scholarly journals Preprinting the COVID-19 pandemic

Author(s):  
Nicholas Fraser ◽  
Liam Brierley ◽  
Gautam Dey ◽  
Jessica K Polka ◽  
Máté Pálfy ◽  
...  

AbstractThe world continues to face an ongoing viral pandemic that presents a serious threat to human health. The virus underlying the COVID-19 disease, SARS-CoV-2, caused over 29 million confirmed cases and 925,000 deaths since January 2020. Although the last pandemic occurred only a decade ago, the way science operates and responds to current events has experienced a paradigm shift in the interim. The scientific community responded rapidly to the COVID-19 pandemic, releasing over 16,000 COVID-19 scientific articles within 4 months of the first confirmed case, of which 6,753 were hosted by preprint servers. Focussing on bioRxiv and medRxiv, two growing preprint servers for biomedical research, we investigated the attributes of COVID-19 preprints, their access and usage rates and characteristics of sharing across online platforms. Our results highlight the unprecedented role of preprint servers in the dissemination of COVID-19 science, and the impact of the pandemic on the scientific communication landscape.

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. e3000959
Author(s):  
Nicholas Fraser ◽  
Liam Brierley ◽  
Gautam Dey ◽  
Jessica K. Polka ◽  
Máté Pálfy ◽  
...  

The world continues to face a life-threatening viral pandemic. The virus underlying the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused over 98 million confirmed cases and 2.2 million deaths since January 2020. Although the most recent respiratory viral pandemic swept the globe only a decade ago, the way science operates and responds to current events has experienced a cultural shift in the interim. The scientific community has responded rapidly to the COVID-19 pandemic, releasing over 125,000 COVID-19–related scientific articles within 10 months of the first confirmed case, of which more than 30,000 were hosted by preprint servers. We focused our analysis on bioRxiv and medRxiv, 2 growing preprint servers for biomedical research, investigating the attributes of COVID-19 preprints, their access and usage rates, as well as characteristics of their propagation on online platforms. Our data provide evidence for increased scientific and public engagement with preprints related to COVID-19 (COVID-19 preprints are accessed more, cited more, and shared more on various online platforms than non-COVID-19 preprints), as well as changes in the use of preprints by journalists and policymakers. We also find evidence for changes in preprinting and publishing behaviour: COVID-19 preprints are shorter and reviewed faster. Our results highlight the unprecedented role of preprints and preprint servers in the dissemination of COVID-19 science and the impact of the pandemic on the scientific communication landscape.


2021 ◽  
pp. 582-587
Author(s):  
I.V. Goloviznin ◽  
A.V. Ryzhakova

Chocolate is the most staple and consumed confectionery product in Russia and the world. The determination of the beneficial properties of such a product as chocolate is an important and regular process of food institutions in every country, since new lines of already well-known manufacturers and new manufacturers with an innovative assortment are added to the retail assortment. Today, it is very relevant and important to understand the impact of new products on human health. In this regard, in order to provide complete information on a specific product, it is necessary to know its composition, ingredients and their effect on the body separately and within the framework of a specific product. Along with its beneficial properties, chocolate can also affect health negatively. It is necessary to understand the mechanism of the effect of chocolate on human health when consumed and to assess the risks that may arise subsequently after its active consumption.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 53-65
Author(s):  
Md Nurul Amin ◽  
Md Sultan Ul Islam ◽  
Md Jawadul Haque

The growth of communication technology in the last two decades has given the world a new look.With the blessings of digital technology, we can now communicate to any parts of the world with just a touch over the screen of our smart phone. Mobile phone hasnow become an indispensable part of our life.But, biological effects of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) transmitted by mobile phones are still a matter of public and scientific debate. Countries accross the world are now getting concerned about the impact of mobiles on human health and environment.Radiofrequency waves generated from mobile phones cause potential public health problems. Short-term effects like changes in sleep, heart rate, and blood pressure, and long-term effects like carcinoma (particularly glioma) are well-documented. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) published cancer risks from Radiofrequency(RF) radiation. Human epidemiological studies gave evidence of increased risk for glioma and acoustic neuroma. Further epidemiological, animal and mechanistic studies have strengthened the association. Besides, the carcinogenic effect of non-ionizing radiation emitted from cordless digital devices, numerous health effects have already been claimed to occur. Faced with this context, scientific community and legislative bodies are raising voice for the reduction of RF-EMF exposure to the safe limit for human health and environment. The RF exposure restriction guideline used by many agencies was established in 1998 by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and was based only on established short-term thermal (heating) effects from RF radiation neglecting non-thermal biological effects. The present study is, therefore, intended to review the literatures relating mobile phone and Wi-fito human health in order to make the scientific community updated on the association between mobile phone use and human health. Ibrahim Card Med J 2018; 8 (1&2): 53-65


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 796-806
Author(s):  
Sana M Kamal ◽  
Ali Al-Samydai ◽  
Rudaina Othman Yousif ◽  
Talal Aburjai

COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the world, which considered a relative of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), with possibility of transmission from animals to human and effect each of health and economic. Several preventative strategies and non-pharmaceutical interventions have been used to slow down the spread of COVID-19. The questionnaire contained 36 questions regarding the impact of COVID-19 quarantine on children`s behaviors and language have been distributed online (Google form). Data collected after asking parents about their children behavior during quarantine, among the survey completers (n=469), 42.3% were female children, and 57.7 were male children. Results showed that quarantine has an impact on children`s behaviors and language, where stress and isolationism has a higher effect, while social relations had no impact. The majority of the respondents (75.0%) had confidence that community pharmacies can play an important role in helping families in protection their children`s behaviors and language as they made the highest contact with pharmacists during quarantine. One of the main recommendations that could be applied to help parents protection and improvement their children`s behaviors and language in quarantine condition base on simple random sample opinion is increasing the role of community pharmacies inpatient counseling and especially towards children after giving courses to pharmacists in child psychology and behavior. This could be helpful to family to protect their children, from any changing in them behaviors and language in such conditions in the future if the world reface such the same problem.


