Impact of the Pandemic on the Mental Health of University Students

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of confinement measures on the mental health of university students, taking into account gender differences. The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has led to drastic changes in public and private life for people with a huge impact on the world's economic and social population, but also on mental health. Educational institutions were forced to change the teaching-learning system, affecting the forms of socialization of students. This is a cross-sectional study carried out on a sample of 724 university students. The instruments used were the sociodemographic questionnaire and the DASS-21. The results found are alarming in terms of the mental health for this population. Gender differences are significant, with high level of mental disorders in female students. In this sense, this study alerts us to the need to take into account the different psychological reactions of students in traumatic events like a pandemic situation. Promote psychological support measures at universities by implementing psychological counselling.

Relationship management in Spa tourism: An approach to cross-border regions

The practice of healthcare and wellness management depends on successfully informing potential customers about procedure options, service excellence, treatment facilities, tourism opportunities, travel benefits, and destination choice. As a tourism segment example, health, wellness, and thermal tourism is becoming an increasingly popular option for visitors looking to access procedures that are seemingly unavailable to them in their home countries due to lack of affordability, lack of availability. or lengthy waiting lists. This research seeks to gather and present the main aspects related to marketing and relationship management process in specific tourism context, in particular the case of health, wellness and thermal tourism in cross-border destination Portugal-Spain. In specific, in the Galicia Northern Portugal Euroregion, this activity still constitutes a vector of sustainable development, serving as leverage for complementary activities like healthcare and thermal tourism. The study has as purpose to provide a better understanding regarding the essence of innovation process and relational marketing: theoretical and practical implications, in specific contexts of health, wellness and thermal tourism in cross-border destinations. Regarding the methodology used here, this is a conceptual paper with a literature review that brings together the major components of innovation and its implications tourist perspective and relationship marketing (i.e., visitor perspective). The present manuscript intends to contribute theoretically to the management of innovation in specific tourism contexts (i.e., wellness, health, and thermal tourism) in cross-border tourist destinations (Portugal and Spain, specifically the Euroregion of Northern Portugal and Galicia). In the end, we intend to explore the relationship with thermal tourism consumers, suggesting a conceptual model. The model should be tested empirically in the cross-border tourist area of Northern Portugal and Galicia (with the partnership of four thermal tourism companies, as one of the main types of tourism common to the territorial space). A future study should include emotional factors. The new vogue of wellness, heatlh, and thermal tourism forces us to challenge and re-visit the power relationships that exist within contemporary tourism and the limitations imposed by the new coronavirus. © 2023 Apple Academic Press, Inc. Co-published with CRC Press (Taylor & Francis)

Stress and Associated Factors Among Nursing Workers in Pandemic Times

Objective This study aims to assess the impact of psychosocial risk factors on nurses' stress. Background The overall impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers, nursing workers especially, led to an emotionally exhausting daily work activity, making them prone to occupational hazards, namely psychosocial ones. Method A cross-sectional study was developed with 284 nurses from public and private hospitals in Portugal. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess mental health, and psychosocial risks were assessed through the Health and Work Survey (INSAT). Results Results showed a strong exposure to psychosocial risks. Work pace and intensity, work relationships and emotional demands stood out with higher global average percentages. However, it is worth noting that nurses still showed great joy and pleasure in performing their work activities. Conclusion A support network in the work environment needs to be promoted to prevent nurses' emotional stress and promote their psychological well-being during the present global health crisis. Application Therefore, research in this area is essential to understand the psychosocial risks that affect nursing workers and assess the less visible work-health relationships. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Electricity and Covid-19: a study of the brazilian market's reaction to regulatory agency measures

Resolutions 878/2020 and 885/2020 of the National Electric Energy Agency proposed solutions to face the impacts of Covid-19 in Brazil, the first prohibited the suspension of the supply of energy for default by some consumers, and the second created the Account-Covid for loans to distributors to be paid within 60 months. In this context, the article aims to analyze the reaction of the Brazilian electricity sector to Government Resolutions. This is an empirical-analytical study, based on the Efficient Market Hypothesis and Uncertain Information Hypothesis. The results show that the market reacted negatively to the Resolution to prohibit the power cut due to default, while the Conta-Covid Resolution did not show statistical significance. This study contributes to the academy by showing the reaction of the investor in the electricity sector with news of the intervention of a regulator in the pandemic.

