The Role of Hemogram-derived Ratios in COVID-19 Severity Stratification in a Primary Healthcare Facility.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can cause a wide clinical spectrum, ranging from asymptomatic to severe disease with a high mortality rate. In view of the current pandemic and the increasing influx of patients into healthcare facilities, there is a need to identify simple and reliable tools for stratifying patients. Objective: Study aimed to analyze whether hemogram-derived ratios (HDRs) can be used to identify patients with a risk of developing a severe clinical form and admission to hospital. Methods: This cross-sectional and observational study included 500 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19. Data on clinical features and laboratory parameters were collected from medical records and 13 HDRs were calculated and analyzed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were included in the analysis. Results: Of the 500 patients, 43.8% had a severe form of the disease. Lymphocytopenia, monocytopenia, higher C-reactive protein (CRP), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were found in severe patients (p < 0.05). Significantly higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), derived NLR (dNLR), neutrophil-to-platelet ratio (NPR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte-to-platelet ratio (NLPR) and CRP-to-lymphocyte ratio (CRP/Ly) values were found in severe patients (p < 0.001). In addition, they have statistically significant prognostic potential (p < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for CRP/Ly, dNLR, NLPR, NLR, and NPR were 0.693, 0.619, 0.619, 0.616, and 0.603, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity were 65.7% and 65.6% for CRP/Ly, 51.6% and 70.8 for dNLR, 61.6% and 57.3% for NLPR, 40.6% and 80.4% for NLR, and 48.8% and 69.1% for NPR. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that NLR, dNLR, CRP/Ly, NPR, and NLPR can be considered as potentially useful markers for stratifying patients with a severe form of the disease. HDRs derived from routine blood tests results should be included in common laboratory practice since they are readily available, easy to calculate, and inexpensive.

Corrigendum: What "family affair?" domestic violence awareness in China.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.795841.].

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times: A tale of two cities-Beijing and Shanghai-Why the divergent COVID-19 control outcomes?

COVID-19 both creates and complicates public health challenges. Yet the pandemic also provides a unique lens for dissecting complex issues in global health that could benefit society in the long run. In this paper, we discuss the underlying reasons that can help explain the divergent COVID-19 control outcomes between Beijing and Shanghai-two advanced metropolitans that are similar in their municipal capacity, administrative capability and pandemic strategy. We hope insights of this investigation contribute to the development of disease prevention systems, such as context-specific and data-driven public health strategies that could yield optimal pandemic control outcomes with minimal unintended consequences, both amid and beyond COVID-19.

A call to ban the sale of tobacco products.

Tobacco is both toxic and addictive. Mounting evidence shows that tobacco use has a detrimental impact on almost every aspect of human health, causing or worsening deadly public health crises from the cancer epidemic to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while tobacco use is a threat to both personal and public health, it continues to surge across the world, especially in China and other low- and middle-income countries. To this end, this article argues in favor of using a ban on the sale of all tobacco products as a practical solution to the global tobacco use epidemic. It is our hope that insights provided by our work will inspire swift policy actions in countries such as China and beyond to curb the tide of rising tobacco consumption, so that populations around the world could be better shielded from the pervasive and long-lasting damage that tobacco products cause or compound.

Technology-based interventions for health challenges older women face amid COVID-19: a systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Pandemics, such as COVID-19, are dangerous and socially disruptive. Though no one is immune to COVID-19, older persons often bear the brunt of its consequences. This is particularly true for older women, as they often face more pronounced health challenges relative to other segments in society, including complex care needs, insufficient care provisions, mental illness, neglect, and increased domestic abuse. To further compound the situation, because protective measures like lockdowns can result in unintended consequences, many health services older women depend on can become disrupted or discontinued amid pandemics. While technology-based interventions have the potential to provide near-time, location-free, and virtually accessible care, there is a dearth of systematic insights into this mode of care in the literature. To bridge the research gaps, this investigation aims to examine the characteristics and effectiveness of technology-based interventions that could address health challenges older women face amid COVID-19. METHODS: A systematic review of randomized trials reporting on technology-based interventions for older women (≥65 years) during COVID-19 will be conducted. The databases of Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Scopus will be searched. Retrieved citations will be screened independently by at least two reviewers against the eligibility criteria. Included studies will be assessed using the Cochrane ROB-2 tool. Data will be extracted independently by the reviewers. Where possible, meta-analyses will be performed on relevant study outcomes and analysed via odds ratios on the dichotomized outcomes. Where applicable, heterogeneity will be measured using the Cochrane Q test, and publication bias will be assessed via funnel plots and Egger's regression test. DISCUSSION: Technology has the potential to transform healthcare for the better. To help society better safeguard vulnerable populations' health and quality of life, this investigation sets out to gauge the state-of-the-art development of technology-based interventions tailored to the health challenges older women face amid COVID-19. In light of the growing prevalence of population ageing and the inevitability of infectious disease outbreaks, greater research efforts are needed to ensure the timely inception and effective implementation of technology-based health solutions for vulnerable populations like older women, amid public health crises like COVID-19 and beyond. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42020194003.

