Pretreatments for Microbial Analysis and Evaluation of Hygiene of Wet Towels and Wet Wipes

The demand for hygiene products has increased worldwide since the outbreak of global COVID-19. As the hygiene products market is expanding, it is necessary to manage microbial contamination in wet towels and wet wipes. This study evaluated pretreatment methods for microbial recovery from wet towels and wipes and microbial contamination levels in wet towels and wipes with the pretreatment method. Escherichia coli (NCCP14038 and NCCP14039), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923 and ATCC29213), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NCCP10250 and NCCP11229) were inoculated on five fabric materials of wet towels and wet wipes. The recovery rates of the bacteria from wet towels and wet wipes using three pretreatment methods (pummeling, hand shaking, and portion cutting method) were investigated. Using the selected pretreatment method, the contamination levels of E. coli, S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa were evaluated for 238 wet towels and 244 wet wipes, which were collected in April to August, 2019. The presence of toxA and antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa isolated from wet towels were evaluated. The overall recovery rates of the pummeling method and hand shaking method were higher than the portion cutting method. Considering the convenience, the pummeling method was used to investigate the microbial contamination in the wet towels and wet wipes. P. aeruginosa was detected in two wet towels at an average of 9.9x102 CFU/towel. E. coli and S. aureus were not detected in both wet towels and wipes. P. aeruginosa isolates showed no resistances to piperacillin, piperacillin-tazobactam, aztreonam, and gentamicin, but had toxA. The results indicate that the pummeling method is the most appropriate pretreatment method for the recovery of microorganisms, and microbial analysis showed that this method could be useful in monitoring microbial contamination in wet towels and wet wipes.

Crimes against Community: The Therapeutic Politics of South Korea's COVID-19 Public Health Surveillance

This essay argues that the success of South Korea's COVID-19 responses-called "K-Quarantine "-is symptomatic of the country's liberal politics in crisis. The therapeutic politics of K-Quarantine is enacted by an amalgam of moral guilt and legal liabilities for damages to the community, framing the COVID-stricken public as potential criminals against community. In this political context characterized by potential guilt, the public feel culpable if they resist the overshadowing power of public security. This essay offers a critique of the public security rhetoric, examining the case of an LGBTQ South Korean charged on violations of the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act amid the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. A critical evaluation of invasive and punitive measures found in the case demonstrates that the K-Quarantine strategy contradicts its own underlying liberal ideal of the autonomous subject because its public health deliberation reproduces a guilt mandate by constructing a perpetrator/victim binary.

Role of Nutrients on Platelets Participation in Leukocyte Recruitment and Inflammation Resolution in Inflammatory Diseases, Including Covid-19

Interactions of platelets with circulating cells and vessel walls are implicated in various inflammatory processes. In certain circumstances, the hemostatic and inflammatory functions of platelets may overlap. Platelet-lymphocyte/leukocyte interactions can effectively regulate chronic inflammatory conditions. Platelet extracellular vesicles play a prominent role in thrombosis. In this review, we provide an overview of the molecules associated with platelet-cell interaction and the role of platelet extracellular vesicles in cardiovascular disorders and coronavirus disease 2019, which has posed a significant threat to global health due to infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. In addition to recruiting leukocytes to resolve inflammation associated with inflammatory diseases, such as coronavirus disease 2019, nutrients may also play a significant role in human metabolism.

PRESCRIBER AND PRACTICE CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPPORT FOR OFFICE-BASED METHADONE: FINDINGS FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY

BACKGROUND: Methadone reduces opioid-related harms and overdose deaths in those with opioid use disorder (OUD) yet in the US is restricted to federal and state-regulated opioid treatment programs (OTPs). Methadone access remains limited, particularly in rural settings. We sought to determine prescriber and practice characteristics associated with support for provision of methadone through office-based settings. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of the Opioid Use Disorder Provider COVID-19 Survey, a survey collaboratively developed with multistakeholder input to explore the impact of COVID-19-related practice changes among X-waivered buprenorphine prescribers. Data were collected from July to August 2020 electronically and analyses herein were restricted to prescribers who provided outpatient, longitudinal care for adults with OUD. The outcome variable was selecting “The opportunity for patients to receive office-based methadone” when asked “Which of the pandemic-related federal policy changes or new policy changes would you like to be continued after the pandemic?” Sequential multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to determine prescriber and practice characteristics associated with support for the opportunity for patients to receive office-based methadone. RESULTS: Among invited participants, 1,900 initiated and completed the survey. Among the 739 respondents included in the analysis, 52% were men, 60% were ≥50 years old, 81% were White, 39% were board certified in Addiction Medicine/Psychiatry, 44% were practicing in family medicine or internal medicine, and 20% in psychiatry. Nineteen percent had prescribed medications to treat OUD (MOUD) for ≥15 years, 20% had ordered methadone previously, and 21% worked in OTPs. Twenty-nine percent indicated support for office-based methadone. In sequential multivariable logistic regression models, factors associated with support for office-based methadone, compared to being White, were being Asian (AOR=2.23;95% [CI] = 1.01, 5.04), Black/African-American (AOR=3.36;95% [CI] = 1.30, 8.71);having prescribed MOUD for ≥15 years (OR=2.06;95% [CI] = 1.15, 3.66) compared to 0-5 years;having ordered methadone previously (AOR=1.71;95% [CI] = 1.03, 2.83) or having prescribed injectable naltrexone previously (AOR=1.70;95% [CI] = 1.14, 2.56) compared to not prescribing MOUD previously;and working in an academic medical center (AOR=1.87;95% [CI] = 1.11, 3.14) compared to working in other clinical practice settings. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly a third of X-waivered buprenorphine prescribers supported provision of office-based methadone, specifically prescribers of Asian, Black, or African-American backgrounds, who had spent a longer time treating OUD, and had experience providing methadone. Future efforts should explore pathways to include office-based methadone to improve access to OUD treatment.

How has COVID-19 changed family life and well-being in korea?1

The main purpose of this paper is to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted Korean families. The economic well-being of Korean families has been threatened because many family members lost their jobs or earned reduced incomes due to the pandemic. COVID-19 substantially changed the work environment and has provided the momentum for the growth of flexible work including telecommuting in Korea, which was not commonly used before the pandemic. However, the work-from-home arrangements created an ambiguous boundary between work and family, particularly among employed mothers because childcare facilities and schools were closed during COVID-19. The postponed 2020 school year started with online schooling in April, and children in secondary schools often continued private education during the pandemic. Although COVID-19 provided an opportunity to build emotional ties for some families, many Korean families who were stuck at home experienced relational difficulties. Socioeconomic and gender inequality along with discrimination against certain groups were heightened. Our analysis of social media posts showed that childcare, schooling, and religion were important domains of family life during the pandemic. We conclude that COVID-19 has changed the meaning of home in Korea from a place to sleep to a basecamp involving numerous major activities related to work, schooling, parenting, housework, shopping, leisure, and religion. Korean families have found it challenging to spend intensive time with their family, to share gendered family responsibilities, and to support other families. Thus, we suggest that professional and policymakers develop a new service model that is more effective for the changing family climate. © Journal of Comparative Family Studies.