The Impact of Isolation Due to COVID-19 on Physical Activity Levels in Adult Students
covid-19, physical activity, energy expenditure, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)
The lockdown with a prohibition of free mobility introduced in many countries has affected restrictions in physical activity (PA). The purpose of the study was to compare PA during restrictions and the “unfreezing” stage. The study group consisted of 89 healthy adult students. To assess the level of PA, a long version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was used. The first evaluation was carried out in the period from 16 to 20 April 2020 at the time of the lockdown and the second in the period from 11 to 14 May 2020 during the so-called “unfreezing”. The average total PA rate during the first measurement was 8640 metabolic equivalent (MET)-min/week and in the second, 10,560 MET-min/week. The analysis of total energy expenditure showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.029). The establishment of “unfreezing” laws for sport and recreation and the reduction of restrictions have significantly contributed to an increase in the overall level of PA. Based on our outcomes, we recommend students follow the scientific guidelines for undertaking PA (i.e., WHO) during the pandemic in order to maintain an appropriate pro-healthy dose of exercise.
Anna Rutkowska, Katarzyna Kacperak, Sebastian Rutkowski, Luisa Cacciante, Pawel Kiper, Jan Szczegielniak
Environmental effects of industries and plants, Renewable energy sources, Environmental sciences
COVID-19 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals: Threat to Solidarity or an Opportunity?
un sustainable development goals, SDGs implementation, COVID-19 pandemic economic impact
COVID-19, as a pandemic, is impacting institutions around the world. Its scope and economic dimensions also mean that it poses a major threat towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article discusses how the coronavirus pandemic may influence the SDGs and could affect their implementation. The methods used entail an analysis of the literature, observations and an assessment of current world trends. The results obtained point out that, while COVID-19 has become a priority to many health systems in developing nations, they still need to attend to many other existing diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and others. Further, the study shows that strong concerns in dealing with COVID-19 are disrupting other disease prevention programs. As a result, problems such as mental health are also likely to be overlooked, since the isolation of social distancing may mask or lead to an increase in the percentage of suffers. The paper suggests that, due to its wide scope and areas of influence, COVID-19 may also jeopardize the process of the implementation of the SDGs. It sends a cautious warning about the need to continue to put an emphasis on the implementation of the SDGs, so that the progress achieved to date is not endangered.
Walter Leal Filho, Luciana Londero Brandli, Amanda Lange Salvia, Lez Rayman-Bacchus, Johannes Platje
Convalescent plasma therapy in COVID-19 patients, in the Province of Buenos Aires
covid-19, convalescent plasma, expanded access program
This is a preliminary, multicenter, retrospective cohort study, including 272 consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to hospitals in Buenos Aires Province, between May 15th and July 1st, 2020, included in an expanded access program to convalescent plasma. Our objectives were to analyze mortality and its independent risk factors, and to assess the occurrence of a favorable evolution, defined as hospital discharge, or stay at the ward, or transfer from ICU to ward. Patients were stratified int o 4 subgroups: admission to the ward with pneumonia and/or oxygen requirement (WARD; n = 100); ICU admission (ICU; n = 87); ICU admission with requirement of mechanical ventilation (ICU-MV; n = 56), and ICU-MV plus septic shock (ICU-MV-SS; N = 29). Mortality at 28 days was 26.1% for the entire group, 14.0% for WARD group, 18.4% for ICU, 44.6% for ICU-MV, and 55.2% for ICU-MV-SS. Mean survival time (days) was 25.6 ± 0.6 (WARD); 25.3 ± 0.7 (ICU); 20.8 ± 1.2 (ICU-MV) and 18.2 ± 1.8 (ICU-MV-SS). Independent predictors of mortality were MV, septic shock and weight. A favorable evolution occurred in 81.4% of WARD patients; in 70.9% of ICU; in 39.6% of ICU-MV and in 27.6% of ICU-MV-SS patients. Severity of illness on admission, age, weight and heart rate were independently associated with evolution. No major adverse effects were recorded. The lack of a control group precluded the estimation of efficacy. However, our 26% mortality rate was higher than that of the treatment arm of clinical trials comparing plasma with usual treatment, which might be ascribed to higher proportion of patients with MV and septic shock in our cohort.
Soledad E. González, Lorena Regairaz, Noelia S. Ferrando, Veronica V. González Martínez, Martín R. Salazar, Elisa Estenssoro
Medicine, Infectious and parasitic diseases, Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Technology for Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 Self-Testing
artificial intelligence, blockchain, Self-testing, novel coronavirus disease-19
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading with a rising death toll and transmission rate reported in high income countries rather than in low income countries. The overburdened healthcare systems and poor disease surveillance systems in resource-limited settings may struggle to cope with this COVID-19 outbreak and this calls for a tailored strategic response for these settings. Here, we recommend a low cost blockchain and artificial intelligence-coupled self-testing and tracking systems for COVID-19 and other emerging infectious diseases. Prompt deployment and appropriate implementation of the proposed system have the potential to curb the transmissions of COVID-19 and the related mortalities, particularly in settings with poor access to laboratory infrastructure.
