The nexus of environmental, social, and governance practices with the financial performance of banks: A comparative analysis for the pre and COVID-19 periods

This study aims to examine the impact of ESG practices on the financial performance of the banking industry of Pakistan during the pre and COVID-19 periods. The data were collected from the annual reports of selected banks for the pre-COVID-19 period (2018) and the COVID-19 period (2020). Results of the t-test show that there is a significant difference in ESG disclosures between the pre and during-COVID-19 periods. The regression analysis shows that the formative ESG factor positively affected the financial performance of the banking industry during the pre-COVID-19 period. While the reflective factors (environmental and social) positively affected the financial performance of the banking industry in the pre-COVID-19 period. During the COVID-19 period, the formative factor of ESG was found to have a significant positive impact on the financial performance of the banking industry. Similarly, in this period, the reflective factors (social and governance) were also found to have a significant positive impact on the financial performance of the banking industry. Interestingly, environmental sustainability negatively impacted the financial performance during the COVID-19 period. It indicates that the banking industry ignored environmental sustainability practices during the COVID −19 period, negatively affecting their financial performance. It suggests that ignoring environmental sustainability practices will deteriorate financial performance following the COVID-19 period. These results have profound policy implications for practitioners and policymakers in the banking industry, which are discussed. © 2023 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.

Saving natural gas through smart water heating

Water heating in Pakistan and its neighboring countries predominantly relies on inefficient, natural gas-wasting water heaters whose mechanical design has remained largely unmodified since their inception in the 1960s. The inefficiency of these water heaters has added much to the woes of depleting gas reserves of the region, leading to a widening demand-supply gap. Pakistan is facing its worst ever natural gas crisis due to a COVID-19 hit economy that cannot carry the burden of expensive imports, especially during the Russo-Ukrainian conflict that has sent the gas prices soaring in the international market. We respond to this challenge with a sense of urgency by proposing a solution that minimizes the wastage of natural gas in water heating, which consumes about half the gas supplied to residential consumers in the country. Our solution replaces the mechanical control of the water heater with an IoT-inspired, electrical retrofit design combining hardware and software for smart control through user-defined schedules or machine learning, while solving several challenges that arise from replacing a mechanical control system with an electrical one. Empirical results demonstrate 70% reduction in consumption. © 2022 ACM.

Knowledge in Dealing with The COVID-19 Based On The Guidance of Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah: A Cross-Sectional Survey Among The Pharmacy and Health Sciences Diploma Students in Malaysia

INTRODUCTION: Medicine and communicable disease control are embedded in many Islamic teachings as conveyed by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through the Al-Quran, Al-sunnah, and Al-hadith more than 1400 years ago. Therefore, when the COVID-19 outbreak hit Malaysia, with the majority of the population being Muslims, the society should have been equipped with knowledge in dealing with this pandemic. This study investigates the knowledge towards dealing with COVID-19 based on the guidance of Al-Quran and Al- Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) among undergraduate students in Malaysia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study using self-constructed questionnaires was performed. The questionnaires were pre-validated and distributed to pharmacy and health sciences students via an online survey platform. One of the selection criteria was that the respondent must be a Muslim. RESULTS: The students scored a median of 26 (IQR 4) in the knowledge test. Students' percentage knowledge levels were divided into three categories: poor (n = 42, 15%);moderate (n = 207, 73%) and good (n = 33, 12%). The lowest scored knowledge item was observed on the Islamic terminology, Maqasid Shariah (4.3%), and differences between hadith and sunnah (20.9%). No significant differences in knowledge scores were observed in the pre-determined independent variables such as age, year of study, accommodation, and previous religious school admission. CONCLUSION: The study findings suggest that the students have a good understanding of scientific aspects of COVID-19 but lack knowledge in handling the pandemic as recommended by Al-Quran and Al-Sunnah. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of IIUM Medical Journal Malaysia is the property of International Islamic University Malaysia, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

VACCINATION STRATEGY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN A FRACTIONAL ORDER EPIDEMIC MODEL

Various approaches have been made recently to understand the complex dynamics of many epidemic diseases like COVID-19. The mathematical modeling approach is one of the considerable tools to study the disease spreading pattern. In this paper we study a fractional order SIR epidemic model with nonmonotone incidence rate and vaccination involving a Caputo type fractional derivative. Existence and uniqueness results for the problem are established which means that our model is biologically and mathematically well posed. We Firstly give some preliminaries results. Then we calculate the equilibria and investigate their global stability. Finally, we present some numerical simulations to support our analytical findings. © 2022 the author(s).

A cross-sectional analysis of post-acute COVID-19 symptoms.

