Realization of Coronavirus Testing Kit Using a Combination of a Triangular Photonic Crystal (PhC) Structure and a 412 nm Laser Beam

The design of a Covid-19 testing kit is proposed in this research using a photonic crystal structure (PhC) and a violet laser beam. The basic principle of this structure relies on the phenomenon of absorbance reflectance and transmission at the signal of a 412 nm laser beam. Finally, the transmitted light energy through the PhC structure is the conclusive factor to detect the types of virus which is the function of the reflectance and absorbance. The reflected light energy is computed by plane wave expansion (PWE) whereas the absorbance of light energy is obtained through numerical computation. The notable advantages of this technique are that the virus related to Covid-19 can be recognized by observing the colour of transmitted energy through a photo energy meter. Finally, the outcomes of the research affirm that the sample could be Covid-19 if the output energy would be infrared (IR). Similarly, the sample could be a normal coronavirus, if the output energy would lie within the visible regime.

Realization of 20 Monochromatic Laser Beams Using a Photonic Crystal (PhC) Structure via the Principle of Filtering

The current work employs a Si-based one-dimensional (1-D) photonic struc-ture which delivers 20 different types of monochromatic laser beam via the filtering action. The I/P signals are essentially varying from visible to near infrared (NIR) range to justify the work. Though similar types of work related to filtering application are found in the literature, the present research deals with an output laser beam which could be deployed in different pur-poses vis-a-vis dentistry, dermatology, spectroscopy, printing, holography, barcode scanning, etc. The mechanism of this work incorporates 68 layers of SiO and Si-based 1-D optical waveguide along with their configuration where the plane wave expansion (PWE) method does fulfil the basics of the required mathematics to solve out electromagnetic wave equations. Reflec-tance and transmittance characteristics along with the absorbance are the critical parameters that substantiate the said application.

Coumarins and chalcones against SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), leading to a pandemic and traumatizing the world. To prevent the spread of virus, infected people were isolated as per the strict protocols. Due to the genome sequence of the virus being strikingly similar to that of SARS-CoV, many antiviral medicines previously approved to treat SARS and MERS are now being repurposed for the plausible treatment COVID-19. To combat SARS-CoV-2, a slew of experimental and clinical medicine and vaccine trials are currently underway worldwide. In the fight against COVID-19 infection, a variety of natural substances are also being searched extensively. Coumarins and chalcones are two important natural chemical classes. They can be found in a wide range of natural products and have many pharmacological effects. SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses were successfully treated with these drugs, which showed significant antiviral activity. This chapter discusses the possible role of coumarins and chalcones in SARS-CoV-2 infection treatment. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of Novel Coronavirus (n-CoV) Using a Two-Dimensional (2-D) Photonic Crystal (PhC) Structure and Finite Element Method (FEM) Via a Violet Laser Beam

Covid 19, a deadly virus is spreading exponentially across the globe that leads to loss of precious life. Recent data suggests that more than 4.6 million people have been died due to this, so it is requiring an ample precaution to stop it. Development of good vaccine along with rapid testing could reduce the mortality rate. Though recently few good vaccines have developed but adequate numbers of doses are not available for every individual due to lack of mass production. Not only are the production issues but also their prob-lems lie in transportation and distribution to huge population. In this sce-nario testing will play a vital role so that affected people could get a dose in priority basis. To meet the nitty-gritty of such problem. A violet laser beam interacted with a photonic crystal (PhC) structure having dimension of 600 x 600 nm2 to identify the novel coronavirus (n-CoV) know as SARS CoV-2. The device finds 16 squares which hold the samples of the swab collected from a patient where the signal of 412 nm (728 THz) incident to it. The principle of mechanism deals with the analysis of scattering parameters (S11 and S12) of the signals which is obtained through the finite element method (FEM). The S11 and S12 parameters deal with the transmittance and reflec-tance of the signal pertaining to the chosen structure. Further, the investiga-tion of transmittance identifies the nature of the virus;for example, the present research claims that blue and violet colours are two possible implica-tions at the output when the structure containing sample excited with a violet laser beam. The output with blue colour indicating the presence of just ordi-nary coronaviruses. On the other hand, if we receive violet colour then it is novel corona viruses (n-CoV)

