Airbone viral pathogens can rapidly spread and become a global menace, including both human and animal viruses which can trigger important socioeconomical and health effects. Therefore, to prevent and contain potential epidemic outbreaks, accurate, fast, and affordable diagnostic point-of-care tests (POCT) are required. As a proof of concept, we have developed a molecular detection system based in Loop-mediated isothermal AMPlification technique (LAMP) for two different RNA airborne viruses: the well-known human SARS-CoV-2, and the avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), the aetiologic agent of a communicable disease infecting mainly turkeys and chickens. To obtain a POC diagnostic system, we coupled the LAMP technique to DNA-functionalized gold nanoparticles detection. Validation of this system was carried out in 140 pharyngeal swabs from COVID-19 symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, and in 50 different samples (pharyngeal swabs and tracheal tissue samples) collected from aMPV infected chickens and turkeys. The system allows viral detection in about 60 minutes by the naked eye with 100% specificity, and 97.22% and 87.88% sensitivity for SARS-CoV-2 and aMPV, respectively. In summary, this novel detection system based on the coupling of RT-LAMP to DNA-nanoprobes allows suitable virus testing in the field, with accurate levels very close to conventional qRT-PCR based diagnosis.

Hepcidin is an important peptide hormone for iron homeostasis. It was shown to be increased in COVID-19 patients and may be a prognostic marker. In this study, the aim was to investigate serum hepcidin values and other iron metabolism parameters following the first and second COVID-19 vaccination. Thirty-eight healthcare workers were included in the study. Serum ferritin, hepcidin, iron, COVID-19 IgG and unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC) values were measured after the first vaccination (PRE) and second vaccination (POST). Changes and associations of serum parameters were statistically analyzed. It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the pre and post levels of ferritin (p=0.122), serum iron (p=0.127) or UIBC (p=0.145). Hepcidin was found to be significantly different between PRE and POST samples (p=0.0001). Hepcidin (PRE) was found to be significantly higher than the POST levels. Interestingly, there was no statistically significant relationship between the PRE and POST changes of ferritin and hepcidin (p=0.063). The association of PRE and POST changes of other parameters were also analyzed and a significant negative correlation between PRE and POST changes of serum iron and UIBC were found (rho=-0.751, p=0.0001). It was observed a decrease in hepcidin measures after second vaccination compared to the values after first vaccination. Vaccination affects serum hepcidin and this may be related with the interaction of hepcidin and the immune response.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes a global pandemic named COVID-19. That virus causes a range of human respiratory tract infections; that severity varies from relatively mild to severe respiratory injury syndrome. It has indicated that some individuals might offer susceptibility to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection due to genetic factors. ACE2, TMPRSS2, TYK2, SLC6A20, and IFNAR2 human genes are involved in the pathogenesis of coronavirus in various populations and geographic territories; Therefore, examining the genetic variants of these genes can determine their association with the severity of the COVID-19 disease. In this study, the Whole-Exome Sequencing (WES) technique was used to identify variants of the mentioned human genes concerning the presence or absence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in the cohort of 100 individuals from Iran; that may modulate viral infectivity and make some individuals more vulnerable than others. Next, the frequency of variants found in the Iranian population was compared with those belonging to reference individuals from the 1000 Genomes Project, genomAD, and ExAC. In addition, due to the extraordinary importance of the protein’s three-dimensional structure in maintaining the optimal function of the protein, also protein modeling was performed for the essential found variants. The ACE2 gene showed a high level of polymorphism. While TMPRSS2 is less polymorphic. The variants rs759499720/ACE2، rs776459296/ACE2، rs386818798/TMPRSS2، rs771922681/TYK2، rs753470142/TYK2، c.675G>T/TYK2، rs147760034/SLC6A20، rs139008024/SLC6A20, and rs759744926/IFNAR2 showed a significant association with SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19. These variants have previously been detected in studies.

A document by Harkesh Arora. Click on the document to view its contents.

