Eating Habits and Lifestyle Changes Among Turkish Population During Covid-19 Pandemic Period

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on eating habits, and lifestyles including sleeping and smoking habits, and physical activity of the Turkish population aged >15 years using a web-survey. The survey was conducted from the 5th of August to the 4th of October 2020 by using an online platform and disseminated through institutional and private social networks (Facebook and WhatsApp) and institutional mailing lists. The questionnaire consisted of demographic information, anthropometric data, changes in dietary habits, and changes in lifestyle habits. The total number of participants was 1020 in the study and 71.1% of them are female, and 80% of the participants were in the 20-59 age range. More than half of the participants (67.42%) declared that their eating habits and lifestyles changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of the participants (63%) declared that there is no special food that can improve their immunity against the Covid-19. Contrary to them, most of those who added certain foods to their diets or increased the consumption of certain foods to improve the immunity (39.8%), declared that they got that information from social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp. In particular smoking habits did not change and sleep hours increased during the Covid-19 period. Concerning physical activity, no significant difference was found between the percentage of people before and during the Covid-19 period.

Even experts cannot agree on the optimal use of platelet-rich plasma in lateral elbow tendinopathy: an international Delphi study

Background Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is widely used in the management of lateral elbow tendinopathy (LET) despite conflicting evidence on its effectiveness. With high levels of user experience, this study aimed to assess consensus amongst experts on its clinical use. Methods A three-round international Delphi study was conducted. Participants were invited through national society mailing lists and contact lists derived from a systematic search of the literature on PRP. In round one, a primary working group developed 40 statements on PRP preparation and clinical application. In rounds two and three, an international group of researchers on PRP and clinical users of the device scored their levels of agreement with the statements on a five-point scale. Consensus was defined as an interquartile range of ≤ 1. Results Consensus of agreement was only reached for 17/40 (42.5%) statements. For statements on PRP formulation, consensus of agreement was reached in 2/6 statements (33%). Only limited consensus on the contraindications, delivery strategy and delivery technique was achieved. Conclusion Experts reached very limited consensus on the use of PRP in LET. High levels of user experience have not resulted in a convergence of opinion on the technical components of PRP formulation and delivery, substantiating the need for further studies and improved trial reporting.

Use of Deoxycorticosterone Pivalate by Veterinarians: A Western European Survey

This study aims to gather knowledge about the use of deoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP) by Western European Veterinarians (WEV) in dogs with typical hypoadrenocorticism. An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using an online survey, translated into four languages and disseminated to veterinary affiliates and mailing lists in six countries of Western Continental Europe. Respondents were tasked to share their therapeutic approach to hypoadrenocorticism, whether they preferred DOCP or fludrocortisone and the specific practical use of DOCP. One-hundred and eighty-four responses were included. Of these, 79.9% indicated that they preferred prescribing DOCP over fludrocortisone as a first-line treatment for mineralocorticoid supplementation. A total of 154 respondents had used DOCP at least once. Eighty percent of those who reported their initial dosage prescribed 2.2 mg/kg. After starting DOCP, 68.2% of the respondents assess electrolytes 10 and 25 days after administration following manufacturer instructions. In stable dogs, electrolytes are monitored quarterly, monthly, semi-annually, and annually by 44.2%, 34.4%, 16.9%, and 4.6% of respondents respectively. When treatment adjustment is required, 53% prefer to reduce dosage while 47% increase the interval between doses. Overall, DOCP is the preferred mineralocorticoid supplementation among WEV. Reported variability underlies the need to investigate the best strategies for DOCP use and therapeutic adjustments.

Synchronous development in open-source projects: A higher-level perspective

Mailing lists are a major communication channel for supporting developer coordination in open-source software projects. In a recent study, researchers explored temporal relationships (e.g., synchronization) between developer activities on source code and on the mailing list, relying on simple heuristics of developer collaboration (e.g., co-editing files) and developer communication (e.g., sending e-mails to the mailing list). We propose two methods for studying synchronization between collaboration and communication activities from a higher-level perspective, which captures the complex activities and views of developers more precisely than the rather technical perspective of previous work. On the one hand, we explore developer collaboration at the level of features (not files), which are higher-level concepts of the domain and not mere technical artifacts. On the other hand, we lift the view of developer communication from a message-based model, which treats each e-mail individually, to a conversation-based model, which is semantically richer due to grouping e-mails that represent conceptually related discussions. By means of an empirical study, we investigate whether the different abstraction levels affect the observed relationship between commit activity and e-mail communication using state-of-the-art time-series analysis. For this purpose, we analyze a combined history of 40 years of data for three highly active and widely deployed open-source projects: QEMU, BusyBox, and OpenSSL. Overall, we found evidence that a higher-level view on the coordination of developers leads to identifying a stronger statistical dependence between the technical activities of developers than a less abstract and rather technical view.