Docking Based Identification of Bioactive Diosmin as Potential Multi- Targeted Anti SARS-Cov-2 Agent

The pandemic COVID-19, caused by the organism severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) belongs to the family Coronoviridae has become a serious global healthcare crisis. The biggest demand of the present time is to develop efficacious medication for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, we performed the interaction of 50 flavonoids selected from the Pubchem database, with five efficacious protein targets for SARS-CoV-2: main protease (Mpro), spike glycoprotein-receptor binding domain (SGp-RBD), RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) and non-structural protein15 (NSP15, an endonuclease). All the work involve in the present study was accomplished by using Maestro 12.4 (Schrodinger Suite) to obtain the docking scores and ADME-T study result of selected ligands with the five effective target proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Molecular docking-based results indicated that diosmin has the most favorable docking scores-10.16,-11.52,-9.75,-11.25 and-10.25 kcal/mol for the Mpro, SGp-RBD, ACE-2, RdRp and NSP-15 protein targets and had acceptable drug suitability as a therapeutic agent against COVID-19. The structure of this compound can be further useful to medicinal chemists, pharmacologists, and clinicians for efficiently discovering or developing effective drugs to cure COVID-19.

Secondary Infections among COVID-19 Hospitalised Patients and their Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern: A Cross-sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Introduction: The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a contagious virus that causes respiratory infection and has shown evidence of human-to-human transmission. In this infection the immunity of the patient is decreased;making them susceptible to various secondary infections. This leads to increased morbidity and mortality in these patients. Aim: To estimate the profile of secondary infections in hospitalised Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) patients and analyse their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of five months from June to October 2021, which included COVID-19 positive patients with secondary infection admitted in the dedicated COVID hospital, Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati Medical College and Hospital (MKCG MCH), Berhampur, Odisha, India. Clinical samples like blood, urine, sputum, tissue biopsy and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) were collected aseptically from patients with COVID-19 and were processed in microbiology laboratory as per standard operating procedures. All the necessary information like demographic features (age, gender), associated co-morbidities and oxygen saturation levels of COVID-19 positive patients at the time of admission were collected and entered in a Microsoft Excel sheet for further analysis. Results of continuous variables were described by mean and range while categorical variables were described by frequency. All the generated data was analysed by Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 16.0. Results: A total of 438 patients suspected of COVID-19 were admitted during the study period, out of which 138 patients were positive for COVID-19 by Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Out of 138 COVID-19 positive patients, 105 patients were willing to give samples and their samples were processed for bacterial and fungal culture and sensitivity. Total 18/105 (17.1%) samples were positive for bacterial and fungal growth. Blood Stream Infection (BSI) were seen in 14/18 (77.8%) and was predominantly associated with Staphylococcus aureus 5/14 (35.7%), followed by Enterococcus spp. 3/14 (21.4%). Out of total culture positive cases, 2/18 (11.1%) showed Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). Of the UTI cases Escherichia coli was isolated from 1/2 (50%) of cases. Out of total culture positive cases, 2/18 (11.1%) were identified having mucormycosis. All gram positive bacteria had shown maximum resistant to ampicillin and gram negative bacteria were resistant to ampicillin-sulbactam, levofloxacin, cotrimoxazole. Conclusion: In COVID-19 positive patients with secondary infection, early diagnosis and prompt treatment will lead to improved patient care and better outcome.

Transboundary sources dominated PM2.5 in Thimphu, Bhutan.

