scholarly journals Disequilibrium and COVID-19: Effectively Applying Crisis Intervention

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Oby

Crisis intervention is widely understood as a response to life-threatening emergencies and therefore often limited in its application to natural disasters, severe physical violence, suicidal ideation, and similarly dangerous incidents. While crisis intervention is appropriate for these scenarios, historical definitions of crisis suggest the term and related interventions have much broader application. The ramifications of the novel coronavirus and related cultural fallout increase vulnerability and impair coping capacity in such a way that individuals are significantly more likely to enter crisis states, demanding a prompt reconsideration of the breadth of this practice technique. Successful application of crisis intervention reduces the long-term psychological implications for individuals encountering sudden loss, unexpected traumas, and other hazards that overwhelm traditional coping strategies, outcomes all made more likely by this pandemic. Crisis intervention is a structured, time-limited, problem-oriented treatment modality that is well suited to a remote practice environment because it is directive in its approach and requires few contacts at a time when client access is potentially limited. This paper examines the course of crisis with or without intervention, assessment and intervention tactics, social work values when applying crisis intervention, and the implications of the use of this modality as it relates to COVID-19.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 977-982
Author(s):  
Mohamed J. Saadh ◽  
Bashar Haj Rashid M ◽  
Roa’a Matar ◽  
Sajeda Riyad Aldibs ◽  
Hala Sbaih ◽  
...  

SARS-COV2 virus causes Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and represents the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. The novel coronavirus (2019) was discovered in 2019 in Wuhan, the market of the wet animal, China with viral pneumonia cases and is life-threatening. Today, WHO announces COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. COVID-19 is likely to be zoonotic. It is transmitted from bats as intermediary animals to human. Also, the virus is transmitted from human to human who is in close contact with others. The computerized tomographic chest scan is usually abnormal even in those with no symptoms or mild disease. Treatment is nearly supportive; the role of antiviral agents is yet to be established. The SARS-COV2 virus spreads faster than its two ancestors, the SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but has lower fatality. In this article, we aimed to summarize the transmission, symptoms, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and vaccine to control the spread of this fatal disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabitha Vadakedath ◽  
Venkataramana Kandi ◽  
Tarun Kumar Suvvari ◽  
L V Simhachalam Kutikuppala ◽  
Vikram Godishala ◽  
...  

: The novel Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that has emerged and spread throughout the world causing CoV disease-19 (COVID-19) has since its discovery affected not only humans and animals but also the environment. Because of the highly infectious nature of the virus, and the respiratory aerosol transmission route, face masks and personal protective equipment have become mandatory for public and healthcare workers, respectively. Also, the complex nature of the pathogenicity of the virus, wherein, it has been associated with mild, moderate, and severe life-threatening infections, has warranted increased laboratory testing and placing the infected people in isolation and under constant observation in quarantine centers or at dedicated hospitals. Some infected people, who are generally healthy, and do not show symptoms have been placed in home quarantines. At this juncture, there has been increased amount of biomedical waste (BMW), and infectious general waste along with plastic disposable recyclable and non-recyclable waste. The increased BMW along with the potentially hazardous plastic waste collection, segregation, transport, and disposal has assumed increased significance during the ongoing pandemic. Therefore, this review attempts to investigate the current scenario of BMW management and strategies to minimize BMW and prevent potential environmental pollution.


Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (11) ◽  
pp. 1330-1341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenio D. Hottz ◽  
Isaclaudia G. Azevedo-Quintanilha ◽  
Lohanna Palhinha ◽  
Lívia Teixeira ◽  
Ester A. Barreto ◽  
...  

Abstract Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emergent pathogen responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since its emergence, the novel coronavirus has rapidly achieved pandemic proportions causing remarkably increased morbidity and mortality around the world. A hypercoagulability state has been reported as a major pathologic event in COVID-19, and thromboembolic complications listed among life-threatening complications of the disease. Platelets are chief effector cells of hemostasis and pathological thrombosis. However, the participation of platelets in the pathogenesis of COVID-19 remains elusive. This report demonstrates that increased platelet activation and platelet-monocyte aggregate formation are observed in severe COVID-19 patients, but not in patients presenting mild COVID-19 syndrome. In addition, exposure to plasma from severe COVID-19 patients increased the activation of control platelets ex vivo. In our cohort of COVID-19 patients admitted to the intensive care unit, platelet-monocyte interaction was strongly associated with tissue factor (TF) expression by the monocytes. Platelet activation and monocyte TF expression were associated with markers of coagulation exacerbation as fibrinogen and D-dimers, and were increased in patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation or patients who evolved with in-hospital mortality. Finally, platelets from severe COVID-19 patients were able to induce TF expression ex vivo in monocytes from healthy volunteers, a phenomenon that was inhibited by platelet P-selectin neutralization or integrin αIIb/β3 blocking with the aggregation inhibitor abciximab. Altogether, these data shed light on new pathological mechanisms involving platelet activation and platelet-dependent monocyte TF expression, which were associated with COVID-19 severity and mortality.


