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Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 progression depends on multiple factors, including the compromised immune system and underlying diseases. HSV-1 reactivation in SARS-CoV-2 infection, more likely in patients with pneumonia and immunodeficiency, maybe poten-tially life-threatening and implicate the prognosis.Case Presentation: We report two COVID-19 cases presenting ocular and neurological manifestations suspicious for HSV-1 en-cephalitis. Conclusions: Our study showed HSV-1 ocular manifestation among two COVID-19 cases. So, the recurrence of HSV-1 infection prob-ably is related to immune responses during COVID-19 pathophysiology.
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Background and aims The main goal of the present study is to investigate the incidence of Rotavirus co-infection in COVID-19 patients. Methods and Results Fecal samples of COVID-19 patients with gastrointestinal symptoms which had positive PCR-were collected from Abadan's hospital, Iran during the period December 2020 to January 2021. Samples were analyzed by RT-PCR to determine the presence of Rotavirus. Finally, the total samples size of 37 were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 48.22 years. Abdominal pain alone was detected in 48.65% of the patients. At least one gastrointestinal symptom was detected in all of the patients. Diarrhea and fever were seen in 13.51% and 59.46% of patients, respectively. Nausea and vomiting were seen in 5.41% of the patients. RT-PCR showed no infection of Rotavirus among the patients. Conclusion Gastrointestinal symptoms related to COVID-19 are common. More studies is need among these patients groups for investigate coinfection with other fecal viral shedding carries, due to a worse prognosis and its association with disease severity. © 2023 Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and the Medical Association of Malawi.
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Background: Obesity has many side effects and deadly risks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, school closures have been affecting the lifestyle of students worldwide. This study aims to assess changes in the BMI and some physical parameters among students before and one year after the COVID-19 pandemic in Rafsanjan City, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, the sample included 793 high school students (422 males and 371 females) within the age range of 11 to 19. The sampling method was multistage clustering. Accordingly, we compared pre-pandemic data on the BMI and the circumference of the waist, hip, neck, and wrist with the data collected one year after the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Our findings demonstrated that the BMI and the circumference of the waist, hip, and wrist were significantly higher in males one year after the outbreak of the disease. However, except for the neck circumference, a comparison of other variables before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in females showed no significant difference. Moreover, the results showed that the average BMI of all participants, regardless of their gender, increased significantly from 20.55 to 22.00 kg/m2. Conclusion: The data obtained from this survey would serve as an important evidence necessitating future planning for controlling overweight and obesity in order to reduce the probability of chronic diseases incidence in future. . Additionally, it is recommended that more comprehensive studies and extracurricular physical activity programs be designed to counteract the negative effects of sedentary behavior. © The Author(s) 2022;All rights reserved.
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Purpose: Most educational institutions worldwide have shifted to online teaching and learning approaches to mitigate risks imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This causes several issues, particularly in delivering the construction management (CM) courses which require site visits, interpreting technical drawings and developing 3D building models. This paper aims to identify the key strategies for online learning and teaching adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic and to investigate the implications for construction management education. Design/methodology/approach: The research approach is twofold. First, the study presents a systematic literature review (SLR) through a synthesis of the existing literature to identify the key strategies and lessons learned about online education during the COVID-19 pandemic in tertiary programs. It also discusses their implications in the context of the construction management (CM) sector in particular. Secondly, the authors shared their hands-on experience as construction management course facilitators – using the autoethnography approach – during the COVID-19 crisis. Findings: In addition to identifying the key strategies such as online course delivery and assessments, the paper critically discusses the barriers to online learning and teaching, including (1) the technological and infrastructure barriers;(2) required online teaching skills and competencies;(3) issues surrounding mental health and wellbeing;(4) lack of consistency in the online delivery of various courses in a given program (5) difficulties around students' engagement and (6) the course characteristics and requirements. Originality/value: The study offers some implications and recommendations not only for educational institutions and staff but also for vendors of online course delivery software. To prepare educational institutions for future online course delivery, the paper proposes several strategies. These include developing a set of guidelines for online course delivery, incorporating online teaching training modules into the recruitment process for academic staff, applying agile and resilience teaching and learning methods, wellbeing and mental health support and continuously improving course features to adapt to the online environment. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is a novel emerging infectious disease caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2). In this study, we aimed to examine the relationship between demographic indicators and mortality rates in Covid-19 disease in different Covid-19 waves in Iran. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, the study population consisted of 9874 patients of Covid-19 admitted to Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital of Tehran, from the beginning of the disease to the end of the fifth wave. Demographic variables such as age and sex as well as clinical variables such as hospitalization date and mortality rate were collected and evaluated. The analysis was performed using SPSS software version 26. The mean age of 9874 participants was 58.9 +/- 17.0 years. In this study 5510 (55.8%) of patients were male. 1762 (17.8%) patients died. The fifth wave had the highest number of patients (31.1%) and the trend in the number of patients was increasing from wave second to fifth. However, the percentage of death was lower in waves fourth (14.5%) and fifth (15.3%). The mean age of deceased patients was significantly greater than alive patients (69.25 +/- 14.60 vs. 56.76 +/- 16.75, P=0.0001). The frequency of male deaths was significantly higher than female deaths (P=0.0001). The results of the present study indicate that the frequency of mortality in recent waves, despite a significant increase in hospitalization, has been decreased. It can also be said that mortality increases with age as well as male gender, and males are more prone to death due to covid-19 disease with age. Copyright © 2022 Ondokuz Mayis Universitesi. All rights reserved.