Objectives: The severe acute respiratory syndrome (COVID-19) due to SARS-CoV-2 was first reported in China in December 2019 and has generated a worldwide pandemic. The objective of the research is to examine and describe (a) the symptoms that persist after the end of the acute stage and (b) their relationship with the severity of the disease. Study Design: This study is a cross-sectional study conducted in the Kingdom of Bahrain on COVID-19 infected patients using an online survey questionnaire with a total number of 52 patient responses (29 females and 23 males). Method: A scale (0 no symptoms to 10 very high symptoms intensity) was assessed in patients after 3 months to detect the relevance of specific symptoms post-COVID-19 such as emotional and physical health, headache, dyspnoea, pain (muscles/joints/chest), anosmia, vertigo, neurologic symptoms, sarcopenia, delirium. Results: The most common COVID-19 symptoms were reported to be fever (69.2%), headache (59.6%), and cough (50.0%). Data analysis showed that BMI was not correlated with any post-acute COVID-19 symptoms. Regarding the post-acute COVID-19 symptoms, this study showed that an increase of intensity of headache was associated with an increase of delirium; an increase of intensity of dyspnoea was associated with an increase of pulmonary dysfunction. The increase of anosmia and dysgeusia was associated with an increase in delirium. In addition, the increase of neurological symptoms and delirium were associated with the increase of sarcopenia. The most common persistent post-COVID-19 symptoms observed in this study were emotional stress, followed by loss of smell and taste, and neurological symptoms. Conclusions: Therefore, follow-up and rehabilitation care for COVID-19 patients must be focused on addressing the needs of these people in the longer term.

Novel Lung Targeting Cell Penetrating Peptides as Vectors for Delivery of Therapeutics

Rationale: Cell-penetrating peptides are able to cross membranes and deliver cargoes in a functional form. Our prior work identified a 12-amino acid, cardiac targeting peptide (APWHLSSQYSRT). Studies into its mechanism of transduction led to the identification of two lung targeting peptides (LTPs), S7A and R11A. Here we report on a) the comparative lung uptake of S7A versus R11A, b) complete biodistribution of R11A, c) show that cyclic versions are -100-fold more efficient than linear counterparts, d) uptake is via a non-endocytic pathway, and e) cyclic R11A's (cR11A) ability to deliver siRNA targeting structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 and act as an anti-viral. Methods: Linear LTPs were synthesized with N-terminal labeled with Cyanine 5.5 (Cy5.5). Cyclic versions were synthesized with lysine added to the N-terminus, cyclized through a peptide bond, with a side NH-group labeled with Cy5.5. cR11A was conjugated to siRNA duplexes via a DTME linker. Wild-type, CD1 mice, were injected with S7A or R11A at 10, 5, and 1mg/Kg, peptides allowed to circulate for 15mins, mice euthanized, lung along with multiple other organs dissected and imaged using In Vivo Imaging Systems (IVIS, Perkin-Elmer) followed by confocal microscopy. CD1 mice were injected with R11A, 5mg/Kg, and euthanized at different time intervals for biodistribution studies. Endocytosis studies were done using serum-starved human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) incubated with fluorescently labeled transferrin and LTP-S7A or LTP- R11A. Lastly, anti-viral activity was tested in HBECs pre-treated with cR11A-siRNA followed by viral infection. Results: Mice injected with LTP-S7A or LTP-R11A showed robust uptake of the peptides by lung tissue, with R11A showing an increasingly favorable lung:liver ratio with decreasing dose. Lung uptake of R11A peaked at 120mins with complete dissipation of fluorescence by 24 hours. In Vitro studies in HBECs showed no co-localization of transferrin with LTPs, ruling out endocytosis as a mechanism of uptake. Comparison of linear versus cyclic peptides using FACS showed cyclic peptides had -100-fold increased transduction efficiency over their linear counterparts. cR11A conjugated to ant-spike, and anti-envelop proteins showed an anti-viral effect with EC90 of 0.6uM and 1.0μM, respectively. Conclusions: We have identified two novel lung-targeting peptides capable of acting as delivery vectors. Peak uptake of R11A occurred at 120mins. Furthermore, this uptake was not via endocytosis, and cyclic versions were -100-fold more efficiently taken up. Lastly, as proof of concept, we show cR11A acts as a vector and delivers siRNA to HBECs in a functional form, and act as anti-virals.

Innovative strategies for university students during COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the educational landscape. Approaches of teachers have had to shift as a result of this transformation since they have been forced to use a variety of technological resources to improve their teaching. This pandemic compelled educators to devise the most effective plan for resolving the educational crisis. This study described innovative teaching practices and responses of students to adapt these strategies during the lockdown period. We adjusted courses to make them virtual comprehensible so that we could continue to deliver effective instruction. Hands-on training is essential for good learning of applied courses;thus we established a virtual lab where students were given online instructions via digital platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Blackboard. Later, students were asked to make videos of their lab performances. Furthermore, breakout rooms were created in which students explored various themes in small groups before having a representative from each group convey the main points of their conversation. Another essential tactic was to increase one-on-one interaction with students, giving them feedback on their assignments and other class duties. Importantly, using Microsoft Teams and Blackboard for live invigilation made conducting online exams a lot easier. Finally, these tactics were extremely effective in maintaining a competitive learning environment for diverse students during the COVID-19 crisis. © 2021 IEEE.

