关键词： agenda-setting   emergency politics   European Commission   European Council   2015-2016 migration crisis   COVID-19 pandemic   >   INTERGOVERNMENTALISM  

摘要： Over the past decades, 'emergency politics' has become a quasi-permanent feature of the European Union (EU). According to some, this has reinforced the trend towards a greater role for the European Council (EUCO) in EU agenda-setting, to the detriment of the European Commission (Commission). In this article, this claim is critically assessed by analysing two major crises: the 2015-2016 migration crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. By systematically tracing the various agenda-setting roles played by EU actors in these crises, two claims are made. First, using a more fine-grained typology of agenda-setting roles, the relationship between EUCO and the Commission is shown to be more nuanced than is often suggested. Second, EUCO and the Commission cannot be considered monolithic players. Instead, actors within these institutions operate outside of formal channels to purse their own policy goals. This puts in doubt the usefulness of focussing on the EUCO-Commission relationship in a purely inter-institutional sense.

摘要： Objective Investigate the acute impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures implemented in March 2020 on a comprehensive range of perinatal outcomes. Study design National registry-based quasi-experimental study. Methods We obtained data from the Dutch Perinatal Registry (2010–2020) which was linked to multiple population registries containing sociodemographic variables. A difference-in-discontinuity approach was used to examine the impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on various perinatal outcomes. We investigated preterm birth incidence across onset types, alongside other perinatal outcomes including low birth weight, small-for-gestational-age, NICU admission, low-APGAR-score, perinatal mortality, neonatal death, and stillbirths. Results The analysis of the national-level dataset revealed a consistent pattern of reduced preterm births after the enactment of COVID-19 mitigation measures on March 9, 2020 (OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.68–0.96). A drop in spontaneous preterm births post-implementation was observed (OR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.62–0.98), whereas no change was observed for iatrogenic births. Regarding stillbirths (OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.46–1.95) our analysis did not find compelling evidence of substantial changes. For the remaining outcomes, no discernible shifts were observed. Conclusions Our findings confirm the reduction in preterm births following COVID-19 mitigation measures in the Netherlands. No discernible changes were observed for other outcomes, including stillbirths. Our results challenge previous concerns of a potential increase in stillbirths contributing to the drop in preterm births, suggesting alternative mechanisms.

关键词： COVID-19   ARDS   Sex   Mechanical Ventilation   ECMO  

摘要： Highlights·Differences in the clinical course of intensive care unit (ICU) admitted male and female patients with serve coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not been investigated. ·We aimed to investigate, in a large global population of ICU admitted COVID-19 patients, the impact of sex on ICU mortality and complications. ·Males experienced critical illness that was protracted and required intervention more often than females. ·Males had higher odds of developing cardiac arrest and pulmonary embolism, as a complication of COVID-19. ·Future investigators ought to evaluate sex-differences in the long-term recovery of patients admitted to ICU with COVID-19.

关键词： COVID-19  

摘要： Social capital (SC) is a key factor of social resilience and is crucial for effective crisis response and recovery. The unprecedented levels of social distancing measures during the global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic limited social interactions and restricted traditional support channels. This has raised the question of whether such measures may have negatively impacted SC. However, few studies have analyzed SC changes over time, in representative samples and during pandemic contexts. This study assessed SC changes during the COVID-19 pandemic among representative groups of adults living in Singapore (total n=3,774) and Switzerland (total n=4,115), respectively. We assessed changes in SC, specifically in horizontal SC (i.e., ties between individuals) and vertical SC (i.e., ties between individuals and decision makers), between June 2020 and July 2021. Respondents were recruited from Qualtrics' panels by employing quota sampling according to Singapore's and Switzerland's population censuses. Key results show that the overall horizontal SC increased significantly (although modestly) in both countries. Overall vertical SC increased significantly (also modestly) in Singapore and had no significant change in Switzerland. All analyses were performed in R software (version 4.2.2). Thus, despite social distancing measures, horizontal SC and vertical SC indicators remained stable in both countries. Further studies may be warranted to determine the causal pathways involved in retaining SC in pandemic settings. © 2024 This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license,.

