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Objectives: This scoping review aimed to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic influenced any modifications to patient selection methods or prioritisation and services provided by proton therapy centres. Method(s): This review was conducted based on the PRISMA methodology and Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review guidelines.1,2 A literature search was performed in Medline, Embase, Web Of Science and Scopus as well as grey literature. Keywords including "COVID-19" and "Proton Therapy" were used. Articles published from 1 January 2020 in English were included. In total, 138 studies were identified of which 14 articles met the inclusion criteria. A scoping review design was chosen to capture the full extent of information published relating to the aim. Result(s): Six of 14 articles included statements regarding treatment of COVID-19 patients. Three publications recommended deferred or alternative treatment, two indicated to treat urgent/emergency patients and one reported continuous treatment for infectious patients. Recurring impacts on PT provision included more frequent use of alternative therapies, reduced referrals, delayed treatment starts and CT simulation, change in treatment volume and staffing limitations due to pandemic restrictions. Consequently, telehealth consults, remote work, reduction in patient visitors, screening procedures and rigorous cleaning protocols were recommended. Discussion/Conclusion: Few publications detailed patient selection or workflow methods used during the pandemic. Further research is needed to obtain more detailed information regarding current global patient selection methods in proton therapy, collecting this data could aid in future planning for proton therapy in Australia.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted clinical experience and case volumes. Surgical simulation is now an even more powerful training tool and, to maximize potential, we must ensure learner engagement. Our aim was to identify barriers to surgical simulation engagement and strategies to mitigate these. Method(s): Scoping search was performed with a trained librarian of PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Title and screening were completed with inclusion criteria: articles describing barriers to engagement with surgical simulation. After full text screening, data was extracted from included articles: type of study, MERSQI score, type/number of participants, barriers to engagement and strategies to mitigate these. Result(s): Twenty-nine manuscripts were included with 951 faculty and 2,467 residents. The majority (86%) were in high income countries (HIC) and four in LMICs. Most were surveys (22/29), and five involved semi-structured interviews/focus groups. Mean adjusted MERSQI score was 8. Commonest barriers to HIC engagement were learner clinical duties (9/25), lack of learner time (13/25), lack of learner interest/motivation (9/25) and lack of faculty time or interest to participate (12/25). In LMIC, commonest barriers were lack of simulation lab/equipment (4/4), cost (3/4) and inadequate supervision (3/4). Strategies to improve HIC engagement were mandatory/protected resident simulation training (9/25) and, in LMIC, low cost simulators (4/4) and sharing resources (2/4). Conclusion(s): Identification of barriers to simulation engagement is crucial for successful learning. Given the increased importance of simulation education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, surgical educators should strategize to maximize engagement.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and duty hour restrictions have illuminated a role for surgical simulation in trainees that permits meaningful technical experience outside the operating room. There is a need for the implementation of surgical simulation infrastructure adjacent to clinical training with practical considerations for complexity and cost. This systematic review analyzes surgical simulations that train hand surgical techniques and procedures with subjective or objective competency assessment. Method(s): A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA- P guidelines using the PubMed, Medline, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases. Selected search terms included procedures relevant to the field of hand surgery and various types of simulation training. Data, including skills and techniques taught and assessed, model type, equipment, cost, and emphasis placed in training for each article, were extracted. Result(s): Of 2,519 articles, 40 met inclusion criteria. Models were described as: synthetic benchtop/3D-printed (40.0%), animal (22.5%), cadaveric (20.0%), augmented and virtual reality (AR/ VR;12.5%), and other computer simulation (12.5%). Three models incorporated both a physical benchtop component and an AR/ VR component. The procedures most represented included tendon repair (30.0%), fracture fixation (27.5%), wrist arthroscopy (15.0%), and carpal tunnel release (15.0%). Sixty-five percent of articles emphasized the importance of surgical simulation in a surgeon's training. Conclusion(s): A diversity of surgical simulation models exist for the practice of various aspects of hand surgery. The existing literature demonstrates their utility for increasing expertise with surgical techniques and procedures in a low-risk setting.
