关键词： COVID-19   Mask wearing recommendation   Health policy   Counterfactual   Mathematical model   INTERVAL  

摘要： Despite the global implementation of COVID-19 mitigation measures, the disease continues to maintain transmission. Although mask wearing became one of the key measures for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 early in the pandemic period, many countries have relaxed the mandatory or recommended wearing of masks. The objective of the present study was to estimate the epidemiological impact of removing the mask-wearing recommendation in Japan. We developed a model to assess the consequences of declining mask-wearing coverage after the government revoked its recommendation in February 2023. The declining mask-wearing coverage was estimated using serial cross-sectional data, and a mathematical model was devised to determine the age-specific incidence of COVID-19 using the observed case count in Tokyo from week of October 3, 2022 to October 30, 2023. We explored model-based counterfactual scenarios to measure hypothetical situations in which the mask-wearing coverage decreases or increases relative to the observed coverage. The results show that mask-wearing coverage declined from 97% to 69% by the week of October 30, 2023, and that if the mask-wearing recommendation had continued, 427 lives could have been saved in Tokyo. If the mask-wearing coverage had declined to 25% of the observed level, the model suggests there might have been 1587 additional deaths. Thus, revoking the mask-wearing recommendation had a substantial epidemiological impact. In future pandemics, our proposed approach could provide a realtime quantification of the effects of relaxing countermeasures. (c) 2024 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://***/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

关键词： Informal care   Formal home care   COVID-19   Stringency Index   SHARE  

摘要： The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the supply of formal and informal home care to older adults in many countries across the world. This study aims to compare the initial picture of how the supply of formal and informal home care to older adults in European countries and Israel changed during the first pandemic year (from mid-2020 to mid-2021) and to examine the changes that these countries made in the provision of adequate care to older adults. Using data from the two COVID-19 waves of SHARE, we show that the provision of formal home care services improved in the investigated period, as in 2021 the share of those who reported difficulties in receiving formal home care dropped significantly compared to the previous year. By contrast, informal care provision patterns experienced a growing polarization, with some countries continuing in reporting a strong support from this source, and others moving towards a remarkable reduction in the help coming from informal networks. These findings can serve as a basis for the development of evidence-based recommendations that can inform future care policies at the national level and to implement more sustainable models for older adults living in the community.

关键词： Coronavirus  

摘要： In December 2019, a novel coronavirus SARS CoV-2 caused COVID-19 in more than 200 countries. The infection had high mortality and morbidity rates with no specific approved antiviral drugs. Isolation, appropriate hygiene measures, and treatment were the most efficient ways to prevent infections. Interestingly, plants, sponges, corals, and microorganisms remain a plentiful source of natural bio-actives for treating different human illnesses and COVID-19. We herein retrieved literature from ***, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar relevant to anti-COVID-19 metabolites by searching with the keywords "SARS-CoV-2" and "Bio-actives from plants/marine invertebrates/microbes" till November 2023. The study briefly covered SARS-CoV-2, its variants, therapeutics, and intervention for COVID-19 infection. This study also aimed to develop low-calorie probiotic-rich fermented ginger beer and fruit juices to use as an immunity booster to fight against multiple viral infections. Only literature pertinent to the topic was included, and those not available as full text and duplicate sources with similar titles and content were excluded. The comprehensive findings of the present study are essential to make national-level policy decisions on both beneficiaries of natural bio-actives to improve health by consuming herbal low-calorie fermented products during such needy hours. © 2024, The Author(s).

关键词： COVID-19   Gestational diabetes   O'Sullivan test   Lockdown   GLYCATION END-PRODUCTS   GLUCOSE-TOLERANCE   PREVALENCE   PROTEINS   CRITERIA   HYPERGLYCEMIA   STRESS   TRENDS   AGES  

