scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on workload burden of a complex radiotherapy facility

2021 ◽  
Vol 126 (5) ◽  
pp. 717-721
Author(s):  
Giulio Francolini ◽  
Isacco Desideri ◽  
Giulia Stocchi ◽  
Lucia Pia Ciccone ◽  
Viola Salvestrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Treatment Delivery ◽  
Actual Time ◽  
Italian Government ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Observation Period

Abstract Background and purpose COVID-19 constitutes a worldwide threat, prompting Italian Government to implement specific measures on March 8, 2020, to protect patients and health workers from disease transmission. The impact of preventive measures on daily activity of a radiotherapy facility may hamper the ability to fulfill normal workload burden. Thus, we assessed the number of delivered treatments in a specific observation period after the adoption of preventive measures (since March 11 to April 24, 2020) and compared it with the corresponding period of the year 2019. Materials and methods Overall number of delivered fractions was related to actual time of platform daily activity and reported as a ratio between number of delivered fractions and activity hours (Fr/Hrs). Fr/Hrs were calculated and compared for two different periods of time, March 11–April 24, 2019 (Fr/Hrs1), and March 11–April 24, 2020 (Fr/Hrs2). Results Fr/Hrs1 and Fr/Hrs2 were 2.66 and 2.54 for year 2019 and 2020, respectively, for a Fr/Hrsratio of 1.07 (95% CI 1.03–1.12, p = 0.0005). Fr/Hrs1 was significantly higher than Fr/Hrs2 for SliR and PreciseR, with Fr/Hrsratio of 1.92 (95% CI 1.66–2.23, p < 0.0001) and 1.11 (95% CI 1.03–1.2, p = 0.003), respectively. No significant difference was reported for SynergyR and CyberknifeR with Fr/Hrsratio of 0.99 (95% CI 0.91–1.08, p = 0.8) and 0.9 (95% CI 0.77–1.06, p = 0.2), respectively. Fr/Hrs1 was significantly lower than Fr/Hrs2 for TomotherapyR, with Fr/Hrsratio of 0.88 (95% CI 0.8–0.96, p = 0.007). Conclusion Preventive measures did not influence workload burden performed. Automation in treatment delivery seems to compensate effectively for health workers number reduction.

Appendectomy Does Not Increase the Risk of Future Emergence of Parkinson’s Disease: A Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 000313482198903
Author(s):  
Mitsuru Ishizuka ◽  
Norisuke Shibuya ◽  
Kazutoshi Takagi ◽  
Hiroyuki Hachiya ◽  
Kazuma Tago ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Random Effects Models ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Cochrane Library ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Observation Period

Objective To explore the impact of appendectomy history on emergence of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Background Although there are several studies to investigate the relationship between appendectomy history and emergence of PD, the results are still controversial. Methods We performed a comprehensive electronic search of the literature (the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and the Web of Science) up to April 2020 to identify studies that had employed databases allowing comparison of emergence of PD between patients with and those without appendectomy history. To integrate the impact of appendectomy history on emergence of PD, a meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the selected studies, and heterogeneity was analyzed using I2 statistics. Results Four studies involving a total of 6 080 710 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Among 1 470 613 patients with appendectomy history, 1845 (.13%) had emergences of PD during the observation period, whereas among 4 610 097 patients without appendectomy history, 6743 (.15%) had emergences of PD during the observation period. These results revealed that patients with appendectomy history and without appendectomy had almost the same emergence of PD (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, .87-1.20; P = .83; I2 = 87%). Conclusion This meta-analysis has demonstrated that there was no significant difference in emergence of PD between patients with and those without appendectomy history.

scholarly journals Preliminary Evidence of Children’s Weight Gain From 5 Months of Home Quarantine During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 155982762110066
Author(s):  
Keith Brazendale ◽  
Jeanette Garcia ◽  
Ethan T. Hunt ◽  
Michael Blankenship ◽  
Daniel Eisenstein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Status ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Weight Data ◽  
Overweight Or Obesity

