population. In addition, we found that more information and research conducted on the COVID-19 vaccines would encourage vaccination among all unvaccinated respondent in addition to those fearful of fertility side effects. Such information may be of immense use to public health officials in promoting COVID-19 vaccine uptake and protecting the U.S. population amidst this global pandemic.
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INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: SARS-CoV-2 utilizes two integral membrane proteins ACE2 and TMPRSS2 for viral replication. It has been established TMPRS22 specifically is found in high concentrations throughout the prostate found to be linked to prostatic disease progression. This project examined the histopathological, ultrastructural, and immunofluorescent elements of prostatic tissue from men infected by SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: We evaluated prostate tissue in men with worsening lower urinary tract symptoms who underwent HoLEP procedure after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Biopsied tissue was visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunofluorescence, and viral presence was confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Multiple coronavirus-like spiked viral particles ranging from 73.3mm to 109mm were visualized by TEM (Figure). Histochemical and immunofluorescence concurrently showed presence of distinct hyalinization, fibrosis, and presence of spike protein (Figure 2). RT-PCR confirmed the identity of the viral bodies as SARS-CoV-2 (Figure 3). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that SARSCoV- 2 not only enters prostatic tissue but may persist beyond initial infection period. In addition to establishing the persistence of SARSCoV- 2 particles in prostatic tissue, this report suggests the importance of discerning the relationships between COVID-19, lower urinary tract symptom severity, and prostatic hyperplasia. (Figure Presented).