Articles

Mathematical modeling plays a central role in infectious disease epidemiology, shaping outbreak response strategies and informing public health policy. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the value of these models but also exposed persistent limitations related to data fragility, lack of transparency, limited stakeholder engagement, and insufficient consideration of social and political contexts. Rather than critiquing modeling as a discipline, this perspective argues for a reorientation of infectious disease modeling toward a more responsive, equity-centered, and participatory paradigm. We propose a conceptual framework built on three interrelated principles: adaptability through real-time data integration, transparency via open-source and reproducible practices, and relevance through interdisciplinary and co-produced model design. Drawing on illustrative examples from COVID-19 and dengue control efforts, we highlight how integrating behavioral dynamics, local knowledge, and policy feedback can improve model usefulness and public trust. Reconceptualizing models as dynamic systems of inquiry rather than static forecasting tools can enhance decision-making and promote more equitable and effective responses to future public health emergencies.

Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT) is a new and revolutionary concept in addressing healthcare crises worldwide. Its relevance and applications were tested during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, no definite and encompassing research was done to apply it to nursing leadership. Thus, this study examines CLT integration into nursing leadership to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. Through a systematic review of literature from PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, relevant studies were analyzed to determine how complexity leadership theory was defined, conceptualized, and operationalized within nursing leadership context. The findings reveal that traditional hierarchical leadership models are insufficient in a dynamic crisis environment like the pandemic. Instead, CLT’s framework which encompasses adaptive, administrative, and enabling leadership facilitates innovation, resilience, and effective interprofessional collaboration. Nurse leaders employing these strategies are better positioned to manage resources limitation, foster shared decision-making, and implement technological advancements in rapidly changing healthcare settings. Overall, this study underscores the potential of complexity leadership theory to transform nursing leadership practices by promoting continuous learning and empowerment, thereby enhancing crisis response and preparedness for future pandemics.

<b>Background:</b> The COVID-19 pandemic posed significant psychological challenges to frontline healthcare workers (HCWs), including anxiety, stress, and emotional strain. <b>Aim</b>: This study investigates the psychological impact on HCWs during the pandemic and explores coping strategies employed to manage distress. <b>Methods</b>: An integrative review was conducted using 24 studies published between January and December 2020. These studies were analyzed to identify common psychological outcomes and coping mechanisms among HCWs. <b>Results</b>: Healthcare workers experienced significant psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic, including anxiety, stress, insomnia, and depression. Anxiety was the most commonly reported issue, particularly among women, younger healthcare workers, and frontline staff. Stress levels were heightened by high workloads, exposure to COVID-19 patients, and inadequate protective measures. Coping strategies and self-care behaviors, such as seeking social support and utilizing institutional resources, varied in effectiveness across populations. <b>Conclusion</b>: The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted mental health support and resilience programs for HCWs, ensuring they are better equipped to face future health crises.

<b>Background</b>: In the landscape of education, the decision-making process that leads students to pursue or reject nursing as a career is a multifaceted phenomenon shaped by a plethora of influences ranging from personal experiences to societal norms. <b>Aim</b>: To explore non-nursing students' insights on nursing education, seeking to shed light on the considerations and challenges that influence their views on nursing education. <b>Materials &#x26; Methods</b>: A qualitative approach using thematic analysis were utilized. Lincoln and Guba's framework for rigor and trustworthiness directed the validation process. Semi-structured interviews based on vetted questionnaires yielded the data<b>. Results</b>: Analysis of interviews with ten (10) non-nursing college students revealed three key themes: 1) initial insights, 2) factors influencing their insights, and 3) difficulty of nursing education. Non-nursing students view nursing education as multifaceted and rigorous, recognizing the profession's complexity but have reservations about the heavy workload, intense clinical demands, and health risks, particularly highlighted by the pandemic, which contributes to their reluctance to choose nursing as a career path. <b>Implications</b>: Addressing perceptions, enhancing curricula, offering mentorship, and providing emotional support, nursing education can be improved, steering more students towards a career in nursing. <b>Conclusion</b>: Non-nursing students respect the complexity of the nursing profession but are deterred by its demands and risks, indicating a need for educational reforms to better convey the role, value, and opportunities within nursing to encourage more students into the field.

