Brown, GW & Charron, F 2020, 'Sonic hedgehog accelerates DNA replication to cause replication stress promoting cancer initiation in medulloblastoma', nature cancer.

The development of stock markets in the financial sector has been important. The expansion of stock markets has compelled various researchers to analyze its relationship with the economic process and development of countries. The studies have revealed that the performance of stock markets in a nation has a positive correlation to its economic growth. Bearing this relationship in mind, studies are being undertaken to recognize the elements responsible for stock market development in several nations. The researchers all around the world are trying to better understand determinants so that government establishments can create and target policies that may help the development of stock markets which further helps in economic development of the state. Throughout the past three decades, the global stock markets surged, and emerging markets played a vital role in this boom. Recent researches have begun to concentrate on the linkages between the stock markets and economic development. There has been an extensive analysis of the connection between the stock market and economic growth, but there is a dearth of theoretical empirical proof on what determines stock exchange development. Keeping in view the importance of stock markets in the development of economic development, the researchers in the present study have tried to bring out the factors that play a positive role in the development of stock market.

Graphical abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic placed considerable strain on the healthcare system, leading to the re-allocation of resources and implementation of new practice guidelines. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 guideline modifications on head and neck cancer (HNC) care at two tertiary care centers in Canada. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted. HNC patients seen at two tertiary care centers before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (pre-pandemic: July 1st, 2019, to February 29th, 2020; pandemic: March 1st, 2020, to October 31st, 2020) were included. The pre-pandemic and pandemic cohorts were compared according to patient and tumor characteristics, duration of HNC workup, and treatment type and duration. Mean differences in cancer care wait times, including time to diagnosis, tumor board, and treatment as well as total treatment package time and postoperative hospital stay were compared between cohorts. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare characteristics and outcomes between cohorts. Results Pre-pandemic (n = 132) and pandemic (n = 133) patients did not differ significantly in sex, age, habits, or tumor characteristics. The percentage of patients who received surgery only, chemo/radiotherapy (CXRT) only, and surgery plus adjuvant CXRT did not differ significantly between cohorts. Pandemic patients experienced a significant time reduction compared to pre-pandemic patients with regards to the date first seen by a HNC service until start of treatment ($$\overline{x}$$ x ¯  = 48.7 and 76.6 days respectively; p = .0001), the date first seen by a HNC service until first presentation at tumor board ($$\overline{x}$$ x ¯  = 25.1 and 38 days respectively; p = .001), mean total package time for patients who received surgery only ($$\overline{x}$$ x ¯  = 3.7 and 9.0 days respectively; p = .017), and mean total package time for patients who received surgery plus adjuvant CXRT ($$\overline{x}$$ x ¯  = 80.2 and 112.7 days respectively; p = .035). Conclusion The time to treatment was significantly reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as compared to pre-pandemic. This transparent model of patient-centered operative-room prioritization can serve as a model for improving resource allocation and efficiency of HNC care during emergency and non-emergency scenarios.