ABSTRACT
After the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, nation lockdown became an effective way to isolate the spread of the virus. Schools were postponed, students had to stay at home and opportunities for physical activity amongst school children were severely affected. This research sought to determine the impact of the pandemic on the physical fitness of primary school students. In total, 1,235 students from grades one to five in a primary school in Beijing took part in this research. Using the Chinese National Student Physical Fitness Standard as a guide, the students were subjected to BMI, vital capacity, 50 m sprint, sit and reach, timed rope-skipping, timed sit-ups, and 50m × 8 shuttle run measurements. These tests were administered once before and once after the lockdown period. The results showed that the overall physical fitness of the participants was better after the lockdown [p = 0.000, r = −0.14, 95% CI (–0.219, –0.061)]. Specifically, vital capacity, sit and reach, timed rope-skipping and timed sit-ups had improved after the lockdown. Meanwhile, 50m × 8 shuttle run dropped slightly but not significantly whereas 50 m sprint dropped sharply after the lockdown. The proportion of overweight and obese students increased, but the difference before and after the lockdown was small. It appeared that during the pandemic, through the intervention of many comprehensive factors, home-based fitness was normalized and promoted the healthy development of students.
ABSTRACT
With the intensifying of competition among big countries and trade friction, prices of non-ferrous metal fluctuate more and more fiercely. This paper examines how asymmetric oil price shocks and different kinds of uncertainty affect non-ferrous metal market under different market conditions over the period from April 2nd, 1990 to April 7th, 2021. The results show that the nexus of non-ferrous metal prices with oil price shocks and uncertainty are distinct under different market conditions. First of all, the effects caused by oil price shocks are the strongest under the bearish market, then the bullish market. Then, with the increase of quantiles, the impact strength of positive oil price shocks is intensified, while the impact strength of negative oil price shocks decreased with the increase of quantiles. Moreover, effects of VIX are more significant than EPU. At last, effects of oil price shocks and uncertainty varies during the financial crisis in 2008, the European sovereign debt crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the asymmetries and heterogeneous of effects from oil price shocks and uncertainty under different market conditions, it's of great necessary for policy makers to formulate targeted policies according to different market expectations.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of blood glucose levels on the prognosis of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) who were elderly or middle-aged. METHODS: From January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020, patients with CAP (≥45 years) were retrospectively enrolled in this observational study. They were stratified by age (45-64 or ≥65 years) and blood glucose level (≥11.1 or <11.1 mmol/l). The effect of admission blood glucose on 28-day mortality was assessed with the Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for demographic factors and comorbidity. RESULTS: Among 1656 patients with CAP, increased blood glucose (HR=2.08, 95% CI: 1.38-3.49; P<0.01) and advanced age (HR=2.76, 95% CI: 1.65-3.77; P<0.01) were significantly associated with a higher risk of 28-day mortality, after controlling for potential confounding factors. The strength of the association of blood glucose level with 28-day mortality decreased with age (P=0.01 for the interaction) as the adjusted HRs for death were 4.48 (95% CI: 1.40-13.65; P<0.01) for middle-age patients 45-64 years and 1.52 (95% CI: 1.09-2.17; P=0.05) for elderly patients ≥65 years. CONCLUSION: The association of blood glucose level upon admission for CAP with all-cause mortality was stronger at younger ages.