Knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 vaccine and its self-reported adverse effects among staffs and students of dental college in Himachal Pradesh

Background: Demonstration of safety is very significant with COVID-19 vaccines, not only for vaccine acceptance but also for trust in vaccination broadly. Therefore, it is crucial to understand various mistrusts regarding COVID-19 vaccine. The aim of the study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19 vaccine and its self-reported adverse effects among staffs and students of dental college in Himachal Pradesh. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted among the students and staff members of H. P. Government Dental College and Hospital, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. All those who received the vaccine from January 22 to February 8, 2021, were included. The survey was divided into two sections. Section 1 of the questionnaire included 14 questions which were regarding the knowledge and attitude of COVID-19 vaccine, whereas Section 2 of the questionnaire included a table with 13 symptoms, and the participants were asked to check the postvaccine symptoms whichever they experienced with the duration. Results: Majority, i.e., 94 of the recipients had pain at the injection site which had a duration range of 24 h to 4-5 days. Of 111 participants, 88 had a symptom of chills lasting 8 h to 48-72 h. 74.5% were hesitant to treat patients due to COVID-19 infection worries. 75.4% considered the need to follow COVID-19 appropriate behaviors such as wearing mask, maintain social distancing, and not going to crowded places even after vaccination. Conclusion: Participants in this survey reported favorable attitudes toward vaccination. The commonly reported adverse effects of vaccination were pain at injection, chills, body ache, and fever.

Diagnosis of Pulmonary Diseases from Chest X-ray Using Deep Learning Approaches

In recent years, a severe pandemic has struck worldwide with the utmost shutter, enforcing a lot of stress in the medical industry. Moreover, the increasing population has brought to light that the work bestowed upon the healthcare specialists needs to be reduced. Medical images like chest X-rays are of utmost importance for the diagnosis of diseases such as pneumonia, COVID-19, thorax, and many more. Various manual image analysis techniques are time-consuming and not always efficient. Deep learning models for neural networks are capable of finding hidden patterns, assisting the experts in specified fields. Therefore, collaborating these medical images with deep learning techniques has paved the path for enormous applications leading to the reduction of pressure embarked upon the health industry. This paper demonstrates an approach for automatic lung diagnosing of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and thorax diseases from given CXR images, using deep learning techniques. The previously proposed model uses the concept of ResNet-18, ResNet-50, and Xception algorithms. This model gives the highest accuracy of 98% without segmentation and 95% with segmentation. Whereas, the proposed model uses CNN and CLAHE algorithms which achieves an accuracy of 99.22% without segmentation and 98.39% with segmentation. Therefore, this model will be able to provide assistance to health workforces and minimize manual errors precisely. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

Denudation of COVID-19 Genome

The Covid-19 virus is a Sars virus that has killed millions of people around the world. It's crucial to know the genotype of the covid virus in order to understand its structure and find vaccines. A genome can be defined as the complete DNA present in the organism which contains the complete set of genetic instruction. In living creatures, the genome is contained in long DNA molecules called chromosomes. A comparative study has been done by using the datasets containing Sars genome, Mers genome, Civets with Sars like genome, bats with Sars like genome, Dengue virus genome, camel with CoV genome, Tuberculosis genome and hedgehog with covid like genome along with the covid genome and draw conclusions regarding the similarities and differences in the nucleotide sequences of Covid-19 genome. © 2022 IEEE.

COVID-19: X-ray image classification using transfer learning DCNN approach

COVID-19 is a coronavirus that causes sickness in the human respiratory system. It is the most recent virus that is wreaking havoc on the entire world. It spreads mainly through contact with an infected person. There are some vaccinations available to prevent this condition now. The flu causes symptoms such as fever, coughing, and breathing difficulties in humans. COVID-19: Classification of X-Ray Images This paper suggests using a Deep Convolution Neural Network-based Transfer Learning methodology. Deep CNN learns picture patterns and classifies X-RAY pictures using transfer learning technology. A dataset is created using publicly available photos of COVID-19 X-Ray. All images have been resized and rotated by 2 to 20 degrees. The file contains 6677 COVID-19 pictures and 5753 stock pictures. DCNN predictability is 99.64 percent on a training set, while on a test set, it is 99.79 percent. After the transfer of learning, predictive accuracy on the training set is 99.19 percent, while predictive accuracy on the test set is 99.31 percent. © 2022 Author(s).

