Evaluation of air quality and its variation due to COVID-19 lockdown in Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Air pollution in India is a serious health issue. A countrywide lockdown was imposed in India in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, firstly for three weeks starting from March 24 to April 14, 2020, and then extended until May 3, 2020. Because of the restrictions imposed, pollution levels in cities all over the country have dropped dramatically in just a few days, raised questions among scientists about lockdown as the most effective alternative approach for reducing air pollution. Hyderabad was chosen for this study because it is India's 5th largest city by area and 4th largest city by population, as well as major industrial centre in South-East Asia with strong air quality statistics. In light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak around the country, a detailed analysis based on air quality parameters from six distinct air quality monitoring sites in Hyderabad, Telangana, has been performed. For simple interpretation of air quality data, establishing a correlation between different pollutants, identifying sources of pollution, and determining the most significant parameters, different multivariate statistical approaches such as Cluster analysis (CA), Principle component analysis (PCA), correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis (MLR) were used. The aim of this study is to evaluate the major air pollution sources in Hyderabad and to identify the most significant air pollutants based on their individual contributions to the Air Quality Index (AQI). Variation in air quality parameters collected for six air quality monitoring stations were represented using box or whisker plots. The data set has been grouped into four major clusters depending on the similarities in the air quality data. Major sources of air pollution in each cluster were identified using PCA. MLR analysis was used to create models for predicting AQI for each cluster based on concentrations of important air contaminants. The findings revealed that PM10 and PM2.5 play a significant role in determining AQI levels. © 2023 Author(s).

Assessment of changes in air quality in Bangalore, India, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown: Statistical modelling

COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a halt to the daily lifestyle of people around the world and bound them to abide by the lockdown measures enforced to prevent the disease from further spreading. In India also, lockdown has been enforced from March 2020. As a result, the level of air pollutants in the atmosphere goes on decreasing. To know the air quality pattern of Bangalore city, ten stations around the city were selected. Air quality data of these stations has been availed from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India website. Box chart concept of graphical representation has been applied to show the range of temporal variation of the air pollutants selected (CO, NO2, Ozone, PM2.5, PM10 and SO2) for the study area over two distinct periods (pre-lockdown and post-lockdown). It has been observed that all the pollutants level were drastically or significantly reduced except for SO2 which showed mixed behavior during the entire study period probably due to no restriction on the operation of power plants. GIS based contour mapping is done for each pollutant over the entire study area and separately for two distinct periods (pre-lockdown and post-lockdown). It was found that, change in CO level over the entire study area was significant and the reason behind it was complete restriction on vehicular movement which is the primary reason for CO emission in atmosphere. Reduction in PMs and ozone was also noticeable, but change in SO2 over the entire study area was almost insignificant. To find out the probable sources of pollution during the lockdown and before the lockdown period and the most significant parameters statistical approach has been adopted. The whole data set has been grouped based on similarity and divided into three distinct clusters for both pre-lockdown and post-lockdown period separately using Hierarchical Agglomerative Cluster Analysis (HACA) concept. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was done for each of the clusters and each time period considered. From the results of PCA it can be confirmed that the most significant parameters were PM10, PM2.5, ozone and SO2. Results suggest that the probable sources of pollution during pre-lockdown period were vehicular emissions, power plants, industrial activities etc. In contrast, during post-lockdown period the sources of pollution were power plants, construction sites and household pollution only. MLR (Multiple Linear Regression) models were developed to predict Air Quality Index (AQI). Most of the models showed good fit with adjusted R2 value more than 0.9. Regression coefficient (R2) values for PM10 followed PM2.5 were highest in each cluster. © 2023 Author(s).

Pandemic Produce: Impacts of COVID-19 on Florida's Fruit and Vegetable Industries

Florida has one of the most diverse agricultural economies in the United States, producing several dozen types of fruits and vegetables that are consumed within the state, across the country, and around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting policy responses occurred during the peak of spring harvest season for many crops in Florida, abruptly removing market demand from the food service industry and shifting consumer purchasing habits, which enabled insights into several aspects of the fruit and vegetable supply chain. This article examines how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted fruit and vegetable industries in Florida, how these industries responded to COVID-19 impacts, and how Florida's experience compared to that of other states. Data are derived from several sources including a statewide survey that measured agricultural production losses in Florida resulting from COVID-19 in early 2020, interviews with Florida operations that provided insights into how the pandemic induced change across the food supply chain, and a survey of food supply chain operations in three regions of the United States conducted in 2021. © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.

What Will Be the Most Critical Driver of Population Dynamics: Climate Change, the COVID-19 Pandemic, or Both?

