ABSTRACT
Microbes possess a tremendous potential to interact with their surroundings and have continued to shape the future of all life forms existing on earth. Of all the groups of microbes, viruses are the most nefarious creatures which cannot be solely classified as living or non-living but still pose the greatest threats to the biosphere. Viruses are minuscule, diverse and are probably the only entities that exhibit non-mutualistic association with other lifeforms while retaining their ability to infect and hijack any of the existing living being on the planet. The latest global devastation, caused by novel SARS-CoV-2, is unparalleled in the last century. This review encompasses the mysterious origin of this virus by tracking its lineage, which may help to decode the conundrum of SARS-CoV-2 and shed more light on its epidemiology. The implications and the challenge posed by this virus to the scientific community to the medical community and the economy at large are reflected. Also discussed is the paradigm shift brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic on the human psyche and their behaviour.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Pandemics , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the state anxiety (the present state of mind), trait anxiety (general anxiety), as well as perceived stress in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment at three stages: T1 (on the day of start of stimulation), T2 (on the day of embryo transfer), and T3 (10 days after embryo transfer). The data at T3 level were collected telephonically. METHODOLOGY: The present study was carried out on 137 women undergoing IVF intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle at four different clinics of four cities from October to April 2016. State-trait anxiety inventory (Spielberger) and perceived stress scale (Okun, et al.) were used as the tools. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The analysis was done at two levels; descriptive and inferential (analysis of variance [ANOVA], Student's t-test, Levene's test) using SPSS v16. RESULTS: The state anxiety was higher at all the three levels than trait anxiety. The overt anxiety was highest at T3 level (mean = 45.77) followed by T1 level (mean = 44.23) and T2 level (mean = 43.04). Perceived stress was elevated at T1 level (mean = 17.93) followed by T3 level (mean = 17.28) and T2 level (mean = 16.72). The results of ANOVA showed a significant difference in anxiety among all the three levels (P = 0.036), but no significant difference was found for perceived stress (P = 0.169). t-test revealed that there was a significant difference between state and trait anxiety at T1, T2, and T3 levels (P = 0.01, P = 0.21, P = 0.00, respectively). A significant difference was only seen between the T1 and T2 levels in perceived stress (P = 0.052). In state anxiety, a significant difference was observed only between T2 and T3 levels (P = 0.23). CONCLUSION: It was observed that anxiety and stress are present in women throughout the treatment. The waiting period (T3) is the most anxious for them and their level of state anxiety is higher compared to their trait anxiety. Perceived stress is observed to be more on the day of start of stimulation followed by the waiting period.
