Big data driven COVID-19 pandemic crisis management: potential approach for global health

Changing Face of Inflammatory Activation in Complex Coronary Artery Disease during the COVID-19 Pandemic

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the immunological status of the population, indicating increased activation. The aim of the study was to compare the degree of inflammatory activation in patients admitted for surgical revascularization in the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective analysis included an analysis of inflammatory activation assessed on the basis of whole blood counts in 533 patients (435 (82%) male and 98 (18%) female) with a median age of 66 (61-71) years who underwent surgical revascularization, including 343 and 190 patients operated on in 2018 and 2022, respectively.

RESULTS

The compared groups were matched by propensity score matching analysis, obtaining 190 patients in each group. Significantly higher values of preoperative monocyte count (p = 0.015), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (p = 0.004) and systemic inflammatory response index (p = 0.022) were found in the during-COVID subgroup. The perioperative and 12-month mortality rates were comparable, with 1% (n = 4) in 2018 vs. 1% (n = 2) in 2022 (p = 0.911), and 5.6 % (n = 11 patients) vs. 7% (n = 13 patients) (p = 0.413), in the pre-COVID and during-COVID subgroups, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Simple whole blood analysis in patients with complex coronary artery disease performed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic indicates excessive inflammatory activation. However, the immune variation did not interfere with one-year mortality rate after surgical revascularization.

Non-invasive respiratory support in the management of COVID-19: a synthesis of systematic reviews

Hospitalised patients with COVID-19 often require oxygen because of the increased risk of hypoxia, and one of the main treatment goals is to avoid mechanical ventilation where possible. Non-invasive respiratory support such as high-flow nasal oxygen, bi-level positive airway pressure and continuous positive airway pressure appear to be clinical alternatives. However, further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of non-invasive respiratory support and its varying modes as a treatment for COVID-19 within a diverse population. This commentary aims to critically appraise three reviews concerning the use of non-invasive respiratory support in patients with COVID-19 and expand upon the findings with regards to clinical practice.

The medical and societal impact of big data analytics and artificial intelligence applications in combating pandemics: A review focused on Covid-19

With Covid-19 impacting communities in different ways, research has increasingly turned to big data analytics (BDA) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to track and monitor the virus's spread and its effect on humanity and the global economy. The purpose of this study is to conduct an in-depth literature review to identify how BDA and AI were involved in the management of Covid-19 (while considering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)). The rigorous search resulted in a portfolio of 607 articles, retrieved from the Web of Science database, where content analysis has been conducted. This study identifies the BDA and AI applications developed to deal with the initial Covid-19 outbreak and the containment of the pandemic, along with their benefits for the social good. Moreover, this study reveals the DEI challenges related to these applications, ways to mitigate the concerns, and how to develop viable techniques to deal with similar crises in the future. The article pool recognized the high presence of machine learning (ML) and the role of mobile technology, social media and telemedicine in the use of BDA and AI during Covid-19. This study offers a collective insight into many of the key issues and underlying complexities affecting public health and society from Covid-19, and the solutions offered from information systems and technological perspectives.

Technology‐driven 5G enabled e‐healthcare system during COVID‐19 pandemic

Technology‐driven control measures could be an important tool to control the COVID‐19 pandemic crisis. This study evaluates the potentiality of emerging technologies such as 5G and 6G communication, Deep Learning (DL), big data, Internet of Things (IoT) etc. for controlling the COVID‐19 transmission and ensuring health safety. The healthcare sector is able to provide a unified, rapid, and incessant service to people by applying modern wireless connectivity tools like 5G or 6G during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study has identified eight key areas of applications for the COVID‐19 management like infection detection; travel history analysis; identification of infection symptoms; early detection; transmission identification; access to information in lockdown; movement of people; and development of medical treatments and vaccines. Data have been collected from the respondents living in Sakaka city, KSA during pandemic. This study reveals that most people receive information from social networking sites, health professionals, and television without facing any challenges. The analysis shows that, during the COVID‐19 pandemic, about 42% of respondents felt tense always or most of the time in a day. Only 28.6% of respondents felt tense sometimes, whereas the remainder (about 30%) did not feel tense in relation to the COVID‐19 crisis. Satisfaction with COVID‐19‐related information is also positively correlated with COVID‐19‐related information literacy (r = 0.53, p < 0.01) that is also positively correlated with depression or emotion, anxiety, and stress (r = ‐0.15, p < 0.05). The long‐term pandemic is creating several psychological symptoms including anxiety, stress, and depression, irrespective of age.

Nanoparticles: a breakthrough in COVID-19 prevention, diagnosis and treatment

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The three key principles in management of the COVID-19 pandemic are prevention, early detection and targeted treatment. Vaccine-based prevention together with early detection has already proven its efficacy in controlling the pandemic. Early detection of infected patients could substantially accelerate the implementation of treatment, but also help to identify infection hotspots, whereas targeted treatment might destroy the virus and minimize damage to healthy tissue. Nanoparticles hold great promise with respect to these aspects. They may also be the solution to emerging clinical problems such as reinfection, pregnancy-related COVID-19 and coinfection. Here, we aim to discuss the potential applications of nanoparticles to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.