Thoughts on diagnosis and treatment plan of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 omicron variant in large shelter hospitals in Shanghai.

The epidemic caused by the infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 omicron variant broke out in Shanghai in Mar. 2022. Omicron variant has characteristics such as strong concealment and rapid transmission, resulting in significant differences between the current round of epidemic and that in Wuhan. The number of infected patients (mainly asymptomatic infected patients) increased rapidly in a short term. Based on dynamic zero policy, shelter hospitals were set up in time in Shanghai to treat the patients. It is suggested that medical resources and patient characteristics should be taken into account in the independent cabin of a shelter hospital with more than 10 000 beds, and the clinical medical practice should be divided to 5 modes (universal education and management, community outpatient clinic, ward duty, emergency rescue, and temporary observation and transport) to optimize the allocation of medical resources, so as to further enhance the treatment capacity and efficiency of shelter hospitals.Copyright © 2022, Second Military Medical University Press. All rights reserved.

Thoughts on diagnosis and treatment plan of patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 omicron variant in large shelter hospitals in Shanghai

The epidemic caused by the infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 omicron variant broke out in Shanghai in Mar. 2022. Omicron variant has characteristics such as strong concealment and rapid transmission, resulting in significant differences between the current round of epidemic and that in Wuhan. The number of infected patients (mainly asymptomatic infected patients) increased rapidly in a short term. Based on dynamic zero policy, shelter hospitals were set up in time in Shanghai to treat the patients. It is suggested that medical resources and patient characteristics should be taken into account in the independent cabin of a shelter hospital with more than 10 000 beds, and the clinical medical practice should be divided to 5 modes (universal education and management, community outpatient clinic, ward duty, emergency rescue, and temporary observation and transport) to optimize the allocation of medical resources, so as to further enhance the treatment capacity and efficiency of shelter hospitals.Copyright © 2022, Second Military Medical University Press. All rights reserved.

Cancer and COVID-19: A Double Burden on the Healthcare System

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented burden on the healthcare system. In particular, the intersection of COVID-19 and cancer has created a double burden on the healthcare system, presenting challenges in both the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. During the pandemic, overcrowding of hospitals and clinics, shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies, and the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers have all made it more difficult to care for cancer patients. The challenges in cancer diagnosis and screening during the pandemic have included delays in cancer diagnoses, decreased access to cancer screenings, and a decrease in the number of cancer surgeries being performed. Changes in cancer treatment patterns and access to care during COVID-19 have also impacted the treatment outcomes for cancer patients, with a decrease in the number of cancer patients being treated and an increased risk of poor outcomes for those who are being treated. The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers and their ability to care for cancer patients has also been significant, with healthcare workers facing increased exposure to the virus, increased workloads, and increased stress and burnout. The double burden of COVID-19 and cancer on the healthcare system has implications for policy and practice, including the need for improved coordination between cancer and COVID-19 response efforts and the need for increased investment in healthcare infrastructure and resources. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a double burden on the healthcare system, with significant challenges in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers and the healthcare system more broadly highlights the need for improved coordination and increased investment in healthcare resources and infrastructure.

Expert recommendations for clinical diagnosis and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 induced neurological diseases

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly infectious and pathogenic. Although it mainly involves the respiratory system, it can also invade the nervous system and lead to a variety of neurological symptoms and diseases, further complicating the clinical conditions of the patients. In order to assist physicians and neurologists in understanding the pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnostic procedures, therapeutic principles, and clinical outcomes of the diseases, the experts of Neurology Branch of Chinese Medical Doctor Association wrote this expert recommendation based on present research articles and clinical practices about the epidemiology, clinical symptoms, diagnostic algorithms, treatment and prognosis of neurological diseases caused by coronavirus disease 2019, in order to provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Role of nanotechnology in diagnosis and disease control with a focus on COVID-19 and future perspectives

