Effects of short-term breathing exercises on respiratory recovery in patients with COVID-19: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious respiratory tract disease. The most common clinical manifestation of severe COVID-19 is acute respiratory failure. Respiratory rehabilitation can be a crucial part of treatment, but data lack for patients with COVID-19. This study investigates the effects of short-term respiratory rehabilitation (i.e., breathing exercises) on respiratory recovery among non-ICU hospitalised patients with COVID-19. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental, pre-and post-test study. The study recruited 173 patients hospitalised with moderate to severe COVID-19. All the patients received standardised care for COVID-19, and 94 patients in the intervention group also received the intervention of breathing exercises, which included breathing control, followed by diaphragmatic breathing, deep breathing, or thoracic expansion exercise, and huffing (forced expiratory technique) and coughing. Data on the mean values of peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), need for oxygen therapy (litre/min), respiratory rate (breaths/minute), and heart rate (beats/minute) and were collected at baseline, 4 days, and 7 days after the baseline assessment. Analysis of variance on repeated measures was applied to compare the mean value of outcome measures of all the time points. RESULTS: The mean (± SD) age of the intervention (69.6% men) and control group (62.1% men) were 50.1 (10.5) and 51.5 (10.4) years, respectively. At 4-day of follow-up, SpO2 (96.6% ± 1.9 vs. 90.7% ± 1.8, P < 0.001), need for oxygen therapy (0.8 ± 2.6 vs. 2.3 ± 2.9, P < 0.001), respiratory rate (20.5 ± 2.3 vs. 22.3 ± 2.5, P < 0.001), and heart rate (81.2 ± 9.5 vs. 89.2 ± 8.9, P < 0.001) improved in the intervention group compared to the control group. At 7-day follow-up, differences remained significant concerning the oxygen saturation and the need for oxygen therapy (P < 0.001) between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that breathing exercise, even for a short period, effectively improves specific respiratory parameters in moderate to severe COVID-19 patients. As a non-invasive and cost-effective respiratory rehabilitation intervention, breathing exercise can be a valuable tool for a health care system overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These results should be considered preliminary until they are replicated in larger samples in different settings.

Is there a relationship between natural gas consumption and the environmental Kuznets curve? Empirical evidence from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has significant natural gas reserves, and total demand has climbed substantially in recent years. The study uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model for cointegration and the vector autoregressive(VAR) Granger causality model to analyze a long-run link between natural gas (NG) consumption, economic development, urbanization, and CO2 emissions. The objective is to investigate the relationship between the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and Bangladesh's NG consumption using data from the years 1990 to 2018. According to the ARDL model, economic growth, urbanization, and NG consumption, all have a positive and significant influence on CO2 emissions. Despite having a negative coefficient, the square of economic development has a significant impact on CO2 emissions. In the long run, it verifies the EKC hypothesis in Bangladesh. Both linear and nonlinear economic development determinants display statistically significant positive and negative signals in the short run. From Bangladesh's perspective, this also demonstrates the presence of an EKC. The impact of NG consumption in the short run is insignificant; nevertheless, urbanization has a significant effect. The VAR Granger causality demonstrates that economic development and urbanization have a bidirectional response; however, NG consumption and CO2 emissions have just one-way causality. The key policy implication of the study is that NG use is expected to raise emissions. Increasing the share of clean energy in the energy utilization system, such as nuclear power and renewable energy, is a plausible policy choice.

The impact of foreign direct investment, tourism, electricity consumption, and economic development on CO2 emissions in Bangladesh.

The study's goal is to investigate the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI), tourism, electricity consumption, and economic development on CO2 emissions in Bangladesh between 1990 and 2019. Empirical results reveal that FDI, electricity consumption, and economic development variables have significant and positive long-term effects on CO2 emissions. Tourism, on the other hand, has a long-term negative effect. The square of the GDP variable has a substantial negative coefficient. This indicates that in Bangladesh, the nexus between CO2 emissions and economic development is U-shaped inverted. As a result, the EKC postulate is proven to be correct. In the short term, electricity consumption, economic development, GDP2, and tourism have no substantial effect on CO2 emissions. Only the coefficients of FDI are negative and significant. The expected ECM coefficients are also negative and statistically significant. According to these data, the system as a whole adjusts at a rate of 60%. The Granger causality study reveals one direction of causation between electricity consumption and CO2 emissions, CO2 emissions and economic development, electricity consumption and economic development, FDI, and CO2 emissions.

