Children's Access to Reading Materials Relative to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic: Preferred Formats and Resources

This survey of parents (N = 260) investigated children's access to library materials prior to (T-1), during (T-2), and predicted after (T-3) the COVID-19 pandemic. Preferred formats and resources used to access reading materials were compared by demographic and other factors. Results demonstrate substantial changes in access to print books and ebooks during the pandemic and overall increase in access to audiobooks;supersubstantial change in access to print books from libraries and retailers during the pandemic;overall supersubstantial decrease in access to school library books;and substantial increase in access to print books purchased from retailers. Findings suggest that library closures and limited hours during the pandemic may transform children's preferred formats and resources used to access reading materials.

Determination of Dysfunctional Breathing by Psychological Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic. What Psychological Variables Mediate This Relationship?

Purpose. Сomparative analysis of personality traits contribution and representations about the coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic in determining the occurrence and severity of dysfunctional breathing (DB) symptoms by psychological distress in the current COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods. The methodological set included socio-demographic questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale-10 questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the "Perceptions of the COVID-19 pandemic" questionnaire, the Nijmegen Questionnaire to assess the severity of DB, the Russian version of the HEXACO-24 six-factor personality questionnaire. Empirical data collection took place from 04/27/2020 until 12/31/2020. The sample consisted of 1,362 uninfected Russian-speaking respondents (with an average age of 38.3±11.4 years), 85% of which were women. Results. To explain the impact of psychological distress on DB, with the mediating influence of personality traits and representations about the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic, four pathway models were constructed using structural modeling. Models analysis showed that personality traits were more likely to explain the impact of psychological distress on DB compared to representations about the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic. Personality traits such as "Benevolence", "Extroversion" and "Consciousness" can be considered protective in terms of the occurrence of dysfunctional breathing when stress and anxiety occur, while such traits such as "Emotionality" and "Openness to experience", on the contrary, modulate the influence of psychological distress on DB. It was shown that the model in which psychological disadvantage determines DD in simultaneous mediation by both personality traits and representations about the COVID-19 had the greatest explanatory power. However, when combined with personality traits, only one of the three aspects of the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic representations, the "Fear of Unknown Disease" component, contributes to explaining this influence of psychological distress on DB. On its positive pole lies the search for bodily sensations of the coronavirus and on its negative pole stands the understanding of the pandemic. Conclusion. The limitations of the research and its prospects are outlined. © 2023, Professionalnye Izdaniya. All rights reserved.

Conclusion

The purpose of this section is to conclude and summarise the book's discussions and arguments which were presented in its various chapters. The contents in the different chapters cover various issues that impinge upon human relationships, ranging from racism, gender-based violence and families, to health care, among others. Its main premise was to decipher the manner in which healthy human relationships could be promoted through social work and social development interventions. In its concluding remarks, this chapter notes that since the dawn of democracy in 1994, South Africa has not only undergone fundamental changes, but it has in many respects been in a fluid state. Also, the country still has social and economic fissures it inherited from colonial and apartheid rule. The foregoing situation has continuously compounded many social problems which were nurtured by the unjust systems of colonialism and apartheid. This chapter ends on a grave note and ponders on the latest and most severe threat to confront humanity since the Second World War which is the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

ASSESSMENT OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN MOSCOW ATHLETES DURNING COVID-19 ASSOCIATED SELF-ISOLATION

Aim. The purpose of the study was to assess the quality of life in Moscow athletes during COVID-19 associated self-isolation in the spring of 2020. Materials and methods. A total of 363 athletes (185 males) aged from 14 to 36 years (M = 19.5) participated in the survey that involved the interview and questionnaire methods (the quality of life scale by N. Vodopyanova). Results. Moscow athletes found themselves in different training conditions during self-isolation. A positive relationship was found between the subjective well-being of Moscow athletes and their productivity during self-isolation/changes in their training schedule. Conclusion. The subjective well-being of Moscow athletes during COVID-19 associated self-isolation in the spring of 2020 was mediated by their productivity and the nature of changes in their training schedule. © 2022 South Ural State University - Institute of Sport, Tourism and Service. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Care for Indian Cancer Patients