Role of wild fruits in combating COVID-19 infection: An overview

COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-COV-2 virus was the reason for the pandemic and loss of many lives. The virus transmission from human-to-human touch led to outbreaks of this disease. World health organization has recommended a list of precautionary measures to avoid the major infection of this virus. This list includes various medicinal plants, fruits and vegetables which can boost the immunity and help in reducing the risk of infection. Due to this COVID-19, the food habits of most of the people changed which led to shift towards healthier lifestyle. As most of the Indian population is vegetarian, so the health based plant food including wild plant sources have been explored extensively. The wild fruits like bael, aonla, jamun, rubus, aakhe, simul and many more have the antiviral properties and immune boosting properties which could be incorporated in our diet. The bioactive compounds like polyphenolics, flavonoids, tannins, phytosterols, vitamins, minerals, etc., present in above mentioned wild fruits can be utilized to have healthful benefits. As these functional components can help in reducing various diseases like asthma, bronchitis, cold, fever, flu, inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and ultimately boost up the immunity to cope up with COVID-19 illness.

Lipid Nanoparticle-Mediated Delivery of Therapeutic and Prophylactic mRNA: Immune Activation by Ionizable Cationic Lipids

Messenger RNA (mRNA) can be harnessed as vaccines and therapeutic drugs via transient in situ expression of protein antigens and therapeutic proteins, respectively. Currently, mRNA-based vaccines are used worldwide in mass vaccination programs to induce protective immunity against COVID-19, and a number of prophylactic vaccines, therapeutic vaccines, and therapeutic drugs based on mRNA are now tested in clinical trials. Although chemical modification of the mRNA components has considerably ameliorated mRNA stability and immunogenicity, further improvements in formulation and delivery systems, which are used to transport mRNA to the cytosol of target cells, are still required to enhance the efficacy and safety of mRNA therapeutics. However, our knowledge about the mechanisms by which mRNA therapeutics activate the immune system is still very limited, partly because the activation of immune cells by ionizable lipids commonly used in mRNA delivery systems is poorly understood. Lipid-mediated induction of innate immune pathways can be exploited in mRNA vaccines by providing an adjuvant effect, whereas innate immune activation is undesired for the therapeutic use of mRNA. Here, we review recent studies focusing on the hurdles that challenge in vivo delivery of mRNA. We subsequently discuss the state of the art in formulation design approaches, which are used to overcome these challenges, with focus on the marketed COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Finally, we present research centered on how ionizable and cationic lipids used for delivery of mRNA therapeutics activate immune cells and engage innate immune pathways, including future challenges and opportunities in formulation and delivery to optimize the safe and efficacious use of mRNA therapeutics. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Foods for protection against COVID-19: An overview

Pandemics have at all times been devastating due to their severity and rate of spread. December 2019, also witnessed a wide spreading havoc around the world whose emergence and outbreak was first reported in China's Wuhan area. Major role in the pandemic was played by a spherical virus with spike protein which was named as corona. Coronavirus disease is a viral respiratory infectious disease caused due to novel strain of SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2) which is accompanied by symptoms similar to common cold, Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome, etc. The elderly persons and people suffering from lifestyle diseases are more prone to severe COVID-19 and its respiratory complications. Immune system played a major role particularly in this disease as people having good immunity could tackle the virus more easily that too with high recovery rate. Essential macro and micronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, vitamins, bioactive compounds and polyphenols are found important to combat with COVID-19. These nutrients and phytochemicals are found in various foods like vegetables, fruits, dairy products, herbs, spices, etc. Different fruits (citrus, papaya, berries, etc.) and vegetables (broccoli, tomatoes, spinach, etc.) are rich in micronutrients like minerals, vitamin C, vitamin D and flavonoids. Herbs and spices (clove, cinnamon, tulsi, etc.) have been widely used for medicinal purpose from ancient time as they contain a diverse amount of bioactive compounds. Similarly, dairy products are potential carriers of phytochemicals and have an important role in regulating homeostasis related to the immune system. All mentioned sources possess positive effect on the human body by alleviating many chronic ailments like cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, cancer, etc., and strengthen the immune system. All these compounds work in such a way that they modify the metabolism or mechanism of the pathogens, thus restricting the replication and production process of the virus. This review particularly focuses on the food spectrum that has been used for prevention and protection against COVID-19 disease.