COVID-19 Knowledge, Attitudes, and Preventive Measures of University Students in Bahrain.

Background: The severe, acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19 that was first reported in China in December 2019 quickly became a global pandemic that has resulted in over 100 million infections and more than 2 million deaths. Study Design: This study aimed to assess the awareness level of university students regarding the possibility of becoming infected with COVID-19. In order to achieve this objective, we assessed the students' knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors using an online survey questionnaire offered to a total of 300 students. Results: A positive response regarding awareness of COVID-19 symptoms was registered by more than 70% of the students, whereas 62% felt that wearing a mask did not give full protection against infection, approximately 30% agreed that antibiotics and antivirals did not treat COVID-19, and 62% agreed that vitamin C was helpful in treating common symptoms of COVID-19. Moreover, around 31% of the students believed that COVID-19 is a man-made virus. Students who had gotten infected with SARS-CoV-2 believed that wearing a mask gives full protection (p=0.018). In response to survey questions related to attitude, 80% of students cancelled and postponed meetings with friends, and 90% agreed that mask-wearing is the most precautionary measure used to prevent the infection. In addition, 82% avoided coughing in public, 82% avoided contact if they felt flu-like symptoms and 80% washed their hands far more often due to the pandemic. Interestingly, 76% carried hand sanitizer, 66.5% avoided shaking hands, and 42.7% were taking vitamin C supplements. Conclusions: This study showed that the participants had a positive awareness of COVID-19 transmission, symptoms, and treatments misconceptions and mistaken beliefs related to treatments and the origin of the virus were also common and should be addressed. This study thus provides a baseline for a population-based surveillance program that could help local authorities to improve pandemic preparation plans, particularly with regard to governmental education and media campaigns.

THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF ELEVATED LIPASE LEVELS IN COVID-19 PATIENTS - A LARGE RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Introduction: Hyperlipasemia and its clinical significance in patients with COVID-19 (CoronavirusDisease 2019) has not been widely reported. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE-2) receptors are expressed in the pancreas and a direct viral cytopathic effect resultingin pancreatic injury with SARS CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2) infection has been hypothesized. In this study, we present the largest retrospective cohortstudy to date, evaluating the significance of hyperlipasemia in patients with COVID-19.Methods: All hospitalized adults with a positive SARS CoV-2 PCR (Polymerase ChainReaction) test from March 09 to June 30, 2020, and a serum lipase level drawn on admissionwere included in our study. Hyperlipasemia is defined as a lipase level above the upperlimit of normal. Data was extracted from our electronic medical records. Statistical analysiswas performed using the SAS statistical software v. 9.4 (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA).Mean and standard deviations were generated for continuous variables. Frequencies andproportions were reported for categorical variables. The Student t test and the Chi-squaretest were performed for the analysis of continuous or categorical variables respectively. Alltests were 2-sided, with a statistical significance set at p < 0.05. The logistic regressionmodel was used to quantify the association between lipase levels and clinical outcomes suchas the need for mechanical ventilation and deathResults: There were a total of 900 COVID-19 positive patients, of which 282 (31.3%) hadhyperlipasemia on admission (Table 1). We compared patients with normal lipase withthose with hyperlipasemia. There were no significant differences observed between the twogroups in terms of demographic, comorbidities, presenting symptoms and widely reportedserological markers known to indicate disease severity in COVID-19. In our multivariableadjustedmodel (table 2), elevated lipase was not significantly associated with the need formechanical ventilation or in-hospital mortality. A majority of our patients had mild elevationin lipase levels. Additionally, individuals who had hyperlipasemia (49 patients 5.4%) exceeding3 times the upper limit of normal (>183 U/L), did not meet the diagnostic criteria foracute pancreatitis.Conclusion: Hyperlipasemia in COVID-19 patients was not associated with poor clinicaloutcomes such as prolonged hospital course, or need for mechanical ventilation, or death.Patients with significantly elevated lipase levels did not meet diagnostic criteria for acutepancreatitis. Our study raises a broad range of possibilities for elevated lipase in patientswith COVID-19, ranging from global hypoxemia, hypoperfusion of pancreas and bowel, inaddition to renal failure. However, hyperlipasemia was not a predictor of disease severityor clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.(Table Presented)(Table Presented)

Large vessel strokes in the elderly due to COVID-19 associated with poor outcomes

