Studying the effect of a disinfection robot using UVC lights, on fungi and microbes in the hospital environment

The high prevalence rate of covid-19 is the most prominent feature making this deadly virus known in the world. One of the efficient ways to bridle this spread is disinfecting furniture in public places. Since there are demerits in utilizing chemical sanitizers, like imperfect disinfection processes, developed countries have turned to use modern cleaning methods. In this paper, the design, manufacturing, and experimental test of a UVC1 multipurpose robot are presented. Containing 8 UVC lights, the portable system is capable of disinfecting a whole sphere around its working area. Consider the Ozone gas produced by the lights, this robot can sanitize covered places that UVC rays cannot reach. As UVC rays are dangerous, this system is remotely controllable in a range of two km. An atmega128 microcontroller is utilized to navigate the robot and send the operator's commands to the system. Corona group viruses like SARS and Ebola besides E. coli bacteria have been studied during an experiment. 39 sample points of a surgery room in a hospital were disinfected by three types of mentioned microbes. Cultivating the microorganisms before and after a 20 minutes UVC disinfection process, almost 80% of the microbes were deactivated. © 2022 IEEE.

The Role of Hydroxychloroquine in COVID-19 Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: A systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out to examine the role of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment of COVID-19. Methods: We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CochraneLibrary, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and medRxiv pre-print databases using available MeSH terms for COVID-19 and hydroxychloroquine. Data from all studies that focused on the effectiveness of HCQ with or without the addition of azithromycin (AZM) in confirmed COVID-19 patients, which were published up to 12 September 2020, were collated for analysis using CMA v.2.2.064. Results: Our systematic review retrieved 41 studies. Among these, 37 studies including 45,913 participants fulfilled the criteria for subsequent meta-analysis. The data showed no significant difference in treatment efficacy between the HCQ and control groups (RR: 1.02, 95% CI, 0.81-1.27). Combination of HCQ with AZM also did not lead to improved treatment outcomes (RR: 1.26, 95% CI, 0.91-1.74). Furthermore, the mortality difference was not significant, neither in HCQ treatment group (RR: 0.86, 95% CI, 0.71-1.03) nor in HCQ plus AZM treatment group (RR: 1.28, 95% CI, 0.76-2.14) in comparison to controls. Meta-regression analysis showed that age was the factor that significantly affected mortality (P<0.00001). Conclusion: The meta-analysis found that there was no clinical benefit of using either HCQ by itself or in combination with AZM for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Hence, it may be prudent for clinicians and researchers to focus on other therapeutic options that may show greater promise in this disease.