A biological variation-based approach to the day-to-day changes of D-dimer, Fibrinogen, and Ferritin levels that are crucial in the clinical course of COVID-19 in healthy smokers and non-smokers

Objective D-dimer, ferritin, and fibrinogen parameters in COVID-19 patients are essential, particularly in inpatients and intensive care unit patients. It is vital to know the changes that occur due to the biological structure of the person than the disease effect in these tests to manage the fatal disease better. Method Blood samples were taken on the first, third, and fifth days from 30 healthy volunteers, 15 of whom were smokers, 15 were non-smokers, and D-dimer, ferritin, and fibrinogen tests were studied with repeated measurements. After the data was processed for normality and homogeneity and removing extreme values, CVA, CVI, CVG, CVT, RCV, II, I%, B%, TE% values were calculated via a complete nested ANOVA design, according to Callum G, Fraser, and EFLM. Results CVI and CVG values of D-dimer were calculated as 49.07% and 40.69% for all individuals, 49.26% and 27.71% for smokers, 48.80% and 51.67% for non-smokers, respectively. In terms of fibrinogen, the same analyzes for all individuals were calculated as 11.18% and 10.62%, 3.25% and 20.17% for smokers, 9.11% and 6.79% for non-smokers, respectively. The same ferritin analyses were calculated as 23.74% and 63.31% for all individuals, 34.98% and 35.24% for smokers, 30.53% and 74.87% for non-smokers, respectively. Conclusion Changes in D-dimer measurements every other day in healthy individuals can be observed depending on the biological characteristics of the individuals, and the population-based reference interval may be insufficient for clinical evaluation. Therefore, each individual should be evaluated within themselves. When assessing the results of ferritin and fibrinogen in non-smoking individuals, it should be taken into account that significant differences may occur between individuals. Besides, it should be kept in mind that there may be considerable changes due to biological variation in the repeated measurements of ferritin every other day.

Polyphenols: A Comprehensive Review of their Nutritional Properties

Polyphenols are the most prominent natural antioxidants found numerously in nature. They are secondary metabolites recognized for having high health benefits for consumers, even if the exploitation of these remarkable natural compounds is still a challenge. Moreover, there is a dilemma over the nutritional value of polyphenols. Hence, this paper seeks to review the classification, sources, anti-browning effect, antioxidant activity, nutritional property and anti-disease effect of polyphenols for better understanding the issues which need to be addressed in the valorization of these natural compounds.

A REVIEW ON COVID-19 AFFECTING ORAL HEALTH: IN THE COURSE AND AFTER RECOVERY

The current COVID-19 pandemic has affected a vast majority of people throughout the world. It has impacted the oral health of many people due to several reasons. This article reviews various increasing oral health problems that have been reported frequently throughout the course of the disease, effect of bad oral hygiene on severity of COVID-19 and the basic measures to be taken for prevention of such problems. On one hand the use of corticosteroids and antiviral therapy to treat COVID-19 has led to increased fungal infections such as candidiasis and mucormycosis of oral cavity while on the other hand the stress of isolation has caused escalation of bruxism and temporomandibular disorders. Taste disorders due to COVID-19 are also very common. It has also been suggested that a good oral hygiene is advantageous in preventing the development of complications of COVID-19. Many post-COVID oral health problems such as dry mouth are frequently observed.

Myanmar’s Manufacturing Exports After the Lifting of Economic Sanctions

This article aims to evaluate Myanmar’s exports of manufacturing products by using a gravity trade model for emerging ASEAN economies. The main focus of this study is to assess whether Myanmar’s manufacturing exports have recovered in terms of the gravity trade standard of the other emerging ASEAN countries for the post-sanction period of 2013–2018. Unlike the previous studies, this article contributes to the literature by targeting the post-sanction period and by applying both in-sample and out-of-sample estimation methods to ensure the consistency and robustness of their results. The main findings from the gravity trade model estimation are summarised as follows: first, Myanmar’s manufacturing exports for the post-sanction period are still significantly below the level of the gravity trade standard. Second, the downward deviation from the standard could be explained by the two Myanmar-specific factors, that is, the low institutional quality and the Dutch Disease effect in Myanmar’s exports to Western countries, but not fully in those to Asian countries. The additional factor for the deviation against Asian countries might come from Myanmar’s sluggish participation in the international production networks. JEL Codes: F14, O53