Prevalence and outcomes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in COVID-19 presents challenges in patient management. Existing studies lack comprehensive review due to varied designs, samples, and demographics. A meta-analysis can provide valuable insights into the incidence, features, and outcomes of UGIB in COVID-19. A comprehensive literature search was carried out using several databases. We considered all appropriate observational studies from all over the world. Mantel-Haenszel odds ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were produced to report the overall effect size using random effect models. Besides, Random effects models were used to calculate the overall pooled prevalence. Funnel plots, Egger regression tests, and Begg-Mazumdar's rank correlation test were used to appraise publication bias. Data from 21 articles consisting of 26,933 COVID-19 patients were considered. The pooled estimate of UGIB prevalence in patients admitted with COVID-19 across studies was 2.10% (95% CI, 1.23-3.13). Similarly, the overall pooled estimate for severity, mortality, and rebleeding in COVID-19 patients with UGIB was 55% (95% CI, 37.01-72.68), 29% (95% CI, 19.26-40.20) and 12.7% (95% CI, 7.88-18.42) respectively. Further, UGIB in COVID-19 patients was associated with increased odds of severity (OR = 3.52, 95% CI 1.80-6.88, P = 0.001) and mortality (OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.33-3.51, P = 0.002) compared with patients without UGIB. No significant publication bias was evident in the meta-analysis. The results of our study indicate that UGIB in individuals with COVID-19 is linked to negative outcomes such as severe illness, higher mortality rates, and an increased risk of re-bleeding. These findings highlight the significance of identifying UGIB as a significant complication in COVID-19 cases and emphasise the importance of timely clinical assessment and proper treatment.

Thermal stratification effect on gravity driven transport of hybrid CNTs down a stretched surface through porous medium

The purpose of the current article is to explore the impact of thermal stratification and medium porosity on gravity-coerced transport of hybrid carbon nanotubes down an upright extending sheet inspired by a constant applied magnetic field along with heat transfer investigation in existence of thermal radiation, viscous dispersal, and joule heating effect. Rectangular coordinates are chosen for the mathematical interpretation of the governing flow problem. Homothetic analysis is employed for the sake of simplification process. The reduced system of coupled nonlinear differential equations is dealt numerically by dint of computational software MATLAB inbuilt routine function Bvp4c. The numerical investigation is carried out for the distinct scenarios namely, ( i ) Presence of favorable buoyancy force, ( i i ) Case of purely forced convection and ( i i i ) Presence of opposing buoyancy force. Significant Findings: The key findings include that the presence of hybrid carbon nanotubes and medium porosity contributes significantly to upsurging surface shear stress magnitude whereas, external magnetic field and velocity slip effects in an altered manner. The present study may be a benchmark in study of fueling process in space vehicles and space technology.

Heat transport in inclined flow towards a rotating disk under MHD

Flow towards a rotating disk is of highly practical significance in numerous engineering applications such as Turbine disks, rotary type machine systems and many more. In light of this, the current work is an attempt to explore MHD oblique flow towards a rotating disk. Hydromagnetic effects in addition to heat transfer is taken into consideration. The flow governing Partial Differential Equations are altered to a system to coupled non-linear Ordinary Differential Equations through scaling group of transformations which afterwards are tackled using Shooting Algorithm. The impact of obliqueness parameter γ, rotation ratio parameter [Formula: see text] and magnetic field parameter M on 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional stream contours are presented. Location of the shear center varies with magnetic field parameter. Heat flow at the disk surface boosts with magnet field parameter M and rotation ratio parameter [Formula: see text].

High-Flow Nasal Oxygenation and Its Applicability in COVID Patients

High-flow nasal oxygenation (HFNO) is a type of oxygen therapy that provides humidified and heated oxygen through a nasal cannula at much higher flow rates than standard oxygen therapy, while also allowing control over the fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO₂). Compared to standard oxygen therapy, it is much more comfortable for the patient and seems to alleviate most of the problems associated with standard oxygen therapy, such as dry nose, dry throat and nasal pain. It also provides a variety of benefits that can reduce the incidence of escalating treatment and initiating mechanical ventilation in COVID patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF). This article provides an overview of HFNO and its current applications in COVID patients during the pandemic.

Regional Anaesthetic Techniques and Their Implications During the COVID Pandemic

The current pandemic has highlighted the need to protect both patients and medical staff. The increased use of regional anaesthesia as a primary anaesthetic modality for operations and other invasive procedures has limited the number of aerosol-generating procedures performed during general anaesthesia. Its use is further characterized by decreases in postoperative pain and length of hospitalization. This article provides an overview of regional anaesthetic techniques (peripheral nerve locks, epidural and spinal anaesthesia) and their uses during the COVID pandemic.

MicroRNA Regulation Along the Course of Cellular Reprogramming to Pluripotency

Generation of patient-specific stem cells has been a long-held aim of many developmental biologists. Apart from providing a source for stem cell therapies, these cells have the potential to be utilized in a number of scenarios like disease modeling, drug screening and studying normal development. Various approaches have been used to reprogram terminally differentiated cells to a pluripotent state with varying efficiencies and limitations. The nuclear transfer had been the most successful method for reprogramming until recently. Shinya Yamanaka in 2006 published a seminal study wherein, by using a cocktail of stem cell transcription factors famously called Yamanaka factors, the differentiated cells were reprogrammed to a pluripotent state. These cells, called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, were later generated by various laboratories using a different combination of molecules. Importantly, induced pluripotency is a state that is achieved in a stepwise manner with landmark steps. Various molecules including microRNAs (miRNAs) are activated or repressed at these steps to ensure a successful transition to pluripotency. The precise regulation of miRNAs is important as they collectively regulate myriads of mRNAs representing specific pathways important for steering cellular fate towards stemness. Owing to their significance, miRNAs have been constituents of cocktails used for iPSCs generation. This review aims at discussing the stepwise regulation of miRNAs and their significance along the path to reprogramming.