scholarly journals COVID-19 exposure and diagnosis among college student drinkers: links to alcohol use behavior, motives, and context

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah K Allen ◽  
Samantha Cohen-Winans ◽  
Kaitlyn Armstrong ◽  
Nash C Clark ◽  
M Allison Ford
Keyword(s):  
College Student ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Social Motives ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Use Behavior ◽  
Frequent Drinking

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis. College student alcohol use is highly prevalent and primarily occurs in social settings where risk for COVID-19 transmission is heightened. This study explored the associations between alcohol use frequency, quantity, motives, and context with: (i) quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure and (ii) a positive diagnosis for COVID-19. A sample of n = 409 college student drinkers completed an online survey about their health and behaviors during the Fall 2020 semester. Since the start of the semester, 36% of students quarantined and 13% of students received a COVID-19 diagnosis. More frequent alcohol use was associated with increased odds of both quarantine and COVID-19 diagnosis. More frequent drinking for social motives was associated with increased likelihood of quarantine, and more frequent drinking for conformity motives was associated with increased likelihood of COVID-19 diagnosis. Participants who often drank alone or with a small group of friends were about half as likely to have quarantined, while those who often drank with a large group of friends were almost twice as likely to have quarantined. Participants who often drank in a bar or nightclub had almost three times the odds of a COVID-19 diagnosis. Frequent alcohol use and drinking for social and conformity motives and in certain contexts are linked to increased likelihood of COVID-19 exposure and diagnosis. Alcohol use prevention efforts, coupled with messaging to discourage large social gatherings in public places, might help to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among college students.

scholarly journals Investigating Community Pharmacy Take Home Naloxone Dispensing during COVID-19: The Impact of One Public Health Crisis on Another

Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
George Daskalakis ◽  
Ashley Cid ◽  
Kelly Grindrod ◽  
Michael A. Beazely
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overdose Deaths

A recent report found that the number of opioid-related deaths in Ontario in the first 15 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic was 38.2% higher than in the 15 weeks before the pandemic. Our study sought to determine if pharmacy professionals self-reported an increase or decrease in naloxone provision due to the pandemic and to identify adjustments made by pharmacy professionals to dispense naloxone during the pandemic. A total of 231 Ontario community pharmacy professionals completed an online survey. Pharmacy professionals’ barriers, facilitators, and comfort level with dispensing naloxone before and during the pandemic were identified. The sample consisted of mostly pharmacists (99.1%). Over half (51.1%) reported no change in naloxone dispensing, while 22.9% of respondents reported an increase and 24.7% a decrease. The most common adjustments made during the pandemic were training patients how to administer naloxone over video or phone, delivering naloxone kits, and pharmacy technicians offering naloxone at prescription intake. Over half (55%) of participants said the top barrier for dispensing was that patients did not request naloxone. Naloxone distribution through pharmacies could be further optimized to address the increased incidence of overdose deaths during the pandemic. Future research should investigate the reasons for changes in naloxone dispensing.

scholarly journals Changes in College Student Alcohol Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Are Perceived Drinking Norms Still Relevant?

2021 ◽  
pp. 216769682098674
Author(s):  
Scott Graupensperger ◽  
Anna E. Jaffe ◽  
Charles N. B. Fleming ◽  
Jason R. Kilmer ◽  
Christine M. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
College Student ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Heavy Episodic Drinking ◽  
Use Behavior

With widespread concern for increased alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a pressing need to examine changes in young adults’ alcohol use and to identify antecedents of increased use. We tested the hypothesis that self-reported changes in alcohol use during the pandemic (frequency, quantity, heavy episodic drinking) would relate to perceptions of peers’ changes in alcohol use. In April of 2020, 507 college students self-reported changes in their alcohol use and perceived changes in use for typical students at their university (i.e., norms). Most students in our sample reported decreased alcohol use and perceived decreases in peers’ alcohol use. Perceptions of peers’ changes in alcohol use behavior strongly related to changes in students’ own alcohol use. Findings provide strong support for norms-based strategies that can correct normative misperceptions by highlighting the fact that most college students are not in fact engaging in heavier alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychological Impact of COVID-19 lockdown_PREPRINT

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie van Mulukom ◽  
Barbara Muzzulini ◽  
Bastiaan T Rutjens ◽  
Caspar J. Van Lissa ◽  
Miguel Farias
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Mitigating Factors ◽  
The Usa

This study addressed the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and examined factors exacerbating or mitigating the negative effects of lockdown. Results from a large multi-country online survey (N=8,229) showed average elevated levels of anxiety and depression (especially in the USA, UK, and Brazil), associated with feelings of low control and social isolation. Although social isolation increased with the duration of quarantine, it was mitigated by frequent communication with close others. Other mitigating factors include adaptive but not maladaptive coping, and the perception and trust that one’s government is dealing with the outbreak. Taking individual actions to avoid contracting the virus were associated with higher anxiety, except when done professionally by essential workers. We suggest that the psychological detrimental effects of lockdown can be alleviated by maintaining frequent social contact, adaptive coping, and governmental actions which show capability, benevolence, and integrity in managing a public health crisis.

scholarly journals Factors Associated With Owning a Fake ID: Personality Traits and Problematic Alcohol Use

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-184
Author(s):  
Kelly Deegan ◽  
Beth A. Kotchick
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
College Student ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Openness To Experience ◽  
Student Population ◽  
Problematic Alcohol ◽  
College Student Population ◽  
Problematic Alcohol Use