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In order to comprehensively understand the research hotspots and development trends of Lonicera Japonica Flos in the past 20 years, and to provide intuitive data reference and objective opinions and suggestions for subsequent related research in this field, this study collected 8 871 Chinese literature and 311 English literature related to Lonicera Japonica Flos research in the core collection databases of Wanfang Data), CNKI and Web of Science (WOS) from 2002 to 2021, and conducted bibliometric and visual analysis using vosviewer. The results showed that the research on the active components of Lonicera Japonica Flos based on phenolic acid components, the research on the mechanism of novel coronavirus pneumonia based on data mining and molecular docking technology, and the pharmacological research on the anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties of Lonicera Japonica Flos are the three hot research directions in the may become the future research direction. In this paper, we analyze the research on Lonicera Japonica Flos from five aspects: active ingredients, research methods, formulation and preparation, pharmacological effects and clinical applications, aiming to reveal the research hotspots, frontiers and development trends in this field and provide predictions and references for future research.Copyright © Drug Evaluation Research 2022.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated proliferation of telesimulation. This pedagogy may be useful in rural areas to increase procedural adoption and reduce healthcare disparities. Our aim was to determine the current status of surgical simulation education to retool rural practicing Urologists. Method(s): Literature search was performed with a trained librarian for PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science. Title/ screening were performed to include all studies of surgical simulation involving rural surgical learners to identify simulation education opportunities for practicing rural Urologists. Data was then extracted: simulation event, skills focus, MERSQI score, type/number of learners, learner assessment and event evaluation. Result(s): Seven manuscripts met inclusion criteria. Most were published 2019-2020 and were cross sectional (5/7, 71%). Mean adjusted MERSQI score was 13 (range 6-15.5). A wide range of surgical skills were taught (incl. laparoscopy, cricothyroidotomy, chest tube insertion, damage control laparotomy), but no Urological surgical skills. Two articles described mobile simulation units for rural areas. A total of 232 learners were identified including 69 medical students. One fifth of rural learners were non-medical or non-physicians. Only one study involved faculty, who were general surgeons. Conclusion(s): Telesimulation education for practicing Urologists in rural areas is lacking. Current in-operating room telementoring for rural Urologists requires surgeons to travel and perform their first cases utilizing this new technique on patients. Telesimulation to teach Urological skills in rural areas of the US may increase dissemination of techniques with no patient risk and has significant potential to redress current healthcare disparities.
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This paper examines the relevance of the use of a single irradiation of lungs in treatment of pneumonia caused by a new coronavirus infection. Clinical observations are presented that demonstrate perspectives in the treatment of this disease. Patients with severe pneumonia who were prescribed LD-RT (low-dose radiation therapy) at a dose of 0.5-1.5 Gy showed shorter recovery times and no complications. This method of treatment has shown its effectiveness in a number of studies from different countries, predicting success and economic benefits in its further use and study. A literature search containing information on relevant studies was carried out in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science and Google Scholar systems. Attention was focused on full-text articles given their general availability in a pandemic.Copyright © 2021 VIDAR Publishing House. All right reserved.
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ASEAN is predicted to be the world's largest single market by 2030, after the US, China, and the EU. This study aims to discover research performance in all ASEAN countries, including identifying output levels, research focus, and influential authors in the region. The approach used in this study is a bibliometric analysis of publications indexed in the WoS database for the past two decades (2002–2021). Of the more than 20,000 documents analyzed, it was indicated that each ASEAN country has exclusive and non-exclusive keywords. Singapore has the highest number of citations among the other ASEAN countries.
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Cancer remains one of the most prevalent diseases in the United States and a leading cause of death. Large prospective studies have found significant correlations between dietary intake and cancer. Chronic inflammation promotes pro-cancer inflammatory environments and nutrition can influence inflammation, with the intake of certain food items increasing inflammatory biomarkers. The objective of this research was to explore the relationship between inflammatory diet score measured by the Dietary Inflammatory index and all-cause mortality, cancer-specific mortality, and cancer recurrence among cancer survivors. Web of Science, Medline, CINHAL, and PsycINFO databases were searched to collect potentially eligible sources that focus on dietary inflammation and cancer outcomes. All sources were uploaded to Covidence software and screened by two independent blinded reviewers. The quality of the sources was assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa scale and relevant data was extracted and transferred to the Comprehensive Meta Analysis software and a random effects model was used to perform meta-analysis. Of the 1444 studies imported into the Covidence software, 13 passed all the screening stages and were included in the final analysis. Eight studies reported on pre-diagnosis diet while five others reported on postdiagnosis diet. Five studies reported on colorectal cancer, four on breast cancer, two on ovarian cancer, one on endometrial cancer and one on prostate cancer. Meta-analysis of the studies found that being in the highest postdiagnosis DII score indicating pro-inflammatory diet significantly increased the risk of all-cause death among cancer survivors by 33.5% (HR = 1.335, 95% CI = 1.049, 1.698, n = 6). Analysis did not show a statistically significant association between DII score and cancer mortality or recurrence (HR = 1.097, 95% CI = 0.939, 1.281, n = 6). Analysis by cancer subtype found a significant correlation between postdiagnosis DII score and all-cause mortality among the breast cancer survivors (HR = 1.335, 95% CI = 1.041, 1.711, n = 3) though there were no significant associations between DII and the outcomes of interest from the other cancer types. The meta-analysis concludes that being in the highest postdiagnosis DII score group significantly increased the risk of all-cause death among cancer survivors. This suggests that risk of all-cause mortality could be reduced for cancer survivors by consuming more anti-inflammatory food components and reducing consumption of pro-inflammatory foods. These findings also warrant more research in this field to clarify the relationship between dietary inflammation as measured by the DII and cancer outcomes, particularly cancer-specific mortality.