An increasing number of adverse events are raising concern in the pharmaceutical supply chain due to contaminated active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Most of the active pharmaceutical ingredients are not currently under the scope of environmental regulations, despite their negative impact on human health and the environment. API's life cycle plays a significant role in identifying potential supply chain sources and determining their impact on the environment. The Covid-19 pandemic's intermittent manufacturing interruptions and the increase in the frequency of drug shortages over the past ten years have sparked worries about how resilient the world's drug supply chains are. Many clinical trials were conducted on patients with COVID-19 during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and resulted in millions of deaths globally by 2022.

Respiratory virus co-infections have been suggested to happen frequently and exacerbate patients’ conditions, but little is known about the detailed rates and the combinations of viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic period. A total of 255 symptomatic patients who underwent multiplex PCR tests were analyzed, and it was found that 6 (6/255=2.4%) patients were infected with multiple viruses. The patients ranged in age from 1 to 38 years, and one female patient was pregnant. Of the 6 patients, 4 had fever, and 5 had human rhinovirus/enterovirus and another virus. These data suggested that the rate of respiratory virus co-infection was low, and the combination of SAS-CoV-2 and other viruses was rare even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on individuals worldwide, affecting not only their educational futures but also their mental health. This paper aims to explore college students' perceived barriers to accessing mental health services during the pandemic. The study finds that there is a significant difference between stigma-related and non-stigma-related barriers, with non-stigma items being rated higher on average. The most commonly reported non-stigma barriers include wanting to solve the problem independently, financial constraints, and the belief that the issue will resolve itself. Stigma-related barriers include feeling embarrassed or ashamed, concern about having a mental health problem on medical records, and fear of being seen as crazy or weak. This research sheds light on the challenges students face in seeking mental health care during the pandemic and highlights the need to address these barriers.

<b>Background</b>: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging human disease caused by a novel coronavirus, causing a global pandemic crisis<b>.</b> Probiotics and/or colchicine may be considered as options for treatment since they have anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. The aim of the current review was to assess the effectiveness of probiotic supplements and colchicine on symptoms, duration, and progression of mild and moderate cases of COVID-19 infection<b>.</b> <b>Re</b><b>view</b><b>:</b> A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in the United States with 182 participants who were randomly assigned to receive daily oral probiotic (Lactobacillus rhamnosus) LGG or placebo for 28 days. The study indicated that LGG is well-tolerated and is associated with a delay in the onset of COVID-19 infection, a reduction in the incidence of symptoms, and alterations in the structure of the gut microbiome when administered as post-exposure prophylaxis within seven days of exposure. Colchicine may lessen mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 patients, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis. <b>Conclusion: </b>Probiotics and/or colchicine may be viable treatment options for COVID-19 patients. To examine the efficacy of probiotics and colchicine in the treatment of COVID-19, it is necessary to conduct additional clinical trials and provide clinicians with evidence, as there are currently insufficient studies to support this conclusion.

<b>Background:</b> There is paucity of data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Health Information Managers/Health Record Officers (HROs) in the Nigeria health system. Hence, this study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related quality of life (QoL) among HROs in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), Ile-Ife, Nigeria. <b>Methods:</b> A cross-sectional study was conducted in the University Hospital, where a total of 52 health record officers were purposively sampled. Relevant data were collected using the Short Form survey (SF-36v2) questionnaire. One-way ANOVA was used to determine mean group differences across the nine and the two QoL (physical and mental) summary domains based on respondents’ socio-demographics, while level of significance was set at 0.05. <b>Results: </b>All the QoL sections of the instrument used yielded an α-Cronbach’s score of > 0.70. Analysis of some QoL physical component dimensions showed that; Bodily pain (BP) was found to be significantly (P=0.032) associated with marital status, Physical functioning (PF) with gender (P=0.023), and general health (GH) with age group (P=00.025) and highest level of education (P=0.023). On the other hand, mental health component analysis revealed that Social Functioning (SF) was associated with age group (P=014), Role limitation (RE) with marital status (P=0.048), highest level of education (P=0.048) and years of service (P=0.015) etc. <b>Conclusion:</b> The QoL among HROs studied was generally above average, and demographic characteristics such as age, gender and marital status significantly influence QoL. Health managers and stakeholders should consider some of the factors identified in managing HROs.

