Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on Dysfunctional Eating Behaviors and Symptoms among the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Introduction: The coronavirus outbreak has been publicly and formally defined a global pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11th 2020. Some extreme but effective safety measures have been applied in order to limit the spread of the infection among the population. The price of COVID-19 restrictive measures and lockdowns has been especially heavy for individual's mental health. There is previous evidence that the COVID-19-related lockdown has impacted on mental health worsening among individuals with Feeding and Eating Disorders (EDs) and clinical obesity. Potential affecting aspects might have been restriction to daily activities and movements, excessive exposure to harmful eating patterns on social media, emotional distress, fear of contagion, and low access to treatment and care. Nevertheless, especially on the basis of the proven-detrimental impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on in- dividuals with clinical eating disorders, home confinement might analogously have had a negative impact also on the eating behaviors of individuals from the general population. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prevalence of EDs symptoms and dysfunctional eating behaviours (i.e. emotional overeating, night eating, snacking, binge eating, undereating, food avoidance) among the general population. Method(s): We searched eligible articles in Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science. Prevalence rates were pooled with meta-analysis using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was tested using I-squared (I2) statistics. A total of 221 studies met the inclusion criteria. Result(s): The pooled prevalence of increased body weight was 33% (95% CI 30-35) among individuals in 84 studies. Forty-five percent (95% CI 31-59) of participants in 10 studies experienced body shape concern, body dissatisfaction and body misperception. Other EDs symptoms increased in the general population during the pandemic, such as overeating (41%;95% CI 33-48), food cravings (36%;95% CI 12- 59), binge eating (35%;95% CI 20-51), emotional eating (28%;95% CI 23-33) and snacking (27%;95% CI 23-32). Food restriction, excessive physical activity, weight loss and night eating were also common. Pooled data of longitudinal studies showed a significant difference in BMI and dysfunctional eating behaviours before and during the pandemic. Conclusion(s): This meta-analysis evidenced a negative impact of the pandemic on eating behaviors among the general population. Overall, these results highlight the need for further high-quality longitudinal studies that examine which specific populations experienced higher distress than others, and what are the long-term negative consequences of COVID-19.

Maternal, Fetal, and Neonatal Outcomes among Pregnant Women Receiving COVID-19 Vaccination: the Preg-Co-Vax Study: An International Journal of Medical Toxicology and Drug Experience

Introduction: Although the International and National Regulatory Authorities encourage COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women [1-2], the scientific evidence supporting maternal exposure to COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy is still limited and further studies are needed to monitor their safety profile in order to evaluate the potential consequences in both mother and child. Objective: We aimed to investigate Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) with COVID-19 vaccines that occurred after maternal exposure during pregnancy. Methods: We retrieved Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs) following maternal exposure to COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy from the EudraVigilance database of the European Medicines Agency during the year 2021. We investigated outcomes related to the mother and child age groups (defined as fetus, infant, and neonate). The Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) was computed to compare the reporting probability of spontaneous abortion between each COVID-19 vaccine and all other COVID-19 vaccines. Results: During the study period (1 January 2021-31 December 2021), among 1,315,315 ICSRs related to COVID-19 vaccines, we retrieved 3,252 (0.25%) reports of AEFI that occurred after maternal exposure during pregnancy. More than half (58.24%) of ICSRs were submitted by non-healthcare professionals. The majority (87.82%) of ICSRs concerned serious AEFI. More cases of AEFI occurred in pregnant women (n = 2,764;85.0%) than in child age groups (n = 258;7.9%). Moreover, 55.16% ICSRs related to pregnant women exposed to COVID-19 vaccines involved non pregnancy-specific adverse events, mostly headache, pyrexia, fatigue, myalgia, and pain in extremities. The 17.92% were pregnancy-, neonatal-, or fetal-specific adverse events. Moderna and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines had a higher reporting probability of spontaneous abortion (ROR 1.2, 95% CI 1.05-1.38, P = 0.009;and ROR 1.26, 95% CI 1.08-1.47, respectively), while a lower reporting probability was found for Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine compared with all other Covid-19 vaccines (ROR 0.73, 95% CI 0.64-0.84). We also observed that 5.8% (n = 188) of cases reported a fatal outcome, 17 of them were clearly associated with the mother, while 171 with the child. Conclusion: We did not observe any strong insight into any unknown adverse events associated with COVID-19 vaccination. However, we analyzed data related to only one year of the vaccination program. Therefore, our experience also highlights the need for continuing to monitor the safety profile of COVID-19 vaccines and to identify long-term adverse events following immunization. In conclusion, in the European context, the analysis of real-world evidence suggests that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines during pregnancy outweigh the possible risks for pregnant women and children.

