COVID-19 Epidemic Period Research Articles

Liberté et autonomie à l’épreuve de la pandémie : quand protéger conduit à confiner (1) et quand libérer conduit à surveiller (2)

En France, la période épidémique de la COVID-19 a conduit du 16 mars au 11 mai 2020 à la restriction du droit de circulation des individus. Afin de respecter les procédures démocratiques, un état d’urgence sanitaire a été proclamé qui permettait sous le contrôle du parlement d’instaurer transitoirement des lois d’exception. Indépendamment de leur efficacité sanitaire sur la propagation du virus, ces mesures ont révélé des situations très contraignantes pour les résidents des établissements médico-sociaux. Paradoxalement, parmi les procédures destinées à autoriser le déconfinement de la population, des solutions de surveillance électroniques ont été mises en avant sans même que ne soit débattu leur cortège de contraintes et de risques insidieux. Ce sont deux aspects de la crise sanitaire qui sont brièvement évoqués ici.

Prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms, and association with epidemic-related factors during the epidemic period of COVID-19 among 123,768 workers in China: A large cross-sectional study

BackgroundCOVID-19 has gained intense attention globally. However, little is known about the COVID-19-ralated mental health status among workers. MethodsThe cross-sectional online survey with 123,768 workers was conducted from February 2, 2020 to February 7, 2020 on a mega-size labor-intensive factory in Shenzhen, China. Oral consent was obtained prior to the questionnaire survey. The information collected in the survey included demographic characteristics, psychological symptoms, COVID-19-related information, and demands for psychological education and interventions. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured by the Zung's Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale. Logistic regression models were performed to determine the association between related factors and mental health status. ResultsThe prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms was 3.4% and 22.8%, respectively. The dominant epidemic-related factors were having confirmed cases in the community (odds ratio [OR], 2.75, 95% CI, 2.37–3.19) and having confirmed friends (OR, 2.44; 95% CI, 1.69–3.52) for the increased risk of anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. Nevertheless, major traditional risk factors such as general or poor health status and always drinking alcohol were still the dominant factors associated with the increased risk of anxiety and depression symptoms. Overall, 67.3% and 26.8% workers reported desire for psychological education and interventions, respectively. LimitationsAll assessments were self-reported, resulting in a risk of method bias. ConclusionsOur findings show a relatively low prevalence of anxiety symptoms, a relatively high prevalence of depression symptoms, and urgent demand for psychological education and interventions among workers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Exploring the clinical association between neurological symptoms and COVID-19 pandemic outbreak: a systematic review of current literature.

ObjectThe novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-CoV-2 outbreak has been declared a pandemic in March, 2020. An increasing body of evidence suggests that patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) might have a heterogeneous spectrum of neurological symptomsMethodsA systematic search of two databases was performed for studies published up to May 29th, 2020. PRISMA guidelines were followed.ResultsWe included 19 studies evaluating 12,157 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infections. The median age of patients was 50.3 (IQR 11.9), and the rate of male patients was 50.6% (95% CI 49.2–51.6%). The most common reported comorbidities were hypertension and diabetes (31.1%, 95% CI 30–32.3% and 13.5%, 95% CI 12.3–14.8%, respectively). Headache was reported in 7.5% of patients (95% CI 6.6–8.4%), and dizziness in 6.1% (95% CI 5.1–7.1%). Hypo/anosmia, and gustatory dysfunction were reported in 46.8 and 52.3%, of patients, respectively. Symptoms related to muscular injury ranged between 15 and 30%. Three studies reported radiological confirmed acute cerebrovascular disease in 2% of patients (95% CI 1.6–2.4%).ConclusionsThese data support accumulating evidence that a significant proportion of patients with COVID-19 infection develop neurological manifestations, especially olfactory, and gustatory dysfunction. The pathophysiology of this association is under investigation and warrants additional studies, Physicians should be aware of this possible association because during the epidemic period of COVID-19, early recognition of neurologic manifestations otherwise not explained would raise the suspect of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00415-020-09978-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The role of volunteers in the radiology department of wuhan leishenshan hospital: A mini review from a single study center

This retrospective report, detailed the volunteer work of the radiology department in Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital at the COVID-19 epidemic period. Under the background of the lack of medical staff,

Blended College English Teaching Based on Online Live Classes During the COVID-19 Epidemic Period

This paper first makes an overview of blended teaching mode, and then analyzes the impact of the epidemic on college English teaching and the necessity of carrying out online live teaching. Finally, taking the current situation of online teaching in Universities in X city as an example, this paper puts forward some suggestions on Blended college English teaching based on online live teaching during the epidemic period, hoping to contribute to the improvement of teaching quality with a modest effort.

