Harnessing the Power of Smart and Connected Health to Tackle COVID-19: IoT, AI, Robotics, and Blockchain for a Better World.

As COVID-19 hounds the world, the common cause of finding a swift solution to manage the pandemic has brought together researchers, institutions, governments, and society at large. The Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI)-including machine learning (ML) and Big Data analytics-as well as Robotics and Blockchain, are the four decisive areas of technological innovation that have been ingenuity harnessed to fight this pandemic and future ones. While these highly interrelated smart and connected health technologies cannot resolve the pandemic overnight and may not be the only answer to the crisis, they can provide greater insight into the disease and support frontline efforts to prevent and control the pandemic.

Use of Complementary Alternative Medicine and the Associated Factors among Patients with Depression.

Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) has been widely used in the world, but limited data are available on the use of CAM in depression. This study aimed to evaluate the use of CAM and its associated factors in depression. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 depressed patients referred to the Yasuj Neurology and Psychiatric Clinic, southern Iran, between 2019 and 2020.

Tehran cohort study (TeCS) on cardiovascular diseases, injury, and mental health: Design, methods, and recruitment data.

Cardiovascular disease, mental health, and injury are among the top health issues globally. In Tehran Cohort Study, we aimed to determine the prevalence, incidence, and trend of cardiovascular diseases, psychiatric symptoms, injury, and risk factors in Tehran households. We enrolled 4215 households in the recruitment phase from March 2016 to March 2019.

Cardiac Amyloid for the Internist.

Cardiac amyloid is an uncommon cause of diastolic dysfunction the recognition of which requires the internist to have clinical suspicion to guide diagnosis and treatment. Cardiac amyloid is an infiltrative cardiomyopathy with significant morbidity and mortality. Appropriate diagnosis is important because management of cardiac amyloid differs from typical heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Haplotype-resolved diverse human genomes and integrated analysis of structural variation.

Long-read and strand-specific sequencing technologies together facilitate the de novo assembly of high-quality haplotype-resolved human genomes without parent-child trio data. We present 64 assembled haplotypes from 32 diverse human genomes. These highly contiguous haplotype assemblies (average minimum contig length needed to cover 50% of the genome: 26 million base pairs) integrate all forms of genetic variation, even across complex loci.

Antiviral activities of Cholistani plants against common poultry viruses.

Herbal medicines are becoming more popular and acceptable day by day due to their effectiveness, limited side effects, and cost-effectiveness. Cholistani plants are reported as a rich source of antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, antioxidant, and anticancer agents. The current study has evaluated antiviral potential of selected Cholistani plants.

Achievement of guideline targets of glycemic and non-glycemic parameters in North Indian type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: A retrospective analysis.

Background And Aims: Though, the prevalence of diabetes is increasing in the worldwide, achievement of glycemic and non-glycemic targets remain suboptimal. We conducted this retrospective cross-sectional study at two endocrine clinics of Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) in north India.

Materials And Methods: After screening the records of 13800 patients, 12140 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus who were attending the clinic regularly every three to four months, were included in the final analysis.

Hygroscopicity of Hofmeister Salts and Glycine Aerosols-Salt Specific Interactions.

The Hofmeister effect of inorganic ions to precipitate proteins has been used to understand the coagulation phenomenon in colloid and protein science. Herein, for the first time, this effect is studied on the hygroscopicity of aerosols using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The representative Hofmeister salts (MgSO, KCl, NHNO) and amino acid (glycine) with different amino acid/salt molar ratios (ASRs) are mixed and atomized into micrometer-sized particles.

Relationship of FIB-4 index with transient elastography in chronic hepatitis C patients having APRI ≥ 0.5 - ≤2 in a resource-limited setting in Pakistan.

Objective: We aimed to study the extent of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C patients with indeterminate APRI score of ≥ 0.5 - ≤2 (between higher and lower cut off value) and correlate it to transient elastography (TE) and FIB 4 index.

Method: A cross-sectional study, 80 patients with CHC mono infection, APRI score ≥ 0.

Continuous infusion of vancomycin improved therapeutic levels in term and preterm infants.

Background: Growing evidence suggests that continuous infusion of vancomycin (CIV) is superior to intermittent infusion of vancomycin (IIV) in neonates. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to transition from IIV to CIV with earlier and improved attainment of therapeutic vancomycin levels.

Methods: The Model for Improvement framework with Plan Do Study Act cycles was used.

Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Underdosed Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter.

Background: Although direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been shown to be effective at reducing the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF), they are sometimes underdosed off-label to mitigate their associated higher bleeding risk. We sought to evaluate frequency and clinical outcomes of inappropriate underdosing of DOACS in patients with AF.

Methods: We conducted a study of subjects with AF who had a clinical indication for stroke prophylaxis (with a congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes mellitus, stroke or transient ischemic attack, vascular disease, age 65 to 47 years, sex category [CHADS-VASc] of 2 or greater) and were prescribed 1 of the 4 clinically approved DOACs (apixaban, rivaroxaban, dabigatran, or edoxaban).

