Conspiracy beliefs and vaccination intent for COVID-19 in an infodemic

Background The massive, free and unrestricted exchange of information on the social media during the Covid-19 pandemic has set fertile grounds for fear, uncertainty and the rise of fake news related to the virus. This “viral” spread of fake news created an “infodemic” that threatened the compliance with public health guidelines and recommendations. Objective This study aims to describe the trust in social media platforms and the exposure to fake news about COVID-19 in Lebanon and to explore their association with vaccination intent. Methods In this cross-sectional study conducted in Lebanon during July–August, 2020, a random sample of 1052 participants selected from a mobile-phone database responded to an anonymous structured questionnaire after obtaining informed consent (response rate = 40%). The questionnaire was conducted by telephone and measured socio-demographics, sources and trust in sources of information and exposure to fake news, social media activity, perceived threat and vaccination intent. Results Results indicated that the majority of participants (82%) believed that COVID-19 is a threat and 52% had intention to vaccinate. Exposure to fake/ unverified news was high (19.7% were often and 63.8% were sometimes exposed, mainly to fake news shared through Watsapp and Facebook). Trust in certain information sources (WHO, MoPH and TV) increased while trust in others (Watsapp, Facebook) reduced vaccination intent against Covid-19. Believing in the man-made theory and the business control theory significantly reduced the likelihood of vaccination intent (Beta = 0.43; p = 0.01 and Beta = -0.29; p = 0.05) respectively. Conclusion In the context of the infodemic, understanding the role of exposure to fake news and of conspiracy believes in shaping healthy behavior is important for increasing vaccination intent and planning adequate response to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

Effect of COVID-19 Infection in the Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Coronavirus is pandemic virus infection which has recently affected the globe, and as a result, in patients with non-communicable diseases, the associated morbidity and death are substantially greater. One of the most common non-communicable diseases linked to worsening clinical conditions in corona virus patients is diabetes mellitus (dm). Covid-19 is a zoonotic illness that was firstly found in wuhan city of china, and is now recognized a zoonotic disease that spreads from moist animals to people in 2019. The disease has a low fatality rate and only affects the most seriously ill patients. Approximately 80% of the cases involve patients who are seriously to moderately ill. Since the outbreak of the disease, the number of people who have died has continuously increased. Summary: The aim for this study is to determine the receptors involved in diabetes and the pathogenetic relationship btw. Covid-19 and diabetes. Both diseases are characterized by inflammation and the release of inflammatory markers. The roles of angiotensin-converting enzyme molecule and dipeptidyl peptidase in covid-19 and diabetes have been investigated. The effects of glucocorticoids and catecholamines, invasion of pancreatic islet cells, medications used to treat covid-19, and hence the lockdown policy, may have a deleterious impact on diabetes patients' glucose control. The results of covid-19 research involving diabetic and non-diabetic patients were also examined. Various medication trials, such as the dapagliflozin and linagliptin trials are still being conducted to see if certain medications are suitable for diabetic people with covid-19. Conclusion: Diabetes is a risk factor for covid-19 patients, according to the data, leading to their severity and mortality. This article also contains guidelines and recommendations that may be useful in the management and avoidance of diabetic individuals who are infected with covid-19.

Levels of tests of Russian as a foreign language in terms of school age characteristics

The current paper discusses possibilities for school students to successfully pass TORFL-I/B1, TORFL-II/B2 and TORFL-III/C1. The relevance of this article is determined by the fact that despite Russian as a foreign (second) language has been taught within the framework of the TORFL system for more than two decades, there is a shortage of methodological material aimed at preparing school students for TORFL. In addition, the issue of choosing the level of testing in accordance with the level of Russian language proficiency and taking into account age specifics is not sufficiently covered in Russian academic literature. The aim of this paper is to define age reference marks for school students who plan to pass TORFL. The materials to review and analyse were the works of Russian and foreign researchers in the field of foreign (second) language proficiency, language development of children and adolescents, assessment of school students communicative competence, language assessment, and correlation of these data with the requirements for completing tasks of the TORFL-I/B1, TORFL-II/B2, TORFL-III/C1 Writing subtests selected as an example. The paper has resulted in providing recommendations on the choice of examination level for senior and junior school students, within the framework of TORFL-I/B1, TORFL-II/B2, TORFL-III/C1, which can also be used in the development of training courses in Russian as a foreign language for schools. The authors concluded that there is need to develop a new methodological area in testing of Russian as a foreign language system capable to provide guidelines and recommendations for preparing school students for examinations, and designing TORFL training courses and teaching materials according to the school students age.