Personal and professional changes from the Covid-19 pandemic: social inequalities experienced by health professionals in São Paulo, Brazil

The pandemic caused by Coronavirus disease (covid-19) has impacted society as a whole, demanding adaptation to a new context, both personal and professional. The working conditions of health professionals have been the subject of current research interest, with emphasis on the risk of transmission and its impact on mental health. In this sense, the study analyzes the different implications of this pandemic in the private and professional environments among physicians, nurses and nursing technicians working in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Brazil. From a qualitative and quantitative approach, interviews conducted mainly from a distance were explored, with the aid of technological mediation, with the application of a semi-structured interview script. It was verified that the adaptations to live and work in the pandemic were expressed heterogeneously among the different categories of health professionals, identified at the intersection between gender and social class, with women being largely responsible for the articulation of new forms of network support. The interventions to be implemented to recover from the effects of the pandemic will not be able to the inequalities already present in society that are reproduced in the professional environment. © 2022 Pontificia Universidad Javeriana. All rights reserved.

Stress and Associated Factors Among Nursing Workers in Pandemic Times

Objective This study aims to assess the impact of psychosocial risk factors on nurses’ stress. Background The overall impact of COVID-19 on healthcare workers, nursing workers especially, led to an emotionally exhausting daily work activity, making them prone to occupational hazards, namely psychosocial ones. Method A cross-sectional study was developed with 284 nurses from public and private hospitals in Portugal. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess mental health, and psychosocial risks were assessed through the Health and Work Survey (INSAT). Results Results showed a strong exposure to psychosocial risks. Work pace and intensity, work relationships and emotional demands stood out with higher global average percentages. However, it is worth noting that nurses still showed great joy and pleasure in performing their work activities. Conclusion A support network in the work environment needs to be promoted to prevent nurses’ emotional stress and promote their psychological well-being during the present global health crisis. Application Therefore, research in this area is essential to understand the psychosocial risks that affect nursing workers and assess the less visible work-health relationships. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

[A socio-anthropological survey to support communication on Covid-19 in West Africa]. / Une enquête socio-anthropologique à l'appui de la communication sur le Covid-19 En Afrique de l'Ouest.

The population's adherence to preventive measures is crucial for the success of the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, whether it is a question of respecting barrier gestures or vaccination. We conducted a socio-anthropological survey in five countries of the Economic Community of West African States (Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone) on the representations of Covid-19 that may influence this adherence. Our results showed that raising the awareness of barrier gestures was extremely well-received by the population and is perfectly understood, but that a substantial part of the population denies the presence of Covid-19 in their country, that the transmission of SARS-CoV2 by asymptomatic persons is mostly ignored, that the risk factors of severe forms of the disease are insufficiently known and that a majority of the respondents fear contracting Covid-19 when visiting a health center. The "infodemia" circulating on social networks does not seem to contribute to the various misconceptions we have highlighted, which are the product of the interviewees' observations and interpretation. We propose a reorientation of communication about Covid-19 based on the results of our survey.

Une enquête socio-anthropologique à l'appui de la communication sur le Covid-19 En Afrique de l'Ouest A socio-anthropological survey to support communication on Covid-19 in West Africa

Résumé L'adhésion de la population aux mesures de prévention est cruciale pour le succès de la lutte contre l’épidémie de Covid-19, qu'il s'agisse du respect des gestes barrières ou de la vaccination. Nous avons mené dans cinq pays de la Communauté économique des États d'Afrique de l'Ouest (Burkina Faso, Cap Vert, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinée Bissau, Sierra Leone) une enquête socio-anthropologique sur les représentations du Covid-19 susceptibles d'influencer cette adhésion. Nos résultats montrent que les messages de popularisation des gestes barrières ont extrêmement bien pénétré la population et qu'ils sont parfaitement compris, mais qu'une partie substantielle de la population nie la présence du Covid-19 dans son pays, que la transmission du SARS-CoV2 par des personnes asymptomatiques est majoritairement ignorée, que les facteurs de risque de formes graves de la maladie sont insuffisamment connus et qu'une majorité des enquêtés craint de contracter le Covid-19 en se rendant dans un centre de santé. L’« infodémie » qui circule sur les réseaux sociaux ne semble pas contribuer aux différentes idées fausses que nous avons mises en évidence, idées qui sont le produit des observations et de l'interprétation des personnes interviewées. Nous proposons une réorientation de la communication sur le Covid-19 sur la base des résultats de notre enquête.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the use of antimicrobials in primary and hospital care