Recently the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has affected the public throughout the world and has become a severe risk to human being. COVID-19 is a growing communicable disease and has caused major mortality and morbidity beside socioeconomic damage. No successful treatment has been accepted for this type of pandemic disease. In this situation nanotechnology has been very much helpful in preclinical studies for different types of pathogens of diseases like respiratory viruses, herpes virus, human papillomavirus, and HIV. Therefore nanoparticles have been of interest for the management of COVID-19 disease due to their small and distinctive properties, like simple preparation, low cost, easy modification, and appropriate size. For COVID-19 disease, nanotechnology-based management comprises the development of tools for exact, speedy, and responsive diagnosis, the manufacture of efficient disinfectants, and the delivery of vaccines and antiviral drugs into the human body. In this review the main object is to recommend some approaches to design and produce successful diagnostic and beneficial drugs against COVID-19 with the help of nanotechnology. This review mainly focuses on COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. Molecular nanotechnology is a provisional field of nanotechnology investigating the opportunity of industrial molecular assembly machinery that can rearrange substances at a molecular or atomic level. Nanomedicine is the application of these nanorobots, introduced into the body, to identify viruses. Molecular nanotechnology is extremely hypothetical, anticipating what innovations nanotechnology may yield and the programs offered for the investigation of COVID-19. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Rare Case of Neuralgic Amyotrophy Associated with Brucella Infection.

Multiple micro-organisms associated with Neuralgic Amyotrophy (NA) have been reported and Brucella species should be an important and overlooked infectious cause or trigger.We report a rare case of neuralgic amyotrophy associated with Brucella infection and is believed to be the first such case report in China. A 42-year-old male with brucellosis was confirmed serologically, who presented recurrent fever and fatigue and suddenly developed severe pain in the right shoulder within one week, followed by the inability to lift and abduct the proximal end of the right upper limb. Based on typical clinical manifestions, MRI neuroimaging of the brachial plexus and neuro-electrophysiological studies to confirm a diagnosis of NA and presented spontaneous recovery during this period, immunomodulatory treatment with corticosteroid or intravenous immunoglobulin had not been attempted, leaving a serious movement disorder in the right upper limb. Even rare, NA and other neurobrucellosis forms should be considered as complications of Brucella infection.

Analysing the factors affecting medical waste generation in China

Medical waste deserves particular attention due to its potential for causing serious damage to people and the environment. Although the factors influencing the generation of medical waste are critical for designing policies aimed at effectively reducing medical waste and improving medical waste management, they have not been extensively studied. The rapid development of China's medical and health services and the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 have brought significant challenges to managing medical waste in China. Therefore, based on panel data from eight cities in China from 2013 to 2019, this study used a fixed-effects model to investigate the influencing factors of medical waste generation (MWG) in China, and tested the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The results show that there is a non-linear N-shaped curve relationship between MWG and per capita gross domestic product (GDP);MWG will continue to increase with economic growth, but the growth rate will slow down from fast to slow, and then from slow to fast with economic growth. The analysis also reveals that implementing a tiered diagnosis and treatment policy may negatively affect MWG by reducing the waste of medical resources and thus reducing the generation of medical waste. The positive effect of population size on MWG is also highly significant, so when the aging of the population increases, the generation of medical waste also increases. The three policy suggestions are provided: 1) improve the disposal capacity and efficiency of medical waste;2) give full play to the advantages of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment policy;3) improve the management level of medical waste in primary medical institutions. © 2023

Traditional Chinese Medicine Pattern Classification and Herbal Medicine for COVID-19: A Comparative Study of Data from Different Sources