Post-pandemic policy imperatives to stem violence against women in China.

Violence against women is rampant in China. Even though meaningful strides have been made in the country, it remains disturbingly common for men to assault women-verbally or physically, who may or may not be their partners-in broad daylight in China. To make the situation worse, COVID-19, along with its restrictions, has both undermined women's ability to escape from abuse or violence and society's ability to provide timely help to victims. In light of the rising violence against women post-COVID, in this paper, we discuss the policy imperatives for countries like China to establish effective guardrails and support systems to protect women from the dehumanizing and destabilizing crime that is violence against women-a social malaise that not only harms and undermines the safety of society's daughters, mothers, and grandmothers, but also the integrity of local communities and social contract, let along shared humanity and global solidarity at large.

A call to ban the sale of tobacco products

Tobacco is both toxic and addictive. Mounting evidence shows that tobacco use has a detrimental impact on almost every aspect of human health, causing or worsening deadly public health crises from the cancer epidemic to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while tobacco use is a threat to both personal and public health, it continues to surge across the world, especially in China and other low- and middle-income countries. To this end, this article argues in favor of using a ban on the sale of all tobacco products as a practical solution to the global tobacco use epidemic. It is our hope that insights provided by our work will inspire swift policy actions in countries such as China and beyond to curb the tide of rising tobacco consumption, so that populations around the world could be better shielded from the pervasive and long-lasting damage that tobacco products cause or compound.

The Advantages of the Zero-COVID-19 Strategy.

Introduction: To curb the COVID-19 pandemic, countries across the globe have adopted either a mitigation or anelimination policy, such as the zero-COVID-19 strategy. However, further research is needed to systematically investigate the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy in the literature. To bridge the research gap, this study examines the zero-COVID-19 strategy in terms of its advantages as a global anti-pandemic framework. Methods: A literature review was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus to locate academic articles that discussed the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis approach was adopted to guide the data analysis process. Results: The findings of our study show that the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy range from short-term (e.g., limited virus infections, hospitalizations, and deaths), to medium-term (e.g., reduced presence of other infectious diseases), and long-term (e.g., low incidence of long COVID-19). While local residents mainly leverage these advantages, they also impact the global community (e.g., stable global supply of essentials, such as COVID-19 vaccines). Conclusions: COVID-19 is catastrophic, yet controllable. Our study examined the advantages of the zero-COVID-19 strategy from a nuanced perspective and discussed how these advantages benefit both the local and the global community in pandemic control and management. Future studies could investigate the shortcomings of the zero-COVID-19 strategy, especially its unintended consequences, such as adverse impacts on vulnerable populations' mental health, so that society could more efficiently, economically, and empathetically capitalize on the potential of the zero-COVID-19 strategy for the betterment of personal and public health.

Technology-Based Mental Health Interventions for Domestic Violence Victims Amid COVID-19.

INTRODUCTION: Domestic violence is a threat to human dignity and public health. Mounting evidence shows that domestic violence erodes personal and public health, spawning issues such as lifelong mental health challenges. To further compound the situation, COVID-19 and societies' poor response to the pandemic have not only worsened the domestic violence crisis but also disrupted mental health services for domestic violence victims. While technology-based health solutions can overcome physical constraints posed by the pandemic and offer timely support to address domestic violence victims' mental health issues, there is a dearth of research in the literature. To bridge the research gap, in this study, we aim to examine technology-based mental health solutions for domestic violence victims amid COVID-19. METHODS: A literature review was conducted to examine solutions that domestic violence victims can utilize to safeguard and improve their mental health amid COVID-19. Databases including PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus were utilized for the literature search. The search was focused on four themes: domestic violence, mental health, technology-based interventions, and COVID-19. A reverse search of pertinent references was conducted in Google Scholar. The social ecological model was utilized to systematically structure the review findings. RESULTS: The findings show that a wide array of technology-based solutions has been proposed to address mental health challenges faced by domestic violence victims amid COVID-19. However, none of these proposals is based on empirical evidence amid COVID-19. In terms of social and ecological levels of influence, most of the interventions were developed on the individual level, as opposed to the community level or social level, effectively placing the healthcare responsibility on the victims rather than government and health officials. Furthermore, most of the articles failed to address risks associated with utilizing technology-based interventions (e.g., privacy issues) or navigating the online environment (e.g., cyberstalking). CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings highlight the need for greater research endeavors on the research topic. Although technology-based interventions have great potential in resolving domestic violence victims' mental health issues, risks associated with these health solutions should be comprehensively acknowledged and addressed.

