Analysis of the COVID-19 Lockdown Impact on Biological Parameters and Physical Performance in Football Players

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant changes in global sustainability, but specifically, this study analyses the impact of lockdown on health and behavior in the game of football. The 2020/2021 Italian football competitive season (indicated as "post-COVID”), taking place following an obliged lockdown and longer than the normal summery season break, was characterized by very short recovery times and was compared to the 2018–2019 "pre-COVID” season, which had a regular course. The comparisons were about anthropometric and hormonal responses, muscle damage, and the physical performance of players in the major league (Serie A), and were made considering two extreme points of the competitive seasons: before the preparatory period (T0) and at the end of the season (T1). Turning to the results, it is significant to note the following: (1) body fat percentage was lower at the start (T0) of the post-COVID season than at the start of the pre-COVID season. During both seasons, serum CK and LDH increased in T1 and were significantly higher in both T0 and T1 of the post-COVID season. (2) Cortisol and testosterone concentrations increased in both seasons from T0 to T1;however, in the post-COVID season, concentrations of both were higher than in the previous season. The testosterone to cortisol ratio increased at the end of the pre-COVID season, whilst strongly decreasing at T1 of the post-COVID season. (3) Blood lactate concentrations significantly decreased during the pre-COVID season but remained unchanged during the post-COVID season. We may conclude that the enforced suspension period and the consequent rapid resumption of all activities influenced the physical and physiological state of professional footballers.

Probing environmental and tectonic changes underneath Mexico City with the urban seismic field

The sediments underneath Mexico City have unique mechanical properties that give rise to strong site effects. We investigated temporal changes in the seismic velocity at strong-motion and broadband seismic stations throughout Mexico City, including sites with different geologic characteristics ranging from city center locations situated on lacustrine clay to hillside locations on volcanic bedrock. We used autocorrelations of urban seismic noise, enhanced by waveform clustering, to extract subtle seismic velocity changes by coda wave interferometry. We observed and modeled seasonal, co- and post-seismic changes, as well as a long-term linear trend in seismic velocity. Seasonal variations can be explained by self-consistent models of thermoelastic and poroelastic changes in the subsurface shear wave velocity. Overall, sites on lacustrine clay-rich sediments appear to be more sensitive to seasonal surface temperature changes, whereas sites on alluvial and volcaniclastic sediments and on bedrock are sensitive to precipitation. The 2017 Mw 7.1 Puebla and 2020 Mw 7.4 Oaxaca earthquakes both caused a clear drop in seismic velocity, followed by a time-logarithmic recovery that may still be ongoing for the 2017 event at several sites or that may remain incomplete. The slope of the linear trend in seismic velocity is correlated with the downward vertical displacement of the ground measured by interferometric synthetic aperture radar, suggesting a causative relationship and supporting earlier studies on changes in the resonance frequency of sites in the Mexico City basin due to groundwater extraction. Our findings show how sensitively shallow seismic velocity and, in consequence, site effects react to environmental, tectonic and anthropogenic processes. They also demonstrate that urban strong-motion stations provide useful data for coda wave monitoring given sufficiently high-amplitude urban seismic noise.

Influenza surveillance in Ezhou city, Hubei Province, 2016-2021

ObjectiveTo analyze the influenza surveillance data in Ezhou City, Hubei Province from 2016 to 2021, determine the epidemiological characteristics and etiological trend of influenza like illness (ILI), and to provide scientific evidence for influenza prevention and control. MethodsThe ILI surveillance data were reported by Ezhou influenza sentinel hospitals and etiological examination results were collected by network laboratory. Influenza surveillance data from 2016 to 2021 were analyzed. ResultsFrom 2016 to 2021, the percentage of ILI visits (ILI%) in Ezhou city was 2.81% and increased over years. Majority (55.55%) of ILI cases were 0-4 years. A total of 7 716 ILI samples were examined from 2016 to 2021, of which 1 467 tested positive with a positive rate of 19.01%. Influenza A H1N1 was mainly concentrated in January-April, A H3N2 mainly in August-December, B Victoria mainly in April-July and December-March, and B Yamagata mainly in December-February. Influenza network laboratory isolated influenza virus from the 1 467 positive samples by using MDCK cells and SPF chicken embryos. The overall isolation rate was 32.78%, which was 26.93% by MDCK cells and 5.86% by SPF chicken embryos. From 2016 to 2021, a total of 13 ILI outbreaks were reported in Ezhou City. Temporally, the outbreaks mainly occurred in winter and spring. Spatially, they were mainly in primary schools, middle schools and kindergartens. ConclusionThe winter and spring are the key time period of influenza prevention and control in Ezhou City, as they are susceptible to influenza outbreaks. Children aged 0-14 are the key population of prevention and control. Diverse subtypes of influenza virus alternate by years, which warrants continually strengthening monitoring. Additionally, certain countermeasures against COVID-19 may be recommended in the prevention and control of influenza.