Background: Current COVID-19 pandemic poses a significant health crisis caused by SARSCoV-2 coronavirus around the globe, including India. Patients with cancer, especially those who underwent treatment, may have a higher risk of getting sicker with COVID-19 disease. Medical care facilities aim to provide proper treatment to cancer patients while minimizing the possibilities of COVID-19 transmission. Objective(s): The perspective article summarizes practical recommendations and perspective answers to all difficulties so that we can better treat and care for cancer patients. Method(s): The literature search includes recent publications and guidelines/recommendations of the central institutes of India. Result(s): Social distancing, guidelines, rescheduling the treatment of stable patients, nutritional care and telecommunication are some of the containment measures that can be applied in clinical practice in cancer management in COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion(s): With these interventions discussed above, we can reduce the impact of this pandemic and deliver the best care to cancer patients.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Potential Drug Options for Treatment of COVID-19: A Revie

A virus known as novel corona (SARS-CoV-2) which causes COVID-19 pandemic disease is an invisible enemy, appeared for the first time in the world's most populous country, China, and became a reason for causing death of many people all over the world. As a result of this, a remarkable investigation and clinical trials are ongoing to discover the treatment for this devastating pandemic disease. Effective vaccines and anti-viral treatments are immediately required in order to control and eradicate the disease. But still, neither vaccine nor any drug is approved for prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic. Proper and well-designed strategies are needed to reduce social and economic consequences arisen due to this pandemic disease. There are some drugs that are used for other diseases which are showing valuable outcomes to elicit the virus causing COVID-19. However, there are no approved drugs full of clinical evidence. A systematic review literature search was carried out from different electronic databases to identify available articles on the effectiveness of drugs against COVID-19.Four therapies suggested recently via World Health Organization (abbreviated "WHO") that were later incorporated for under taking efficient clinical trial of the newly established project (European Discovery), comprise remdesivir, combination of anti-viral drugs (lopinavir and ritonavir), lopinavir plus ritonavir with beta interferon, and anti-malarial drugs like hydroxyl chloroquine and chloroquine. On May 25 2020, hy-droxychloroquine and chloroquine were suspended by WHO from Solidarity trial because of their safety and efficacy concerns. However, there were neither effective specific antivirals nor drug combinations approved which were supported by great-level of clinical evidence.Copyright © 2020 Bentham Science Publishers.

The effect of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on suspected cancer referrals at a regional head and neck unit

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, initially identified in late 2019 as a small case cluster, has rapidly become a global pandemic. Government restrictions, closure of primary care services, interruption of cancer screening programmes, and fear of contracting the virus have demonstrably led to a reduction in referrals for suspected cancer and delays to treatment across the United Kingdom. A retrospective analysis was carried out on suspected cancer referrals to the maxillofacial service at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary during the 12 months from March 2020, and compared with the 12 months prior. Suspected cancer referrals reduced by 38.6% (p < 0.001) during this period, with a reduction in the percentage referred by General Dental Practitioners. Further analysis shows a proportionate reduction in squamous cell carcinoma diagnoses, with other diagnoses remaining stable. Time from referral to first appointment, biopsy, and treatment showed no change. Stage at diagnosis and treatment modality was also unaffected. Assuming no change to the incidence of head and neck malignancies, over a third of new malignancies may have been undiagnosed during the 12 months from March 2020. Evidence for the impact of the pandemic is likely to become apparent as services return to pre-pandemic levels and these patients begin to present.Copyright © 2021 The Authors

Current Trends and Future Strategies for the Global Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) might have originated from the recombination of a Pangolin-CoV-like virus with a Bat-CoV-RaTG13-like virus and then transmitted to a human at Wuhan city of China. On February 11, 2020, the WHO announced a name for the new coronavirus disease as COVID-19. Finally, the WHO declared the novel coron-avirus outbreak a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Within a few months, SARS-CoV-2 had spread across the world to 220 countries, areas or territories. The main objective of this work is to review the existing knowledge about COVID-19, its updated status, available treatment procedures and future challenges. The available literature based on the COVID-19 was thoroughly reviewed and concise, evidence-based information was explored for the public interest. Various authentic databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar together with the official sites of some Govt. Organizations were carefully searched for all relevant information about the current status of COVID-19, including the published research on coronavirus. More than 68 million people are already infected, including around 20% severely ill, with almost 1.5 million casualties due to this virus which is expected to infect approximately 70% population worldwide. Currently, maximum confirmed cases and death are reported in the USA. The epicentre of the pandemic was initially shifted from China to Europe, then to the USA, Brazil and now India. In between, the understanding of pathogenesis and mode of transmission has been developed;repurposing drugs are being validated and the development of a new vaccine is underway. The study concludes that there is no established treatment available for COVID-19, although 26 clinical and 139 preclinical trials are un-derway to develop vaccines globally. Although three vaccines are at the advanced stage of develop-ment, their efficacy and adverse effects are yet to be validated and recorded. Recently, the Pfizer vaccine has been started for vaccination in emergency cases in England and Bahrain, and the United States of America will start it soon. Meanwhile, prevention, rigorous global containment and quarantine efforts are practiced worldwide to control its spread.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND CHANGING PRACTICES IN SPINAL SURGERY

