Frequency of Dry Eye Diseases among Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Pakistan

Objective: To assess the frequency of dry eye among children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Pakistan Naval Ship Hafeez Hospital, Islamabad Pakistan, from Mar to Aug 2021. Methodology: Children aged 7-15 years reporting to the PNS Hafeez Hospital, OPD were included in the study. A proforma was used to record the demographics and screen time of the children. In addition, an ophthalmic examination was conducted to assess the dry eye status of the children using the Schirmer-II test. Results: Seventy-three children participated in the study. Their mean age was 11.08±2.42 years. There were 40(54.8%) boys and 33 (45.2%) girls. These children had a mean daily screen time of 7.23±2.77hours. Children with dry eye had a greater amount of screen time (8.75±2.11hours) as compared to those with normal tear function (6.05±2.66 hours;p<0.001). In addition, the screen time of children with dry eyes was significantly greater than those with normal tear functions (p=0.001). Conclusion: Children with dry eyes were reported to have more screen time and more online classes than their counterparts with normal tear functions. Authorities should consider resuming face-to-face sessions for all school children.

Quantitative structure-properties relationship analysis of Eigen-value-based indices using COVID-19 drugs structure.

Topological indices are an important method for understanding the fundamental topology of chemical structures. Quantitative structure properties relationship (QSPR) is an analytical approach for breaking down a molecule into a sequence of numerical values that describe the chemical and physical characteristics of the molecule. In this article, we have developed the QSPR analysis between eigenvalue-based topological indices and physical properties of COVID-19 drugs to predict the significance level of eigenvalue based indices. We have to use MATLAB for the computation of indices and SPSS for analysis. We show that positive interia index, signless Laplacian Estrada index and Randic energy are the best predictors of molar reactivity, polar surface area and molecular weight, respectively.

Restaurant Diners' Switching Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protection Motivation Theory.

The unsettling fear of COVID-19 infections has caused a new trend in consumer behavior in the food and beverage industry. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has shifted consumers' preferences from eat-in to online delivery. This research aims to measure the impact of consumers' motivation to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19, which explains why people switch from eat-in to online food delivery. We adopted the theory of protection motivation (PMT) to explain consumer switching behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study investigated the mediating effect of switching intention on the relationship between vulnerability, altruistic fear, anticipated regret, and switching behavior. Simultaneously, we examined the role of brand awareness as a moderator of behavioral choices of consumers switching from eat-in to online delivery. We collected data from 681 eatery consumers in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, using scenario-based survey questionnaires (327 eat-in respondents and 354 online delivery respondents). Then, the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). This new generation analysis was conducted using the analysis of moment structure (AMOS) (v.24.0) and the statistical package for social science (SPSS-version 25.0). The results indicated that consumer vulnerability, altruistic fear, and anticipated regret of COVID-19 increased consumers' propensity to shift from eat-in to online food delivery. Allegedly, consumer behavioral control and intention of switching toward online delivery were pointedly affected by switching behavior. The results indicated that consumer vulnerability, altruistic fear, and anticipated regret of COVID-19 increased the shifting of restaurant dine-in patterns and made the intention to switch to online delivery. Consumers' alleged behavioral control and their intention of switching toward online delivery were pointedly affected by switching behavior. We also found that brand awareness moderately affects switching behavior toward restaurant settings. The present research contributes to developing the consumer behavior model of switching from eat-in to online delivery. This study also provides eatery customers and the business community with a safer and healthier proposition of shifting to online food delivery during the pandemic.