Liver fat content might be an appropriate measure for estimation of cardiovascular disease risk in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis patients.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is increasing worldwide due to the metabolic syndrome epidemy. According to the current evidence, a higher cardiovascular disease risk (CVDR) is observed in NASH individuals than the general population. Objective: The relationship between liver fat content (LFC) and CVDR in a cohort of NASH patients was evaluated in this research.

Risk indicators associated with in-hospital mortality and severity in patients with diabetes mellitus and confirmed or clinically suspected COVID-19.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate risk indicators of in-hospital mortality and severity of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).

Methods: In this retrospective study, we studied patients with COVID-19 referred to Sina Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from February 20 to May 14, 2020. Patients with either a positive real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain-reaction test of swab specimens or high clinical suspicion according to the World Health Organization interim guidance were included.

A survey on healthcare data security in wireless body area networks.

Advances in remote interchanges, the internet of nano things have empowered the wireless body area networks (WBAN) to end up a promising systems of networking standard. It involves interconnected tiny sensors to gather ongoing biomedical data and transmit over the network for further analysis. Due to possibility of active and passive number of attacks, the healthcare data security is quite essential and challenging.

Predictors of pneumothorax and chest drainage after percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsy: A prospective study.

Objectives: We present an analysis of predictors of pneumothorax, and pneumothorax requiring chest drainage after CT-guided lung biopsy, in one of the largest Scandinavian dataset presented.

Methods: We prospectively registered 875 biopsy procedures from 786 patients in one institution from January 27, 2012, to March 1, 2017, and recorded complications including pneumothorax with or without chest drainage, and multiple variables we assumed could be associated with complications. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of pneumothorax and pneumothorax requiring chest drainage.

Dyspnoea, lung function and CT findings 3 months after hospital admission for COVID-19.

The long-term pulmonary outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are unknown. We aimed to describe self-reported dyspnoea, quality of life, pulmonary function and chest computed tomography (CT) findings 3 months following hospital admission for COVID-19. We hypothesised outcomes to be inferior for patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), compared with non-ICU patients.

First Report of Cladosporium Blossom Blight Caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides on Calliandra haematocephala in China.

Calliandra haematocephala Hassk., commonly called red powder puff, is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in Taiwan, Hainan, Guangdong and Fujian in China (CAS, 1988). The flowers are dark crimson with conspicuous stamens, which give them the appearance of powder-puffs.

Evaluation of windowing techniques for intramuscular EMG-based diagnostic, rehabilitative and assistive devices.

Intramuscular electromyography (iEMG) signals, invasively recorded, directly from the muscles are used to diagnose various neuromuscular disorders/diseases and to control rehabilitative and assistive robotic devices. iEMG signals are potentially being used in neurology, kinesiology, rehabilitation and ergonomics, to detect/diagnose various diseases/disorders. Electromyography-based classification and analysis systems are being designed and tested for the classification of various neuromuscular disorders and to control rehabilitative and assistive robotic devices.

Diabetes Care During Hajj.

Diabetes mellitus affects over 463 million individuals worldwide. Religious activities such as the Hajj pilgrimage have a major impact on patients with diabetes mellitus, including increasing the risk of hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia. This increased risk is due to dietary changes and intense physical activity during pilgrimage while being on antidiabetic medications.

Comparison of echocardiographic parameters with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of right ventricular function.

Introduction: The right ventricle (RV) strain measured by speckle tracking (RVS) is an echocardiographic parameter used to assess RV function. We compared RVS to RV fractional area change (FAC%), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and Doppler tissue imaging-derived peak systolic velocity (S') in the assessment of right ventricular (RV) systolic function measured using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: We enrolled consecutive patients who underwent cardiac MRI between Jan 2012 and Dec 2017 and a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) within 1 month of the MRI with no interval event.

Synthesis of an anti-cariogenic experimental dental composite containing novel drug-decorated copper particles.

Secondary caries is one of the most major cause for re-placement of dental composite restorations. Targeting the survival of cariogenic bacteria residing on the restoration surface may reduce this problem. The present study aims to evaluate the antibacterial potential as well as assess the physical and chemical properties of experimental dental composites containing novel drug-decorated copper particles (DDCP) as adjunct antibacterial filler particles.

Ocular findings in patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia in southern Iran.

Background: Ocular involvement may occur via several mechanisms in patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) mainly chronic anemia, iron overload and iron chelator toxicity. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of abnormal ocular findings and their relationship with hematologic parameters in TDT patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study from January 2018 to January 2019, a total of 79 patients with TDT over the age of 18 who were on iron-chelation therapy (ICT) were consecutively investigated.

Effects of Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) on In-Hospital Outcomes of Patients With Hypertension and Confirmed or Clinically Suspected COVID-19.

Background: There is an ongoing controversy about harms and benefits of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in hypertensive patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Given the unresolved debate, we investigated the association of ARBs with in-hospital outcomes of these patients.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we studied patients with COVID-19 who referred to Sina Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from 20 February to 29 May 2020.