scholarly journals The benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices during times of crisis such as COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Behan
Keyword(s):  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Meditation Practice ◽  
Pain Scores ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Mindfulness Practices ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Meditation and mindfulness are practices that can support healthcare professionals, patients, carers and the general public during times of crisis such as the current global pandemic caused by COVID-19. While there are many forms of meditation and mindfulness, of particular interest to healthcare professionals are those with an evidence base such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR). Systematic reviews of such practices have shown improvements in measures of anxiety, depression and pain scores. Structural and functional brain changes have been demonstrated in the brains of people with a long-term traditional meditation practice, and in people who have completed a MBSR programme. Mindfulness and meditation practices translate well to different populations across the lifespan and range of ability. Introducing a mindfulness and meditation practice during this pandemic has the potential to complement treatment and is a low-cost beneficial method of providing support with anxiety for all.

scholarly journals Saliva is superior over nasopharyngeal swab for detecting SARS-CoV2 in COVID-19 patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Getachew Tesfaye Beyene ◽  
Fekadu Alemu ◽  
Eyerusalem Solomon Kebede ◽  
Dawit Hailu Alemayehu ◽  
Tamirayehu Seyoum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Viral Shedding ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Diagnostic Capacity ◽  
Different Populations

AbstractScaling up of diagnostic capacity is needed to mitigate the global pandemic of SARS-CoV2. However, there are challenges including shortage of sample collection swabs and transport medium. Saliva has been recommended as a simple, low-cost, non-invasive option. However, data from different populations and settings are limited. Here, we showed that saliva could be a good alternative sample to diagnose COVID-19 patients. Pair of NPS-saliva samples was collected from 152 symptomatic; confirmed COVID-19 patients, and compared their positivity rate, viral load, and duration of viral shedding. From 152 patients, 80 (52.63%) tested positive and 72 (47.37%) were negative for SARSA-CoV2 in NPS sample. In saliva, 129 (92.14%) were tested positive and 11 (7.86%) were negative on the day of admission to hospital. The overall percent agreement of RT-PCR result of Saliva to NPS was 70% (196/280). A comparison of viral load from 72 NPS-saliva pair samples on day of admission shows saliva contains significantly higher viral load (P < 0.001). In conclusion, saliva has higher yield in detecting SARS-CoV2, and COVID-19 patients show higher viral load and prolonged period of viral shedding in saliva. Therefore, we recommend saliva as a better alternative sample to NPS to diagnose COVID-19 patients.

The Unparalleled Growth of COVID-19 Publications (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Fontelo ◽  
Mrigendra Bastola ◽  
Craig Locatis ◽  
Fang Liu
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Research Papers ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The Us ◽  
International Collaborative ◽  
Number Of Publications ◽  
Collaborative Publishing

UNSTRUCTURED The global pandemic of COVID-19 has generated an unprecedented number of research papers from clinicians and scientists worldwide. We searched PubMed for articles on coronaviruses from 1970 to June 2020. Surges of publications occurred in 2003 from SARS and, again in 2012 from MERS. Although the name COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was only announced by WHO in February 2020, the number of publications has already exceeded 16000 by June this year. China and the US lead in publications, but a significant number also come from countries hardest hit by the illness. International collaborative publishing is significant. Since these publications are generally free to access worldwide, it provides a rich evidence base for clinicians and scientists combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Assessment of Knowledge, Practice and Attitude about Biomedical Waste Management among Healthcare Professionals during COVID-19 Crises in Al-Ahsa

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 747
Author(s):  
Sahbanathul Missiriya Jalal ◽  
Fahima Akhter ◽  
Amal Ismael Abdelhafez ◽  
Ahmed Mansour Alrajeh
Keyword(s):  
Work Experience ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Biomedical Waste ◽  
Respiratory Therapists ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Knowledge Practice

Biomedical waste (BMW) management is an essential practice of healthcare professionals (HCPs) for preventing health and also environmental hazards. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic, posing significant challenges for healthcare sectors. A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the knowledge, practice, and attitude on BMW management among HCPs when taking care of patients with COVID-19 and associated with demographic variables. From Al-Ahsa healthcare sectors, 256 HCPs were selected randomly, of which 105 (41%) had excellent knowledge, 87 (34%) had good knowledge, and 64 (25%) had poor knowledge with a mean score of 13.1 ± 3.6. A higher mean score was (14.4 ± 3.2) obtained by physicians, and (13.6 ± 3.8) nurses than the other HCPs. Regarding practice, 72 (28.1%) HCPs used and discarded PPE while handling biomedical wastes. Additionally, 88 (34.4%) followed proper hand hygiene before and after each procedure and whenever needed. Physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists had a more favorable attitude than other HCPs. There was a statistically significant association found among knowledge level and educational qualification (p < 0.0001), gender (p < 0.001), and work experience (p < 0.05). Emphasis is needed to train all HCPs regarding proper BMW management during this pandemic to prevent infection transmission.

scholarly journals Comparative Analysis of Digital Models of Objects of Cultural Heritage Obtained by the “3D SLS” and “SfM” Methods

