Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection in Children With Sickle Cell Disease: Case Series From Oman.

BACKGROUND: In March 2020, WHO announced Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. During this pandemic, patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) have been placed in the "high-risk" category of the population. Although there are numerous publications describing COVID-19 in adult patients, pediatric data are still limited. OBSERVATION: Herein, we report case series of 5 sickle cell disease Omani children who got infected with COVID-19; illustrating their different ways of presentation, management and highlighting the outcomes. CONCLUSION: Although SCD patients are considered as a high-risk group, all of the observed patients, and whose cases are reported here, have recovered. A large scale of SCD cases should be studied to reach more conclusive results.

The Quality of Life of Urban Omani People During the COVID-19 Pandemic in A'Seeb Wilayat: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objectives: COVID-19 is an emergent disease with significant global concern, which might have a negative effect on quality of life. This study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life of people (with or without COVID-19) attending primary health centers in A'Seeb Wilayat in Muscat, Oman. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in four randomly selected primary health centers in A'Seeb Wilayat from 17 July 2021 to 31 January 2022. All Omani men and women, aged ≥ 18 years, regardless of their COVID-19 infection status, who were able to read and use online questionnaire, were included. The consecutive sampling method was applied. An online self-administered and validated Arabic version of the Short Form-12 was used to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental and physical quality of life. Results: A total of 701 participants were included with a mean age of 25.3 years. Two-thirds of the participants (n = 473, 67.5%) reported being physically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (score of ≤ 50) and more than half (n = 392, 55.9%) had been mentally affected (score of ≤ 42). Univariate analysis revealed a significant association between physical impact and educational level, low family income, chronic diseases, and alcohol consumption. Gender, young age, being single, low income, and chronic diseases were significant risk factors for mental impact. Conclusions: Physical and mental impacts are very common during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several risk factors were identified. Public health programs need to be implemented to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on quality of life.

Chemiluminescence determination of chlorpheniramine using tris(1,10-phenanthroline)-ruthenium(II) peroxydisulphate system and sequential injection analysis.

A sequential injection (SI) method was developed for the determination of chlorpheniramine (CPA), based on the reaction of this drug with tris(1,10-phenanthroline)-ruthenium(II) [Ru(phen)(3)(2+)] and peroxydisulphate (S(2)O(8)(2-)) in the presence of light. The instrumental set-up utilized a syringe pump and a multiposition valve to aspirate the reagents [Ru(phen)(3)(2+) and S(2)O(8)(2-)] and a peristaltic pump to propel the sample. The experimental conditions affecting the chemiluminescence reaction were systematically optimized, using the univariate approach. Under the optimum conditions linear calibration curves of 0.1-10 microg/ml were obtained. The detection limit was 0.04 microg/ml and the relative standard deviation (RSD) was always < 5%. The procedure was applied to the analysis of CPA in pharmaceutical products and was found to be free from interferences from concomitants usually present in these preparations.

Enhancement of the chemiluminescence of penicillamine and ephedrine after derivatization with aldehydes using tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) peroxydisulfate system and its analytical application.

A novel sequential injection (SI) method was developed for the determination of penicillamine (PA) and ephedrine (EP) based on the reaction of these drugs with tris(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)) and peroxydisulfate (S(2)O(8)(2-)) in the presence of light. Derivatization of PA and EP with aldehydes has resulted in a significant enhancement of the chemiluminescence emission signal by at least 25 times for PA and 12 times for EP, leading to better sensitivities and lower detection limits for both drugs. The instrumental setup utilized a syringe pump and a multiposition valve to aspirate the reagents, (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+) and S(2)O(8)(2-)), and a peristaltic pump to propel the sample. The experimental conditions affecting the derivatization reaction and the chemiluminescence reaction were systematically optimized using the univariate approach. Under the optimum conditions linear calibration curves between 0.2-24 microgmL(-1) for PA and 0.2-20 microgmL(-1) for EP were obtained. The detection limits were 0.1 microgmL(-1) for PA and 0.03 microgmL(-1) for EP. The procedure was applied to the analysis of PA and EP in pharmaceutical products and was found to be free from interferences from concomitants usually present in these preparations.