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Health Care Professionals of Allied Hospitals of Rawalpindi Medical University: A Mediation Analysis

AimsThis research assessed healthcare workers' vaccination practices for influenza, hepatitis, and pneumonia, as well as their desire to get COVID-19 vaccine when accessible, and investigated their 7C psychological antecedents (confidence, complacency, collective responsibility, compliance, calculation, constraints and conspiracy). Stress variables and vaccination intention for COVID-19 were also compared to see whether psychological stress had a meditative impact on the relationship.MethodsAn analytical cross-sectional survey was conducted among health care professionals including nurses and doctors of tertiary care hospitals of Rawalpindi. Data were collected from February to April 2021 to get the COVID-19 vaccination when it became available, and looked into their 7C mental forebears (confidence, complacency, collective responsibility, compliance, calculation, constraints and conspiracy). A total of 642 health care professionals voluntarily participated in our research. Demographic Details, questions like pneumonia vaccination, hepatitis vaccination, influenza vaccination and 7C questions were asked. Data were entered and analysed through SPSS 26.0 and Python. Correlation, linear and non linear regression, and mediation analysis were applied.ResultsThe immunization rates for influenza, hepatitis, and pneumonia vaccines, as well as the percentage of those who received COVID-19 vaccination, were 43.4%, 65.2%, 42.8%, and 39.7%, respectively. Hepatitis vaccination was significantly associated with the 7C model, influenza vaccination with conspiracy, whereas pneumonia was significantly associated with compliance. confidence (r = 0.11), complacency (r = −0.19), constraints (r = −0.20), calculation (r = 0.08), collective responsibility (r = 0.18), and compliance (r = 0.19) were significantly corelated with the COVID-19 Vaccine Intention. Contrary to direct effect, the indirect effect of patient contact frequency (β = −0.01, ρ<0.05) and terrified of contracting virus (β = −0.05, ρ<0.05) via psychological stress on COVID-19 Vaccination intention were significant depicting full mediation.ConclusionFor herd immunity, the probability for COVID-19 vaccination uptake among healthcare professionals was less than optimal. The 7C structures may help predict immunization against influenza, hepatitis, and pneumonia, but not vaccination against COVID-19.

Restaurant Diners’ Switching Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Protection Motivation Theory

The unsettling fear of COVID-19 infections has caused a new trend in consumer behavior in the food and beverage industry. The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has shifted consumers’ preferences from eat-in to online delivery. This research aims to measure the impact of consumers’ motivation to protect themselves from contracting COVID-19, which explains why people switch from eat-in to online food delivery. We adopted the theory of protection motivation (PMT) to explain consumer switching behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study investigated the mediating effect of switching intention on the relationship between vulnerability, altruistic fear, anticipated regret, and switching behavior. Simultaneously, we examined the role of brand awareness as a moderator of behavioral choices of consumers switching from eat-in to online delivery. We collected data from 681 eatery consumers in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, using scenario-based survey questionnaires (327 eat-in respondents and 354 online delivery respondents). Then, the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). This new generation analysis was conducted using the analysis of moment structure (AMOS) (v.24.0) and the statistical package for social science (SPSS—version 25.0). The results indicated that consumer vulnerability, altruistic fear, and anticipated regret of COVID-19 increased consumers’ propensity to shift from eat-in to online food delivery. Allegedly, consumer behavioral control and intention of switching toward online delivery were pointedly affected by switching behavior. The results indicated that consumer vulnerability, altruistic fear, and anticipated regret of COVID-19 increased the shifting of restaurant dine-in patterns and made the intention to switch to online delivery. Consumers’ alleged behavioral control and their intention of switching toward online delivery were pointedly affected by switching behavior. We also found that brand awareness moderately affects switching behavior toward restaurant settings. The present research contributes to developing the consumer behavior model of switching from eat-in to online delivery. This study also provides eatery customers and the business community with a safer and healthier proposition of shifting to online food delivery during the pandemic.

Towards robust diagnosis of COVID-19 using vision self-attention transformer.