Indoor Air Quality: A Review of Cleaning Technologies

Aims: Indoor air quality (IAQ) has attracted increased attention with the emergence of COVID-19. Ventilation is perhaps the area in which the most changes have been proposed in response to the emergency caused by this virus. However, other strategies are possible, such as source control and the extraction of pollutants. The latter incorporates clean technologies, an emergent area with respect to IAQ. Method: Various air treatment technologies can be used to control contaminants, which are reviewed and discussed in this work, including physicochemical technologies (e.g., filtration, adsorption, UV-photocatalytic oxidation, ultraviolet disinfection and ionization) and biological technologies (e.g., plant purification methods and microalgae-based methods). Results and interpretation: This work reviews currently available solutions and technologies for 'cleaning';indoor air, with a focus on their advantages and disadvantages. One of the most common problems in this area is the emission of pollutants that are sometimes more dangerous to human health than those that the technologies were developed to remove. Another aspect to consider is the limitation of each technology in relation to the type of pollutants that need to be removed. Each of the investigated technologies works well for a family of pollutants with similar characteristics, but it is not applicable to all pollutant types. Thus, the optimal solution may involve the use of a combination of technologies to extend the scope of application, in addition to the development of new materials, for example, through the use of nanotechnology.

African American Couples' Experiences during an Exercise Intervention Interrupted by the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Case Study.

Exercise intervention researchers often struggle to transition participants from supervised/laboratory-based exercise to independent exercise. Research to inform this critical juncture remains underdeveloped. This qualitative case study investigated the transition from laboratory-based to home-based training in a subset of middle-aged and older African American couples whose exercise intervention experience was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. All four couples (N = 8) whose study participation was interrupted participated in dyadic interviews by videoconference. Two investigators independently reviewed verbatim transcripts, and then used an iterative open coding approach to identify themes from the qualitative data. Three main themes were identified: (1) resistance training program modifications, (2) partner interactions, and (3) external pandemic-related factors. Each theme included both positive and negative feedback related to participants' experiences. Overall, virtual, home-based training appeared acceptable and feasible in this group. Further research is needed to investigate the utility of virtual training to effectively transition participants from laboratory-based to independent exercise.

EpiCurator: an immunoinformatic workflow to predict and prioritize SARS-CoV-2 epitopes.

The ongoing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, triggered by the emerging SARS-CoV-2 virus, represents a global public health challenge. Therefore, the development of effective vaccines is an urgent need to prevent and control virus spread. One of the vaccine production strategies uses the in silico epitope prediction from the virus genome by immunoinformatic approaches, which assist in selecting candidate epitopes for in vitro and clinical trials research. This study introduces the EpiCurator workflow to predict and prioritize epitopes from SARS-CoV-2 genomes by combining a series of computational filtering tools. To validate the workflow effectiveness, SARS-CoV-2 genomes retrieved from the GISAID database were analyzed. We identified 11 epitopes in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of Spike glycoprotein, an important antigenic determinant, not previously described in the literature or published on the Immune Epitope Database (IEDB). Interestingly, these epitopes have a combination of important properties: recognized in sequences of the current variants of concern, present high antigenicity, conservancy, and broad population coverage. The RBD epitopes were the source for a multi-epitope design to in silico validation of their immunogenic potential. The multi-epitope overall quality was computationally validated, endorsing its efficiency to trigger an effective immune response since it has stability, high antigenicity and strong interactions with Toll-Like Receptors (TLR). Taken together, the findings in the current study demonstrated the efficacy of the workflow for epitopes discovery, providing target candidates for immunogen development.