BioTechniques ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bijun Cheng ◽  
Tianjiao Li

The outbreak of viral pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that began in December 2019 caused high mortality. It has been suggested that the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 may be an important target to discover pharmaceutical compounds for the therapy of this life-threatening disease. Remdesivir, ritonavir and chloroquine have all been reported to play a role in suppressing SARS-CoV-2. Here, we applied a molecular docking method to study the binding stability of these drugs with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. It appeared that the ligand–protein binding stability of the alliin and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro complex was better than others. The results suggested that alliin may serve as a good candidate as an inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro. Therefore, the present research may provide some meaningful guidance for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2.


Heart ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 106 (20) ◽  
pp. 1549-1554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benoy Nalin Shah ◽  
Dominik Schlosshan ◽  
Hannah Zelie Ruth McConkey ◽  
Mamta Heena Buch ◽  
Andrew John Marshall ◽  
...  

The established processes for ensuring safe outpatient surveillance of patients with known heart valve disease (HVD), echocardiography for patients referred with new murmurs and timely delivery of surgical or transcatheter treatment for patients with severe disease have all been significantly impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. This has created a large backlog of work and upstaging of disease with consequent increases in risk and cost of treatment and potential for worse long-term outcomes. As countries emerge from lockdown but with COVID-19 endemic in society, precautions remain that restrict ‘normal’ practice. In this article, we propose a methodology for restructuring services for patients with HVD and provide recommendations pertaining to frequency of follow-up and use of echocardiography at present. It will be almost impossible to practice exactly as we did prior to the pandemic; thus, it is essential to prioritise patients with the greatest clinical need, such as those with symptomatic severe HVD. Local procedural waiting times will need to be considered, in addition to usual clinical characteristics in determining whether patients requiring intervention would be better suited having surgical or transcatheter treatment. We present guidance on the identification of stable patients with HVD that could have follow-up deferred safely and suggest certain patients that could be discharged from follow-up if waiting lists are triaged with appropriate clinical input. Finally, we propose that novel models of working enforced by the pandemic—such as increased use of virtual clinics—should be further developed and evaluated.


European View ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-211
Author(s):  
Magnus Norell

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in different ways, and the varying political structures, economic conditions and civil-crisis preparedness of the states in this region have resulted in it being handled in a variety of ways too. Even if it is difficult to assess how the crisis has affected the MENA region in more detail due to the region’s general volatility and ongoing conflicts in Libya and Syria, current trends have so far not shown a diminution in regional conflicts. Nor have the pandemic’s consequences in the Middle East lessened Europe’s problems with the region. Thus the article argues that COVID-19 has not really led to a decrease in the conflicts and wars plaguing the MENA region, and that, therefore, the effects for Europe—both short- and long-term—will still be felt, as existing problems will continue to affect Europe.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 175628722110467
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Shafiekhani ◽  
Anahita Dehghani ◽  
Mina Shahisavandi ◽  
Seyed Ali Nabavizadeh ◽  
Maryam Kabiri ◽  
...  

One year after the prevalence of the novel coronavirus pandemic, some aspects of the physiopathology, treatment and progression of coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) have remained unknown. Since no comprehensive study on the use of urological medications in patients with COVID-19 has been carried out, this narrative review aimed to focus on clinically important issues about the treatment of COVID-19 and urologic medications regarding efficacy, modifications, side effects and interactions in different urologic diseases. In this review, we provide information about the pharmacotherapeutic approach toward urologic medications in patients with COVID-19 infection. This study provides an overview of medications in benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, impotence and sexual dysfunction, urolithiasis, kidney transplantation and hypertension as the most frequent diseases in which the patients are on long-term medications. Also, the effect of urologic drugs on the efficacy of vaccination is briefly discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (COVID19-S4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sultan Ayoub Meo ◽  
Dr Abdulelah Adnan Abukhalaf ◽  
Ali Abdullah Alomar ◽  
Kamran Sattar ◽  
David C Klonoff