Citric Acid-Mediated Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Plants.

Several recent studies have shown that citric acid/citrate (CA) can confer abiotic stress tolerance to plants. Exogenous CA application leads to improved growth and yield in crop plants under various abiotic stress conditions. Improved physiological outcomes are associated with higher photosynthetic rates, reduced reactive oxygen species, and better osmoregulation. Application of CA also induces antioxidant defense systems, promotes increased chlorophyll content, and affects secondary metabolism to limit plant growth restrictions under stress. In particular, CA has a major impact on relieving heavy metal stress by promoting precipitation, chelation, and sequestration of metal ions. This review summarizes the mechanisms that mediate CA-regulated changes in plants, primarily CA's involvement in the control of physiological and molecular processes in plants under abiotic stress conditions. We also review genetic engineering strategies for CA-mediated abiotic stress tolerance. Finally, we propose a model to explain how CA's position in complex metabolic networks involving the biosynthesis of phytohormones, amino acids, signaling molecules, and other secondary metabolites could explain some of its abiotic stress-ameliorating properties. This review summarizes our current understanding of CA-mediated abiotic stress tolerance and highlights areas where additional research is needed.

Nexus between Human Development Index (HDI) and CO2 emissions in a developing country: decoupling study evidence from Bangladesh.

Even if developing nations are entitled to take part in the attempts of decreasing carbon emissions to elude alarming environment change, the consequences of carbon lessening goals in Human Development Index of developing nations continue an issue of dispute. Based on the decoupling relationship and index decomposition, the aim of the study is for determining the nexus between the Human Development Index and CO2 emissions from the year 1990 to 2018 in Bangladesh. The outcomes exposed that Bangladesh accomplished weak and strong decoupling all through the analysis time. From the index decomposition of different factors point of view, it is revealed that variation in economic activity factor produces a significant amount of CO2 emissions which is 0.0623 tonnes, and in terms of percentage, it stands for 105%. While energy intensity and economic structure factors act an indiscernible part in the rise of CO2 emissions and in terms of percentage, it stands for 10.77% and 2.77%, respectively. Contrary, CO2 emissions' coefficient and energy structure factors are liable for decrease carbon emissions to some extent, and in terms of percentage, it replicates 7.27% and 11.97%, respectively. Based on the outcomes, the paper offers regulations for the energy policymaker of Bangladesh on carbon emissions' alleviation policies and an important decision-making indication to speed up low-carbon growth.

Do financial development, trade openness, economic development, and energy consumption affect carbon emissions for an emerging country?

It is agreeable that the rapid progress of civilization throughout the years came at a great price for severe environmental damages. Currently, human civilization is facing the consequences of the environmental damages that have been made for centuries. As a result, taking measures that will take civilization forward yet not make any environmental damages has become a devoir. Taking these measures requires a profound knowledge of the effect of financial development and trade openness on carbon emissions. This paper inspects the association between economic development, financial development, trade openness, and energy usage on carbon emissions for an emerging nation, like Bangladesh. The paper is based on a total of 36 years of data (1980-2016). To ascertain the existence of both long-run and short-run relationships, the autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing method is applied. The outcomes expose that energy usage has a substantial influence on carbon emissions both in the short run and a long run. The influence of economic development is momentous in the long run; however, in the short run, it has no effect. The factors for trade openness and financial development are negative and immaterial equally in the short run and long run. The present study proposes that Bangladesh's government should carry out the strategy to advance substitute energy bases that ought not to release a large amount of carbon emissions.

Gamma radiation application to rice: Reduced glycemic index in relation to modified carbohydrate observed in FTIR spectra.

This study was conducted with a popular, low price Bangladesh rice variety BRRI Dhan 29 with a view to possible carbohydrate modification targeting lower glycemic index using gamma radiation application. Irradiation process (5 and 10 â€‹kGy â€‹at a dose rate of 9.74kGy/h) altered amylose content, amylose/amylopectin ratio, swelling power, and solubility index. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the changed molecular structures due to radiation application. Treatment with a dose of 5 and 10kGy caused increased amylose and amylose/amylopectin ratio significantly (p â€‹< â€‹0.02). The highest amylose content was found in 10 â€‹kGy irradiated rice (30.20%) compared to unirradiated one (17.27%). Gamma radiation caused decreased swelling and increased water solubility in rice powder. These features of carbohydrate amendment in irradiated rice lead to reduced glycemic index as investigated with the in vivo experiments. Therefore, this study suggests gamma-irradiated rice (10kGy) is beneficial for diabetic subjects keeping lower blood glucose levels.