COVID-19 has altered the existing organizational dynamics. Almost every sector within a few weeks introduced virtual working, where it was feasible. Even sectors already practicing work from home with select groups made it mandatory for all. The study covers the impact of COVID--19 induced lockdowns on employee productivity in select sectors of the service industry. Respondents from the BFSI, IT, and Education sectors were drawn to record their responses. The results have demonstrated a significant impact of remote working on employee productivity across sectors and constructs. However, the degree of impact varied from sector to sector. This paper also highlights issues in digital adaptation. This study may be considered one of the initial attempts to investigate the impact of the universalization of remote on employee productivity in dominant service verticals. The findings suggest employees have accepted remote working as a feasible alternative to physical workplaces, since they find remote working provides the flexibility to balance work and life. The HR managers can apply the findings from this study to apply remote working as a strategic tool to attract and retain talent. This paper also contributes to the scant literature on employee productivity during an extraordinary global crisis.

Background: A proportion of the convalescent SARS-CoV-2 pediatric population presents nonspecific symptoms, mental health problems and a reduction in quality of life similar to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID-19 symptomatic. However, data regarding its clinical manifestation and immune mechanisms are currently scarce. Methods: In this study, we perform a comprehensive clinical and immunological profiling of 17 convalescent COVID-19 children with post-acute COVID-19 sequelae (PASC) manifestation and 13 convalescent children without PASC manifestation. A detailed medical history, blood and instrumental tests and physical examination were obtained from all patients. SARS-CoV-2 reactive T cell response was analyzed via multiparametric flowcytometry and the humoral immunity was addressed via pseudovirus neutralization and ELISA assay. Results: The most common PASC symptoms were shortness of breath/exercise intolerance, paresthesia, smell/taste disturbance, chest pain, dyspnea, headache and lack of concentration. Blood count and clinical chemistry showed no statistical differences among the study groups. We detected higher frequencies of spike (S) reactive CD4+ and CD8+ T cells among the PASC study group, characterized by TNFα and IFNγ production and low functional avidity. CRP levels are positively correlated with IFNγ producing reactive CD8+ T cells. Conclusions: Our data might indicate a possible involvement of a persistent cellular inflammatory response triggered by SARS-CoV-2 in the development of the observed sequelae in pediatric PASC. These results may have implications on future therapeutic and prevention strategies.

Objective: Lentinan has antiviral, anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, stimulating interferon production, and other pharmacological effects. Previous animal experiments have shown that lentinan nasal drops can assist（Corona Virus Disease 2019，COVID-19) vaccine to induce high levels of neutralizing antibodies and can effectively resist the invasion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of lentinan nasal drops in patients infected with COVID-19 through a dose-escalation study and a placebo-controlled trial. Methods: The study was divided into two phases: Phase I: a dose escalation trial in which 24 COVID-19 patients were enrolled, that is, 12 in the escalation dose group (50, 75, and 100 µg/day) and 12 in the standard treatment group. The aim was to evaluate the safety and tolerance of lentinan nasal drops. The second stage was a placebo-controlled study. The optimal dose group of the first stage was used as the therapeutic dose, and the sample size was expanded to verify the anti-COVID-19 efficacy of lentinan nasal drops. Results: In the dose-increasing study, lentinan nasal drops showed good safety, and no serious adverse reactions occurred. The virus shedding time of the 100 µg dose group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (7.75±1.71 VS 13.41±3.8 d) (p=0.01), and the 100 µg/day lentinan nasal drops were tolerated well. The results of the placebo-controlled study showed that compared with that in the placebo group, the time for COVID-19 antigen to turn negative was significantly shorter in the 100 µg lentinan nasal drop group (p=0.0298), but no significant difference was observed in symptom improvement between the two groups. In the placebo-controlled study, two patients experienced mild nasal discomfort with nasal drops, but the symptoms relieved themselves. Conclusion: Lentinan nasal drops are tolerated well and can shorten the time of virus clearance.

