Structural Features of Coronavirus and the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact in India.

The rapid transmission of COVID-19 infection around the world in a brief timeframe has caused an exponential decline in street traffic and other industrial activities in various parts of the world. The confined human collaboration with the nature at the time of this emergency has shown up as an advantage for Mother Nature after COVID-19 flare because the air present in the atmosphere and water flowing in river streams is upgrading and untamed life is blossoming. India, being consistently seen as the center of contamination due to a tremendous population, overwhelming road traffic and industries which contribute to heavy pollution prompting rise in air quality index for almost all the big cities of the country. However, after the announcement of lockdown because of COVID-19, the air quality begun to upgrade and other environmental variables, for example, water quality in streams and waterways have begun offering a positive hint towards restoration. This review gives a brief knowledge on the structure and genomic organization of novel coronavirus as well as it focuses on alterations in air and water quality along with its environmental consequences at specific locations of the country during lockdown due to this pandemic circumstance.

Feasibility of Conducting a Virtual Exit Exam in Neurosurgery During the SARS-COV19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Skills assessment forms an integral part of the exit examination in neurosurgical training programs. The established method of evaluating trainees for their clinical knowledge and surgical proficiency in the operating room is not feasible in the current time of SARS-COV19 pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The feasibility of conducting such an assessment using case modules on an online meeting platform is discussed. METHODS: Six candidates were evaluated on two consecutive days with two internal examiners located at the examination site and two external examiners situated at their own institutions elsewhere in the country. Clinical details, including images and videos of patients managed at our institute were recorded and provided to the candidates as case modules. Four sessions were conducted in the form of long and short cases, operative neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and neuropathology and a general viva-voce using "Zoom" (Zoom-Video-Communications, Inc. USA) platform. Feedback from the examinee and the examiners were obtained for any modification in the current format. RESULT: The online platform worked well without any interruption except for slight lag in the audio-visual system and occasional difficulty in using microphone and screen simultaneously. Trainees were able to interpret the clinical details and rated this format close to actual clinical evaluation. The examiners uniformly agreed that the online format for assessment was satisfactory and made some suggestions for improvement. CONCLUSION: Clinical and surgical skill evaluation is feasible using case modules and online meeting platforms. Use of original patient's data, images, videos demonstrating clinical signs, and operative procedures makes this assessment more objective.