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BackgroundInfection prevention (IP) measures are designed to mitigate the transmission of pathogens in healthcare. Using large-scale viral genomic and social network analyses, we determined if IP measures used during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic were adequate in protecting healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients from acquiring SARS-CoV-2.MethodsWe performed retrospective cross-sectional analyses of viral genomics from all available SARS-CoV-2 viral samples collected at UC San Diego Health and social network analysis using the electronic medical record to derive temporospatial overlap of infections among related viromes and supplemented with contact tracing data. The outcome measure was any instance of healthcare transmission, defined as cases with closely related viral genomes and epidemiological connection within the healthcare setting during the infection window. Between November 2020 through January 2022, 12 933 viral genomes were obtained from 35 666 patients and HCWs.ResultsAmong 5112 SARS-CoV-2 viral samples sequenced from the second and third waves of SARS-CoV-2 (pre-Omicron), 291 pairs were derived from persons with a plausible healthcare overlap. Of these, 34 pairs (12%) were phylogenetically linked: 19 attributable to household and 14 to healthcare transmission. During the Omicron wave, 2106 contact pairs among 7821 sequences resulted in 120 (6%) related pairs among 32 clusters, of which 10 were consistent with healthcare transmission. Transmission was more likely to occur in shared spaces in the older hospital compared with the newer hospital (2.54 vs 0.63 transmission events per 1000 admissions, P < .001).ConclusionsIP strategies were effective at identifying and preventing healthcare SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused major changes in the functioning of prison institutions. Both inmates and prison staff have exposed themselves to risks (Gonçalves et al., 2023). Preventive measures such as quarantine, suspension of visitation rights and isolation of inmates in cells have contributed to the prevention and control of SARSThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused major changes in the functioning of prison institutions. Both inmates and prison staff have exposed themselves to risks (Gonçalves et al., 2023). Preventive measures such as quarantine, suspension of visitation rights and isolation of inmates in cells have contributed to the prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 disease in prisons (Hernando et al., 2023). The article presents the perspectives of social workers in Romanian penitentiaries on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activities with incarcerated individuals, based on qualitative research. The findings indicate that while the National Penitentiary Administration (ANP) implemented effective measures to reduce infection spread, these measures negatively affected individual security, interpersonal relationships, and professional cooperation. The limitation of communication and interactions between inmates and between inmates and specialists led to increased alertness and professional fatigue.CoV-2 disease in prisons (Hernando et al., 2023). The article presents the perspectives of social workers in Romanian penitentiaries on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activities with incarcerated individuals, based on qualitative research. The findings indicate that while the National Penitentiary Administration (ANP) implemented effective measures to reduce infection spread, these measures negatively affected individual security, interpersonal relationships, and professional cooperation. The limitation of communication and interactions between inmates and between inmates and specialists led to increased alertness and professional fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to COVID-19, Japan’s GDP decreased by 4.5% in 2020 from 0.7% in 2019. The economy increased by 1.7% in 2021, stagnated at 1.4% in 2022, and is expected to grow at 1.8% in 2023 and to slowdown to 0.9% in 2024, based on the January 2023 forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). IMF’s January 2023 report is based on inflation peaking with low growth due to rising interest rates. In January 2021, a year into the COVID-19 pandemic period, the IMF was hopeful, predicting a V-shaped growth pattern of 3.1% for 2021 and 2.4% for 2022 due to policy stimulus and the availability of vaccines. However, this did not materialize due to various geopolitical and economic shocks. The economic costs of the COVID-19 pandemic relative to its absence are estimated to be at least US$1.1 trillion (¥160 trillion) until 2030 under a continued low economic growth future path. Moreover, the estimated US$1.1 trillion economic loss is equivalent to the erasure of approximately 30% of GDP produced in 2019 during the Abenomics era. If in the absence of the pandemic, the economy was assumed to have a high growth, the losses would reach US$ 4.8 trillion (¥706 trillion) due to the lost opportunity of a high-growth counterfactual trajectory.

The study explores the legal consciousness of young people in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, concerning the management of personal relationships vis-à-vis the legal regulation enacted by the Italian government. We aim to account for the forms of legality that have granted to sustain, criticize, engage, and resist the law, and to understand the mechanisms that contributed to shaping specific experiences of legality. We refer to a theoretical framework based on legal consciousness, the Neo-Bourdieusian approach to moral judgment and Douglas’s theory of risks. Based on the analysis of 70 narratives, our findings show different ways of experiencing the law by young people. Different recurring narratives can be identified: individual translation, trust in procedure, fatalistic claims, and cooperative criticism. These narratives are not fixed attributes of individuals but recurring repertoires of perceptions and practices that emerge from specific interaction contexts where pre-reflective dispositions and conscious deliberation intersect.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic turbulence on the extent and intensity of earnings management practices according to the opinions of representatives of non-financial companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). Methodology. This study is based on the method of standardised computer-assisted questionnaire interviews (CATI). The research sample consisted of 37.1% of all companies indexed on the WSE Main Market that do not operate in the banking, insurance or capital market services sectors. The target respondents were managers, employees of financial and accounting services and other persons authorised by the company's managerial staff representatives. Results. The survey findings showed that the economic turbulence caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic contributed to an increase in earnings management activities in public companies. Respondents who reported that the companies they represented deliberately manipulated earnings were much more confident about the negative impact of the pandemic crisis on the quality of reported data. An interesting finding of the research is that respondents who had experienced earnings management in their professional practice were more likely to believe that the pandemic had distorted the credibility of reported earnings. Finally, the study provided statistical evidence that respondents from larger companies were more likely than respondents from smaller companies to say that the economic crisis related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic contributed to an increase in earnings management activities. Practical implications. This investigation may draw the attention of market participants to the deterioration in the financial reporting of non-financial public companies during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The intensification of profit manipulation may not only distort the current perception of the company's economic performance, but also deteriorate the future value of companies. In addition, the findings provide valuable information for statutory auditors, as they highlight potential audit risks that may arise with the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Value/originality. Unlike most studies on the subject, this research does not focus on the estimated values of discretionary accruals, but on the knowledge and experience of financial professionals who are familiar with the specifics of the Polish capital market. An original contribution to the literature is the inclusion in the study of potential factors that could influence the respondents' perception of the impact of the consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 turbulence on the pattern and intensity of the earnings management phenomenon.