摘要： Objective: To analyze the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on serum glucose levels of pregnant women. Design: A retrospective analysis of O'Sullivan test in pregnant women who underwent COVID-19 lockdown compared to controls. Site: Poniente Primary Health Care center in C & oacute;rdoba (Spain). Participants: 235 pregnant women from 23+0 to 25+0 weeks of gestation without diabetes mellitus. Interventions: Gestational diabetes mellitus screening with O'Sullivan test and 3-h oral glucose tolerance test. Main measurements: Pregnant women who underwent gestational diabetes mellitus screening with O'Sullivan test before (control group) and during COVID-19 Lockdown (Lockdown group) in C & oacute;rdoba (Spain) were investigated. Lockdown group was divided in early and late lockdown. An additional, control group from data of the same months of the Lockdown in the previous year were recorded to discarded seasonally (adjusted seasonally control) this group was also divided in early and late seasonally adjusted. A logistic regression model for O'Sullivan test has been performed to analyze potential cofounders. Kolgomorov-Smirnov and Kruskal-Wallis test comparing pregnant women who underwent COVID-19 lockdown with the two types of controls.

关键词： Government   Social networking (online)   Pandemics   COVID-19   Risk management   Collaboration   Buildings   Intentions to continue interacting   risk perception   sense of community   social government   trust   RISK PERCEPTION   HEALTH CRISIS   MEDIA   COMMUNICATION   ENGAGEMENT   COMMUNITY   CITIZENS   TWITTER   SENSE   H1N1  

摘要： This article investigates previously unexamined elements of the impact of trust in Social Government (s-government) on people's sense of community responsibility and their willingness to continue interacting with them during pandemic crises. It also examines the influence of the sense of community and risk perception on intentions to continue interacting. Data were obtained from 493 participants using an online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling was employed for analyzing the data and testing the research model. The findings confirm the impact of trust in s-government on the sense of community, risk perception, and citizens' willingness to continue interacting with s-government. The findings also show that risk perception and sense of community significantly impact people's intentions to continue interacting. The results show that trust in s-government accounts for 37.5% of variances of risk perception. Trust in s-government and risk perception explain 51.7% of variances of sense of community. The results also show that trust in s-government, sense of community, and risk perception predict 52.5% of variances of citizens' intentions to continue interacting with s-government. Our article adds valuable insights to the literature of s-government, trust, sense of community, and risk perception during unprecedented crises. It also presents valuable guidance for public administrators developing active s-government solutions during pandemics.

关键词： Foreign direct investment   Macroeconomic factors   Panel estimations   Turbulent times   Internal and external stabilities   DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES   PANEL-DATA   IMPACT   FDI   MODELS   CRISIS   POLICY  

摘要： The study investigates the macroeconomic determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) in emerging economies in turbulent times, taking the case of COVID'19 pandemic. Fifteen (15) countries were included for empirical investigations and the period of investigation spans 2019q1-2023q2 and the analytical framework is the Wang and Wong (2007) model. With recourse to various data stability tests, the panel system generalized method of moment is adopted as the technique of analysis to obtain optimal identification solution and address inherent problems of endogeneity and heterogeneity in estimations. For robustness, the sample was decomposed into two; emerging economies with history of high and low FDI receipts respectively. The results obtained show the sensitivity of macroeconomic determinants to these disaggregation and that lag counterparts of these variables play significant roles. The results further suggests that FDI is a substitute for real gross domestic product in emerging economies with history of high FDI receipts.

关键词： S. aureus   COVID-19   Coinfection   SCCmec   Spa types   BACTERIAL COINFECTION   INFLUENZA   INFECTIONS   CHILDREN  

摘要： Background Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) associated with COVID-19 has not been well documented. This cross-sectional study evaluated the association between nasal S. aureus carriage and COVID-19. Methods and results Nasopharyngeal samples were collected from 391 participants presenting for COVID-19 test in Lagos, Nigeria, and S. aureus was isolated from the samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was done by disc diffusion method. All S. aureus isolates were screened for the presence of mecA, panton-valentine leucocidin (PVL) and toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST) virulence genes by polymerase chain reaction. Staphylococcal protein A (spa) typing was conducted for all the isolates. Participants with COVID-19 had double the prevalence of S. aureus (42.86%) compared to those who tested negative (20.54%). A significant association was seen between S. aureus nasal carriage and COVID-19 (p = 0.004). Antimicrobial sensitivity results showed resistance to oxacillin (100%), cefoxitin (53%), and vancomycin (98.7%). However, only 41% of the isolates harbored the mecA gene, with SCCmecV being the most common SCCmec type. There was no association between the carriage of virulence genes and COVID-19. A total of 23 Spa types were detected, with t13249 and t095 being the two most common spa types. Conclusion This study examined the association between nasal S. aureus carriage and SARS-COV-2 infection. Further research is required to fully explore the implications of S. aureus co-infection with COVID-19.