What "Family Affair?" Domestic Violence Awareness in China.

Introduction: Domestic violence is toxic to society. With approximately one in three women on average falling victim to domestic violence, systematic solutions are needed. To further complicate the issue, mounting research shows that COVID-19 has further exacerbated domestic violence across the world. Situations could be even more pronounced in countries like China, where though domestic violence is prevalent, there is a dearth of research, such as intervention studies, to address the issue. This study investigates key barriers to domestic violence research development in China, with a close focus on salient cultural influences. Methods: A review of the literature on domestic violence in China in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus was conducted to answer the research question. The search was focused on three themes, domestic violence, China, research, and cultural influences. Results: The study findings show that categorizing domestic violence as a "family affair" is a key barrier to domestic violence research development in China-an incremental hindrance that prevents the public and policymakers from understanding the full scale and scope of domestic violence in China. In addition to abusers, witnesses, and victims, even law enforcement in China often dismisses domestic violence crimes as "family affairs" that resides outside the reach and realm of the law. The results indicated that mistreating domestic violence crimes as "family affairs" is a vital manifestation of the deep-rooted cultural influences in China, ranging from traditional Confucian beliefs in social harmony to the assumed social norms of not interfering with other people's businesses. Conclusion: Domestic violence corrupts public health and social stability. Our study found that dismissing domestic violence cases as "family affairs" is an incremental reason why China's domestic violence research is scarce and awareness is low. In light of the government's voiced support for women's rights, we call for the Chinese government to develop effective interventions to timely and effectively address the domestic violence epidemic in China.

Psychoneuroimmunology concerns of the Olympic boycotts.

Just weeks away from the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, the United States, followed by Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, has declared a diplomatic boycott of the Games. A diplomatic boycott stipulates that while government officials of these countries will not attend the event, the athletes' scheduled attendance will largely remain intact. An unintended consequence of the boycotts is that they force the attending athletes to cope with the stress and distress associated with the 2022 Winter Olympics in an unfamiliar environment on their own. It is important to underscore that many of the challenges the athletes could face amid the Games are either deep-rooted or unprecedented, ranging from stressors fuelled by the nonstop media reports, the competitions, to the Omicron scares. These insights combined, in turn, underscore the imperative for effective and preemptive mental health support for Olympic athletes. To shed light on the issue, this paper highlights the reasons why timely solutions are needed to adequately safeguard Olympic athletes' mental health and overall wellbeing, and underlines promising technology-based solutions that can be cost-effectively designed and developed for the athletes.

How to join and stay in the Olympic COVID-free "bubble"?

The Beijing, 2022 Olympics will be the second Games held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the unique circumstances the 2022 Games face-the Omicron spread, high virus transmissibility in winters, and uncertainties about vaccine efficacy and future variants of concern, safety measures amid the Beijing, 2022 Games will be one of the most intricate among large international events held during the pandemic. To ensure athletes' health, safety, and ability to participate in the Games, the organizers have introduced the Olympic COVID-free "bubble" protection ecosystem, in which COVID-free athletes could stay and be protected from potential infections that could upend their Games plans, if not their career as well. However, while staying in the "bubble" is key for athletes' health and success, there is a lack of insights on factors that might prevent athletes from continuing their scheduled Olympic journey as scheduled. To shed light on the issue, based on Beijing, 2022 Olympic Playbooks and most up-to-date guidance issued, this article and its accompanying infographic were developed to illustrate factors that could influence athletes' ability to join and stay in the "bubble", participate in the Games, and further build their career. Furthermore, we also adapted and integrated easy-to-adopt mental health de-stress techniques recommended by the World Health Organization to help athletes better thrive amid the Beijing, 2022 Winter Olympics, in or outside of the "bubble".