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Backgrounds: Reinfection among COVID-19 patients is still a challenging issue in the medical literature. Therefore, the current meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled incidence rate of reinfection among COVID-19 patients. Material(s) and Method(s): A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from July 1 to October 1, 2021. Original studies which estimated the incidence rate of COVID-19 reinfection were included. CASP (Critical Appraisal skills program) was used to assess the quality of studies. Data were analyzed by STATA statistical software Version 15 (StataCorp, College Station, TX, USA). Finding(s): A total of 3803 articles were found, of which 16 articles remained after title, , and full text screening. The minimum and maximum incidence rates of reinfection were 0.001 and 0.73%, respectively. The pooled estimated incidence rate of COVID-19 reinfection was 0.11% (95% confidence interval: 0.02-0.20, p< .001, I2 = 100.0). The highest pooled estimated incidence rate of reinfection was observed in people <50 years old (0.14%) (95% CI: 0.001-0.34, p<.001, I2 = 100). Regarding the time elapsed after the first infection, the highest reinfection rate occurred four months after the first infection (0.12%) (95% CI: 0.001-0.27, p< .001, I2 = 100). Conclusion(s): The incidence rate of reinfection among COVID-19 patients is expected to be high. However, it seems that the influence of factors including the age of patients and the time elapsed after the first infection must be considered.Copyright A© 2023, TMU Press.
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With the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists from various disciplines responded quickly to this historical public health emergency. The sudden boom of COVID-19-related papers in a short period of time may bring unexpected influence to some commonly used bibliometric indicators. By a large-scale investigation using Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index, this brief communication confirms the citation advantage of COVID-19-related papers empirically through the lens of Essential Science Indicators' highly cited paper. More than 8% of COVID-19-related papers published during 2020 and 2021 were selected as Essential Science Indicators highly cited papers, which was much higher than the set global benchmark value of 1%. The citation advantage of COVID-19-related papers for different Web of Science categories/countries/journal impact factor quartiles was also demonstrated. The distortions of COVID-19-related papers' citation advantage to some bibliometric indicators such as journal impact factor were discussed at the end of this brief communication.
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Objectives: COVID-19 posed profound challenges to nuclear medicine (NM) practice and education on an international scope. Initial lessons learned may be useful in understanding and optimizing dissemination of critical information during global disasters. To better understand the pandemic's initial manifold impact and responses that were in turn enacted, we systematically reviewed relevant articles published during the 2020 calendar year. Method(s): A librarian experienced in systematic reviews performed a rapid scoping review of the English language literature indexed in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science by crossing NM and COVID terms;445 citations were returned. Duplicate, extraneous, non-English and non-full text articles were excluded leaving 248 articles which were analyzed by origin, topic, design, and imaging details. Result(s): An array of topics, techniques, journals and countries of origin were encountered. 158 articles appeared in primary NMjournals, 26 appeared in generic radiology journals and 65 in non-imaging journals. Most frequent countries represented were USA (55), Italy (33), France (19) and UK (17), reflecting the hard-hit countries early during the pandemic. 118 clinical articles were case reports or small series of which 80 featured FDG-PET/CT. There were 36 observational studies. Among non-clinical topics, articles focused on safetymeasures (102), economics and recovery (23), remote reading (17) and education (8). There were 17 surveys. Society-based guidelines (47) and individual-group best practices (79) were published relating to cardiology (33), lung scintigraphy (12), andmultiple topics (48). Systematic (10) and narrative reviews (61) were less frequent than opinion articles (75). Frequent modalities discussed were FDG PET (156), nuclear cardiology (56) and lung scintigraphy (35). Conclusion(s): The medical literature has memorialized a robust response of information sharing during the initial challenges the COVID-19 pandemic relating to patient care, operations and education. Through scoping review, we have analyzed the nature of information disseminated. Opinions and single group best practices dominated the literature. Clinical reports during the first year were primarily case reports or small series, frequently FDG-PET/ CT. The nature of the literature matured as the year progressed, and sources of information broadened as the epidemic spread.