Background: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a crucial role in the prevention and control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Objective: The study aimed to reveal the distribution characteristics of COVID-19 TCM syndrome types and syndrome elements and the law of TCM treatment and medication. Methods: The TCM diagnosis and treatment protocol for COVID-19 and clinical research data were obtained through network retrieval, and Revman 5.3 and SPSS 23.0 were employed to analyze the composition of TCM syndromes and the situation of TCMs in meta and frequency. Results: The top three TCM syndromes of COVID-19 included damp-heat accumulation in the lung pattern, damp abundance due to spleen deficiency, and epidemic toxin invading the lung pattern, while the syndrome elements were dampness, heat, and toxin. Gypsum fibrosum, Pogostemonis herba, and Armeniacae semen were identified as the commonly used drugs. Different syndrome elements were identified at lung disease location: Forsythiae fructus, Glycyrrhizae radix, and Armeniacae semen can be used for "wind;" Glycyrrhizae radix, Armeniacae semen, and Scutellariae radix can be used for "Heat;" Armeniacae semen, Sheng Gypsum fibrosum, and Ephedrae herba can be used for "Toxin;" Ephedrae herba, Armeniacae semen, and Atractylodis rhizome can be used for "Damp;" Magnoliae officinalis Cortex, Ephedrae herba, and Zingiberis Rhizoma recens can be used for "cold;" and Armeniacae semen, Gypsum fibrosum, Ephedrae herba, and Lepidii/Descurainiae semen can be used for "epidemic. " Conclusion: The establishment of a treatment scheme based on the classification of disease syndrome elements should be considered for sudden infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. Pogostemonis herba, Armeniacae semen, Gypsum fibrosum, and Glycyrrhizae radix should be considered as effective drugs from TCM for the treatment of COVID-19.

Patient allocation method in major epidemics under the situation of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVES: Patients are classified according to the severity of their condition and graded according to the diagnosis and treatment capacity of medical institutions. This study aims to correctly assign patients to medical institutions for treatment and develop patient allocation and medical resource expansion schemes among hospitals in the medical network. METHODS: Illness severity, hospital level, allocation matching benefit, distance traveled, and emergency medical resource fairness were considered. A multi-objective planning method was used to construct a patient allocation model during major epidemics. A simulation study was carried out in two scenarios to test the proposed method. RESULTS: (1) The single-objective model obtains an unbalanced solution in contrast to the multi-objective model. The proposed model considers multi-objective problems and balances the degree of patient allocation matching, distance traveled, and fairness. (2) The non-hierarchical model has crowded resources, and the hierarchical model assigns patients to matched medical institutions. (3) In the "demand exceeds supply" situation, the patient allocation model identified additional resources needed by each hospital. CONCLUSION: Results verify the maneuverability and effectiveness of the proposed model. It can generate schemes for specific patient allocation and medical resource amplification and can serve as a quantitative decision-making tool in the context of major epidemics.

Analysing the factors affecting medical waste generation in China

Medical waste deserves particular attention due to its potential for causing serious damage to people and the environment. Although the factors influencing the generation of medical waste are critical for designing policies aimed at effectively reducing medical waste and improving medical waste management, they have not been extensively studied. The rapid development of China's medical and health services and the sudden outbreak of Covid-19 have brought significant challenges to managing medical waste in China. Therefore, based on panel data from eight cities in China from 2013 to 2019, this study used a fixed-effects model to investigate the influencing factors of medical waste generation (MWG) in China, and tested the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The results show that there is a non-linear N-shaped curve relationship between MWG and per capita gross domestic product (GDP);MWG will continue to increase with economic growth, but the growth rate will slow down from fast to slow, and then from slow to fast with economic growth. The analysis also reveals that implementing a tiered diagnosis and treatment policy may negatively affect MWG by reducing the waste of medical resources and thus reducing the generation of medical waste. The positive effect of population size on MWG is also highly significant, so when the aging of the population increases, the generation of medical waste also increases. The three policy suggestions are provided: 1) improve the disposal capacity and efficiency of medical waste;2) give full play to the advantages of hierarchical diagnosis and treatment policy;3) improve the management level of medical waste in primary medical institutions.

Governance mechanisms for chronic disease diagnosis and treatment systems in the post-pandemic era.