关键词： Bond yields   Convergence   Covid-19   EU   Government responses   G12   I18   SPREADS   PERSISTENCE  

摘要： This paper aims to investigate the convergence pattern of sovereign bond yields in European Union (EU) countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. To this purpose we employ the Phillips and Sul convergence methodology. We further test whether the above pattern was affected by the intensity of government responses against the Covid-19 dispersion. Our findings indicate the existence of two convergence clubs. Both clubs are composed of countries that have previously been classified as either 'core' or 'periphery' countries, indicating that in this particular health crisis, this classification is too simplistic. Moreover, our results suggest that the intensity of Covid-19 containment policies had little to no effect in shaping the convergence pattern of sovereign bond yields in the EU. These conclusions are robust even after accounting for the size of the fiscal sector of each country.

关键词： miR155-5p   miR200c-3p   COVID-19   miRNA biomarkers   SARS-CoV-2 post mass-vaccination   Immune response   IMMUNE-RESPONSE   EXPRESSION   INFECTION   CYTOKINE  

摘要： Background Mass vaccination and natural immunity reduced the severity of COVID-19 cases. SARS-CoV-2 ongoing genome variations imply the use of confirmatory serologic biomarkers besides PCR for reliable diagnosis. MicroRNA molecules are intrinsic components of the innate immune system. The expression of miR155-5p and miR200c-3p was previously correlated with SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. This case-control study was conducted during the third peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt and aimed to calculate the accuracy of miR155-5p and miR200c-3p as biomarkers for COVID-19. Methods and results Thirty out of 400 COVID-19 patients at a main University hospital in Alexandria were included in the study along with 20 age-matched healthy controls. Plasma samples were collected for total and differential CBC. Relative quantitation of miR155-5p and miR200c-3p expression from WBCs was done by RT-qPCR. The expression of miR155-5p and miR200c-3p was positively correlated and was significantly downregulated in COVID-19 patients compared to the healthy control group (p < 0.005). Both miR155-5p and miR200c-3p were of 76% and 74% accuracy as diagnostic biomarkers of COVID-19, respectively. Regarding the differentiation between mild and moderate cases, their accuracy was 80% and 70%, respectively. Conclusions miR155-5p and miR200c-3p expression can be used to confirm the diagnosis of COVID-19 and discriminate between mild and moderate cases, with a moderate degree of accuracy.

关键词： COVID-19   Blue health   Risk perception   Accessibility   Wellbeing   Pandemic response   THERAPEUTIC LANDSCAPES   ECOSYSTEM SERVICES  

摘要： The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread repercussions, affecting all aspects of society, from global economics to everyday social interactions. Due to the significant uncertainty caused by the pandemic, many individuals sought solace from nature. Freshwater environments, or inland blue spaces, are one type of natural environment that may have acted as a vital public health resource for communities during the pandemic. This research used semi-structured interviews combined with narrative analysis to capture detailed insight into the impact of, and nuanced benefits and challenges associated with, accessing inland blue spaces over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants from a range of backgrounds across Scotland were involved to determine the influence of their health and 'shielding' status on inland blue space experiences. In the initial stages of the pandemic, those who were taking shielding precautions described experiencing a heightened awareness of, and anxiety towards, other users of inland blue spaces. However, across the sample, individuals emphasised the overall beneficial impact of accessing freshwater areas for maintaining mental and physical wellbeing levels during the pandemic. Positive health outcomes were achieved through participating in a wide range of leisure and recreational opportunities at inland blue spaces. The research further justifies the value of accessing inland blue spaces and demonstrates the benefits of integrating access and exposure to natural environments into future pandemic response strategies. The qualitative insight also highlights the need for context-specific landscape management strategies to promote blue space access across user groups and address existing environmental inequalities.