The world has already experienced many extreme weather events and the consequences of these events are severe and will become even more severe in scope and intensity. In addition to the risks and crises associated with climate change, the world has also had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in many deaths and socio-economic and psychological consequences. Since both (climate change and pandemics) affect human life in different ways, including population dynamics in terms of fertility, mortality and migration, this study aims to critically review the literature and discuss whether one or both issues will be the most influential driving force. The study also aims to look at the effects on population dynamics by visiting the arguments, results and implications of different studies to understand the diversified effects on society. The examination of the relevant studies shows that the frequency and magnitude of extreme climate events and COVID-19 are spatially different and the impacts of both events are geographically uneven and impose a double burden on humans and their well-being. For example, due to their vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change and the recent pandemic, poorer countries have a lower adaptive capacity and generally experience difficulties rebuilding and recovering from losses and damages. In addition, the results of the studies included in the assessment indicate that climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to affect population dynamics—mortality, migration and fertility. Extreme weather events and the recent pandemic may contribute to mortality differences, migration decisions, and fertility intentions, given the experience of weather events and the recent pandemic. Moreover, the effects of climate change and the pandemic are mixed, with either upward or downward trends, or sometimes both, in demographic components. This study argues for serious consideration of these issues as they will affect population dynamics closely linked to socio-economic, cultural, and political issues. There is an urgent need for detailed studies of the inevitable consequences of climate change and the recent pandemic by examining their impact on population dynamics. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Cotrimoxazole in hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 - interim results from the CoTroxCov study

Background: Severe COVID-19 has been attributed to a hyperimmune response mediated by cytokines. The mainstay of therapy remains largely supportive along with steroids. Co-trimoxazole in addition to having antimicrobial properties has immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties and could potentially improve outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 . Hypothesis: We hypothesised that Co-trimoxazole given to patients with severe COVID-19 could prevent progression to critical illness, mortality and reduce time to recovery. Method(s): We conducted an interim analysis in our single center open-label randomised control trial, in which hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 requiring supplemental oxygen via non-rebreathe mask between 10 -15 Litres per minute and maintaining saturations between 92-96% were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either oral Cotrimoxazole in addition to standard therapy or standard therapy alone. Result(s): 111 patients were recruited into the study, of which 56 patients received Co-trimoxazole and 55 received standard therapy alone. The mean age was 50 years in the Co-trimoxazole group versus 53 years in the standard therapy group (p=0.083). In-hospital mortality was 11% in the Co-trimoxazole group vs 29% in the standard therapy group (p=0.020). Mechanical ventilation was offered to 9% of the patients in the Co-trimoxazole group versus 13% of the patients in the standard therapy group. Time to recovery was 6 days in the Co-trimoxazole group versus 7 days in the standard therapy group (p=0.466). Conclusion(s): In this interim analysis oral Co-trimoxazole reduces mortality in patients with severe Covid-19. Further recruitment is underway.

kNN-SVM with Deep Features for COVID-19 Pneumonia Detection from Chest X-ray

Most attention has been paid to chest Computed Tomography (CT) in this burgeoning crisis because many cases of COVID-19 demonstrate respiratory illness clinically resembling viral pneumonia which persists in prominent visual signatures on high-resolution CT befitting of viruses that damage lungs. However, CT is very expensive, time-consuming, and inaccessible in remote hospitals. As an important complement, this research proposes a novel kNN-regularized Support Vector Machine (kNN-SVM) algorithm for identifying COVID-induced pneumonia from inexpensive and simple frontal chest X-ray (CXR). To compute the deep features, we used transfer learning on the standard VGG16 model. Then the autoencoder algorithm is used for dimensionality reduction. Finally, a novel kNN-regularized Support Vector Machine algorithm is developed and implemented which can successfully classify the three classes: Normal, Pneumonia, and COVID-19 on a benchmark chest X-ray dataset. kNN-SVM combines the properties of two well-known formalisms: k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN) and Support Vector Machines (SVMs). Our approach extends the total-margin SVM, which considers the distance of all points from the margin;each point is weighted based on its k nearest neighbors. The intuition is that examples that are mostly surrounded by similar neighbors, i.e., of their own class, are given more priority to minimize the influence of drastic outliers and improve generalization and robustness. Thus, our approach combines the local sensitivity of kNN with the global stability of the total-margin SVM. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that the proposed kNN-SVM can detect COVID-19-induced pneumonia from chest X-ray with greater or comparable accuracy relative to human radiologists. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Vaccination, Compliance with Preventive Measures and Mental Health during COVID-19 among Adults in Bangladesh: Do Vaccination and Compliance with Preventive Measures Improve Mental Health?

