Biochemical and hematological variables in COVID-19 positive patients

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has introduced attention to request for various diagnostic strategies, comparative validation of novel tests, quicker federal agency clearance, and quick manufacture of test kits to satisfy worldwide demand. Thus, this study was aimed to investigate biochemical and hematological variables in COVID-19 positive patients, so as to act early and improve patient outcomes. 34 patients with COVID-19 patients were diagnosed at Rifai General Hospital, Dhi Qar Health Directorate, during the period of (15 September 2020 to March 2021) in this study with two study group, as group one (i.e. the first week infection) and group two (i.e. the second week infection). The reagents kits for Random Blood Sugar (RBS) were used, and also urea, and creatinine measurements were done by spectrophotometry method (Biolabo/France), whereas D-dimer measurement was performed by)MAGLUMI 1000-China), Complete Blood Count measurement was conducted by XP-300™ Automated Hematology Analyzer System Device, USA. In this study, it was found that WBC had a significant difference (p-value 0.05) based on the comparison between the two groups, whereas RBS and creatinine had no significant difference (p-value>0.05) and urea and D-dimer had a significant difference (p-value 0.05) when compared between the two groups. The D-dimer and urea levels were significantly increased in the second group compared with the first group of the patients. Copyright © 2023 by SPC (Sami Publishing Company)

Exploring the Consumers' Purchase Intention on Online Community Group Buying Platform during Pandemic

One of the main methods of shopping for many consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic was through online community group-buying. This shopping method caters to the consumer demand of reducing contact and centralized procurement. However, some online community group-buying platforms could not attract many consumers, and consumer participation was low. Therefore, determining which factors affect consumers' willingness to use online community group buying is important. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and perceived risk theory, this research explores the effects of performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, and perceived risk on consumers' willingness to use online community group buying. In this research, a questionnaire survey was used, and the sample randomly collected from online consumers who had experience in online community group buying. A total of 280 respondents were collected. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, reliability, validity, correlation, and regression analysis. The results show that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence have a significant positive effect on the purchase intention of community group-buying consumers, while facilitating conditions and perceived risk have no significant positive effect. This research further enriched and improved the research on the use intention of an online community group-buying platform by integrating the UTAUT model and perceived risk theory. In practice, this research provides a new perspective and practical reference for how the online community group-buying platform can better attract consumers and maintain sustainable long-term customer relations. © 2023 by the authors.

Pericardial Fluid in a COVID-19 Patient: Is It Exudate or Transudate?

BACKGROUND: Very limited information is available on pericardial effusion as a complication of COVID-19 infection. There are no reports regarding pericardial fluid findings in COVID-19 patients. CASE DESCRIPTION: We describe a 41-year-old woman, with confirmed COVID-19, who presented with a large pericardial effusion. The pericardial fluid was drained. We present the laboratory findings to improve knowledge of this virus. DISCUSSION: We believe this is the first such reported case. Findings suggested the fluid was exudative, with remarkably high lactate dehydrogenase and albumin levels. We hope our data provide additional insight into the diagnosis and therapeutic options for managing this infection.LEARNING POINTS: Laboratory findings of drained pericardial fluid in a patient with COVID-19 are presented.The clinical presentation of pericardial involvement in COVID-19 infection and the role of echocardiography in diagnosis and management are described.

A New Intelligent System for Evaluating and Assisting Students in Laboratory Learning Management System

Due to the Covid-19 epidemic the need for digital E-learning systems become mandatory. Also, most sectors that faced a shortage in E-learning systems are performing laboratory experiments remotely. For this reason, this research paper focuses on providing a complete Laboratory Learning Management System (LLMS) with generic and intelligent performance evaluation for experiments. The new LLMS offers many services from intelligently and automatically doing performance assessments and assistance for the students while performing the experiments online. The new performance assessment module provides regular assessment for experimental steps added to it the intelligent automatic assessment that detects if the students performed the experiments correctly from their mouse dynamics using an AI algorithm. Moreover, the new LLMS uses an analytic module to provide the teachers with analyzed results and charts to describe the behavior of students in various performed experiments. Regarding, the new performance assistant module provides students with complete assistance by pressing the help button to trigger the virtual tutor to explain any experimental steps. Furthermore, it intelligently to collects the mouse dynamics of the student performing the experiments and uses AI algorithms to detect if students face difficulties and provide them with suitable help automatically. Moreover, it can open a chat session with a real teaching assistant or a classmate to help the students. Furthermore, the new performance assessment and assistant services are considered generic because they used the mouse dynamic behavior of students which is suitable for any type of software used in the laboratory, without the need for a special device or extra cost. © 2022 IEEE.