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The tendency to transform individual social communities into a universal, unified society which knows no boundaries (or at least does not insist on them), with the necessary dose of simplification, is the conceptual definition of globalization. Since it is a tendency, globalization naturally has its own temporal dimension. The process of determining the time coordinates of this phenomenon is extremely complex and the results may vary depending on the scientific approach and point of view. However, we believe that it is possible to reach a consensus that the process of globalization is not continuous, but has several phases. We tend to think that there are three main phases of globalization. Of course, we fully respect other competing systems of periodization and argumentation on which they are based. Nevertheless, we do not doubt that proponents of different periodization would agree that a new phase of globalization began recently, although it is difficult to determine the exact moment when it was initiated. Namely, on October 31, 2009, a mysterious developer, or more likely group of developers, behind the fictious name of Satoshi Nakamoto, published the so-called White Paper titled Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. More than ten years later, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. These two, at first glance unrelated events cumulatively initiated chain of new transformations, all leading toward a more unified society. Probably the most important change, one that is the focus of this paper, is the transformation of centralized localized monetary systems into completely decentralized, digitalized, totally independent, almost entirely self-sustaining, and self-regulating global financial structure. This paper presents a part of the results collected through the theoretical-empirical research conducted previously on both legal and socio-economic moments that initiated a new phase of globalization. These results refer mostly to events that initiated a new phase of globalization, their connections, and problems of periodization. The remaining results, results on the scope and expected overall effects of this phase, will be presented in the next article in this series. All the results of the research and conclusions were collected based on different analytical-synthetical methods, mostly abstraction and generalization. In this paper specifically, different techniques of the normative method were used. Also, special techniques of legal norm interpretation were used in the process.

ABSTRACTTo date, thousands of SARS-CoV-2 samples from many vaccine developers have been tested within the CEPI-Centralized Laboratory Network. To convert data from each clinical assay to international standard units, the WHO international standard and the CEPI standard generated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency were run in multiple facilities to determine the conversion factor for each assay. Reporting results in international units advances global understanding of SARS-CoV-2 immunity and vaccine efficacy, enhancing the quality, reliability, and utility of clinical assay data.

Background and Objectives: The global outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted healthcare worldwide, impacting the organization of intensive care units and surgical care units. This study aimed to document the daily neurosurgical activity in Alsace, France, one of the European epicenters of the pandemic, and provide evidence of the adaptive strategies deployed during such a critical time for healthcare services. Materials and Methods: The multicentric longitudinal study was based on a prospective cohort of patients requiring neurosurgical care in the Neurosurgical Departments of Alsace, France, between March 2020 and March 2022. Surgical activity was compared with pre-pandemic performances through data obtained from electronic patient records. Results: A total of 3842 patients benefited from care in a neurosurgical unit during the period of interest; 2352 of them underwent surgeries with a wide range of pathologies treated. Surgeries were initially limited to neurosurgical emergencies only, then urgent cases were slowly reinstated; however, a significant drop in surgical volume and case mix was noticed during lockdown (March–May 2020). The crisis continued to impact surgical activity until March 2022; functional procedures were postponed, though some spine surgeries could progressively be performed starting in October 2021. Various social factors, such as increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic, influenced the severity of traumatic pathologies. The progressive return to the usual profile of surgical activity was characterized by a rebound of oncological interventions. Deferrable procedures for elective spinal and functional pathologies were the most affected, with unexpected medical and social impacts. Conclusions: The task shifting and task sharing approaches implemented during the first wave of the pandemic supported the reorganization of neurosurgical care in its aftermath and enabled the safe and timely execution of a broad spectrum of surgeries. Despite the substantial disruption to routine practices, marked by a significant reduction in elective surgical volumes, comprehensive records demonstrate the successful management of the full range of neurosurgical pathologies. This underscores the efficacy of adaptive strategies in navigating the challenges imposed by the largest healthcare crisis in recent history. Those lessons will continue to provide valuable insights and guidance for health and care managers to prepare for future unpredictable scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aims of this study were to analyse all hospitalizations for acute diverticulitis in Germany from 2010 to 2021 and to assess the effects of the first 2 years of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic on hospitalizations for acute diverticulitis. Method: Using data from the German Federal Statistical Office, we analysed fully anonymized healthcare data of hospitalizations and treatment regimens with acute diverticulitis as the main diagnosis between 2010 and 2021. Logistic regression analyses for in‐hospital mortality were performed. Results: A total of 608,162 hospitalizations were included. While the number of hospitalizations constantly increased until 2019 (+52.4%), a relative decrease of 10.1% was observed between 2019 and 2020, followed by stable numbers of hospitalizations in 2021 (+1.1% compared with 2020). In‐hospital mortality showed a relative decrease of 33.2% until 2019 and thereafter a relative increase of 26.9% in 2020 and of 7.5% in 2021. A 21.6% and a 19.3% drop in hospitalizations was observed during the first and second waves of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic, mostly affecting hospitalizations for uncomplicated diverticulitis, with a corresponding 11.6% and 16.8% increase in admissions for complicated diverticulitis. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed significantly higher in‐hospital mortality for hospitalizations in which surgery (OR = 2.76) and CT (OR = 1.32) were given, as well as lower mortality for women (OR = 0.88), whereas percutaneous drainage was not associated with higher in‐hospital mortality compared with conservative treatment (OR = 0.71). Conclusion: This study points out the long‐term trends in inpatient treatment for acute diverticulitis and the in‐hospital mortality risk factors of patients hospitalized for acute diverticulitis in a large nationwide cohort, as well as changes in these trends and factors resulting from the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. These changes might be attributable to delayed diagnosis and thus more severe stages of disease as a result of containment measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic affected the global epidemiology of respiratory infections, including Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus (HRSV), thanks to state governments' implementation of mitigation strategies, like the promotion of face masks and lockdowns. However, after the Pandemic, the dramatic resurge of these diseases was reported worldwide. Our retrospective study, involving three Spoke Pediatric Departments, includes all the infants under one year of age hospitalized for HRSV bronchiolitis in a period before the Pandemic period (2017–2020), during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic (2020–2021), and after the Pandemic (2021–2023). The primary aim was to analyze the temporal trend of HRSV in these three periods. Then, the clinical and epidemiological characteristics were analyzed to highlight the clinical differences in the affected patients, in the severity of the infections, and in the short-term outcomes. Ultimately, we analyzed the HRSV prevalence in the global bronchiolitis hospitalization over the reported periods. Overall, we included 237 patients. Before the Pandemic, the peak was recorded in January and February, while after the Pandemic, the peak was in November and December. A higher prevalence of HRSV was demonstrated after the Pandemic compared to the period before the Pandemic; overall, no difference in severity was reported. In conclusion, an increase in HRSV cases after the Pandemic has been demonstrated with an anticipated peak, while no