Factors associated with body image dissatisfaction in a Brazilian university sample during the COVID-19 pandemic

We investigated the prevalence of body image dissatisfaction (BID) and associated factors among professors and undergraduate students in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Stunkard's Figure Rating Scale, BID was analyzed in a sample of 2,220 adults. The independent variables were sociodemographic, lifestyle, mental health symptoms, COVID-19-related factors, disordered eating, experience of weight stigma, and weight change concerns. We used a multinomial logistic regression analysis. The overall prevalence of BID was 82.5% (69.0% due to excess weight), with more professors dissatisfied by excess weight than undergraduate students (78.9% vs. 61.2%, p < 0.001). In the adjusted model, being a young adult (PR, 1.201, 95% CI: 1.128;1.279), married or in a stable union (PR, 1.088, 95% CI: 1.027;1.152), reporting of binge eating episode (PR, 1.120, 95% CI: 1.068;1.173), concern about weight gain (PR, 1.394, 95% CI: 1.310;1,483), and experience of excess weight stigma (PR, 1.193, 95% CI: 1.141;1.248) increased the prevalence of BID due to excess weight. While males (PR, 1.578, 95% CI: 1.328;1.875), moderate to severe depressive symptoms (PR, 1.217, 95% CI: 1.011;1.465), the concern of losing weight (PR, 1.494, 95% CI: 1.221;1.830), and experience of low weight stigma (PR, 2.620, 95% CI: 2.093;3.280) increased the prevalence of BID due to low weight. Different factors associated with BID were observed between students and professors. Bearing in mind the complexity of body image, it is essential to consider different public health interventions and the COVID-19 pandemic's influence on reducing BID among Brazilian adults, especially susceptible groups. Copyright © 2023 de Magalhães Cunha, Pereira, Souto, de Sá, da Silva, de Brito and de Santana.

AI-Based mHealth App for Covid-19 or Cardiac Diseases Diagnosis and Prognosis

Covid-19 has rapidly spread and affected millions of people worldwide. For that reason, the public healthcare system was overwhelmed and underprepared to deal with this pandemic. Covid-19 also interfered with the delivery of standard medical care, causing patients with chronic diseases to receive subpar care. As chronic heart failure becomes more common, new management strategies need to be developed. Mobile health technology can be utilized to monitor patients with chronic conditions, such as chronic heart failure, and detect early signs of Covid-19, for diagnosis and prognosis. Recent breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, have increased the capacity of data analytics, which may now be utilized to remotely conduct a variety of tasks that previously required the physical presence of a medical professional. In this work, we analyze the literature in this domain and propose an AI-based mHealth application, designed to collect clinical data and provide diagnosis and prognosis of diseases such as Covid-19 or chronic cardiac diseases. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Wearable Temperature Sensor and Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Hospital Workload

Patient sensing and data analytics provide information that plays an important role in the patient care process. Patterns identified from data and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms can identify risk/abnormal patients' data. Due to automatization this process can reduce workload of medical staff, as the algorithms alert for possible problems. We developed an integrated approach to monitor patients' temperature applied to COVID-19 elderly patients and an ML process to identify abnormal behavior with alerts to physicians. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Smart Device and Tracer to Overcome COVID-19 Using Digital Technology for Better Protection

A number of nations have experienced challenging circumstances as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has turned into a global pandemic. As a result of the social changes it has caused, this crisis will also have an impact on future generations. With the help of this technology, health organizations can quickly locate individuals who are infected with COVID-19 and provide them with medical care. The objective of this work is to develop a COVID-19 Tracer that is capable of COVID-19 detection and mitigation. The goal of this research is to reduce the number of COVID-19related fatalities in Sri Lanka while also enabling users who are infected with the disease to access appropriate care and hospitalization. This software uses digital technologies to acquire accurate data and provide precise interpretations based on that data. Through the proposed method, patients can be treated using the application to get a precise diagnosis of their disease, maintaining social distance, stabilizing the mental level of the patient through AI, predicting the epidemic, providing COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as ambulance services through this application. Using every preventative measure available, this mobile application has now been developed to safeguard against COVID-19. © 2022 IEEE.

Assessing the Suitability of a Virtual 'Pink Warrior' for Older Breast Cancer Survivors during COVID-19: A Pilot Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the conduct of in-person physical activity (PA) interventions among older survivors of BC, who need such interventions to stay active and prevent functional decline. We tested the feasibility of virtually delivering an exergame-based PA intervention to older BC survivors. We enrolled 20 female BC survivors ≥55 years and randomly assigned them to two groups. The intervention group (Pink Warrior 2) received 12 weekly virtual exergame sessions with behavioral coaching, survivorship navigation support, and a Fitbit for self-monitoring. The control group received 12 weekly phone-based survivorship discussion sessions and wore a Mi Band 3. Feasibility was evaluated by rates of recruitment (≥0.92 participants/center/month), retention (≥80%), and group attendance (≥10 sessions), percentage of completed virtual assessments, and number of technology-related issues and adverse events. Intervention acceptability was measured by participants' ratings on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The recruitment rate was 1.93. The retention and attendance rates were 90% and 88% (≥10 sessions), respectively. Ninety-six percent completed virtual assessments without an adverse event. Acceptability was high (≥4). The intervention met benchmarks for feasibility. Additional research is needed to further understand the impact of virtually delivered PA interventions on older BC survivors.

