ABSTRACT
Objective: To examine service provision systems and issues among meal delivery service providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We requested the participation of 21 meal delivery service providers, all of whom are members of the Japan Nutrition Support Food Delivery Conference, by mail. Those who agreed to participate in the survey were then targeted. Questionnaires and interview surveys were sent out and completed from January to February of 2021, and the data were then analyzed. Results: Thirteen meal delivery service providers agreed to participate in the survey. According to the survey results, the issues in the provision systems included: infection control and system maintenance during delivery, infection control for staff, maintenance of the production system to cope with the increase in the number of meals and users, maintenance of ordering operations, and securing human resources. Depending on the business type and service characteristics of the provider, the opportunities to introduce meal delivery services to patients have decreased due to a decline in nutritional guidance at medical institutions. Ascertaining the condition of users has also become increasingly difficult due to lack of monitoring and confirming the safety of users face-to-face. Conclusion: This study summarized issues related to the provision systems of meal delivery service providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the present study are expected to serve as important data for the development of resilient food environments during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for the establishment of proper government and meal delivery service provider systems in preparation for future outbreaks of infectious diseases.
ABSTRACT
Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a form of necrotizing vasculitis that is characterized by the presence of few or no immune deposits. Recently, otological symptoms such as tinnitus, vertigo and hearing loss, not previously described to be associated with AAV, have been reported in patients with AAV. Herein, we report three cases of otitis media with ANCA-associated vasculitis (OMAAV). All three patients showed a good response to steroid therapy. Oral steroid therapy could be temporarily discontinued in the patients during the COVID-19 outbreak without recurrence of the symptoms associated with OMAAV. In conclusion, we could consider temporarily tapering the steroid dose in patients with OMAAV who show remission of the symptoms. © 2022 Society of Practical Otolaryngology. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 can be used to identify people who were previously infected by SARS-CoV-2, and useful to elucidate the relationship between antibody titer and infection protective function if the test is quantitative. Antibody tests have some unique characteristics;e.g., the limit of detection and the characteristics of antibodies to be detected differ depending on the type of antigen (Nucleocapsid protein or Spike protein) and its domain used, host cell, immobilization method and detection method of the bound antibody etc. In addition, antibody having cross reactivity with coronavirus strains other than SARS-CoV-2 may exist in human samples. These characteristics affect the analytical performance of antibody tests, and thus some tests that will not work as expected may be distributed. Standardized performance criteria and the reference standard for the evaluation of the antibody test are reguired. In this paper, we investigated and summarized the activities about evaluations of antibody tests and establishments of the reference standards for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody in the US, UK and WHO in order to cope with next spread of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. © 2021, National Institute of Health Sciences. All rights reserved.