Supplier selection framework to evade pseudo-resilience and to achieve sustainability in supply chains

PurposeDue to increasing uncertainty in the global business scenario, research on supply chain resilience is gaining significance. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated and magnified the issues already pertaining in the supply chain thereby increasing the vulnerabilities in the network. This study attempts to build the concept of pseudo-resilience in supplier selection and evaluation for supply chain sustainability.Design/methodology/approachA combination of multi-criteria decision-making methods AHP and R is adopted, and an integrated method called Combined AHP–R method is used to identify and include the property of pseudo-resilience into supplier selection processes.FindingsThe authors identified various factors contributing to pseudo-resilience considering supplier selection process and found the most important attribute. Using the combined AHP–R method, the suppliers were evaluated, considering the attributes contributing to the pseudo-resilience of supply chains and best supplier was selected.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing a supplier selection problem for sustainable supply chains, considering pseudo-resilience. Also, this is the first study to apply the AHP–R method for supplier selection in the resilience or sustainability context.

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in Chronic Liver Disease following COVID-19 Episode

This report describes a case of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia that was possibly induced by COVID-19 in a patient with history of Chronic Liver Disease and Diabetes Mellitus. Autoimmune responses like hemolytic anemia are known to be triggered by viral infections. COVID-19 is reported to be inducing Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in susceptible individuals. This is a case report of a 65 year old male with history of chronic alcoholism, who tested positive for COVID-19 infection which was treated as per protocols and was uncomplicated at the time of discharge. After about three months he presented with complaints of breathlessness which on laboratory evaluation revealed Direct Coombs test positive hemolytic anemia. Anemia improved with blood transfusion and steroid administration but patient eventually developed hepatorenal syndrome and expired. © 2022 Journal of Association of Physicians of India. All rights reserved.

Bilateral renal mucormycosis following COVID-19 infection: A therapeutic challenge.

India witnessed an epidemic of mucormycosis during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Renal mucormycosis has been reported rarely, mostly from India, but only 2 cases have been reported following COVID-19 infection to date. We report a case of mucormycosis predominantly affecting kidneys in a young and previously healthy male following COVID-19 pneumonia, for which he had received corticosteroid, remdesivir, and tocilizumab. He presented with hematuria, progressive oliguria, and severe acute kidney injury (AKI) requiring dialysis. The diagnosis was made on kidney biopsy and contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) showed segmental and subsegmental renal artery pseudoaneurysms with distal occlusion of both kidneys. He underwent bilateral nephrectomy and received high-dose amphotericin (AMB) and posaconazole. He developed cardiac arrhythmia and pulmonary edema attributed to AMB-related cardiotoxicity after a cumulative ABM dose of 2,450 mg. This is the first case report describing the survival of a patient with bilateral renal mucormycosis following COVID-19 infection. Our case report highlights the importance of considering mucormycosis in a patient with post-COVID-19 AKI to make an early diagnosis and aggressive management comprising of surgical debridement and high-dose AMB to improve survival.

Double Anti-neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody and Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Antibody-positive Crescentic Glomerulonephritis, Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) affects kidneys mainly in the form of acute kidney injury but rarely can cause glomerular disease. On a very rare occasion, SARS-CoV-2 infection can be associated with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antigen (ANCA)-associated vasculitis and anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM GN). We report a case of a 59-year-old man who presented with progressive renal failure 8 weeks after contracting the viral infection, which progressed slowly to severe renal dysfunction. Renal biopsy showed crescentic glomerulonephritis (CrGN) accompanied by interrupted linear IgG deposits along the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) on immunofluorescence (IF) staining with associated mild acute tubular injury. The serology for anti-myeloperoxidase (MPO), as well as anti-GBM antibodies, was positive. He was treated with steroid and pulse intravenous cyclophosphamide, following which there was a significant improvement in the renal function and serological resolution of both the antibodies 6 months post-treatment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of "double-antibody" positive CrGN following SARS-CoV-2 infection.

IoT Based Emergency Communication System for Medical Transportation

In developing countries such as India, the need for improved health care facilities and transportation is of great significance. Many village areas in our country do not have sufficient transportation facilities or hospitals nearby, which could be dangerous. Providing an efficient monitoring solution in basic ambulances to improve their functionality can be lifesaving. In times of covid, this system can be used to monitor vitals even from the comfort of our home, and telepresence with a professional can bring a momentous change in our society. This is the essence of our Product. Our Product monitors the various health parameters such as oxygen level, blood pressure, pulse rate, heartbeat rate, temperature, and other health parameters of the patient in the ambulance. The data is then processed by using raspberry pi and Arduino. All the processed data can be viewed by the hospital staff in the ambulance with an interface so that he/she can give emergency first aid. All the sensor data is also sent to the hospital through IoT platforms which helps them in preparing the necessary treatment facilities. A video calling facility is also developed for efficient communication between the patient and the doctor. The real-Time location of the ambulance is also sent to the hospital along with the other data. So, if there is any abnormality in the parameters it can be known beforehand and an alert is provided for taking necessary actions. © 2022 IEEE.

Supplier selection framework to evade pseudo-resilience and to achieve sustainability in supply chains

Purpose Due to increasing uncertainty in the global business scenario, research on supply chain resilience is gaining significance. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated and magnified the issues already pertaining in the supply chain thereby increasing the vulnerabilities in the network. This study attempts to build the concept of pseudo-resilience in supplier selection and evaluation for supply chain sustainability. Design/methodology/approach A combination of multi-criteria decision-making methods AHP and R is adopted, and an integrated method called Combined AHP-R method is used to identify and include the property of pseudo-resilience into supplier selection processes. Findings The authors identified various factors contributing to pseudo-resilience considering supplier selection process and found the most important attribute. Using the combined AHP-R method, the suppliers were evaluated, considering the attributes contributing to the pseudo-resilience of supply chains and best supplier was selected. Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing a supplier selection problem for sustainable supply chains, considering pseudo-resilience. Also, this is the first study to apply the AHP-R method for supplier selection in the resilience or sustainability context.

Applying patient safety principles in public safety in the COVID-19 scenario

COVID-19 has overwhelmed the health systems all over the world. Using a methodology for finding excess deaths due to illnesses, we estimated the statistics for the countries which had their first case of coronavirus infection in January 2020. For illustration, the avoidable harm in the USA was 160,988 and that of the UK was 38,857 until the 2nd week of August 2020. Geographic distribution of excess deaths was plotted on GeoDa® shaded map. Spatial error model showed that early and vigorous testing reduced the mortality load. Strategy has to be worked out to contain the pandemic using the appropriate public health tools.