Socio-territorial movements, women and food donation in Brazil: solidarity campaigns as resistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Estudos agrarios criticos e COVID-19: movimentos socioterritoriais e luta pela terra no Brasil.)

In Brazil, during the COViD-19 pandemic, the deepening of the issue of serious food insecurity and violence against women became one of the main impacts enhanced by the stance adopted by the government of Jair Messias Bolsonaro. In view of this, different subjects, organized into socio-territorial movements in the countryside and in the city, carried out resistance actions to mitigate these problems, with solidarity as a nucleating element. This work analyzes the actions of peasant women in food donation campaigns based on the paradigmatic debate, through bibliographic surveys, systematization of quantitative data and interviews. Women are at the center of actions aimed at the campaigns, characterized by the diversity of identities of the participating subjects, with donations of lunch-boxes, baskets, hygiene/cleaning products, etc. Such actions are based on the Paradigm of the Agrarian Question, as they seek to overcome the structural problems of capital and propose socio-territorial changes for a new model of society, based on social justice and the promotion of popular agrarian reform.

Feasibility of a Virtual Game-Based Activity Intervention in Breast Cancer Survivors During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Research Objectives Report the feasibility of a virtual active video game (AVG)-based physical activity (PA) support group intervention for older breast cancer survivors (Pink Warrior 2) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design A pilot randomized controlled trial. Setting Home-based virtual intervention. Participants Physically inactive breast cancer survivors aged ≥ 55 years. Interventions Pink Warrior 2 was a virtual PA intervention that included 13-weekly AVG sessions, a Fitbit for self-monitoring, and behavioral coaching via videoconference. Participants in the control group participated in a weekly group phone discussion on cancer survivorship topics and wore a Mi band, an electronic activity monitor. Unlike Fitbit's mobile application (app), Mi band's app did not integrate behavioral change techniques (e.g., encouraging steps). Main Outcome Measures Feasibility was assessed by enrollment rate (≥50%), retention rate (≥80%), group attendance rate (≥10 sessions for intervention), percentage of completed assessments (questionnaires and virtual assessments), number of technological issues and adverse events. Results The recruitment rate was 34%. Twenty-seven participants were enrolled, and 20 were randomized into intervention or control groups. The final participant retention rate was 90%. The adherence rate for group attendance was 88% for the intervention group and 82% for the control group. 85% of participants completed all the baseline questionnaires. 96% of virtual assessments were conducted successfully without adverse events. Internet connectivity issues impacted 2 out of 56 (4%) assessments. 14% of assessments were delayed due to Actigraph monitor-related issues or participants or their family members contracting COVID-19. Conclusions Session adherence, retention, virtual assessments, and the number of adverse events met benchmarks for feasibility. Recruitment and completion of paper-based questionnaires were limited by challenges related to COVID-19. Author(s) Disclosures No known conflicts of interest.

SEMcTrA: A multilayer specialized system for COVID-19 remote triage, resource allocation and teleconsultation

The rapid regulation of telemedicine in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic occurred after publication of the brazilians Unified Health System (SUS) Ordinance N 467/2020 and Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) Resolution 2.314/2022, which provides definitions, usages and regulations for telemedicine during the pandemic period. Once social isolation actions have been required in pandemic, teleconsultation and remote triage combined solutions provide strategic subsidies for monitoring and treating COVID-19. When aggreded with someone allocation strategies, these solutions allowing exchange of qualified information, and strategic communication within territory, where the residents and the local assistance services are responsible for directly dealing with the pandemic. In this context, the teleconsultation multilayer expert system for COVID-19 classification, triage and intelligent allocation so-called SEMcTrA was developed. Composed of asynchronous (patient-system interaction) and synchronous (medical-patient interaction) communication modules, which legitimize and effective the medical forwarding, and enable the collect of accurate data of the disease evolution. The SEMcTrA computes the probability coefficient of Covid-19, called PCovid, to diagnostic aid decision. The remote communication with the patient is subsidized by the PCovid value in a teleconsultation environment that implements Security Assurance Level requirements. In addition, the system has a homepage for news publication to serve the population with secure information regards the new coronavirus. The system is currently being tested by the team from Division of Health Care Employee (DASS) at the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido. As a result, the multilayer triage approach (asynchronous, synchronous, and smart allocation) encapsulated in the SEMcTrA, provided support for medical-decision by offering information in an efficient and agile way to combat the pandemic. © 2022 ACM.