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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a severe acute respiratory disease with a high prevalence. According to the research and statistical data, in January 2021, there have been 92,262,621 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than two million deaths. Infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the main cause of this disease. In addition to the respiratory system, the disease affects the gastrointestinal tract, central-peripheral nervous system, circulatory system, and kidneys. Therefore, any therapeutic action to reduce COVID-19-related symptoms and complications is essential. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of the published literature and preprints on the efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) and recombinant human EPO as a safe stimulant and tissue protector in the treatment of COVID-19. We also briefly described the structure of coronavirus, its pathogenesis, and the structure of EPO and recombinant human EPO. All relevant articles published in the Science Direct, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched. According to the results, EPO is a cytoprotective cytokine induced by hypoxia. The pleiotropic effects of EPO are associated with its erythrocyte-forming, anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory activities. It also exerts protective effects on the heart, lungs, kidneys, arteries, and central and peripheral nervous systems. It has been demonstrated that EPO can increase hemoglobin levels, thereby increasing oxygen delivery to the tissues. Therefore, recombinant human EPO therapy can be used for counteracting the adverse effects of COVID-19 including hypoxic myocarditis, acute renal failure, pulmonary edema, and brain-spinal cord ischemic injury. Overall, the use of EPO and recombinant human EPO therapy increases blood coagulation, tumor growth, thromboembolism, and purification of red blood cells, which must be accompanied by anticoagulants such as heparin.
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Dyspnea and decreased O2 saturation are the most common causes of hospitalization in noncritical COVID-19 patients. Breathing exercises and chest physiotherapy are used for managing the patients. These treatments are, however, not well supported by scientific evidence. In a randomized controlled trial, 80 patients were randomly assigned to planned breathing exercises (n=40) and control groups (n=40). The participants in the intervention group were instructed to blow into a balloon five times a day while lying down. Other therapies were similar in both groups. The severity of dyspnea at rest/after activity and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) with/without O2 therapy were compared between the two groups on the first, second, and third days. The study findings showed no statistically significant difference in SpO2 with/without O2 therapy on the first, second, and third days between the two groups. Although the severity of dyspnea showed no significant difference between the two groups, the mean score of dyspnea at rest (2.72±2.25 vs. 1.6±1.21, P=0.007) and after activity (4.53±2.04 vs. 3.52±1.66, P=0.017) improved in the intervention group on the third day. Balloon-blowing exercise improves dyspnea in noncritical Covid-19 patients, but it does not significantly improve oxygenation.
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Background: The etiological agent of coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Conventional molecular methods are used to detect viruses in COVID-19 infected patients. This study aimed to investigate escape mutations from molecular detection on SARS-CoV-2 targeted genes, which indicates the importance of mutations in false-negative PCR test results in the detection of virus in clinical specimens of patients with COVID-19. Materials and Methods: The 20 nasopharyngeal swabs samples collected from COVID-19 confirmed patients. The SARS-CoV-2 E, nsp12, and N genetic regions are amplified by RT-PCR assay. PCR products were sequenced using the Sanger sequencing method and Multiple sequence alignment (MSA) to assess the polymorphism and mutations performed using MEGA X software and the Maximum likelihood method for the phylogenetic evaluation. Results: Among all COVID-19 cases, 60% and 40% were male and female, respectively. The MSA showed high conservation between all evaluated samples and VOCs in all N, E, and nsp12 genes. Also, the phylogenetic evaluation by the Maximum likelihood method reported high similarity between all SARS-CoV-2 sequenced samples, VOCs, and Wuhan reference sequences in the evaluated region. Conclusion: Our study results approved the relatively conserved suitability of the E, N, and RdRp-gene regions with no diversity, therefore, making them perfect candidates for first-line screening.
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Purpose This paper aims to examine whether medical tourism can be a frontrunner in terms of post-pandemic recovery for the industry Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method analysis of 17 interviews and 210 questionnaires involving medical tourists to Iran was applied. Findings Medical tourists perceived the risks posed by COVID-19 as a temporal one, and attitudes toward post pandemic visitation intentions remained strong. In addition, these tourists can mostly be classified into responsive individuals, who demonstrate not only high risk but also high efficacy levels to negotiate the threats posed by the pandemic. No gender differences were located between male and female medical tourists in terms of post-COVID-19 travel intentions to Iran. Originality/value This research extends the application of the risk perception attitude framework to a medical tourism context. Furthermore, medical tourists are uncovered as another segment of crisis-resistant tourists.