Mental health and COVID-19: The impact of a virtual course for family caregivers of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted family caregivers of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This study evaluated a virtual course for family caregivers from across Canada, focused on supporting the mental health and well-being of adults with IDD and their families. The evaluation examined the feasibility and acceptability of the course, as well as the impact of the intervention on participants' overall health and well-being. METHODS: The 6-week virtual course, informed by a parallel Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) course for service providers, combined didactic instruction with applied activities. A total of 126 family caregiver course participants consented to be part of the research evaluation delivered over three cycles between October 2020 and April 2021. Attendance was measured at each weekly session. Satisfaction was assessed weekly and post-program. Learning, self-efficacy, and well-being were assessed pre- and post-course, and again at follow-up (8 weeks post-course). Mixed-effects models assessed changes between and within individuals across time. RESULTS: Participants had consistent attendance, low-dropout rates, and reported high satisfaction, with 93% of participants reporting that their expectations for the course were met. Compared with pre-course, participants reported improved self-efficacy and well-being post-course, which were maintained at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: An interactive and applied virtual education course delivered to a large group of family caregivers of adults with IDD was both feasible and acceptable. It positively impacted participants' well-being by offering much needed mental health support and creating a peer-led community of practice.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 Infection among Healthcare Workers in Dedicated Tertiary Care Facility of Kolkata, India

Introduction: In view of the present Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic it is of utmost importance to look out for the 'trojan horse' that is the asymptomatic population who are potential for spreading the disease. Healthcare Workers (HCWs) are the most vulnerable group. The possibility of having the infection does not always correlate well with the symptoms. It urges the need for development of certain special plans beyond continuous surveillance and symptom monitoring. Aim: To explore asymptomatic COVID-19 infection among HCWs as a potential source of transmission. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, from June 2020 to September 2020. The data were collected from 714 HCWs over a period of three months of study period, with the help of a standard questionnaire and blood sample was analysed by serological assessment of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by EUROIMMUN Kit, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Epi info software 7, available from the World Health Organization (WHO) site was used to manage and analyse the data. Results: The mean age was 35.30 +/- 11.79 years. Out of 714 people, 54.8% (391/714) were male and 45.2% (323/714) were female. In this survey, 9.16% of HCWs in COVID-19 designated duties were IgG positive;whereas 21.89% of HCWs designated in other parts of area were detected to be IgG positive. Seroprevalence was least amongst nursing staffs with 5.41% (8/148);among doctor's it was 9.62% (41/426). Most interestingly among ward boys and cleaners this prevalence was found to be 29.90% (29/97) being the highest. Overall seroprevalence for IgG against SARS-CoV-2 was found to be 12.75% (91/714). Conclusion: This serosurvey at this tertiary COVID-19 care facility is a unique venture to look for the possible sources of super-spread. The high rate of sero-positivity among ward boys and cleaners might be due to their lack of knowledge and training regarding steps to prevent a droplet borne pandemic. This study also points out that if adequate precautions are taken, infectivity is not to an alarming extent, even in a full-fledged COVID-19 care hospital.

Convalescent Plasma for Preventing Critical Illness in COVID-19: a Phase 2 Trial and Immune Profile