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis Following COVID-19 Infection.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a relatively rare, post-inflammatory, immune-mediated demyelinating central nervous system disease that is predominantly reported in pediatric populations. Following the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, cases of ADEM are being reported following infection with this virus. Our case report describes a male patient in his early 40s who developed severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that rapidly progressed to a critical disease requiring invasive mechanical ventilation and high positive end-expiratory pressure, which was complicated by extensive neurological involvement and quadriplegia. MRI of the brain showed characteristic demyelinating lesions, suggestive of ADEM. As other entities were ruled out, our patient was treated using pulse steroids and intravenous immunoglobulins. The patient showed a good response to treatment and had an overall good prognosis, despite the severity of his condition. ADEM following COVID-19 is a rare entity worldwide.

Comparative Analysis of E-Learning in Private and Public Sector Medical and Dental Institutes in Pakistan

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the public and private sector medical and dental institutions' management of online education amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan and to understand whether their respective modes derived satisfaction of e-learning from students. Method(s): We conducted a survey of 371 students of various public and private sector medical and dental institutions across Pakistan, investigating their experience, confidence, and satisfaction regarding e-learning. The survey was carried out using 'Google Forms', which was sent via email to students. Result(s): In total, 371 responses were received. Despite the differences in resources and facilities, students of both sectors had not been confident in taking professional exams after the shift to online education: public (81.3%) and private (74.4%);very few students felt confident about their knowledge of basic medical sciences without labs/ practical work: public (10.8%) and private (10.3%);and more than 80% from both sectors also held the belief that e-learning is not sufficient to support academics. Conclusion(s): Private medical and dental institutes in Pakistan have better funding but students still felt under-confident. Public sector institutes lacked a developed IT department and had an irregular and erratic schedule of online lectures with limited engagement from professors. Many felt that online and traditional learning can be blended to bring forth a form of learning known as "blended learning". Copyright © 2022 Lahore Medical And Dental College. All rights reserved.

Anandamide Reuptake Inhibitor (VDM11) as a Possible Candidate for COVID 19 Associated Depression, a Combination of Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and In Vivo Experimental Analysis

Objective: Post-COVID 19 depression has gained much attention due to the increasing percentage of depressive symptoms reported by COVID-19 survivors. Among many factors postulated to be responsible for this depression, neuroinflammation gained the most attention. Therefore, in current work, we selected an anandamide reuptake inhibitor, VDM11, as a possible candidate for managing post-COVID depression. Methods: The role of VDM11 in attenuating neuroinflammation was established by using network pharmacology, molecular docking, and an in vivo LPS-induced depression model. Results: The results of network pharmacology revealed that among all the genes that can be targeted by VDM11, 47 genes were directly linked to the pathophysiology of depression. Additionally, on the basis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis, the top 10 hub genes probably responsible for VDM11 antidepressant attribute were screened. These genes include MAPK3, TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, PPARG, MAPK1, CNR1, MTOR, NR3C1, and IGF1R. These genes were also enriched in GO and KEGG analysis. Molecular docking was carried out with top five hub genes screened by PPI network and KEGG analysis which showed that VDM11 interacts well with these targets. The antidepressant potential of VDM11 was also assessed by employing a LPS-induced depression model. Animals provided with VDM11 demonstrated increased exploration time and spontaneous alterations in elevated plus and Y maze models. Additionally, the level of astrocyte marker GFAP, microglia marker CD11b, and proinflammatory cytokines, including TNFalpha, IL-1beta, and IL-6, in the hippocampus were significantly reduced by VDM11, further strengthening its role in neuroinflammation. Conclusion: VDM11, an anandamide reuptake inhibitor, might serve as a possible candidate for post-COVID depression, probably by modulating neuroinflammation. However, detailed pharmacological studies are required to validate these outcomes.