Public perceptions of eye symptoms and hospital services during the first UK lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic: a web survey study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to explore the British public’s healthcare-seeking beliefs concerning eye symptoms, and assess how the first COVID-19 lockdown influenced these.Methods and analysisAn anonymous web-based survey was disseminated through mailing lists and social media between June and August 2020. The survey sought participants’ views on the severity and urgency of the need for medical review for four ophthalmic and two general medical scenarios on a five-point scale. Participants were asked to answer questions twice: once ignoring the COVID-19 pandemic, and once taking this into account, with additional questions asked to identify factors influencing the decision to seek medical attention and ward admission.ResultsA total of 402 participants completed the survey (mean age 61.6 years, 63.1% female and 87.7% of white ethnicity). Scores for symptom severity and urgency of medical review increased significantly with the severity of the clinical scenario (both p<0.001). However, participants gave significantly lower scores for the urgency of medical attention when accounting for the COVID-19 pandemic (compared with no pandemic) for all scenarios (all p<0.001). Younger age, greater deprivation and non-white ethnicity were correlated with a lower perception of seriousness and urgency of medical attention.ConclusionsDuring the first UK lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced urgency of medical review for ocular and systemic pathologies was reported in response to the pandemic, which represents a barrier to healthcare-seeking behaviour. This has the potential to critically delay medical review and timely management, negatively impacting patient outcomes.

Women in neurointervention, a gender gap? Results of a prospective online survey

Background and Purpose Women's representation in medicine has increased over time yet the proportion of women practicing neurointervention remains low. We conducted an anonymous online survey through which we could explore the gender gap in neurointervention, identify potential issues, difficulties, or obstacles women might face, and evaluate if men encounter similar issues. Methods An online questionnaire was designed in SurveyMonkey®. Invitation to participate was emailed through national and international neurointerventional societies as well as directly through private mailing lists to men and women working in neurointervention. Responses were collected from 10 May 2019 to 10 September 2019. Results There were 295 complete responses, 173 (59%) male and 122 (41%) female. Most respondents (83%) fell within age categories 35–60 years, with representation from 40 countries across five continents. In all 95% were working full time, 73% had worked as a neurointerventionalist for >6 years, 77% worked in University-affiliated teaching institutions. Almost half of the respondents indicated no female neurointerventionalist worked in their center. Female respondents were younger and age-adjusted analysis was undertaken. Significantly fewer females than males were married and had children. Significantly fewer females held supervisory roles, held academic titles, and significantly less had a mentor. Females were less satisfied in their careers. More females felt they receive less recognition than colleagues of the opposite sex. Males had a greater proportion of work time dedicated to neurointervention. Similar proportions of both genders experienced bullying in work (40%–47%); however, sexual harassment was more common for females. There were no differences between genders in how they dealt with complications or their effects on mental well-being. Conclusion There are many potential reasons why women are underrepresented in neurointervention, however, the literature suggests this is not unique to our specialty. Multiple long-term strategies will be necessary to address these issues, some of which are discussed in the article.

Comparison of U.S. 4-year and community college librarians’ perspectives on competencies, challenges, and educational preparation for the instructional role

The purpose of this study is to explore and compare community (2-year) college librarians’ perceptions of their competencies, challenges, and educational preparation with those of librarians at 4-year colleges. Researchers created survey questions based on previous studies and distributed the survey through online mailing lists. The survey results indicated that community college instructional librarians’ responses were generally not statistically significantly different from 4-year university librarians in terms of what skills, traits, and educational needs were most prevalent. From the perspective of career challenges, community college instructional librarians cited marketing and changing perceptions/needs of content area faculty, while the librarians at 4-year universities cited burnout and class overload. These differences reveal the substantial challenge of preparing instructional librarians according to the types of libraries and instructional approaches.

Clinical Trial Recruiters’ Experiences Working With Trial Eligibility Criteria: Results of an Exploratory, Cross-sectional, Online Survey

BackgroundEligibility criteria are a fundamental element of clinical trial design, defining who can and who should not participate in a trial. Problems with the design or application of criteria are known to occur and pose risks to participants' safety and trial integrity, sometimes also negatively impacting on trial recruitment and generalisability. We conducted a short, exploratory survey to gather evidence on UK recruiters' experiences interpreting and applying eligibility criteria and their views on how criteria are communicated and developed.MethodsOur survey included topics informed by a wider programme of work at the Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Leeds, on assuring eligibility criteria quality. Respondents were asked to answer based on all their trial experience, not only on experiences with our trials. The survey was disseminated to recruiters collaborating on trials run at our trials unit, and via other mailing lists and social media. The quantitative responses were descriptively analysed, with inductive analysis of free-text responses to identify themes.ResultsA total of 823 eligible respondents participated. 79% of respondents reported finding problems with eligibility criteria in some trials, and 9% in most trials. The main themes in the types of problems experienced were criteria clarity (67% of comments), feasibility (34%) and suitability (14%). 27% of those reporting some level of problem said these problems had led to patients being incorrectly included in trials; 40% said they had led to incorrect exclusions. Most respondents (56%) reported accessing eligibility criteria mainly in the trial protocol. Most respondents (74%) supported the idea that they might review eligibility criteria earlier in the protocol development process.ConclusionsOur survey corroborates other evidence about the existence of suboptimal trial eligibility criteria. Problems with clarity were the most often reported, but the number of comments on feasibility and suitability suggest some recruiters feel eligibility criteria and associated assessments can hinder recruitment to trials. Our proposal for more recruiter involvement in protocol development has strong support and some potential benefits, but questions remain about how best to implement this. We invite other trialists to consider our other suggestions for how to assure quality in trial eligibility criteria.