We have read the article" Prone Positioning and Survival in Mechanically Ventilated Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019–Related Respiratory Failure "by Mathews et al., published in the critical care medicine journal in July 2021(1). We want to congratulate the authors for this successful publication and make some contributions. In the article, it has been mentioned in the conclusion that “In-hospital mortality was lower in mechanically ventilated hypoxemic patients with coronavirus disease 2019 treated with early proning compared with patients whose treatment did not include early proning”. The results showed that" Corticosteroids were used on ICU day one more often in proned versus nonproned patients (21.2% vs. 13.3%)". Reviewing the results and patient characteristics, we found unmatched patient populations in both groups that could potentially affect the results, hence the conclusion \cite{Mathews_2021}.  The evidence of steroids in COVID-19 pneumonia was published in the literature early in the COVID-19 pandemic. The Recovery trial, published in February 2021, showed that the in the dexamethasone group, the incidence of death was lower than that in the usual care group among patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (29.3% vs. 41.4%; rate ratio, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.51 to 0.81) \cite{2021}. A meta-analysis published in September 2020 looked at the association between administering corticosteroids compared with usual care or placebo and 28-day all-cause mortality. It showed the mortality benefit of using steroids (OR, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.53-0.82]); the mortality benefit was consistent with various types of steroids \cite{2020}. We conducted a recent meta-analysis of COVID-19 patients and found no mortality benefit of prone ventilation in intubated COVID-19 patient \cite{Fayed_2022,Fayed_2023}.  We addressed our concerns in other published studies \cite{Fayed_2023a,Fayed_2022a}.  In Mathews et al.'s study, in the prone early group, 149 patients received steroids out of 702 (21.2%), while in the no early prone group, 217 patients received steroids out of 1636 (13.3%). By using the Chi-square analysis, the p-value is < 0.00001. On further looking at the study Supplementary Digital Content, in reviewing table 5, titled "Multivariable Cox model for death among patients included in the target trial emulation of early proning initiation versus non-early proning initiation," when using steroids, the outcome of the study became insignificant with the result of the odds ratio of 1.07 (0.91-1.26) and survival favors non-early prone group. This result concurs with another published study on early-prone ventilation in COVID-19 patients. Among 6350 ICU patients with COVID-19, they found no association between early use of prone positioning and survival in patients on mechanical ventilation with severe hypoxemia on ICU admission \cite{Engerstr_m_2022}. We want to address and express our opinion regarding this limitation that could affect the outcome and the result of the study. The study should have included the difference between both groups in the limitation section. This difference would have affected Mathews et al.'s study outcome, and the conclusion should have been rectified.

Background. Attention to the healthcare workforce has increased, yet comprehensive information on migrant healthcare workers is missing. This study focuses on migrant healthcare workers’ experiences and mobility patterns in the middle of a global health crisis, aiming to explore the capacity for circular migration and support effective and equitable healthcare workforce policy. Material and methods. Romanian physicians working in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic served as an empirical case study. We applied a qualitative explorative approach; interviews (n=21) were collected from mid of September to early November 2022 and content analysis was performed. Results and discussion. Migrant physicians showed strong resilience during the COVID-19 crisis and rarely complained. Commitment to high professional standards and career development were major pull factors towards Germany, while perceptions of limited career choices, nepotism and corruption in Romania caused strong push mechanisms. We identified two major mobility patterns that may support circular migration policies: well-integrated physicians with a wish to give something back to their home country, and mobile cosmopolitan physicians who flexibly balance career opportunities and personal/family interests. Health policy must establish systematic monitoring of the migrant healthcare workforce including actor-centred approaches, support integration in destination countries as well as health system development in sending countries, and invest in evidence-based circular migration policy.

Transition from secukinumab to adalimumab in COVID-19-Induced psoriasis flare-up treatment: a case reportAbstract: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known to trigger systemic inflammation and elicit immune responses, which may disrupt the delicate balance of cytokines involved in psoriatic regulation. Compared to other therapies in dermatology, biologics used for immune-mediated dermatological diseases have been more extensively studied during the COVID-19 pandemic. Herein, we report a case of flare-up of previously well-controlled psoriasis shortly after infection with COVID-19, with treatment transition from secukinumab to adalimumab.Keywords: COVID-19; psoriasis; flare-up; adalimumab; secukinumab

