Pandemic

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant global impact, with millions of cases and deaths. Research highlights the persistence of symptoms over time (post-COVID-19 condition), a situation of particular concern in children and young people with symptoms. Social media such as Twitter (subsequently rebranded as X) could provide valuable information on the impact of the post-COVID-19 condition on this demographic. OBJECTIVE: With a social media analysis of the discourse surrounding the prevalence of post-COVID-19 condition in children and young people, we aimed to explore the perceptions of health care workers (HCWs) concerning post-COVID-19 condition in children and young people in the United Kingdom between January 2021 and January 2022...

BACKGROUND: At the beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare personnel (HCP) faced a dire shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). This shortage has been identified as a major source of distress among HCP during the early COVID-19 pandemic, though the specific consequences of this shortage have not been identified in the qualitative literature. METHODS: We sought to fill this gap by conducting a qualitative analysis of PPE related free-text comments from online surveys completed by 923 HCP during Spring 2020...

In this study, the genetic differences and clinical impact of the carbapenemase-encoding genes among the community and healthcare-acquired infections were assessed. This retrospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted in Colombia and included patients infected with carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative rods between 2017 and 2021. Carbapenem resistance was identified by Vitek, and carbapenemase-encoding genes were identified by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to classify the alleles and sequence types (STs)...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused some individuals to experience vicarious traumatization (VT), an adverse psychological reaction to those who are primarily traumatized, which may negatively impact one's mental health and well-being and has been demonstrated to vary with personal trauma history. The neural mechanism of VT and how past trauma history affects current VT remain largely unknown. This study aimed to identify neurobiological markers that track individual differences in VT and reveal the neural link between childhood cumulative trauma (CCT) and VT...

Quality of care in assisted living communities (ALCs) is important to consumers. The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and associated emergency policies have posed major challenges on staff recruitment and retention. This study aimed to examine the relationship between organizational characteristics of ALCs in Florida and challenges with staff absence during COVID-19 ( N  = 129 ALCs). Results indicated that structures (provision of memory care services), processes of care (challenges hiring new staff, staff sent home to comply with precautions, and staff anxiety), and local COVID-19 positivity rate were significantly associated with staff absence due to fear of infection, sickness, or family responsibilities...

Objective: Analyze the association between race and surgery performed for uterine fibroids during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Retrospective exploratory cross-sectional study of patients with fibroids who underwent surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic. We compared the type of surgery performed (minimally invasive hysterectomy [MIH], uterine-sparing procedure [USP], or total abdominal hysterectomy [TAH]) by White versus non-White patients. Absolute percentage differences were estimated with multinomial logistic regression adjusting for age, body mass index (BMI), parity, comorbidities, and maximum fibroid diameter...

AIMS: To describe how workplace violence (WPV) is experienced by nurses in hospitals and community services and identify protective and risk factors. METHODS: An online cross-sectional national study was conducted from January to April 2021 in Italy. Hospitals and community services were involved in the study. The survey combined the adapted and validated Italian version of the Violence in Emergency Nursing and Triage (VENT) questionnaire, which explores the episodes of WPV experienced during the previous 12 months, the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index (PES-NWI) and some additional questions about staffing levels extracted from a previous RN4CAST study...

<b><br>Introduction:</b> Skin cancers constitute a group of medical disorders remaining a field of interest for surgeons and dermatologists. Currently, this group is typically divided into malignant melanoma (MM) and keratinocyte cancers (KC).</br> <b><br>Aim:</b> The aim of this study is to analyze the cases of skin cancers treated in the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery in Lodz (Poland) during the COVID-19 pandemic (from 2020 to 2022) and then compare the results with the ones from the pre-pandemic period (from 2017 to 2019)...

PURPOSE: Evidence of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer prevention and control is growing, but little is known about patient-level factors associated with delayed care. We analyzed data from a survey focused on Iowan cancer patients' COVID-19 experiences in the early part of the pandemic. METHODS: Participants were recruited from the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center's Patients Enhancing Research Collaborations at Holden (PERCH) program...