Background and importanceThe characteristics of the patient who requires health care are different between primary care (PC) and hospital care (HC). The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on public access to health services. Therefore, prescribing patterns and consumption of antimicrobials in both contexts could have changed.Aim and objectivesTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial consumption in PC and HC.Material and methodsDescriptive cross-sectional study that evaluated the antimicrobial consumption (ATC J01) in adult patients 1 year before (March 2019–February 2020) and 1 year after (March 2020–February 2021) the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.Antimicrobial consumption rates were expressed in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants-day (DID). In PC we included the reference population of our area and in HC the number of patients discharged. The impact was assessed by the difference in DID between both periods and care settings.Data on antimicrobial prescribing in PC were obtained from a public database with anonymised data on the total number of items of each drug prescribed. Hospital data were obtained from the clinical unit of pharmacy.ResultsBetween March 2020 and February 2021 antimicrobial consumption decreased –36.0% (7.3 vs 11.4 DID) in PC and increased +37.5 (16.5 vs 12.0 DID) in HC, both compared to the same period of the previous year.The most prescribed antimicrobials in PC before the COVID-19 pandemic were amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, doxycycline, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, and between March 2020 and February 2021 these were amoxicillin/clavulanate, amoxicillin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin and azithromycin.The most prescribed antimicrobial used in HC before the COVID-19 pandemic were amoxicillin/clavulanate, levofloxacin, piperacillin/tazobactam, ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin, and between March 2020 and February 2021 these were amoxicillin/clavulanate, ceftriaxone, azithromycin, piperacillin/tazobactam and meropenem.Comparing the COVID period with the previous year, in PC the antimicrobial that most decreased in consumption was phenoxymethylpenicillin (–66.59%). Amoxicillin decreased by –52.13%, clarithromycin (–50.60%), moxifloxacin (–45.98%), levofloxacin (–44.42%), amoxicillin/clavulanate (–35.55%) and azithromycin (–29.05%). For HC the antimicrobial that most increased in consumption was azithromycin (+721.42%), followed by amoxicillin (+602.0%), ceftriaxone (+184.34%), vancomycin (+116.9%) and amikacin (+88.79%). Meropenem DID increased by +52.94%.Conclusion and relevanceThe COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on the increase in antimicrobial use in HC along with a proportional decrease in PC.Antimicrobial prescription patterns in PC remain stable. The increase in amoxicillin/clavulanate over amoxicillin may be related to non-contact patient care (telemedicine).In HC, antimicrobial stewardship strategies can help return the consumption of broad-spectrum antibiotics to acceptable levels.References and/or acknowledgementsConflict of interestNo conflict of interest

Geotagged data from social media in visitor monitoring of protected areas;a scoping review. (Special Issue: COVID-19.)

The present study undertakes a scoping literature review on the use of geotagged data in protected areas' tourism research. We contribute to the literature by providing a detailed exploration of visitor monitoring's main aspects that can be extracted from geotagged data. The revised studies presented various methodological approaches to obtain meaningful information from geotagged data. Their findings outlined new data sources' potential to assess visitor behaviour and provide visitors' use indicators. Further, the data nature makes it possible to analyse visitors' spatial and social behaviour. The literature review allows us to draw conclusions about geotagged data's validity as indicators of visitors in Protected Areas and the benefits and limitations of using such data in research.

Anxiety, Depression and Stress Among University Students: The Mediator Role of Work in Time of COVID-19: The Mediator Role of Work in Time of COVID-19

Objective: This study explored the differences between working and non-working students in terms of mental health. Our aim is to investigate the effects of combining work and study in terms of prevalence of anxiety, depression and stress during this pandemic. Background: The overall impact of COVID-19 lockdown on education led to emotional disorders and the emergence of negative psychological effects. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 478 working and non-working students in Portugal. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was employed to assess symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Data were collected using an online survey. Results: 32, 28 and 24% of university students show severe or extremely severe levels of anxiety, depression and stress, respectively. Significantly higher scores of depression and stress were reported by non-working students compared with working-students but no significant differences between both groups were found on anxiety. Conclusion: University working students presented a better psychological health compared to non-working students, who seem to have suffered a higher psychological impact during the COVID-19 time. Application: Academic psychological services may have to take preventive measures in future situations. More studies should be developed to better understand the mediator role of work in crisis situations. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

A Low-Cost Automated System for Manual Resuscitator for Emergency Covid-19 Care

The lack of mechanical ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic and the time of import this medical equipment to Ecuador;we develop a low-cost clinical ventilator using the manual resuscitators AmbuBag. This prototype used the material that are easily buy in Ecuador, so it can be rapidly build and used by the medical person. The prototype was evaluate by three different medical groups that work in the intensive care unit (IUC) in three different hospitals. The evaluation was satisfactory and we show the building process of the equipment. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

LIGA ACADÊMICA DE HEMATOLOGIA CLÍNICA E LABORATORIAL DA UFPE (LHCL): UM RELATO DE EXPERIÊNCIA SOBRE A IMPORTÂNCIA DA MULTIDISCIPLINARIDADE NA HEMATOLOGIA