Purpose. Preventive measures to curtail the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)—such as home quarantine, closure of schools/programs—are necessary, yet the impact of these restrictions on children’s weight status is unknown. The purpose of this case report was to investigate changes in children’s body mass index (BMI) and zBMI during COVID-19 quarantine. Methods. Children had their heights and weights recorded early March 2020 (pre-COVID-19) and 5 months later (early August 2020). Paired sample t tests examined changes in BMI and zBMI from baseline to follow-up. Results. Twenty-nine children (62% female; mean age 9.3 years; 27.5% with overweight or obesity) provided height and weight data at both time points. There was a significant difference in pre-COVID-19 BMI (mean [M] = 20.1, standard deviation [SD] = 6.0) and follow-up BMI (M = 20.7, SD = 6.4); t(57) = −3.8, P < .001, and pre-COVID-19 zBMI (M = 0.8, SD = 0.9) and follow-up zBMI (M = 0.9, SD = 0.9); t(57) = -3.1, P = .003. Five of the 29 children moved from normal weight to overweight (n = 4) or obese (n = 1) during 5 months of quarantine. Conclusions. Preliminary evidence shows most children increased their BMI and zBMI values from pre-COVID-19 assessment to the follow-up assessment, 5 months later. These initial findings identify potential incidental negative health consequences of children as a result of COVID-19 preventative measures such as home quarantine.

scholarly journals Community Preventive Measures Related to Coronavirus Disease-19 among Iraqi Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (T1) ◽  
pp. 325-329
Author(s):  
Taqi Mohammed Jwad Taher ◽  
Shaymaa Abdul Lateef Al-Fadhul ◽  
Zainab Abbas Hassooni
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Preventive Practices ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Government ◽  
Mean Differences

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus (CoV) disease (COVID)-19 outbreak is considering as a health disaster which threatens the world right now because of its higher infectivity and unavailability of definite vaccine or treatment. The only effective strategies are a commitment to prevention and quarantine of the diseased people to decrease the transmission and spreading. AIM: The objective of the study was to assess the preventive measures adopted by the Iraqi population to protect themselves from acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome-CoV-2 infection in correlation with their age, sex, educational level, and occupation. METHODS: A total of 619 volunteers were involved in this online cross-sectional study, all of them answered a semi-structured questionnaire including 14 questions regarding the preventive practices. The questionnaire was distributed into three general and mixed Facebook groups during the period from April 18 to 28. Data analyzed by SPSS version 23 using frequency tables and descriptive statistics for numerical continuous age variable, t-test, and ANOVA were used for mean differences in the preventive scores. RESULTS: The sociodemographic features of participants were showed that 81.3% were women and 91.9% had college or higher education. The majority (75.6%) were <30 years old and 42.5% governmentally employed. The mean preventive practice score mentioned by them was 2.60 ± 0.28 with the highest three scores was for stay away from infected and sick people, avoid crowded places, and avoid travel and commuting. A significant difference was found in the practice score according to age, gender, and occupation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Iraqi people mentioned that they always adhere to the health instructions related to COVID-19 prevention as suggested by the government, health workers, and organizations. Male, students, and people younger than 30 years are less frequently followed the main preventive measures.

scholarly journals EFEKTIFITAS JUICE SEMANGKA DAN SENAM KEBUGARAN TERHADAP PENURUNAN BERAT BADAN PADA ANAK OBESITAS

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-70
Author(s):  
Priyo Priyo ◽  
Sigit Priyanto
Keyword(s):  
Elementary School ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
T Test ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Wilcoxon Test ◽  
Test Analysis ◽  
Watermelon Juice ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact

The culture of consuming instant food and reducing physical exercise result in increasing obesity in children today. The impact that occurs if not overcome can lead to the occurrence of various types of non-infectious diseases in the future such as: heart disease, hypertension, stroke and diabetes. To overcome the problem of obesity, behavioral changes are needed in childhood, namely fruit consumption and regular exercise. However, this behavior still becomes a national problem, especially in Magelang Regency. Consuming fruit juice and having exercise enables ones to lose weight.A kind of fruits that can be consumed is watermelon and the kind of sport that can be practiced is fitness exercise. The research is aimed to identify the difference in effectiveness between consuming watermelon juice and having fitness exercises in weight loss in obese children at Sawitan State Elementary School. The method used in this study is quasy-experiment. The number of samples was 24 respondents consisting of 12 respondents treated with watermelon juice consumption, and 12 respondents treated with fitness exercises. To take samples, it is used purposive sampling method. the treatment was carried out 3 times in a week. The results showed there was a decrease in weight lose in obese elementary school children, both with watermelon juice treatment and fitness exercises. The results of the independent t-test analysis, on watermelon juice therapy showed P ^ 0.00 and the Wilcoxon test on fitness exercises was P ^ 0.04, which means that both therapies have an influence in decreasing one’s weight. The result of the dependent T test on watermelon juice consumption and fitness exercise was P ^ 0.261, which means that the two therapies have no significant difference of influence. Health workers, especially nurses, are expected to be able to provide alternative therapies to reduce children’s overweight by using watermelon juice consumption or fitness exercises.  

