Bibliometric Survey on Effect of Socio-Economic Factors on Spread of Corona virus (COVID-19)

The Novel Coronavirus disease has been rapidly spreading all around the globe, from the time when it was first reported in the Wuhan city of China. The primary focus of this bibliometric survey is to distinguish the documents which have hypothesized and expanded on the effects of various socio-economic factors when it comes to the spread of the Coronavirus. This survey does the evaluation on the 480 documents found. The United Kingdom of the Great Britain and United States have contributed the largest number of publications in this field of research followed closely by India and Italy. The survey includes analysis based on geographical regional, analysis of network, analysis on the basis of type of publication, dialect in which the document is written in. We have also considered the universities, institutes and authors that have contributed in this research area. This bibliometric survey concludes that the highest number publications of “Socio-Economic factors affecting the spread of COVID-19” are from articles, review papers associated with agriculture and biological sciences. The documents that were analyzed are considered from the time period of 2020 to 2021. © 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Corticosteroids and secondary infections: An insight into coronavirus disease-2019

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged at Wuhan in China in December 2019 and has rapidly spread throughout the world. The droplets expelled during face-to-face exposure, mainly through talking, coughing, or sneezing, are the most common mode of transmission. So far, children have not been affected frequently without deaths. However, the course of this virus in the future is unknown. The diagnosis is mainly made through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and serology testing. Treatment with dexamethasone at an early phase of developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by SARS-CoV-2 alters the pulmonary and systemic inflammatory response and decreases mortality. Corticosteroid therapy is associated with a sizable reduction in the duration of mechanical ventilation and hospital mortality. One of the major risk factor associated with corticosteroid therapy is associated with acquiring secondary infections. Pulmonary epithelial damage and inflammatory disease are the predisposing risk factors for pulmonary aspergillosis due to the release of danger molecular patterns during severe COVID-19. Galactomannan and culture testing of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are the most sensitive diagnostic measures for aspergillosis in intensive care unit (ICU). Finally, the treatment of coronavirus associated pulmonary aspergillosis is complex. The only way one can prevent the spread of infection by following precautions such as frequent hand washing, wearing a mask in public places, social distancing, and by avoiding unnecessary gatherings.

Live (life) streaming: Virtual Interaction, virtual proximity, and streaming everyday life during the COVID- 19 pandemic

This paper proposes to examine the digital event of live streaming as an entanglement of digital engagement, virtual proximity, and virtual embodiment as a possible posthuman concern, foregrounded by the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic. The transition witnessed in the medium of communication between humans has significantly deconstructed our understanding of the ‘normal’, consequently introducing a new phase of lost corporeality, digitally. Unforeseen excessive employment of the virtual engagement system of live (life) streaming is a testament to the current human extremity. In the light of this transition, the paper attempts to explore the possibility of witnessing some semblance of reality by altering the praxis of normalcy in the practice of the COVID appropriate ‘new normal’ through the virtual medium of a live stream. Since the ontology of human exceptionalism has come under direct attack due to the current pandemic, a reassessment of the human/ technology interphase and its consequent posthuman predicament is urgent. Drawing on Rosi Braidotti’s concept of life beyond the self and N. Katherine Hayles’s concept of embodied virtuality, this paper analyses the technical feature of live streaming as the ‘digital’ becoming of human beings in the contemporary COVID- 19 world, further complicating the modes of construction of embodiment through live (life) streaming. © AesthetixMS 2020. This Open Access article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For citation use the DOI. For commercial re-use, please contact editor@rupkatha.com.

SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Gingival Crevicular Fluid.

Understanding the pathophysiology of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection remains a significant challenge of our times. The gingival crevicular fluid being representative of systemic status and having a proven track record of detecting viruses and biomarkers forms a logical basis for evaluating the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The study aimed to assess gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) for evidence of SARS-CoV-2 in 33 patients who were deemed to be COVID-19 positive upon nasopharyngeal sampling. An attempt was also made to comparatively evaluate it with saliva in terms of its sensitivity, as a diagnostic fluid for SARS-CoV-2. GCF and saliva samples were collected from 33 COVID-19-confirmed patients. Total RNA was extracted using NucliSENS easyMAG (bioMérieux) and eluted in the elution buffer. Envelope gene (E gene) of SARS-CoV-2 and human RNase P gene as internal control were detected in GCF samples by using the TRUPCR SARS-CoV-2 RT qPCR kit V-2.0 (I) in an Applied Biosystems 7500 real-time machine. A significant majority of both asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients exhibited the presence of the novel coronavirus in their GCF samples. Considering the presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the nasopharyngeal swab sampling as gold standard, the sensitivity of GCF and saliva, respectively, was 63.64% (confidence interval [CI], 45.1% to 79.60%) and 64.52% (CI, 45.37% to 80.77%). GCF was found to be comparable to saliva in terms of its sensitivity to detect SARS-CoV-2. Saliva samples tested positive in 3 of the 12 patients whose GCF tested negative, and likewise GCF tested positive for 2 of the 11 patients whose saliva tested negative on real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The results establish GCF as a possible mode of transmission of SARS-CoV-2, which is the first such report in the literature, and also provide the first quantifiable evidence pointing toward a link between the COVID-19 infection and oral health.

Novel SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates: A review

The novel COVID-19 emerged from Wuhan and has spread worldwide. Globally, there are about 16.3 million confirmed cases including 650,805 deaths and still counting, during which the USA, Brazil, India, Russia, and South Africa are the most affected countries as of July 28, 2020. Considering the potential spread of the disease and precipitously increasing the number of cases, the demand for rapid development of therapies and vaccines is increased. Vaccines are amongst the essential tools to manage SARS-CoV-2, several institutions, and firms worldwide running tough for the development of vaccines towards coronavirus. Several vaccine candidates, using different technologies, especially towards spike proteins because of it’s important characteristics in viral infection. Based on the prevailing outbreak right here we focus on modern-day updates on the development of vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2.

Vitamin d: A cheap yet effective bullet against coronavirus disease-19 – are we convinced yet?

Novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has seriously affected the entire world;moreover, infection and case fatality rate is quite high in countries located in North Hemisphere, where a large proportion of the population is living with Vitamin D (Vit D) deficiency. Vit D is a secosteroid hormone, which plays an important role in calcium and phosphorous homeostasis, and hence bone strength and also has a significant role in the immune health of an individual. It induces the expression of antimicrobial peptides that can decrease viral replication and also reduces the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines while enhancing the level of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Vit D supplementation in daily single doses (300–2000 IU/day) for 8–12 weeks had more protective effect for viral infections than large doses given at fixed intervals (100,000 or 200,000 IU per month or every 3 months). This evidence based review emphasizes the role of Vit D in the immune response to viral infections and proposes the immense value of Vit D supplementation, for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.