摘要： The most destructive period the world has experienced seems to be behind us. Not a single nation was spared by this disease, and many continue to struggle today. Even after recovering from COVID, patient may continue to experience some post-COVID effects, such as heart irregularities or a decline in lung vitality. In the past three years (2019–2022), the world has witnessed the power of a small entity, a single peculiar virus. Science initially appeared to be helpless in this regard, but due to the emergence of disease, pharmaceutics (the development of anti-covid drugs), immunology (the rapid antigen test), microbiology (the isolation of viruses from infected people), biotechnology (the development of recombinant vaccines), biochemistry (the blood profile, the D-dimer test), and biochemistry (blood profile, D-dimer test), biophysics (PCR, RT-PCR, CT Scan, MRI) had worked together to fight the disease. The results of these efforts are the development of new diagnostic techniques, possible treatment and finally the availability of vaccines against COVID-19. However, it is not proven that the treatment through the traditional medical system is directly active on SARS-CoV-2 but is instead indirectly acting on SARS-CoV-2 effects by improving symptoms derived from the viral disease. In India, the traditional system of medicine and tradition knowledge together worked in the pandemic and proved effective strategies in prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2. The use of effective masks, PPE kits, plasma therapy, yoga, lockdowns and social seclusion, use of modern antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibodies, herbal remedies, homoeopathy, hygienic practice, as well as the willpower of people, are all contributing to the fight against COVID. Which methods or practices will be effective against COVID nobody is aware since medical professionals who wear PPE kits do not live longer, and some people in India who remained unprotected and roamed freely were not susceptible to infection. T

关键词： Basic sanitation   COVID-19 incidence   XGBoost   Philippines   LASSO   Pandemic   SPREAD  

摘要： New cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are continually being recorded worldwide, despite global efforts in implementing non-pharmaceutical interventions and establishing vaccination programs. This trend highlights the need to identify the factors associated with the continued spread of COVID-19. The World Health Organization recommends hand washing as a cost-effective intervention for preventing COVID-19, indicating that water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) are central to the prevention of the disease. However, low- and middle-income countries lack adequate access to WaSH, which increases the risk of contracting COVID-19. The aim of this study was to identify the WaSH factors associated with the incidence of COVID-19 and quantitatively estimate the effects of improvements in WaSH on reducing the incidence of COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic. Lasso regression and extreme gradient boosting models were used to identify the WaSH factors. Distinct estimation models were developed to assess the effect of WaSH in rural regions under two assumptions: increasing regional basic sanitation coverage up to 25 % and 50%. The reduction in the incidence of COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic was calculated for each rural region. The results of the analyses indicated that basic sanitation is important for reducing the incidence of COVID-19 in rural regions compared to urban regions in the Philippines. In addition, the results suggested that increasing basic sanitation coverage could reduce the incidence of COVID-19 by 2-66 %, alleviating the burden on healthcare facilities. This study indicates that improved basic sanitation infrastructure are needed in rural Philippines. The results of this study emphasise the significance of WaSH as an indicator of COVID-19 incidence, highlighting the need for its enhancement to enable the achievement of sustainable disease prevention and pandemic preparedness goals.

关键词： Long-COVID   SARS-COV-2   Dysautonomia   Fatigue   Depression  

摘要： Introduction Long-COVID is a multisystem disease characterized by a varied presentation of symptoms. According to most recent research, the most common symptom of long-COVID is fatigue, which up to this date lacks a universally accepted definition. This study aimed to investigate neurocognitive and physical manifestations of neurological long-COVID, particularly fatigue and its relation with autonomic disfunction, cognitive impairment (known as, brain fog), and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the study provided insights into predictors of fatigue in long-COVID. Methods The included patients (n=141) were referred to the neuro-long-COVID ambulatory service of Trieste from 30 September 2021–02 March 2022. Patients were given self-reporting questionnaires to screen for fatigue, autonomic dysfunction, cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms. The questionnaires adopted for these conditions to be assessed were Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), COMPASS-31, Prospective-Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Participants were divided into two groups, fatigued and non-fatigued patients, based on FSS scoring (scores > 4.67 indicate fatigued patients). The questionnaire scores of the two groups were then compared. Results Fatigued patients had significantly higher scores in COMPASS (p<0.001, Cohen’s d=1.077), BDI (p<0.001, Cohen's d=0.862), and PRMQ ( p<0.001, Cohen's d=1.159). Furthermore, the multivariate regression analysis showed that predictors of fatigue in long-COVID were symptomatological burden in acute infection (OR=1.38, 95 % CI 1.020–1.887, p=0.037) and in long-COVID (OR=1.78, 95 % CI 1.133–2.2824, p=0.013), COMPASS-31>16 (OR=3.44, 95 % CI 1240–9.560, p=0.018) and BDI>15 (OR=5.1, 95 % CI 1.715–15.164, p=0.003). Conclusion This study showed associations between fatigue, dysautonomia and depression, as well as with symptom burden in acute and long-COVID.