This study estimates the potential source regions contributing to PM2.5 in the capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, during the years 2018-2020 using the ground-based data, followed by the HYSPLIT back trajectory analysis. The average PM2.5 concentration in the entire study period was 32.47 µg/m3 which is three times of the World Health Organization recommended limit of 10 µg/m3. Less than half of the days in pre-monsoon (43.47%) and post-monsoon (46.41%), and no days in winter were within the 24-h average WHO guideline of 25 µg/m3. During the COVID-19 lockdown imposed from August 11 to September 21 in Bhutan, only a marginal reduction of 4% in the PM2.5 concentrations was observed, indicating that nonlocal emissions dominate the PM2.5 concentrations in Thimphu, Bhutan. Most back trajectories in the analysis period were allocated to south or south-west sector. India was the major contributor (~ 44%), followed by Bangladesh (~ 19%), Bhutan itself (~ 19%) and China (~ 16%). This study confirms that there are significant contributions from transboundary sources to PM2.5 concentrations in Thimphu, Bhutan, and the elevated PM2.5 concentrations need to be tackled with appropriate action plans and interventions.

Identification of Coronavirus (n-CoV) Using a Two-dimensional (2-D) Photonic Crystal Structure (PCS) via the Plane Wave Expansion (PWE) Technique Using a Laser Diode (LD)

COVID 19, a furious virus, exploded across the globe in 2020. Treatment, tracing and testing are the only way to retain a normal life. But the biggest obstacle is the shortage of proper testing kits which makes life horrendous. As a consequence it demands time to ramp up the development of a suitable test kit. In this scenario we propose a kit that is made up of a two-dimensional (2-D) Si-based photonic crystal structure (PCS) that could distinguish the novel coronaviruses (n-CoV) from ordinary coronaviruses. The principle of identification relies on the reflectance, absorbance and transmittance characteristics at the signal of 412 nm wavelength obtained from a laser diode (LD);moreover, the operational mechanism deals with the manipulation of the signal with the proposed PCS structure which contains the virus solution. Finally, the output transmitted energy differentiates the viruses pertaining to their nature;for example, an output with visible light energy gives an indication of normal flu;on the other hand, output energy within the infrared (IR) range confirms the case of novel coronavirus infection.

Process-based diagnostics of extreme pollution trail using numerical modelling during fatal second COVID-19 wave in the Indian capital.

The world's worst outbreak, the second COVID-19 wave, not only unleashed unprecedented devastation of human life, but also made an impact of lockdown in the Indian capital, New Delhi, in particulate matter (PM: PM2.5 and PM10) virtually ineffective during April to May 2021. The air quality remained not only unabated but also was marred by some unusual extreme pollution events. SAFAR-framework model simulations with different sensitivity experiments were conducted using the newly developed lockdown emission inventory to understand various processes responsible for these anomalies in PM. Model results well captured the magnitude and variations of the observed PM before and after the lockdown but significantly underestimated their levels in the initial period of lockdown followed by the first high pollution event when the mortality counts were at their peak (∼400 deaths/day). It is believed that an unaccounted emission source was playing a leading role after balancing off the impact of curtailed lockdown emissions. The model suggests that the unprecedented surge in PM10 (690 µg/m3) on May 23, 2021, though Delhi was still under lockdown, was associated with large-scale dust transport originating from the north west part of India combined with the thunderstorm. The rainfall and local dust lifting played decisive roles in other unusual events. Obtained results and the proposed interpretation are likely to enhance our understanding and envisaged to help policymakers to frame suitable strategies in such kinds of emergencies in the future.