The novel Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), which was identified in December 2019, has quickly evolved into a pandemic, thereby forcing spine surgeons to modify their daily practice. Several articles and guidelines have been published on how to manage daily routines during the pandemic. Neurologic deficits, spinal instability and spinal infections are generally considered as emergencies and treated immediately. Every patient who is scheduled to undergo surgery must first be screened for signs and symptoms of the disease, and diagnostic tests must be conducted on suspected and high-risk patients. In addition, precautions must be taken in the operating room to minimise the risk of disease transmission. In regions where the disease has started to decline, a gradual return to the normal routine activities is being considered. Surgeons must be aware of the local circumstances and elective surgeries can only be resumed when the safety of patients and healthcare personnel are no longer at risk. In this review article, we aimed to combine the data with our experience and help spine surgeons in adapting to the current situation. © 2020 Journal of Turkish Spinal Surgery. All rights reserved.

Mental Health Needs in COVID and Post-COVID Era-How Far Can Telepsychiatry Address the Challenges?

The coronavirus pandemic of 2019 has resulted in extensive social regulations and affected many aspects of life. It has led to significant stress and adversely impacted mental health across the globe. The virus has been found to directly increase neuropsychiatric sequelae in those affected. Various psychosocial factors have also increased the incidence and prevalence of mental health problems worldwide. There was a need for a ramp-up of psychiatric services to support individuals in such a situation. Even after the pandemic, there is a need for improving access to mental health services for the mentally ill as well as those affected by the regulations brought about to tackle the pandemic. Telepsychiatric services are in place throughout the world in different forms and are the answer to bridging the mental health gap during and in the aftermath of the pandemic. Hence, it is important to continue developing and enhancing tele psychiatric services in different countries for supporting and treating individuals affected by the pandemic.Copyright © 2023 Bentham Science Publishers.

A Mini Review: Origin, Treatments, Preventions, Real Facts and Viability of the Recent Pandemic of Novel Coronavirus-2019

Background: Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) has sent billions of people into lockdown. It has a negative impact on daily life, physical and mental health. Never before was seen such a type of pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. It increased anxiety in the community. Impacts of this disruption affect every sector such as health, finance, education, transport, agriculture, and economical growth of countries. Most of the countries experience insecurity in these sectors. Objective(s): To reduce the spread of the novel Coronavirus-2019 and to bridge the knowledge gap of the research community, frontline health workers as well as those persons who are working in this regard to improve critical health challenges so that the community can plan effective prevention. In the present mini-review, we summarized the origin, route of transmission, current therapies of treatment, preventions, viability and real facts of fatal disease novel Coronavirus-2019 (2019-nCoV). Result(s): Achieving division of a large population into small-small groups and take RT-PCR tests on a very large scale. It will help to identify and isolate an accurate infected person. Isolation of infected cases and quarantine reduce the transmissibility of COVID-19. Conclusion(s): Knowledge about real-time evolution and transmission of the emerging pathogens helps to prevent its infection at all stages. To improve understanding of the risk, mechanism, and treatment in response to COVID-19 is required encouraging case studies, effective treatment therapies, drug discovery and developments. Make awareness in society about sanitation and avoid close contact to escape COVID-19 infection are the best ways of protection.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Impact and Inescapable Effects of Coronavirus: History to Modern Pandemic Episode

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute respiratory tract infection causing a pandemic that emerged in 2019 initially in China involving 13.8% cases with severe, and 6.1% with critical course and later throughout the globe. Vaccines or antiviral medications are yet to be used to prevent or treat infections of Human Coronavirus (HCoV). The much-discovered HCoV found in 2003, SARS-COVID-19, which caused respiratory syndrome, has special pathogenesis as it causes respiratory tract infection. The coronavirus spike protein's association with its host cell receptor complement is crucial in deciding the virus infectivity, tissue tropism and species variety. SARS, COVID-19, infects human cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and uses the TMPRSS2 cell protease to activate it. Lungs are most affected by COVID-19 as host cells are accessed by the virus through ACE2, which is most abundant in alveolar cells of the lungs. Special attention and efforts should be given in reducing transmission in vulnerable populations, including infants, health care providers and the elderly. COVID 19, is the main causative agent of potentially lethal disease and is of significant concern for global public health and in pandemics which was highlighted in this review.Copyright © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers.