"Re-visits and drug renewal" is difficult for chronic disease patients during COVID-19 and will continue in the post-pandemic era. To overcome this dilemma, the scenario of chronic disease diagnosis and treatment systems was set, and an evolutionary game model participated by four stakeholder groups including physical medical institutions, medical service platforms, intelligent medical device providers, and chronic disease patients, was established. Ten possible evolutionary stabilization strategies (ESSs) with their mandatory conditions were found based on Lyapunov's first method. Taking cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the top 1 prevalent chronic disease, as a specific case context, and resorting to the MATLAB simulation, it is confirmed that several dual ESSs and four unique ESS circumstances exist, respectively, and the evolution direction is determined by initial conditions, while the evolution speed is determined by the values of the conditions based on the quantitative relations of benefits, costs, etc. Accordingly, four governance mechanisms were proposed. By their adjustment, the conditions along with their values can be interfered, and then the chronic disease diagnosis and treatment systems can be guided toward the desired direction, that is, toward the direction of countermeasure against the pandemic, government guidance, global trends of medical industry development, social welfare, and lifestyle innovation. The dilemma of "Re-visits and drug renewal" actually reflects the uneven distribution problem of qualified medical resources and the poor impact resistance capability of social medical service systems under mass public emergency. Human lifestyle even the way of working all over the world will get a spiral upgrade after experiencing COVID-19, such as consumption, and meeting, while medical habits react not so rapidly, especially for mid or aged chronic disease patients. We believe that telemedicine empowered by intelligent medical devices can benefit them and will be a global trend, governments and the four key stakeholders should act according to the governance mechanisms suggested here simultaneously toward novel social medical ecosystems for the post-pandemic era.

Chapter 9 - Role of nanotechnology in diagnosis and disease control with a focus on COVID-19 and future perspectives

Recently the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has affected the public throughout the world and has become a severe risk to human being. COVID-19 is a growing communicable disease and has caused major mortality and morbidity beside socioeconomic damage. No successful treatment has been accepted for this type of pandemic disease. In this situation nanotechnology has been very much helpful in preclinical studies for different types of pathogens of diseases like respiratory viruses, herpes virus, human papillomavirus, and HIV. Therefore nanoparticles have been of interest for the management of COVID-19 disease due to their small and distinctive properties, like simple preparation, low cost, easy modification, and appropriate size. For COVID-19 disease, nanotechnology-based management comprises the development of tools for exact, speedy, and responsive diagnosis, the manufacture of efficient disinfectants, and the delivery of vaccines and antiviral drugs into the human body. In this review the main object is to recommend some approaches to design and produce successful diagnostic and beneficial drugs against COVID-19 with the help of nanotechnology. This review mainly focuses on COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis, and therapy. Molecular nanotechnology is a provisional field of nanotechnology investigating the opportunity of industrial molecular assembly machinery that can rearrange substances at a molecular or atomic level. Nanomedicine is the application of these nanorobots, introduced into the body, to identify viruses. Molecular nanotechnology is extremely hypothetical, anticipating what innovations nanotechnology may yield and the programs offered for the investigation of COVID-19.

Recent review of COVID-19 management: diagnosis, treatment and vaccination.

The idiopathic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has reached global proportions; the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it as a public health emergency during the month of January 30, 2020. The major causes of the rise of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 are genetic mutations and recombination. Some of the variants with high infection and transmission rates are termed as variants of concern (VOCs) like currently Omicron variants. Pregnant women, aged people, and immunosuppressed and compromised patients constitute the most susceptible human population to the SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially to the new evolving VOCs. To effectively manage the pathological condition of infection, the focus should be directed towards prevention and prophylactic approach. In this narrative review, we aimed to analyze the current scenario of COVID-19 management and discuss the treatment and prevention strategies. We also focused on the complications prevalent during the COVID-19 and post-COVID period and to discuss the novel approaches developed for mitigation of the global pandemic. We have also emphasized on the COVID-19 management approaches for the special population including children, pregnant women, aged groups, and immunocompromised patients. We conclude that the advancements in therapeutic and pharmacological domains have provided opportunities to develop and design novel diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies. New advanced techniques such as RT-LAMP, RT-qPCR, High-Resolution Computed Tomography, etc., efficiently diagnose patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the case of treatment options, new drugs like paxlovid, combinations of ß-lactum drugs and molnupiravir are found to be effective against even the new emerging variants. In addition, vaccination is an essential approach to prevent the infection or to reduce its severity. Vaccines for against COVID-19 from Comirnaty by Pfizer-BioNTech, SpikeVax by Moderna, and Vaxzevria by Oxford-AstraZeneca are approved and used widely. Similarly, numerous vaccines have been developed with different percentages of effectiveness against VOCs. New developments like nanotechnology and AI can be beneficial in providing an efficient and reliable solution for the suppression of SARS-CoV-2. Public health concerns can be efficiently treated by a unified scientific approach, public engagement, and better diagnosis.