Background and Objective: In addition to the reduction of risk of COVID-19 transmission and mortality, vaccination and compliance with the preventive measures of COVID-19 may have important additional benefits for the improvement of mental health. This study examined the levels and determinants of vaccination, compliance with preventive measures, and anxiety, depression and stress among Bangladeshi adults. It also examined the effects of vaccination and compliance with preventive measures on mental health status among Bangladeshi adults. Methods: Data for the study come from an online survey conducted during November and December 2021 among Bangladeshi adults. A total of 615 adults participated in the survey. A 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress scale (DASS 21) were used for collecting data on mental health. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods including multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: About 69% of Bangladeshi adults were vaccinated with at least one dose;87% of adults believed that vaccines are moderate to highly effective in reducing COVID-19 infection. Among the preventive measures during a pandemic, the level of complete compliance with wearing masks and hand washing was almost universal, while the compliance level with other preventive measures was moderate. Vaccinated people had a 55% (OR=0.45;95%CI:0.26-0.82), 67% (OR=0.33;95%CI:0.12-0.91), and 44% (OR=0.56;95%CI:0.27-0.97) lower chance of suffering from depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively than non-vaccinated people. People with complete compliance had 64% (OR= 0.36;95%CI:0.18-0.72), 71% (OR=0.29;95%CI:0.15-0.58), and 74% (OR=0.26;95%CI:0.13-0.50) lower risk of suffering from depression, anxiety, and stress, respectively, than respondents with irregular preventive behaviors.Conclusion: This study documents the important psychological benefits of vaccination and compliance with preventive measures of COVID-19 © 2022 Singha et al.;Licensee Lifescience Global. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited

Inducible nitric oxide synthase deficiency leads to early and severe demyelination in a murine coronavirus induced disease model of multiple sclerosis

Introduction: Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) catalyses production of nitric oxide during an inflammatory stimuli and is a signature marker of M1-like microglia/macrophages. iNOS mRNA and protein were found in brain lesions of MS patients however its role in demyelination remains unclear. We employed RSA59, a mild hepatoneurotropic strain of Mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) which in 4-weeks-old C57BL/6 mice causes biphasic CNS disease characterised by acute neuroinflammation (day5 p.i.) and chronic demyelination and axonal loss (day30 p.i.). Microglia/ macrophages are central to the disease pathology and require assistance from infiltrating CD4+ T cells to mount protective host immune response. The CNS immune interactions during the acute-adaptive transition stage thus determine disease trajectory. Objective(s): To understand the role of iNOS in microglia/macrophage and peripheral T cell communication and assess its effect on demyelination. Aim(s): To study the role of iNOS in demyelination. Method(s): 4-5-weeks-old MHV-free wildtype C57BL/6 (WT) and iNOS knockout (iNOS-/-) mice were infected intracranially with 20000 or 10000 pfus of RSA59 and assessed daily for weight loss and disease score. Mice were sacrificed at day9/10 and day30 p.i. CNS viral titers were detected by plaque assay. Transcript levels of anti-inflammatory and phagocytic M2-like phenotype markers were analysed by qRT PCR. Differential CNS immune cell infiltration was assessed by flow cytometry. LFB and Iba1 staining was used to study demyelination and microglia/macrophage activation in the CNS. Result(s): iNOS-/- mice infected with RSA59 at 20000 pfus exhibited aggravated disease and high mortality at the acute-adaptive transition stage i.e., day9/10 p.i. as compared to wildtype controls despite being no differences in virus clearance by the CNS. Histopathology at this stage showed early demyelination in the spinal cords accompanied by presence of amoeboid microglia macrophages;high CNS mRNA expression of M2-like phenotype markers, TGFbeta, Arg1, CD206 and TREM2;and more infiltration of T regulatory cells. iNOS-/- mice infected at low pfus of virus i.e., 10000 also showed significantly more chronic demyelination at day30 p.i. Conclusion(s): Our studies reveal a protective role of iNOS against RSA59 induced demyelination by regulating the CNS inflammatory phenotype specifically the phenotypic transition of microglia/macrophages and thereby their interaction with peripheral immune cells.