CHARACTERIZING MOVEMENT PATTERNS OF NOMADIC PASTORALISTS AND THEIR EXPOSURE TO RIFT VALLEY FEVER IN KENYA

The role of animal movement in spreading infectious diseases is highly recognized by various legislations and institutions such as the World Organisation for Animal Health and the International Animal Health Code. The increased interactions at the nexus of human-animal-ecosystem interface have seen an unprecedented introduction and reintroduction of new zoonotic diseases with high socio-economic impacts such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease that affects both humans and animals and is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes or through contact with the body fluids of infected animals. This study seeks to characterize movement patterns of pastoralist and how this movement behaviour increases their susceptibility to RVF virus exposure. We levarage on a rapidly growing field of movement ecology to monitor five herds collared from 2013 – 2015 in an RVF endemic semi-arid region in Kenya. The herds were also sampled for RVF antibodies to assess their exposure to RVF virus during the rainy seasons. adehabitatLT package in R was used to analyze the trajectory data whereas the first passage time (FPT) analysis was used to measure the area utilized in grazing. Sedentary herds grazed within 15km radius while migrating herds presented restricted space use patterns during the dry seasons and transient movement during the start and end of the rainy season. Furthermore, RVF virus antibodies were generally low for sedentary herds whereas the migrating herds recorded high levels during their transition periods. This study can be used to identify RVF risk zones for timely and targeted management strategies.

Geospatial Modeling of Health, Socioeconomic, Demographic, and Environmental Factors with COVID-19 Incidence Rate in Arkansas, US

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed numerous challenges to human society. Previous studies explored multiple factors in virus transmission. Yet, their impacts on COVID-19 are not universal and vary across geographical regions. In this study, we thoroughly quantified the spatiotemporal associations of 49 health, socioeconomic, demographic, and environmental factors with COVID-19 at the county level in Arkansas, US. To identify the associations, we applied the ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regression, spatial lag model (SLM), spatial error model (SEM), and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model. To reveal how such associations change across different COVID-19 times, we conducted the analyses for each season (i.e., spring, summer, fall, and winter) from 2020 to 2021. We demonstrate that there are different driving factors along with different COVID-19 variants, and their magnitudes change spatiotemporally. However, our results identify that adult obesity has a positive association with the COVID-19 incidence rate over entire Arkansas, thus confirming that people with obesity are vulnerable to COVID-19. Humidity consistently negatively affects COVID-19 across all seasons, denoting that increasing humidity could reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. In addition, diabetes shows roles in the spread of both early COVID-19 variants and Delta, while humidity plays roles in the spread of Delta and Omicron. Our study highlights the complexity of how multifactor affect COVID-19 in different seasons and counties in Arkansas. These findings are useful for informing local health planning (e.g., vaccine rollout, mask regulation, and testing/tracing) for the residents in Arkansas.

Updating and Evaluating Anthropogenic Emissions for NOAA's Global Ensemble Forecast Systems for Aerosols (GEFS-Aerosols): Application of an SO2 Bias-Scaling Method

We updated the anthropogenic emissions inventory in NOAA's operational Global Ensemble Forecast for Aerosols (GEFS-Aerosols) to improve the model's prediction of aerosol optical depth (AOD). We used a methodology to quickly update the pivotal global anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions using a speciated AOD bias-scaling method. The AOD bias-scaling method is based on the latest model predictions compared to NASA's Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA2). The model bias was subsequently applied to the CEDS 2019 SO2 emissions for adjustment. The monthly mean GEFS-Aerosols AOD predictions were evaluated against a suite of satellite observations (e.g., MISR, VIIRS, and MODIS), ground-based AERONET observations, and the International Cooperative for Aerosol Prediction (ICAP) ensemble results. The results show that transitioning from CEDS 2014 to CEDS 2019 emissions data led to a significant improvement in the operational GEFS-Aerosols model performance, and applying the bias-scaled SO2 emissions could further improve global AOD distributions. The biases of the simulated AODs against the observed AODs varied with observation type and seasons by a factor of 3~13 and 2~10, respectively. The global AOD distributions showed that the differences in the simulations against ICAP, MISR, VIIRS, and MODIS were the largest in March–May (MAM) and the smallest in December–February (DJF). When evaluating against the ground-truth AERONET data, the bias-scaling methods improved the global seasonal correlation (r), Index of Agreement (IOA), and mean biases, except for the MAM season, when the negative regional biases were exacerbated compared to the positive regional biases. The effect of bias-scaling had the most beneficial impact on model performance in the regions dominated by anthropogenic emissions, such as East Asia. However, it showed less improvement in other areas impacted by the greater relative transport of natural emissions sources, such as India. The accuracies of the reference observation or assimilation data for the adjusted inputs and the model physics for outputs, and the selection of regions with less seasonal emissions of natural aerosols determine the success of the bias-scaling methods. A companion study on emission scaling of anthropogenic absorbing aerosols needs further improved aerosol prediction.