Migration research poses several unique challenges and opportunities. Conducting ethical global health practice, especially when studying migrant mental health, is of particular concern. This article explores seven challenges and lessons learned in our mixed-methods study conducted to assess the impact of the migration experience on Haitian migrants' mental health in Santiago, Chile. The primary challenges were recruiting in a highly mobile population, building trust and community participation, overcoming language barriers, safety considerations during the Covid-19 pandemic, mitigating potential negative impacts of research on the community, providing psychological support, and finding meaningful ways to benefit the community...

This paper explores the concept of "community-engaged research" (CEnR) within the context of Veteran health care delivery and reintegration programs. A multi-sector expert panel (msExP) was formed to evaluate and make recommendations on Veteran community reintegration research and programs. The panel consisted of Veterans, care partners, clinical providers, researchers, community stakeholders, and subject matter experts. The paper examines the composition and lifecycle of the panel, highlighting the characteristics and experiences of the participants...

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of adolescent nicotine vaping declined substantially after the COVID-19 pandemic onset in the U.S. during the Spring of 2020. This study examines whether the decline continued from 2022 to 2023, and the extent to which any decline reflects the lasting influence of lowered levels of initiation three years earlier, at the onset of the pandemic. METHODS: Data for this study come from nationally-representative, cross-sectional surveys of U...

A 45-year-old male with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome presented with vision loss in his right eye after discontinuing treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was found to have bullous retinal detachment (RD) in the right eye and was started on subcutaneous adalimumab with oral corticosteroid following three doses of pulse corticosteroid. But when RD did not resolve after 4 months of treatment and ultrasound B scan showed bullous RD with retino-retinal adhesion, he was planned for surgical intervention...

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of nursing and social work students who were taking courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group discussions gave students a chance to express the pandemic's effects on their education and life. Methods: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach using Van Manen's Four Lifeworld Existentials guided this study. Using an open-ended format, interviews were conducted in 6 small groups ranging from 2 to 9 individuals, in person or via Zoom...

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the everyday and exceptional challenges for mothers. Rarely, however, did research or social commentary acknowledge the multiplicities of motherhood during this prolonged period of risk, disruption, and uncertainty. This paper draws upon interviews with 24 mothers living in Aotearoa New Zealand during the pandemic, including women who were pregnant and gave birth during lockdowns, teenage mothers, single and low-income mothers, and working mothers. The sample was intentionally diverse, including Māori, Pacific, Asian and migrant mothers...

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted healthcare services globally, with particular challenges observed in maternal and child health (MCH) care. This study aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on MCH services in northern India, focusing on key government programs. METHODS: Data were collected from four major MCH programs in India: Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), and the Universal Immunization Program (UIP)...

COVID-19, also known as coronavirus disease 2019, is an extremely contagious viral sickness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). After the first cases of this primarily respiratory viral illness were recorded in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in late December 2019, SARS-CoV-2 rapidly disseminated across the globe. Consequently, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic. The rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus, coupled with subsequent lockdowns and social distancing measures, profoundly disrupted traditional healthcare delivery systems...

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, infants who are HIV-exposed are tested for HIV at birth and 10 weeks of age. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions resulted in reduced access to healthcare services and uncertain impact on early infant HIV testing. OBJECTIVES: To describe the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions on early infant HIV testing and diagnosis in Cape Town, South Africa. METHOD: This retrospective cohort study compares HIV-exposed infants born during the first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown (2020) to those born in the same period the year before (2019)...

BACKGROUND: After the Chinese government announced the end of the dynamic zero-COVID policy on January 8, 2023, the COVID-19 pandemic peaked. Frontline nursing staff are at high risk of infection transmission due to their frequent contact with COVID-19 patients. In addition, due to the ending of China's dynamic zero-COVID policy, frontline nursing staff have grappled with increased workload, fatigue, and more. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of insomnia symptoms in frontline nursing staff and its influencing factors following the end of the policy...

BACKGROUND: Estimating the global influenza burden in terms of hospitalization and death is important for optimizing prevention policies. Identifying risk factors for mortality allows for the design of strategies tailored to groups at the highest risk. This study aims to (a) describe the clinical characteristics of hospitalizations with a diagnosis of influenza over five flu seasons (2016-2017 to 2020-2021), (b) assess the associated morbidity (hospitalization rates and ICU admissions rate), mortality and cost of influenza hospitalizations in different age groups and (c) analyze the risk factors for mortality...