Background and aims: Recent studies and observations have shown various thrombotic and thromboembolic complications from COVID-19 infection. Multiple mechanisms of hypercoagulability have been proposed: direct endothelial injury and invasion, increased circulating pro-thrombotic factors (including factor VII, fibrinogen), multiple coagulation abnormalities referred to as COVID- 19 associated coagulopathy (CAC), and others. Updated guidelines recommend high intensity DVT prophylaxis in patients with COVID-19. Previous reports have outlined multiple cases of large vessel strokes associated with COVID-19. In some cases, stroke was the presenting symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Younger patients with few or no stroke risk factors generally have better outcomes. Methods: We observed three cases of large vessel occlusion (LVO) strokes in elderly patients with symptomatic COVID-19 pneumonia and respiratory failure. Stroke diagnosis was made by clinical examination and neuroimaging including computed topography (CT) and CT angiography (Figure 1 and 2). Patient characteristics, including past medical history and stroke risk factors, are detailed in Table 1. These patients remained critically ill throughout their hospitalizations. Results: In this case series, all three patients died irrespective of aggressive therapies ranging from intravenous thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy (MT), and full dose anticoagulation. Conclusion: COVID-19 associated hypercoagulability increases the risk of LVO strokes, and is associated with poor outcomes in older aged, high risk patients with underlying medical comorbidities and stroke risk factors. Patients with severe infection may benefit from high intensity venous thromboembolism prophylaxis or even therapeutic dose anticoagulation, which may also lower risk of ischemic LVO strokes. (Figure Presented).

A review on COVID-19 vaccines: stages of clinical trials, mode of actions and efficacy

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a communicable disease caused by a recently discovered coronavirus. The disease was first reported in Wuhan, China at the end of 2019 and has resulted in 1.71 million global deaths and over 77 million infections. Common symptoms of the disease include fever, dry cough, and fatigue. This literature review aims to summarize the following topics: review the clinical trials conducted on nine COVID-19 vaccines and follow their efficacy and modes of action through the three stages of the vaccine clinical development process. The analysis follows the individual vaccines through the three trials, examining and analysing drawn results to identify their capacity to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). Four COVID-19 vaccines have been approved for use in different parts of the world and many other vaccines are under clinical trials 1, 2 and 3. In conclusion, these vaccines which are under clinical trials provide a great hope to fight against COVID-19 in near future. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the University of Bahrain.

A review on clinical, pathological characteristics and drug designing for COVID-19

In late 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) named as severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, a city in China, through some zoonotic reservoir, most probably a bat, and spread throughout the world. There have been around 22,213,869 reported cases of COVID-19 and almost 781,677 deaths worldwide according to the data updated by World Health Organization till 20 August 2020. It transmitted via droplets from an infected person to a healthy person in a very short duration of time. After the completion of the incubation period, which ranges from 2 to 14 days, the person experiences pneumonia-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough, breathlessness, malaise, fatigue, and multi-organ dysfunction, etc. The main receptor of SARS-CoV-2 is angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 which binds with the spike (S) protein of the virus and helps it in attachment and entry to the host cells. COVID-19 is diagnosed by molecular testing of respiratory secretions and CT scan analysis. Because of the absence of any approved treatment options for COVID-19, a number of research studies are being carried out to find out any combination of already approved drugs or new lead compounds using in silico docking and screening strategies. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group on behalf of the University of Bahrain.

The role of anticoagulation therapy in management of covid-19 patients

Introduction Hypoxemia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and coagulopathy are common issues experiences by pts with severe COVID-19 disease.1 The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of anticoagulation therapy in COVID-19 patients. Methods This is a retrospective observational study for patients admitted to a busy district hospital during the peak period of the COVID-19 pandemic. All patients aged >18 with suspected or confirmed RT-PCR COVID-19 and raised D-Dimer were included in this study. Data including demographics, comorbidities, and effects of anticoagulation on mortality were examined. Results A total of 628 pts with more males (n = 365;58.1%), and 48.7% >75 years were included in the study. 27.9% were obese (BMI-30);and 25% were overweight (BMI 25-29.9). 448/628 (71.3%) had a positive swab for coronavirus and a further 70 patients (11.1%) had probable infection based on clinic-radiological suspicion. Nearly half (n = 311;49.5%) of the patients had hypertension and a quarter (n = 166;26.4%) had diabetes. A total of 226 (36%) pts died of which 85.8% (n = 194) had a positive swab compared to 12.8% (n = 29) with negative swab. This was statistically significant with a p-value of 0.001. Patients with a raised D-dimer 150/628 (23.8%) received therapeutic dose anticoagulation and 408/628 (64.9%) received prophylaxis or no anticoagulation. 53 patients (22.5%) of those who received treatment dose died compared to 183 (77.5%) who received prophylactic dose or no anticoagulation due to comorbidities. This was statistically significant (p value 0.02). Conclusion Therapeutic anticoagulation significantly reduces mortality in COVID-19 patients with a high D-dimer.