The purpose of the present study was to examine the correlation between certain personality traits, one’s alcohol use, and owning a fake ID. Many college students use fake IDs to obtain alcohol while underage, which is then related to higher rates of problematic alcohol use. Problematic alcohol use has a number of negative health consequences; as such, efforts to prevent problematic alcohol use among college students need to be identified. The study was conducted with a college student population using an online survey to assess the personality traits of extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience as predictors of fake ID ownership. The relation between fake ID ownership and problematic alcohol use was also assessed. Those who owned a fake ID scored higher in extraversion, t(151) = 2.10, p = .037, d = 0.34, and roblematic alcohol use, t(120) = 2.61, p = .02, d = 0.42, and lower in neuroticism, t(151) = −1.94, p = .054. d = −0.36, and openness to experience, t(151) = −2.48, p = .01, d = −0.40, than those who did not own a fake ID. The results of this study can aid in identifying who among the college student population should be targeted with alternate socializing events to prevent fake ID ownership and problematic alcohol use.

Target-Population Specific Screening and Brief Intervention Addressing College Student Alcohol Use

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dolores Cimini ◽  
Karen L. Sokolowski ◽  
Joseph M. Monserrat ◽  
Joyce Y. Dewitt-Parker ◽  
Estela M. Rivero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
College Student ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Brief Intervention ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Screening And Brief Intervention

Molecular characterization of SARS-CoV-2

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miribane Dërmaku-Sopjani ◽  
Mentor Sopjani
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drug Targets ◽  
Virus Genome ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
New Public Health ◽  
New Public ◽  
And Function

Abstract:: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is currently a new public health crisis threatening the world. This pandemic disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus has been reported to be originated in bats and by yet unknown intermediary animals were transmitted to humans in China 2019. The SARSCoV- 2 spreads faster than its two ancestors the SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERSCoV) but has reduced fatality. At present, the SARS-CoV-2 has caused about a 1.16 million of deaths with more than 43.4 million confirmed cases worldwide, resulting in a serious threat to public health globally with yet uncertain impact. The disease is transmitted by inhalation or direct contact with an infected person. The incubation period ranges from 1 to 14 days. COVID-19 is accompanied by various symptoms, including cough, fatigue. In most people the disease is mild, but in some other people, such as in elderly and people with chronic diseases, it may progress from pneumonia to a multi-organ dysfunction. Many people are reported asymptomatic. The virus genome is sequenced, but new variants are reported. Numerous biochemical aspects of its structure and function are revealed. To date, no clinically approved vaccines and/or specific therapeutic drugs are available to prevent or treat the COVID-19. However, there are reported intensive researches on the SARSCoV- 2 to potentially identify vaccines and/or drug targets, which may help to overcome the disease. In this review, we discuss recent advances in understanding the molecular structure of SARS-CoV-2 and its biochemical characteristics.

Preparation and Antitubercular Activities of Palindromic Hydrazinecarbothioamides and Carbonothioic Dihydrazides

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1202-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Joseps Hearn ◽  
Gwendolyn Towers ◽  
Michael Henry Cynamon
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Virulent Strain ◽  
Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽  
Disc Diffusion ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Chemical Structures ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Zones Of Inhibition ◽  
Diffusion Assay

Background:With approximately one-third of the world’s population infected, tuberculosis continues to be a global public health crisis. The rise of strains that are unusually virulent or highly resistant to current drugs is a cause of special concern, prompting research into new classes of compounds, as well as the re-evaluation of known chemotherapeutic agents.Objectives:The antimycobacterial activities associated with some recently-reported thiocarbonyl compounds kindled our interest in the synthesis of substituted hydrazinecarbothioamides (3) and carbonothioic dihydrazides (4), with the aim of investigating their potential in antitubercular drug design and discovery.Methods:In the present study, the title compounds 3 and 4 were prepared by the condensation of hydrazines with isothiocyanates in reactions readily controlled by stoichiometry, temperature and solvent. The compounds were assessed against Mycobacterium bovis BCG in Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion, and minimum inhibitory concentrations were determined against the virulent strain M. tuberculosis Erdman.Results:The chemical structures of these thermally stable compounds were determined by IR, 1HNMR, 13C-NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. In the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay, some of the compounds showed substantial diameters of inhibition against BCG. In some cases, the zones of inhibition were so large that no growth at all was observed on the assay plates. Against M. tuberculosis Erdman, several of the compounds showed significant activities. Compound 3h was the most active, demonstrating a minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.5 µg/mL.Conclusion:We found that the title compounds may be prepared conveniently in excellent purity and good yields. They are readily identified on the basis of their characteristic spectra. Some members of this class showed significant activities against mycobacteria. We conclude that further work will be warranted in exploring the antitubercular properties of these compounds.

Anticipating on a post covid-19 world and the pivotal role of science and technology

Coronaviruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Khan ◽  
Tusha Sharma ◽  
Basu Dev Banerjee ◽  
Scotty Branch ◽  
Shea Harrelson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Pivotal Role ◽  
Public Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Organizations ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Crisis ◽  
Future Outbreak

: Currently, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has transformed into a severe public health crisis and wreaking havoc worldwide. The ongoing pandemic has exposed the public healthcare system's weaknesses and highlighted the urgent need for investments in scientific programs and policies. A comprehensive program utilizing the science and technologydriven strategies combined with well-resourced healthcare organizations appears to be essential for current and future outbreak management.

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