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The Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), is highly transmissible and of rapid dissemination, and transmitted by respiratory droplets and by direct contact, which can cause respiratory failure and reach multiple organs. Although there is still no effective treatment for the disease, the use of corticosteroids has shown positive results in patients with severe Covid-19, such as dexamethasone, which acts as an immunosuppressant to control cytokine storm syndrome (CSS). In this review, we will abroad the challenge of establishing a balance between risk and benefit in corticosteroid therapy in severe cases of the disease, since corticosteroids can activate the latent infection by Strongyloides stercoralis and develop the critical form of strongyloidiasis, the Strongyloides stercoralis hyperinflation syndrome (SHS). For these circumstances, screening and empirical treatment with ivermectin is recommended for those patients at moderate to high risk of hyperinfection. The keywords used were "Strongyloides" AND "Covid" and the searched databases were PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The selected articles were published from 2020 to 2021 and without language restriction.Copyright © 2022 Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia. All rights reserved.
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Objective: The purpose of this review is to define the feeling of loneliness within a couple while taking into consideration the factors that lead a person to feel lonely in a couple or in a romantic relationship. Our goal is to understand the effects of the feeling of loneliness on these individuals during the global health crisis brought on by COVID-19 and to take these factors into account in designing effective therapeutic care. The different manifestations of loneliness in a couple should also be highlighted. Method(s): We used the PRISMA methodology to select the relevant studies. The keywords ("Solitude" or "Loneliness") and ("Couple" or "Married" or "Partnership") allowed us to select 19 references dealing with the theme. We conducted searches of the following databases: "Cairn", "PsychInfo and Psycarticle", "PubMed and Medline", "ScienceDirect" and finally, "Web of Science" in order to find articles covering a ten-year period. Result(s): There are different definitions for the subjective experience of loneliness. The review of the literature highlights the fact that loneliness can lead to positive or negative psychological consequences (it can lead to the development of creative capacity or, on the contrary, result in depression in some cases). Attachment patterns have been shown to be the basis for the tolerance of feelings of loneliness. Indeed, an anxious attachment would encourage the couple to avoid the feeling of loneliness. According to the literature, this defensive mechanism of seeking presence in the couple would make it possible to limit the impact of loneliness. This solitude depends on the level of relational quality within the couple. A poor relational quality would lead to greater loneliness and would impact intimate relationships. Loneliness is supposedly not experienced in the same way by men and women: Men seem to be more protected by marriage while women's level of loneliness may be higher because of the household chores they have to do. Men and women would nevertheless remain subject to the phenomena of contamination, i.e., when one of the partners feels lonely, the other will also be lonely. However, it seems that marriage protects against feelings of loneliness and its negative consequences. Loneliness does not have only negative effects. It can be beneficial for developing creativity and finding oneself. The periods of confinement during the COVID-19 crisis provided people with an increase in the amount of time they didn't normally have on a daily basis. This may have been beneficial for some people and can be associated with positive emotions. Individuals who spent the lockdowns with others felt less alone and experienced less psychological distress. However, confinements did produce some negative effects on couples. The increased stress of the pandemic and the constant proximity led to an increase in spousal abuse. The consequences of confinement for couples whose relationships were already troubled resulted in frequent separation and/or divorce. The potential for conflict was related to limited financial resources, not working, and the significant risk of contracting SARS COV-2. Conclusion(s): The articles dealing with the feeling of loneliness that we reviewed presented quantitative methods to the detriment of qualitative aspects and focused largely on the negative aspects of the feeling of loneliness. Other academic disciplines, such as sociology, demonstrate a lack of understanding concerning what is at stake with the feeling of loneliness. The articles intersect and tend to highlight the attachment relationships that are formed in childhood as a determining factor in the feeling of solitude later in life. The quality of the relationship, gender, and marital status are also factors to be considered. Loneliness has a clear influence on the well-being of the relationship but it is not an individual characteristic of the relationship itself. It finally appears as an individual characteristic with an impact on the assessment of the quality of the relationship and on the appreciatio of the spouse.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS
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The pandemic caused by the COVID-19 has influenced peoples' lifestyles. Home-confinement scenario might impair physical activity practice, resulting in new challenges for maintaining health during the pandemic of the COVID-19. The aim of this study was to present the current context of COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on the practice of physical activity, and the strategies available to remain active during home-confinement according to international recommendations. The narrative review was conducted based on studies that analyzed themes related to physical activity and COVID-19. Virtual Health Library (VHL), CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycINFO, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant papers. Although an increased number of experimental studies are still necessary, people should devote more time to physical activity during social isolation. Guidelines were adjusted by international entities in order to encourage people to remain active, through practice regular physical activity, using alternative strategies such as fitness program applications, exergames, online exercise classes, and even chores. Reduction of prolonged sedentary behavior could contribute to maintain health and improve quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic.Copyright © Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Facultad de Medicina Alberto Hurtado. All Rights Reserved.
