Bioactive metabolites of Streptomyces misakiensis display broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacteria and fungi.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to public health globally. It is a slower-moving pandemic than COVID-19, so we are fast running out of treatment options. Purpose: Thus, this study was designed to search for an alternative biomaterial with broad-spectrum activity for the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial and fungal pathogen-related infections. Methods: We isolated Streptomyces species from soil samples and identified the most active strains with antimicrobial activity. The culture filtrates of active species were purified, and the bioactive metabolite extracts were identified by thin-layer chromatography (TLC), preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of the bioactive metabolites against MDR bacteria and fungi were determined using the broth microdilution method. Results: Preliminary screening revealed that Streptomyces misakiensis and S. coeruleorubidus exhibited antimicrobial potential. The MIC50 and MIC90 of S. misakiensis antibacterial bioactive metabolite (ursolic acid methyl ester) and antifungal metabolite (tetradecamethylcycloheptasiloxane) against all tested bacteria and fungi were 0.5 µg/ml and 1 µg/mL, respectively, versus S. coeruleorubidus metabolites: thiocarbamic acid, N,N-dimethyl, S-1,3-diphenyl-2-butenyl ester against bacteria (MIC50: 2 µg/ml and MIC90: 4 µg/mL) and fungi (MIC50: 4 µg/ml and MIC90: 8 µg/mL). Ursolic acid methyl ester was active against ciprofloxacin-resistant strains of Streptococcus pyogenes, S. agalactiae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Salmonella enterica serovars, colistin-resistant Aeromonas hydrophila and K. pneumoniae, and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Tetradecamethylcycloheptasiloxane was active against azole- and amphotericin B-resistant Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, C. gattii, Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, and A. fumigatus. Ursolic acid methyl ester was applied in vivo for treating S. aureus septicemia and K. pneumoniae pneumonia models in mice. In the septicemia model, the ursolic acid methyl ester-treated group had a significant 4.00 and 3.98 log CFU/g decrease (P < 0.05) in liver and spleen tissue compared to the infected, untreated control group. Lung tissue in the pneumonia model showed a 2.20 log CFU/g significant decrease in the ursolic acid methyl ester-treated group in comparison to the control group. The haematological and biochemical markers in the ursolic acid methyl ester-treated group did not change in a statistically significant way. Moreover, no abnormalities were found in the histopathology of the liver, kidneys, lungs, and spleen of ursolic acid methyl ester-treated mice in comparison with the control group. Conclusion: S. misakiensis metabolite extracts are broad-spectrum antimicrobial biomaterials that can be further investigated for the potential against MDR pathogen infections. Hence, it opens up new horizons for exploring alternative drugs for current and reemerging diseases.

Five-year trends in pediatric vision screening and access in the United States.

Analyses of the National Survey of Children's Health (2016-2020) demonstrated a 9.4% decrease in the proportion of children receiving eye screening from a specialist with an 85.7% increase in unmet vision care after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Co-Relation Between Androgenetic Alopecia and Severity of COVID-19 Disease-A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To find the correlation between the degree of androgenetic alopecia and the severity of COVID-19 disease. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Dermatology department, PEMH, Rawalpindi Pakistan from Feb to Aug 2021. Methodology: A total of 227 patients (male and female) of COVID-19 admitted in a Corona ward of Pak Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan were selected randomly. The degree of androgenetic alopecia was assessed with the help of using the Hamilton-Norwood Scale (HNS) for men and the Ludwig Scale (LS) for women, and the severity of COVID-19 was graded based on CT severity score (CTSS). Results: Out of the total, 161 (71%) were male, and 66 (29%) were female. Out of 161 males, 31 (19.2%) had no alopecia, and 130 (80.7%) had some degree of alopecia. Out of patients with alopecia, 33 had moderate alopecia, and 97 had severe alopecia. Out of 66 females, 32 (48.5%) had no alopecia, while 34 (51.5%) had some degree of alopecia. Conclusion: High frequency of androgenetic alopecia in severely ill-hospitalized patients of COVID-19 suggests that androgen has a vital role in the disease severity of COVID-19. © 2022, Army Medical College. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Sleep Disorders in Covid-19 Hospitalized Patients from Muzaffarabad Azad Jammu and Kashmir