HE INFLUENCE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE DIVERTICULAR DISEASE COMPLICATIONS TREATMENT

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic affected not only the organization of the entire healthcare system, but also made adjustments to the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases, including diverticular disease. Aim. Analysis of the results of inpatient care for patients with acute diverticulitis during the COVID-2019 pandemic. Material and methods: From 2017 to January 2022, 244 patients with diverticular disease were treated in coloproctology clinic. During the pandemic period (March 2020 – December 2021) there were 15 patients with COVID-2019 associated pneumonia who developed complications of diverticular disease. Results and discussion. An increase of hospitalizations of patients with complicated forms of the disease was established, while patients with uncomplicated diverticular disease were hospitalized less frequently. There was also a decrease in the number of reconstructive surgeries in 2020. The most informative diagnostic tool that allows to verify complicated forms of diverticular disease and determines further treatment tactics, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic, is X-ray computed tomography with intravenous contrast, which was performed in 53.3% of patients. The number of urgent surgical interventions increased, including in patients with COVID-2019. During the pandemic, minimally invasive interventions began to be performed more often, allowing the patient to be treated as gently as possible. Moreover, drainage of abscess under ultrasound guidance is currently becoming a popular procedure even with large abscesses (>3 cm). This technology should be considered as bridge operation before a radical intervention, which implementation should be carried out after the stabilization of the general condition of the patient. Diffuse peritonitis in COVID-positive patients continues to be considered as an indication for emergency laparotomy. At the same time, Hartmann-type operations should be performed, refusing the extended intestinal resection and primary anastomosis. Conclusion. The COVID-19 pandemic has made adjustments to the organization of medical care for patients with diverticular disease. In this regard, it is advisable to conduct interdisciplinary multicenter research in order to study the influence of the pandemic on the course of the disease and take early measures to minimize the negative consequences of the pandemic. © 2022, LLC "IMC" Modern Clinical Medicine. All rights reserved.

Adaptations to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic by private sector tuberculosis care providers in India.

