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During the global health crisis that caused by the Corona pandemic, the development of detergent products has become necessary to confront the spreading of viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Here, three types (X, Y, and Z) of new triple-action glass cleaners (cleaning, polishing, and sterilizing) were prepared from locally available, low cost, and alcohol-free chemicals. The new glass cleaners were prepared by mixing the preservative, color, and perfume with Cocamidopropyl betaine as a surfactant and 5%, 3%, and 1% of Chloroxylenol, Povidone, and Sodium hypochlorite solutions were added as sterilizers respectively. The second part also included the study of some physicochemical properties and antimicrobial activity of the products such as boiling point, pH, viscosity, water solubility, stability and anti-bacterial. In the end, the prepared products were compared with two commercial products (A & B). It was found that the new products possess high cleaning, polishing, and sterilization properties. © 2023 AIP Publishing LLC.
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The book was inadvertently published with an incorrect name information for one of the Chapter author as "M. Yousef", whereas it should be "M. Yousif" in the front matter and Chapter 3. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022. All rights reserved.
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Covid-19 pandemic created a global shift in the way how consumers purchase. Restrictions to movements of individuals and commodities created a big challenge on day today life. Due to isolation, social media usage has increased substantially, and these platforms created significant impact carrying news and sentiments instantaneously. These sentiments impacted the purchase behavior of consumers and online retailers witnessed variations in their sales. Retailers used various customer behavior prediction models such as Recommendation systems to influence consumers and increasing their sales. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, these models may not perform the same way due to changes in consumer behavior. By integrating consumer sentiments from online social media platform as another feature in the prediction machine learning models such as recommendation systems, retailers can understand consumer behavior better and create Recommendations appropriately. This provides the consumers with appropriate choice of products in essential and non-essential categories based on pandemic condition restrictions. This also helps retailers to plan their operations and inventory appropriately. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
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BACKGROUND: Given the sparse data on vitamin D status in pediatric COVID-19, we investigated whether vitamin D deficiency could be a risk factor for susceptibility to COVID-19 in Egyptian children and adolescents. We also investigated whether vitamin D receptor (VDR) FokI polymorphism could be a genetic marker for COVID-19 susceptibility. METHODS: One hundred and eighty patients diagnosed to have COVID-19 and 200 matched control children and adolescents were recruited. Patients were laboratory confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 positive by real-time RT-PCR. All participants were genotyped for VDR Fok1 polymorphism by RT-PCR. Vitamin D status was defined as sufficient for serum 25(OH) D at least 30 ng/mL, insufficient at 21-29 ng/mL, deficient at <20 ng/mL. RESULTS: Ninety-four patients (52%) had low vitamin D levels with 74 (41%) being deficient and 20 (11%) had vitamin D insufficiency. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with 2.6-fold increased risk for COVID-19 (OR = 2.6; [95% CI 1.96-4.9]; P = 0.002. The FokI FF genotype was significantly more represented in patients compared to control group (OR = 4.05; [95% CI: 1.95-8.55]; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency and VDR Fok I polymorphism may constitute independent risk factors for susceptibility to COVID-19 in Egyptian children and adolescents. IMPACT: Vitamin D deficiency could be a modifiable risk factor for COVID-19 in children and adolescents because of its immune-modulatory action. To our knowledge, ours is the first such study to investigate the VDR Fok I polymorphism in Caucasian children and adolescents with COVID-19. Vitamin D deficiency and the VDR Fok I polymorphism may constitute independent risk factors for susceptibility to COVID-19 in Egyptian children and adolescents. Clinical trials should be urgently conducted to test for causality and to evaluate the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation for prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 taking into account the VDR polymorphisms.