2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (01-02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anis Ur Rehman ◽  
Yasir Arafat Elahi ◽  
Sushma .

India has recently emerged as a major political and economic power in the world. The financial crisis that engulfed the world in 2008 needed developing countries like India to lead the rescue and recovery, instead of G7 westerns countries who dealt with such crisis in the past. Recently, discussions and negotiations are going amongst G20 countries regarding a new global financial architecture (G-20 Summit, 2008). The outcome will affect the relevant industries in India and hence it is a public interest issue for the actuarial profession in the country. Increased and more intrusive and costly regulations and red tapes are likely to be a part of the new deal (Economic Survey 2009-10). The objective of this paper is to study the perception of higher level authorities in Insurance sector regarding the role of regulator in minimizing the impact of global financial crisis. The primary data has been collected from 200 authorities in insurance industry. The data has been analyzed with statistical tools like MS-Excel. On the basis of the findings, various measures and policy recommendations for insurers have been suggested to minimize the impact of crisis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-145
Author(s):  
Sheena Chhabra ◽  
Apurva Bakshi ◽  
Ravineet Kaur

Nutraceuticals have been around for quite some time. As the nomenclature suggests, they are placed somewhere between food (nutra-) and medicine (-ceuticals) in terms of their impact on human health. Researches have focused on the impact of various types of nutraceuticals on health, their efficacy in health promotion and disease prevention, and often on suitable uses of certain categories of nutraceuticals for specific health issues. However, we are still far from utilizing the immense potential of nutraceuticals for benefiting human health in a substantial manner. We review the available scholarly literature regarding the role of nutraceuticals in health promotion, their efficacy in disease prevention and the perception of nutraceuticals' health benefits by consumers. Thereafter we analyze the need for regulation of nutraceuticals and various provisions regarding the same.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1700
Author(s):  
Melissa Chalada ◽  
Charmaine A. Ramlogan-Steel ◽  
Bijay P. Dhungel ◽  
Christopher J. Layton ◽  
Jason C. Steel

Uveal melanoma (UM) is currently classified by the World Health Organisation as a melanoma caused by risk factors other than cumulative solar damage. However, factors relating to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) susceptibility such as light-coloured skin and eyes, propensity to burn, and proximity to the equator, frequently correlate with higher risk of UM. These risk factors echo those of the far more common cutaneous melanoma (CM), which is widely accepted to be caused by excessive UVR exposure, suggesting a role of UVR in the development and progression of a proportion of UM. Indeed, this could mean that countries, such as Australia, with high UVR exposure and the highest incidences of CM would represent a similarly high incidence of UM if UVR exposure is truly involved. Most cases of UM lack the typical genetic mutations that are related to UVR damage, although recent evidence in a small minority of cases has shown otherwise. This review therefore reassesses statistical, environmental, anatomical, and physiological evidence for and against the role of UVR in the aetiology of UM.


2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 87-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Creaser

Purpose Library impact and how to evaluate it has been debated for a number of years. While the activity – the busy-ness – of the library is now routinely measured and described, the difference the library makes is less tangible and harder to measure. Libraries in all sectors and worldwide are grappling with this issue, and the purpose of this paper is to summarise international standards available to support them. Design/methodology/approach The first international standard concerning library impact, ISO 16439 Information and documentation – methods and procedures for assessing the impact of libraries, was published in 2014 after several years in development. Findings The standard describes a range of methods for assessing library impact which have been used across the world in a variety of libraries in all sectors. Originality/value This paper summarises the key methods described in the standard, and gives references for further reading.


2021 ◽  

The COVID-19 pandemic forced physicians around the world to make tragic decisions: Whose life should be saved when it is apparent that available resources are insufficient to treat everyone? Under the heading of "triage" a broad societal debate ensued that also ignited the scientific community. This anthology unites voices from medicine, law, and philosophy for a conversation. It reveals controversies that are deeply rooted in ideas of law, morality, and the role of the individual in the state. Simultaneously, answers are being formulated to questions that have become sadly prominent in the COVID pandemic but could also valid beyond it.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Tuccori ◽  
Irma Convertino ◽  
Sara Ferraro ◽  
Emiliano Cappello ◽  
Giulia Valdiserra ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic that hit the world in 2020 triggered a massive dissemination of information (“infodemic”) about the disease channeled through the web and social media. This “infodemic” included also sensational and distorted information about drugs, which likely affected primarily opinion leaders and people particularly active on social media, and subsequently other peoples leading to inadequate choices by individual patients everywhere. In particular, for some drugs approved with other indications, namely chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, NSAIDs, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, favipiravir and umifenovir, information has spread that has led to a hazardous use. In this article, we analyzed the rationale behind the claim for use of these drugs in COVID-19, the communication about their effect on the disease, the consequences of this communication on people's behavior and the response of some influential regulatory authorities in an attempt to minimize the actual or potential risks arising from this behavior. Finally, we discussed the role of pharmacovigilance stakeholders in emergency management and possible strategies to be put in place to deal with other similar situations in the future.


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