Pay Attention to Osteoporosis Prevalence in the Future After COVID-19

Currently, the widespread of COVID-19 has aroused global attention and concern. To cope with the outbreak of this epidemic, the Chinese government has implemented the measures of home confinement in mainland China timely which has achieved outstanding results. By 20:00 on 25th March, the number of people be involved with COVID-19 is reached 400,000. Many countries including Singapore, India, Czech Republic, Austria have imposed the measures of home confinement to curb the rapid spread of this pandemic. However, adhering to the home confinement measures means fewer activities and relatively limited ranges for exercises, which is considered as one of the risk factors of osteoporosis in the future. Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by reduced bone mass, deterioration of bone tissues, resulting in a high risk of fractures, which will be a public health problem that cannot be neglected in the future. The purpose of this article is to analyze and estimate the prevalence of osteoporosis in different populations including children, postmenopausal women, the elderly, and the critical COVID-19 patients who are recommended to use glucocorticoids therapy for alleviating the severe respiratory distress during the COVID-19 epidemic period under the measures of home confinement. It can be estimated that the prevalence of osteoporosis will probably be upward in the future, which calls for more attention on how to prevent and decrease the incidence.

Love in the Time of COVID-19: Sexual Function and Quality of Life Analysis During the Social Distancing Measures in a Group of Italian Reproductive-Age Women

BackgroundThe beginning of 2020 was characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The world governments have adopted restrictive measures to reduce the spread of infection. These measures could affect the sexual function and quality of life of women living with their partner. AimThe aim is to assess the impact of the social distancing measures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual function and quality of life of noninfected reproductive-age women, living with their sexual partner. MethodsObservational analysis on sexually active women, living with their partner, and without COVID-19 infection was performed. The population previously answered FSFI, FSDS, and SF-36 questionnaires. 4 weeks after the introduction of the restrictive measures, these women were invited to complete the same questionnaires by e-mail for an evaluation during the COVID-19 outbreak. Main Outcome MeasuresThe primary endpoint was the assessment of the women's sex function change during the social restriction period, by analyzing the FSFI and FSDS questionnaires. The secondary endpoint was the evaluation of the impact on the quality of life calculated by the SF-36 questionnaire. Results89 patients were considered. The median age was 39 (28–50) years. Mean sexual intercourses/month decreased from 6.3 ± 1.9 to 2.3 ± 1.8, mean difference: −3.9 ± 1.2. FSFI decreased significantly (29.2 ± 4.2 vs 19.2 ± 3.3, mean difference: −9.7 ± 2.6) and FSDS increased significantly (9.3 ± 5.5 vs 20.1 ± 5.2, mean difference: 10.8 ± 3.4). The SF-36 showed a significant change from 82.2 ± 10.2 to 64.2 ± 11.8 4 weeks after the introduction of the restrictive measures; mean difference: −17.8 ± 6.7. The univariable analysis identified working outside the home, university educational level, and parity ≥1 as predictive factors of lower FSFI. In multivariable analysis, working outside the home and combination of working outside the home + university educational level + parity ≥1 were the independent factors of a lower FSFI. Clinical ImplicationThe negative impact of the COVID-19 epidemic period on sexual function and quality of life in women shows how acute stress might affect the psychological state. Thus, psychological or sexual support could be useful. Strengths and LimitationsTo our knowledge, this study is the first that analyzes the change in sexual activity in women during the COVID-19 outbreak period. The limitations were the low number of the analyzed participants, psychological tests were not included, and no data were collected on masturbation, self-heroism, solitary, and nonpenetrative sex. ConclusionThe COVID-19 epidemic and the restrictive social distancing measures have negatively influenced the sexual function and quality of life in not-infected reproductive-age women who live with their sexual partners.Schiavi MC, Spina V, Zullo MA, et al. Love in the Time of COVID-19: Sexual Function and Quality of Life Analysis During the Social Distancing Measures in a Group of Italian Reproductive-Age Women. J Sex Med 2020;17:1407–1413.

Paediatric activities and adherence to vaccinations during the COVID-19 epidemic period in Tuscany, Italy: a survey of paediatricians.

