Prolonged COVID-19 Research Articles

S692 Prolonged COVID-19 Associated Gastrointestinal Manifestations

S692 Prolonged COVID-19 Associated Gastrointestinal Manifestations

A Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Approach to Chronic Pain Patients in the Post-COVID-19 Era

BACKGROUND: The global health care system has been shaken by the unprecedented pandemic. Chronic pain management has suffered through the pandemic due to lack of access and challenges in care delivery only to be faced by a new set of chronic pain conditions resulting from prolonged and persistent COVID-19 symptoms referred to as “long COVID syndrome.” OBJECTIVES: Long COVID is emerging as a complex and debilitating condition that occurs in a subpopulation of patients following acute COVID-19 infection. Our goals were to explore how to best treat and manage long COVID syndrome based on current experience. METHODS: This is a perspective rather than a systematic review. It is based on the limited available literature and current clinical experience. RESULTS: Although a few pharmacological agents have been proposed to mitigate symptoms, none have emerged to provide meaningful, long-term pain relief. Long COVID is associated with numerous and diverse symptoms. Risk factors for developing long COVID subsequent to acute COVID-19 remain unknown. Due to the multidimensional impact of long COVID chronic pain, a structured interdisciplinary rehabilitation model has been proposed to relieve pain, restore function, and maximize quality of life. LIMITATIONS: This is a perspective with an editorial point of view rather than a systematic literature study. Long COVID syndrome is a new condition, with which no clinicians have extensive experience. This is not a systematic review so there is no Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses diagram. This is not a clinical study so there was no need for institutional review board approvals. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment goals for the postviral syndrome of long COVID are multifaceted. In addition to pain control, patients may have functional deficits, cognitive issues, mental health issues, and reduced quality of life. Thus, a structured interdisciplinary rehabilitation model seems most appropriate to manage long COVID. KEY WORDS: Chronic pain, long COVID, pandemic, COVID-19, brain fog, fatigue, pain program, functional restoration, back pain, joint pain

College Life Experience in the Changed Education Environment due to the prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic: A Focus on K University

College Life Experience in the Changed Education Environment due to the prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic: A Focus on K University

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the management of private railway companies in Japan: Profitability and business model analyses

The prolonged Covid-19 pandemic and resultant sporadic lockdowns have led to a decline in demand for travel, causing the number of railway passengers to decline. In Japan, the railways are run by private operators, whose businesses and earnings have been severely affected. In this study, based on Japanese listed railway companies’ investor relations information, we analyze how the Covid-19 pandemic influenced a decline in their revenues and changes in their profit structures. In addition, we conducted a text analysis of the differences in management strategies between loss-making and profitable companies and explored the management strategies that characterize profitable companies. The results suggest that to achieve a profit structure that remains sustainable post-pandemic, private railway companies need to strengthen the non-transportation business segment because it generates enough revenues to compensate for the loss-making segments. Further, they should review their management strategy from the perspective of the corporate brand, organization, finance, and business segments beyond existing ideas. The theoretical contribution of this study proposes that managers of railway operators or public sector policymakers can assess the impact of a severe impact on the demand for railway services, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. And it enables quantitative analysis, such as examining business portfolios to avoid risk and estimating future railway passenger forecasts. The results of this study provide suggestions for management strategies for corporate groups centered on railways to sustain and develop stable railway operations in the event of a significant decline in demand for railways such as a pandemic, disaster, dispute, and so on. And it can be used for subsidies and other support from the public sector to railway operators as well as private railway companies, and for policy making.

Implication of inflammatory markers in post COVID syndrome

Post-COVID syndrome was described in the context of a survey of prolonged COVID-19 symptoms for the first time in 2020, run by the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, citizen’s scientist group. Symptoms persisting for more than three weeks after the diagnosis of COVID-19 fall into the category of post-COVID syndrome. The most common post-COVID symptoms include fatigue, dyspnea, olfactory and gustatory dysfunction, chest pain, myalgia, and sleep and mental disorders. The pathogenesis of post-COVID syndrome is multi-factorial. Underlying chronic, low grade inflammation has been theorized for pathogenesis. Available data shows conflicting results regarding the implication of inflammatory markers in full clinical spectrum and its long-term outcome.

Persistent symptoms and conditions among children and adolescents hospitalised with COVID-19 illness: a qualitative study

ObjectivesThere is limited in-depth research exploring persistent symptoms and conditions among children and adolescents who contracted COVID-19 illness that required hospitalisation. The main objective of this study was to conduct...

Lived experiences of American adults who survive COVID-19: Implications for physical activity and interpersonal stress.