Clinical and demographic features of SARS-COV-2 variants of concern (VOC): B.1.1.7 and B.1.617.2 at a tertiary care hospital in Southern Rajasthan

Introduction: As the global severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic expands, genomic epidemiology and whole genome sequencing are being constantly used to investigate its transmissions and evolution. Aims and Objectives: To ensure that best use is made of the whole genome sequencing programmes for SARS-CoV-2 results, in improving public health. Analyze and establish a correlation of demographic features and vaccination status with clinical outcome of VOC's. Material and Method: 478 samples (December 15, 2020- June 15, 2021) were shortlisted as per state government policy of sample selection criteria for genome sequencing, packed in triple layer according to standard transportation protocol and sent to the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) for whole genome sequencing.. The data collected by us were analyzed and correlated with the results of whole genome sequencing, shared by the NPHL to enhance public health impact of the variant identified. Observation and Results: In our study we found 92% of B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants and 8% of B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant. We found significantly high mortality (25%) in age group > 60 years compared to other age group (20-40years, 40-60years) with Delta variant (p value < .05). We also found that Delta variant is significantly more transmissible (p value < .05) than Alpha variant. Mortality was significantly higher among unvaccinated patients having co-morbid conditions rather than vaccinated patients having co-morbid conditions with delta variant (p value <0.05). Conclusion: B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant has emerged as a common VOC among SARS-COV-2 patients in southern Rajasthan. Vaccination has a very high level of protective role in decreasing mortality, especially old age patients with associated co-morbidities among Delta variant.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with COVID-19: An Interim Review

The pediatric population is relatively less affected by novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) compared with adults, both in numbers and severity. However, evolution of a new entity, named multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), has led to significant number of children being admitted to hospital, especially to intensive care units. Case definitions of MIS-C have been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) separately. Autoantibodies and antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) are the key factors proposed in pathogenesis, leading to immune dysregulation, and cytokine storm. Three distinct clinical types are observed as follows: (1) fever and elevated inflammatory markers with no end-organ damage;(2) shock with severe myocardial dysfunction similar to toxic shock syndrome (155);and (3) with mucocutaneous features like Kawasaki's disease (KD). Cardiovascular and gastrointestinal symptoms are the predominant presentations. Inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, and interleukin (IL)-6 are raised along with high D-dimer and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Echocardiography may demonstrate low left ventricular ejection fraction (<50%) and/or coronary aneurysms. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is usually negative, with most having antibodies against the virus. KD, KD shock syndrome (KDSS), and toxic shock syndrome (TSS) are the important differential diagnoses to be considered. Immunomodulatory therapy is the cornerstone of the management. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is preferred, the next option being steroids. Supportive care, antiplatelet, and anticoagulation medications, when indicated, are also vital aspects of treatment plan. The prognosis is favorable with low mortality but meticulous cardiac monitoring and follow-up by a multidisciplinary team is very important. Being an evolving disease, future research may reveal different manifestations, newer diagnostic modalities, and better treatment options.

Anomalous behaviour of ozone under COVID-19 and explicit diagnosis of O3-NOx-VOCs mechanism.

Air pollution is linked to higher rates of human mortality especially those infected with COVID 19. Ozone is a harmful pollutant and is responsible for many health issues. However, some reports suggest that ozone is a strong disinfectant, and can kill the viruses. We hereby, report on the vulnerability of ozone due to COVID-19 lockdown whose levels flutter from surging to saturation in a highly polluted Indian capital, due to significant decline in anthropogenic emissions of ozone precursors. Average observed levels stabilized at 30 ppb, 12 ppb, 740 ppb, and 900 ppb for ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) respectively during lockdown period from 27th March to 10th April 2020. The NO2, CO and VOC declined by 50 %, 37 %, 38 % respectively during the lockdown period of 2020 as compared to similar period in 2019. The anomalous response of ozone during the lockdown is explained by resolving the poorly known complex O3-NOx-VOCs mechanism with the help of data from air monitoring stations in Delhi, India. The data obtained from this study advances the fundamental understanding of ozone chemistry that may lead to improved ozone parameterization in chemical transport models and better planning of ozone risk management strategies for any global mega cities.

