Sars-Cov-2 Infection Does Not Worsen the Course of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in the Long Term

Background and aim: The long-term outcome of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection is under investigation. In a prospective, single-center study, we aimed to assess whether a recent SARS-CoV-2 infection increases the risk of IBD relapse within 12 months. Material(s) and Method(s): From March to April 2021, all IBD patients with recent (<2 months) SARS-CoV-2 infection (Cases) were enrolled. For each enrolled Case, 4 IBD Controls with no history of infection were considered. Clinical course of IBD was recorded for 12 months. Inclusion criteria: a) well-defined diagnosis of IBD;b) age >=18 and <=85 years;c) 12-months follow-up;d) consent. Exclusion criteria: a) incomplete data;b) SARS-CoV-2 infection after enrollment. Additional inclusion criteria: a) recent SARS-CoV-2 infection for Cases;b) no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection for Controls. Data were expressed as median [range]. Normal distribution of continuous variables was assessed through the Kolmogonov-Smirnov test. Statistical analysis included Student-t Test, Mann-Whitney u-test, 2 test, multivariate logistic regression model (OR [95% CI]), Kaplan- Meier curves, as appropriate. Result(s): During the study period, 143 IBD patients were enrolled. The analysis included 118 patients (22 met the exclusion criteria, 3 lost at follow-up): 29 (24.6%) Cases, 89 (75.4%) Controls. Demographic and clinical characteristics were comparable between groups. During the 12-months study, the frequency of IBD relapse was comparable between Cases and Controls (8 [27%] vs 19 [21%];p=0.65). At univariate analysis, SARS-CoV-2 infection was not a risk factor for IBD relapse within 12-months (1.5 [0.6-3.9];p=0.34). At multivariate analysis, IBD activity at baseline was the only risk factor for relapse (3.2 [1.1-9.1];p=0.03). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that survival from IBD relapse was comparable between Cases and Controls (p=0.33). Conclusion(s): In a prospective 12-months study, a recent SARSCoV- 2 infection did not increase the risk of clinical relapse of IBD in the long term.Copyright © 2023. Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l.

Assessment of Argentina’s Creditworthiness After the Debt Restructuring

Argentina’s 2020 debt restructuring was the second largest sovereign restructuring in history, after Greece’s in 2012. The sovereign’s latest default was triggered by extending maturities on short-term debt in August 2019, followed by another postponement of short-term debt payments in December 2019 and long-term debt payments in February 2020. In August 2019, the government also announced its intention to restructure its long-term debt. This article compares Argentina’s sovereign debt crisis with prior sovereign bond defaults and sets forth Moody’s view that significant challenges result in Argentina’s creditworthiness remaining weak even after the debt restructuring and despite sizeable losses for investors. These challenges include Argentina’s large share of foreign-currency debt amid its dependence on external foreign-exchange financing and limited domestic funding options, and subdued economic prospects as the coronavirus pandemic deepened the country’s multi-year recession and also affected Argentina’s main trading partners. © Multinational Finance Society, a nonprofit corporation. All rights reserved.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Energy Sector

The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the energy sector. With the widespread closures of business and decrease in travels due to the pandemic, there have been significant falls in electricity, coal, gas, and nuclear power consumption. Disruptions in manufacturing facilities and pauses on construction projects bring uncertainty about energy growth in 2021. In the past, similar drops in emissions occurred such as the global financial crisis of 2008 but resulted in a rebound of global CO2 emissions when the market recovered. However, the pandemic brings forth unique risks and uncertainties for industries and governments in having to balance safety with progress. For this COVID-19 related recession, governments have the chance to pivot energy consumption by incentivizing renewable energy sectors like wind, solar, hydrogen, and energy storage that reduce the carbon footprint. Investing in renewables could stimulate economic recovery and aid in the transition to a more sustainable future. However, we see significant declines in such investments. We investigate how the energy industry was affected by and could recover from the challenges set forth by the pandemic and how this recovery could incentivize clean energy technologies. © IEOM Society International.