Associations between Work-Family Balance, Parenting Stress, and Marital Conflicts during COVID-19 Pandemic in Singapore.

As part of the "Circuit-breaker" social distancing measure to address COVID-19, the government of Singapore closed schools and workplaces from April to May 2020. Although this helped reduce transmission rates, for working parents, this period had been a challenging experience of working from home while providing care for children full-time. Problems in the work-home interface can have a significant impact on parenting and marital harmony. We analyzed data from 201 married and employed parents in Singapore using online surveys. Latent profile analysis was used to identify profiles of parents' work-family balance (WFB) and spousal and employer support. Linear regression was used to examine links between profiles with parenting stress and marital conflicts. Results indicated three distinct profiles of WFB and social support levels: (a) Strong (43%), (b) Moderate (38%), and (c) Poor (19%). Mothers were more likely than fathers to be in the Moderate and Poor profiles. One key finding is that profiles characterized by poorer WFB were found to be linked with higher parenting stress and increased marital conflicts. There are important variations in parents' abilities to balance work and family and levels of social support received. Lock-downs can affect parenting and marital harmony especially for parents with poor WFB and weak social support. Any attention given to supporting working parents is vital and urgent to counter any problems in the work-family interface during a lockdown.

Effect of coronavirus pandemic in changing the performance barriers for textile and apparel industry in an emerging market.

In the past two years, coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted global industries and altered market dynamics. The present study compares the challenges facing Indian textile and apparel industry before and after the coronavirus pandemic. The context of our study focuses on handloom industry, as the primary financial risk for handloom micro entrepreneurs lies in capital requirements for raw materials, equipment and their lack of formal management structures to tackle the pressure of uncertainty. Thus, studying and mitigating internal and external barriers of the traditional manufacturing micro entrepreneurs during and post pandemic remains crucial to frame policy decisions for sustainability of this vulnerable sector. We have employed a two-phase (before and after the onset of pandemic) successive exploratory mixed method, starting with the Delphi technique (qualitative phase) and concluding with multi-criteria decision-making. In Phase 2 analysis, seventeen key critical barriers identified in Phase 1reduced to twelve. Phase 1 modelling suggests that lack of effective government policies, demonetization, and tax policy implementation are the most significant barriers. Further, Phase 2 identifies the absence of effective government policies as the most significant obstacle to the performance of Indian handloom industry, especially after the pandemic. Additionally, lack of branding was found to be most critically linked between independent and dependent barriers.

Racial disparities in unemployment benefits among U.S. mortgage borrowers during COVID-19.

This article describes racial and ethnic differences in mortgage payment difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic and examines whether disparities exist in the benefits of the unemployment insurance (UI) program. The sample consisted of 80,797 jobless mortgage borrowers who received or waited for UI benefits between August 2020 and May 2022. Considering individual- and state-level variables in multilevel logistic regressions, we examined rates of mortgage delay in the last month and payment concerns about the next month by racial and ethnic group. Minority borrowers were more likely to have a difficulty in paying mortgage than White borrowers. UI recipients-regardless of race and ethnicity-were less likely to experience mortgage difficulties, but the positive unemployment benefit was reduced disproportionately among Blacks. Blacks were also at a higher risk of mortgage difficulties compounded by other pandemic-induced hardships-loss of household, lack of food, and mental illness-even after the receipt of UI. Findings on the intersection between race and ethnicity and UI suggest that pandemic policy interventions should be race conscious and consider the longstanding and systematic barriers experienced by minority mortgage borrowers. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10901-022-10006-w.

A Wide-Base Population Pyramid And Other Factors Explain Low Mortality In Pakistan During Covid-19 Pandemic.

World is experiencing an unprecedented pandemic of COVID-19 for over a year. This viral infection outbreak originated in December 2019 at Wuhan, China and within three months became a global pandemic. The outbreak has affected over 200 countries and territories of the world. Despite of having well-established health care system, countries such as China, Italy, Iran, Spain, France, Germany and USA have experienced a high death toll in this pandemic. Pakistan although being geographic neighbour of China and Iran, is somehow protected from the otherwise expected high case-fatality of COVID-19. This paper explains what factors have protected Pakistan from a high mortality in this pandemic.