Social media platforms in promoting effectiveness campaign during Covid-19

Today, social media plays a vital role in providing information to the public through various platforms including traditional and digital media. In March 2020, the government had announced the Movement Control Order (MCO) due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in.Malaysia. As a result of globalization, COVID-19 shows that pandemic breakouts pose a significant threat to the world. However, using social media to promote campaigns during COVID-19 has its own drawbacks, such as the difficulty of recognizing promoted content. Social media sites have evolved into one of the most important sources of information as well as a platform for spreading dangerous rumors. Thus, it is also under severe pressure to regulate disease misinformation that is pushing people in the wrong direction. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify which social media platforms are more effective towards effectiveness campaigns during COVID-19. Researchers employed quantitative surveys, which were distributed across all social media platforms from various people. In sampling, researchers have referred to Roasoft Sample Size Calculator [11]. A total of 162 respondents responded to the survey. The findings of this research prove that Malaysians are using social media for promoting the effectiveness campaign during COVID-19, with M=3.44 being the highest. Furthermore, males are the most effective in promoting the COVID-19 campaigns, with a score of 0.262. © 2022 Author(s).

Online shopping acceptance between gender amid Covid-19 pandemic

Internet advancements and technological sophistication play integral parts in driving online shopping. This method is widely used globally and has become the latest trend among people regardless of age. It was brought to the forefront so that people would no longer need to go to a physical store to make purchases or sales as the world is moving fast and forward nowadays. Even though the world is still recuperating from the COVID-19 pandemic where the number of cases rise every day, online shopping remains the public choice method of monthly shopping. Regardless of how great a revolution it is, online shopping is not all roses. There have been concerns with security and guarantees, quality, and logistics. The aim of this study is to identify the level of online shopping acceptance between male and female during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study involved 335 respondents from various demographic backgrounds. The quantitative research method was used in this research where questionnaires were distributed via a purposive sample technique. The data were analysed through the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 23. In general, this research proved that Malaysians' acceptance towards online shopping during COVID-19 pandemic is high (M=3.14). Female respondents are more likely to accept online shopping. However, there is no significant difference between males and females. © 2022 Author(s).

The level of stress among different household income during Covid-19

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a new virus. The majority of patients infected with the COVID-19 virus will usually experience light to medium respiratory illness and will recover without getting any special treatment. Since the case became more serious, the Malaysian government has issued a Movement Control Order to beat the coronavirus and protect the country's health systems. However, there are unintended consequences caused by the coronavirus. Besides, it brings different kinds of stress, including physical and mental health risks. The main objective of this study is to examine the level of stress experienced by people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds during COVID-19. Researchers used a quantitative method and distributed a Google Form survey to all social media platforms. A total of 191 people responded to the survey. From the findings, Malaysians are extremely stressed during this pandemic (M=3.58). Furthermore, the results show that people in the B40 income category are more stressed than those in the M40 and T20 household income categories. The government should take this issue more seriously and assist individuals who are affected by the pandemic of COVID-19. © 2022 Author(s).

Logistic Regression

Linear regression modeling is well suited to predicting continuous data where the outcome y is a real number (i.e., y ∈ ℝ). Logistic regression is a modeling technique for binary outcomes (i.e., yes/no, true/false, 1/0). Such outcomes are needed in many domains: public health officials might want to know the likelihood that a person will contract COVID-19 if she is a doctor in Ontario;a hospital would like to know if a discharged patient is more likely to be readmitted or not;a company would like to know if a customer visiting its website is more likely to order;a bank would like to know if a customer is more likely to default on a loan or not. Logistic regression has been much used in the medical field and yielded impressive results [1–10]. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Modifications of OSCE for UPM Preclinical Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

The social and physical restrictions in the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in forced transition into virtual learning worldwide. Modifications of assessment tools also had to be made to suit online conduct. This article aims to share the experience of conducting online objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) using several approaches for preclinical medical students in one of the public universities in Malaysia. It summarises the challenges faced by the involved parties, as well as the solution and recommendation should similar situation arises in the future. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

A systematic and thematic analysis of the top 100 cited articles on mRNA vaccine indexed in Scopus database.

