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Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities

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A special issue of Journal of Personalized Medicine (ISSN 2075-4426). This special issue belongs to the section "Omics/Informatics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 August 2023) | Viewed by 25651

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yu Chuan Li

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Guest Editor

International Center for Health Information Technology (ICHIT), Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: artificial intelligence in healthcare; digital health; telemedicine; health IoT; wearable devices

Dr. Shabbir Syed-Abdul

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Guest Editor

Graduate Institute of Biomedical Informatics, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
Interests: wearable devices; IoT in health; big data analytics; data visualization; long-term care; cancer management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Considering the benefits of emerging health information technologies and the post-COVID-19 era, there is an urgent need for remote healthcare to enable continuous telemonitoring and avoid unnecessary hospital visits. COVID-19 has now developed into an endemic, meaning that there is a pressing need to find ways to help patients who suffer from existing chronic diseases alongside COVID-19 to survive. Patient empowerment and engagement are key toward this survival, which can be achieved via rapidly advancing information and communication technologies.

In this Special Issue, we welcome research exploring how, in the COVID-19 pandemic, we can employ digital and wearable technologies to telemonitor, detect early (diagnose), and intervene in disease, or enhance healthcare delivery for the individual. In particular, we would be interested in research that combines signal processing alongside recent developments in artificial intelligence and machine learning or bioinformatics with mobile and wearable technology. We encourage original articles, reviews, perspectives, and communications.

Prof. Dr. Yu Chuan Li
Prof. Dr. Shabbir Syed-Abdul
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Personalized Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

telemonitoring
long-term care
chronic diseases
COVID-19

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 177 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Empowering Patients and Transforming Healthcare in the Post-COVID-19 Era: The Role of Digital and Wearable Technologies

by Shabbir Syed-Abdul and Yu-Chuan Li

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(5), 722; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm13050722 - 25 Apr 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1205

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically impacted the global healthcare system, revealing critical gaps in our capacity to provide efficient and effective care to patients, particularly those with chronic diseases [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

Research

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15 pages, 1189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Feasibility of a Virtual-Reality-Enabled At-Home Telerehabilitation Program for Stroke Survivors: A Case Study

by Mohamed-Amine Choukou, Elizabeth He and Kelly Moslenko

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(8), 1230; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm13081230 - 03 Aug 2023

Viewed by 1624

Abstract

Stroke rehabilitation is a lengthy procedure that is necessary for stroke recovery. However, stroke rehabilitation may not be readily available for patients who live rurally due to barriers such as transportation and expenses. This shortage in wearable technology, in turn, causes health disparity among the rural population, which was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Telerehabilitation (TR) is a potential solution for stroke rehabilitation in rural areas. This one-case study aimed to examine the feasibility and safety of a technology-enabled at-home TR program for stroke survivors living in a rural area in Canada. A VR setup was installed successfully in the home of our participant. A tablet was also supplied for the TR program. Each program consisted of 24 sessions to be completed over a 12-week period. Our participant was assessed on day one using the Fugl-Meyer assessment, the Modified Ashworth Scale, the 10 m walk test, and the Mini-Mental State Exam. Three questionnaires were also completed, including the Motor Activity Log (MAL), the Stroke Index Scale (SIS), and the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire. These assessments were completed thrice, on day 1, at week 6, and at week 12. The participant found the tablet and its accompanying exercises easy to use, with a few limitations. The participant found the VR system more challenging to manage independently as a lack of comfortability, the visual contrast during the first trials, and certain technical aspects of the technology created several functional barriers. Although some limitations with the technology were noted, this case study indicates that telerehabilitation is feasible under certain circumstances when used in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

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16 pages, 570 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Challenges of E-Learning: Behavioral Intention of Academicians to Use E-Learning during COVID-19 Crisis

by Mohammad Jamal Khan, Lingala Kalyan Viswanath Reddy, Javed Khan, Bayapa Reddy Narapureddy, Sunil Kumar Vaddamanu, Fahad Hussain Alhamoudi, Rajesh Vyas, Vishwanath Gurumurthy, Abdelrhman Ahmed Galaleldin Altijani and Saurabh Chaturvedi

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(3), 555; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm13030555 - 20 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1988

Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis demanded that all educational activities should be performed virtually to follow social distancing guidelines. Therefore, there was a need to perform a research study to assess the effects of external factors on the perceived usefulness, ease of use of e-learning, and the further effect of these perceptions on attitude and intent to use e-learning by using the technology acceptance model (TAM) among academicians at higher education institutions in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, and data were collected from 263 academicians across Saudi Arabia through an online survey questionnaire using a non-probability purposive sampling technique and analyzed and tested using the SPSS and Smart PLS software. Results: This study found that self-efficacy was positively associated with perceived usefulness at β = 0.143 and p < 0.05, but it had no association with perceived ease of use at β = 0.057 at p > 0.05. System accessibility had a significant and positive relationship with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use at β = 0.283, β = 0.247, and p < 0.01, respectively. Self-efficacy had a positive effect on perceived usefulness, whereas the subjective norm had no relationship with perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use at β = −0.065 and β = −0.012 at p > 0.05, respectively. Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were positively related to attitude towards use, which has a significant influence on intention to use e-learning. Conclusion: Perceived ease of application is the most significant factor (β = 0.556) in developing the attitude among academicians to practice e-learning, followed by perceived usefulness (β = 0.262). Moreover, it can be concluded that system accessibility has a stronger influence on developing perception among academicians about the expediency and ease of application of e-learning than self-efficacy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