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5321
Author(s):  
Marcin Barszcz ◽  
Jerzy Montusiewicz ◽  
Magdalena Paśnikowska-Łukaszuk ◽  
Anna Sałamacha
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
3D Models ◽  
Silk Road ◽  
Digital Models ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Three Dimensional Models ◽  
3D Digitisation

In the era of the global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus, 3D digitisation of selected museum artefacts is becoming more and more frequent practice, but the vast majority is performed by specialised teams. The paper presents the results of comparative studies of 3D digital models of the same museum artefacts from the Silk Road area generated by two completely different technologies: Structure from Motion (SfM)—a method belonging to the so-called low-cost technologies—and by Structured-light 3D Scanning (3D SLS). Moreover, procedural differences in data acquisition and their processing to generate three-dimensional models are presented. Models built using a point cloud were created from data collected in the Afrasiyab museum in Samarkand (Uzbekistan) during “The 1st Scientific Expedition of the Lublin University of Technology to Central Asia” in 2017. Photos for creating 3D models in SfM technology were taken during a virtual expedition carried out under the “3D Digital Silk Road” program in 2021. The obtained results show that the quality of the 3D models generated with SfM differs from the models from the technology (3D SLS), but they may be placed in the galleries of the vitrual museum. The obtained models from SfM do not have information about their size, which means that they are not fully suitable for archiving purposes of cultural heritage, unlike the models from SLS.

The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) Reduces Stress-Related Psychological Distress in Healthcare Professionals

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 897-905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Martín-Asuero ◽  
Gloria García-Banda
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
The Other ◽  
Reduction Program ◽  
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction

This semi-experimental study examines how Mindfulness facilitates a distress reduction in a group of health professionals. The sample comprises 29 professionals seeking stress reduction who undertook an 8 weeks psico-educative intervention, involving 28 hours of class, based on a program called Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction or MBSR. Results show a 35% reduction of distress, from percentile 75 to 45, combined with a 30% reduction in rumination and a 20% decrease in negative affect. These benefits lasted during the 3 months of the follow up period. The correlation analysis indicates that the decrease in distress is significantly related to the other two variables. These results confirm the effectiveness of MBSR to decrease distress and its applicability in training programs for health professionals.

Psicologia & saúde treino de habilidades de vida e saúde mental em universitários

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leide Silva do Carmo ◽  
Nelson Iguimar Valerio
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Life Skills ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Group Life ◽  
Academic Adaptation ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Several factors can cause damage to the mental health of university students, e.g. academic adaptation, housing change, distance from family and friends, and dealing with stressors regarding new requirements, which need some resources to cope with such situations. The content of this book, from the Master's Dissertation developed by the authors at the Stricto-Sensu Psychology and Health Post-Graduation Program at the Medical School of São José do Rio Preto - FAMERP, aims at describing the presence of mental disorders and demonstrating the implementation of a life-skills training in university students (Medicine and Nursing), randomly chosen in a teaching institution in a medium-sized city, interior of São Paulo state. The participants expressed high symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress in the initial evaluation, however, after the training of group life skills, they showed significant improvements with maintenance of these rates during the follow-up. This training can be stood out to improve the mental health and life skills of the students. It is likely that the intervention group may have helped these students to cope with negative pressures, avoiding risky behaviors, communicating effectively; moreover, coping with adaptations and changes in such academic process. It is worthwhile to point out that this study may encourage further research in relation to mental health and life-skills in university students, and that it will encourage the insertion of programs with these skills training, due to their effectiveness, low cost, the participants´ acceptance, improvement in mental health, and provide increasing academic performance.

Vaccine Passport - A blockchain based architecture for secure, tamper-resistant, privacy-enhanced credentialing mechanism of vaccination and verification of test results (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiu An Lee ◽  
Hsin-Hua Kung ◽  
Wei-Chen Wu ◽  
Jai Ganesh Udayasankaran ◽  
Yu-Chih Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Protection ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Vaccination Rate ◽  
Data Accuracy ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Laboratory Test Results ◽  
Encryption And Decryption ◽  
International Data