The success of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 implies that this technology can be applied to target any pathogen. However, the scientific production and research trends using the bibliometric method are still unknown. The top 100 most cited articles on mRNA vaccine research were obtained from the Scopus database from 1995 to 2021. Bibliometrix, an R-Package, and VOSviewer 1.6.11 were used for data analysis. There is a rapid growth in scientific outputs with a gradual increase in 2021. The United States produced 45 (45%) of the articles, followed by Germany with 15 (15%) and Israel with 10 (10%). The New England Journal of Medicine published the most papers in this field 13 (13%), followed by Nature 6(6%). Barney S. Graham was the most productive author among the top 100 most cited mRNA vaccine articles. University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, US, was the top ranking institution, having 37 (37%). The visualization map clearly and spontaneously displayed the current state and research hot spots of mRNA research from a specific perspective. The most frequent keywords were COVID-19, vaccine, mRNA vaccine, mRNA, SARS-CoV-2, and immunogenicity, among others. A systematic review of the articles provided evidence that out of 100 articles, approximately 25 (25%) were focused on vaccine production and evaluation, followed by 26 (26%) in mRNA vaccine safety and efficacy, 23 (23%) were into mRNA vaccination, 23 (23%) considered risk factors associated with mRNA vaccination, while 8 (8%) of the articles covered the issue of mRNA vaccine delivery. In addition, 42% of the articles focused on COVID-19, 17% on cancer, 8% on influenza virus, 4% on COVID-19 and kidney disease, 3% COVID-19 and myocarditis, and 3% on rabies virus, among others. The findings of this systematic and thematic analysis provided the knowledge basis for further research on mRNA vaccines globally.

Modelling the Covid-19 Pandemic for a Small Population Size

In this chapter, we discuss whether or not the epidemic model can give better predictions for Covid-19 to last in a small population size. We take a case study in Brunei Darussalam, with a finite population of around half a million. We compare the predictions made by numerical solutions of the Kermack-McKendrick (KM) SIR epidemic model. The results show that estimating parameter such as rate of infection is a difficult task, which leads to initial predictions far from reality, by taking prevention case. We also conclude that additional factors such as variations in government strict law and policy as well as social network structure such as social distancing have some effects in terms of estimating Covid-19 duration and the number of infected cases. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

The descriptive study of monitoring the utilisation of pharmacy value-added services in Melaka public health facilities before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Increasing the usage of pharmacy value added services (PVAS) would help limit contact and alleviate hospital congestion as part of a strategy to combat the spread of COVID-19. The aim of this study is quantified the usage of PVAS in public health care facilities in Melaka before (2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 & 2021). Material(s) and Method(s): The retrospective study in 36 public health facilities of Melaka. The total number of value added services (Drive-Through Pharmacy (DTP), Prescribed Medication Courier Service (PMCS), Integrated Drug Dispensing System (IDDS), and Pharmacy Appointment System (PAS) utilisation were extracted from Statistics Report of Melaka State Pharmaceutical Services 2019-2021. The percentages differences in PVAS utilisation were calculated between before pandemic year (2019) with pandemic year (2020 and 2021). Result(s): The findings showed 15.9% (2020) increment of utilisation of PVAS in Melaka and 24.1% (2021) compared with the 2019. The most increment utilisation of PVAS in Melaka from 2019 are;for year 2020;PMCS (226.6%), DTP (219.2%), IDDS (40.3%) and for year 2021;DTP (285.3%), PMCS (252.4%), IDDS (46.2%). All of the percentages difference if compared with the pre pandemic year with pandemic year it showed significantly difference p<0.05. Conclusion(s): The utilisation of various type of PVAS are increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. This demonstrated that these strategies could assist patients in reducing their visits to health care facilities during a pandemic.

Transitioning to Online Learning amid COVID-19: Perspectives in a Civil Engineering Program

The transition from face-to-face classes to fully online learning (OL) during the spring semester of 2020 occurred almost globally because of the imposed COVID-19 lockdown. The present study investigated the perception and experiences of undergraduate students and faculty members of the Civil Engineering program at the United Arab Emirates University concerning switching to OL during COVID-19. Quantitative questionnaires were distributed to faculty members and students following the end of the spring semester of 2020. Students and faculty members identified student engagement and online exams as major areas that require improvement. Online exams were challenging for students and difficult to prepare, control, and administer for faculty. Providing technical support is critical for the successful streaming of online courses. Initially, half of the surveyed students began the transition with a positive attitude toward OL, and this percentage increased during the transition. The capacity to continue learning during the COVID-19 crisis and the availability of recorded materials were perceived by the students as the main advantages of OL while challenging online examinations and the lack of social interaction were the main disadvantages. © 2022, The Online Learning Consortium. All rights reserved.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of COVID-19 Safety Measures Among Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by an enveloped RNA beta coronavirus, has become a pandemic, with a mortality rate ranging from 0.7% to 10.8%. Although older adults with comorbidity are more likely to suffer severe disease and eventual mortality, diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most frequently reported noncommunicable diseases shown to predict poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients. AIM:  To determine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of COVID-19 safety measures and factors associated with poor knowledge and practice among type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah. METHODOLOGY:  This cross-sectional study included 267 patients with T1DM aged 18-65, admitted to the hospital from January to June 2020. Data were collected via phone interviews during September 2020. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions for knowledge, five for attitude, and eight concerning practices, and some questions were based on diabetes and COVID-19 specifically. RESULTS:  Overall, 64 participants with a median age of 53 years were studied. The median COVID-19 knowledge score showed poor (11.50%), average (43.75%), and good knowledge (6.25%). Most of the participants practiced precautionary measures outside their homes. CONCLUSION:  In conclusion, half of the population had poor COVID-19 knowledge, 60.9% of the participants felt anxious, and most of them performed precautionary measures, including wearing a facemask, maintaining a 1-m distance, and washing their hands regularly.