Factors That Shape Women's Physical Activity: Development of the Reasons to Participate in Physical Activity Scale (RPPAS).

(1) Background: Obesity could deepen women's susceptibility to COVID-19 infections and deaths. While physical activity has the potential to improve women's physical and psychological resilience to the pandemic, there is a dearth of research on factors that motivate women's participation in physical activity. Thus, to bridge the research gap, this study aims to identify factors that motivate women's participation in physical activity. (2) Methods: An online survey on motivations for physical activity was developed and distributed to the participants. A total of 108 women offered complete answers (N = 108, 18-33 years old, Mage = 20.34 ± 2.42 years). Participants selected factors that promote their physical activity from a list of 34 factors from the Reasons to Participate in Physical Activity Scale (RPPAS) developed in this study. (3) Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed that factors that motivate women's participation in physical activity are: enjoyment and gratification, consideration for other activities (i.e., exergaming), health benefits, networking opportunities, and appearance and performance. Multiple linear regression analyses indicate that only consideration for appearance and performance was significantly associated with participants' physical activity levels after controlling for compounding factors. (4) Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the importance of appearance and performance in shaping women's participation in physical activity. Furthermore, the results also emphasize the need for a nuanced understanding of factors that influence women's physical activity levels. Future research could investigate how to leverage these motivators in tailored health interventions that aim to improve women's physical activity.

COVID-19 Vaccine Donations-Vaccine Empathy or Vaccine Diplomacy? A Narrative Literature Review.

Introduction: Vaccine inequality inflames the COVID-19 pandemic. Ensuring equitable immunization, vaccine empathy is needed to boost vaccine donations among capable countries. However, damaging narratives built around vaccine donations such as "vaccine diplomacy" could undermine nations' willingness to donate their vaccines, which, in turn, further exacerbate global vaccine inequality. However, while discussions on vaccine diplomacy are on the rise, there is limited research related to vaccine diplomacy, especially in terms of its characteristics and effects on vaccine distribution vis-à-vis vaccine empathy. Thus, to bridge the research gap, this study aims to examine the defining attributes of vaccine diplomacy and its potential effects on COVID-19 immunization, particularly in light of vaccine empathy. Methods: A narrative review was conducted to shed light on vaccine diplomacy's defining attributes and effects in the context of COVID-19 vaccine distribution and dissemination. Databases such as PubMed and Medline were utilized for literature search. Additionally, to ensure up-to-date insights are included in the review, validated reports and reverse tracing of eligible articles' reference lists in Google Scholar have also been conducted to locate relevant records. Results: Vaccine empathy is an individual or a nation's capability to sympathize with other individuals or nations' vaccine wants and needs, whereas vaccine diplomacy is a nation's vaccine efforts that aim to build mutually beneficial relationships with other nations ultimately. Our findings show that while both vaccine empathy and vaccine diplomacy have their strengths and weaknesses, they all have great potential to improve vaccine equality, particularly amid fast-developing and ever-evolving global health crises such as COVID-19. Furthermore, analyses show that, compared to vaccine empathy, vaccine diplomacy might be a more sustainable solution to improve vaccine donations mainly because of its deeper and stronger roots in multilateral collaboration and cooperation. Conclusion: Similar to penicillin, automated external defibrillators, or safety belts amid a roaring global health disaster, COVID-19 vaccines are, essentially, life-saving consumer health products that should be available to those who need them. Though man-made and complicated, vaccine inequality is nonetheless a solvable issue-gaps in vaccine distribution and dissemination can be effectively addressed by timely vaccine donations. Overall, our study underscores the instrumental and indispensable role of vaccine diplomacy in addressing the vaccine inequality issue amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its potentials for making even greater contributions in forging global solidarity amid international health emergencies. Future research could investigate approaches that could further inspire and improve vaccine donations among capable nations at a global scale to advance vaccine equity further.

Gender inequality and health disparity amid COVID-19.

Gender inequalities could lead to grave human and economic consequences, especially amid global health crises of the coronavirus 2019's (COVID-19) scale. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated gender inequalities women face and introduced new challenges that are unprecedented to society at large. Adverse effects of COVID-19, compounded by unintended consequences caused by public health policies such as lockdowns (e.g., delayed or canceled health services), have forced women to face issues ranging from COVID-19 infections and deaths, prolonged unemployment, to unparalleled scale and severity of domestic violence. However, though women face a canopy of debilitating challenges, there is a shortage of research that examines health solutions that can mitigate, if not offset, challenges women experience amid COVID-19. In this paper, we aim to shed light on why timely solutions are needed to mitigate gender inequalities and health disparities women face amid COVID-19 promptly. Furthermore, we underscore the imperative for cost-effective interventions that could shed light on the current health crisis and future pandemics.

