Background: The current situation in schools in relation to COVID-19 may generate a decrease in the academic performance of students. This decline could be the consequence of factors extrinsic (organizational measures adopted by schools) and intrinsic to students (cognitive regulation of emotions). In relation to intrinsic factors, an increase in ruminant thoughts about COVID-19 could interfere with the attention of students, which would have as a consequence a decrease in their academic performance. In a context in which concern about COVID-19 has occupied many spheres of our lives, including the academic context, it is essential to analyze what personal factors contribute to increasing or decreasing our dysfunctional thoughts. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore the relationship between the perception of vulnerability to the disease and ruminant thoughts about COVID-19. Method: From a cross-sectional sample of post-compulsory education students, the relationship between the different dimensions of perception of vulnerability to the disease and ruminant thoughts was analyzed, measured with a modified version of the rumination subscale of the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire. Results: The data suggest that the level of ruminant thoughts in students is medium or high (M = 3.14; SD = 1.13). Additionally, there is a positive relationship between the perception of vulnerability to the disease and ruminant thoughts about COVID-19 (r = .23). Furthermore, it is possible to predict the level of ruminant thoughts about COVID 19 based on the perception of vulnerability to the disease (y = 1.67 + .46X; β = .46, p <.05; 95% CI [. 07 .83]). Conclusions: our findings are consistent with the current understanding of the role of perception of vulnerability to illness and dysfunctional thoughts. Adopting organizational measures that offer security to students against the possibility of being infected by COVID-19 could avoid an excess of ruminant thoughts and, as a consequence, less interference with attention.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has direct and indirect health effects. This study analyzed the emergency transport data in Tottori Prefecture, which has the lowest number of infection cases in Japan, to evaluate the indirect impact of COVID-19 on heat stroke risk.

This study included 429 cases of emergency transported as heat stroke in Tottori Prefecture from April to October 2020. Moreover, the mean age, age structure, and the incidence situation were compared for 1,465 heat stroke transport cases from 2017 to 2019 (the control period before the COVID-19 pandemic). Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and the χ² test were used in the analysis. The significance level was set at 5%.

The mean age ± standard deviation of emergency transport patients in 2020 was 66.2 ± 24.0 years, which was significantly higher than in 2017 (60.0 ± 27.9, p = 0.004), 2018 (57.4 ± 27.9, p < 0.001), and 2019 (57.6 ± 26.9, p < 0.001). The percentage of those <18 years old was 8.0% in 2020, which was lower than in other years (14.9%–18.0%). However, the percentage of those over 75 years old was 47.7%, which was higher than in other years (35.6%–44.2%, p < 0.001). Of the cases in 2020, 36.9% was picked up at home, which was higher than in other years (26.6%–29.3%). Moreover, 11.3% of the cases in 2020 were associated with exercise, which was lower than in other years (18.2%–20.4%, p < 0.001).

Thus, COVID-19 control measures, such as “stay-at-home” requests and the cancellation of events, may be reasons for some positive results. However, restricted outings may further increase elderly heat stroke risk for those who are typically more susceptible to heat stroke in the residence.