The cumulative number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 579 million globally. Symptoms during and after COVID-19 infection vary from mild cold symptoms to severe multisystem illness. Given the wide range of symptom presentations and complications post-COVID-19, the purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of American adults surviving COVID-19. This study employed an exploratory qualitative description design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 35 individuals (White [94%], female [71%], Mage = 43.7 years), with proximity to a university in an urban Midwest American city. Interviews occurred between May and August 2021, 3 or more months after participants tested positive for COVID-19. Forty percent of the 35 participants experienced prolonged COVID-19 symptoms impacting their lifestyle. Four themes characterized the impacts of the post-COVID-19 condition on the lives of the participants within the context of a global pandemic: (a) disruptions in health and well-being, (b) persistent uncertainty, (c) disruptions in interpersonal relationships, (d) beneficent outcomes and adaptation. This study of COVID-19 has identified important implications for physical activity and interpersonal stress. Prolonged COVID-19 symptoms led to disruptions in the health, well-being, and interpersonal relationships of participants. Health care professionals need to attend to symptoms post-COVID-19, assess interpersonal functioning, and provide guidance on physical activity. Future studies are recommended to track consequences of COVID-19's impact on long-term health and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Role of Market Orientation in Mediating the Effect of Internal Marketing on the Organizational Performance of the 'Pabrik Kata-Kata Joger ' During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The prolonged Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies, whether they like it or not, to make various changes (innovations) to the company's strategic management. Internal marketing provides many benefits in achieving marketing success because it is more integrative and sustainable. Market orientation is a corporate culture that can lead to increased marketing performance and retain customers with the aim of creating greater value for customers through efforts to collect information about customer needs. The purpose of this study is to find out and analyze how the role market orientation mediates influence internal marketing and organizational performance at the Pabrik Kata-Kata Joger. The research location is the Pabrik Kata-Kata Joger which is located on Jln. Raya Kuta (without number), Kuta, Bali. The method of determining the sample using non probability sampling namely method purposive sampling. The sample of this research is the respondent who joined the Joger family for at least 2 years with a total sample of 130 respondents. The data analysis technique used is analysis Partial Least Square (PLS) with the settlement method Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The research results show that internal marketing has a positive and significant effect on organizational performance at the Pabrik Kata-Kata Joger. Internal marketing has a positive and significant effect on market orientation at the Pabrik Kata-Kata Joger. Market orientation positive and significant effect on organizational performance at the Pabrik Kata-Kata Joger. Internal marketing indirectly has a positive effect on organizational performance through market orientation at the Pabrik Kata-Kata Joger.

Public opinion in Japanese newspaper readers’ posts under the prolonged COVID-19 infection spread 2019–2021: contents analysis using Latent Dirichlet Allocation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, information on what people are interested in and what they are disseminating can be an important public health resource. Most studies on public opinion during the pandemic have focused on social networking services in the context of the early phases of the pandemic or on a short-term basis; research on public opinion outside of social networking services that consider long-term changes has not been conducted. To examine this gap in the research, we analyzed readers’ posts on Japanese hardcopy newspaper articles in the public domain. A total of 1910 such posts published during four emergency declaration periods in Japan were included in the study. Latent Dirichlet Allocation was applied in our analysis to extract topics and Kendall rank correlation coefficients between the emergency declaration periods, and each topic was calculated to examine the effect size. We selected 10 topics and categorized them into three themes: (1) “Life” comprising “Family,” “Daily Life in the COVID-19 Disaster,” “Education in the COVID-19 Disaster,” “The Importance of Humanity,” and “Daily Life unrelated to COVID-19”; (2) “Awareness of the emergency” comprising, “Awareness of being a party to an emergency” and “Concerns about the medical environment,”; and (3) “Policy” comprising “Domestic and foreign policies,” “Opposition to hosting the Tokyo Olympics,” and “Criticisms of the Japanese Government.” This research revealed that, as a result of the exposure to COVID-19-related material over a prolonged period, awareness of the emergency decreased (r = −0.189, p < 0.000), while other topics remained. This study showed that it is possible to extract more everyday public opinion topics from the reader’s posts in newspapers and that these are issues that should be addressed from a long-term perspective since they do not change significantly in a stressful life.