PHASE III TRIAL of MOLNUPIRAVIR in ADULTS with MILD SARS-CoV-2 INFECTION in INDIA

Background: To improve the management of SARS-Co2 infection there is an urgent unmet need for an orally administered antiviral drug to prevent disease progression, hospitalization, and clinical complications. Molnupiravir was developed in response to this need. This study assesses its efficacy and safety in Indian patients with mild SARS-CoV2 infection. Methods: This study is a phase III multi-centre open label randomized controlled trial of oral molnupiravir plus standard of care (MOL/SOC) versus SOC alone in Indian adults with mild SARS-CoV2 infection. The molnupiravir formulation used was developed and manufactured by HETERO LABS LTD, Hyderabad, India, under license from MERCK INC, NJ, USA. Eligible patients with RT PCR-confirmed mild SARS CoV2 infection, uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection, with mild symptoms without any evidence of breathlessness, were randomized 1:1 to either oral MOL 800 mg b.i.d. for 5 days plus SOC or SOC alone. The primary endpoint was rate of hospitalization up to day 14. Secondary endpoints included proportion with a 2-point improvement in WHO 11-Point Clinical Progression Scale and rate of SARS CoV2 RT PCR negativity in naso/oropharyngeal swab at day 5, 10 and 14 and incidence of adverse events. Results: Of 1284 patients screened, 1218 were eligible and randomized, 608 to MOL+SOC, and 610 to SOC. The population consisted mainly of male patients (68%). Both arms were well balanced for age, height and weight. In the MOL/SOC arm 9 patients (1.5%) required hospitalisation vs. 26 (4.3%) in the SOC arm (p<0.01). In the MOL/SOC arm 80.8%, 95.6% and 97.4% had clinical improvement by Day 5, 10 and 14, respectively, compared to 32.1%, 74.3% and 94.1% in the SOC arm (p<0.0001 at day 5 and 10, and <0.01 at day 14). The rate of SARS CoV2 negativity was 77.1%, 91.3% and 93.9% in MOL/SOC vs. 29.3%, 70.2% and 89.0% in SOC at day 5, 10 and 14, respectively (p<0.001). There were no serious adverse events. Mild and self-limiting adverse events occurred in 4.8% of MOL/SOC and 2.6% of SOC participants. The most common adverse events were neurological (headache, somnolence) and gastrointestinal. Conclusion: A lower rate of hospitalisation, earlier clinical improvement, and earlier SARS CoV2 RT PCR negativity document superiority of Molnupiravir to SOC in mild SARS-CoV2 infection in this trial in India. Molnupiravir was well tolerated: adverse events were mild and rare.

Surfactant-based therapy against COVID-19: A review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to serious health and economic damage to all over the world, and it still remains unstoppable. The SARS-CoV-2, by using its S-glycoprotein, binds with an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 re-ceptor, mostly present in alveolar epithelial type II cells. Eventually pulmonary surfactant depletion occurs. The pulmonary surfactant is necessary for maintaining the natural immunity as well as the surface tension reduction within the lung alveoli during the ex-piration. Its insufficiency results in the reduction of blood oxyge-nation, poor pulmonary regeneration, lung fibrosis, and finally the respiratory system collapses. Exogenous surfactants have pre-viously shown great promise in the treatment of infant respiratory distress syndrome, and they may also aid in the healing of dam-aged alveolar cells and the prevention of respiratory failure. Sur-factant based therapy has been advised for the prevention of COVID-19, and the trials have begun around the world. Further-more, greater research on the timing, dose, and the distribution of surfactant to the COVID-19 patients is required before this tech-nique can be implemented in clinical practice.

Ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine for chemo-prophylaxis of COVID-19: A questionnaire survey of perception and prescribing practice of physicians vis-à-vis outcomes

Background: Chemoprophylaxis (CP) along with masking and physical distancing seem an undeniable alternative. Considering the significant but uncertain role of CP for the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, we aimed to determine the various aspects of CP prescribing practices among physicians across India. Methods: An online survey was conducted among prescribing physicians across India where physicians were assessed for their prescribing practices on COVID-19 CP. Responses to the questionnaire were obtained via telephone, email and WhatsApp messages. Responses were duly analyzed thereafter. Result: Ivermectin was the preffered choice in 44% individuals followed by hydroxychloroquine in 34% individuals. Odds of COVID contact among those using HCQ and/or IVR prophylaxis was less than 1 of which IVR was found more protective. The present study also made a survey among 309 community dwellers, where odds of contacted COVID among those with any prophylaxis was 0.46 times than those without any prophylaxis. Conclusion: The HCPs found IVR to have a greater risk reduction than with HCQ;while the combination showed the greatest reduction and lack of CP use was associated with a high risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. © 2021 Journal of Association of Physicians of India. All rights reserved.