Background:</b> The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine osteoporosis care due to clinic closures and limited in-person consultations. Telehealth emerged as an alternative model enabling remote care delivery and monitoring. However, previous reviews on telehealth either did not include the pandemic period or had a limited focus in scope. Evidence synthesized specifically for osteoporosis care during the pandemic is needed but lacking. <b>Methods:</b> We systematically searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and CINAHL for studies on telehealth for osteoporosis published between January 2021 and March 2023. Five studies met the inclusion criteria of: osteoporosis population, telehealth intervention, and COVID-19 pandemic timeframe. Data was extracted on study characteristics, COVID-19 outcomes, osteoporosis status, telehealth purpose, patient satisfaction, and clinical outcomes. <b>Result:</b> The five studies showed telehealth was used for monitoring data, delivering test results, adjusting medications, and assessments. Osteoporosis prevalence among telehealth users ranged 30-100%. High patient satisfaction was reported with telehealth versus in-person care. No major differences occurred in medication delays or fractures between telehealth and in-person groups. <b>Conclusion:</b> This review found telehealth enables effective osteoporosis care and monitoring during the pandemic, with high patient and provider satisfaction. However, more robust randomized controlled trials are needed to establish stronger evidence around telehealth's impacts on clinical osteoporosis outcomes. <b>Implications:</b> Though promising, further high-quality studies will help clarify telehealth's role in improving osteoporosis care and outcomes. Findings inform guidelines on integrating telehealth into routine management. Evidence on user perspectives optimizes telehealth implementation policies.

The pandemic of the SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) that was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 is still ongoing. One of the early recommendations from CDC and other international agencies is the seasonal influenza vaccination to decrease the effects and burden of COVID-19 pandemic. This review suggests that during COVID-19 pandemic vaccination against seasonal influenza should be conducted all over the year, even for young age groups, because of several reasons. First, the complications of seasonal influenza, especially pneumonia, could increase the burden on the saturated healthcare systems worldwide. Second, the resemblance of symptoms and signs of both seasonal influenza and COVID-19 will difficult diagnosing and isolation of COVID-19 patients. Third, it has been postulated that there is a cross immunity between seasonal influenza and COVID-19.

This review aimed to analyze some problems and challenges that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic since it has affected all global business sectors. During the pandemic, remote work was increased in response to social distance requirements to decrease the transmission of disease. In addition, increased delegation, teamwork, supply chains, sales activities, and business operations have all been disrupted. Many challenges have emerged in the management of organizations due to the pandemic including the lack of direct contact as the lockdown made many people work from home and placed restrictions on movement and travel and uncertainty about the future. The healthcare system was also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and faced several difficulties including increased demand for medical supplies and personal protective equipment, a greater need for nurses and other skilled healthcare professionals, and increased pressure on healthcare facilities, emergency services, and critical care departments. These challenges have created some opportunities in the management systems of healthcare organizations and other sectors. It is recommended for leaders prepare and continuously work proactively to be ready for unexpected future crises. Risk management and planning for any unexpected situation are among the very important aspects of organizational management.

The present article seeks to provoke a discussion into how video games can be used in anxiety treatments and social stimulation tools among middle-year students and children of that same age. To do so, we initially start this article by reflecting on how the covid-19 pandemic disparate all anxiety alerts in our society including mental health issues such as depression and special anxiety disorders. Then we compare how the numbers of anxiety among children and young adults were already alarming before the lockdowns imposition and the social distance measures, especially in urban centers. This rising anxiety condition can be felt especially in the years that followed the social isolation of children especially because their social connection and recognition were just starting to grow and to establish important connections between their peers in-person and in virtual environments, throwing light on how to screen media and children"s homes are related with the anxiety increase and how we can investigate that phenomenon without succumbing to excessive positivism to today"s technology or to a deconstructive pessimism that leads us to distrust those media that are already in contact with middle-year students and children"s in that same age. To do so, we will resort to philosophical tools such as Edusemiotics and Cultural Studies to understand how games such as <i>Minecraft</i> and <i>Roblox</i> can be used in school environments to help students and teachers manage anxiety levels and surpass socialization issues past covid-19 lockdowns. To finish our reflection we also bring some data related to how those same media and games helped middle-year students to surpass social isolation and family disconnection during the pandemic while their kept exercising school content in those games, sharing and debating with their peers on virtual platforms.