Viktor Vasilievich Trusov — organizer of endocrinology service of Izhevsk

The article is devoted to the 85th anniversary of Professor Viktor Vasilyevich Trusov (19362012), one of the prominent representatives of the therapeutic, scientific school of the Izhevsk State Medical Academy. In the range of diverse scientific interests and developments of Viktor Vasilyevich, a significant part was the issues of practical support to patients with endocrinological pathology, including patients with diabetes mellitus. Professor V.V. Trusov was a member of the Board of Russian Association of Endocrinologists, a member of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, a member of the American Diabetes Association, worked on the problems of optimizing care for patients with diabetes. The article highlights the diabetology segment of the endocrinology service in Izhevsk on the materials of the endocrinological department of the State Clinical Hospital No. 6. The role of Professor Viktor Vasilyevich Trusov in the organization of the endocrinological center of Izhevsk, the viability of the methodological guidelines and recommendations laid down by him in the organization of care for patients with diabetes mellitus was noted. The organization of the work of the endocrinology center are considered. The analysis of the main indicators of the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was carried out according to the data of the endocrinology department (20172020). The special place of the diabetic foot clinic in the work of the center is highlighted. Modern and original methods of management of such complications of diabetes mellitus as diabetic foot syndrome are presented.

How to manage bleeding disorders in aging patients needing surgery

With improvements in medical care, the life expectancy of patients with bleeding disorders is approaching that of the general population. A growing population of older adult patients with bleeding disorders is at risk of age-related comorbidities and in need of various elective and emergent age-related procedures. The increased risk of thrombosis and volume overload in older adults complicates perioperative hemostatic management. Furthermore, antithrombotic treatment such as antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy, which is frequently required for various cardiovascular interventions, requires a meticulous individualized approach. Evidence-based guidelines for the management of aging patients with bleeding disorders are lacking, largely due to the underrepresentation of older adult patients in clinical trials as well as the rarity of many such bleeding disorders. We discuss the current guidelines and recommendations in the perioperative hemostatic management of older adult patients with hemophilia and von Willebrand disease as well as other rare bleeding disorders. The optimal management of these patients is often complex and requires a thorough multidisciplinary and individualized approach involving hematologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and the specialists treating the underlying disorder.

Recommendations for anesthetic management for intraoperative neuromodulation cases

This paper performs a review of current literature as well as uses our single-center experience to discuss pre-operative, intra-operative and, briefly, postoperative management for dorsal column stimulators (DCSs), dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulators, peripheral nerve stimulators (PNSs) and intrathecal pumps. Generally, pre-operative antibiotics are recommended with discontinuation within 24 h postoperatively. For dorsal column and DRG stimulation, monitored anesthesia care or general anesthesia with intra-operative neuromonitoring is recommended; for peripheral nerve stimulation and intrathecal pump implementation, monitored anesthesia care is preferred. There is little information on appropriate anesthetic management during these forms of neuromodulation. More research is necessary to articulate specific pre-operative, intra-operative and postoperative management guidelines and recommendations for dorsal column stimulator, DRG stimulation, PNS and intrathecal pump implantation.

Diagnostic reference levels in digital mammography: A systematic review

Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in digital mammography (DM) serve as a useful benchmark for dose monitoring and optimization, allowing comparison amongst countries, institutions and mammography units. A systematic review of DRLs in DM, published in 2014, reported a lack of consistent and internationally accepted protocol in DRLs establishment, thereby resulting in wide variations in methodologies which complicates comparability between studies. In 2017, the International Commission of Radiation Protection (ICRP) published additional guidelines and recommendations to provide clarity in the protocol used in DRLs establishment. With the continuing evolvement of technology, optimization of examinations and updates in guidelines and recommendations, DRLs should be revised at regular intervals. This systematic review aims to provide an update and identify a more consistent protocol in the methodologies used to establish DRLs. Searches were conducted through Web of Science, PubMed-MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, CINAHL and Google Scholar, which resulted in 766 articles, of which 19 articles were included after screening. Relevant data from the included studies were summarized and analyzed. While the additional guidelines and recommendations have provided clarifications in the methodologies used in DRLs establishment, such as data source (i.e., the preference to use data derived from patient instead of phantoms to establish DRLs), protocol (i.e., stratification of DRLs by compressed breast thickness and detector technology, and the use of median value for DRLs quantity instead of mean) and percentiles used to establish DRLs (i.e., set at the 75th percentile with a minimum sample size of 50 patients), other differences such as the lack of a standard dose calculation method used to estimate mean glandular dose continues to complicate comparisons between studies and different DM systems. This systematic review update incorporated the updated guidelines and recommendations from ICRP which will serve as a useful resource for future research efforts related to DRLs, dose monitoring and optimization.