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Covid-19 virus hit the world in an unprecedented and cruel manner. Lives were changed forever, and organizations had to find a different strategy to handle the consequences of the virus. Employees were forced to leave the office and work from home in order to reduce the spread of the infection. This ultimately led people having a hard time managing work and life balance. This research explores the drawbacks of the work-from-home format by conducting a case study on a medical institute in Sweden where information was collected and analyzed to help answer the research question which is how leadership and management in IT companies have changed during the pandemic. This organization is a very large medical institutes and were practicing organizational challenges in the IT department during the pandemic. We found three themes that were most discussed by the employees during the interviews: Ergonomics, infrastructure and IT leadership strategy. These three aspects of work from home environment using the new technologies were challenging and complicated to address on time by the top managers since they were not prepared for such crisis. © 2020 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
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Digital pathology was developed decades ago to allow pathologists to remotely collaborate on cases and improve the accuracy of diagnostic techniques by sharing digital images across laboratories. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States lagged behind most other developed countries in terms of digital pathology adoption due to strict federal regulations of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The FDA relaxed some of its requirements to approve and validate digital pathology-related technology to meet the pandemic response's needs. Similarly, the CMS waived restrictive CLIA rules that now allowed pathologists to use digital pathology platforms from home. Thereby, the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the broad adoption of digital pathology for remotely rendering pathology diagnoses. This imaging technology has provided pathologists and pathologists-in-training with a variety of resources to help them continue to remotely care for patients, collaborate, and support virtual education. This paradigm shift will impact not only how we routinely work in the postpandemic era but also how we will virtually teach pathology in the future and possibly even modify regulations that govern how digital pathology systems can be used and get approved for diagnostic use. The focus of this chapter is on digital pathology concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome – coronavirus-2 has caused a pandemic that put the life of extremely vulnerable people who are eligible for shielding from COVID-19 at a greater risk. The UK government had advised those vulnerable people to start shielding by 21st of March 2020. Methods: This study is a retrospective review of 74 patients who had laboratory confirmed covid 19 disease (tested between 31/03/2020–13/05/2020) and identified by Barnsley hospital information database as eligible for shielding. The reviewed cases were evaluated for clinical outcome, reasons for shielding, demographic distribution, place of residence and history of recent hospital stay. Results: 74 patients [median age 76.4, males – 53%] were included, of which 48.6% [n = 36, median age 81.5] had died. 43 out of all 74 patients had COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and 24 [56%] of them had died. 24 patients [32.4%] lived in care homes.19 out of all 74 patients were in-patient after 21st March for reasons other than COVID19 and diagnosed with COVID19 following discharge from hospital. Conclusion: The study describes notably higher mortality from COVID19 in the shielding group, particularly in elderly patients and those with pre-existing COPD diagnosis. This group must be given priority when offering vaccination. The study has also revealed the need to adopt strict infection control measures to minimise infection transmission in care homes. Introducing a quicker way of testing on admission to hospital (e.g., point of care testing) would facilitate efficient triaging and bed allocation, which could subsequently reduce the risk of nosocomial infection.
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P117 Table 1S.No Standard/Criteria Results 1 HbA1C measurement is recommended quarterly for patients with CFRD 10%(8/83) 2 For most patients with CFRD, the A1C treatment goal is <7% to reduce the risk of microvascular complications 42%(35/83) ConclusionA small number of our patients had HbA1C checked quarterly and almost half of them had their HbA1C in the target range. Adherence to ADA guidance was reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, due to shielding and reduced face to face clinics. Almost half of the patients were seen by diabetes team and this number was not changed in 2020, although the reviews were not face to face. Action plan devised to improve service and develop a local guideline.Developing a national guideline for CFRD monitoring should be considered, taking in to account newer technologies for diabetes monitoring.ReferenceA Position statement of the American Diabetes Association and a Clinical practice guideline of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
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Background Children and young people (CYP) are increasingly attending acute paediatric services due to mental health difficulties. 50% of all mental health problems are established by 14 years of age and 75% by 24 years. Underinvestment in mental health has been a longstanding concern, amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic through extra stress caused by prolonged school closures, social isolation and a lack of access to usual support services. In 2020, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health highlighted that suicide is now the leading cause of death in England and Wales for children aged 5-19 years, emphasising the need to prioritise and improve mental health. Paediatricians must develop the knowledge and skills to identify, support and make appropriate referrals for common mental health problems. HEEADSSS is a well-known psychosocial screening tool with eight domains, used to identify potential or actual harm. Objectives Establish whether CYP within the West Midlands, UK are receiving adequate psychosocial assessments on hospital admission and whether healthcare professionals are signposting to relevant services. The primary outcome was the percentage of CYP with documented evidence of being offered a HEEADSSS assessment. Methods A regional prospective audit across nine hospitals was performed for three days per week from 4st -31st January 2021. A standardised proforma was used to gather information from medical records of all CYP aged >12 years admitted to paediatric wards. Pooled data were analysed using Microsoft Excel. Results 231 patients were included. The median age was 14 years old (range 12-17 years). 