Background: Following a locally transmitted case in Sukhbaatar city, Selenge province, we conducted a study with two objectives. First, we aimed to estimate the basic reproduction number of COVID-19, leveraging the epidemiological and clinical characteristics observed in the first 67 confirmed cases. Second, we aimed to model the outbreak considering different patient profiles - asymptomatic, symptomatic, and pre-symptomatic - with the goal of predicting the ultimate scale of the epidemic in the scenario of uninterrupted transmission. Methods: We conducted a prospective case study following the WHO FFX cases generic protocol. The rapid response teams collected the surveillance data from November 14–29, 2020. We created a stochastic process to draw many transmission chains from this greater distribution to better understand and make inferences regarding the outbreak under investigation. Results: The majority of the cases involved household transmissions (35, 52.2%), work transmissions (20, 29.9%), index (5, 7.5%), same apartment transmissions (2, 3.0%), school transmissions (2, 3.0%), and meetup transmissions (1, 1.5%). The posterior means of the basic reproduction number of both the asymptomatic cases, R_0^Asy and pre-symptomatic cases R_0^Pre (1·35 [95% CrI 0·88−1·86] and 1·29 [95% CrI 0·67−2·10], respectively), were lower than that of the symptomatic cases. Conclusion: Our study highlights the heterogeneity of COVID-19 transmission across different symptom statuses and underscores the importance of early identification and isolation of symptomatic cases in disease control. Detailed contact tracing data with advanced statistical methods, can be applied to other infectious diseases, facilitating a more nuanced understanding of disease transmission dynamics.

Introduction Studies about the duration of the humoral and cellular response following the bivalent booster administration are still scarce. We aimed at assessing the humoral and cellular response in a cohort of healthcare workers that received this booster. Material and methods Blood samples were collected before the administration of the bivalent booster from Pfizer-BioNTech and after 14, 28, 90, and 180 days. Neutralizing antibodies against either the D614G strain, the delta variant, the BA.5 variant, or the XBB.1.5 subvariant were measured. The cellular response was assessed by measurement of the release of interferon gamma (IFNγ) from T cells in response to an in vitro SARS-CoV-2 stimulation. Results A substantial waning of neutralizing antibodies was observed after 6 months (23.1‐fold decrease), especially considering the XBB.1.5 subvariant. The estimated T 1/2 of neutralizing antibodies was 16.1 days (95% CI=10.2–38.4 days). Although most participants still present a robust cellular response after 6 months (i.e., 95%), a significant decrease was also observed compared to the peak response (0.41 versus 0.95 UI/L, p=0.0083). Conclusion A significant waning of the humoral and cellular response was observed after 6 months. These data can also help national competent authorities in their recommendation regarding the administration of an additional booster.

Emergency departments are vital units that work full-time, serve critically ill patients and provide immediate emergency care according to the triage code of the admitted patients. The efficient operation of emergency services depends on adequate human and medical resources and early planning efforts. The increase in the intensity of emergency services due to covid-19, which is a biological disaster, has limited the effective use of resources and planning studies. The patient density in the emergency services can endanger the lives of the patients and disrupt the service if no preparation is made. For this reason, it is important to organize emergency service units according to patient estimates, to reduce the density, to provide the service at an optimum level, to provide ease of planning and management, to use medical and human resources effectively, and to patient satisfaction. This study was conducted to predict patient arrivals in the emergency department in the context of meteorological data. This study, hourly forecasting results are obtained using estimation methods seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMAX), artificial neural network (ANN), nonlinear autoregressive models with exogenous inputs with exogenous regressionists (NARX). For the study, patient arrival data from a training and research hospital for December 2021 and meteorological data such as temperature, humidity, and wind were used. The performance of the estimation plot using multiple methods was measured by the mean absolute percent error (MAPE). The SARIMAX model showed a better performance than other methods in terms of prediction accuracy with a MAPE value of 31%.

Background: In this research we aimed to demonstrate the clinical-radiological and laboratory characteristics of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia despite having COVID-19 vaccine compared to unvaccinated patients. Materials-Methods: Patients hospitalized in the COVID-19 clinic between February 2022 and August 2022 were included in the study. Demographic, clinical features and treatment results furthermore COVID-19 vaccination status of the cases were recorded. The cases were divided into two groups as those with and without the COVID vaccination and compared respectively. Results: A total of 215 cases were included in the study, 53.5% (n=115) were vaccinated. The presence of comorbid chronic diseases and cancer was less in the unvaccinated group. The duration of hospitalization was longer in the unvaccinated group(9.6 and 7.1 days, respectively). The number of segments affected were significantly higher in the unvaccinated group(p<0.05). Patients who received high-dose glucocorticoid therapy in the unvaccinated group was higher (28 cases vs. 11 cases; p<0.001).). The 11.3% (13/115) of the patients in the vaccinated group deceased, whereas 14% (14/100) in the unvaccinated group. Vaccination was found to be an independent factor affecting mortality (p=0.034 CI: 0.108 - 0.918). Conclusion: The vaccinated cases were who were infected with COVID-19 had shorter duration of hospitalization and lower severity of radiological involvement. The requirement of pulse steroids were also less compared to unvaccinated individuals. Despite having chronic diseases and cancer, which is considered to have a significant effect on mortality in COVID-19. Additionally although the vaccinated group was older, they had similar mortality rates with unvaccinated subjects.

