ABSTRACT
Antibiotic resistance continues to be a most serious threat to public health. This situation demands that the scientific community increase their efforts for the discovery of alternative strategies to circumvent the problems associated with conventional small molecule therapeutics. The Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) Report (published in June 2021) discloses the rapidly increasing number of bacterial infections that are mainly caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. These concerns have initiated various government agencies and other organizations to educate the public regarding the appropriate use of antibiotics. This review discusses a brief highlight on the timeline of antimicrobial drug discovery with a special emphasis on the historical development of antimicrobial resistance. In addition, new antimicrobial targets and approaches, recent developments in drug screening, design, and delivery were covered. This review also discusses the emergence and roles of various antibiotic adjuvants and combination therapies while shedding light on current challenges and future perspectives. Overall, the emergence of resistant microbial strains has challenged drug discovery but their efforts to develop alternative technologies such as nanomaterials seem to be promising for the future.
ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim was to study the correlates of depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and suicidal ideas in patients of COVID-associated mucormycosis (CAM) and effects of treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional, analytical study was performed in a tertiary care center in Western Maharashtra. By purposive sampling, 34 patients of CAM were included in the study with their informed consent and after obtaining ethical clearance. A self-made questionnaire to include demographic and clinical details was filled. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale (SIDAS) were applied after initial diagnosis. The HADS, RSES, and SIDAS were reapplied after their operative treatment. RESULTS: A significant reduction in anxiety and depression scores postoperatively was seen. No significant difference was found in self-esteem or suicidal ideas postoperatively in the study population. However, patients who underwent orbital exenteration showed a significant reduction in level of self-esteem with anxiety and depression postoperatively. No specific correlation was found between the computed tomography score, family history, intensive care unit admission, or orbital exenteration with anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and suicidal ideas. CONCLUSION: Levels of anxiety and depression in patients of CAM reduced significantly after treatment, but self-esteem worsened in males more than females owing to disfigurement. There is a need of psychological counseling in patients of mucormycosis undergoing a debilitating surgery both pre- and postoperatively for a better outcome and recovery.
ABSTRACT
The aim of the study is to identify the factors affecting students' satisfaction and performance regarding online classes during the pandemic period of COVID-19 and to establish the relationship between these variables. The study is quantitative in nature, and the data were collected from 544 respondents through online survey who were studying the business management (B.B.A or M.B.A) or hotel management courses in Indian universities. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the proposed hypotheses. The results show that four independent factors used in the study viz. quality of instructor, course design, prompt feedback, and expectation of students positively impact students' satisfaction and further student's satisfaction positively impact students' performance. For educational management, these four factors are essential to have a high level of satisfaction and performance for online courses. This study is being conducted during the epidemic period of COVID- 19 to check the effect of online teaching on students' performance.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The highly infectious transmissible disease, the novel SARS-CoV-2, causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has a median incubation time of 5 to 15 days. The symptoms vary from person to person and many are "hidden carriers." Few people experience immediate reaction and even death within 48 h of infection. However, many show mild to chronic symptoms and recover. Nevertheless, the death rate due to COVID-19 transmission is high especially among patients with non-communicable diseases. The purpose of this review is to provide evidence to consider vitamins as epigenetic modifiers to enhance immunity and reduce inflammatory response in COVID-19 patients with non-communicable diseases. RECENT FINDINGS: Clinical evidence has suggested the risk of getting infected is high among individuals with non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and renal disease, as well as the elderly with high mortality rate among the cohort. The impact is due to an already compromised immune system of patients. Every patient has a different response to COVID-19, which shows that the ability to combat the deadly virus varies individually. Thus, treatment can be personalized and adjusted to help protect and combat COVID-19 infections, especially in individuals with non-communicable diseases. Based on current published scientific and medical evidence, the suggestions made in this article for combination of vitamin therapy as epigenetic modifiers to control the unregulated inflammatory and cytokine marker expressions, further needs to be clinically proven. Future research and clinical trials can apply the suggestions given in this article to support metabolic activities in patients and enhance the immune response.