Short-term electrical load forecasting via deep learning algorithms to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on power demand

The COVID-19 situation has created an exceptional challenge in the power management system (PMS). This work mainly focuses on the load management through load forecasting. Power generation and distribution is the most important part of PMS. Accurate load forecasting can help to secure electricity scheduling, supply, and reduce the wastage of power. Right now, social distancing has created a great challenge to the administrators to run the power system efficiently and uninterruptedly with minimum involvement of human. In the sector of load management, it can be done through a proper and faster load forecasting approach. Electrical Load Forecasting through deep learning algorithm can perform an effective role in Power Management System (PMS). In this research real data is collected from West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL) and meteorological data like temperature and humidity are collected from the website of Bangladesh Meteorological Department to train and forecast electrical load using MATLAB. Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM), Feed Forward Back Propagation (FFBP) and ELMAN Neural Network (NN) are used to forecast electrical load. As exogenous data, the load factor (L.F.), power factor (P.F.), current and temperature were used to train algorithms in forecasting the electrical load. A comparative analysis is shown to indicate which is the best suitable method for load forecasting of WZPDCL. Electrical load forecasting results are evaluated through Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). In this research for short-term electrical load forecasting, Feed Forward Back Propagation has shown a minimum RMSE value. © 2021 IEEE.

Ivermectin in COVID 19 — promises and prospects

Age old anthelmintic drug ivermectin Is showing some promises In the management of COVID 19 patients. In vitro study suggests anti SARS CoV2 viral role of ivermectin but there is some controversy regarding dose selection. Ivermectin has immunomodulatory roie which may be responsible for Its beneficial effects. Though it Is not included in interim COVID 19 management guideline by GOt, but several states like West Bengal, Bihar, UP, Assam have included it in state COVID 19 management guideline. It Is important to be vigilant and more focused to prospectlvely observe the outcome in COVID 19 patients. © 2020, Indian Medical Association. All rights reserved.

KRÍZ ÍLETÍŞÍMÍNDE ÍNFOGRAFÍK KULLANIMI: COVÍD-19 PANDEMÍ SÜRECÍNDE ÍNFOGRAFÍKLER ÜZERÍNE BÍR ÍNCELEME

Mevcut COVID-19 salgını tüm dünyada insanları etkileyen küresel bir sa&gcaron;lık krizidir. 2020 yılının Mart ayında teyit edilmiş vaka sayısı hızla artmış, salgın Dünya Sa&gcaron;lık Örgütü tarafından pandemi kategorisine alınmıştır. Pandemi gibi büyük krizler büyük çaplı davranış de&gcaron;işiklikleri gerektirir, bireylere önemli yükler getirir. Bu süreçte pandeminin olumsuz etkilerini azaltmak, kamuoyunun do&gcaron;ru bilgilere ulaşmasını sa&gcaron;lamak ve bireylere yol göstermek üzere başta ülkelerin sa&gcaron;lık bakanlıkları olmak üzere tüm kurumlara önemli görevler düşmektedir. Pandemi ile mücadelede toplum ile ba&gcaron;kurulmasını sa&gcaron;layan iletişim araçlarının önemi her geçen gün daha iyi anlaşılmaktadır. Ínfografikler hızlı kavrayış ve hızlı hareket gerektiren konularda kaynak ve alıcıya büyük imkânlar sunmaktadır. Bilgilerin uzun metinler yerine grafikler ile aktarıldığı infografikler verilerin bir bakışta kolayca anlaşılmasın&0131;, bireylerle ilişki kurmay&0131;, zor kavramların daha kolay kavranmasını ve tıbbi jargonun anlaşılır hale gelmesini sa&gcaron;lar. Bu çalışmada Türkiye'de Sa&gcaron;lık Bakanlığı'nın hazırlayıp dağıttığı COVÍD-19 temalı infografikler görsel tasarım, anlam ve yazında bulunan izleyici tercihleri varsayımlarına göre incelenmiş, pandemi ile mücadelede nasıl kullanıldıkları ortaya koyulmuştur.Alternate abstract:The current COVID - 19 disease is a crisis that affects people all over the world. The number of confirmed cases increased rapidly in March 2020, and the epidemic was placed in the pandemic category by the World Health Organization. Large crises such as a pandemic require major behavioral changes, imposing significant burdens on individuals. In this process all institutions, especially the health ministries of the countries, have important duties in order to reduce the negative effects of the pandemic, provide the public with the right information and guide individuals. The importance of communication tools that ensure the connection with the society in the fight against the pandemic is better understood day by day. Infographics offer great opportunities to the source and the receivers in matters requiring rapid understanding and rapid movement. Infographics, in which the information is transferred with graphics instead of long texts, allow the data to be easily understood at a glance, to establish relationships with individuals, to comprehend difficult concepts and to make the medical jargon understandable. In this study, the infographics prepared and distributed by the Ministry of Health in Turkey were examined in terms of visual design, composition and meaning and how they are used to combat the pandemic.