The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously influenced all over the world and affectedthe health of people. In COVID-19 patients, physiological disorders develop like stress, anxiety, and insomnia. This study aimed to investigate sleep quality in COVID-19hospitalized patients of Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu, and Kashmir. Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measure sleep quality. PSQI was a self-rated questionnaire scale that contained seven components generated by the combination of 19 individual items. The components included were subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbance, use of sleep medication and, daytime dysfunction. All components score from "0" to "3". The score "0" indicates no problem and the sum of the score 3 indicates severe difficulty. The seven components score was added to yield one global score. A score of 0 to 5 indicated no sleep disturbance and a score of more than 5 indicated sleep disturbance. The mean global score was 8.88+/-4.716 (Mean+/-SD). Current research revealed that 72.2% (n=73) ofpatients who had a global score of 5 or more than 5 had poor sleep quality and 27.8% (n=31) who had a score of less than 5 had good sleep quality (n=31) 13 male patients hada good quality of sleep and 36 male patients experienced a bad quality of sleep. In females, 18 female patients had a good quality of sleep and 37 female patients had a bad quality of sleep current study revealed that there was no association between gender and global PSQI, so sleep quality is independent of gender (chi2 =6.497, P =0.090, df = 3). Thisstudy also showed association between PSQI global score and age group. The 1st age group 15-32 year had a total of 48 patients. The study revealed that 54.16% (n=26) patients had bad sleep quality and 45.83% (n=22) patients had good sleep quality. The second age group from 33 to 55 years in which 76% (n=19) patients had bad sleep quality and 24% (n=06) patients had good sleep quality (r=0.342, P=0.001, df=6) showed that there is high relationship difference between increase group and sleep quality which showed that increase in age group, sleep quality become bad. The 3rd age group was over. Copyright © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.

Corneal Adverse Events Associated with SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Vaccination: A Systematic Review.

Vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have played an important global role in reducing morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 infection. While the benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the risks, adverse events do occur. Non-ocular adverse effects of the vaccines have been well-documented, but descriptions of ophthalmic effects remain limited. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of reported cases of corneal adverse events after receiving vaccination against COVID-19 and to compile existing clinical data to bring attention to these phenomena. Our review discusses corneal graft rejection, including proposed mechanisms, herpetic keratitis, and other reported corneal complications. Ophthalmologists and primary care physicians should be aware of such possible associations.

The impact of aerosol box on tracheal intubation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to summarize the effect of the aerosol box on tracheal intubation in patients with COVID-19. AREAS COVERED: According to the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was performed to identify relevant literature on the 'impact of the aerosol box on tracheal intubation during the COVID-19 pandemic' in different electronic databases up to March 2021. Based on a set of predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 447 articles were screened. Finally, 20 articles were included in the current systematic review. The findings showed that the use of aerosol box during intubation could reduce droplet contamination on the healthcare workers but not necessarily aerosols. An increase in the time of intubation with the aerosol box was also observed in 9 out of 12 studies (75%); however, three studies reported no significant difference in the time of intubation with and without the aerosol box. Most studies (8 out of 9, 89%) were also shown that intubation with the aerosol box may lead to more difficulty. EXPERT OPINION: The proceduralist and other healthcare workers involved in airway management of COVID-19 infected patients should decide whether to apply the aerosol box with caution, balancing between benefits and risks, especially in difficult airway circumstances.

Simulation System for Producing Real World Dataset to Predict the Covid-19 Contamination Process

The graph data modeling is the most convenient process to work with in order to answer almost all questions that came across our minds when it comes to covid-19 infection (when was I infected? where? and who gave it me ?). Most of us wonder when we enter a closed space if we are going to face someone who tested positive, but is there any way to predict that? Luckily yes! This could be done by streaming contact data of citizens to a server that looks for any contacts between infected people and non infected ones and sends back a notification for the purpose. The collection, management and exploitation of data in the field of health continues to require the attention of researchers in relation to confidentiality, security, privacy and protection of personal data. Research is active in this area and we are willing to use simulation technologies in order to anticipate the contamination area and predict the propagation due to lack of shared data for reasons listed above. These data flows also constitute a considerable input for the extraction of knowledge and the application of artificial intelligence algorithms and more precisely of machine learning to predict and prevent the evolution of the epidemic on the affected persons as well as its geographical spread, after correlating sensitive data securely from all users, the initial objective is to model the system in the form of a graph and apply graph flow algorithms to predict the propagation network and notify the users if contaminated.

