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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a major threat to public health in the present century. In this situation, adherence to preventive behaviors seriously impacts the prevention of viral diseases. The present study aims to investigate adherence to public health preventive instructions in patients infected with COVID-19 before contracting the disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out from November 2020 to March 2021 in Fars province. 3242 patients infected with COVID-19 were selected via multistage sampling. Data were collected using a demographic information form and a researcher-made questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by Stata v. 14 using the chi-square test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The average age of participants was 38.45±13.07 years. 48.80% had a high rate, 47.90% had a moderate rate, and only 3.30% had a low compliance rate with COVID-19 preventive instructions. The patients' main reason for not following preventive behaviors was having to be present in busy places (41.1%). There was a significant correlation between the participants' age, gender, place of residence, occupation, education, history of underlying diseases (P≤0.001), marital status (P=0.041), and use of masks with a rate of adherence to preventive behaviors(P≤0.001). In the random forest, the job represents 36.75% compliance with COVID-19 preventive guidelines. Conclusion: Therefore, by raising public awareness, healthcare policymakers and administrators can enhance the public's observance of the COVID-19 prevention instructions and consequently control the spread of the infection and improve public health during the current crisis caused by the pandemic. © 2022 by the Author(s).
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Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (Wuhan strain) features in children and adults during the initial pandemic phase. Method(s): Until June 4, 2020, a systematic search was conducted on the EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus to find and collect studies based on available data among adults and children. The heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using I2 statistics and chi-square testing. The random-effect model was used to pool the effect sizes due to inter-study heterogeneity (chi-square P-value 0.1 and I2 >50%). Result(s): Fever (65.73%), cough (53.78%), expectoration (37.9%), gastrointestinal symptoms (37.01%), headache (23.41%), shortness of breath (21.65%), and myalgia (20.79%) were the most common symptoms reported in children, according to the pooled estimation analysis. Arthralgia (Effect estimate (ES): adults = 2.15, children = 17.94) and headache (ES: adults = 9.22, children = 23.41) were significantly observed higher in children (P-value = 0.019). Adult patients had a higher rate of abnormal computer tomography (CT)-scan findings, while most children had a normal study. Adults had significantly higher rates of comorbidities, whereas children had significantly higher rates of asthma (ES: 17.94% vs 8.85%;P-value = 0.026) and malignancy (ES: 10.36% vs 5.47%;P-value = 0.045). During initial pandemic phase, hydroxychloroquine (ES: 66.21% vs 29.01%;P-value = 0.001) and antibiotics (ES: 77.86% vs 38.01%;P-value = 0.001) were used much more frequently in adult patients. Adults used much more antibiotics than children. Nonetheless, antibiotics were given to around 40% of the children studied. Conclusion(s): Although children were afflicted less than adults in the early stages of the pandemic and had lower mortality, clinical and radiological findings, as well as prognostic factors, did not differ significantly between adults and children. However, with the advent of novel variants, clinical signs and symptoms, complications, and outcomes changed in children significantly. Copyright © 2022, Author(s).
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Background: Coronavirus is among the pathogens that primarily target the respiratory system. Given the importance of Health Care Workers (HCWs) in the fight against COVID-19, their infection with the virus and death can cause irreparable damage to public health. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the physical and psychological implications of COVID-19 among HCWs. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, some well-known databases were searched for the studies published before 26 June 2020 using the following search strategy: "Novel coronavirus pneumonia", "Nurses", "Physicians", "Medical Staff, Hospital", "Health Personnel", and "Community Health Workers". Finally, 101 out of the 2234 primary screened articles were assessed. Results: Of the total studies included, 54 were related to Physical problems, and 47 were related to Psychosocial Stress. Skin damage (54.48%), Nasal bridge (58.79%), and Dryness tightness (58.57%) were the most common Physical Problems, and Insomnia (32.03%) and Distress (29.34%) were the most common psychosocial problems among HCWs. Conclusion: Training and awareness of the treatment staff about the unwanted side effects of these diseases should be considered in educational programs in different countries because patient care depends on their availability. © 2022 Shriaz University of Medical Sciences
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Introduction: Using the rapid antigen test (RAT) before exhausting the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test's capacity is crucial to enhance suitable detection of patients and timely reception of results. Therefore, this study was done to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of RAT and compare it with the RT-PCR method in the diagnosis of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 634 individuals referred to public sampling centers performing the COVID-19 test in Shiraz City, Fars Province, Southern Iran. The sampling process was done following a multi-stage stratified protocol. The COVITECH.. one-step real-time RT-PCR kit method as the reference standard test was compared with the RAT using E-Health Barakat Company.. rapid antigen kit in the pharyngeal specimens. The trained personnel collected the data. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value, and the accuracy of the RAT were calculated using the MedCalc software. Moreover, the Kappa value was used to assess the level of agreement between RT-PCR and RAT.
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Background: Given the novelty of COVID-19, reviewing diagnostic methods can be of great help to community health policymakers. Considering the importance of diagnosing COVID-19 and the need for reducing the number of false positive and false negative cases that appear to be different in various diagnostic methods, this systematic review aimed at comparison of PCR test accuracy with laboratory data and CT SCAN in COVID-19. Methods: In this systematic review, EMBASE (Elsevier, 2018), MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, 2018), Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics, 2018b), and Google Scholar data bases were searched for the studies published prior to 3 April 2020. Based on the inclusion criteria, 20 out of 859 primarily screened studies were finally assessed. Results: The results indicated that the laboratory diagnosis of viral nucleic acid could have false-negative results, and serological testing of virus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies should be used as an option for diagnosis. Moreover, chest Computerized Tomography (CT) was found to be more sensitive in comparison to Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) (98% vs. 71%). Hence, the articles offered the combined use of chest CT, SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, and multiplex PCR. Conclusion: Follow-up RT-PCR and chest CT are necessary in COVID-19. In addition, serological testing of virus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies along with laboratory diagnosis of viral nucleic acid can lead to the highly sensitive and accurate diagnosis. Moreover, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is one of the cost-effective methods in epidemic conditions in low- and middle-income countries. © 2021 Shriaz University of Medical Sciences. All Rights Reserved.
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Due to the high mortality rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the lack of specific treatment for the disease, it is essential to find new therapies. The present case report aimed to assess the efficiency of convalescent plasma in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. We reported a severe case of COVID-19 with multi-organ failure, who had reduced oxygen saturation after several courses of antiviral therapy. Moreover, computed tomography (CT) scan results showed patchy lesions in the base of lungs. Therapeutic measures, including endotracheal intubation and plasmapheresis with convalescent plasma, were performed for the patient;subsequently, good responses to the treatments were observed. Our findings demonstrate that convalescent plasma improves pulmonary lesions and the patient's clinical status.