Introdução e objetivo: Uma Liga Acadêmica é uma associação civil científica livre, de duração indeterminada, sem fins lucrativos que visa complementar a formação acadêmica em uma área específica por meio de atividades que atendam aos princípios do tripé universitário de ensino, pesquisa e extensão. O ingresso em uma liga permite ao acadêmico o desenvolvimento de habilidades como o trabalho em equipe, podendo construir consensos quanto aos objetivos e resultados a serem alcançados pelo conjunto, bem como quanto à maneira mais adequada de atingi-los. Normalmente, as Ligas Acadêmicas têm o intuito de integralizar alunos do mesmo curso, especificando uma determinada área. No entanto, diante da grande área que é a hematologia, pensando na necessidade de integralizar diferentes formações e visando a diversidade das vivências e percepções, a Liga Acadêmica de Hematologia Clínica e Laboratorial da UFPE (LHCL) surge com a proposta de inteirar conhecimentos de diversas áreas da saúde. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo relatar experiências obtidas na primeira gestão da LHCL, com enfoque no atendimento à população e na abordagem multiprofissional da hematolgia pelos seus integrantes. Relato de experiência: O conteúdo programático, desenvolvido pela gestão composta por um grupo de seis alunos do curso de biomedicina e um professor coordenador responsável, foram dividido em módulos para melhor entendimento e participação dos ligantes, e aconteceram quinzenalmente com participação de profissionais da área que conferiram palestras e aulas. O conhecimento foi aplicado por meio de discussão de casos clínicos reais, escrita de artigos de revisão e participação em eventos, priorizando atividades em grupo e debates entre diferentes cursos. Resultados: A LHCL representa, atualmente, a única Liga Acadêmica em hematologia de Pernambuco que propõe um enfoque multiprofissional. A inserção dos acadêmicos (que compõe a gestão) dos cursos de biomedicina, farmácia, ciências biológicas e enfermagem nas discussões sobre o manejo do pacientes tem sido de notável relevância no entendimento da hematologia em suas especificidades, já que os distúrbios abordados são de caráter multifatorial. Cada aluno participante age como replicador de conhecimentos e atitudes, respeitando as especificidades e limites de cada formação. Apesar das limitações encontradas por ser a primeira gestão e pelo contexto de COVID19 que estamos inseridos, ativididades foram desenvolvidas. Atualmente a LHCL promove uma semana de curso em hematologia clínicia e laboratorial que conta com mais de seis mil inscritos das mais diversas áreas, estados e até paises. Conclusões: A cada dia que passa, a contemporaneidade exige um novo perfil de profissional, que seja capaz de atender as novas perspectivas de trabalho. Desta forma, promover o espaço para que a conversa entre alunos de cursos diferentes ocorra é de extrema importância na formação de equipes multiprofissionais. Tornar a visão e o estudo da hematologia cada vez menos engessados e cada vez mais multidisciplinar é de extrema importância tanto em níveis acadêmicos como em abordagens hospitalares. Palavras-chave: Hematologia;Liga Acadêmica;Multiprofissionalidade;Relato.

COVID-19 pandemic - a narrative review of the potential roles of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine

Background: Chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) are old drugs used against malaria, rheumatism, inflammation in the joints, lupus, among others. These drugs showed positive results in preliminary scientific research for treatment of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Since the studies with CQ and HCQ are initial with small patient populations, it is not yet known whether there are adverse effects from the use of CQ and HCQ for patients infected with the coronavirus. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of CQ and HCQ used against viral infection caused by SARS-CoV-2. Study Design: This is a narrative review of the traditional prescriptions of CQ and HCQ efficacy and adverse effects as well as their employment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Setting: In vitro and clinical studies comparing the antiviral efficacy and adverse effect profile of CQ and HCQ against COVID-19 in adult patients were evaluated. Methods: A systemic search of reviews, including in vitro and clinical trial studies in English focusing on CQ and HCQ effects and adverse effects against COVID-19 in the adult patient population from PubMed was performed. It included studies reporting chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine effects and adverse effects against COVID-19. Results: A total of 42 articles published between 2004 and April 2020 were reviewed for therapeutic use of CQ and HCQ. Both these drugs showed a significant in vitro potential against coronavirus. Many studies for clinical use of CQ and HCQ showed that patients presented adverse reactions on high doses. Limitations: Clinical studies have some methodology shortcomings, such as lack of information about the treatment and small number of experimental patients, leading to a misinterpretation of the data. Besides, there are few clinical studies with a limited sample size. Moreover, most of them did not present control groups, and some patients had died during these protocols. Discussion: Despite both CQ and HCQ in vitro antiviral evidence, clinically, both drugs, either alone or combined with other medications, may increase the risk of cardiac arrhythmias, leading to cardiac arrest and sudden death. Besides, a lot of uncertainty still remains, such as starting administration period, dose prescribed, length of treatment, patients’ condition, concomitant drug use, among others. Conclusion: From the studies reviewed, it is not possible to state the precise efficacy and safety of CQ and HCQ use in the treatment of COVID-19 at any time in the course of the disease. Future studies are warranted.