Design and Development of Attendance and Temperature Recording System: A Smart Companion for the Current VLE Implementation in Malaysian Schools

With the prominence of COVID-19 in our lives and with the looming threat of other pandemics raising in the future, keeping track of everyone's temperature as a clear symptom of the disease is imperative for society moving forward. This applies to schools and other educational institutions too. This study aims to give a comprehensive solution that would be adaptable to multiple institutions. A web application that can run on most consumer devices would let schools keep track of their students' temperature on top of easing the process of tracking class attendance by correlating both. At the moment, Malaysian schools have already implemented several ICT initiatives, including for data management (APDM, SAPS, etc.) as well as for teaching and learning (Virtual Learning Environment). Therefore, the proposed online system for attendance and temperature recording would be a good complement to support the digitalization of Malaysian schools.

COVID-19 Vaccine-Associated Optic Neuropathy: A Systematic Review of 45 Patients.

We provide a systematic review of published cases of optic neuropathy following COVID-19 vaccination. We used Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Search terms included: "COVID-19 vaccination", "optic neuropathy", "optic neuritis", and "ischemic optic neuropathy". The titles and abstracts were screened, then the full texts were reviewed. Sixty eyes from forty-five patients (28 females) were included. Eighteen eyes from fourteen patients (31.1%) were diagnosed with anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION), while 34 eyes from 26 patients (57.8%) were diagnosed with optic neuritis (ON). Other conditions included autoimmune optic neuropathy and Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. Fifteen patients (33.3%) had bilateral involvement. The mean age of all patients was 47.4 ± 17.1 years. The mean age of AION patients was 62.9 ± 12.2 years and of ON patients was 39.7 ± 12.8 years (p < 0.001). The mean time from vaccination to ophthalmic symptoms was 9.6 ± 8.7 days. The mean presenting visual acuity (VA) was logMAR 0.990 ± 0.924. For 41 eyes with available follow-up, the mean presenting VA was logMAR 0.842 ± 0.885, which improved to logMAR 0.523 ± 0.860 at final follow-up (p < 0.001). COVID-19 vaccination may be associated with different forms of optic neuropathy. Patients diagnosed with ON were more likely to be younger and to experience visual improvement. More studies are needed to further characterize optic neuropathies associated with COVID-19 vaccination.

Comparison of vaccine-induced antibody neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern following primary and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has, as of July 2022, infected more than 550 million people and caused over 6 million deaths across the world. COVID-19 vaccines were quickly developed to protect against severe disease, hospitalization and death. In the present study, we performed a direct comparative analysis of four COVID-19 vaccines: BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) and Ad26.COV2.S (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen), following primary and booster vaccination. We focused on the vaccine-induced antibody-mediated immune response against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants: wildtype, B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.1.529 (Omicron). The analysis included the quantification of total IgG levels against SARS-CoV-2 Spike, as well as the quantification of antibody neutralization titers. Furthermore, the study assessed the high-throughput ACE2 competition assay as a surrogate for the traditional pseudovirus neutralization assay. The results demonstrated marked differences in antibody-mediated immune responses. The lowest Spike-specific IgG levels and antibody neutralization titers were induced by one dose of the Ad26.COV2.S vaccine, intermediate levels by two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine, and the highest levels by two doses of the mRNA-1273 vaccine or heterologous vaccination of one dose of the ChAdOx1 vaccine and a subsequent mRNA vaccine. The study also demonstrated that accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein mutations was accompanied by a marked decline in antibody neutralization capacity, especially for B.1.1.529. Administration of a booster dose was shown to significantly increase Spike-specific IgG levels and antibody neutralization titers, erasing the differences between the vaccine-induced antibody-mediated immune response between the four vaccines. The findings of this study highlight the importance of booster vaccines and the potential inclusion of future heterologous vaccination strategies for broad protection against current and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Infection of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Virulent Newcastle Disease Virus Maximizes Cytokine Production: A Step Toward vNDV Immunotherapy