differences were recorded in severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coxsackieviruses (CVs) are common causes of infections and can be life-threatening. Unfortunately, rigorous studies guiding the clinician in interpreting CV serum antibody titer testing is lacking. To explore the epidemiology of circulating CVs and the serological test utility in aiding diagnosis of CV infections in our community, we obtained results of CV immunologic diagnostic tests between 2018 and 2022 from a regional healthcare database. For CV type A, rare individuals had positive CF (complement fixation) tests whereas all 16 individuals with IFA testing showed at least one positive serotype. For CV type B CF testing, 52.2% of 222 patients had at least one serotype positive, with B5 being most common and also the most common with higher titers (14.8% with ≥1:32). We found a significant reduction in seropositivity rate during the pandemic in 2020 compared to 2018, which continued through 2022 (OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.08–0.49, p-value < 0.001). During the pandemic, the seasonal pattern of positive tests varied from the pre-pandemic pattern. Testing for CVs was increased after the first year of the pandemic. Overall, the variability by month and seasonal change in our data support that CF testing can be used to identify recent CVB infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article addresses, as general problem, the risks to the right to life and health in indigenous tribes in Brazil after the SARS-COV-2 virus pandemic, especially through the cases presented to the Federal Supreme Court and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, analyzing the prospects for friendly solutions by the Brazilian government, with repercussions of the factual situation in the legal spheres of Constitutional Law and International Law, and possible legal remedies. The methodology uses theoretical and empirical research with a qualitative approach and a predominantly inductive logic, using bibliographical and documentary analysis as procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tracheal stenosis represents a fearsome complication that substantially impairs quality of life. The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic increased the number of patients requiring invasive ventilation through prolonged intubation or tracheostomy, increasing the risk of tracheal stenosis. Study design and methods: In this prospective, observational, multicenter study performed in Lombardy (Italy), we have exanimated 281 patients who underwent prolonged intubation (more than 7 days) or tracheostomy for severe COVID-19. Patients underwent CT scan and spirometry 2 months after hospital discharge and a subsequent clinical follow-up after an additional 6 months (overall 8 months of follow-up duration) to detect any tracheal lumen reduction above 1%. The last follow-up evaluation was completed on 31 August 2022. Results: In the study period, 24 patients (8.5%, CI 5.6–12.4) developed tracheal stenosis in a median time of 112 days and within a period of 200 days from intubation. Compared to patients without tracheal stenosis, tracheostomy was performed more frequently in patients that developed stenosis (75% vs 54%, p = 0.034). Tracheostomy and alcohol consumption (1 unit of alcohol per day) increased risk of developing tracheal stenosis of 2.6-fold (p = 0.047; IC 0.99–6.8) and 5.4-fold (p = 0.002; CI 1.9–16), respectively. Conclusions: In a large cohort of patients, the incidence of tracheal stenosis increased during pandemic, probably related to the increased use of prolonged intubation. Patients with histories of prolonged intubation should be monitored for at least 200 days from invasive ventilation in order to detect tracheal stenosis at early stage. Alcohol use and tracheostomy are risk factors for developing tracheal stenosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPreliminary studies suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and associated social, economic and clinical disruptions have affected pregnancy decision-making and outcomes. Whilst a few US-based studies have examined regional changes in birth outcomes during the pandemic's first months, much remains unknown of how the pandemic impacted perinatal health indicators at the national-level throughout 2020, including during the 'second wave' of infections that occurred later in the year.ObjectivesTo describe changes in monthly rates of perinatal health indicators during the 2020 pandemic for the entire US.MethodsFor the years 2015 to 2020, we obtained national monthly rates (per 100 births) for four perinatal indicators: preterm (

AbstractPurpose The aim of the study was to compare the quantity, type of glaucoma surgeries, and the disease stage before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods This was a retrospective, single-centre consecutive case series that included medical records of patients who underwent glaucoma surgery at the University Hospital in Białystok between 4 September, 2018, and 3 March, 2020 (pre-pandemic group) and compared it with patients treated between 4 March, 2020, and 4 September, 2021 (pandemic group). Adult patients with primary or secondary open-angle or closed-angle glaucoma who underwent surgery were included in this study. Finally, 534 operated eyes (362 and 172 eyes operated on before and during the pandemic, respectively) were examined.Results The number of glaucoma surgeries dropped by 50% during the pandemic compared to a similar pre-pandemic period, with a significant difference in the kind of procedure between the two groups (p

Objectives The main aim of the research in the area of management questions was to learn the respondents’ opinions on the functioning of the academy during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of developed and implemented solutions Material and methods In the study there was used the anonymous diagnostic survey method (in two language versions: Polish and English). The access to the questionnaire was available online via a link. In the article, the author presents part of the results of research conducted in 2020/2022, both among police officers and employees of Police Academy in Szczytno (n=181 people), as part of the implementation of a research task, financed by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration Results The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world. It caused a kind of stoppage, forced people to close themselves in their homes. Teaching moved to the virtual world. It affected the type and amount of interpersonal relationships. Most direct contacts had to be reduced to a minimum or ceased to exist altogether. Particularly severe and noticeable during Covid-19 pandemic was the functioning of a university such as the Police Academy in Szczytno (WSPol). The article refers in particular to the functioning of WSPol during the Covid-19 pandemic, the solutions adopted by it and the possible consequences felt by students and employees Conclusions Particular attention was paid to questions regarding the pace of changes introduced at the Academy and their assessment through the prism of the functioning of the Academy, that is solutions which, according to the respondents, should remain at the academy despite the end of the pandemic, a sense of agency and impact on the processes introduced at the Academy, and a catalogue of specific solutions used and implemented in individual organizational units of the respondents

Objectives Police Academy in Szczytno (WSPol) conducts a research task entitled “Education of (not only) uniformed services in the era of the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus pandemic causing the Covid-19 disease. Studies on ensuring continuity of education and security to entities of the university or school environment. Forms and types of re(construction) of the educational environment resulting from the pandemic situation”, financed by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. This publication presents the results of research relating to the solutions implemented at the Academy during the pandemic as good practices to be used in the event of threats e.g. related to a pandemic. Material and methods The study used the method of a diagnostic survey, where the technique of an anonymous survey with a conjunctive and disjunctive set of questions was used. The questionnaire was created in the on-line form. The link was sent by e-mail to domestic and foreign entities participating in the research. Results 15 entities were invited to participate in the research – 12 universities, including 5 Polish and 7 foreign ones, as well as 3 foreign police schools. WSPol also took part in the research. Ultimately, the research were implemented in 8 of these entities with different business profiles. 30-40% of the teaching staff and 30-40% of the managerial staff of each university were surveyed. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has affected most areas of life. As a result, Polish universities, both civilian and uniformed, had to face many challenges, such as the organization of remote work or a change in contacts with students or teachers. In connection with the above, solutions were introduced very quickly, which may have been planned in the long term, but had to be implemented as soon as possible, because the situation required it.