Objectives: The study focused on the relationship of individuals’ attitudes towards the COVID-19 outbreak in social media networks and the frequency of social media use associated with the outbreak with e-health literacy and COVID-19 preventive health behavior. Methods: The data of the study were obtained by applying the survey method. The data were collected using the convenience sampling technique. Within the scope of the study, 773 survey data were obtained. A mediation analysis using multiple regression was performed for the analysis of the data. Results: The results obtained in the analysis, the attitudes of individuals towards social media during the epidemic has a significant and positive predictive effect on e-health literacy (R2: 0.1468, F: 133.223, p <0.05) and preventive health behavior (R2: 0.0489, F: 39.621, p <0.05). Conclusion: In the analysis conducted, the attitudes towards social media of individuals has significant and positive effects on e-health literacy and preventive COVID-19 health behavior. In addition, it was concluded that individuals’ frequency of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak had a positive and significant relationship with e-health literacy and COVID-19 preventive health behavior.

Background: Respiratory infectious viruses, such as the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, are highly transmissible and undergo rapid genetic evolution, which leads to the emergence of multiple subtypes with diverse mutation patterns. However, detecting and differentiating between these subtypes present significant challenges in the field of respiratory virus surveillance. Methods: To address these challenges, we developed a novel detection approach that integrates amplification refractory mutation system PCR (ARMS-PCR) with molecular beacon probes. The ARMS-PCR primers were designed to selectively amplify specific subtypes by targeting adjacent mutation sites, while the molecular beacon probes allowed for further discrimination of the amplified products. This combined approach effectively addressed the issues of non-specific binding and improved detection accuracy. Results: Our method demonstrated high specificity and sensitivity in the identification and differentiation of respiratory virus subtypes. Using real-time fluorescence PCR, we achieved a detection limit of approximately 106 copies/mL. Moreover, through the direct analysis of fluorescence signals, we further enhanced the sensitivity to a detection limit of 104 copies/mL. This robust and accurate detection approach is capable of identifying and differentiating between respiratory virus subtypes, including those with complex mutation patterns. Conclusions: The integration of ARMS-PCR and molecular beacon probes is a reliable and efficient solution for the rapid and precise monitoring of evolving respiratory infectious diseases, and it has the potential to facilitate early diagnosis and effective control measures. Further research is needed to expand the application of this detection method to other respiratory viruses and optimize its workflow for clinical and public health settings.

Objective The immune response is a double-edged sword, and COVID-19 shares similarities with pancreatitis in terms of natural immune response, immune storm, and multi-organ involvement. However, whether a causal association between them remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate the potential causal association between COVID-19 and pancreatitis using a bidirectional Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach. Methods The study analyzed three variables related to COVID-19 (severity, hospitalization, and susceptibility) with a sample size ranging from approximately 1,059,456 to 1,557,411. Additionally, four types of pancreatitis (acute, chronic, alcohol-induced acute, and chronic) were examined, with a sample size ranging from 337,126 to 377,277. Causal associations were estimated using inverse-variance weighted (IVW), median weighted, and MR-Egger methods. Results The IVW model indicated potential causal associations between genetic susceptibility to severe and hospitalized COVID-19 and a decreased risk of acute pancreatitis (OR = 0.914, p = 0.01; OR = 0.884, p = 0.008) and alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis (OR = 0.852, p = 0.013; OR = 0.768, p = 0.002), including chronic pancreatitis. Inconsistent associations were observed between IVW and sensitivity analyses in acute and chronic pancreatitis of severe and hospitalized COVID-19. Conversely, no significant associations were found between pancreatitis traits and COVID-19-related variables in reverse MR analysis. No heterogeneity or pleiotropy was found. Conclusions Host genetic liability to severe and hospitalized COVID-19 was causally associated with declining risk of alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis, while no significant association was observed for pancreatitis on COVID-19 outcomes. This study has significant implications for unraveling their pathogenesis and guiding clinical management.