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It is now only in the wake of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that we are beginning to understand many of the extra-respiratory manifestations of the condition. There is now growing evidence that erectile dysfunction (ED) is closely linked with the disease. We carry out one of the first literature reviews to consolidate the current evidence of the causal link between COVID-19 and ED and explore the proposed mechanisms that underpin this phenomenon. We carried out a literature search of the databases;PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science and the Cochrane library. Search time frame was between December 2019 and March 2022. Only studies deemed of acceptable quality were included. Five studies were found highlighting the link between COVID-19 and ED. A further Nineteen studies were utilized to illustrate the proposed biological mechanisms underpinning COVID-19 related ED. Clear evidence has been documented through multiple studies internationally recognizing reduction in erectile scores and reduced sexual activity. It appears there is likely indirect and direct cytopathic effects on endothelial cells, in addition to hormonal and psychosocial factors. The associated ED is likely a result of a multitude of mechanisms including direct and indirect endothelial dysfunction, vasoactive cytokines, endocrine dysregulation, and psychosocial factors. This is the first literature review to delve into the likely underpinning mechanisms of the virus that drive ED.Copyright ©2023 The Author(s). Published by MRE Press.
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Background: South Africa reported a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, named 'Omicron,' to the World Health Organization on November 24, 2021. Scientometric analysis quantify all currently available written communica-tion, the authors of that communication, and their citation analysis. The study's goal was to use the Scopus and Web of Science databases to look at the research metrics of Omicron publications published between January 1965 and March 2020. Methods: All scientific research outputs with the word 'Omicron' in the title were retrieved from the Web of Science (January 1965 to March 2022) and Scopus (January 1896 to March 2022) databases on April 10, 2022. The data was analyzed based on year-wise publications;leading authors;predominant journals in publishing, highly cited articles with citations;type of publications;subject classification, frequently used keywords, geo-graphical distribution of publication, language, and more contributed institutions. Results: There were 1229 research outputs for WoS and 655 from Scopus. The number of publications for WoS increased from 22 in 1965 to 265 in 2022, while Scopus increased from 1 in 1896 to 356 in 2022. Both the databases identified the author Yuen KY as the highest contributor;Journal of Virology and Nature as the predominant journals;the Lancet as highly cited journal;majority as original articles;frequently used keywords as 'SARS-CoV-2';the United States of America as the most productive country;majority publication in English. The publications were mainly on the subjects Chemistry and Medicine by WoS and Scopus, respec-tively. The most productive institute was the ‘University of California Systems' by WoS and the ‘University of Hong Kong' by Scopus. Conclusion: The term 'Omicron' first appeared in the domain of Chemistry in the late 18th century. The growth pattern of publication was not consistent. The above research metrics will be helpful to researchers in the coming days. © 2023, MedSci Publications. All rights reserved.