The outbreak of COVID-19, since its appearance, has affected about 200 countries and endangered millions of lives. COVID-19 is extremely contagious disease, and it can quickly incapacitate the healthcare systems if infected cases are not handled timely. Several Conventional Neural Networks (CNN) based techniques have been developed to diagnose the COVID-19. These techniques require a large, labelled dataset to train the algorithm fully, but there are not too many labelled datasets. To mitigate this problem and facilitate the diagnosis of COVID-19, we developed a self-attention transformer-based approach having self-attention mechanism using CT slices. The architecture of transformer can exploit the ample unlabelled datasets using pre-training. The paper aims to compare the performances of self-attention transformer-based approach with CNN and Ensemble classifiers for diagnosis of COVID-19 using binary Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and multi-class Hybrid-learning for UnbiaSed predicTion of COVID-19 (HUST-19) CT scan dataset. To perform this comparison, we have tested Deep learning-based classifiers and ensemble classifiers with proposed approach using CT scan images. Proposed approach is more effective in detection of COVID-19 with an accuracy of 99.7% on multi-class HUST-19, whereas 98% on binary class SARS-CoV-2 dataset. Cross corpus evaluation achieves accuracy of 93% by training the model with Hust19 dataset and testing using Brazilian COVID dataset.

On Analysis of Banhatti Indices for Hyaluronic Acid Curcumin and Hydroxychloroquine

Topological indices are numerical numbers assigned to the graph/structure and are useful to predict certain physical/chemical properties. In this paper, we give explicit expressions of novel Banhatti indices, namely, first K Banhatti index B1G, second K Banhatti index B2G, first K hyper-Banhatti index HB1G, second K hyper-Banhatti index HB2G, and K Banhatti harmonic index HbG for hyaluronic acid curcumin and hydroxychloroquine. The multiplicative version of these indices is also computed for these structures.

Association of Ethnicity With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Related to SARS-CoV-2 Infection: An International Case-Referent Study.

Background: It has been suggested that children and infants can develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) in response to a SARS-CoV-2 infection and that Black children are overrepresented among cases. The aim of the current study was to quantify the association between Black, Asian, or other non-White genetic background and COVID-19-related MIS-C in children and infants. Methods: Eight different research groups contributed cases of MIS-C, potentially related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Several sensitivity analyses were performed, including additional data available from the literature. Analyses were stratified by geographical region. Results: Seventy-three cases from nine distinct geographical regions were included in the primary analyses. In comparison to White children, the relative risk for developing MIS-C after SARS-CoV-2 infection was 15 [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.1 to 32] for Black children, 11 (CI: 2.2 to 57) for Asian, and 1.6 (CI: 0.58 to 4.2) for other ethnic background. Conclusion: Pediatricians should be aware of the fact that the risk of COVID-19-related MIS-C is severely increased in Black children.

COVID-19 related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C): a hospital-based prospective cohort study from Kerala, India.

Objectives: To study (1) epidemiological factors, clinical profile and outcomes of COVID-19 related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), (2) clinical profile across age groups, (3) medium-term outcomes and (4) parameters associated with disease severity. Design: Hospital-based prospective cohort study. Setting: Two tertiary care centres in Kerala, India. Participants: Diagnosed patients of MIS-C using the case definition of Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Statistical analysis: Pearson χ2 test or Fisher's exact test was used to compare the categorical variables and independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney test was used to compare the continuous variables between the subgroups categorised by the requirement of mechanical ventilation. Bonferroni's correction was used for multiple comparisons. Results: We report 41 patients with MIS-C, mean age was 6.2 (4.0) years, and 33 (80%) were previously healthy. Echocardiogram was abnormal in 23 (56%), and coronary abnormalities were noted in 15 (37%) patients. Immunomodulatory therapy was administered to 39 (95%), steroids and IVIg both were used in 35 (85%) and only steroids in 3 (7%) patients. Intensive care was required in 36 (88%), mechanical ventilation in 8 (20%), inotropic support in 21 (51%), and 2 (5%) patients died. Mechanical ventilation requirement in MIS-C was associated with hyperferritinaemia (p=0.001). Thirty-seven patients completed 3 months follow-up by April 2021, of whom 6 (16%) patients had some residual echocardiographic changes. Conclusions: Patients with MIS-C in our cohort had varied clinical manifestations ranging from fever with mild gastrointestinal and mucocutaneous involvement to fatal multiorgan dysfunction. Immediate and medium-term outcomes remain largely excellent except for the echocardiographic sequelae in a few patients which are also showing a resolving trend. Hyperferritinaemia was associated with the requirement of mechanical ventilation.