Prevalence and factors associated with anxiety and depression among Chinese prison officers during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

This study examined the prevalence of anxiety and depression-along with the potential risk and protective factors-among Chinese prison officers during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional survey of 1,268 officers from five prisons in western and southern China was administered between June and July 2022. The questionnaires comprised two sections. In the first section, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were used to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety and depression, respectively, among prison officers. In the second section, the potential influencing factors were examined. Categorical data were compared using χ2 tests and t-tests; binary logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors associated with anxiety and depression. The prevalence rates of anxiety and depression among the prison officers were 72.6% and 69.8%, respectively. Risk factors for anxiety were older age, being unmarried, work-family conflicts, job demands, and COVID-19 burnout; protective factors were exercise, positive family relationships, and group cohesion. Work-family conflicts, job demands, intolerance of uncertainty regarding COVID-19, and COVID-19 burnout were risk factors for depression, whereas annual income >150,000 RMB, exercise, positive family relationships, group cohesion, and job autonomy were protective factors against depression. The prevalence of anxiety and depression among Chinese prison officers was relatively high during the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and more targeted measures should be implemented to improve their mental health. This study offers a reference for improving prison officers' mental health in response to similar public health emergencies in the future.

Psychological impacts of COVID-19 on Vietnamese health workers over the prolonged restricted COVID-19 responses: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveWe assessed the psychological impact posed by COVID-19 and its associated factors on the healthcare workforce nationwide during the peak of Vietnam’s fourth outbreak.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingOur study was conducted in...

The plasma metabolome of long COVID patients two years after infection

One of the major challenges currently faced by global health systems is the prolonged COVID-19 syndrome (also known as “long COVID”) which has emerged as a consequence of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic. It is estimated that at least 30% of patients who have had COVID-19 will develop long COVID. In this study, our goal was to assess the plasma metabolome in a total of 100 samples collected from healthy controls, COVID-19 patients, and long COVID patients recruited in Mexico between 2020 and 2022. A targeted metabolomics approach using a combination of LC–MS/MS and FIA MS/MS was performed to quantify 108 metabolites. IL-17 and leptin were measured in long COVID patients by immunoenzymatic assay. The comparison of paired COVID-19/long COVID-19 samples revealed 53 metabolites that were statistically different. Compared to controls, 27 metabolites remained dysregulated even after two years. Post-COVID-19 patients displayed a heterogeneous metabolic profile. Lactic acid, lactate/pyruvate ratio, ornithine/citrulline ratio, and arginine were identified as the most relevant metabolites for distinguishing patients with more complicated long COVID evolution. Additionally, IL-17 levels were significantly increased in these patients. Mitochondrial dysfunction, redox state imbalance, impaired energy metabolism, and chronic immune dysregulation are likely to be the main hallmarks of long COVID even two years after acute COVID-19 infection.

(Trans)forming fitness: Intersectionality as a framework for resistance and collective action.

Fitness is a lifelong pursuit, yet many LGBTQ2S+ individuals are averse to group fitness or experiences in big box gyms. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual fitness programs offered the potential to facilitate opportunities for the greater inclusion of such individuals and the chance to connect, collaborate and advocate for a change in who and what defines fitness. Justice Roe, owner of Fit4AllBodies, utilizes the term fitness industrial complex to provide a framework to discuss the problems of exclusion. His explanation supports research documenting that bodies that are not "the norm", defined by ableism, classism, (hetero)patriarchy and racism, fueled by white supremacy, are oftentimes viewed as "less than" in the fitness and recreation world ( 1- 3). Applying an intersectional framework, this article explores the possibilities for transformative collective action in fitness communities that removes barriers and challenges the injustices that contribute to racialized LGBTQ2S+ individuals feeling unwelcome. With the need to shift to virtual training spaces as a result of a global pandemic, and the rise in the public discourse surrounding racial injustices both on and offline, a sense of belonging and community is important, especially among groups that often face exclusionary practices, such as racialized LGBTQ2S+ community members. These individuals are at greater risk of losing opportunities to access fitness programs that can provide immense health and psychological benefits. What could an intersectional perspective on resistance in sport look like? Using the example of LGBTQ2S+ access to online fitness spaces during the prolonged global COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020, we suggest that explicit coaching education and intentional communities, centered around social justice, are needed to address the historical roots of systemic oppression, accessibility, and social constructs tied to fitness.