Higher Angiotensin Converting Enzymes Activities Are Observed In Covid-19 Positive Volunteers

The high transmissibility and the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are in part due to the high affinity of SARS-CoV-2 for its receptor, Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2). The depletion of the biological functions of ACE2, due to the internalization of the receptor along with SARS-CoV-2, leads to impairment of Renin Angiotensin System (RAS), which can contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis. In addition, genetic differences in RAS may be associated with more severe symptoms and complications observed in COVID-19 patients. This study aims to perform a comparative analysis between COVID-19 positive patients and uninfected individuals, to correlate such disease profiles with ACE I/D (Insertion/Deletion) and ACE2 G8790A polymorphisms, and their enzymatic activities. The anthropometric, demographic, clinical and cardiovascular parameters of 764 individuals from Ipaussu/SP (Brazil) were evaluated. ACE and ACE2 activities were measured by fluorometric assays, and assessment of both enzymes polymorphisms was performed by PCR. In this cohort, 35,2% (269 of 764) the volunteers were positive for COVID-19. The prevalence of COVID-19 was higher among women (67%) and individuals aged between 18 and 49 years. Also, comorbidities as obesity and arterial hypertension were more frequent in the positive group, when considered individuals under 60 years old. Higher ACE and ACE2 enzymatic activities were observed in positive group (46.4 vs 41.6 and 11.3 vs 8.5, respectively). Individuals with ID genotype in the positive group presented higher ACE activity compared to individuals with same genotype in control group (46.9 vs 41.7). In the positive group, ACE activity was increased in the DD (54.5) when compared to ID (46.9) and II (37.9) genotypes. No significant differences related to ACE2 activity and polymorphism were observed. ACE/ACE2 activity ratio was higher in the COVID-19 negative group (4.7 vs 3.7). The increased ACE activity for the DD genotype was in line with the literature data for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. We can suggest a synergic effect between ACE DD genotype and COVID-19 infection enhancing ACE activity, what may contribute to pro-inflammatory phenotype and more severe symptoms of COVID-19.

The Impact of Maintenance Immunosuppressive Regimen on COVID-19 Outcomes Among Kidney Transplant Patients

Purpose: Compared to azathioprine (AZA), mycophenolate (MPA) is implicated in an increased risk of several viral infections. Contrariwise, mTOR inhibitors (mTORi) are protective. Therefore, the study proposal is to evaluate the Covid-19 outcomes among kidney transplants (KT) patients under different maintenance immunosuppressive regimens. Method(s): We analyzed 90-day outcomes after Covid-19 infection using nationalwide Brazilian cohort data. RT-PCR positive patients tested between Mar/20 and Apr/21 (before immunization) were included. Patients using calcineurin-inhibitors (CNI)-free regimens were excluded. Result(s): 1,833 patients from 44 centers were analyzed, divided into three groups: CNI-AZA (n=389), CNI-MPA (n=1,258), and CNI-mTORi (n=186). Except for donor source, time after KT, and diabetes, demographics were similar among groups (Table1). The main outcomes are shown in Table 1. Considering CNI-AZA as the reference group, center-adjusted multivariable Cox regression showed that the CNIMPA group was associated with higher 30-day fatality (HR 1.65, 95% CI 1.17-2.33, p=0.004), effected also demonstrated in 90-day fatality (HR 1.43, 95%CI 1.06-1.93, p=0.020). CNI-mTORi was neutral for the 30-day fatality (HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.43- 1.29, p=0.296), but protective for the 90-day (HR 0.56, 95%CI 0.34-0.94, p=0.027). Conclusion(s): This data suggests that maintenance immunosuppressive drugs impact Covid-19 outcomes in kidney transplant patients. While MPA is associated with poor prognosis, mTORi seems to be protective. (Figure Presented).

The Prevalence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies After COVID-19 is Similar in Kidney Transplant Recipients to Non-Transplanted Patients, and the Clinical Severity is a Predictor of Seroconversion