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The prevention and treatment methods for COVID-19 are not yet clear. At present, there are at least 287 preventive vaccines against COVID-19 in the world, of which 5 vaccines are available for emergency use as of June 2021, but none has completed clinical trial. Nevertheless, with the development of vaccines, disease conditions in various countries are gradually controlled. OBJECTIVE The vaccination rate has increased in time, and activities in various countries have gradually recovered. Therefore, the focus of the next stage is confirming and proving that everyone is vaccinated to ensure that those without vaccines will not become a breach in the next wave of diseases. The vaccination or RT-PCR test results are all certified and verified by paper documents issued by hospitals or testing institutions. Meanwhile, falsified documents are a major risk factor in confirming the vaccination status and laboratory test results. Although the Vaccine Passport (VP) may become an important key to future global activities based on the current strategy, the problems of document verification and data use among countries have not yet been resolved. METHODS The blockchain architecture proposed in this research can be applied together by public and private entities and be rapidly expanded. Furthermore, the open ledger of blockchain achieves transparency and data accuracy. On the other hand, smart contracts (SCs) achieve authorization and authentication, while the encryption and decryption mechanisms achieve data protection. In order to make it globally available, the international data standard “Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR)” is adopted into this research. In general, this blockchain architecture can achieve global vaccine passport verification accurately and at a low cost. RESULTS The open nature of the blockchain contributes to establishing transparency and data accuracy. Total three entities are included in this blockchain architecture. All of the authorization are public in the open ledger. The smart certificate enables authorization and authentication, while the encryption and decryption mechanism ensure data protection. This proof of concept demonstrates the design of blockchain architecture which, when adopted, can achieve global vaccine passport verification accurately and at a cost country can afford. An actual vaccine passport case was established and demonstrated in this study. Open blockchain, individually authorized authentication mechanisms, and international standard vaccine passports were adopted. CONCLUSIONS Blockchain architecture is used to build the authentication process of an executable international vaccine passport, with advantages of low cost, high interoperability, effectiveness, security and verifiability.

Paperometer: A Low-Cost Incentive Spirometer

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shonit Nair Sharma ◽  
Devrina Chidambaram ◽  
Gianna Mizzi ◽  
Daniel Rosen ◽  
Kristin Slaughter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lung Function ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Innovative Solution ◽  
Repeated Use ◽  
Functional Prototype ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Respiratory Rehabilitation

Abstract As a preemptive response to the widespread need for respiratory medical devices developing in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we propose a low-cost incentive spirometer for respiratory rehabilitation in patients with reduced lung function. An incentive spirometer manufactured entirely out of recyclable material, termed “Paperometer,” aims to address the multifaced problem of medical device inaccessibility: high cost, lack of user- or environmental-friendliness, and unavailability to those who need them the most. Operating in accordance with governing physical formulae including Ohm’s law and the Hagen-Poiseuille equation, Paperometer is intended to improve the user’s lung function through repeated use of the device, which facilitates slow, deep breaths of air. Several prototypes were created based on a list of design criteria established through background research and stakeholder interviews. From four initial prototypes, all created predominantly from simple foldable geometries, one design was selected for further iteration. The most promising functional prototype was crafted from recyclable plastic and paper folded into various shapes including a box, tube, and pinwheel. The Paperometer concept stands as an innovative solution to reduce the cost and environmental burden of meeting the demand for medical devices. Once validated, the device may serve as an important tool in combating the ongoing global pandemic.

scholarly journals Complementary and Alternative Medicines Use during Pregnancy: A Systematic Review of Pregnant Women and Healthcare Professional Views and Experiences

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Rouf Pallivalappila ◽  
Derek Stewart ◽  
Ashalatha Shetty ◽  
Binita Pande ◽  
James S. McLay
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Cochrane Database ◽  
Medicines Use ◽  
Data Validity ◽  
Cam Use

Aims. To undertake a systematic review of the recent (2008–2013) primary literature, describing views and experiences of CAM use during pregnancy by women and healthcare professionals.Method. Medline, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Database of Systematic Review Library and Allied, and Complementary Medicine Database were searched. Studies reporting systemic CAM products (homeopathic preparations, herbal medicines, Vitamins and minerals, homeopathy, and special diets) alone or in combination with other nonsystemic CAM modalities (e.g., acupuncture) were included.Results. Database searches retrieved 2,549 citations. Removal of duplicates followed by review of titles and abstracts yielded 32 relevant studies. Twenty-two reported the perspectives of women and their CAM use during pregnancy, while 10 focused on healthcare professionals. The majority of studies had significant flaws in study design and reporting, including a lack of appropriate definitions of CAM and associated modalities, absence of detailed checklists provided to participants, the use of convenience sampling, and a general lack of scientific robustness in terms of data validity and reliability.Conclusion. To permit generalisability of study findings, there is an urgent need to expand the evidence base assessing CAMs use during pregnancy using appropriately designed studies.

scholarly journals The Polish COVID Stress Scales: Considerations of psychometric functioning, measurement invariance, and validity

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260459
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Adamczyk ◽  
D. Angus Clark ◽  
Julia Pradelok
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Invariance ◽  
Health Anxiety ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Language Version ◽  
Structure Reliability ◽  
Level Measurement ◽  
Polish Language ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Anxiety Depression

The COVID Stress Scales (CSS) were developed to measure stress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To further investigate the psychometric properties of the CSS, we used data collected in Poland across two waves of assessment (N = 556 at T1 and N = 264 at T2) to evaluate the factor structure, reliability (at the item and scale level), measurement invariance (across the Polish and Dutch translations of the CSS, and time), over time stability, and external associations of the Polish-language version of the CSS (CSS-PL). Overall, results suggest that the CSS-PL is psychometrically robust, largely invariant across the countries and time-lags considered. The CSS-PL was also positively related to other measures of COVID-19 fear, health anxiety, obsessive compulsive symptoms, anxiety, depression, and intent to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This study thus provides considerable information about the CSS’s items and scales, and lays the foundation for future investigations into COVID stress across time and different populations.

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