COVID-19 impact on agriculture and food security in Africa. A systematic review and meta-analysis

While agriculture is the life-wire for many African economies, the sector has been exposed to multiple shocks, leading to food insecurity concerns. COVID-19′s seemingly perennial nature suggests the need for African agrarian systems to explore pathways to achieve food security in the midst of pandemics. However, existing knowledge on the effects of COVID-19 agriculture and food security remains fragmented. This article reviews preliminary documented and projected effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture and food security in Africa, combining an inter-rater reliability (IRR) – based systematic review with meta-analysis on 74 rigorously selected published items, including 157 case studies. Our analysis hitches on the sustainable livelihoods framework and a novel systematic review and meta-analysis protocol (Tadesse, 2020). An IRR score of 0.93 suggests overwhelming convergence of contemporary COVID-19 scholarship on the negative economic effects of COVID-19 on agricultural supply and demand across Africa, which, in combination with other factors, culminates in increasing, multi-dimensional food insecurity, hitting hard on the poor and vulnerable. The meta-analysis suggests that agriculture is more exposed to COVID-19 effects than other (non-agricultural) sectors, with an overall pooled association effect size (RR) for the COVID-19 pandemic and farming occupation of 1.25 (95% CI, 0.72–0.96;P = 0.01), and significant heterogeneity between studies (Ι2 = 100%,P < 0.00). Future reviews and meta analyses increasingly focusing on methodological details are recommended, to provide insights on COVID-19 effects on African agriculture and food security. Policy implications of prolonged COVID-19 effects on agriculture and food security in Africa are then contemplated.

Kinesiophobia, Dyspnea, Pain, Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and Balance in Adolescent Volleyball Players Who Have Had COVID-19

Objectives: It is still unclear to what extent kinesiophobia, dyspnea, pain, fatigue, mood, and balance are affected in adolescent volleyball players who have had COVID-19. Therefore, present study aimed to comparatively investigate kinesiophobia, dyspnea, pain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, stress, and balance between adolescent volleyball players with and without post-COVID-19. Methods: Adolescent volleyball players between ages of 10-19 (n=40) were included in the study between May 2022 and August 2022 and divided into those who have had COVID-19 (n=18) and those who have never had COVID-19 (n=22). Measurements of kinesiophobia (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia), dyspnea perception in daily living activities (Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale), severity of pain and fatigue (Numerical Rating Scale), depression, anxiety, and stress levels (Short Form of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale), static balance (balance test on one leg), and dynamic balance (standing functional reach test) were performed in all volleyball players at once. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between groups in demographic characteristics, kinesiophobia, dyspnea, pain, fatigue, depression, stress, and balance values (p&gt;0.05). However, anxiety scores of adolescent volleyball players who have not had COVID-19 were statistically significantly higher than those of adolescent volleyball players who have experienced COVID-19 (p&lt;0.05). The incidences of anxiety (n=5, 27.8% versus n=11, 50%) were similar between groups (p&gt;0.05). Conclusions: During the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic period, kinesiophobia, dyspnea, pain and fatigue perceptions, depression, stress, and balance levels were found to be similar in adolescent volleyball players regardless of their post-COVID-19 status. However, anxiety is more common in adolescent volleyball players without post-COVID-19. Therefore, underlying causes of anxiety observed in adolescent volleyball players without post-COVID-19 should be investigated.

Engagement with Nature and the Home Environment: Wellbeing and Proenvironmental Behavior among Irish and Italian University Students during the COVID-19 Emergency.

Growing evidence shows that exposure to nature and psychological engagement with nature improve health and wellbeing and promote greater proenvironmental engagement. The unprecedented situation created by COVID-related lockdowns seems to have brought both potential distress with household confinements and greater research on experiences in nature. University students may have been particularly impacted as the quality of their home arrangements can vary substantially. The aim of the study was to examine how psychological engagement with nature (nature connectedness and noticing nature), time spent in nature, and household conditions relate to psychological wellbeing and proenvironmental behavior among university students. An online survey was administered to a sample of 566 university students from Italy and Ireland. Hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to investigate the relationships between variables. The results indicate that time spent in nature and psychological engagement with nature in terms of nature connectedness and noticing nature were associated with increased wellbeing and pro-nature-conservation behavior, controlling for demographic covariates. Moreover, the perception of chaos in one's household was related to decreased wellbeing during the prolonged COVID-19 emergency. The findings highlight the need to invest in accessible natural places for students and to focus campus sustainability practices on encouraging nature connectedness to promote wellbeing and proenvironmental engagement.

