Community Knowledge and Behavior About COVID-19 and Their Attitude Toward Public Policies Implemented Against This Pandemic in the Northwest of Iran

Background: The awareness of people’s health knowledge and behavior on COVID-19 has helped guide education and health promotion policies, and examination of people’s opinions on governance measures against this disease will guide policymakers in making more decisions and responsiveness. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate people’s knowledge and behaviors toward COVID-19 and their views on adopted public policies against this disease in Maragheh, a city in the Northwest of Iran. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional, analytical study that was done in urban areas of Maragheh from 13 November to 20 December 2020. The sample size was estimated at 672 participants, and the sampling method was stratified random. The data collection instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire that consisted of four sections: demographic information, health behaviors, respondent’s knowledge of COVID-19, and their viewpoints on adopted public policies against this disease and was shared online. The one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression were used to analyze data with SPSS version 23. Results: The mean scores of people’s knowledge (6.42 ± 1.2) out of 9 and health behaviors (34.8 ± 3.9) of 36 were moderate. The majority of respondents had high levels of knowledge and also behavior about keeping the physical distance (98.5%) and proper handwashing (97.9%). Knowledge (β = 0.23) and male (β = -0.27) were the predictors of health behaviors (p < 0.001, F = 12.47). The investigation of myths on COVID-19 indicated that 17% and 41.1% of the respondents believed that alcohol consumption and using garlic and herbal drinks are effective in the prevention and 57.7% of them believed that holding the breath for 10 seconds is a sign of being healthy. People’s views on the COVID-19 control policies were assessed to be at the medium level (48.2 ± 7.5) of 65. The most effective policies against COVID-19 from the people’s opinions consisted of lockdown policies (96.4%), schools’ closure (95.9%), and constraints on intercity trips (91.3%). Conclusions: It seems necessary to strengthen measures on health knowledge promotion and implementation of health education interventions on protective behaviors of COVID-19 in such a way that right beliefs are replaced with wrong ones. Based on positive public opinions on Lockdown interventions, re-applying these policies is recommended to get the cities out of the high-risk situation.

Conventional Microfinance in Tunisia: A Tool to Fight Poverty

Microfinance has been identified as an important tool for reducing poverty by increasing the productivity of the poor and thereby promoting economic development. Generally, the clients targeted by microfinance are in a relatively vulnerable and high-risk situation, with a generally unstable income that sometimes causes them to fall into extreme poverty. Across our sample only 26.7% have an income above 300 dinars. This result suggests that the surveyed population is very poor, especially when we find that among the 73.3% who have an income below 300 dinars, beneficiaries have a monthly income of less than 60 dinars before financing. This finding suggests that microfinance with its current tools unable to improve the incomes of the poor, so we find that Islamic microfinance can be a new mechanism to improve this sector according to the respondents. Our research aimed to measure the specific contribution of microfinance to improving the income of the poor living in rural areas of the Tunisian Sahel during a 3-month period in 2020. To test our hypotheses we adopted a mixed method that combines both documentary research and survey techniques (questionnaires and interviews), based essentially on:The available and accessible literature search which consists of the analysis and interpretation of previous theories and studies that address the same issues on which we base our own analysis. Questionnaires distributed to microcredit beneficiaries and some MFI managers and agents. During the analysis, we proceeded question by question before measuring the opinions of our subjects on the studied phenomenon. Thus, the data collected during the investigation phase is analyzed and processed using statistical methods. It consists in using and interpreting the data collected during our surveys

Immunity and COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy – precautions and risks

Symptomatic coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during pregnancy represent a high-risk situation for maternal complications, including respiratory distress, pneumonia and even death. Pregnancy represents a unique adaptative immunological and hormonal state at the inflammatory response. At this time, global immunization is a promising way to stop this pandemic. Since early December 2020, more than 150 vaccine candidates in various stages of development and research are communicated. In Romania, there are four vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA): Pfizer–BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford– AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. However, many people are reluctant to take the COVID-19 vaccine, including false beliefs about this use during pregnancy. Herein, we present the current state of knowledge about immunity and COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy based on reported cases from medical literature. Most of them are reported from healthcare pregnant women in COVID-19 facilities or in women in the first trimester of pregnancy who did not know they were pregnant at the time of vaccination. The Eudravigilance from European Medicines Agency (EMA) constantly monitors any side effects after a vaccine. COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy is proving to be as safe and effective as in the general population. Because COVID-19 vaccines have been observed in association with a higher rate of miscarriage in early pregnancy, it should be used with caution in the first trimester. Vaccination before planning a pregnancy in order to gain immunity at the time of conception is recommended.