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an unprecedented event requiring frequent adaptation to changing clinical circumstances. Convalescent immune plasma (CIP) is a promising treatment that can be mobilized rapidly in a pandemic setting. We tested whether administration of SARS-CoV-2 CIP at hospital admission could reduce the rate of ICU transfer or 28-day mortality or alter levels of specific antibody responses before and after CIP infusion. In a single-arm phase II study, patients >18 years-old with respiratory symptoms with confirmed COVID-19 infection who were admitted to a non-ICU bed were administered two units of CIP within 72 h of admission. Levels of SARS-CoV-2 detected by PCR in the respiratory tract and circulating anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers were sequentially measured before and after CIP transfusion. Twenty-nine patients were transfused high titer CIP and 48 contemporaneous comparable controls were identified. All classes of antibodies to the three SARS-CoV-2 target proteins were significantly increased at days 7 and 14 post-transfusion compared with baseline (P < 0.01). Anti-nucleocapsid IgA levels were reduced at day 28, suggesting that the initial rise may have been due to the contribution of CIP. The groups were well-balanced, without statistically significant differences in demographics or co-morbidities or use of remdesivir or dexamethasone. In participants transfused with CIP, the rate of ICU transfer was 13.8% compared to 27.1% for controls with a hazard ratio 0.506 (95% CI 0.165-1354), and 28-day mortality was 6.9% compared to 10.4% for controls, hazard ratio 0.640 (95% CI 0.124-3.298). IMPORTANCE Transfusion of high-titer CIP to non-critically ill patients early after admission with COVID-19 respiratory disease was associated with significantly increased anti-SARSCoV-2 specific antibodies (compared to baseline) and a non-significant reduction in Ku transfer and death (compared to controls). This prospective phase II trial provides a suggestion that the antiviral effects of CIP from early in the COVID-19 pandemic may delay progression to critical illness and death in specific patient populations. This study informs the optimal timing and potential population of use for CIP in COVID-19, particularly in settings without access to other interventions, or in planning for future coronavirus pandemics.

Gold-coated iron oxide core-shell nanostructures for the oxidation of indoles and the synthesis of uracil-derived spirooxindoles

Encapsulation of iron oxide (Fe3O4)-based nanoparticles (NPs) with Au NPs holds a promising scope for catalysis, which overcomes the hindrance of the inherent hydrophilic surface of iron species and facilitates the easy separation of colloidal Au NPs. As such, iron oxide-based NPs were encapsulated by Au NPs to form core-shell structures (Fe3O4/Au NPs) followed by further immobilization on in situ synthesized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to yield Fe3O4/Au NPs-rGO for increased stability. Fe3O4/Au NPs-rGO was evaluated for the oxidation of NH-free indoles to synthesize isatins, potential precursors of SARS-CoV-2 protease inhibitors. Furthermore, the application of isatin was explored with the Fe3O4/Au NPs-rGO catalysed synthesis of uracil-based spirooxindoles (potential precursors of anti-cancer compounds) via mild reaction conditions and short reaction times with high yields.

Predicting the cumulative number of cases of the COVID-19 epidemic in india from early data

Aim: The present study aims at explaining the epidemic situation in India for COVID-19 and forecasting the expected rise in the positive cases in India. Objective: This study will be useful for Government authorities and Medical Practitioners in assessing the trends for India and preparing a combat plan with stringent measures. This research would also be useful in predicting outbreak numbers with greater precision for people involved in exploring this deadly disease. Methods: We used the Support Vector Machine (SVM) to forecast and analyze the COVID-19 situations to predict future trends. On definite trail and model training, it was observed that the number of COVID cases will increase for the next four days. Results: The SVM model predicted accurate results. The prediction accuracy seems to best fit and indicates the cases to rise in the next coming days. Confirmed cases and the SVM predictions are close to each other, thus proving the accuracy of the SVM predictions. It was inferred that the numbers of COVID-19 instances will rise if the same trend is followed. Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak is exacerbated by secondary hospital transmission. Testing, particularly of those coming in with respiratory symptoms, is essential to isolate those in hospitals. A two-stage, pre-emptive testing is recommended in symptomatic older people immediately to reduce mortality. Immediate and on-going serological surveys are required to track the epidemic level. We are flying blind at the moment. The demand for the ventilators would be 1 million. The current supply in India is projected to range from 30 K to 50 K (the US has 160 K and is still running short). Health staff involved in treating COVID-19 patients also have to shield themselves using personal protection (i.e., masks and gowns) to save themselves from being infected. Thus, SVM model predictions will give a better insight into the growth of COVID-19 cases and, therefore, will allow the government of India to take adequate measures to restrain the issue at the earliest. © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Management of Future Outbreak Risks (Prevention, Control and Treatment)