Decomposition study of energy-related CO2 emissions from Bangladesh's transport sector development.

The transportation sector has a dominant contribution to the fast-growing economy of the developing country Bangladesh. However, the nature of operating the transportation sector in the country requires an excessive amount of fossil energy which causes the rise of CO2 emissions. Ascertaining the impending factors and technologically to conserve energy, as well as governing CO2 emissions from this sector, are essential to attain sustainable development. The paper endeavors to determine the decomposition of driving factors that affect the relationship between Bangladesh's transport sector development and CO2 emissions due to energy consumption from the year 1990 to 2017 using the Logarithmic-Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) model. The decomposition factors are fragmented into five elements through consideration of five fossil energies which are used in Bangladesh's transportation sector. The result reveals a 106.94% growth of aggregate CO2 emissions in the transportation sector of Bangladesh. The results also show that aggregate influence of economic activity factor, population factor, economic structure factor, and energy intensity factor liable in increase CO2 emissions to 66.03%, 23.56%, 7.64%, and 6.25% respectively. On the contrary, the energy structure factor is accountable for the decrease in CO2 emissions to - 0.80%. Thus, the Bangladesh Government should proliferate mass responsiveness programs and cope with economic development through emphasizing quality of development rather than quantity which will ensure sustainable transport sector development.

Decoupling of energy-related CO2 emissions from economic growth: a case study of Bangladesh.

The objective of this paper is to appraise the decomposition along with decoupling elements that affected the nexus between energy-related CO2 emissions and the economic development of Bangladesh by applying the logarithmic mean Divisia index and Tapio model. The paper provides an effective policy that will enable Bangladesh to improve its environmental aspect and stimulate sustainable economic development. The analysis comprehends three economic sectors, and the decoupling determinative is fragmented into five elements. The results revealed that Bangladesh achieved weak decoupling throughout the analysis cycles except between the cycles of 1990-1991, 1992-1993, 1995-1996, 1997-1999, 2003-2004, 2012-2013, and 2015-2017 in which a strong decoupling occurred. From the disintegration of various components' frame of reference, it can be seen that change in scale effect causes a substantial increase in carbon emissions and economic structure together, whereas energy intensity plays an imperceptible role in the increase in carbon emissions. On the other hand, the emission is the only element that is responsible for a decrease in carbon emissions. From a comparative sectoral analysis point of view, scale effects are liable for increasing carbon emissions in all three sectors. Hence, precautionary information campaign should be taken to communicate a comprehensive countrywide moderation strategy and appropriate modification engagements for initiating a low-carbon community.

Salinity stress response in estuarine fishes from the Murray Estuary and Coorong, South Australia.

Estuaries are unstable ecosystems and can be changed by the environmental and anthropogenic impact. The Murray Estuary and Coorong were degraded by drought and low freshwater input in the last decade and therefore transformed into the largest hyper-saline lagoon in Australia. This study evaluates the physiological stress of two estuarine fish species (small-mouthed hardyhead Atherinosoma microstoma and Tamar goby Afurcagobius tamarensis) to the induced salinity change in captivity. The test fishes were collected from the Coorong and transported to the laboratory in the water from the Coorong. Each fish species was exposed to different levels of salinity, and a number of enzymes were assessed to measure the stress response of fish to salinity change. The activity of reactive oxygen species was significantly increased with the salinity change in both fish species compared with the fish in the control. Significant salinity effect on superoxide dismutase activity was observed on Tamar goby but not on small-mouthed hardyhead. Conversely, the impact of salinity on catalase activity was detected on small-mouthed hardyhead but not on Tamar goby. The study reveals that the induction of physical stress by salinity changes occurred in both Tamar goby and small-mouthed hardyhead despite the varying response of antioxidant enzymes between fish species. The study provides an insight into the understanding of physiological adaptation in estuarine fish to salinity change. The results could improve our knowledge on stress response and resilience of estuarine fish to hypo- and hyper-salinity stress.