Newcastle Disease (ND) vaccines are being used for more than 7 decades, the disease is still a major challenge for poultry industry both locally and internationally. ND frequently emerges in highly vaccinated flocks causing high economic losses without specific treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a group of pluripotent cells with multiple biotechnology applications, including but not limited to tissue genesis, tissue repair, hematopoiesis, and immune modulation. Therapeutic strategies based on the usage of stem cells includes the cells either themselves or their secretions (secretome), which has recently shown ability to inhibit SARS-CoV2 replication in-vitro. In this study, MSCs were prepared from the bone marrow of native Egyptian Fayoumi chicken. The MSC with the surface marker CD105 (CD105+) were magnetically separated and infected with virulent Newcastle disease virus (vNDV). The virusinduced multiple changes at the cellular and ultrastructural level in the infected cells, and it was able to maximize the production of interferon-gamma (IFNγ) and interleukin 2 (IL2), interleukin 6 (IL6) and interleukin 12 (IL12). In conclusion, our data represent a preliminary step in vNDV immunotherapy where MSCs media could be used for the treatment of vNDV in infected flocks © 2022 by the authors. Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK

A RISE OR A FALL OF MSMES DURING THE PANDEMIC

Over the last five decades, the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector has evolved as a very lively and dynamic segment of the Indian economy. MSMEs not only serve a critical role in creating huge numbers of jobs at a cheaper cost of capital than major enterprises, but they also contribute to the industrialization of rural and backward areas, Thus, regional disparities will be reduced, and national income and wealth will be distributed more evenly. MSMEs serve as auxiliary units to larger enterprises, and this sector makes a significant contribution to the country’s socioeconomic growth. The pandemic of COVID-19 is the most important economic event in our generation. The pandemic that interrupted social and economic life has had an influence on nations and citizens alike, and it continues to do so. The Indian economy’s small and medium enterprise sector is a key and developing sector that contributes to job creation, economic growth, and innovation, as well as acting as the country’s socioeconomic backbone. MSMEs, who are the backbone of India’s inclusive economic storey, have been severely impacted by the coronavirus, which has disrupted their cash cycles. The situation of MSMEs is of great concern since they are such an essential element of both domestic and global value chains. The article will concentrate on the pandemic’s considerable impact on the performance of small and medium-sized businesses. The purpose of this article is to explore the relevance of the MSME sector in the growth of the Indian economy, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs. It will also look into ways to revive MSMEs and what methods can be used to help these businesses get back on track with India’s economic progress. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

COVID-19 Vaccine: A Possible Trigger for Pyoderma Gangrenosum.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is an uncommon ulcerative auto-inflammatory dermatosis. Numerous studies suggest cutaneous side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. Pyoderma gangrenosum has been reported as one of the rare side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. In this report, a 36-year-old male was admitted to a hospital due to a progression of pyoderma gangrenosum on the lateral aspect of his upper arm which had developed eight months ago, following the first dose of Sinopharm BBIBP COVID-19 vaccine. The reported symptoms included headache, blurred vision, palpitation, fatigue on exertion, documented fever, chills and productive cough with yellow sputum, possibly due to the inflammatory effect of pyoderma gangrenosum. In the past, the patient's face had several abnormal skin lesions similar to the newly developed lesion. In addition, the newly developed lesion did not regress despite using medication. COVID-19 vaccinations could potentially trigger pyoderma gangrenosum, especially in patients with a past medical history of similar lesions in different body parts. Therefore, we recommend inquiring about the past medical history of pyoderma gangrenosum or abnormal skin lesions prior to vaccination.

Impact of the Pandemic COVID-19 on Digestive Endoscopic Activity: Experience of a Moroccan Service

OBJECTIVES: In Morocco, in order to prepare health facilities for the upcoming influx of COVID-19 patients, it was necessary to minimize non-COVID-19 related activities, which led to a significant reduction of non-urgent procedures. The aim of the study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digestive endoscopic activity in our department by comparing it to the previous year. Study design: This was a retrospective study. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study, comparing endoscopic procedures performed (excluding emergencies) in both 2019 and 2020, especially the periods from March 20 to June 30 (lockdown period). Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 21.0 software. RESULTS: 5018 endoscopy procedures were performed in 2019 and 2020, but only 1869 performed in 2020. For the lockdown period, a large decrease in the number of patients undergoing endoscopy was seen in 2020 compared with 2019 (179 vs 863). Gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and rectosigmoidoscopy volumes experienced a 59%, 53%, and 67% reduction, respectively. A reduction of 50% in the number of echo-endoscopy was also seen, especially during the lockdown period 11 versus 21 in 2019 (p = 0.006), whereas the number of ERCPs remained relatively unchanged, with 22 during the lockdown period versus 29 in 2019 (p < 0.001). We also compared the different endoscopy procedures performed during the post-lockdown period compared to the same period in 2019. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on endoscopy services, its staff and especially on patients following the reduction and limitation of endoscopy indications and procedures.