The Japan Association for University Athletics and Sports (UNIVAS)—the national organization governing intercollegiate sports—was established. UNIVAS intends to promote a safety of students-athletes who have a balanced engagement in academic and athletic activities. However, recently many student-athletes are unable to play and study satisfactorily due to the problem of COVID-19, and it also affects their mental health. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among degree of student athlete’s identity and mental health problems in Japanese intercollegiate student-athletes in the COVID-19 pandemic, and this study clarifies the current state of mental problems of student-athletes in Japan. The participants were 402 male student-athletes (Age M=19.72±1.37). Participants belonged to the collegiate athletic team and had participated in national collegiate The national-level participants were those who had participated in national collegiate championships while attending university. In addition, they received scholarships from universities to enable them to balance between their academic and athletic activities. The Japanese version of the BIMS (BIMS-J) (Hagiwara et al., 2019) was used to measure the degree of student-athletes’ identity. To measure the athletes’ mental health problems, the depression and sports helplessness subscales of the Stress Response Scale for Athletes (Kemuriyama, 2013) were used. The results of correlational analyses indicated, that there were significant negative correlations between degree of student-athlete’s identity and depression and sports helplessness. In addition, as a result of dividing the degree of student-athlete’s identity into three groups and examining the relationship with mental problems, it demonstrated that student-athletes who has the stronger student-athlete's identity showed the lower degree of depression and sports helplessness. From this result of this study, it can be said that it is necessary to strongly recognize one's role even in the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive switch from working at the office to working from home fulltime to minimize the spread of the virus. Although working from home has a lot of advantages, such as the increased flexibility and autonomy of employees, there are also many challenges. One of the main challenges are the distractions, such as distractions from noise (e.g. household members or construction projects in the neighbourhood) or ICT-induced interruptions from co-workers (e.g. email, calls, chat), temperature, amount/type of workplace (e.g. a private office), aesthetics or good furniture. Although earlier research has shown that several types of work distractions are negatively related to employees’ well-being, still little is known about the effect of distractions, specifically related to the physical workplace, on people’s mental health. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the influence of workspace characteristics and personal characteristics, mediated by the perceived distractions at home, on mental health, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected, using an online survey, among 271 employees of a large company in the Netherlands. Preliminary results showed that perceived distractions at home were of significant influence on employees’ mental health. Physical workplace characteristics, such as workspace temperature, cleanliness, colors on the wall and the size of the work desk, were also found to affect people’s mental health, as well as personal characteristics, including personality and age. These results confirm the influence of workspace distractions on employees’ mental health while working from home, and indicate the importance of the physical work environment for people’s mental health. Findings of this study could be used by organizations to optimize working from home and offer healthy work environments.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic forced reorganization of the multidisciplinary healthcare system for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Digital solutions seem to be optimal way for providing rehabilitation for this time. The aim of our study was to investigate whether it is possible to conduct respiratory physical therapy with the use of telerehabilitation methods in boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Methods: The study was conducted during on-line conference ‘DMD - lets be together’for polish families with DMD. During the physical therapy panel we had showed the video with the instructions of respiratory exercises: glossopharyngeal breathing, positive inspiratory pressure and positive expiratory pressure, additionally we had explained the need of such training in this group. The video is still available for all participants online. After the conference all participants (n=152) were asked for filling the on-line survey evaluating the quality of the instructions, its feasibility and understanding. Results: The survey was filled by 31 (59.6%) participants, mean age of patients 13.8, 19 (61.3%) were ambulant. The video was displayed 127 times. The overall mean rating of the session was 4.77/5, intelligibility 4.74/5, 14 (45.2%) patients declared that they had performed the exercises by themselves or with caregiver’s assistance, all caregivers declared that it is possible to perform proposed exercises few times a week or daily, only two respondents responded for invitation for individual on-line session. Conclusions: Findings from the study show that respiratory telerehabilitation in DMD patients is feasible, however the interest of digital rehabilitation among caregivers of DMD boys in Poland is low. The reason of this situation requires further research.

Background and Objective: Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of Covid-19 cases in India. The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have exacerbated the malnutrition crisis in the state. Many districts in the state are fighting a dual battle of COVID-19 and undernutrition. The numbers are really alarming given that the situation is going to aggravate further in the absence of social protection schemes. Even though children in the state have shown resilience against the SARS-CoV-2 than adults, pre-existing inequalities and undernutrition pose enormous risk. Drawing insights from the Alkire Foster measure, the study endorses a multidimensional approach to measure the complex and multifaceted nature of early childhood health. Methods: The study utilizes the fourth round of District Level Health Survey to provide district-level estimates of the inequalities in multidimensional health deprivations among children in Maharashtra. Multidimensional Health Poverty Index (MHPI), concentration curves, normalized concentration index, geographical maps, and logistic regression model are used to analyze the data at the multiple levels of state, districts, rural-urban residence and gender. The implications of the pandemic on the childhood undernutrition and the public health care system are also discussed. Results: The findings indicate that multidimensional health inequalities manifest primarily among the weaker sections of society. The MHPI of under-five children is 0.297 with 46.8 percent of them identified as multidimensionally health poor and experiencing an average of 63.4 % of weighted deprivations. The rural areas are home to a much larger number of multidimensional health poor than urban ones. The spatial profiling shows that worst performers are mostly clustered in and around Marathwada region which is one of the backward areas of Maharashtra. The main predictors of multidimensional health poverty among under-five children are low asset index, educational and employment status of the parents and health conditions of the mother. Conclusion: Recognizing the regional heterogeneity in the incidence of multidimensional health poverty and distribution calls for strengthening COVID-19 intervention strategies attuned for specific district targets.

Introduction

The unfolding pandemic of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus, has caused challenges across the globe. Shelter-in-place, lock-down, and social distancing policies increased the use of social media for societies to stay connected. This study investigated psychological issues societies experienced from using social media among community during this critical period.