<b>Background: </b>In December 2019, a cluster of patients with unexplained viral pneumonia was identified in Wuhan, China. Since March 11^th 2020 the WHO declared COVID 19 as a pandemic with rising number of cases all over the world. <b>Aim of the work: </b>The aim of the study was to measure the percentages of possible, probable and provisionally excluded cases among the first 500 attendants of the triage of Ain Shams University Hospital and describe their epidemiological and clinical characteristics. <b>Patients and Methods: </b>This was a retrospective descriptive case series study including the first 500 patients attending the triage of Ain Shams University Hospitals from March 29th to May 31st. A constructed questionnaire in the form of a scoring system was used and data was collected through interviewing the patients after appropriate consent. <b>Results: </b>As regard the scoring system, 72.2% of patients had new onset of cough or old worsened cough in the previous 3 days, 59.2% had sore throat and 59% had dyspnea. Out of the 500 cases 33.2% were probable, 38.2% were possible and 28.2% were provisionally excluded. <b>Conclusion: </b>COVID-19 pneumonia usually occurred at an age younger than 47 years and it was more predominant in the male gender. The most common initial clinical presentations were new dry cough or chronic cough with worsening over the last 3 days, sore throat and/or runny nose and fever. Thirty-eight percent were classified as possible COVID-19 cases, and 33% were classified as probable.

The aim of this article is to examine the impacts of Coronavirus Disease -19 (Covid-19) vaccines on economic condition and sustainable development goals. In other words, we are going to study the economic condition during Covid19. We have studied the economic costs of pandemic, benefits in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), public finances and employment, investment on vaccines around the world, progress and totally the economic impacts of vaccines and the impacts of emerging markets (EM) on achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), including no poverty, good health and well-being, zero hunger, reduced inequality etc. The importance of emerging economies in reducing the harmful effects of the Corona has also been noted. We have tried to do experimental results and forecast daily new death cases from Feb-2020 to Aug-2021 in Iran using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Beetle Antennae Search (BAS) algorithm as a case study with econometric models and regression analysis. The findings show that Covid19 has had devastating economic and health effects on the world, and the vaccine can be very helpful in eliminating these effects specially in long-term. We observed that there is inequality in the distribution of Corona vaccines in rich countries compared to poor which EM can decrease the gap between them. The results show that both models (i.e., Artificial intelligence (AI) and econometric models) almost have the same results but AI optimization models can robust the model and prediction. The main contribution of this article is that we have surveyed the impacts of vaccination from socio-economic viewpoint not just report some facts and truth. We have surveyed the impacts of vaccines on sustainable development goals and the role of EM in achieving SDGs. In addition to using the theoretical framework, we have also used quantitative and empirical results that have rarely been seen in other articles.

This research is conducted with main aim of assessing the economic consequences of Covid-19 pandemic in Western Ethiopia. Primary data is collected through questionnaire and interview from 320 respondents living in three zones of Western Ethiopia. The study areas (zones) are selected purposively from Oromia region; however, the respondents are sampled by employing random sampling technique. The respondents were stratified as community members, daily laborer, business owners, government sector and NGOs employees. Exploratory research design was adopted to achieve the research objectives. Simple descriptive statistics and ordinary least square regression model are used to analyze and interpret the collected data. The study results disclose that majority of community have good awareness about the pandemic and social interaction is reduced due to social distancing. Majority of respondents realize the negative impact of Covid-19 on their economy; reduction of office services; and reduced access to market; and absence of strong support from the government. The great severity of Covid-19 impacts is failed on daily laborers. The regression result shows that sales, experience in business, education level in years, employment status of the respondent, number of workers in the business and work hours per week are positively and significantly influencing daily income of business owner before and after the pandemic outbreak. It is advised the stakeholders to give frequent follow-up and support particularly for daily laborers and small business holders to reduce the future socio-economic impacts of Covid-19 pandemic.