Treatment options for mild to moderate COVID-19 is limited. N-acetylcysteine and bromhexine have antiviral activity and show potential as treatment options against SARS-CoV-2 infections. This study evaluates the in vitro antiviral effect of bromhexine (BMX) for SARS-CoV-2 and determines the efficacy of treatment with BMX in combination with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to reduce clinical scores in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Upon evidence from pre-clinical studies, a single center randomized trial of BMX + NAC (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04928495) with 420 participants in total took place in Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Out of the 420 participants 140 received placebo, 140 received NAC alone, and 140 received NAC + BMX. Patients were monitored for 10-14 days, where physicians recorded all signs and symptoms reported. Nasopharyngeal swabs and blood samples were collected for SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing during the first visit, as well as 3 and 10 days after. Blood samples were collected at first visit and 10 days after for immuno-inflammatory biomarkers measurements. Treatment with NAC+BMX reduced clinical scores and symptoms when compared to placebo group (2/26; 8% vs 7/18; 39%; p < 0.05). Fever (≥37.8°C) was reduced by NAC + BMX treatment when compared to treatment with NAC alone and placebo. This study was limited by a largely vaccinated population. Our analysis showed that BMX reduces SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. Clinical trial results suggested that combinatory treatment with NAC + BMX is beneficial in mild to moderate COVID-19.

IntroductionCoronavirus belongs to RNA viruses that cause respiratory, neurologic, enteric, and hepatic diseases distributed among mammals, including humans and birds (1). A novel coronavirus discovered in late 2019 in China caused Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is associated with complications like severe viral pneumonia, ARDS, AKI, cardiac injury, liver dysfunction, spontaneous pneumothorax, lung cavitation, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, along with other minor ailments like fever, loss of smell, myalgia, dry cough, lymphadenopathy (2) (3).Pneumothorax due to COVID-19 pneumonia is very rare, and few cases are reported with bronchopleural fistula-associated persistent pneumothorax while recovering from COVID-19 pneumonia (4) (5) (6).

Covid-19 has given us a new way to look at our globe with regards to minimize air and noise pollution and thereby upgrading global environmental conditions. This positive pandemic outcome indicates that green energy is the future of energy, and one new origin of green energy is lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Electric vehicles are constructed with LIBs, but they have a number of disadvantages, including poor thermal performance, thermal runaway, fire dangers, and a higher discharge rate in low- and high-temperature conditions. The underlying fault of LIBs is their temperature reactivity. Extreme temperatures and challenging working circumstances can cause lithium-ion cells to malfunction and cause the battery pack to overheat. For optimal performance in vehicles and long-term lithium-ion battery durability, LIBs must be thermally managed within their operating temperature span. This paper presents an overview of several cooling strategies used to maintain the internal battery pack temperature. This paper discusses cooling techniques using air, liquid, and Phase Change Material (PCM), Heat pipe(HP). Additionally, various battery pack configurations and heat generation techniques are explored. This research also discusses the usage of nanomaterials to address the battery pack’s heat-related problems. This study emphasises the use of nanomaterial to boost the heat conductivity of coolant in order to raise the batteries temperature into their ideal working range (PCM as well as LC). This article also provides some of the research gaps that have been found and the crucial areas on which attention should be directed in order to build the best lithium-ion BTMS technology.