scholarly journals The Impact of Bond Rating Announcement on Companies Listed Stock Returns: Evidence from Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Novyandri Taufik Bahtera
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Bond Ratings ◽  
Bond Rating ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Observation Period

This study aims to determine whether there is a difference between stock returns before and after the announcement of both increases and decreases in bond ratings. This study is classified as a case study with an observation period of 5 days before and 5 days after the announcement of the bond rating. The population of this study is all companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange that announced the ratings of bonds from 1999 to 2009, which made a total of 331 bond ratings in 52 companies. The sample was chosen using a purposive sampling method and 24 samples were obtained for the announcement of the increase in bond ratings and 18 samples for the announcement of the bond rating decline. Data testing is done using paired sample t-test. Based on the results of the study it can be concluded that (1) there is no significant difference in stock returns around the date of the announcement of the increase in bond ratings. This indicates that the announcement of an increase in bond ratings does not bring information to investors. (2) There is a significant difference in stock returns around the date of the announcement of the decline in bond ratings. This indicates that the announcement of the downgrade of bonds carries information content for investors.

scholarly journals The Impact of Covid-19 on Online Teaching and Learning (TnL) Towards Teachers in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Shahrina Ismail ◽  
Mohammad Ilham Husaini Mohammad Nazeri ◽  
Sharifah Fairuz Syed Mohamad
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Effectiveness ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Demographic Profiles ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

As COVID-19 hits the world shockingly, most nations worldwide have agreed to put educational institutions temporarily close. However, education has not stopped, but to go fully online as schools and universities could provide remote education. In this case, teachers have been struggling to adapt to the new norm to stop disease transmission. Thus, this study was conducted to investigate the impact of Online Teaching and Learning (OTL) on teachers during COVID-19. The questionnaire was distributed randomly online among 320 teachers in Malaysia. SPSS has been used to analyse the completed questionnaire to obtain descriptive and inferential statistics. Three variables that have been used in this study were effectiveness, challenges, and school reopening using Cronbach’s alpha, hypothesis testing, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression. This study has shown that most teachers were affected by using online as a new method of teaching. A negative correlation between effectiveness and challenges has implied that increasing challenges would decrease online teaching effectiveness. Besides, many of the components show a significant difference in the variables in terms of socio-demographic profiles. The findings obtained would help the higher administration tackle challenges the teachers face and know the effectiveness of online teaching and learning.

scholarly journals COVID-19 & Mental Health: Impact on Working people and Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kshipra Moghe ◽  
Disha Kotecha ◽  
Manjusha Patil
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Working People ◽  
Comparative Results ◽  
The Impact

A total of N=618 responses (16-60 years) were recorded to gauge the impact of COVID-19 socially, personally, and psychologically. Comparative results based on employment status, gender, and background were evaluated to identify the impact. While all the groups maintain having information about the pandemic and necessary safety protocols, there is an observable difference in the apprehension levels of financial and mental stability. Due to job security, employed people are less tense and better connected to their family, while unemployed people and students are more concerned with their productivity and quality of work. Students also display higher feelings of uncertainty and helplessness. A considerable number of people feel lonely and deserted during the pandemic. Such thoughts may leave a lasting effect if not tackled at the earliest. While an increase in awareness about mental health is observable, rural and unemployed people are less inclined to approach a professional. The significant difference COVID 19 has created between working people and students and based on gender and background, suggests that the preventive measures to avoid its lasting effects must be devised separately.

scholarly journals REAKSI PASAR MODAL DARI DAMPAK PERISTIWA HARI BESAR AGAMA ISLAM TERHADAP ABNORMAL RETURN DAN TRADING VOLUME ACTIVITY SAHAM PERUSAHAAN INDEKS JII YANG TERDAFTAR DI BURSA EFEK INDONESIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-69
Author(s):  
Septiana Endang Subekti ◽  
Ika Yustina Rahmawati
Keyword(s):  
Stock Returns ◽  
Abnormal Return ◽  
Trading Volume ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Volume Activity ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Abnormal Stock Returns ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Observation Period