The rapid spread of COVID 19 outbreak has put a heavy burden on human society and is a great challenge for health care workers. The present study aims to assess the perceptions of nursing personnel regarding challenges in usage of PPE during COVID 19 pandemic and to find out the association between severity of physical symptoms and selected personal variables of nursing personnel. A quantitative approach with descriptive survey research design was used for the study. Web based self-administered questionnaire, rating scale and checklist were developed and distributed among study participants in the “Google forms”. A total of 134 participants were included in the study. Out of the 134 participants, 85(63.4%) nursing personnel were working in the government sector and 49(36.6%) of nursing personnel were working in the private sector. The top five challenges in the usage of PPE ranked based on self-reported data were; 1. difficulty to meet the basic needs such as food and fluids, 2. difficulty to meet elimination needs, 3. Unable to relax, 4. difficulty to meet hygienic needs and 5. disconnected with friends and family during working hours. Analysis of physical symptoms experienced by the nursing personnel showed that 41(30.6%) had mild symptoms, 54(40.3%) had moderate symptoms and 39(29.1%) had severe symptoms experienced owing to PPE usage. The most common physical symptoms reported by nurses were heat stress 124(92.5%), head ache 120(89.6%), exhaustion 117(87.3%) and dryness in throat (86.6%). There were no significant association between physical symptoms of nursing personnel and selected personal variables at 0.05 level of significance.

Coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has quickly emerged as a global pandemic leading to critical health complications. The possibility and risk of vertical transmission of this virus is still unclear, particularly as it relates to pregnant women and their fetuses. Regarding scientific data, there is insufficient research focused on COVID-19 infection complicated with hydrops fetalis and intrauterine fetal demise. In this study, we report an intra uterus fetal death due to hydrops fetalis and twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) in monochorionic–monoamniotic (MCMA) twin pregnancy associated with mild COVID-19 infection in a 33-week-pregnant woman.

Novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in China's Hubei province in 2019, has caused a significant loss of human lives globally. This study describes the epidemiologic and clinical profiles of COVID-19 related deaths among patients admitted to treatment centers in Sidama region, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study of 186 in hospital COVID-19 related deaths that occurred from July 2020 to December 2021 in Sidama region were analyzed. Data was extracted from regional emergency operation center death report. Data was entered using Epidata v3.1 and analysis was done using SPSS v.20. Categorical data was summarized using frequency and percentage while continuous data was summarized using median and interquartile range. Association between variables was assessed using chi-square test. More than two-third of the deceased patients were male (135; 72.6%) and median age at death was 60. The majority of deaths (151; 81.1%) occurred in 2021, while April 2021 had the highest death records. Cough and shortness of breath were the main presenting symptoms occurring in 89.2% and 85.5% of deceased patients respectively. Most of the COVID-19 related deaths (64.5%) had associated comorbidities. Diabetes (50%) and Hypertension (39.2%) were the most prevalent comorbidities. Significant proportion of patients (74.73%) presented on severe end of disease spectrum (critical/ severe). Of the deceased patients, around two-third required Intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 111 of them were put on mechanical ventilator. Moreover, the median ICU stay was 4 days. Around half of the death (48.4%) occurred in the first 5 days. The median survival time from symptom onset was 11.5 days with most (43.5%) of the deaths occurring within the first 14 days of symptom onset. Age category was significantly associated with the number of days from onset to death (p=0.006). The case fatality rate was 1.87% which is lower than national and global reports. Unlike previous studies, the prevalence of asthma among deceased patients was low and there were no patients with documented COPD.

This article seeks to relate (trans)generational issues with the phenomenon of sociodromology and education in the COVID-19 pandemic period that began globally in the first months of 2020 and 2021. To make such crossings possible, we will initially present under which aspects we are addressing the term generation, and its respective phenomenological development, transgenerationality. Once these concepts have been properly presented it is also necessary to relate those information with the generations that are currently living within educational environments, especially schools. After such an exposition, we will present the theory that contemplates the vector of acceleration and its respective consequence for humanity. Sociodromology emerges as a theoretical instrument that makes it possible to critically glimpse how the speed of machines has dictated our lives, having a perverse facet of exclusion that determines which groups may be able or unfit at their pace. Finally the text concludes its reflection on the current educational context using the critical tools of socio-pedagogy, which views the subjects who are involved in the educational process as representatives of an even greater order in the world, which transcends schools. In this perspective, education as a pillar of knowledge acquisition should be revised in addition to its pre-determined role in society and should form individuals who could change the world and their communities.