Background COVID-19 related public health and social measures (PHSMs) worldwide have influenced respiratory virus epidemiology. In Hong Kong, paediatric hospitalisations associated with non-COVID-19 respiratory viruses declined in 2020. As PHSMs eased, rhinoviruses/enteroviruses became the primary detected respiratory viruses. This study examines the genetic diversity in resurgent human rhinovirus (HRV) cases. Methods We sequenced rhinovirus/enterovirus samples from children at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, between August 2020 and October 2021 to estimate changes in HRV genotypes and describe their epidemic characteristics. Whole genome sequencing was performed on the three most prevalent HRV genotypes to infer patterns of virus introduction and persistence. Results Despite reduced respiratory virus circulation, HRV type A and C infections persisted in children, with sporadic detection of HRV B and other respiratory viruses. A resurgence of HRV A cases in November 2020, dominated by genotypes A47 and A101, was observed during the relaxation of PHSMs between the third and fourth waves of COVID-19. Strict PHSMs implemented during the fourth wave, including school closures, substantially reduced respiratory virus circulation, though overall diversity increased due to heightened vigilance. HRV genotype A49 became predominant in May 2021 upon relaxation of control measures, with phylogenetic analysis suggesting persistence of multiple transmission lineages despite strict PHSMs. Genotypes A49 and A47 were frequently associated with upper respiratory tract infections, highlighting their epidemic potential. Conclusion This study underscores the impact of control measures on HRV genetic diversity and highlights the need for continuous surveillance and sequencing to inform public health interventions.

Objective The purpose of this study was to obtain the infection status, exercise, anxiety and sleep quality of some Chinese residents who recovered from infection during the COVID-19 pandemic, explore the influencing factors of recovery status, and help improve the intervention measures for COVID-19 recovery. Methods This study is a sub-study, nested within a cross-sectional study, investigating the infection and physical and mental health of partially recovered residents in all 34 provincial areas of China during the COVID-19 epidemic. Results There were 1013 participants in this study, including 374 males and 639 females. The cardiopulmonary endurance after infection was significantly lower than that before infection (P<0.01). Among all participants, women (3.92±4.97) had more anxiety than men (3.33±4.54, P<0.01); The sleep score after infection (8.27±7.05) was significantly higher than that before infection (4.17±4.97, P<0.01). The days of fever remission in regular exercise and sedentary group were significantly shorter than those in irregular exercise and sedentary group (P<0.05). The days of fever remission in regular exercise group (1.81±1.91) was significantly shorter than that in irregular exercise group (2.02±1.95, P<0.05). The number of negative days in the non-sedentary group (7.32±3.24) was significantly lower than that in the sedentary group (7.66±3.06, P<0.05). Conclusions In this study, it was observed that the recovery time of symptoms after COVID-19 recovery was related to age, and the more symptoms there were, the worse cardiopulmonary fitness and sleep quality would be. Sedentary people and irregular exercise people generally took a longer time to turn negative. Therefore, appropriate exercise, psychological and sleep hygiene and other health interventions should be considered in COVID-19 recovery measures.

Few seroprevalence studies were performed on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nepal. Here, we aimed to estimate seroprevalence and assess risk factors for infection in the general population of Nepal by conducting two rounds of sampling. The first round in October 2020 at the peak of the first generalized wave of COVID-19 and the second round in July-August 2021 following the peak of the wave caused by the delta variant of SARS-COV-2. We used cross-sectional probability-to-size (PPS)-based multistage cluster sampling to estimate the seroprevalence in the general population of Nepal at the national and provincial levels. We tested for the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 total antibody using the WANTAI SARS-CoV-2 Ab ELISA kit. In Round 1, the overall national seroprevalence was 14.4%, with provincial estimates ranging from 5.3% in Sudurpaschim to 27.3% in Madesh province. In Round 2, the estimated national seroprevalence was 70.7%, with the highest estimated seroprevalence in Madesh Province (84.8%) and the lowest in the Gandaki Province (62.9%). Seroprevalence was comparable between males and females (Round 1, 15.8% vs 12.2% and Round 2, 72.3% vs. 68.7%). The seroprevalence in the ecozones—terai, hills, and mountains—was 76.3%, 65.3%, and 60.5% in Round 2 and 17.7%, 11.7%, and 4.6% in Round 1, respectively. In Nepal, COVID-19 vaccination was introduced in January, 2021. At the peak of the first generalized wave of COVID-19, most of the population of Nepal remained unexposed to SARS-COV-2 and towards the end of the second generalized wave in April 2021, two-thirds of the population was exposed.

Title PageType of Article: Letter to the EditorTitle: Unravelling the Recent Monkeypox Virus Outbreaks: Comparative Insights into Pathophysiology and Neurological Manifestation vis-à-vis SARS-CoV-2