163(71%) were female. 202 (87%) had no known communication difficulties. 53(23%) were known to CAMHS and 43(19%) to social care. 78/231 (34%) were admitted with mental health as the presenting complaint. 35/231(15%) were documented to be given the opportunity to be spoken to alone;29(82%) accepted. No department had a psychosocial screening tool embedded in the admission document. 158/231(69%) had less than half of the eight domains completed. The median was 1.5 (range 0-8). Home and education/ employment were most frequently asked (37-42%). Eating/exercise, drugs, safety, sexual activity and other activities were the least frequently asked (14-27%). The proportion of those with a concern identified when asked ranged from 18%-39%. However, in self-harm, depression and suicide, only 85/231 (37%) were asked, with concern identified in 87%. 78 patients were admitted for mental health;28(39%) had less than half the domains completed (median 5, range 0-8). Drug use 46/78(59%), safety and sexual activity (both 38/78 (49%)) were inconsistently documented in this group, with concerns identified in 20-26% of those asked. 90/231(39%) were referred to CAMHS, social care, counselling, online or other support services. 16/77(21%) patients with a concern documented in at least one domain were not referred onwards. Conclusions This study demonstrates poor implementation of the HEEADSSS tool on admission, across a wide geographical area. Increased utilisation of a psychosocial screening tool would provide more opportunities to CYP to discuss their psychosocial health and receive appropriate support, in line with national guidance standards. Further work is underway addressing barriers to using HEEADSSS, considering electronic or embedded tools and signposting to relevant services.
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BACKGROUND: To date, the cytokine profile in children and adolescent with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not been reported. OBJECTIVES: We investigated serum levels of a panel of key cytokines in children and adolescent with COVID-19 pneumonia with a primary focus on "cytokine storm" cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, IL-17, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and two chemokines interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) and IL-8. We also studied whether these cytokines could be potential markers for illness severity in COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: Ninety-two symptomatic patients aged less than 18 years with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia and 100 well-matched healthy controls were included in this multi-center study. For all patients, the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in respiratory fluid specimens was detected by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We measured serum concentrations of studied cytokines by using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher median IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, and IP-10 serum levels than did control children (all p < 0.01). Patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia had significantly higher median IL-1ß, IL-6, and IP-10 serum levels as compared with those with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia; all p < 0.01. ROC analysis revealed that three of the studied markers (IL-6, IL-1ß, and IP-10) could predict severe COVID-19 pneumonia cases with the largest AUC for IL-6 of 0.893 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-0.98; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that pediatric patients with COVID-19 pneumonia have markedly elevated serum IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17, TNF-α, and IP-10 levels at the initial phase of the illness indicating a cytokine storm following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, serum IL-6, IL-1ß, and IP-10 concentrations were independent predictors for severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
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COVID-19 , Cytokines/blood , Adolescent , COVID-19/immunology , Child , Egypt/epidemiology , HumansABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the levels of awareness and knowledge regarding COVID-19 among healthcare professionals and students in Kuwait and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey using a previously validated questionnaire was used to assess the awareness and knowledge levels of COVID-19 in this study, which was distributed via various online platforms to include as many participants as possible. The study targeted medical doctors, dentists, medical students, and dental students from the GCC region. Participants were at least 18 years old, voluntarily consented to complete the questionnaire, and were assured that their responses would remain anonymous. Permission was obtained using a previously validated and applied questionnaire to assess their level of awareness and knowledge regarding COVID-19. To compare the proportional responses between groups in descriptive statistics, a proportion Z-test was used to find any significant differences, with a statistical significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 1621 participants responded to our questionnaire. Almost two-thirds of the respondents were female (64.4%), and the majority were less than 25 years old (67.2%). Dentists accounted for 12.6% of the total population, and their clinical experience ranged from 0.25 to 52 years (median: 3 years, IQR: 1-10 years). Meanwhile, medical doctors accounted for 24.5% of the responses, and their clinical experience ranged from 0 to 50 years (median: 13 years, IQR: 3-23 years). Among the dental students, 42.3% were in the pre-clinical years, while 57.7% were in the clinical years of study. However, among medical students, 57.5% were in the pre-clinical years, while 42.5% were in the clinical years of study. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that dental students, medical doctors, and medical students exhibited higher odds of having satisfactory COVID-19 perception scores than dentists.