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10 pages, 268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

COVID-19 Impact on Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients

by Dana Raluca Arbore, Simona Maria Galdean, Delia Dima, Ioana Rus, David Kegyes, Raluca Geanina Ababei, Daniela Dragancea, Radu Andrei Tomai, Adrian Pavel Trifa and Ciprian Tomuleasa

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(11), 1886; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm12111886 - 10 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1464

Abstract

(1) Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a blood dyscrasia that accounts for about 20% of all leukemia cases. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are used as first line treatment of CML. The 2019 SARS-CoV-2 outbreak raised new concerns for CML patients, such as whether CML increases the risk of contracting COVID-19, whether TKIs increase that risk, whether these drugs are safe to use during the infection, and whether any other hematologic parameters influence infection outcomes. (2) Methods: In our study we addressed these intriguing questions by using a retrospective analysis of 51 CML patients treated at the Ion Chiricuta Cancer Center, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of currently approved COVID-19 vaccines in our CML patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. (3) Results: Our results have shown that hemoglobin level upon diagnosis of CML has been the only hematologic parameter correlated to the risk of contracting COVID-19 in our CML patients. (4) Conclusions: TKI treatment did not negatively influence COVID-19 risk or the response to the vaccine in our patients. The safety profile of the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines was similar to that of the general population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

13 pages, 2414 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Misjudgment of Skills in Clinical Examination Increases in Medical Students Due to a Shift to Exclusively Online Studies during the COVID-19 Pandemic

by Axel Lechner, Stefan P. Haider, Benedikt Paul, Pablo F. F. Escrihuela Branz, Axelle Felicio-Briegel, Magdalena Widmann, Johanna Huber, Ursula Stadlberger, Martin Canis, Florian Schrötzlmair and Kariem Sharaf

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(5), 781; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm12050781 - 12 May 2022

Viewed by 1610

Abstract

In medical school, practical capacity building is a central goal. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a shift to online teaching methods in university was mandated in many countries to reduce risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. This severely affected the teaching of psychomotor ability skills such as head and neck examination skills, resulting in a share of students that have only been taught such ENT-specific examination skills with online courses; our study aimed to measure performance and capacity of self-evaluation in these students. After completing a new extensive online Ear Nose Throat (ENT) examination course, we conducted a standardized clinical skills exam for nine different ENT examination items with 31 students. Using Likert scales, self-evaluation was based on questionnaires right before the clinical skills exam and objective evaluation during the exam was assessed following a standardized regime. Self-evaluation and objective evaluation were correlated. To compare the exclusive online teaching to traditional hands-on training, a historic cohort with 91 students was used. Objective examination performance after in-classroom or online teaching varied for single examination items while overall assessment remained comparable. Overall, self-evaluation did not differ significantly after online-only and in-classroom ENT skill teaching. Nevertheless, misjudgment of one’s skill level increased after online-only training compared to in-classroom teaching. Highest levels of overestimation were observed after online training in simple tasks. While gender and interest in ENT did not influence self-evaluation and misjudgment, higher age of participants was associated with an overestimation of skills. Medical students with online-only training during the COVID-19 pandemic achieved similar ENT examination skills to those with traditional on-campus training before the pandemic. Nevertheless, students with online-only training were more prone to misjudge their skills when they assessed their skills. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, current medical students and graduates might therefore lack individual specific psychomotor skills such as the ENT examination, underlining the importance of presence-based teaching. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

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11 pages, 6454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

miR-155: A Potential Biomarker for Predicting Mortality in COVID-19 Patients

by Reut Kassif-Lerner, Keren Zloto, Nadav Rubin, Keren Asraf, Ram Doolman, Gidi Paret and Yael Nevo-Caspi

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(2), 324; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm12020324 - 21 Feb 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2429

Abstract

COVID-19, a pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to its unpredictable clinical course. Prognostic biomarkers may improve care by enabling quick identification of patients who can be safely discharged home versus those who may need careful respiratory monitoring and support. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have risen to prominence as biomarkers for many disease states and as tools to assist in medical decisions. In the present study, we aimed to examine circulating miRNAs in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and to explore their potential as biomarkers for disease severity. We studied, by quantitative PCR, the expressions of miR-21, miR-146a, miR-146b, miR-155, and miR-499 in peripheral blood. We found that mild COVID-19 patients had 2.5-fold less circulating miR-155 than healthy people, and patients with a severe COVID-19 disease had 5-fold less circulating miR-155 than healthy people. In addition, we found that miR-155 is a good predictor of COVID-19 mortality. We suggest that examining miR-155 levels in patients’ blood, upon admission to hospital, will ameliorate the care given to COVID-19 patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