The Relationship between Sleep Hygiene, Mood, and Insomnia Symptoms in Men with Prostate Cancer

PurposeInsomnia symptoms are commonly experienced by men after prostate cancer (PCa) treatment. Here we explored how sleep hygiene behaviours and psychological symptoms are associated with insomnia symptoms in PCa patients.MethodsAn online survey was posted on social media and sent to mailing lists of PCa and general cancer organisations. The survey collected information on demographic, sleep hygiene and psychological symptoms using validated questionnaires. ResultsData from 142 participants were compared based on the absence (age = 68.3 ± 8.9 years) and presence (age = 66.6 ± 9.0 years) of insomnia symptoms. Participants with insomnia symptoms had significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression, fatigue, and daytime sleepiness as well as poorer sleep hygiene than those without insomnia symptoms. Control variables (age, comorbidities, ADT experience and BMI) accounted for 12.5% of the variance in insomnia symptoms. Adding sleepiness, fatigue, anxiety, depressive symptoms to the model explained an additional 45.1% of the variance in insomnia symptoms. Further, including the sleep hygiene item “I think, plan, or worry when I am in bed” and “I sleep in an uncomfortable bedroom” explained an additional 3.6% of the variance in insomnia symptoms. ConclusionsPoor sleep hygiene, fatigue, daytime sleepiness, anxiety, depressive symptoms were all associated with worse insomnia symptoms in PCa patients. Improving sleep hygiene and treating psychological conditions may potentially help prevent and/or alleviate insomnia symptoms in PCa patients.

O-193 A devastating double disruption: IVF patients’ feelings and experiences regarding treatment delays due to Covid-19

Study question How did patients experience the delays and disruptions to their fertility treatment that occurred as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting clinic closures? Summary answer Patients reported feeling ‘powerless/helpless’ (78.3%), ‘frustrated’ (59.3%), and ‘anxious’ (54.7%), and detailed why clinic closures were experienced as a devastating double disruption. What is known already Fertility patients found clinic closures and the disruption to their treatments stressful due to uncertainty and perceived threats to their goal of parenthood, and experienced an increase in anxiety and depression. However, paper goes far beyond the mostly quantitative data that has been published by analysing patients’ detailed qualitative accounts of their feelings and experiences in their own words. Study design, size, duration A mixed-methods, anonymous, online questionnaire in English was live for 6 weeks between 19 May to 30 June 2020. All patients aged over 18, whose fertility treatment or investigations had been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic were eligible to take part. The questionnaire was widely distributed using mainstream media, social media, and the mailing lists of relevant organisations. In total 709 people began and 501 completed the questionnaire in the time available (70.7% completion rate). Participants/materials, setting, methods The questionnaire included ten parts with a mixture of quantitative and qualitative items. The responses of 457 female fertility patients who were resident in the UK were analysed. The average age was 34.6 (SD = 4.9). The majority were in a heterosexual relationship (91.0%), white (90.6%), and had no children (87.1%). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used on quantitative data, and thematic analysis used for qualitative data. Main results and the role of chance Using insights from the sociology of reproduction, including how patients face and resolve “disruption” (Becker 1997), this paper presents qualitative accounts from fertility patients regarding their feelings, reactions and experiences regarding the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting clinic closures. Respondents highlighted the intensity of their feelings, noting that their lives seemed “paused”, “stopped” or “thrown into a state of limbo”, leaving them unable to move forward with crucial life plans. Moreover, many explained that clinics closures were not experienced simply as a disruption, but rather as an additional hurdle in what had already been a series of difficult disruptions to normalcy, including, in many cases, an unforeseen inability to conceive naturally, long waiting lists for fertility treatment, and treatment delays due to economic or other factors. The major themes to emerge from respondents’ accounts were: lack of control; lack of support; and feelings of difference, isolation and being left out. In many ways, the Covid-19 related disruptions exacerbated and added to fertility patients’ existing anxieties and frustrations. One respondent wrote, “IVF is one of the most stressful things you can go through. To then be in the middle of that during a global pandemic it makes it even more stressful.” Limitations, reasons for caution Participants were self-selecting and reporting their feelings and reactions at one particular point in time. Only responses from 457 UK-residents were included in the analyses. Wider implications of the findings These findings show that patients attending fertility clinics need additional support and care during times of uncertainty and disruption, and that many regard their treatment as an essential medical service. We encourage governments and regulators to keep fertility clinics open whenever it is possible to safely do so. Trial registration number Not applicable