Background and Objectives: The novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic causes great public health and socioeconomic harms. Worldwide many countries implemented quarantine policies to minimize the spread of this highly contagious disease. The present study aim was to investigate the impact of quarantine on the medical students’ mental wellbeing and learning behaviors. Methods: In this descriptive study, we used a questionnaire with a Five-Point Likert Scale to collect the information. The questionnaire was distributed among 625 medical students through their emails with a response rate of 530 (84.8%), majority 294 (55.47%) being female. The survey questionnaire consisted of total 20 items; 12 items were related to psychological wellbeing and stress-allied queries and 08 items were about learning behaviors. Results: The findings encompass two important characteristics related to quarantine, psychological wellbeing, and learning behaviors. A combined cohort of 234 medical students, either female or male, (which was 44.1% of the total responders) showed a sense of being emotionally detached from family, friends and fellow students, 125/ 530 (23.5%) medical students felt disheartened. Both female and male medical students showed a marked decrease in their overall work performance. Moreover, 56.2% of the total students (61.5% of the females and 49.5% of the males) felt a decrease in the time they spent studying. Conclusions: Both female and male medical students have identified that quarantine has caused them to feel emotionally detached from family, fellows, and friends and decrease their overall work performance and study period. The findings also show that one-fourth of the medical students who participated in this study felt disheartened during the quarantine period. The long-term quarantine due to COVID-19 pandemic may causes further worsening in the psychological and learning behaviors of these medical students. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2809 How to cite this:Meo SA, Abukhalaf AA, Alomar AA, Sattar K, Klonoff DC. COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of Quarantine on Medical Students’ Mental Wellbeing and Learning Behaviors. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(COVID19-S4):---------. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.COVID19-S4.2809 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


Author(s):  
S. O. Yastremska ◽  
O. M. Krekhovska-Lepiavko ◽  
B. A. Lokay ◽  
O. V. Bushtynska ◽  
S. V. Danchak

Summary. The first known case of infection from the novel coronavirus was recorded almost one year ago, in China’s Hubei province. The city of Wuhan was infamous the world over as the original virus epicenter, seeing more than half of China’s reported cases and deaths. The outbreak of COVID-19 virus, as sickened more than 14.7 million people. At least 610.200 people have died. The aim of the study – to analyze and systematize the literature data about the influence of chronic diseases on the manifestation of COVID-19 infection. Materials and Methods. The study uses publications of the world scientific literature on COVID-19 infection, in particular the causes and mechanisms of its development, treatment, complications and its consequences as well as the influence of different chronic disorders on the course of COVID-19. Results. A sample of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across 14 states of the USA in March was analyzed by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was found that many (89 %) had underlying health problem and 94 % of patients were at the age 65 and older. The case fatality rate for those under age 60 was 1.4 percent. For those over age 60, the fatality rate jumps to 4.5 percent. The older the population, the higher the fatality rate. For those 80 and over, Covid-19 appears to have a 13.4 percent fatality rate. Moreover, it was recognized, that older adults don't present in a typical way of the course of different disorders, and we're seeing that with Covid-19 as well. Conclusions. Chronic diseases and conditions are on the rise worldwide. COVID-19 became the most challenging pandemic influencing all countries worldwide. Chronic diseases are suggested to be one of the main causes of different life-threatening complications of COVID-19 infection and one of the main factors of poor prognosis for the patients.


Author(s):  
Kevin S. Hawkins ◽  
Julie Judkins

The novel coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has forced archives to rethink their modes of providing access to physical collections. Whereas difficult copyright questions raised by reproducing items could previously be skirted by requiring researchers to work with materials in person, the long-term closure of reading rooms and decrease in long-distance travel mean that archives need a workflow for handling user digitization requests that is scalable and requires consulting only easily identifiable information and, assuming full reproduction is off the table, reproducing items in a collection under 17 U.S.C. § 108 or through a strategy of rapid risk assessment. There is a challenge in creating a policy that will work across different formats and genres of archival materials, so this article offers some suggestions for how to think about these parameters according to US copyright law and calls for a committee of experts to work out a model policy that could serve remote users of archival collections even after the COVID-19 crisis has passed.


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