SummaryIntroductionThe global COVID-19 pandemic is placing a heavy burden on health services. One result could be a general reduction in routine vaccination activities. In Tuscany (Central Italy), paediatricians (in agreement with the regional health service) administer and register paediatric vaccinations of their patients. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on paediatric vaccinations administered by Tuscan paediatricians, as a proxy of adherence to vaccinations during this epidemic period.MethodsFour hundred members of the Tuscany section of the Italian Federation of Paediatricians (FIMP) were invited to participate in a semi-structured online survey.ResultsDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all (98.2%) of the 223 respondents reported a general decline in outpatient paediatric visits; 65.8% reported a more than 60% reduction (144 answers) in comparison with the situation before the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 208 paediatricians (93.3%) continued to vaccinate in the period considered: 66/208 (31.7%) reported a reduction in parents’ compliance with mandatory vaccination (hexavalent and MMRV vaccines), and 88/208 (42.3%) reported a reduction in compliance with non-mandatory vaccinations. Almost all paediatricians declared having taken preventive actions to counter the spread of SARS-CoV-2.Discussion and conclusionsAlthough the majority of Tuscan paediatricians continued to vaccinate during the lock-down, some parents decided to postpone their children’s scheduled vaccinations, mainly owing to fears concerning the safety of access to health services. When Italian immunization coverage data on the first months of 2020 become available, it will be possible to assess the real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric vaccinations. It is crucial to continue vaccinating against preventable infectious diseases in order to avoid other possible epidemic outbreaks. The pandemic must not be seen as an obstacle to compliance with the vaccination schedule, but rather as an excellent opportunity to underline the importance of all recommended vaccinations.

The evaluation of online course of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Medical Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery international students during the COVID-19 epidemic period

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 epidemic period, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) course for international students of Medical Bachelor, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program in Zhejiang University has shifted from traditional classroom to online environment. This study aimed to investigate MBBS international students’ perception on online TCM course, and to assess the online learning efficacy. MethodsA total of 84 MBBS international students attending course of “Basic Traditional Chinese Medicine” during 2020 academic years at Zhejiang University were enrolled in this study. A quantitative questionnaire was respectively completed before and after the TCM course using a pretest–post-test design. By means of two online learning platforms, Learning in ZJU and DingTalk, TCM course was broadcast in both live and archived format to students. ResultsA total of 48 participants completed both baseline and follow-up questionnaires. The majority of participants preferred face-to-face classroom learning (26, 54.17% of total) when compared with online learning. Students felt that the course had brought in much benefits (mean 3.88, SD 0.87), and they were satisfied with the course content (mean 3.83, SD 0.95). Students’ TCM related knowledge and their behaviors of discussion and consulting were significantly improved by online TCM course (all P<0.001). Students’ awareness of the necessity of TCM education and their feeling of difficulty in learning TCM were significantly strengthened (P=0.042, 0.025, respectively). ConclusionOnline learning is a good alternative for TCM course of MBBS international students when classroom learning is suspended, whereas it cannot replace the need for onsite and face-to-face learning.

Saliva is a non-negligible factor in the spread of COVID-19.

SARS‐CoV‐2, a novel emerging coronavirus, has caused severe disease (COVID‐19), and rapidly spread worldwide since the beginning of 2020. SARS‐CoV‐2 mainly spreads by coughing, sneezing, droplet inhalation, and contact. SARS‐CoV‐2 has been detected in saliva samples, making saliva a potential transmission route for COVID‐19. The participants in dental practice confront a particular risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection due to close contact with the patients and potential exposure to saliva‐contaminated droplets and aerosols generated during dental procedures. In addition, saliva‐contaminated surfaces could lead to potential cross‐infection. Hence, the control of saliva‐related transmission in the dental clinic is critical, particularly in the epidemic period of COVID‐19. Based on our experience of the COVID‐19 epidemic, some protective measures that can help reduce the risk of saliva‐related transmission are suggested, in order to avoid the potential spread of SARS‐CoV‐2 among patients, visitors, and dental practitioners.

Timeline and Outcome of Anosmia and Ageusia Associated with Covid-19 Infection: A Case Report

Viral respiratory diseases can present with ageusia (hypogeusia) and anosmia (hyposmia) due to viral neurotropism, usually manifest together with other symptoms in the acute phase and have in most instances both a good and short recovery. During the epidemic period of COVID-19, doctors should consider SARS-CoV-2 infection as a differential diagnosis. Recent series reporting these neurologic manifestations do not provide information about neither the timeline, nor the outcome of these symptoms in this scenario.

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of psychological health problems in Chinese adolescents during the outbreak of COVID-19

Psychological health problems, especially emotional disorders, are common among adolescents. The epidemiology of emotional disorders is greatly influenced by stressful events. This study sought to assess the prevalence rate and socio-demographic correlates of depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. We conducted a cross-sectional study among Chinese students aged 12–18 years during the COVID-19 epidemic period. An online survey was used to conduct rapid assessment. A total of 8079 participants were involved in the study. An online survey was used to collect demographic data, assess students’ awareness of COVID-19, and assess depressive and anxiety symptoms with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire, respectively. The prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and a combination of depressive and anxiety symptoms was 43.7%, 37.4%, and 31.3%, respectively, among Chinese high school students during the COVID-19 outbreak. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that female gender was the higher risk factor for depressive and anxiety symptoms. In terms of grades, senior high school was a risk factor for depressive and anxiety symptoms; the higher the grade, the greater the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our findings show there is a high prevalence of psychological health problems among adolescents, which are negatively associated with the level of awareness of COVID-19. These findings suggest that the government needs to pay more attention to psychological health among adolescents while combating COVID-19.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00787-020-01541-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Preliminary recommendations for lung surgery during COVID-19 epidemic period.