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Objective: To systematically evaluate the diagnostic value of nucleic acid test in sputum for COVID-19 and to determine the suitable population for sputum specimens. Method(s): PubMed, CNKI, Scopus, Web of Science, medRxiv and bioRxiv databases were searched for the diagnostic value of sputum nucleic acid test for COVID-19 from December 2019 to April 2022. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and evaluated the risk of bias with QUADAS-2 in the included studies. We used sensitivity, specificity, AUC and DOR to evaluate the diagnostic value of sputum specimens. Result(s): A total of 25 studies were included, including 10,731 subjects. Meta-analysis results showed that: The combined sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under operating characteristic curve (AUC) of sputum nucleic acid for the diagnosis of COVID-19 were 89.2% (95% CI, 86.6-91.4), 97.5% (95% CI, 97.2-97.8), 41.4 (95% CI, 11.7-145.9), 0.9474 (95% CI, 0.8964-0.9846). The results of subgroup analysis showed that the Asian group's DOR was 36.835 (95% CI, 10.83-134.570), and the Non-Asian group's DOR was 66.294 (95% CI, 0.719-6109.09). The DOR was 27.207 (95% CI, 2.860-258.780) in the OPS group and 44.165 (95% CI, 4.828-403.970) in the NPS group. DOR of mild patients was 84.255 (95% CI, 9.975-711.690), the DOR of the severe group was 14.216 (95% CI, 3.527-57.142) and was 19.464 (95% CI, 0.724-522.920) in the cured group. Conclusion(s): Current evidence shows that sputum nucleic acid test is of high diagnostic value for COVID-19. Study area and severity of disease are the influencing factors for the diagnostic accuracy of the sputum nucleic acid test. Due to the limitations on the number and quality of the included studies, the above conclusions need to be verified by more high-quality studies.Copyright © 2023, E-Century Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Context: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still a cause of worldwide health concern. Diabetes and its associated comorbidities are risk factors for mortality and morbidity in COVID-19. Selecting the right antidiabetic drug to achieve optimal glycemic control might mitigate some of the negative impacts of diabetes. Metformin continues to be the most widely administered antidiabetic agent. There is evidence of its beneficial outcome in COVID-19 independent of its glucose-lowering effect. Evidence Acquisition: A thorough literature search was conducted in PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify studies investigating metformin in COVID-19. Result(s): Several overlapping mechanisms have been proposed to explain its antiviral properties. It could bring about conformational changes in the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 receptor and decrease viral entry. The effects on the mammalian target of the rapamycin pathway and cellular pH have been proposed to reduce viral protein synthesis and replication. The immunomodulatory effects of metformin might counter the detrimental effects of hyperinflammation associated with COVID-19. Conclusion(s): These findings call for broader metformin usage to manage hyperglycemia in COVID-19.Copyright © 2023, International Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism.
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Introduction: Mass gatherings (MGs) are usually pre-planned large events that are known to amplify the risk of infectious disease (1). Although, the risk and pattern of diseases at mass gatherings vary depending on the features of the event such as crowding, shared accommodation, possibilities of the participants to prolonged exposure and close contact with infectious individuals, type of activities, and also the characteristics of the participants including their age & immunity to infectious agents, many of these can be prevented by appropriate vaccinations (2, 3). The aim of this article is to present a summary of the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases in MGs. Method(s): The method used to develop this article weas based on a litterature review. A summaryzing process of the documented risk of vaccine-preventable diseases in MGs was conducted to extract the most useful knowledge on this topic. It explored also available evidence on the effectiveness of vaccination policies for reducing disease transmission associated with these events and also the outstanding questions that need to be addressed for future consideration of some new and promising vaccines. Pubmed- Medline, Scopus, web of science and google Scholar were used to search over the published litterature. Result(s): The current Hajj vaccination policy includes mandatory vaccination for all pilgrims against meningococcal disease. This is in addition to mandatory vaccination against yellow fever, polio and Sarscov2 for pilgrims coming from endemic region. The Saudi Ministry of Health also strongly recommends seasonal influenza vaccination for all pilgrims, particularly those at high risk of infection complications. Data on the vaccination requirements for other mass gathering events such as Kumbh Mela and other religious, sports and entertainment events are still clearly lacking. Travelers to the FIFA 2022, Qatar, were advised to remain up-to-date with routine vaccines. Apart from the hajj settings, no data are available on the possible impact of the current vaccination policy on the control of infectious disease transmission in mass gatherings. The available data demonstrate that the current vaccination policy and health requirement for hajj is effectively contributing towards controlling the transmission of infectious diseases associated with Hajj pilgrimage (37), however evidence on effectiveness is clearly lacking. Moreover, there is no vaccination policy as part of health requirements for attendance in Kumbh Melain India. Conclusion(s): While taking into account local immunization policies of countries of origin and countries of travel, for diseases with known effective prequalified vaccines, WHO recommends that travelers at risk of developing complications, or at increased risk of acquiring and spreading infection such as those attending mass events, should consider vaccination as a preventive measure. Such policies are effective when these are driven by evidence and its effectiveness are measured through large scale studies. Mots cles: Mass Gatherings, Vaccines, Vaccination, Prevention Declaration de liens d'interets: Les auteurs n'ont pas precise leurs eventuels liens d'interets.Copyright © 2023