Abstract Background The SARS-CoV2 pandemic as well as the implementation of public health measures to decrease the spread of the virus re-sparked the call for “virtual” health or “distance” treatments. This paper aimed to assess the use of video consultations, the up-to-dateness of practice websites, and the views of GPs on whether eHealth is a positive aspect for the future of their practices in publicly -funded primary healthcare facilities in Austria. Methods The cross-sectional online questionnaire, part of the PRICOV-19 study, was conducted from December 2020 until July 2021. We randomly recruited 176 GP practices across Austria. Descriptive statistics as well as binary logistic regression models were applied to examine the associations between telemedicine use and practice factors. Results Compared with before the pandemic (3.8%), 7.6% of publicly funded GP practices have been using video consultations since the pandemic. In line with this, 93.9% of the practices had no increase in video consultation use. Fewer than half (44.3%) had an up-to-date webpage, and 27.8% assumed that the pandemic might have been a positive driver for eHealth in their practices. Positive associations with video consultation use could be found in practices with fewer patients aged 70 years and over than the average and more patients with chronic diseases than the average. Conclusion The use of video consultations in general practice and the readiness for other telemedicine approaches are both very low in Austria. Austria has to urgently follow the example of countries with a transparent and comprehensive national digital health strategy that includes video consultation. Without a proper payment system, patient inclusion, and support with regard to administrative and organizational aspects, no substantial change will occur in spite of an increase in need due to the pandemic and changes in the patient population.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to assess the importance and difficulty of particular knowledge management processes in the NPI before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The focus of interest are the issues of knowledge flow in the organization, concerning creation and exchange of knowledge and the relationship between knowledge management practices and the creation and introduction of new knowledge in NPI. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is based on structured individual interviews that were conducted with 12 employees of companies involved in NPI processes. This format allows for better understanding and assessment of KM processes and reasons for change. The interviewees were inquired directly about the importance and difficulty of the KM processes. Findings: The results have confirmed the crucial role of Knowledge Management in NPI. The processes of knowledge sharing and knowledge application are of greatest importance. The pandemic has affected knowledge flow processes; however, the perceived importance of individual KM processes during pandemic has not changed significantly, yet coding and knowledge-sharing processes require more attention. Research limitations/implications: Results may not reflect the entire NPI field due to limited number of interviewed companies. It is advisable to carry out research that will take into account the division into different areas of companies' activities and analyze other processes of knowledge management. Practical implications: The results are useful for adjusting by enterprises the KM processes to meet the changing conditions during NPIs, especially in the context of remote working. Social implications: By adapting the KM in NPI to the presented current circumstances companies may improve not only the business outcomes, but also the well-being of employees, as a results of decreasing their stress connected with inadequacy of work processes to the real requirements. Originality/value: Based on quality research, the article shows trends emerging in the KM during the NPI, which are useful for companies that run New Product Introductions, as well as for researchers by providing a starting point for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Road traffic is one of the main sources of pollution in modern cities. If there is a desire to move towards healthier cities, it may be necessary to modify the current model of mobility. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, together with the measures applied by most governments in the world to control the mobility of citizens, offered a unique opportunity to assess the changes in pollution levels after a drastic reduction in road traffic. In this study, air and noise pollution levels and road traffic flow were analyzed in the city of Cáceres, Spain, before and during the state of emergency imposed by the Spanish government. The values obtained were compared with the quality limits established by both the Spanish government and the World Health Organization (WHO). A traffic noise prediction model has been employed to evaluate the acoustic impact resulting from the reduction in traffic flow. As a result of this study, it was found that air pollution was indeed reduced due to the mobility restrictions imposed to control the pandemic, but that the WHO's recommendations for the values of the day-evening-night noise indicator (Lden) and the night-time noise indicator (Ln) for road traffic noise, which should not be exceeded, were not met. These findings highlight the need to review current urban mobility models if the WHO's recommendations are to be reached with regard to reducing the effects of exposure of the population to urban noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim : The restrictions during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had a massive impact on the daily life of the general population. In this situation, increased alcohol or tobacco consumption represented a possible coping strategy to deal with the unpleasant feelings experienced. Therefore, in this study, we examined changes in alcohol and tobacco use among smokers during the spring 2020 lockdown. Methods: Smokers aged between 18 and 80 years were eligible to participate in the anonymous online survey on changes in tobacco and alcohol consumption during the lockdown in spring 2020. The survey was available online between April 8 and May 11, 2020. Results: Out of the 913 participating smokers, 41.8 % reported smoking more during the lockdown, and 39.5 % of smokers reported drinking more alcohol than during the period before. The largest group, 22.02 % of all study participants, reported increasing both their tobacco and alcohol use during the lockdown. An increased sense of stress related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, being in the group aged between 25–34 years, and doubting the usefulness of the restriction measures increased the likelihood of a combined increase in tobacco and alcohol use. Conclusions: Based on these findings, treatment providers should alert smokers to the health risks, as a result of a combined increase in alcohol and tobacco use. In particular, the increased risk for developing alcohol dependence should be addressed and their tobacco and alcohol use behavior should be monitored to detect an alcohol use disorder early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to compare the quantity, type of glaucoma surgeries, and the disease stage before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This was a retrospective, single-centre consecutive case series that included medical records of patients who underwent glaucoma surgery at the University Hospital in Białystok between 4 September, 2018, and 3 March, 2020 (pre-pandemic group) and compared it with patients treated between 4 March, 2020, and 4 September, 2021 (pandemic group). Adult patients with primary or secondary open-angle or closed-angle glaucoma who underwent surgery were included in this study. Finally, 534 operated eyes (362 and 172 eyes operated on before and during the pandemic, respectively) were examined. The number of glaucoma surgeries dropped by 50% during the pandemic compared to a similar pre-pandemic period, with a significant difference in the kind of procedure between the two groups (p < 0.001). The most common procedures in the pre-pandemic group were Ex-Press implantation (33.7%) and trabeculectomy (31.5%). Within the pandemic group, half of the eyes underwent trabeculectomy (50.0%), followed by Preserflo microshunt (11.6%), iStent (8.7%), and transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (TSCP) (8.7%). A significant difference in the average intraocular pressure was revealed among patients who qualified for surgery. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a decrease in the number of extended antiglaucoma procedures and an increase in the number of short procedures performed, such as TSCP and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. Our study has shown the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in reducing the number of antiglaucoma procedures. The number of glaucoma surgeries dropped by 50% during the pandemic compared to those in a similar pre-pandemic period, and the type of performed procedures has changed. The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a decrease in the number of combined antiglaucoma procedures, in opposite: the number of minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries increased due to safety reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: At the beginning of the pandemic, studies showed a higher risk of severe surgical complications and mortality among patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection, which led to the suspension of elective surgery. Confinement and lockdown measures were shown to be associated with weight gain and less access to medical and surgical care in patients with obesity, with negative health consequences. To evaluate the safety of bariatric surgery during the pandemic, we compared 30-day complications between patients who underwent bariatric surgery immediately before with those who underwent bariatric surgery during the opening phase of the pandemic. Methods: Observational analytical study of a non-concurrent cohort of patients who underwent bariatric surgery in 2 periods: pre-pandemic March 1 to December 31, 2019, and pandemic March 1 to December 31, 2020. Surgical complications were defined using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Results: Pre-pandemic and pandemic groups included 256 and 202 patients who underwent primary bariatric surgery, respectively. The mean age was 37.6 + 10.3 years. The overall complication rate during the first 30 days of discharge was 7.42%. No differences between groups were observed in severe complications (pre-pandemic 1.56% vs. pandemic 1.98%, p: 0.58). No mortality was reported. Overall 30-day readmission was 3.28% with no differences between groups. Conclusion: The findings of this study did not find a difference in the rate of severe complications, nor also we report severe COVID-19 complications in this high-risk population. During the pandemic, with appropriately implemented protocol, the resumption of bariatric surgery is possible with no increased risk for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To study the impact of COVID-19 on the occurrence and course of mental illness in hospitalized elderly patients. Materials and methods. We examined 67 hospitalized patients aged 50–95 years with various mental pathologies diagnosed using ICD-10 criteria who had COVID-19 from February 2020 to December 2021. Of these, 46 patients were previously mentally ill, while 21 experienced first-onset mental disorders. Results. The group of first-onset cases was dominated by depressive episodes (F32) (42.9%), including psychotic episodes (9.5%). Organic disorders were diagnosed in 28.6% of cases, in the form of emotional lability (F06.6), organic depression (F06.3), mild cognitive impairment (F06.7), and somatogenic delirium (F05.86). Neurotic disorders were observed in 23.8% of patients, in the form of depressive reactions (F43) and panic (F41.0) and generalized (F41.1) anxiety disorders. Acute polymorphic psychosis with symptoms of schizophrenia was diagnosed (F23.1) in one case (4.8%). Diagnoses in the group of patients with previous mental illness were: affective disorders (F31, F32, F33) in 45.7%; organic disorders, including dementia (F06.3, F06.7, F00.1, F00.2) in 26.1%; schizophrenia spectrum disorders (F25, F21, F22, F20.01) in 19.6%; and neurotic somatoform disorders (F45) in 8.7%. In the acute and subacute periods of COVID-19 (≤3 months), the two groups of patients developed acute psychotic states (APS) in the form of delirium, psychotic depression, or polymorphic psychosis, in 23.3 and 30.4% of cases respectively. APS were more common in previously mentally ill patients with organic (50%) and schizophrenic (33.3%) spectrum disorders with a predominance of delirium. In the longer-term (>3 months) period of COVID-19, previously mentally ill patients also showed more frequent (60.9% and 38.1%) development of cognitive impairment (CI), especially in schizophrenic (77.8%) and organic (83.3%) disorders. CI developed twice as often after APS (89.5% and 39.6%, p < 0.001), reaching the level of dementia in 15.8% of cases. APS displayed significant associations (p < 0.05) with the development of CI (0.567733), patients' age (0.410696), and the presence of cerebrovascular insufficiency (0.404916). Conclusions. Age-related features of the mental sequelae of COVID-19 included the occurrence of acute psychosis in the acute period of infection and deterioration of cognitive activity in the longer-term stage. Patients who already had disorders of the organic and schizophrenic spectra were more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19. In this group, the occurrence of APS was a risk factor for the development of dementia, while in newly ill, affective, and neurotic patients, CI were reversible or amounted to mild cognitive disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines were demonstrated by several clinical trials which led to the first FDA/EMA approvals in 2021. Because of mass immunizations, most social restrictions were waived with effects on quality of life. Therefore, our a-priori hypothesis was that COVID-19 vaccination impacted the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients with breast and gynecological cancer. Methods: From March 15th until August 11th, 2022, fully vaccinated patients with breast and gynecological cancer treated in the oncological outpatient clinics of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany filled out a vaccine related QoL survey. Patients were asked about demographics (age, comorbidities), clinical parameters related to previous COVID-19 infections, and HR-QoL related parameters (living situation, responsibilities in everyday life). Subsequently, a questionnaire with 12 items was designed using a 5-point Likert scale (0 - strongly disagree/4 - strongly agree), covering the aspects health and therapy, social environment, participation in everyday life and overall assessment. Results: By August 11th, 2022, 108 out of 114 (94.7%) patients had received at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccine and six patients at least two doses. More than half of the surveyed patients were >55y (52.6%; mean: 55.1y, range 29-86y). Patients with breast cancer (n= 83) had early (59.0%) or metastatic cancer (41.0%); gynecological cancers (n=31) also included metastatic (54.8%) and non-metastatic cancer (45.2%). 83.3% of the patients stated that COVID-19 vaccination had a positive impact on their HR-QoL. Furthermore, 29 patients (25.4%) had undergone a COVID-19 infection. These patients reported self- limiting symptoms for a median duration of 5.9 days and no hospital admissions were registered. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that vaccination against COVID-19 was positively associated with HR-QoL in patients with breast and gynecological cancer. Furthermore, vaccinated patients who underwent COVID-19 disease experienced only self-limiting symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The SARS-CoV2 pandemic as well as the implementation of public health measures to decrease the spread of the virus re-sparked the call for "virtual" health or "distance" treatments. This paper aimed to assess the use of video consultations, the up-to-dateness of practice websites, and the views of GPs on whether eHealth is a positive aspect for the future of their practices in publicly -funded primary healthcare facilities in Austria. Methods: The cross-sectional online questionnaire, part of the PRICOV-19 study, was conducted from December 2020 until July 2021. We randomly recruited 176 GP practices across Austria. Descriptive statistics as well as binary logistic regression models were applied to examine the associations between telemedicine use and practice factors. Results: Compared with before the pandemic (3.8%), 7.6% of publicly funded GP practices have been using video consultations since the pandemic. In line with this, 93.9% of the practices had no increase in video consultation use. Fewer than half (44.3%) had an up-to-date webpage, and 27.8% assumed that the pandemic might have been a positive driver for eHealth in their practices. Positive associations with video consultation use could be found in practices with fewer patients aged 70 years and over than the average and more patients with chronic diseases than the average. Conclusion: The use of video consultations in general practice and the readiness for other telemedicine approaches are both very low in Austria. Austria has to urgently follow the example of countries with a transparent and comprehensive national digital health strategy that includes video consultation. Without a proper payment system, patient inclusion, and support with regard to administrative and organizational aspects, no substantial change will occur in spite of an increase in need due to the pandemic and changes in the patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism is the property of Termedia Publishing House and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected social patterns and consequently the prevalence of infections, such as seasonal influenza. It has been reported that invasive pneumococcal infection has markedly decreased worldwide. Method: We retrospectively investigated the bacteria cultured and isolated from 23,052 respiratory sputum samples obtained at our hospital from April 2015 to March 2022. The average patient age was 71.8 years old, with a standard deviation of 16.0 years old. There was no significant difference in the age of the patients or the female-to-male ratio between each year. The detection ratio of bacteria was analyzed in accordance with sputum quality based on the Geckler classification. Results: The detection ratio of community-acquired pneumonia pathogens such as Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae increased in parallel with the quality of the sputum, while that of hospital-acquired pneumonia pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus was not significantly affected by the quality of the sputum. The detection ratio of former pathogens in the good-quality respiratory sputum had decreased significantly since April 2020 by 60–80%, while that of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus had increased by 40–50%. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic reduced the detection ratio of H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis, and S. pneumoniae but increased that of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in the good-quality respiratory sputum from elderly patients. The influence of this selective change in isolated bacteria on the health and comorbidity of elderly patients remains to be investigated.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis is ongoing, and the elderly are still affected by the virus, sometimes with fatal consequences. The political leaders are, inter alia, focussed on protecting citizens, including this vulnerable group. This article aims to describe the response of the Norwegian political leadership, with a focus on the public health measures enacted to protect the elderly during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis in the years 2020 and 2021. This study has a descriptive qualitative research design using thematic-content analysis as a methodology to evaluate data collected from official documents, national statistics and public health documents from Norway. Statistics show that the elderly mortality rate per 100,000 person-weeks during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was 2.69 in Norway; during the second wave of the pandemic, it was 1.43. The public health measures the Norwegian political leadership instigated were more effective in containing the crisis when compared to other European countries, and this paper investigates the reasons. The results of our study provide public health policy decision-makers with insights into analytical material showing the usefulness of different measures enacted by the Norwegian government. The Norwegian government’s responses to the crisis, such as the public health measures, restrictions, social consequences for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, as well as cross-government and cross-community cooperation, will need further in-depth analysis.

Abstract Background Pregnant and postpartum women were identified as having particular vulnerability to severe symptomatology of SARS-CoV-2 infection, so maternity services significantly reconfigured their care provision. We examined the experiences and perceptions of maternity care staff who provided care during the pandemic in South London, United Kingdom – a region of high ethnic diversity with varied levels of social complexity. Methods We conducted a qualitative interview study, as part of a service evaluation between August and November 2020, using in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a range of staff (N = 29) working in maternity services. Data were analysed using Grounded Theory analysis appropriate to cross-disciplinary health research. Analysis & findings Maternity healthcare professionals provided their views, experiences, and perceptions of delivering care during the pandemic. Analysis rendered three emergent themes regarding decision-making during reconfigured maternity service provision, organised into pathways: 1) ‘Reflective decision-making’; 2) ‘Pragmatic decision-making’; and 3) ‘Reactive decision-making’. Whilst pragmatic decision-making was found to disrupt care, reactive-decision-making was perceived to devalue the care offered and provided. Alternatively, reflective decision-making, despite the difficult working conditions of the pandemic, was seen to benefit services, with regards to care of high-quality, sustainability of staff, and innovation within the service. Conclusions Decision-making within maternity care was found to take three forms – where at best changes to services could be innovative, at worst they could cause devaluation in care being delivered, and more often than not, these changes were disruptive. With regard to positive changes, healthcare providers identified staff empowerment, flexible working patterns (both for themselves and collectively as teams), personalised care delivery, and change-making in general, as key areas to capitalise on current and ongoing innovations borne out of the pandemic. Key learnings included a focus on care-related, meaningful listening and engagement of staff at all levels, in order to drive forward high-quality care and avoid care disruption and devaluation.