Binge eating disorders and psychological well-being in prolonged COVID-19 pandemic: Retrospective cross-sectional study on undergraduate students

COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the mental health and well-being of people across the world. It was hypothesized that the pandemic would exacerbate the severity of ED symptomatology due to greater levels of anxiety, emotional dysregulation and stress related to social isolation and loneliness.In this observational study, 508 undergraduate Italian students voluntary participated in an online survey to investigate the psycho-behavioural impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the risk of BED related to psychological disease such as dysfunctional anxiety and fear associated with COVID-19 and post-traumatic stress disorder linked to COVID-19, as well as personality traits and overall well-being in prolonged pandemic.Findings evidenced that individuals affected by binge eating symptoms tended to develop low ‘Sense of Meaning’ as well ‘Overall Well-Being’. People at risk for BED are not oriented toward giving direction and meaning to their life and these aspects could significantly affect the ability to be well oriented to pursue goals in a planned manner and general well-being.This study points out the negative psychological impact of the pandemic outbreak and the high vulnerability of individuals at risk for BED.

Leadership in times of crisis: Ontario teachers’ perspectives of system leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Systemic disruptions and uncertainties resulting from the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic have put extraordinary pressure on system-level educational leadership worldwide. Despite often being seen as drivers of thinking and change, system leaders had few, if any, precedents to draw from on how to lead effectively through such crises. This paper examines Ontario secondary school teachers’ (N = 17) perspectives on system-level educational leadership during the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic and considers how these perspectives can inform future approaches to leading school systems through such uncertainty and disruption. Drawing on prolonged semi-structured interviews, six leverage points for systemic change are discussed: actors and elements, feedback, relationships and power, structures and roles, goals, and the overarching paradigm for teaching and learning.

Effect of Perceived Importance according to the Visual Image of Tropicalesque Flower Landscape on the Loyalty of Horticulture Majors and Workers in Related Fields

Background and objective: This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the psychological effect of the visual image of tropicalesque flower landscape and the preference for plants, and the effect of the importance of plants on loyalty.Methods: A survey was conducted with 105 participants who attended a symposium on tropicalesque flower landscaping, and the results were analyzed.Results: As a result of comparatively analyzing the psychological indices of plants in terms of the level of gardening activity (3 factors such as gardening experience, plant preference tendency, and plant-related event) between horticulture majors and workers in related fields and general people, it was found that horticulture majors and workers in related fields showed a higher level of gardening activity than general people, with gardening experience particularly showing statistical significance (p &lt; .05). Preference for ‘Pretoria’ was the highest among four varieties of Canna × generalis. Preference for mixed planting of tropicalesque and indoor foliage plants was highest among three types of tropicalesque flower landscape. Preference for tropicalesque flower landscape was highest in the 50s among all age groups, and in the group with an average monthly income of 4.01-5 million won, showing statistical significance. Among 6 factors of perceived importance of plants, esthetics and emotional relaxation for improved quality of life showed high scores in the survey measuring perceived importance of plants. As a result of conducting a regression analysis to examine the effect of the level of gardening activity, importance of plants, preference for tropicalesque flower landscape, and demographic variables (control variables) on loyalty, flower landscape preference was the most influential variable, followed by esthetics among the 6 factors of importance.Conclusion: These results suggest that by increasing the formation of tropicalesque flower landscape, a natural landscape that can reduce negative factors such as increased stress and depression since the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be possible to reduce fatigue caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and improve the quality of life for citizens.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on diet quality and food prices in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa faces prolonged COVID-19 related impacts on economic activity, livelihoods and nutrition, with recovery slowed down by lagging vaccination progress. This study investigated the economic impacts of COVID-19 on food prices, consumption and dietary quality in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania. We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study using a mobile platform to collect data from July-December, 2021 (round 2). We assessed participants' dietary intake of 20 food groups over the previous seven days and computed the primary outcome, the Prime Diet Quality Score (PDQS), and Dietary Diversity Score (DDS), with higher scores indicating better quality diets. We used generalized estimating equation (GEE) linear regression models to assess factors associated with diet quality during COVID-19. Most of the respondents were male and the mean age was 42.4 (±12.5) years. Mean PDQS (±SD) was low at 19.4(±3.8), out of a maximum score of 40 in this study. Respondents (80%) reported higher than expected prices for all food groups. Secondary education or higher (estimate: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.32, 1.15), medium wealth status (estimate: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.14, 0.81), and older age were associated with higher PDQS. Farmers and casual laborers (estimate: -0.60, 95% CI: -1.11, -0.09), lower crop production (estimate: -0.87, 95% CI: -1.28, -0.46) and not engaged in farming (estimate: -1.38, 95% CI: -1.74, -1.02) were associated with lower PDQS. Higher food prices and lower diet quality persisted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic and social vulnerability and reliance on markets (and lower agriculture production) were negatively associated with diet quality. Although recovery was evident, consumption of healthy diets remained low. Systematic efforts to address the underlying causes of poor diet quality through transforming food system value chains, and mitigation measures, including social protection programs and national policies are critical.