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Introduction: Since the start of a pandemic from Wuhan, China in 2019, there is tremendous attention on the COVID-19 manifestation. One of the most important COVID-19 clinical presentations is gastrointestinal symptoms. The current systematic review study aims to focus on the implication of the gastrointestinal tract in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: We searched literature in MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase to find related article by using the following keywords "COVID-19", "SARS-CoV-2 infection", "Gastrointestinal Tract", "digestive system". The heterogeneity of included studies was quantified with the I2 statistic. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence and a meta-regression method was utilized to investigate the factors affecting heterogeneity between studies. Results: Of 3028 retrieved documents, 111 studies with 21126 COVID-19 cases were included. The prevalence of any Gastrointestinal symptoms was 17.22% (14.48 to 20.13). The prevalence of diarrhea was 13.75% (12.07 to 15.44), anorexia 27.41% (21.53 to 33.29) and Nausea/vomiting 8.11% (6.87 to 9.35). Furthermore, the prevalence of other symptoms in current study was fever 76.70% (73.42 to 79.83), cough 58.07% (54.59 to 61.52) and dyspnea/shortness of breath 24.63% (20.06 to 29.48). According to meta-regression results, age (p: 0.027) and fever (p<0.001) had significant effect on prevalence of any Gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusion: The anorexia, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting are the most common Gastrointestinal presentations. Copyright © 2021 Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
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Introduction: Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a complex field where all disciplines intersect. Currently, it is not only a question of taking into account the physical health of the worker, but also of including the psychological health and social aspects of the worker. Over the past decades, OSH has seen a lot of advancement, especially in recent years. In addition, this analysis is important in view of the economic costs that work-related accidents cause to the global economy. Method: Through a meta-analysis, a focus on existing research in OHS was made, with the objective of identifying gaps and mapping future research for academics in human resources management (HRM). Results: The review of the literature showed, identified and classified the articles into five distinct themes: antecedents and work-related factors influencing OHS;industrial policy and regulations surrounding OHS;OHS management practices;OHS management approaches and models and OHS management results. OHS research is poorly integrated into HRM research. The importance of the latter was accentuated during the Covid-19 pandemic, by revealing the gaps to be filled in OHS. Thus, the benefits of OHS management in organizations have a huge impact on increasing productivity, performance and decreasing absenteeism rate. Conclusion: There are many opportunities for HRM researchers to add value to the field, but also for organizations. To respond to the problem, the transfer of knowledge remains an essential element for the advancement of OHS practices.
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Introduction: Sickness absenteeism among caregivers is of particular importance during this COVID-19 pandemic period, as health care workers are front-line personnel;however, this implies that they are highly exposed to SARS-CoV-2 as well as to psychosocial risks Materials and Methods: Our study is a retrospective descriptive survey of all absences due to illness declared to the occupational health service by the nursing staff of the CHUIR, over a period from 31 August to 1 November 2020. Our objective is to determine the reasons for absence as well as the characteristics of these cases of work stoppage Results: Our study included 120 cases of absences. The Female sex represented 76.6% of the cases. The average age was 33.61 years;the age range was 23 to 60 years. Average professional tenure was 8.07 years;the seniority range was 3 months to 40 years. Absent staff were nurses in 62.5% of cases. The average length of absence was 16.92 days. The most affected services were medical services in 44.16%, followed by hematology-oncology services in 20% and intensive care departments in 15%. Psychiatric and psycho-social affections represented 30% of cases, including 18% for depression, 10% for burnout and 2% for chronic psychosis;COVID-19 accounted for 20% of cases and pathological pregnancies 16.66% Conclusion: The identification of the reasons for sickness absenteeism among caregivers is essential during this COVID-19 pandemic, in order to orientate preventive measures towards this front-line personnel and allow a more efficient impact of the occupational physician in his action of prevention of professional risks
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan province, China. SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has an essential role as a receptor in the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 into the host cells. It has been declared, ACE2 expresses in the lungs, heart, kidneys, placenta, and liver. This study reviews the liver's markers' characteristics in patients with COVID-19 to achieve novel insights in improving clinical treatment. Liver disease and chronic kidney disease patients are susceptible to COVID-19. There is limited information about the effects of SARS-COV-2 on patients with preexisting liver associated disorders, including chronic hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, primary biliary cirrhosis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and more are yet to be understood. By considering conducted studies in this manner since ACE2 receptors, which are the primary receptors for SRAS-CoV-2, exist on the liver and lungs, heart, kidneys, and placenta, SRAS-CoV-2 can infect liver cells too. Consequently, this infection will have resulted in liver function tests' escalated levels and total bilirubin as biochemical biomarkers. Further investigations need to be done to point out the hepatic manifestations of COVID-19's infected patients with chronic liver disease and improve clinical management and more stringent preventive measures for this type of infected patients. Copyright (C) 