Tivani P. Mashamba-Thompson, Ellen Debra Crayton
The Costs of the COVID-19 on Subjective Well-Being: An Analysis of the Outbreak in Spain
coronavirus, mental health, covid-19, subjective wellbeing, Hope, social phobia
The COVID-19 outbreak entailed radical shifts to individuals’ daily habits that challenged their subjective well-being (SWB). Knowledge about the impact of COVID-19 on SWB is paramount for developing public policies to tackle mental health during health emergency periods. Decreases in life satisfaction are likely not only due to exposure to daily negative emotions but also due to hopelessness, fear, and avoidance of social interactions. We examined in a sample of 541 Spanish adults (1) reactions to the COVID-19 outbreak and (2) the mediating role of these reactions in the associations of hope and social phobia with life satisfaction through different levels of positive and negative affect. A moderated mediation analysis showed that the conditional indirect effect of hope and social anxiety on life satisfaction through information depended on the participants’ having high positive affect and low negative affect. Affect seems to be a mechanism that modulates the influence of individuals’ perception about COVID-19 on their life satisfaction. Those with high positive affect might see the “general picture” and search for adequate information as they avoid focusing on the problem and on specific information that precludes preventive behaviors. Having a positive affect might help individuals to adopt information-processing strategies during the COVID-19 outbreak that will improve their life satisfaction.
Ana Blasco-Belled, Claudia Tejada-Gallardo, Cristina Torrelles-Nadal, Carles Alsinet
Human rhinovirus infection in young African children with acute wheezing
Abstract Background Infections caused by human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are important triggers of wheezing in young children. Wheezy illness has increasingly been recognised as an important cause of morbidity in African children, but there is little information on the contribution of HRV to this. The aim of this study was to determine the role of HRV as a cause of acute wheezing in South African children. Methods Two hundred and twenty children presenting consecutively at a tertiary children's hospital with a wheezing illness from May 2004 to November 2005 were prospectively enrolled. A nasal swab was taken and reverse transcription PCR used to screen the samples for HRV. The presence of human metapneumovirus, human bocavirus and human coronavirus-NL63 was assessed in all samples using PCR-based assays. A general shell vial culture using a pool of monoclonal antibodies was used to detect other common respiratory viruses on 26% of samples. Phylogenetic analysis to determine circulating HRV species was performed on a portion of HRV-positive samples. Categorical characteristics were analysed using Fisher's Exact test. Results HRV was detected in 128 (58.2%) of children, most (72%) of whom were under 2 years of age. Presenting symptoms between the HRV-positive and negative groups were similar. Most illness was managed with ambulatory therapy, but 45 (35%) were hospitalized for treatment and 3 (2%) were admitted to intensive care. There were no in-hospital deaths. All 3 species of HRV were detected with HRV-C being the most common (52%) followed by HRV-A (37%) and HRV-B (11%). Infection with other respiratory viruses occurred in 20/128 (16%) of HRV-positive children and in 26/92 (28%) of HRV-negative samples. Conclusion HRV may be the commonest viral infection in young South African children with acute wheezing. Infection is associated with mild or moderate clinical disease.
Zar Heather J, Workman Lesley J, Smuts Heidi E
Sequential introduction of single room isolation and hand hygiene campaign in the control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in intensive care unit
Abstract Background After renovation of the adult intensive care unit (ICU) with installation of ten single rooms, an enhanced infection control program was conducted to control the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in our hospital. Methods Since the ICU renovation, all patients colonized or infected with MRSA were nursed in single rooms with contact precautions. The incidence of MRSA infection in the ICU was monitored during 3 different phases: the baseline period (phase 1); after ICU renovation (phase 2) and after implementation of a hand hygiene campaign with alcohol-based hand rub (phase 3). Patients infected with extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species were chosen as controls because they were managed in open cubicles with standard precautions. Results Without a major change in bed occupancy rate, nursing workforce, or the protocol of environmental cleansing throughout the study period, a stepwise reduction in ICU onset nonbacteraemic MRSA infection was observed: from 3.54 (phase 1) to 2.26 (phase 2, p = 0.042) and 1.02 (phase 3, p = 0.006) per 1000-patient-days. ICU onset bacteraemic MRSA infection was significantly reduced from 1.94 (phase 1) to 0.9 (phase 2, p = 0.005) and 0.28 (phase 3, p = 0.021) per 1000-patient-days. Infection due to ESBL-producing organisms did not show a corresponding reduction. The usage density of broad-spectrum antibiotics and fluoroquinolones increased from phase 1 to 3. However a significant trend improvement of ICU onset MRSA infection by segmented regression analysis can only be demonstrated when comparison was made before and after the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic. This suggests that the deaths of fellow healthcare workers from an occupational acquired infection had an overwhelming effect on their compliance with infection control measures. Conclusion Provision of single room isolation facilities and promotion of hand hygiene practice are important. However compliance with infection control measures relies largely on a personal commitment, which may increase when personal safety is threatened.