With Great Hopes Come Great Expectations: Access and Adoption Issues Associated With COVID-19 Vaccines.

Although COVID-19 vaccines are becoming increasingly available, their ability to effectively control and contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic is highly contingent on an array of factors. This paper discusses how limitations to vaccine accessibility, issues associated with vaccine side effects, concerns regarding vaccine efficacy, along with the persistent prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among the public, including health care professionals, might impact the potential of COVID-19 vaccines to curb the pandemic. We draw insights from the literature to identify practical solutions that could boost people's adoption of COVID-19 vaccines and their accessibility. We conclude with a discussion on health experts' and government officials' moral and ethical responsibilities to the public, even in light of the urgency to adopt and endorse "the greatest amount of good for the greatest number" utilitarian philosophy in controlling and managing the spread of COVID-19.

Mental health solutions for domestic violence victims amid COVID-19: a review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Due to COVID-19, domestic violence victims face a range of mental health challenges, possibly resulting in substantial human and economic consequences. However, there is a lack of mental health interventions tailored to domestic violence victims and in the context of COVID-19. In this study, we aim to identify interventions that can improve domestic violence victims' mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic to address the research gap. MAIN TEXT: Drawing insights from established COVID-19 review frameworks and a comprehensive review of PubMed literature, we obtained information on interventions that can address domestic violence victims' mental health challenges amid COVID-19. We identified practical and timely solutions that can be utilized to address mental health challenges domestic violence victims face amid COVID-19, mainly focusing on (1) decreasing victims' exposure to the abuser and (2) increasing victims' access to mental health services. CONCLUSION: Domestic violence is a public health crisis that affects all demographics and could result in significant morbidity and mortality. In addition to emphasizing mental health challenges faced by domestic violence victims, multidisciplinary interventions are identified that could provide timely and practical solutions to domestic violence victims amid the pandemic, which range from tailored shelter home strategies, education programs, escape plans, laws and regulations, as well as more technology-based mental health solutions. There is a significant need for more multipronged and multidisciplinary strategies to address domestic violence amid and beyond the pandemic, particularly interventions that could capitalize on the ubiquity and cost-effectiveness of technology-based solutions.

Young adults' preferences for influenza vaccination campaign messages: Implications for COVID-19 vaccine intervention design and development.

BACKGROUND: Health campaign interventions, particularly those tailored to the target audience's needs and preferences, can cost-effectively change people's attitudes and behaviors towards better health decision-making. However, there is limited research on how to best tailor seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns for young adults. Vaccination is vital in protecting young adults and their social circles (vulnerable populations like older adults) from the influenza virus and critical in shaping these emerging adults' vaccination habits in the long run. However, amid the prevalence of easily-accessible, attention-grabbing, and often malicious false and misinformation (e.g., COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories), it may be more challenging to develop vaccination messages that resonate with young adults well enough to attract their attention. Therefore, to bridge the research gap, this study examines young adults' preferences for seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns to inform effective intervention design and development. METHODS: Qualitative survey questions were developed to gauge young adults' preferences for seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns. A total of 545 young adults (73.9% female, Mage â€‹= â€‹19.89, SD â€‹= â€‹1.44) from a large University offered complete answers to a cross-sectional online survey. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis procedures were adopted to guide the data analysis process. RESULTS: Thematic analysis revealed that young adults prefer seasonal influenza vaccination campaigns that rely on (1) quality and balanced information from (2) credible information sources, positioned in the (3) relevant health contexts, (4) emphasize actionable messages, and incorporate (5) persuasive campaign design. Interestingly, while many participants underscored the importance of fear-appeal messages in persuading them to take health actions, some young adults also suggested avoiding fear campaigns due to discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: Insights of the study can inform seasonal influenza vaccination design and development, and have the potential to shed light on vaccination messaging in other vaccine contexts, such as COVID-19 vaccines. Results also underscore the need for health experts and government officials to adopt a more nuanced approach when selecting persuasive campaign appeals. While some young adults may resonate well with fear appeals, others may not. Future research could examine the underlying mechanisms that drive young adults' preference for vaccination campaign intervention to enrich the literature further.