Current scenerio of COVID-19: An update

Corona virus (CoV) are a big family of viruses (single stranded RNA infection) that cause ill reaching from the common colds to more severe disease, for case, (MERSCoV) “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome” and (SARS-CoV)“Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome”. Coronaviruses disease (COVID-19) is one more strain that be located originates in 2019 and has not stood of late illustrious in individuals. Corona virus be situated zoonotic, which means they are transmitted among animal and people. Seven Coronaviruses are recognized to origin human sickness. Four are mild: virus HKU1, 229E, OC43, NL63 and OC43. Three have caused serious diseases / outbreaks in people. SARS emerged from China in 2002 it cleared over the globe to a great extent through air travel causing lethal sickness. In excess of 8,000 individuals became sick and 774 died. The diseases vanished in 2004 likely because of isolation and quarantine measure and no instances of SARS have been accounted for since. These primary cytopathic changes spread through the cell monolayers, leading to cell disinterestedness within 24 to 48 h. SARS-CoV has a complex level of strength in the earth than other known human corona viruses. It can get by for at any rate 2 to 3 days on dry superficial at room temperature and 2 to 4 day in stool.

COVID-19 lockdown and air quality of SAFAR-India metro cities

A drastic decline in the sources of emissions of pollutants under COVID-19 induced lockdown resulted in an unprecedented trends in most hazardous pollutants PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 in India. To realize the impact of lockdown in the concentrations of PM2.5, PM10 and NO2, we compared the trend of lockdown period (20nd March to 15th April) with several (3–7) years of past data in four Indian mega cities (Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad) of different micro-climate and geography. The significant reduction in the concentrations of NO2 in the ranges of ~60–65% is noticed in four megacities within the lockdown period when compared with the averaged data of past years. However, relatively low reduction in PM2.5 (~25–50%) and PM10 (~36–50%) is observed and city to city variation is found to be significant. The prevailing secondary aerosol formation and enhancement of any natural source of emissions could be some factors preventing PM2.5 levels to go down significantly. Under near negligible fossil fuel emission, contrary to the expectation, an increase in the ratio as compared to normal scenario is observed in Delhi on some days whereas on some selected days, PM2.5/PM10 ratio is found to decline significantly.

Towards baseline air pollution under COVID-19: implication for chronic health and policy research for Delhi, India

The Megacity of Delhi, home to 19 million inhabitants, is infamous for its poor air quality mainly due to anthropogenic emissions. While the COVID-19 pandemic is a health emergency, lockdown due to it saw an unprecedented decline in emission sources of pollutants by ~85%-90% in Delhi, resulting in sharp decline in the concentration of majority of pollutants. Here we report the experimental estimate of baseline level that is defined as the minimum level reached after lockdown under consistent fair weather condi-tion of major criteria pollutants. This may be consi-dered as an indicator of the background levels to which the population is chronically exposed. The con-sequences of such chronic air pollution exposure are excess respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality which are reported to be more serious than severe pollution episodes by epidemiologists. As the lockdown which was imposed on 24 March 2020, was extended during April and May, we present the pre-vailing ambient pollution levels and compare them with the baseline levels. Results are based on India’s largest monitoring network of 34 stations in Delhi. The findings are critical for policymakers to fine-tune ambient air quality standards and regulations leading to the development of effective risk management poli-cies and control strategies. © 2020. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 and environmental -weather markers: Unfolding baseline levels and veracity of linkages in tropical India.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is rapidly spreading across the globe due to its contagion nature. We hereby report the baseline permanent levels of two most toxic air pollutants in top ranked mega cities of India. This could be made possible for the first time due to the unprecedented COVID-19 lockdown emission scenario. The study also unfolds the association of COVID-19 with different environmental and weather markers. Although there are numerous confounding factors for the pandemic, we find a strong association of COVID-19 mortality with baseline PM2.5 levels (80% correlation) to which the population is chronically exposed and may be considered as one of the critical factors. The COVID-19 morbidity is found to be moderately anti-correlated with maximum temperature during the pandemic period (-56%). Findings although preliminary but provide a first line of information for epidemiologists and may be useful for the development of effective health risk management policies.