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: To date, little is known about the clinical features of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). Objective: Herein, we aimed to describe the differences in demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, clinical presentations, and outcomes of Iranian pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU versus those in non-ICU settings. Methods: This multicenter investigation involved 15 general and pediatrics hospitals and included cases with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection based on positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) admitted to these centers between March and May 2020, during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. Results: Overall, 166 patients were included, 61 (36.7%) of whom required ICU admission. The highest number of admitted cases to ICU were in the age group of 1–5 years old. Malignancy and heart diseases were the most frequent underlying conditions. Dyspnea was the major symptom for ICU-admitted patients. There were significant decreases in PH, HCO3 and base excess, as well as increases in creatinine, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and potassium levels between ICU-admitted and non-ICU patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and acute cardiac injury were the most common features among ICU-admitted patients. The mortality rate in the ICU-admitted patients was substantially higher than non-ICU cases (45.9% vs. 1.9%, respectively;p<0.001). Conclusions: Underlying diseases were the major risk factors for the increased ICU admissions and mortality rates in pediatric COVID-19 patients. There were few paraclinical parameters that could differentiate between pediatrics in terms of prognosis and serious outcomes of COVID-19. Healthcare providers should consider children as a high-risk group, especially those with underlying medical conditions. © 2021 Tehran University of Medical Sciences.
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The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike (S) glycoprotein facilitates receptor binding to initiate cell entry that is the critical initial step in the infection cycle. Due to S glycoprotein's pivotal role, in this review, we pointed to show potential functional and structural consequences of S glycoprotein and its variants, which has been related to increased viral load in humans with SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 raised the attention towards bacterial coinfection and its role in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) disease. This study aims to systematically review and identify the pooled prevalence of bacterial coinfection in the related articles. A comprehensive search was conducted in international databases, including MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase, to identify the articles on the prevalence of bacterial coinfections in COIVD-19 patients from 1 December 2019 until 30 December 2020. All observational epidemiological studies that evaluated the prevalence of bacterial coinfections in patients with COVID-19 were included without any restriction. Forty-two studies including a total sample size of 54,695 were included in the analysis. The pooled estimate for the prevalence of bacterial coinfections was 20.97% (95% CI: 15.95-26.46), and the pooled prevalence of bacterial coinfections was 5.20% (95% CI: 2.39-8.91) for respiratory subtype and 4.79% (95% CI: 0.11-14.61) for the gastrointestinal subtype. The pooled prevalence for Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office and South-East Asia Regional Office was 100% (95% CI: 82.35-100.00) and 2.61% (95% CI: 1.74-3.62). This rate of coinfection poses a great danger towards patients, especially those in critical condition. Although there are multiple complications and adverse effects related to extensive use of antibiotics to treat patients with COVID-19, it seems there is no other option except applying them, and it needs to be done carefully.
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Nowadays, the SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is recognized as the primary cause of mortality in humans. SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through human-to-human contact and is asymptomatic in most patients. In addition to approved vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection, miRNAs may also be promising options against this new virus. miRNAs are small and noncoding RNAs 18-25 nucleotides in length that target the mRNAs to degrade them or obstruct their translation miRNAs act as an observer in cells. This study reviewed the literature on the potential role of cellular miRNAs in the SARS-CoV-2-host interplay as a therapeutic option in COVID-19 patients.
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Novel coronavirus outbreak in December 2019 leads to current pandemic condition worldwide. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 known as the aetiologic agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The major characterisation of COVID-19 is to involve lung and induce pneumonia, multiorgan failure, hypoxia and deat h. This systematic literature review aimed to assess the clinical manifestation and laboratory and radiologic features in patients with COVID-19. A literature review of the indexed articles in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus and Embase was performed to evaluate pathophysiology of COVID-19. Between 77,406 assessed COVID-19 patients, the most reported background diseases were cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. After fever, cough was the second most common repeated clinical feature. Furthermore, the laboratory investigations reveal that the C-reactive protein (CRP) increasing is the most common frequent laboratory finding. Chest imaging assessment indicates that bilateral involvement of the lungs is more common than unilateral involvement. Despite the fact that some of the COVID-19-infected patients are asymptomatic, the majority of patients showed a broad range of manifestation. The clinical findings help in better understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis and patient's management. The primary concept of understanding of COVID-19 pathophysiology is necessary for reach to target therapeutics approach. According to the results, further in vivo investigations on animal models could be recommended for the treatment of COVID-19 patients in future.