Co-expression analysis to identify key modules and hub genes associated with COVID-19 in platelets.

Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increases the risk of cardiovascular occlusive/thrombotic events and is linked to poor outcomes. The underlying pathophysiological processes are complex, and remain poorly understood. To this end, platelets play important roles in regulating the cardiovascular system, including via contributions to coagulation and inflammation. There is ample evidence that circulating platelets are activated in COVID-19 patients, which is a primary driver of the observed thrombotic outcome. However, the comprehensive molecular basis of platelet activation in COVID-19 disease remains elusive, which warrants more investigation. Hence, we employed gene co-expression network analysis combined with pathways enrichment analysis to further investigate the aforementioned issues. Our study revealed three important gene clusters/modules that were closely related to COVID-19. These cluster of genes successfully identify COVID-19 cases, relative to healthy in a separate validation data set using machine learning, thereby validating our findings. Furthermore, enrichment analysis showed that these three modules were mostly related to platelet metabolism, protein translation, mitochondrial activity, and oxidative phosphorylation, as well as regulation of megakaryocyte differentiation, and apoptosis, suggesting a hyperactivation status of platelets in COVID-19. We identified the three hub genes from each of three key modules according to their intramodular connectivity value ranking, namely: COPE, CDC37, CAPNS1, AURKAIP1, LAMTOR2, GABARAP MT-ND1, MT-ND5, and MTRNR2L12. Collectively, our results offer a new and interesting insight into platelet involvement in COVID-19 disease at the molecular level, which might aid in defining new targets for treatment of COVID-19-induced thrombosis.

Non-arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy with Macular Star following COVID-19 Vaccination.

PURPOSE: To report a case of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAAION) with macular star after receiving the second dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. METHOD: Case report. OBSERVATION: A 51-year-old male presented with acute visual disturbances one day after the second dose of BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. At presentation, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/25 right eye (OD) and counting fingers at 3 feet left eye (OS). Anterior segment examination was normal in both eyes. Dilated fundoscopy was unremarkable OD, however, it disclosed optic nerve swelling and subretinal fluid OS. Patient was treated with a gradual tapering dose of oral prednisone over 1 month. At the five-week follow-up visit, optic disc swelling and subretinal fluid resolved with minimal improvement in BCVA to 20/400 OS. CONCLUSION: It is unclear whether COVID-19 vaccination was the triggering agent to the NAAION or just a coincidence, yet ophthalmologists should be aware of such a possible association.

Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Risk Assessment of Frontline Healthcare Professionals Related To Covid-19 in Lahore

Novel Coronavirus is the causative agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) in human. At present, in the outbreak of the novel corona virus (COVID-19), the Health care professionals (HCPs) are frontline workers who directly exposed to covid-19 patients. So, it is of great importance to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, practice and risk assessment of healthcare workers (HCWs) associated with the outbreak. A cross-sectional study involving doctors, dentists and nurses who work in public and private hospitals was conducted. A total 55 matters questionnaire based on WHO (world Health organization) risk assessment was shared with the participants. Total 1073 participants were included in the survey. Out of 1073 participants 53.4% n=573 were male and 46.6% n= 500 were female. HCWs have a good knowledge, attitude, practice and risk assessment 15.82 +/- 3.47, 14.35 +/- 1.71, 11.10 +/- 1.66 and 8.25 +/- 1.09 respectively but 61.7% HCWs not well known about the knowledge of symptom to COVID-19. Kruskal-Wallis independent sample test showed significant p-value (<0.05) in the attitude, practices and risk assessment among HCWs. Spearman's rho correlation shows significant correlation between knowledge and attitude (r=.069, p < 0.05) and significant correlation between attitude and practice (r=.218, p < 0.01). Further investigation and follow-up to the disaster management and risk assessment can help the policy makers to improve the management of future outbreaks.