Background: In December 2019, Wuhan City in Hubei Province, China witnessed an outbreak of a novel type of coronavirus (COVID-19), named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The sharp rise in the number of infected cases and the surge spike in fatalities worldwide prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare this rapid outbreak a global pandemic in March 2020. The economic, health, and social ramifications of COVID-19 induced fear and anxiety all over the world. Objective: The purpose of this review is to discuss how precautionary measures and restrictions imposed by governments, such as quarantines, lockdowns, and social distancing, have not only caused economic losses, but also a rise in mental health problems specifically post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods: A deep comprehensive analysis review in of the relevant literature regarding the pandemic and its debilitating consequences on the psychological status of the public were was discussed performed. Results: This review illustrates that the COVID-19 pandemic had a traumatic impact on the psychological functioning of the public, particularly COVID-19 survivors, older adults, and healthcare workers, in particularly, due to the difficulties in coping with new realities and uncertainties. Conclusion: In this review, we have discussed the psychological implications of this pandemic and we have provided an extensive background for understanding options regarding PTSD management in healthy individuals and those with preexisting conditions.

There is an increasing need to develop new antibacterial materials for treating contaminated potable water, particularly for addressing increasing bacterial resistance, which is predicted to be a major threat to human health in the future, especially for high-risk groups and populations displaced in conflict regions. In addition, a material that can be easily separated from solutions is highly desirable to allow for the fast and efficient recovery of the bactericidal material. In this study, we reported the preparation of microsized cross-linked PVP (PVPP) decorated with silver nanoparticles. The silver particles grew to sizes between 100 and 700 nm with average diameters of 534 ± 72 nm (N = 70), 265 ± 66 nm (N = 70), and 255 ± 75 nm (N = 70) for the 0.5, 1, and 10 mg/mL concentrations of PVPP, respectively. The prepared complexes were easily separated from water by gravity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations against E. coli were calculated to be approximately 100, 65, and 60 μg/mL Ag+ for the 10, 1, and 0.5 mg/mL concentrations of PVPP, respectively. The PVPP/AgNP microparticles retained their antibacterial activity after they were collected from a bacterial culture, washed, and then recycled into a second batch of freshly prepared microorganism solution.

Radiation therapy plays a central role in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. While generally shown to be feasible, proton irradiation, particularly when an ablative dose is planned, remains a challenge, especially due to tumor motion and the proximity to organs at risk, like the stomach, duodenum, and bowel. Clinically, standard doses of proton radiation treatment have not been shown to be statistically different from photon radiation treatment in terms of oncologic outcomes and toxicity rates as per non-randomized comparative studies. Fractionation schedules and concurrent chemotherapy combinations are yet to be optimized for proton therapy and are the subject of ongoing trials.

Proton radiation therapy plays a central role in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Because of the near-zero exit dose and improved sparing of normal liver parenchyma, protons are being used even in challenging scenarios, including larger or multifocal liver tumors, and those associated with vascular tumor thrombus. There is a mounting level of evidence that suggests that protons are superior to photons in terms of survival and toxicity outcomes, specifically the progression to liver failure. A randomized controlled trial comparing protons to photons is currently underway to verify this hypothesis.

Sensitive and enzyme‐free detection of specific oligonucleotide sequences is a pressing need in the field of precision and personalized medicine. In this work the detection of a unique genetic marker for hepatitis B virus with a low detection limit of 5 × 10−12m and a fast assay time is reported. In the assay presented here, fluorescently labeled liposomes are captured by gold‐decorated polystyrene beads using the target sequence as the building block. This is achieved by modifying the microbeads and the liposomes each with half of the complementary sequence. After a short incubation time with the target of interest, the fluorescent signal of the bridged bead–liposome assembly is detected via flow cytometry. Each liposome is labeled with ≈48 lipid soluble dyes resulting in an amplified fluorescent signal for every sensing event. The detection of the viral marker is even possible in an artificial serum‐spiked sample.