Background: India's dominant private healthcare sector is the destination for 60-85% of initial tuberculosis care-seeking. The COVID-19 pandemic in India drastically affected TB case notifications in the first half of 2020. In this survey, we assessed the impact of the first wave of COVID-19 in India on private providers, and changes they adopted in their practice due to the pandemic. Methods: The Joint Effort for Elimination of TB (JEET) is a nationwide Global Fund project implemented across 406 districts in 23 states to extend quality TB services to patients seeking care in private sector. We conducted a rapid survey of 11% (2,750) of active providers engaged under JEET's intense Patient Provider Support Agency (PPSA) model across 15 Indian states in Q1 (February-March) of 2021. Providers were contacted in person or telephonically, and consenting participants were interviewed using a web-based survey tool. Responses from participants were elicited on their practice before COVID-19, during the 2020 lockdowns (March-April 2020) and currently (Q1 2021). Data were adjusted for survey design and non-response, and results were summarised using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: Of the 2,750 providers sampled, 2,011 consented and were surveyed (73 % response). Nearly 50 % were between 30 and 45 years of age, and 51 % were from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Seventy percent of providers reported reduced daily out-patient numbers in Q1 2021 compared to pre-COVID times. During the lockdown, 898 (40 %) of providers said their facilities were closed, while 323 (11 %) offered limited services including teleconsultation. In Q1 2021, 88 % of provider facilities were fully open, with 10 % providing adjusted services, and 4 % using teleconsultation. Only 2 % remained completely closed. Majority of the providers (92 %) reported not experiencing any delays in TB testing in Q1 2021 compared to pre-COVID times. Only 6 % reported raising costs at their clinic, mostly to cover personal protective equipment (PPE) and other infection control measures, although 60-90 % implemented various infection control measures. Thirty-three percent of TB providers were ordering COVID-19 testing, in addition to TB testing.To adapt, 82% of survey providers implemented social distancing and increased timing between appointments and 83% started conducting temperature checks, with variation by state and provider type, while 89% adopted additional sanitation measures in their facilities. Furthermore, 62% of providers started using PPE, and 13% made physical changes (air filters, isolation of patient areas) to their clinic to prevent infection. Seventy percent of providers stated that infection control measures could decrease TB transmission. Conclusion: Although COVID-19 restrictions resulted in significant declines in patient turn-out at private facilities, our analysis showed that most providers were open and costs for TB care remained mostly the same in Q1 2021. As result of the COVID-19 pandemic, several positive strategies have been adapted by the private sector TB care providers. Since the subsequent COVID-19 waves were more severe or widespread, additional work is needed to assess the impact of the pandemic on the private health sector.

A review on the environmental transmission of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

Since the outbreak of the new coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) in December 2019, it has caused millions of deaths in more than 200 countries all over the world, and the global economic development has been severely impacted. Concerning the new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that caused the epidemic, scientific research has been actively carried out around the world as well as various prevention and control measures, which made important contribution to protect human health. However, as one of the countries that made outstanding achievements in the prevention and control of the epidemic, there were some regional epidemics of “object-to-human transmission” and then “human-to-human transmission ” occurred after June 2020, indicating the complexity of the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the development of COVID-19 in some contraries is going uncontrollable recently, and infection cases of the SARS-CoV-2 variant strain have appeared in many countries, which made the prevention and control of the epidemic more difficult. This article briefly reviewed the updated research works on SARS-CoV-2, including possible sources of virus and infection mechanisms, diagnosis and treatment approaches, transmission characteristics and environmental impact, etc. In particular, the environmental factors affecting the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 are summarized in order to enhance the understanding of environmental transmission of SARS-CoV-2. © 2021, Science Press. All rights reserved.

Randomized controlled study of a diagnosis and treatment plan for moderate coronavirus disease 2019 that integrates Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of a diagnosis and treatment plan for moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that integrates traditional Chinese (TCM) and western medicine. METHODS: One hundred twenty patients with moderate COVID-19 were randomized 1∶2 to the control group ( = 40) and experimental group ( = 80). Both groups received conventional western medicine treatment, and the experimental group also received TCM decoction. Over a 2-week period from diagnosis, we observed the time to clinical recovery (TTCR), rate of improvement on lung computed tomography (CT) imaging, time to defervescence, cough remission time, hospital discharge rate, average hospitalization stay, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale score, clinical cure rate, laboratory findings, incidence of progression to severe or critical disease, and adverse events. RESULTS: Among 120 enrolled patients, 108 completed the study. The baseline data did not differ between the experimental and control groups (all > 0.05). After treatment, the TTCR, rate of lung CT imaging improvement, time to defervescence, cough remission time, hospital discharge rate, average hospitalization stay (among discharged patients), mMRC scale score, clinical cure rate, and rates of normal values for laboratory findings were better in the experimental group than in the control group ( < 0.05 or < 0.01). The incidence of progression to severe or critical disease and the incidence of adverse events did not differ between the two groups ( > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The diagnosis and treatment plan integrating Chinese and western medicine showed improved clinical efficacy compared with western medicine alone for patients with moderate COVID-19 and is worthy of clinical promotion and application.

