Mental health in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused immediate and far-reaching disruption to society, the economy, and health-care services. We synthesised evidence on the effect of the pandemic on mental health and mental health care in high-income European countries. We included 177 longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional studies comparing prevalence or incidence of mental health problems, mental health symptom severity in people with pre-existing mental health conditions, or mental health service use before versus during the pandemic, or between different timepoints of the pandemic. We found that epidemiological studies reported higher prevalence of some mental health problems during the pandemic compared with before it, but that in most cases this increase reduced over time. Conversely, studies of health records showed reduced incidence of new diagnoses at the start of the pandemic, which further declined during 2020. Mental health service use also declined at the onset of the pandemic but increased later in 2020 and through 2021, although rates of use did not return to pre-pandemic levels for some services. We found mixed patterns of effects of the pandemic on mental health and social outcome for adults already living with mental health conditions.

Alzheimer's disease research progress in the Mediterranean region: The Alzheimer's Association International Conference Satellite Symposium.

As research and services in the Mediterranean region continue to increase, so do opportunities for global collaboration. To support such collaborations, the Alzheimer's Association was due to hold its seventh Alzheimer's Association International Conference Satellite Symposium in Athens, Greece in 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held virtually, which enabled attendees from around the world to hear about research efforts in Greece and the surrounding Mediterranean countries. Research updates spanned understanding the biology of, treatments for, and care of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD_ and other dementias. Researchers in the Mediterranean region have outlined the local epidemiology of AD and dementia, and have identified regional populations that may expedite genetic studies. Development of biomarkers is expected to aid early and accurate diagnosis. Numerous efforts have been made to develop culturally specific interventions to both reduce risk of dementia, and to improve quality of life for people living with dementia.

Tools for interpretation of wastewater SARS-CoV-2 temporal and spatial trends demonstrated with data collected in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Wastewater surveillance for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA can be integrated with COVID-19 case data to inform timely pandemic response. However, more research is needed to apply and develop systematic methods to interpret the true SARS-CoV-2 signal from noise introduced in wastewater samples (e.g., from sewer conditions, sampling and extraction methods, etc.). In this study, raw wastewater was collected weekly from five sewersheds and one residential facility. The concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples were compared to geocoded COVID-19 clinical testing data. SARS-CoV-2 was reliably detected (95% positivity) in frozen wastewater samples when reported daily new COVID-19 cases were 2.4 or more per 100,000 people. To adjust for variation in sample fecal content, four normalization biomarkers were evaluated: crAssphage, pepper mild mottle virus, Bacteroides ribosomal RNA (rRNA), and human 18S rRNA. Of these, crAssphage displayed the least spatial and temporal variability. Both unnormalized SARS-CoV-2 RNA signal and signal normalized to crAssphage had positive and significant correlation with clinical testing data (Kendall's Tau-b (τ)=0.43 and 0.38, respectively), but no normalization biomarker strengthened the correlation with clinical testing data. Locational dependencies and the date associated with testing data impacted the lead time of wastewater for clinical trends, and no lead time was observed when the sample collection date (versus the result date) was used for both wastewater and clinical testing data. This study supports that trends in wastewater surveillance data reflect trends in COVID-19 disease occurrence and presents tools that could be applied to make wastewater signal more interpretable and comparable across studies.

Global response to the provision of dementia information and support during the COVID-19 crisis

Abstract Background Dementia and COVID-19 share the same key risk factor - age. As the world reacted to the pandemic it became evident that people living with dementia were an exceptionally high-risk group;disruption to the diagnosis pathway, provision of post diagnostic support, interruptions to research and trials. Alzheimer's Disease International responded quickly to support our global network of 102 associations, many challenged with having to re-invent their services, including withdrawal of face-to-face support plus providing timely information, support and advocacy interventions to partners. Method Early 2020 ADI engaged our global associations to gauge the concern around COVID-19, with insight from our member association in China. Regular contact with the WHO and our international partners gave us impetus to adapt our programme of work. Result ADI produced an online COVID-19 resource;a go-to for information, advice, experience and learning. A key resource, an advisory video from Prof. Huali Wang, China, offering health and care advice - subsequently translated into a number of co-authored articles in The Lancet;followed by a paper on 'Difficult decisions about hospital admission and triage' Through series of global webinars ADI provided up to the minute experience the scarcity of resources;life/ deaths decision making and the rights of people with dementia to treatment. Future gazing sessions followed to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on the diagnosis pathway, national plans, trials and on prevalence rates. Thorough our engagement with the WHO, ADI contributed to the creation of an inter-agency mental health and psychosocial support resource and participated in the Civil Society Working Group on NCDs. Media engagement brought vital attention and coverage to dementia, through titles including BBC World & Futures, The Economist, The Telegraph. Conclusion Timely responses, interventions and the provision of COVID-19 resources has enabled our global associations to adapt their operations to better respond to the crisis and to review operational and policy strategies. Through partnership working, timely sharing of information and advice, we have facilitated a strong reaction and positive response throughout the dementia sector to this extraordinary period.