Abstract Numerous studies have shown the positive association between nature engagement and well‐being. During the early phases of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic, nature engagement changed dramatically as mental health and well‐being declined across the globe. This study examines how psychological connection to nature and engagement with nature in various forms is associated with well‐being during the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic. Specifically, we examine which types of nature engagement (i.e. with nearby nature, through nature excursions and media‐based) are more strongly associated with well‐being based on measures of loneliness, rumination, pandemic emotional impact and mental health. We employed a cross‐sectional online survey of adults (N = 3282) residing in the United States, 25% of whom report seldom spending time in nature. Our findings revealed that the psychological construct of connection to nature was associated with less loneliness and greater mental health. Overall, nature engagement was a consistent predictor of well‐being, but different types of activities predicted varying outcomes on our four dependent variables. Greater engagement with nearby nature during the pandemic was associated with less rumination, less pandemic emotional impact and better mental health while nature excursions (e.g. camping, backpacking) and media‐based nature engagement were associated with greater loneliness, more emotional impact from the pandemic and worse mental health. In addition, nature engagement via media was associated with greater rumination. Our findings suggest that promoting opportunities to increase engagement with and access to nearby nature is associated with better human well‐being, especially during challenging events, and should be part of a multi‐pronged approach for coping with the next public health crisis. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Abstract Background In Italy, inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) are inappropriately prescribed to provide relief in URTI symptoms. Extreme variation in ICS prescribing has been described at regional and sub-regional level. During 2020, extraordinary containment measures were implemented in attempt to halt Coronavirus, such as social distancing, lockdown, and the use of mask. Our objectives were to evaluate the indirect impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on prescribing patterns of ICSs in preschool children and to estimate the prescribing variability among pediatricians before and during the pandemic. Methods In this real-world study, we enrolled all children residing in the Lazio region (Italy), aged 5 years or less during the period 2017–2020. The main outcome measures were the annual ICS prescription prevalence, and the variability in ICS prescribing, for each study year. Variability was expressed as Median Odds Ratios (MORs). If the MOR is 1.00, there is no variation between clusters (e.g., pediatricians). If there is considerable between-cluster variation, the MOR will be large. Results The study population consisted of 210,996 children, cared by 738 pediatricians located in the 46 local health districts (LHDs). Before the pandemic, the percentage of children exposed to ICS was almost stable, ranging from 27.3 to 29.1%. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the ICS prescription prevalence dropped to 17.0% (p

This paper presents a description of the methodology developed for estimation of pathogen transmission in transport and the results of the case study application for long-distance passenger transport. The primary objective is to report the method developed and the application for case studies in various passenger transport services. The most important findings and achievements of the presented study are the original universal methodology to estimate the probability of pathogen transmission with full mathematical disclosure and an open process formula, to make it possible to take other specific mechanisms of virus transmission when providing transport services. The results presented conducted an analysis on the mechanisms of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus pathogens during the transport process, to examine the chain of events as a result of which passengers may be infected. The author proposed a new method to estimate the probability of transmission of viral pathogens using the probability theory of the sum of elementary events. This is a new approach in this area, the advantage of which is a fully explicit mathematical formula that allows the method to be applied to various cases. The findings of this study can facilitate the management of epidemic risk in passenger transport operators and government administration. It should be clearly emphasised that the developed method and estimated values are the probabilities of pathogen transmission. Estimating the probability of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pathogen is not the same as the probability of viral infection, and more so the probability of contracting COVID-19. Viral infection strongly depends on viral mechanisms, exposure doses, and contact frequency. The probability of contracting COVID-19 and its complications depends on the individual characteristics of the immune system, even with confirmed viral infection. However, it is undoubtedly that the probability of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus pathogen is the most reliable measure of infection risk, which can be estimated according to the objective determinants of pathogen transmission.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 is an extremely contagious illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2), that will keep broadly circulating and evolving. Collected evidence revealed the clinical profile of COVID-19 patients as a potential predictor of their outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the causal relationship between poor outcomes and laboratory parameters in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, in this sense observing how SARS-CoV-2 infection affects other organs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated a cohort of 133 patients, positive for SARS-CoV-2, aged between 30 to 94 years, between January 12th and April 25th, 2021. Discharge from the hospital, transferral to the ordinary ward or nursing home, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and in-hospital mortality were recorded, along with demographic, laboratory and clinical parameters. The whole sample was summarized by median (interquartile range) for quantitative data, and absolute and relative percentage frequencies for qualitative variables. Univariable logistic regression models were performed to assess the association between all the parameters of interest and COVID-19 adverse outcomes, single (in-hospital mortality) and composite (in-hospital mortality and ICU admission). Hence, a multivariable model was fitted to identify potential independent predictors of the composite outcome. The accuracy of the model was assessed through appropriate fitting indices, such as the C-statistic and Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Moreover, to detect multicollinearity, the variance inflation factor (VIF) was used. RESULTS: Our study sample had a median age of 72 years old (59.0-83.0). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (63.7%), cardiovascular disease (41.9%), diabetes (33.6%), and cerebrovascular disease (21.5%); while as the most common symptoms, we observed dry cough (32.5%), dyspnoea (50.8%), and fatigue (29.8%). Totally, 18 patients died during hospitalization (13.5%), 10 required ICU admission (7.5%), 78 (58.6%) were discharged from the hospital, and 27 (20.3%) were transferred to either ordinary wards or nursing homes. We disclosed an association of older age with both composite [OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.09; p=0.003] and single outcome [OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.04-1.16; p=0.001]. A higher oxygen saturation (SpO2) was associated with a better outcome [OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.60-0.93; p=0.009 and OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61-0.95, p=0.009]. Among laboratory parameters, higher levels of neutrophils increased the risk of a poor outcome [OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00-1.10; p=0.043]; while higher levels of lymphocytes seem associated with a better outcome [OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.88-0.99; p=0.043]. Higher levels of creatinine were associated with a higher risk of both adverse outcomes [OR 6.20, 95% CI 2.16-17.81; p<0.001 and OR 19.90, 95% CI 5.07-78.06; p<0.001, respectively]. Higher levels of sodium (Na) were associated with a higher risk of adverse events [OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.03-1.28; p=0.014 and OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.01-1.27]. Similar findings were also observed for C-reactive protein (CRP) levels [OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02; p=0.010 and OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00-1.02; p=0.024]. Conversely, being positive to IgM and IgG decreases the risk of adverse outcomes [IgM: OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.14-0.77; p=0.011 and OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.08-0.66; p=0.006. IgG: OR 0.30 95% CI 0.13-0.72; p=0.007 and OR 0.22 95% CI 0.07-0.66; p=0.007]. Hence, a multivariable model was fitted to identify potential independent laboratory predictors of the composite outcome, with laboratory parameters that showed an association with composite outcome. The model can be considered accurate according to Hosmer-Lemeshow test and C-statistic [p>0.83, C-stat=0.90]. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm that COVID-19 is a multiorgan disease. In fact, the analysis of laboratory parameters has revealed a strong relationship between poorer outcomes and multiple organ dysfunction, particularly established by higher levels of neutrophils, creatinine, sodium, and CRP. Alongside, cerebrovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease and older age supported this finding. Of note, higher levels of SpO2, and lymphocytes, as well as positivity to IgM and IgG were associated with a lower risk of a poor outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected social patterns and consequently the prevalence of infections, such as seasonal influenza. It has been reported that invasive pneumococcal infection has markedly decreased worldwide. Method: We retrospectively investigated the bacteria cultured and isolated from 23,052 respiratory sputum samples obtained at our hospital from April 2015 to March 2022. The average patient age was 71.8 years old, with a standard deviation of 16.0 years old. There was no significant difference in the age of the patients or the female-to-male ratio between each year. The detection ratio of bacteria was analyzed in accordance with sputum quality based on the Geckler classification. Results: The detection ratio of community-acquired pneumonia pathogens such as Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae increased in parallel with the quality of the sputum, while that of hospital-acquired pneumonia pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus was not significantly affected by the quality of the sputum. The detection ratio of former pathogens in the good-quality respiratory sputum had decreased significantly since April 2020 by 60–80%, while that of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus had increased by 40–50%. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic reduced the detection ratio of H. influenzae, M. catarrhalis, and S. pneumoniae but increased that of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus in the good-quality respiratory sputum from elderly patients. The influence of this selective change in isolated bacteria on the health and comorbidity of elderly patients remains to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a topic of concern, especially in high-level care departments like neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The systematic use of an "active" epidemiological surveillance system allows us to observe and analyze any changes in microbial distribution, limiting the risk of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) development. Methods: We have conducted a longitudinal observational study in the five NICUs of Palermo, comparing the "pre-pandemic period" (March 2014–February 2020) with the "pandemic" one (March 2020–February 2022). The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the cumulative prevalence of carriage from multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria in the cumulative NICUs (NICU C). Results: During the "pre-pandemic period", 9407 swabs were collected (4707 rectal, 4700 nasal); on the contrary, during the "pandemic period", a total of 2687 swabs were collected (1345 rectal, 1342 nasal). A statistically significant decrease in MDR-Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) carriage prevalence was detected during the pandemic. At the same time, there was a general worsening of the carriage of carbapenemase-forming MDR-GNB (CARBA-R+) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) during the pandemic period. A significant reduction in methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) carriage was detected too. Conclusions: The surveillance of MDRO carriage in NICUs is fundamental for limiting the social and economic burden of HAIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Contabilidade do Mestrado em Ciências Contábeis da UERJ is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of seasonal variability of insolation, the implementation of new recommendations for vitamin D supplementation (2018), and the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic lockdown (2020) on 25(OH)D concentrations in children from central Poland. The retrospective analysis of variability of 25(OH)D concentrations during the last 8 years was performed in a group of 1440 children with short stature, aged 3.0–18.0 years. Significant differences in 25(OH)D concentrations were found between the periods from mid-2014 to mid-2018, from mid-2018 to mid-2020, and from mid-2020 to mid-2022 (medians: 22.9, 26.0, and 29.9 ng/mL, respectively). Time series models created on the grounds of data from 6 years of the pre-pandemic period and used for prediction for the pandemic period explained over 80% of the seasonal variability of 25(OH)D concentrations, with overprediction for the first year of the pandemic and underprediction for the second year. A significant increase in 25(OH)D concentrations was observed both after the introduction of new vitamin D supplementation guidelines and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; however, the scale of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was still too high. Time series models are useful in analyzing the impact of health policy interventions and pandemic restrictions on the seasonal variability of vitamin D concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has continued for about three years since emerging in late December 2019, resulting in millions of deaths. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a safe and effective vaccine to control SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we developed a bacterium-like particle vaccine that displays the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) (named Trim-RBD-GEM) using the GEM-PA system. We evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the Trim-RBD-GEM vaccine with the oil-in-water adjuvant AddaVax in C57BL/6 N mice intramuscularly. We found that Trim-RBD-GEM&AddaVax induced high levels of humoral immunity in C57BL/6 N mice. Additionally, the lung virus loads in the immunized group were significantly decreased compared to the adjuvant control and mock groups. Therefore, this vaccine provides protection against lethal infection in a C57BL/6 N mouse model. Our Trim-RBD-GEM&AddaVax vaccine is potentially a promising, rapid, and safe subunit vaccine for preventing and controlling SARS-CoV-2. • A bacterium-like particle vaccine in the form of SARS-CoV-2 RBD protein trimer was constructed with a purity of over 97%. • The GEM-PA surface presentation system only requires one step of centrifugation to prepare pellet antigens. • Immunization of C57BL/6 N mice with AddaVax adjuvant induced high levels of ELISA and neutralizing antibodies. • Trim-RBD-GEM using AddaVax adjuvant provided lethal protection against C57BL/6 N after the SARS-CoV-2 challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the features of the development of the coronavirus pandemic in various countries within the framework of the predator–prey system under the external modulating effect of solar activity. It is discussed that under conditions of a global minimum of solar activity, the genetic composition of the population turned out to be the main factor of the difference in the dynamics of local SARS-Cov-2 epidemics. Countries with the highest relative mortality from coronavirus had a dominant population with haplogroup R1b. The coincidence of the dynamics of morbidity and mortality in countries with similar genetic composition, regardless of the introduction or absence of lockdown on their territory, is shown. The occurrence of self-oscillating waves in small countries with a strict lockdown in the first wave of the pandemic was revealed, which led to a significant increase in the number of victims in subsequent waves. It is discussed that for countries with haplogroup R1b, universal vaccination has reduced the level of relative mortality by 5 to 8 times. However, for countries with haplogroup N and R1a + N, by mid-2022, relative mortality increased 2 to 4 times compared to 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionSafety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines were demonstrated by several clinical trials which led to the first FDA/EMA approvals in 2021. Because of mass immunizations, most social restrictions were waived with effects on quality of life. Therefore, our a-priori hypothesis was that COVID-19 vaccination impacted the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in patients with breast and gynecological cancer.MethodsFrom March 15th until August 11th, 2022, fully vaccinated patients with breast and gynecological cancer treated in the oncological outpatient clinics of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, LMU University Hospital, Munich, Germany filled out a vaccine related QoL survey. Patients were asked about demographics (age, comorbidities), clinical parameters related to previous COVID-19 infections, and HR-QoL related parameters (living situation, responsibilities in everyday life). Subsequently, a questionnaire with 12 items was designed using a 5-point Likert scale (0 – strongly disagree/4 – strongly agree), covering the aspects health and therapy, social environment, participation in everyday life and overall assessment.ResultsBy August 11th, 2022, 108 out of 114 (94.7%) patients had received at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccine and six patients at least two doses. More than half of the surveyed patients were >55y (52.6%; mean: 55.1y, range 29-86y). Patients with breast cancer (n= 83) had early (59.0%) or metastatic cancer (41.0%); gynecological cancers (n=31) also included metastatic (54.8%) and non-metastatic cancer (45.2%). 83.3% of the patients stated that COVID-19 vaccination had a positive impact on their HR-QoL. Furthermore, 29 patients (25.4%) had undergone a COVID-19 infection. These patients reported self-limiting symptoms for a median duration of 5.9 days and no hospital admissions were registered.ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that vaccination against COVID-19 was positively associated with HR-QoL in patients with breast and gynecological cancer. Furthermore, vaccinated patients who underwent COVID-19 disease experienced only self-limiting symptoms.