Asymmetric impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in India: Evidence from quantile-on-quantile regression approach.

The emergence of new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has become a significant public health issue worldwide. Some researchers have identified a positive link between temperature and COVID-19 cases. However, no detailed research has highlighted the impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in India. This study aims to fill this research gap by investigating the impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in the five most affected Indian states. Quantile-on-Quantile regression (QQR) approach is employed to examine in what manner the quantiles of temperature influence the quantiles of COVID-19 cases. Empirical results confirm an asymmetric and heterogenous impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread across lower and higher quantiles of both variables. The results indicate a significant positive impact of temperature on COVID-19 spread in the three Indian states (Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka), predominantly in both low and high quantiles. Whereas, the other two states (Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh) exhibit a mixed trend, as the lower quantiles in both states have a negative effect. However, this negative effect becomes weak at middle and higher quantiles. These research findings offer valuable policy recommendations.

Quantitative Structure-Property Relationships (QSPR) of Valency Based Topological Indices with Covid-19 drugs and Application

The purpose of this analysis is to establish a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) between ev and ve-degree based topological descriptors and measured physicochemical parameters of phytochemicals screened against SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. A computer-based algorithm is developed to compute the ev and ve-degree based topological indices for the considered graphs. Our study revealed that the ev-degree based Zagreb index Mev and ve-degree based first beta Zagreb index M1βve are two important topological indices that can be useful in the prediction of molecular weight and the topological polar surface area of phytochemicals. Applications to certain anticancer drug (Camptothecin-Polymer Conjugate IT-101) are presented at the end.

N,N′-dialkyl-2-thiobarbituric acid based sulfonamides as potential SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors

