Exploring Neurocognitive and Emotional Outcomes of Long COVID: A Study Among Pakistani Patients.

Background and objective Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), primarily a respiratory illness, also significantly impacts neurocognitive and emotional health, particularly in its long-term manifestation known as long COVID. This study aimed to investigate the neurocognitive and emotional outcomes of long-term COVID-19 in Pakistani patients, to address the persisting symptoms and their effects on mental health and cognitive function. Methods A cross-sectional study involving 100 adult participants who had been COVID-19-free was conducted in Islamabad between March 2022 and March 2023.

Atto-Scale Noise Near-Infrared Organic Photodetectors Enabled by Controlling Interfacial Energetic Offset through Enhanced Anchoring Ability.

The near-infrared (NIR) sensor technology is crucial for various applications such as autonomous driving and biometric tracking. Silicon photodetectors (SiPDs) are widely used in NIR applications; however, their scalability is limited by their crystalline properties. Organic photodetectors (OPDs) have attracted attention for NIR applications owing to their scalability, low-temperature processing, and notably low dark current density (J), which is similar to that of SiPDs.

Ultra-Low Noise Level Infrared Quantum Dot Photodiodes with Self-Screenable Polymeric Optical Window.

Quantum dot photodiodes (QPDs) have garnered significant attention because of their unparalleled near-infrared (NIR) detection capabilities, primarily attributable to their size-dependent bandgap tunability. Nevertheless, the broadband absorption spectrum of QPD engenders substantial noise floor within superfluous visible light regions, notably hindering their use in several emerging applications necessitating the detection of faint micro-light signals. To overcome these hurdles, a self-screenable NIR QPD featuring an internal optical filter with a thick polymeric interlayer to reduce electronic noise is demonstrated.

Self-Powering Sensory Device with Multi-Spectrum Image Realization for Smart Indoor Environments.

The development of organic-based optoelectronic technologies for the indoor Internet of Things market, which relies on ambient energy sources, has increased, with organic photovoltaics (OPVs) and photodetectors (OPDs) considered promising candidates for sustainable indoor electronic devices. However, the manufacturing processes of standalone OPVs and OPDs can be complex and costly, resulting in high production costs and limited scalability, thus limiting their use in a wide range of indoor applications. This study uses a multi-component photoactive structure to develop a self-powering dual-functional sensory device with effective energy harvesting and sensing capabilities.

A Tunable and Wearable Dual-Band Metamaterial Absorber Based on Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Substrate for Sensing Applications.

Advanced wireless communication technology claims miniaturized, reconfigurable, highly efficient, and flexible meta-devices for various applications, including conformal implementation, flexible antennas, wearable sensors, etc. Therefore, bearing these challenges in mind, a dual-band flexible metamaterial absorber (MMA) with frequency-reconfigurable characteristics is developed in this research. The geometry of the proposed MMA comprises a square patch surrounded by a square ring, which is mounted over a copper-backed flexible dielectric substrate.

Nickel-Based High-Bandwidth Nanostructured Metamaterial Absorber for Visible and Infrared Spectrum.

The efficient control of optical light at the nanoscale level attracts marvelous applications, including thermal imaging, energy harvesting, thermal photovoltaics, etc. These applications demand a high-bandwidth, thermally robust, angularly stable, and miniaturized absorber, which is a key challenge to be addressed. So, in this study, the simple and cost-effective solution to attain a high-bandwidth nanostructured absorber is demonstrated.

Revisiting the Classical Wide-Bandgap HOMO and Random Copolymers for Indoor Artificial Light Photovoltaics.

Organic indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) are attractive energy harvesting devices for low-power consumption electronic devices and the Internet of Things (IoTs) owing to their properties such as being lightweight, semitransparent, having multicoloring capability, and flexibility. It is important to match the absorption range of photoactive materials with the emission spectra of indoor light sources that have a visible range of 400-700 nm for IPVs to provide sustainable, high-power density. To this end, benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-based homopolymer (PBDTT) is synthesized as a polymer donor, which is a classical material that has a wide bandgap with a deep highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO) level, and a series of random copolymers by incorporating thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6,-dione (TPD) as a weak electron acceptor unit in PBDTT.

2D MXene: A Potential Candidate for Photovoltaic Cells? A Critical Review.

The 2D transition metal carbides/nitrides (2D MXenes) are a versatile class of 2D materials for photovoltaic (PV) systems. The numerous advantages of MXenes, including their excellent metallic conductivity, high optical transmittance, solution processability, tunable work-function, and hydrophilicity, make them suitable for deployment in PV technology. This comprehensive review focuses on the synthesis methodologies and properties of MXenes and MXene-based materials for PV systems.

Energy recycling under ambient illumination for internet-of-things using metal/oxide/metal-based colorful organic photovoltaics.

Colorful indoor organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years for their autonomous function in internet-of-things (IoT) devices. In this study, a solution-processed TiOlayer in a metal-oxide-metal (MOM) color filter electrode is used for light energy recycling in P3HT:ICBA-based indoor OPVs. The MOM electrode allows for tuning of the optical cavity mode to maximize photocurrent production by modulating the thickness of the TiOlayer in the sandwich structure.

A Case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome Associated With COVID-19.

A novel member of human RNA coronavirus, which is an enveloped betacoronavirus, has been termed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS COV-2). The illness caused by SARS COV-2 is referred to as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). It is a highly contagious disease that has resulted in a global pandemic.

A Case of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation as a Salvage Therapy for COVID-19-Associated Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Mounting Evidence.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a novel human coronavirus has led to a tsunami of viral illness across the globe, originating from Wuhan, China. Although the value and effectiveness of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in severe respiratory illness from COVID-19 remains unclear at this time, there is emerging evidence suggesting that it could be utilized as an ultimate treatment in appropriately selected patients not responding to conventional care. We present a case of a 32-year-old COVID-19 positive male with a history of diabetes mellitus who was intubated for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Swyer-James-Macleod Syndrome: Case Report and Brief Literature Review.

Swyer-James-Macleod syndrome is a rare radiologic entity with radiolucent lung fields which could include the entire lung, a lobe or a subsegment. The pathogenesis is unclear but is thought to be related to childhood pulmonary viral and non-viral infections with subsequent vascular and alveolar distortion. It usually presents incidentally in asymptomatic patients on imaging, but could present with recurrent pulmonary infections, shortness of breath, cough, hemoptysis or bronchiectasis.

Tuberculosis treatment failure in AIDS: vengeance with renal and ocular manifestations.

Tuberculosis treatment failure is not uncommon in patients with AIDS. Treatment failure is defined as a positive sputum smear or culture at month 5 or later in the course of the treatment. The clinical presentations in these patients show remarkable heterogeneity.

Spontaneous carotid artery dissection: a rare cause of stroke in pregnancy and approach to diagnosis and management.

Acute onset of neurological symptoms in a pregnant female is a rare medical emergency. We report a case of a 38-year-old female who presented with a stroke secondary to carotid artery dissection. Our case illustrates the need to consider vascular imaging before administering thrombolytic therapy in peripartum females to avoid unnecessary risks to either the mother or the fetus.