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Epidemic manifestation in Daniel Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year seems to be a guiding picture that shows people how to deal with the current global epidemic. This novel is meant to support a precise chronological sequence of the pace of the development of an epidemic, from the appearance of the first symptoms to the disastrous climax, and then back to ordinary life. The study has aimed at making comparative study about the current epidemic (Covid 19 ) with the epidemic (Bubonic Plague) that is mentioned in Daniel Defoe's novel, as fatal viruses. However, the present study has adopted the descriptive analytical comparative study;where the two epidemics have been comparatively studied. The analysis is focused on clarifying the similarities and differences between the current situation and what happened in the 1665. The researcher has come up with several results, the most important of which are: Bubonic plague and Covid 19 are similar because they have the same effect on the people who are contemporary with them, but the plague is more dangerous health crisis. They are not only regarded as health epidemics, but actual disease that affected societies in all their aspects;religion, economy, political issues, sports, educational systems, etc. People suffers from desperation, pain and sadness. Furthermore, the present study recommends from a literary point of view that history repeats itself and that people should learn from past mistakes to be ready for any kind of disaster. © 2021 Karadeniz Technical University. All rights reserved.
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Background: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to unprecedented curfews and restrictions on daily practices and activities. Healthcare professionals, educators, and students need to face various challenges in the era of COVID-19. Our aim is to correlate the knowledge and perception level to COVID-19 among healthcare professionals and students in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to the self-reported depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Attitude towards outreach and volunteering program was also assed in the study.Methods: Online survey was conducted targeting the following categories from the GCC region: dental and medical students, dentists, and medical doctors. Knowledge level to COVID-19 was assessed using a previously validated survey instrument. The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess the mental health status. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between adequate COVID-19 knowledge scores and DASS scores for depression, anxiety, stress, and total DASS-21 score. Results: Satisfactory knowledge regarding COVID-19 was associated with higher DASS depression and anxiety scores (p <0.001 and p= 0.001) but not with stress scores (p = 0.657). The satisfactory knowledge group also scored higher in the DASS-21 when compared to unsatisfactory knowledge group (p = 0.012). Conclusion: Increasing depression and anxiety scores and total DASS-21 score were associated with greater odds of having satisfactory knowledge of COVID-19. However, stress scores were not associated with satisfactory knowledge of COVID-19. Medical doctors were the least worried about participating in outreach programs, while dentists and medical students were most concerned.
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COVID-19 , Anxiety Disorders , Depressive DisorderABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 outbreak is an unprecedented global public health burden, which popped up in China in late 2019 to early 2020 and distributed worldwide rapidly. Indeed, this pandemic transmission has raised global physical and mental health concerns. Mental health issues that concur with this public health emergency may pose anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. In Iraq, there are no registered known data on the psychological consequence of the public during the communicable disease outbreak. The ongoing study aims to address the paucity of these data as an appraisal of the mental health burden represented by anxiety disorder related to the global COVID-19 era. Results: Among the 1591 Iraqi respondents, 788 (49.5%) accounted for having health anxiety over the current home restriction situation. Younger ages experienced more COVID-19-related health anxiety compared to older ages. Females reported higher health anxiety compared to males (57.7% vs 42.3%). The health care professionals reported 20.9% health anxiety. The Iraqi southern population displayed more health anxiety compared to the northern and middle portions. This work showed about half of the respondents were spending over 60 min focusing on news of COVID-19. We found that 80 to 90% carrying out preventive efforts and home quarantine against COVID-19 infection. Interestingly, participants experienced fear from the risk of COVID-19 infection, whether more or equal to a level of war scare, in 70.1% of the sample. Conclusions: In Iraq, during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly half of the respondents have health anxiety. Southern Iraqi cities displayed higher rates of anxiety. Also, being female, younger ages, holding an academic degree, or being a college student are associated with more prominent degrees of anxiety. Furtherly, it is important to adopt strategies for public health education and prevention and alerting future governmental responses focusing on psychological state impact among the general population. © 2020, The Author(s).