Parent Personality Traits During Covid-19 Pandemic: a Correlational Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a sudden and profound impact on international communities. The emergence of COVID-19 has led to drastic measures to ensure social distancing throughout the world, in order to prevent disease. In Romania, prevention measures regarding the infection with the new coronavirus and the limitations imposed at national level suddenly changed the routines and interactions of the population and made many parents feel overwhelmed due to work at home, home-schooling and family care, simultaneously. The national home quarantine policy may have influenced parents' mental health. The present study aimed to investigate the anxiety, self-efficacy, anger, energy level, distrust and frustration about the basic psychological needs of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the relationship between them.Alternate abstract:Die COVID-19-Pandemie hatte plötzliche und tiefgreifende Auswirkungen auf die internationalen Gemeinschaften. Das Aufkommen von COVID-19 hat zu drastischen Maßnahmen geführt, um die soziale Distanzierung auf der ganzen Welt sicherzustellen und Krankheiten vorzubeugen. In Rumänien veränderten Präventionsmaßnahmen in Bezug auf die Infektion mit dem neuen Coronavirus und die auf nationaler Ebene auferlegten Einschränkungen plötzlich die Routinen und Interaktionen der Bevölkerung und ließen viele Eltern sich aufgrund der Arbeit zu Hause, der Schule zu Hause und der familiären Betreuung zu Hause gleichzeitig überfordert fühlen. Die nationale Hausquarantänepolitik hat möglicherweise die psychische Gesundheit der Eltern beeinflusst. Die vorliegende Studie zielte darauf ab, die Angst, Selbstwirksamkeit, Wut, Energie, Misstrauen und Frustration über die psychologischen Grundbedürfnisse der Eltern während der COVID-19-Pandemie zu untersuchen und die Beziehung zwischen ihnen zu untersuchen.

Photovoltaic BIPV Systems and Architectural Heritage: New Balance between Conservation and Transformation. An Assessment Method for Heritage Values Compatibility and Energy Benefits of Interventions

This paper proposes to identify an approach methodology for the incorporation of building-integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV) in existing architectural heritage, considering regulatory, conservation and energy aspects. The main objective is to provide information about guidance criteria related to the integration of BIPV in historical buildings and about intervention methods. That will be followed by the development of useful data to reorient and update the guidelines and guidance documents, both for the design approach and for the evaluation of potential future interventions. The research methodology includes a categorization and analysis of European and Swiss case studies, taking into account the state of preservation of the building before the intervention, the data of the applied photovoltaic technology and the aesthetic and energy contribution of the intervention. The result, in the form of graphic schedules, provides complete information for a real evaluation of the analyzed case studies and of the BIPV technological system used in historical contexts. This research promotes a conscious BIPV as a real opportunity to use technology and a contemporary architectural language capable of dialoguing with pre-existing buildings to significantly improve energy efficiency and determine a new value system for the historical building and its environment.

Anxious, Apart, and Attentive: A Qualitative Case Study of Overseas Filipino Workers’ Families in the time of COVID-19

Cognizant of the nature and type of family as factors that affect the experience and coping of its members, this study sought to examine the impact of the pandemic on overseas Filipino workers? (OFW) families using a qualitative instrumental case study of four OFW families. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) worry over the conditions of the distant family members, (2) disruptions in plans and family relationships, and (3) monitoring and caring from a distance. From these findings, it could be reflected that despite the negative effects of the pandemic, OFW families can recreate patterns over time to retain their familial relations and routines and protect members from coronavirus and its consequences.

Covid-19 in Brazil: A sad scenario.

The main contribution of this article is to report general statistics about COVID-19 in Brazil, based on analysis of accumulated series of confirmed cases, deaths and lethality rates, in addition to presenting graphs of moving averages for states and municipalities. The data show that the pandemic in Brazil has grown rapidly since February 25th (date of the first reported case). Furthermore, the lethality rate of COVID-19 in Brazil is greater than in many other Latin American countries (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay). However, the number of new confirmed cases in Brazil has little statistical relevance because only a small part of the population has been tested. In relation to Brazilian municipalities, we highlight the 10 states with the highest lethality rates, ranked from highest to lowest. Also, predictions about the increaseor decrease innew cases and deaths for states and capital cities are presented. These results can help managers and researchers to better guide their decisions regarding COVID-19.

Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate: New Chemical Developments and Encouraging in vitro Biological Results for SARS-CoV-2

The recent emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led society to live with a serious public health problem. In this sense, repositioning of antiretrovirals has captured the attention of the scientific community. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is an antiretroviral compound that is used to treat acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and hepatitis B. In this short report, we present a scale-up investigation of TDF by in situ infrared spectroscopy monitoring and a forced degradation study to describe a new degradation product. Finally, we have evaluated TDF in vitro for SARS-CoV-2 for the first time foreseeing the using of this medicine in pre-clinical and clinical investigations for the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) treatment.