The year 2020 began with the advent of a novel coronavirus identified as SARS-CoV-2, which triggered the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak globally. It is the third extremely pathogenic and highly contagious coronavirus that has arisen in humans since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). As it is a respiratory disease that has never been seen before and can spread broadly and rapidly, it gained worldwide attention without the standard of diagnosis and control. The development of therapeutic approaches is essential in preventing future outbreaks and curing infections. In the end, the outbreak could be contained by a reliable vaccine to prevent 2019-nCoV infection, and there’s an immediate need to find initiatives to ensure patients’ health and prevent possible deaths. To prevent and control the next outbreak and pandemic relating to these interfaces, we summarize the existing state of awareness around COVID-19 by addressing prevention steps and monitoring treatment protocols that can help manage both existing and future outbreak risks. Finally, we strongly support for the fastest strategy to develop a vaccine that may be immune towards any new mutations which this virus could trigger in the future. © 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Role of functional food components in COVID-19 pandemic: A review

COVID-19 is highly contagious disease which is caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and its outbreak has affected millions of people with thousands of deaths worldwide. The nutrients in food have an important role in modulation of immune system, developing functional abilities and prevention of diseases along with maintaining our health, growth and development. The various components of functional foods are potentially beneficial components, found naturally in foods which help in prevention and reduction of risk factors for several diseases. These functional food components have immunomodulatory and antiviral properties which are of prime importance towards healthy immune system. The dietary supplementation of foods with functional food components like vitamins (A, B, C, and D), minerals (selenium, zinc, and iron) and phenolic compounds can act as treatment or preventive therapy for COVID-19 patients. The functional foods include foods fortified with above mentioned functional components along with the foods rich in these functional components like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, etc. These various functional food components like vitamins or minerals can be used as adjuvant in COVID-19 infected patients. These adjuvants help in stimulation the immune system which increases the response towards a vaccine. without having any specific antigenic effect.

Machine Learning Approach For Clustering Of Countries To Identify The Best Strategies To Combat Covid-19

The purpose of this study is to identify how different government measures impacted the level of Covid-19 influence on countries of similar nature. Demographic, economic, health, and weather conditions were considered to identify countries that are inherently similar in nature. This grouping along with Covid-19 epidemiology data was used to cluster countries over a period of time after Covid-19 struck. We identified those countries which changed clusters over a time period and were influenced differently by the impact of Covid-19. We then looked at the government measures through the stringency index of containment measures and observed a relation in how different stringency measures impacted the countries differently even though they belonged to the same original group. We also observed that countries that eased restrictions quickly after containment measures had to go back to the earlier stringent measures. Gradual ease of containment measure was more efficient in tackling Covid-19. The inherent grouping of countries done in our study can be used in the future as well to deploy similar measures when faced with Covid-19 like pandemic situation. The strategies adopted on average by countries within each inherent cluster can become the base for handling Covid-19 or any such pandemic in the future. The significance of the work resides in the fact that the strategies would not be aligned to economic conditions of a nation (developed versus developing) or a single factor like healthcare facilities but based on a varied list of inherent factors using machine learning methods.

Estimation of Demographic Parameters of COVID-19 Patients Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital, Jaipur

Background: COVID-19 is a pandemic disorder spreading rapidly worldwide. Most of the countries were affected by the COVID-19 during the year 2020. Demographic data are important to understand the impact of COVID-19 across the country and also provide information on an appropriate response, planning, and allocation of resources. This study aims to assess the demographic data of COVID-19 patients admitted and treated in a tertiary care hospital, Jaipur. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Jaipur. A total of 1149 patients' data like age, gender, area they belong to, duration of the treatment, etc., were collected from the medical records department (MRD) department between July 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020. The data were expressed as counts, number, and percentage (%). The data were analyzed using Excel software. Results: Out of 1149 patients, 70% were males and 30% were females, respectively, and mean ± SD (standard deviation) of age was 44.23 ± 3.57. Most of the cases were obtained from Jaipur 63%, Bikaner 5.4%, Ajmer 4.4%, Alwar 2.6%, Sawai Madhopur 2.6%, Dausa 2.3%, Nagaur 2.3%, Bharatpur 2.1%, and Karauli 1.7%, respectively, and remaining places reported <1.5% cases. Also 40 to 80 years age groups were most affected. About 32.4% mild, 55.7% moderate, and 11.8% severe cases were reported. Conclusions: More male patients were affected when compared with female patients. Age and other disease conditions have a positive correlation with COVID-19. Older people should take extra precautions and avoid going to markets, parties, etc., unless it is essential. Early identification and detection of COVID-19 helps in better treatment and preventing the conversion of mild cases into moderate or severe cases and prevents the transmission from one to another.