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Graphical abstract

13 pages, 4646 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Causal Effect of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the Number of COVID-19 Cases under COVID-19 Pandemic: An Ecological Study Using the Synthetic Control Method

by Norio Yamamoto, Toshiharu Mitsuhashi, Yuuki Tsuchihashi and Takashi Yorifuji

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(2), 209; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm12020209 - 03 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2327

Abstract

Previous studies have not assessed the causal effect of the Olympic Games on the spread of pandemics. Using the synthetic control method and the national public city data in Japan recorded from February to September 2021, we estimated the causal effects of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. The difference between the number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo and a counterfactual “synthetic Tokyo” (created using synthetic control method) after the opening of the Tokyo 2020 Games (23 July 2021) widened gradually and then considerably over time. It was predicted that the Tokyo 2020 Games increased the number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo by approximately 469.4 per 100,000 population from the opening of the event to 30 September. However, sensitivity analysis of the ratio of the pre- and post-game root mean square prediction errors using regression weights did not suggest robustness. Our results showed that the Tokyo 2020 Games probably increased the number of COVID-19 cases even under preventive regulations; however, the extent of this increase was difficult to estimate clearly due to an overlap with the fifth wave associated with the Delta variant. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

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Review

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18 pages, 653 KiB

Open AccessReview

Photoplethysmography Enabled Wearable Devices and Stress Detection: A Scoping Review

by Mina Namvari, Jessica Lipoth, Sheida Knight, Ali Akbar Jamali, Mojtaba Hedayati, Raymond J. Spiteri and Shabbir Syed-Abdul

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(11), 1792; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm12111792 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3419

Abstract

Background: Mental and physical health are both important for overall health. Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being; however, it is often difficult to monitor remotely. The objective of this scoping review is to investigate studies that focus on mental health and stress detection and monitoring using PPG-based wearable sensors. Methods: A literature review for this scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for the Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) framework. A total of 290 studies were found in five medical databases (PubMed, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Web of Science). Studies were deemed eligible if non-invasive PPG-based wearables were worn on the wrist or ear to measure vital signs of the heart (heart rate, pulse transit time, pulse waves, blood pressure, and blood volume pressure) and analyzed the data qualitatively. Results: Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria, with four real-life studies, eighteen clinical studies, and one joint clinical and real-life study. Out of the twenty-three studies, seventeen were published as journal-based articles, and six were conference papers with full texts. Because most of the articles were concerned with physiological and psychological stress, we decided to only include those that focused on stress. In twelve of the twenty articles, a PPG-based sensor alone was used to monitor stress, while in the remaining eight papers, a PPG sensor was used in combination with other sensors. Conclusion: The growing demand for wearable devices for mental health monitoring is evident. However, there is still a significant amount of research required before wearable devices can be used easily and effectively for such monitoring. Although the results of this review indicate that mental health monitoring and stress detection using PPG is possible, there are still many limitations within the current literature, such as a lack of large and diverse studies and ground-truth methods, that need to be addressed before wearable devices can be globally useful to patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

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22 pages, 1990 KiB

Open AccessReview

Global Challenges to Public Health Care Systems during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Pandemic Measures and Problems

by Roxana Filip, Roxana Gheorghita Puscaselu, Liliana Anchidin-Norocel, Mihai Dimian and Wesley K. Savage

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(8), 1295; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jpm12081295 - 07 Aug 2022

Cited by 81 | Viewed by 8598

Abstract

Beginning in December 2019, the world faced a critical new public health stressor with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Its spread was extraordinarily rapid, and in a matter of weeks countries across the world were affected, notably in their ability to manage health care needs. While many sectors of public structures were impacted by the pandemic, it particularly highlighted shortcomings in medical care infrastructures around the world that underscored the need to reorganize medical systems, as they were vastly unprepared and ill-equipped to manage a pandemic and simultaneously provide general and specialized medical care. This paper presents modalities in approaches to the pandemic by various countries, and the triaged reorganization of medical sections not considered first-line in the pandemic that was in many cases transformed into wards for treating COVID-19 cases. As new viruses and structural variants emerge, it is important to find solutions to streamline medical care in hospitals, which includes the expansion of digital network medicine (i.e., telemedicine and mobile health apps) for patients to continue to receive appropriate care without risking exposure to contagions. Mobile health app development continues to evolve with specialized diagnostics capabilities via external attachments that can provide rapid information sharing between patients and care providers while eliminating the need for office visits. Telemedicine, still in the early stages of adoption, especially in the developing world, can ensure access to medical information and contact with care providers, with the potential to release emergency rooms from excessive cases, and offer multidisciplinary access for patients and care providers that can also be a means to avoid contact during a pandemic. As this pandemic illustrated, an overhaul to streamline health care is essential, and a move towards greater use of mobile health and telemedicine will greatly benefit public health to control the spread of new variants and future outbreaks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities)

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