Purpose: To evaluate the seroconversion rate in kidney transplant recipients (KTR), compared to two non-transplanted groups of patients, and identify predictors of seroconversion in COVID-19 convalescent patients. Method(s): A retrospective cohort study enrolled RT-PCR COVID-19 diagnosed patients (Mar/20 and Oct/2020) of three groups: 601 KTR, 211 health care workers (HCW), and 170 non-transplanted inhabitants (INH) in a countryside city in the state of Sao Paulo - Brazil. At least 14 days after diagnosis, all survivors underwent antibody testing by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (titter expressed in RLU). The primary outcome was seroconversion. The group-adjusted multivariable model for the probability of seroconversion was built by generalized linear mixed models with binary logistic regression and the discrimination performance by AUC-ROC. Result(s): Several differences were observed among groups regarding demographic data and COVID-19 clinical presentation. Of note, KTR were older (54.0 years old vs. 37.0 in HCW vs. 42.0 in INH, P<0.001), more frequently had comorbidities (P<0.001), and severe COVID-19 (P<0.001). Compared to HCW and INH, respectively, admission to ICU (44.9% vs. 0% vs. 1.8%), MV requirement (32.3% vs. 0% vs. 1.8%), and death (28.8% vs. 0% vs. 1.2%) were significantly more frequent in KTR (P<0.001). On the other hand, the seroconversion rate was not different among survivors: 76.2% for KTR, 74.9% for HCW, and 82.2% for INH (P=0.35). The IgG anti-SARS-CoV-2 was slightly higher among INH: 5.8 RLU vs. 5.4 for KTR and 4.4 for HCW (P=0.009). Seroconversion was associated with a shorter time between infection and blood sample collection (OR for each day= 0.986;P<0.001) and increased by 64% if the fever was a COVID-19 symptom (OR=1.737;P=0.017), 78% if the cough was present (OR=1.785;P=0.005) and 98% if the ventilatory support was required (OR=1.981;P=0.017). This predictive model achieved an AU-ROC of 0.730 (P<0.001). Conclusion(s): As expected, the rates of clinical deterioration to ICU admission, MV requirement, and death were significantly higher among KTR. However, among the survivors, KTR had a similar rate of seroconversion, associated with clinical severity parameters and a shorter time of blood sample collection.

Incidence of COVID-19 and associated factors in the population of Para

The aim of this study was to identify the incidence of COVID-19 according to the positivity of the rapid tests and the associated factors in the population of the state of Para. This is a cross-sectional, analytical, retrospective study, developed with cases of COVID-19 in individuals notified and residing in the state of Para. Information was collected on the State Transparency Portal. Positivity for rapid tests of the disease was considered as the outcome variable. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify associations between variables. The incidence of COVID-19 was 46% (95% CI: 45.7-46.2). Being male, over 80 years old and waiting 22 days or more to perform the tests after the onset of symptoms increased the chances for a positive result. It can be concluded that there is a high incidence of COVID-19 in the state. Non-pharmacological measures and case tracking strategies are important alternatives to mitigate the pandemic.

The Presence and Interference of Digital Device Use on the Information Apprehension of the Nursing Students (Face-to-Face) during the Covid-19 Pandemic

In contemporary times, traditional learning methods have been losing space to more innovative environments, demanding from the professor the insertion of more interactive strategies in the teaching and learning process, based on the dialogical relationship between the actors of the educational dynamic. The objective of this research was to understand the impact of the use of digital technologies on the apprehension of information, on the part of undergraduate nursing students (face-to-face), from private institutions, in the city of Palmas - TO, during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a quanti-qualitative, descriptive, exploratory research. The adopted methodological procedures were: specific literature review and questionnaire. The research revealed that during the period that universities were required to implement remote classes, students realized that these technologies are supports in the construction of knowledge and in the learning process. But some obstacles were determinant in this process, evidenced, mainly, by the precarious access to the internet and the non-adaptation to the methodology adopted by the professors in the remote modality.

Repercussions of infodemia associated with COVID-19 on the mental health of the elderly in Brazil

The phenomenon called infodemia refers to the increase in the volume of information on a specific topic, which multiplies rapidly in a short period of time, and has stood out in the context of the health crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Too much information can trigger feelings of fear, anxiety, stress, and other conditions of mental distress. The study aims to describe the profile of exposure to information about COVID-19 and its repercussions on the mental health of elderly Brazilians. This is a cross-sectional study carried out with 1924 elderly Brazilians. Data were collected through a web-based survey sent to the elderly via social networks and email, from July to October 2020. The results of the descriptive analysis of the data show that most of the elderly were aged between 60 and 69 years (69.02%), female (71.26%), married (53.79%) and white (75.57%). About 21.67% (n = 417) concluded their graduation, 19.75% (380) concluded their specialization and 16.63% (320) concluded their master's or doctoral degrees. Television 862 (44.80%) and social networks 651 (33.84%) were reported as frequent sources of exposure to news or information about COVID-19. Participants indicated that television (46.47%;n = 872), social networks (30.81%;n = 575) and radio (14.48%;251) affected them psychologically and/or physically. Receiving fake news about COVID-19 on television (n = 482;19.8%) and on social media (n = 415;21.5%) mainly resulted in stress and fear. The disseminated information contributes to awareness, but also affects physically and/or psychologically many elderly people, mainly generating fear and stress. © 2022, Centro Nacional de Informacion de Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.