摘要： The antiviral therapy favipiravir (FAV) has shown some promise in controlling COVID-19, principally in its early stages. Prednisolone (PRED), which can prevent or reduce COVID-19 outcomes like ARDS and cytokine storms, can co-administer with FAV in the cure of COVID-19 to address both the viral infection and the inflammatory response that can occur in severe cases of the disease. A novel, sensitive, and ecological UPLC method was developed for the simultaneous analysis of the COVID-19 antiviral FAV, in conjunction with PRED, using rats as an animal model for the first time. The goal of this approach was to reduce environmental consequences while increasing the method efficiency. The developed method relied on the central composite design of experiments (DOE) tool, optimizing it for peak resolution and analysis time. We identified vital method parameters in detail and used a two-level, two-factor central composite design to assess the optimal conditions for achieving the maximum resolution within the shortest run time. The stationary phase was a Waters ACQUITY UPLC® BEH C8 column. The developing system was a 95:5 (v/v) mixture of acetonitrile and distilled water, and the flow rate was 0.18 mL/min. We detected FAV at 320 nm and used 30.00 µg/mL of bromohexine (BHX) as an internal standard after achieving the ideal chromatographic parameters using the desirability function. The novel bio-analytical method was validated by FDA recommendations. The linearity was attained in the 2.0–30.0 μg/mL range. The pharmacokinetic study of FAV was performed first administering it singly and then comparing its pharmacokinetics when used concurrently with PRED in rats. Results showed that PRED dramatically increased the distribution of FAV, resulting in a significant decrease in its maximum plasma concentration. Additionally, it shortened the time needed to attain the highest plasma concentration (1 h instead of 1.5 h). Innovative assessment and evaluation tools, such as Eco-scale, An

关键词： Cancer   COVID-19   NICE   Immunosuppression   Immunotherapy   Immune checkpoint inhibitors  

摘要： Background The COVID-19 global pandemic placed unprecedented pressure on cancer services, requiring new interim Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatments (SACT) options to mitigate risks to patients and maintain cancer services. In this study we analyse interim COVID-19 SACT therapy options recommended in England, evaluating the evidence supporting inclusion and delineating how these have been integrated into routine cancer care. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of interim Systemic Anti-Cancer Treatments endorsed by NHS England during the COVID-19 pandemic. Interim therapy options were compared to baseline (replacement) therapies by comparing data from the key pivotal trial(s) in terms of clinical efficacy and potential benefits (e.g., reduced immunosuppression or improved adverse effect profile) within the context of the pandemic. Furthermore, we evaluated the evolution of these interim SACT options, exploring if these have been integrated into current treatment pathways or are no longer accessible at the pandemic end. Findings 31 interim oncology treatment options, across 36 indications, for solid cancers were endorsed by NHS England between March 2020 and August 2021. Interim therapies focused on the metastatic setting (83%; 30/36), allowing greater utilisation of immune checkpoint inhibitors (45%; 14/31) and targeted therapies (26%; 8/31), in place of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Overall, 36% (13/36) of therapies could not have efficacy compared with baseline treatments due to a paucity of evidence. For those which could, 39% (9/23) had superior efficacy (e.g., overall survival), 26% (6/23) had equivocal efficacy and 35% (8/23) lower efficacy. 53% (19/36) of interim therapies had better or equivocal toxicity profiles (when assessable), and/or were associated with reduced immunosuppression. Almost half (47%; 17/36) of interim therapies did not have UK market authorisation, being classified as ‘off label’ use. Analysing access to interim options at the end of the pa

摘要： The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing disparities in various societies. This study investigates disparities among racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups in Hong Kong's society in COVID-19 infection rates and lockdown enforcement practices that was imposed 545 times from January 2021 to September 2022 and affected 9% of the population. It is found that neighborhoods with more white individuals had lower infection rates than the overall population, while those with more ethnically minoritized groups had higher infection rates. Furthermore, hit rate tests reveal that the government targeted more neighborhoods with a higher share of individuals from linguistically minoritized groups. This novel finding suggests that not only race, but linguistic difference of the same ethnicity can cause bias. The study highlights the positive impact of providing ethnic support services on health outcomes in neighborhoods with a higher share of individuals from ethnically minoritized groups.