Cheng Vincent CC, Tai Josepha WM, Chan WM, Lau Eric HY, Chan Jasper FW, To Kelvin KW, Li Iris WS, Ho PL, Yuen KY
Dentistry and Risk Management – A Challenging Balance in an Era of COVID-19
coronavirus, covid-19, Pandemic, Dental Health, dental risk management, sars-cov-2 infection control
The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) originated in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China, in December 2019, and due to its rapid spread rate, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic and a public health emergency of international concern. The transmission of any infection in a dental office can occur while coming in direct contact with body fluids of an infected patient, environmental surfaces or contaminated dental instruments, or from the infectious particles that have become airborne. Even though the main source of transmission are the patients showing symptoms of COVID-19, recently, asymptomatic patients and patients in their incubation period are reported to be also the carriers of SARS-CoV-2, thereby increasing the risk of spread to close contacts and health-care workers. Because any patient could be a potential asymptomatic COVID-19 carrier, it is advisable to perform tele-screening of all the patients reporting to the clinic. As the transmission of 2019-nCoV via droplets and aerosol is of grave concern, as despite all the precautions taken, it is almost impossible to reduce droplet and aerosol production to zero during dental procedures, hence it is wise that the dental health professionals should not be dependent on any single infection control strategy.
Amina Sultan, Neetika Singh, Akanksha Juneja
Possibilities of artificial intelligence in assessing the impact of potentially dangerous texts in modern news discourse: problem of statement
The relevance of the stated problem reflects the study of the “friend-foe” dichotomy, which is clearly represented in the modern news discourse, since it reflects the most significant problems for society: migration, the COVID-19 pandemic, crime, various confrontations, problems of socially vulnerable citizens, etc. The subject of the research is to Refine the parameters for evaluating potentially dangerous texts for the subsequent creation of a library of software modules for theming and classifying news messages, including using AI technologies. Hypothesis: the proposed parameters of the system of interpretation of potentially dangerous text increase the chances of determining the prognostic level of the degree of propensity to illegal actions, so the creation of a digital library will help to quickly analyze the levels of potential dangers for the recipient. The use of digital technologies for psycholinguistic assessment of potentially dangerous texts optimizes the search and tracking of such texts, contributing to the development of measures to ensure the safety of the human psyche in conditions of massive impact on the recipient in order to change his personal attitudes. The author raises the problem of creating a single digital platform for evaluating such texts, noting the need for linguistic priority when creating semantic markup, which will allow us to qualitatively rank potentially dangerous texts. Such work requires the application of interdisciplinary efforts of specialists in the fields of linguistics, psychology, mythology, history, sociology, political science, cultural studies, mathematics, computer science and Digital Humanities. The practical value is unquestionable, since psycholinguodiagnostics of a person does not correlate with the potential danger of texts produced by such a person in society.
The impact of digitalization of the economy on the development of enterprises in the Arctic
The peculiarities of the development of the regions belonging to the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation (AZRF) are determined by geopolitical, climatic and other factors. Currently, the issues of digital transformation of national economies are paramount for all countries. However, the existing crisis phenomena caused by the economic crisis of 2008 and the COVID-19 pandemic have made their own adjustments to this process. The current conditions require both the creation of an appropriate digital infrastructure at the federal and regional levels, and the adjustment of existing development strategies at the enterprise level. However, the benefits of the digital economy will only benefit those enterprises that can adapt their development strategy in accordance with external conditions. The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of digitalization of the economy on the development of enterprises in the Arctic, as well as to form a list of the main problems in this area and search for possible ways to solve them. As a result of the study, the authors obtained the following results: (1) identified both positive and negative factors affecting the digitalization of the Russian Arctic; (2) a profile of the directions of digitalization of the Russian Arctic was created and the priority areas of digitalization were determined; (3) it was concluded that the digitalization of national economies opens up great opportunities for the further development of enterprises. However, to achieve this goal, it is necessary to timely adjust the development strategies of enterprises, taking into account the national and regional characteristics of digitalization.
Mukhametova Liliya, Plakhotnikova Maria, Anisimov Alexander, Kulachinskaya Anastasia