Methods

Cross-sectional online surveys were used to collect qualitative data from 1991 respondents living in the UK, USA and Australia during April-May 2020 when shelter-in-place or stay-at-home policies were in place.

Results

Concerns over misinformation, conspiracy theories, and fake news were repetitively raised as a critical challenge associated with reports of negative psychological consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 1 in 3 respondent expressed concerns over misinformation as the key challenge, with higher prevalence among respondents from the USA (41%) than UK (35%) and Australia (32%), χ2(2)=8.5, p=0.015. While some thought social media had facilitated social connections, others said that differing opinions from friends and families have put stress on relationships and created negative psychology. Conflicting information (including information from government bodies, news outlets, information articles and individual opinions) have caused additional stress and anxiety.

Conclusions

The spread of misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories have caused psychosocial challenges and disconnections in the community. Special attention is needed to address psychological issues caused by the spread of misinformation on social media during the crisis.

Honey is a natural sweetening produced by bees from flower nectar. Based on European Union Regulation honey is a pure product so the addiction of any other substance is prohibited. Honey quality and composition are determined based on its botanical and geographical origin. Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) are established around the world to ensure its quality. However, the high demand and price of honey in comparison to other sweeteners make honey one of the most likely food products to be targeted for adulteration. Among the most common adulterants are invert sugar, rice syrup, maltose syrup or corn syrup, because of its low price and the similarity of its composition to honey. This is an illegal activity and can also cause health problems in consumers since some of the ingredients used as adulterants may be allergens, becoming a potential risk for unaware consumers. Nowadays, most of the techniques used to detect honey fraud are expensive, time-consuming, destructive, and they require skilled operators. Hence, it is necessary to develop fast and reliable analytical methods to establish criteria to guarantee the authenticity of the honey. In the present work, visible and near infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIRS) together with headspace-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-IMS) are proposed for the detection of honey fraud. These techniques present several advantages as they allow the development of green, low cost and fast methods and both are easy to use. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of both techniques in combination with suitable chemometric tools as a screening method for honey quality control, to guarantee the origin and authenticity.

Petroleum remains the principal raw material for the manufacture of a wide variety of products with multiple uses. Within this framework, it is possible to find petroleum derivative products, such as paraffin waxes, with applications in the agri-food industry. Due to the above-mentioned use, the adaptation of the quality control of these products to the requirements of this industry is a factor to be considered by the producers to comply with food safety standards. The present study is focused on establishing the starting conditions for the development and optimization of an analytical methodology based on TD-GC-MS (Thermal Desorption – Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry) that allows the determination and identification of the volatile organic compounds that are undesirable not only because of their smell but also because they may pose a risk to health as a result of prolonged exposure. Desorption time and temperature, as well as the chromatographic separation conditions, were studied to generate the right signals to identify the volatile organic compounds in the paraffin waxes.

Health Care Workers (HCWs) are at high COVID-19 risk, but less data are available for the risk in other occupational activities (non-HCWs). We evaluated SARS-Cov-2 infection cumulative incidence, through anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies positivity (both IgG and IgM), in non-HCWs from the highly industrialized Modena province, northern Italy. Since May 2020, free serological testing campaigns were offered to the workers by several Italian companies, and also General Practitioners (GPs) were allowed to precribe free testing. The reporting of positive cases to the public health authority is compulsory. All the cases of anti-SARS-Cov-2 seropositivity occurred in non-HCWs and reported in Modena province in the period 18th May- 5th October 2020 were considered. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were found in 1103 workers, 371 from the screening campaigns performed in the companies, while the other 732 were notified by GPs. Considering the total number of non-HCWs in the province (245.000), the positive were the 0.45%. The proportion of non-HCWs engaged in different activities was: 44% in the manufacture sector, 14% in trade, 4% in transport, 4% in scientific and technical activities, 0,6% in arts, sports and recreation. The specific activities performed by the positive workers, available only for the cases notified within the companies’ screenings, were: 60% engaged in manufacture, 12% in trade sector, 9% in transport, 5% in scientific and technical activities, 4,5% in the arts, sports and recreation activities, and the 10,5% in other activities.

Even if these results should be interpreted with caution due to the small sample size, to the voluntariness of the screening campaign and to the restrictions of many activities during the lock-down of the Country to contrast the pandemic, our data show higher numbers of anti-SARS-CoV2 antibodies positivity in the manufacture, trade and in the art, sports/recreation sectors. Interestingly, in the latter activities the positivity rate was about eight times higher compared to the proportion of workers employed in this sector in the province.