Preliminary recommendations for lung surgery during COVID-19 epidemic period.

The Distance Teaching Practice of Combined Mode of Massive Open Online Course Micro-Video for Interns in Emergency Department During the COVID-19 Epidemic Period.

Objective:To observe and analyze the application effect of the combined mode of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) micro-video during the COVID-19 epidemic period in the distance teaching practice of interns in the emergency department.Materials and Methods:The subjects of this study were 60 trainee nurses who conducted emergency nursing practice in Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 1 to February 29, 2020. At the time of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, they were divided into two groups: (1) the experimental group (combined mode of MOOC micro-video) and (2) the control group (traditional theory teaching combined with clinical practice teaching). The differences of theoretical and practical examination scores and teaching satisfaction between the two groups were compared.Results:There was no significant difference in theoretical, practical, and total examination scores between the two groups, but in terms of teaching satisfaction, the overall satisfaction, the degree of easy understanding, the evaluation of teachers and learning results in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group, with statistical difference (p < 0.05).Conclusion:Compared with the traditional teaching methods, the effect of combined mode of MOOC micro-video in emergency nursing practice is the same as that of traditional teaching methods, but the satisfaction is higher, so it is more suitable to be used in nursing practice during the COVID-19 epidemic period, so as to effectively reduce the cross-infection between doctors, nurses, and teaching staff.

Exploring On-site Biological Evidence Collection during the Epidemic Period of COVID-19.

新型冠状病毒肺炎流行期的现场生物物证取证初探.摘 要：.法医学；法医遗传学；新型冠状病毒肺炎；现场勘验；样本；DNA提取；安全防护.

Expert consensus on principal of clinical management of patients with severe emergent cardiovascular diseases during the epidemic period of COVID-19

Expert consensus on principal of clinical management of patients with severe emergent cardiovascular diseases during the epidemic period of COVID-19

Management strategy of acute hand injury in epidemic period of COVID-19

To explore how to make the hand injury patients get timely and effective treatment under the background of COVID-19 epidemic situation, and effectively prevent the spread of the epidemic situation. Through the training of relevant knowledge for medical staff, hand trauma patients were classified according to the contact history of the epidemic situation and clinical symptoms, and the corresponding treatment plan was taken. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, hand trauma patients were treated in time and effectively, no case of infection of medical staff occurred, and no epidemic spread. Combined with the emergency management regulations of infection prevention and control in the epidemic period, this paper puts forward suggestions for the treatment of hand injury in the COVID-19 epidemic period, aiming to provide a reference for hand surgeons in dealing with hand injury in the epidemic period. Key words: Hand injuries; Pneumonia; COVID-19; Infection control

Protection of forensic scene investigation and postmortem examination during the epidemic period of COVID-19.

新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情期间法医现场勘验与尸体检验防护.摘要：.法医病理学；尸体检验；新型冠状病毒肺炎；现场勘验；防护.

Establishment and management of neurosurgery emergency observation ward during the COVID-19 epidemic period

During the COVID-19 epidemic period, the front-line antiepidemic departments have attracted much attention. However, to meet people's daily needs for the diagnosis and treatment, emergency department and intensive care unit are also the focus of work to control the source of infection, cut off the transmission route, and reduce the risk of novel coronavirus transmission while treating patients. In order to further strengthen the management, our department of neurosurgery took active measures in the emergency treatment for patients and summarized the coping strategies and relevant experience from the aspects of establishment of emergency observation wards, medical staff management, patients and family management, daily environment and object surface disinfection management, material management, and nursing quality management, hoping to provide reference for the nursing management of emergency wards after the outbreak of public health emergencies.

The application of feedforward control in the nursing emergency management of COVID-19

Objective: To explore the application of feedforward control in the nursing emergency management of COVID-19.Methods: The feedforward control theory was applied to the emergency management of COVID-19 nursing, including grasping the latest epidemic information, preparing for the early stage, formulating nursing workflow, implementing flexible management, standardizing isolation and protection measures, unifying nursing document record format, and implementing humanistic care. Results: During the period of support to Wuhan, the nursing work in the isolated area was orderly, the nursing staff's job satisfaction was high, no nursing errors and hospital infections occurred. Conclusion: Efficient feedforward control in the nursing emergency management that could avoid work blindness to a certain extent and play a guiding role in maintaining the normal operation of treatment and nursing work and protecting the safety of patients and medical staff in the ward during the epidemic period of COVID-19.