Health services for non-communicable diseases have been severely disrupted by COVID-19 based on an analysis of MicroBlog rescue data in Wuhan, China.

Diagnostic and treatment services for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) face significant challenges in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used the Python programing language to extract and classify messages for help posted on the social networking platform microblog by NCD patients in the early stage of the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan, China. We found of all NCD patients, the most frequently recorded conditions were basic chronic diseases (42.50%), acute critical diseases (35.53%), malignant tumours (15.10%), and patients requiring haemodialysis (6.79%). Regarding COVID-19, 54.70% of patients reported suspected symptoms of infection, 32.01% were diagnosed with comorbidities, and 13.29% were non-COVID-19 patients. According to the analysis of the needs of the patients, 82.46% of the patients reported "No beds were available in the hospital", 25.31% of patients needed nucleic acid tests. Our results confirmed it is difficult to meet the regular needs in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with NCDs. Effective prevention and management of NCDs in public health emergencies has become an urgent issue to be addressed. During the COVID-19 epidemic, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the prevention and control of NCD patients, especially those with chronic disease. Governments and medical and health institutions at all levels should improve treatment mechanisms during major epidemics and ensure the uninterrupted treatment of patients with NCDs.

Emergence of Mucormycosis during COVID-19 Pandemic in India

The present review describes about the disease and the fungal agent in brief, and also stresses for establishment of mechanically ventilated hospital wards across the country. Second wave of COVID-19 pandemic in India has been complicated by high infection rate (R-0), 600% jump in medical oxygen demand by COVID hospitals, and after all emergence of Mucormycosis since April-May 2021 leading to fatal complications. Mucormycosis is a very rare infection in humans. It is caused by exposure to mucor mould/ fungi which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables. These Fungi belonging to the class Zygomycetes and order Mucorales often cause devastating angio-invasive infections, primarily in co-morbid and immunocompromised patients. The emergence of mucormycosis is being reported globally. In India, people with diabetes mellitus are highly susceptible to the disease. But during the second wave of Covid-19 in India, several cases of mucormycosis, also called the "black fungus" disease, have been reported among convalescing and convalescent COVID-19 patients across India with a mortality rate of 50%. More than 5000 cases of mucormycosis during the second wave of Covid-19, have been reported in about 21 states of the country, with Maharashtra and Gujarat states reporting highest number of cases (as on 21 May 2021). The infection has claimed over 120 lives so far, and has complicated recovery from Covid-19 in many more. The Indian Union health ministry has declared mucormycosis as a notified disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

The Misattributed and Silent Causes of Poor COVID-19 Outcomes Among Pregnant Women.

Abundant evidence strongly suggests that the condition of pregnancy makes women and their fetuses highly vulnerable to severe Corona-virus 2019 (COVID-19) complications. Here, two novel hypoxia-related conditions are proposed to play a pivotal role in better understanding the relationship between COVID-19, pregnancy and poor health outcomes. The first condition, "misattributed dyspnea (shortness of breath)" refers to respiratory symptoms common to both advanced pregnancy and COVID-19, which are mistakenly perceived as related to the former rather than to the latter; as a result, pregnant women with this condition receive no medical attention until the disease is in an advanced stage. The second condition, "silent hypoxia", refers to abnormally low blood oxygen saturation levels in COVID-19 patients, which occur in the absence of typical respiratory distress symptoms, such as dyspnea, thereby also leading to delayed diagnosis and treatment. The delay in diagnosis and referral to treatment, due to either "misattributed dypsnea" or "silent hypoxia", may lead to rapid deterioration and poor health outcome to both the mothers and their fetuses. This is particularly valid among women during advanced stages of pregnancy as the altered respiratory features make the consequences of the disease more challenging to cope with. Studies have demonstrated the importance of monitoring blood oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry as a reliable predictor of disease severity and outcome among COVID-19 patients. We propose the use of home pulse oximetry during pregnancy as a diagnostic measure that, together with proper medical guidance, may allow early diagnosis of hypoxia and better health outcomes.