Harnableitung nach uro-onkologischen Eingriffen bei Frauen: was bei wem?

ZusammenfassungDas Blasenkarzinom ist bei Frauen ein eher seltener Tumor. In der noch selteneren Konstellation eines invasiven Karzinoms oder in einer High-Risk-Situation mit der Indikation der Zystektomie stellt sich die Frage nach der adäquaten Harnableitung.Die Wahl der Harnableitung wird bestimmt von den vorliegenden individuellen Gegebenheiten seitens des Tumors, der Patientin und den Erfahrungen und Präferenzen des Operateurs.Für den Blasenersatz steht eine ganze Palette an Alternativen zur Verfügung. Die Entscheidung muss zunächst zwischen den Optionen einer inkontinenten Ableitung mit Stomaanlage wie Ureterokutaneostomie oder Ileum-Conduit und den wesentlich aufwendigeren Techniken der kontinenten Varianten des orthotopen oder heterotopen Ersatzes getroffen werden.Dabei sind bei Frauen die vorliegenden Erfahrungen mit den kontinenten Varianten deutlich geringer als bei Männern und vor allem der orthotope Anschluß an die Harnröhre beinhaltet im Gegensatz zu den inkontinenten Formen des Blasenersatzes und der heterotopen Ableitung geschlechtsspezifische Unterschiede.Für die verschiedenen Varianten gibt es insgesamt klare Ein- oder Ausschlußkriterien. Schwierig wird es eher in Graubereichen, für welche Form der Harnableitung man sich vor dem Eingriff entscheidet. Auf keinen Fall kann dies generell, sondern muss in jedem Fall individuell entschieden werden. Dafür bedarf es unter anderem auch umfangreicher Kenntnisse seitens des Operateurs über die verschiedenen Optionen der Operationsmethoden, deren Probleme und Komplikationsmöglichkeiten sowie insbesondere auch deren Beherrschung.

Aberrated supraventricular tachycardia associated with neonatal fever and COVID-19 infection

A 9-day-old girl presented during the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in wide-complex tachycardia with acute, symptomatic COVID-19 infection. Because the potential cardiac complications of COVID-19 were unknown at the time of her presentation, we chose to avoid the potential risks of haemodynamic collapse associated with afterload reduction from adenosine. Instead, a transoesophageal pacing catheter was placed. Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) with an aberrated QRS morphology was diagnosed and the catheter was used to pace-terminate tachycardia. This presentation illustrates that the haemodynamic consequences of a concurrent infection with largely unknown neonatal sequelae present a potentially high-risk situation for pharmacologic conversion. Oesophageal cannulation can be used to diagnose and terminate infantile SVT.

Transmission of COVID-19 Virus in the Presence of Neurologic Manifestations

COVID-19 is a viral disease with a different set of manifestations. However, all clinical manifestations are not occurring at the same time and some patients present the disease with an isolated or even without any specific symptoms. This disease besides neurologic symptoms in rare cases even presents itself with other symptoms such as cardiac failure. In this case, a health care provider may not aware of this situation. In these situations, the transmission of the virus to individuals remains and people may not be aware of the high-risk situation. It is suggested to be aware of different clinical manifestations of COVID-19 disease and preventive strategies keep for all patients.