An efficient methodology was developed to generate novel N,N′-dialkyl-2-thiobarbituric acid based sulfonamides S1–S4 in good to excellent yields (84%–95%). The synthesized compounds S1–S4 were docked to screen their in silico activities against two enzymes i.e., SARS-CoV-2 main protease enzyme with unliganded active site (2019-nCoV, coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19) PDB ID: 6Y84 and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro PDB ID: 6LU7. Furthermore, some in silico physicochemical and physicokinetic properties were evaluated using the OSIRIS Property Explorer, Molinspiration property calculator, ADMET property calculator, and GUSAR to assess these compounds as potential candidates as lead compounds for the quest of SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors. Molecular docking analyses of the synthesized compounds predicted that compound S3 is more potent as SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitor with binding energy –11.65 kcal/mol in comparison with reference inhibitor N3 (–10.95 kcal/mol), whereas compounds S1, S2, and S4 recorded comparable binding energies –9.89, –10.84, and –10.94 kcal/mol with reference inhibitor N3, which were much better than remdesivir (–9.85 kcal/mol). In case of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, all compounds S1–S4 with docking energy values of –7.28, –8.38, –8.31, and –7.34 kcal/mol, respectively, were found to be potent in comparison with reference inhibitor N3 (–6.31 kcal/mol) and remdesivir (–6.33 kcal/mol). Ligand efficiency values against the target SARS-CoV-2 proteins, as well as α-glucosidase and DNA-(apurinic or apyrimidinic site) lyase inhibition results of these newly synthesized compounds, were also found to be promising. (English) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Nous avons mis au point une méthodologie efficace pour produire de nouveaux sulfonamides à base d'acides N , N′ -dialkyl-2-thiobarbituriques (S1 – S4) avec des rendements allant de bons à excellents (84 % à 95 %). Nous avons soumis les composés synthétisés S1–S4 à un amarrage moléculaire pour évaluer leur activité in silico contre deux enzymes, soit la principale protéase du SRASCoV2 sans ligand au site actif (2019nCoV, maladie à coronavirus 2019, COVID19;PDB ID : 6Y84) et la principale protéase du SRASCoV2 Mpro (PDB ID : 6LU7). En outre, nous avons calculé in silico certaines propriétés physicochimiques et physicocinétiques à l'aide de l'outil d'exploration de propriétés en ligne OSIRIS, du calculateur de propriétés Molinspiration, du calculateur de propriétés ADMET et du logiciel GUSAR afin d'évaluer le potentiel de ces composés comme têtes de série dans la quête d'inhibiteurs de la principale protéase du SRASCoV2. Les analyses d'amarrage moléculaire auxquelles ont été soumis les composés synthétisés ont permis de prédire que le composé S3 serait plus actif pour inhiber la principale protéase du SRASCoV2, son énergie de liaison étant de –11,65 kcal/mol, comparativement à l'inhibiteur de référence N3 (–10,95 kcal/mol), tandis que les composés S1 , S2 et S4 ont respectivement enregistré une énergie de liaison de –9,89 kcal/mol, –10,84 kcal/mol et –10,94 kcal/mol, des valeurs comparables à celle de l'inhibiteur de référence N3, mais toutefois bien en deçà de celle du remdésvir (–9,85 kcal/mol). Quant à la principale protéase du SRASCoV2 Mpro, les quatre composés S1–S4 ont montré une certaine activité, les valeurs de l'énergie de liaison étaient respectivement de –7,28, –8,38, –8,31 et –7,34 kcal/mol, par rapport à celle de l'inhibiteur de référence N3 (–6,31 kcal/mol) et du remdésivir (–6,33 kcal/mol). Les valeurs d'efficacité du ligand contre les protéines cibles du SRASCoV2 ainsi que les résultats d'inhibition de l' α glucosidase et de l'ADN-(site apurinique ou apyrimidinique) lyase par ces nouveaux composés se sont également montrés prometteurs. [Traduit par la Rédaction] (French) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Canadian Journal of Chemistry is the property of Canadian Science Publishing 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 abstract 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 abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome with Features of Atypical Kawasaki Disease during COVID-19 Pandemic.

There is a global concern of increasing number of children presenting with inflammatory syndrome with clinical features simulating Kawasaki disease, during ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The authors report a very similar case of 5-y-old boy from a COVID-19 hotspot area who presented in late April 2020 with acute febrile illness with abdominal pain and loose stools followed by shock. On examination, child had bulbar conjunctivitis and extremity edema. Initial investigations showed high inflammatory parameters, elevated serum creatinine and liver enzymes. Echocardiography showed moderate LV dysfunction and normal coronaries. Cardiac enzymes were also elevated, suggesting myocarditis. He was treated with inotropic support, respiratory support with high flow nasal cannula, IV immunoglobulins, aspirin, steroids and diuretics. RT PCR for SARS-CoV-2 was negative twice. His clinical condition improved rapidly, was afebrile from day 2, inflammatory parameters decreased, left ventricular function improved and was discharged after 6 d of hospital stay.

Modeling Impact of Word of Mouth and E-Government on Online Social Presence during COVID-19 Outbreak: A Multi-Mediation Approach.

Although social presence plays an essential role under general conditions, its role becomes significant for societal protection during the quarantine period in epidemic outbreak. In this study, we attempted to identify the role of E-government and COVID-19 word of mouth in terms of their direct impact on online social presence during the outbreak as well as their impacts mediated by epidemic protection and attitudes toward epidemic outbreaks. For this purpose, a unique multi-mediation model is proposed to provide a new direction for research in the field of epidemic outbreaks and their control. Through random sampling, an online survey was conducted and data from 683participants were analyzed. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships between the variables of interest. The study results revealed that the roles of E-government and COVID-19 word of mouth are positively related to online social presence during the outbreak. Epidemic protection and attitude toward epidemic outbreak were found to positively moderate the impact of the role of E-government and COVID-19 word of mouth on online social presence during the outbreak. The key findings of this study have both practical and academic implications.