The Impacts of COVID-19 on Collegiate Student-Athlete Training, Health, and Well-Being

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of COVID-19 and stay-at-home (SAH) orders on collegiate student-athletes' training, nutrition, sleep habits, and mental health and to identify disparities between sexes and competitive divisions. Methods: Collegiate student-athletes (n = 401;age, 20 +/- 2 yr) completed an 84-question anonymous survey regarding demographics, sport/exercise training, nutrition, sleep habits, and mental health. Response frequencies were calculated for each question, and chi 2 analyses were used to determine statistical significance (alpha = 0.05). Results: Although 80.7% of respondents indicated training for their sport, only 38.7% could fully perform their training programs. More D1 versus D3 athletes reported they could perform their training plan as written (D1: 44.4% [n = 83] vs D3: 27.3% [n = 50];P < 0.01), but there were no differences between sexes. Cardiovascular exercise was the most common mode (87.5%) followed by resistance exercise (78.4%). Although there were no differences for cardiovascular exercise, more males (87.5%) than females (74.8%) indicated resistance training (P < 0.01). Average number of meals consumed per day remained similar before and during SAH, but females reported consuming less food and perceived increased healthfulness of their diets. Although most athletes did not use nutritional supplements, rates were higher among D3 and females. Respondents reported longer sleep durations but increased sleep disturbances, negative psychological states, and overall concerns during SAH. Maintaining fitness and sport-specific skills (similar to 70.0%) were the most common concerns. In addition, similar to 60.6% of females and 41.9% of males indicated increased mental health concerns. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that while attempting to be diligent with training during SAH, many student-athletes reported difficulties regarding limited equipment, motivation, and mental health concerns such as heightened anxiety. Many of these difficulties were division- and sex-specific. Discussions between coaches and student-athletes regarding SAH training and mental stressors may aid in determining student-athletes' readiness to return to sport.

Towards detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in human saliva: A paper-based cell-free toehold switch biosensor with a visual bioluminescent output.

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the global demand for rapid, low-cost, widely distributable and point-of-care nucleic acid diagnostic technologies. Such technologies could help disrupt transmission, sustain economies and preserve health and lives during widespread infection. In contrast, conventional nucleic acid diagnostic procedures require trained personnel, complex laboratories, expensive equipment, and protracted processing times. In this work, lyophilized cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) and toehold switch riboregulators are employed to develop a promising paper-based nucleic acid diagnostic platform activated simply by the addition of saliva. First, to facilitate distribution and deployment, an economical paper support matrix is identified and a mass-producible test cassette designed with integral saliva sample receptacles. Next, CFPS is optimized in the presence of saliva using murine RNase inhibitor. Finally, original toehold switch riboregulators are engineered to express the bioluminescent reporter NanoLuc in response to SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences present in saliva samples. The biosensor generates a visible signal in as few as seven minutes following administration of 15 µL saliva enriched with high concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences. The estimated cost of this test is less than 0.50 USD, which could make this platform readily accessible to both the developed and developing world. While additional research is needed to decrease the limit of detection, this work represents important progress toward developing a diagnostic technology that is rapid, low-cost, distributable and deployable at the point-of-care by a layperson.

Where have all the appendicectomies gone?

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic stimulated a national lockdown in the UK. The public were advised to avoid unnecessary hospital attendances and health professionals were advised to avoid aerosol-generating procedures wherever possible. The authors hypothesised that these measures would result in a reduction in the number of patients presenting to hospital with acute appendicitis and alter treatment choices. METHODS: A multicentred, prospective observational study was undertaken during April 2020 to identify adults treated for acute appendicitis. Searches of operative and radiological records were performed to identify patients treated during April 2018 and April 2019 for comparison. RESULTS: A total of 190 patients were treated for acute appendicitis pre-lockdown compared with 64 patients treated during lockdown. Patients treated during the pandemic were more likely to have a higher American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score (p = 0.049) and to have delayed their presentation to hospital (2 versus 3 days, p = 0.03). During the lockdown, the use of computed tomography (CT) increased from 36.3% to 85.9% (p < 0.001), the use of an antibiotic-only approach increased from 6.2% to 40.6% (p < 0.001) and the rate of laparoscopic appendicectomy reduced from 85.3% to 17.2% (p < 0.001). The negative appendicectomy rate decreased from 21.7% to 7.1% during lockdown (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 lockdown was associated with a decreased incidence of acute appendicitis and a significant shift in the management approach. The increased use of CT allows the identification of simple appendicitis for conservative treatment and decreases the negative appendicectomy rate.