   The purpose of this study is to analyze the capital market reaction from the impact of religious holidays which will be indicated by the presence or absence of abnormal return and trading volume activity. The sample used is the Jakarta Islamic Index (JII). This type of research is event study so that the observation period is used to see reactions before and after the event occurs. The events used in this study were the Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, Isra Mi'raj, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Islamic New Year. The observation period used is from 2014 to 2017. The research period used was 7 days before the event and 7 days after the event. Data sources are obtained from Yahoo Finance, Sahamok.com and IDX. The data used in this study are secondary data, such as stock closing prices, IHSG closing prices and stock trading volume. The analytical tool used to test the hypothesis in this study is a paired t-test. The results showed that Eid al-Adha holidays had a significant difference to the abnormal return and trading volume activity before and after holidays. There were no significant differences in the abnormal return and trading volume activity before and after the Miraj Isra holiday. While the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, Eid holidays and Islamic New Year holidays there is no significant difference between abnormal stock returns and there are differences in trading volume activity before and after holidays.

scholarly journals Low back pain among health workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 200-204
Author(s):  
Jarmila Lacokova-Krasnikova ◽  
Dejan Dimitrov ◽  
Rastislava Krasnik ◽  
Jelena Zvekic-Svorcan ◽  
Mirjana Kolundzic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Back Pain ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Low Back ◽  
Disability Score ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Introduction. Back pain is often present among health workers. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of gender and years of work experience on the incidence of low back pain. Material and Methods. A prospective cross-sectional study included 67 subjects of both genders, and it was conducted in the period between June 1 and 15, 2020, in two health centers in Serbia. The impact of gender, age, years of work experience on the incidence of low back pain was analyzed, measured by the Roland-Morris disability questionnaire. Results. In the examined sample (n = 67), the majority were females (55, 82.1%). The average age of the respondents was 45.5 ? 12.2 years, with an average work experience of 20.62 ? 12.03 years. Low back pain was present in 35 subjects (52.2%). There was no statistically significant difference between male and female subjects regarding the Roland-Morris disability score (3.83 ? 4.50 vs. 4.96 ? 4.53; p > 0.05). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between the age of subjects and the Roland-Morris disability score (r = 0.407; p < 0.01). Subjects with more years of work experience presented with a higher Roland-Morris disability score (r = 0.371; p < 0.01). Conclusion. Low back pain is common in older health workers with longer work experience, regardless of the level of formal education. Additional education of health workers on the application of protective attitudes, movements, and exercise, is needed in order to prevent the development of low back pain in the work environment.

scholarly journals Knowledge, Attitude and Behavior of Health Care Workers in the Prevention of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shokofeh Maleki ◽  
Farid Najafi ◽  
Khosro Farhadi ◽  
Mahmoud Fakhri ◽  
Fatemeh Hosseini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
And Behavior

Abstract Background Preserving the health of health care workers (HCWs) has now become one of the main concerns of all countries affected by the coronavirus. Maintaining the health of the hospital workers, especially the medical staff, requires knowledge and awareness, followed by proper behavior for disease prevention and transmission. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and behavior of HCWs to ward patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.Methods A cross-sectional study was designed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and behavior of 191 HCWs of Taleghani Hospital in Kermanshah toward patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Responses to the checklists of demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and behavior toward patients with COVID-19 were analyzed by SPSS 22.Results 191 subjects (118 females and 73 males) with a mean age of 34.7 ± 8.6 years participated in this study. The level of knowledge of HCWs in this study was excellent regarding the ways of transmitting the disease such as close contact with the patient with suspected Coronavirus (99%). According to their positions, participants had a significant difference in their knowledge of asymptomatic patients (P < 0.001). The study found that 14% of the HCWs did not have the necessary knowledge about the symptoms of COVID-19, indicating poor knowledge of the HCWs at the beginning of the disease epidemic. The results obtained from the evaluation of HCWs attitudes showed that some workers believed that protective and preventive measures should only be applied when managing people with severe symptoms (P < 0.001). Finally, there was a significant difference in behavior and adherence to protective and preventive measures between the participants when facing patients with severe symptoms and without symptoms of COVID-19 (P = 0.05).Conclusion Knowledge, attitude, and behavior toward COVID-19 infection and facing patients with severe and overt symptoms among health care workers in the hospital were Excellent, but these were insufficient for patients without obvious symptoms. These results suggest that additional training regarding subclinical cases of Coronavirus is needed for HCWs to protect them from contamination and prevent disease transmission to their colleagues and other patients as well.

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