Pharmacological features, health benefits and clinical implications of honokiol.

Honokiol (HNK) is a natural polyphenolic compound extracted from the bark and leaves of Magnolia grandiflora. It has been traditionally used as a medicinal compound to treat inflammatory diseases. HNK possesses numerous health benefits with a minimal level of toxicity. It can cross the blood-brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid, thus having significant bioavailability in the neurological tissues. HNK is a promising bioactive compound possesses neuroprotective, antimicrobial, anti-tumorigenic, anti-spasmodic, antidepressant, analgesic, and antithrombotic features . HNK can prevent the growth of several cancer types and haematological malignancies. Recent studies suggested its role in COVID-19 therapy. It binds effectively with several molecular targets, including apoptotic factors, chemokines, transcription factors, cell surface adhesion molecules, and kinases. HNK has excellent pharmacological features and a wide range of chemotherapeutic effects, and thus, researchers have increased interest in improving the therapeutic implications of HNK to the clinic as a novel agent. This review focused on the therapeutic implications of HNK, highlighting clinical and pharmacological features and the underlying mechanism of action.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

An Effective Framework for Enhancing Performance of Internet of Things using Ant Colony Meta-Heuristic and Machine Learning Algorithms

A short time ago Internet of Things (IoTs) is being applied in many fields like healthcare systems, disease forecasting, etc. Even though the IoTs has enormous promise in a variety of applications, there are several areas where it may be improved. In the present work, we have concentrated on improvement of the performance of IoT by adding two technologies such as machine learning algorithms (Naïve Bayes (NB), Random Forest (RF)) and Ant Colony Meta-Heuristic (ACMH) algorithm to select best features from data. The efficient proposed framework applied on the data of SARS-Co V2 for disease prediction to minimize the time consumption and improve the accuracy of forecasting COVID disease. Thus, the lifetime network of IoT will lead to an increase. The performance of proposed work evaluated using reliable metrics such as precision, accuracy, running time, balance accuracy, recall, and F-Measure. We conclude from the results of evaluating, that ML algorithms in IoT achieved best performance than without using ACMH algorithm;RF with ACMH in IoT framework achieved best performance that NB with ACMH algorithm. But NB is best from RF in running time with and without ACMH algorithm. © 2022 IEEE.

How Social Capital Activates the Entrepreneurial Orientation of SMEs Performance in an Emerging Country in Covid-19 Pandemic

The ability of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to effectively carry out their business activities within and without their business social capital networks in Covid-19 pandemic in no doubt will increase their entrepreneurial orientation and performance especially in emerging countries like Ghana. The aim of this study is to investigate how social capital activates the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) of SMEs performance in an emerging country in Covid-19 pandemic. Through simple random sampling technique, data was obtained from 369 SME-owners and the analysis of the measurement and structural model performed by PLS-SEM approach. The findings demonstrated that social capital has significant effect on SMEs performance and proactiveness as well while autonomy, competitiveness, innovativeness and risk-taking though had positive effect were insignificant. The findings reveal that proactiveness had positive and significant mediating effect on social capital and SMEs performance relationship but the remaining four EO dimensions though demonstrates positive mediating effect but were not statistically significant. This study contributes to theoretical building on the role of social capital on EO and SMEs performance relationship especially in this global pandemic of Covid-19. The study focused on the need for SMEs to consider EO and social capital as pivotal to their performance based on the RBV and social capital theories with more emphasis on SMEs effective use of their internal and external resources to outperform their counterparts. The last section of the study further provides suggestions for SME-owners and future researchers. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.