Nutritional Vulnerability: The Complexity of Preparing Older Veterans for Surgery

Poor nutritional status leads to postoperative complications, infections, poor healing, and increased mortality, creating a high-risk situation for older adults undergoing surgery. Psychosocial and environmental factors, including socioeconomic disadvantage, disability, social isolation and depression, are known precipitators of nutritional risk. However, these potentially modifiable concerns are rarely taken into consideration preoperatively. In 736 older Veterans preparing for surgery, we found 42% reported it was hard/somewhat hard to pay for basic needs, 6% reported sometimes/often times not having enough to eat, 24% reported living along, 47% reported needing assistance with 1 or more IADLs, and 42% reported a history of depression. Findings from older, Veterans, illustrate the prevalence of psychosocial and environmental risk factors prior to surgery. Best practices for identifying these factors, the importance of an interprofessional team for intervening, and specific resources that can be utilized throughout the perioperative period to improve outcomes will be presented.

Detection of the Nav channel kdr-like mutation and modeling of factors affecting survivorship of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes from six areas of Harris County (Houston), Texas, after permethrin field-cage tests

Culex quinquefasciatus is one of the most important mosquito vectors of arboviruses. Currently, the fastest approach to control disease transmission is the application of synthetic adulticide insecticides. However, in highly populated urban centers the development of insecticide resistance in mosquito populations could impair insecticide efficacy and therefore, disease control. To assess the effect of resistance on vector control, females of Cx. quinquefasciatus collected from six mosquito control operational areas in Harris County, Texas, were treated in field cage tests at three different distances with the pyrethroid Permanone® 31–66 applied at the operational rate. Females were analyzed by sequencing and/or diagnostic PCR using de novo designed primers for detecting the kdr-like mutation in the voltage-gated sodium channel (L982F; TTA to TTT) (house fly kdr canonical mutation L1014F). Females from the Cx. quinquefasciatus susceptible Sebring strain and those from the six operational areas placed at 30.4 m from the treatment source were killed in the tests, while 14% of field-collected mosquitoes survived at 60.8 m, and 35% at 91.2 m from the source. The diagnostic PCR had a with 97.5% accuracy to detect the kdr-like mutation. Pyrethroid resistant mosquitoes carrying the L982F mutation were broadly distributed in Harris County at high frequency. Among mosquitoes analyzed (n = 1,028), the kdr-kdr genotype was prevalent (81.2%), the kdr-s genotype was 18%, and s-s mosquitoes were less than 1% (n = 8). A logistic regression model estimated an equal probability of survival for the genotypes kdr-kdr and kdr-s in all areas analyzed. Altogether, our results point to a high-risk situation for the pyrethroid-based arboviral disease control in Harris County.

Managing Oncology Services During a Major Coronavirus Outbreak: Lessons From the Saudi Arabia Experience

Outbreaks of infectious etiology, particularly those caused by a novel virus that has no known treatment or vaccine, may result in the interruption of medical care provided to patients with cancer and put them at risk for undertreatment in addition to the risk of being exposed to infection, a life-threatening event among patients with cancer. This article describes the approach used to manage patients with cancer during a large-scale Middle East respiratory syndrome–coronavirus hospital outbreak in Saudi Arabia to ensure continuity of care and minimize harm from treatment interruption or acquiring infection. The approach taken toward managing this high-risk situation (COVID-19) could be easily adopted by health care organizations and would be helpful to ensure readiness for the occurrence of future outbreaks of different infectious etiologies like those recent episodes of new coronavirus.

Developing a Web Based Decision Support System for Disaster Management on Aila Affected Area of Koyra Upazila

Bangladesh is one of the most disaster prone countries of the world and has been subjected to frequent natural disasters in many forms, particularly cyclonic storms and storm surges. The low-lying coastal areas are particularly vulnerable, thus placing these population, infrastructure, agriculture, livestock and economic development in a high-risk situation. The situation calls for an effective cyclone warning and dissemination system. With a view to address that this research intends to develop and manage a website containing all the information for helping in taking decision about disaster management. As its common knowledge that disaster victims need immediate, efficient and effective rescue and relief services, this system will provide relief and rescue workers with a platform easy to use, fast to search, retrieve and access information and most importantly will help in preventing the duplication of relief works. Overall, proper co-ordination will be ensured among the existing organization seems to be lacking due to the shortage of effective information dissemination system.