Effects of COVID-19 on Domestic Tourism in the West Bank, Palestine: A Case Study of Nablus City

This study aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic tourism in the Nablus City located in the West Bank, Palestine. The data for this study are collected using the questionnaire method as a research instrument. Three sets of questionnaires were designed to target three different groups of people: tourists or visitors, employees of tourism facilities, and owners of tourism facilities. These three questionnaires were then distributed online to the participants. The responses from the participants were then collected through email and a descriptive analysis was carried out for a total of 263 valid questionnaires based on the responses. The findings of this study have shown that domestic tourism in the West Bank was negatively affect-ed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study also revealed that the average number of employees in the tourism facilities decreased significantly during the pandemic to 22%. The aver-age number of tourists also decreased to around 5%, while 20% of tourists’ facilities were closed. Also, the lifestyle of locals has changed significantly. Based on the findings, this study also presented a few suggestions to assist the recovery of domestic tourism in Nablus city. These suggestions include creating a program led by the government and the private sector to support small and medium tourism enterprises. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Disparities in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: A two-year analysis.

While the overall level of food insecurity in the United States has remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain individuals and regions have fared worse than others. This study examines state-level variables affecting individual- and household-level food insecurity during the recent two years of the pandemic beginning in 2020 by utilizing the Household Pulse Survey, a new nationally representative dataset developed by the United States Census Bureau. The results of this study suggest a set of statewide factors, such as pandemic-driven market conditions, COVID-19 prevalence, and the implementation of federal programs, are associated with the level of food insecurity that individuals have experienced during the pandemic over the past two years. The associations varied by household income levels, indicating a strong relationship between higher-income households and market conditions, as well as the importance of federal programs and state policies in alleviating food insecurity among lower-income households. The food insecurity indices also overlapped with different socioeconomic and health hardships caused by the pandemic, such as employment income loss, housing instability, and mental health problems. The findings of this study highlight state-level contexts, particularly the role of state governments, in responding to pandemic-related food insecurity.

The Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on the Profitability of Islamic and Conventional Banks (Comparative Study)

The current study aim is to compare the impact of the Coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic on the profitability between each of the Islamic and conventional banks, whereas the profitability of banks was measured through the (ROA), (ROE), and (EPS) indicators for the years 2019 and 2020. However, the researcher followed the inductive method and the descriptive-analytical method in this study, knowing that the study sample consisted of 10 Islamic banks and 10 conventional banks located throughout 5 Arab countries. The most important results of the study were the presence of a negative impact of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on the profitability of all the banks of the study sample, but the Islamic banks, the study sample, were less affected compared to the conventional banks, also, the study recommended the need to conduct a comparative study between the performance of Islamic and conventional banks. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Traumatic childbirth during COVID-19 triggers maternal psychological growth and in turn better mother-infant bonding.

BACKGROUND: Although posttraumatic psychological growth (PTG) occurs following stressful events, knowledge of maternal psychological growth as a result of giving birth during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is lacking. METHODS: We assessed PTG associated with recent childbirth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory) in a sample of 2205 women who gave birth during the pandemic and 540 who gave birth before. They also provided information about birth-related traumatic stress (Peritraumatic Distress Inventory; PTSD Checklist), mother-infant bonding (Maternal Attachment Inventory), and breastfeeding. RESULTS: Close to two thirds (60.45 %) of participants reported childbirth-related PTG with greater appreciation of life endorsed most frequently. No group differences in PTG prevalence were noted between deliveries during or before COVID-19 (χ2 = 0.35, p = 0.84). A multigroup mediation model revealed that in deliveries during the pandemic, childbirth-related acute stress was linked with elevated PTG (ß = 0.07, p < 0.01); in turn, PTG was associated with lower posttraumatic stress symptoms (ß = -0.06, p < 0.05) and better mother-infant bonding (ß = 0.22, p < 0.001). These indirect paths via PTG were not significant in deliveries before the pandemic. LIMITATIONS: Reliance on a convenient sample, self-reports, and cross-sectional design may introduce bias. CONCLUSIONS: Perceived positive maternal psychological changes as a result of childbirth are endorsed by a significant portion of women during the pandemic and can ensue in response to traumatic childbirth. Maternal growth is further implicated in successful postpartum adjustment and positive mother-infant interactions during an important period. Hence, directing clinical attention to opportunities of maternal psychological growth may have benefits especially for women at risk for the adverse outcomes of exposure to traumatic experiences of childbirth.