Broadcasting revenue sharing after cancelling sports competitions.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the partial or total cancellation of most sports competitions worldwide. Sports organizations crucially rely on revenues raised from broadcasting. How should the allocation of these revenues be modified when sports leagues are cancelled? We aim to answer that question in this paper by means of the axiomatic approach. Two extension operators (dubbed zero and leg operators, respectively) will play a major role in our analysis. We show that several combinations of axioms (formalizing ethical or strategic principles) characterize the image via those operators of two focal rules: the equal-split rule and concede-and-divide.

Association of Meteorological Factors With COVID-19 During Harmattan in Nigeria.

Harmattan is a season of dry, cold, dusty wind, and haze that is peculiar to West Africa. This season and COVID-19 share common conditions such as malaise and respiratory issues like as runny nose, cough and sneezing, and raise a question of a possible relationship that begs to be answered. This study investigated whether the meteorological factors of humidity and wind speed during harmattan have association with COVID-19 incidence and mortality in the 2 major COVID-19 epicenters of Lagos state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in southern and northern geopolitical regions of Nigeria respectively. Data used were from March, 2020 to February, 2022, which corresponded to the period of 2 years after the first case of COVID-19 was detected in Nigeria. Correlation analysis was performed using incidence or mortality data on COVID-19 over the duration of 2 years and during the harmattan periods, as well as the humidity and wind speed data for the corresponding periods. Our results showed that there was no significant correlation between the humidity or wind speed and COVID-19 daily incidence or mortality during the harmattan and non-harmattan periods in Lagos state. In the FCT however, there was a significant positive correlation between humidity and COVID-19 incidence, as well as a negative correlation between wind speed and COVID-19 incidence. No significant correlation existed between humidity or wind speed and daily mortality. Taken together, the findings of this study show that weather components of the harmattan season have association with COVID-19 incidence but not mortality, and the association could vary depending on location.

Seasonal variation and ecological risk assessment of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) in a typical semi-enclosed bay — The Bohai Bay in northern China

The Bohai Bay as a typical semi-enclosed bay in northern China with poor water exchange capacity and significant coastal urbanization, is greatly influenced by land-based inputs and human activities. As a class of pseudo-persistent organic pollutants, the spatial and temporal distribution of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) is particularly important to the ecological environment, and it will be imperfect to assess the ecological risk of PPCPs for the lack of systematic investigation of their distribution in different season. 14 typical PPCPs were selected to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution in the Bohai Bay by combining online solid-phase extraction (SPE) and HPLC-MS/MS techniques in this study, and their ecological risks to aquatic organisms were assessed by risk quotients (RQs) and concentration addition (CA) model. It was found that PPCPs widely presented in the Bohai Bay with significant differences of spatial and seasonal distribution. The concentrations of ∑PPCPs were higher in autumn than in summer. The distribution of individual pollutants also showed significant seasonal differences. The high values were mainly distributed in estuaries and near-shore outfalls. Mariculture activities in the northern part of the Bohai Bay made a greater contribution to the input of PPCPs. Caffeine, florfenicol, enrofloxacin and norfloxacin were the main pollutants in the Bohai Bay, with detection frequencies exceeding 80 %. The ecological risk of PPCPs to algae was significantly higher than that to invertebrates and fish. CA model indicated that the potential mixture risk of total PPCPs was not negligible, with 34 % and 88 % of stations having mixture risk in summer and autumn, respectively. The temporary stagnation of productive life caused by Covid-19 weakened the input of PPCPs to the Bohai Bay, reducing the cumulative effects of the pollutants. This study was the first full-coverage investigation of PPCPs in the Bohai Bay for different seasons, providing an important basis for the ecological risk assessment and pollution prevention of PPCPs in the bay. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Nearly five-year continuous atmospheric measurements of black carbon over a suburban area in central France

Atmospheric black carbon (BC) concentration over a nearly 5 year period (mid-2017–2021) was continuously monitored over a suburban area of Orléans city (France). Annual mean atmospheric BC concentration were 0.75 ± 0.65, 0.58 ± 0.44, 0.54 ± 0.64, 0.48 ± 0.46 and 0.50 ± 0.72 μg m−3, respectively, for the year of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. Seasonal pattern was also observed with maximum concentration (0.70 ± 0.18 μg m−3) in winter and minimum concentration (0.38 ± 0.04 μg m−3) in summer. We found a different diurnal pattern between cold (winter and fall) and warm (spring and summer) seasons. Further, fossil fuel burning contributed >90 % of atmospheric BC in the summer and biomass burning had a contribution equivalent to that of the fossil fuel in the winter. Significant week days effect on BC concentrations was observed, indicating the important role of local emissions such as car exhaust in BC level at this site. The behavior of atmospheric BC level with COVID-19 lockdown was also analyzed. We found that during the lockdown in warm season (first lockdown: 27 March–10 May 2020 and third lockdown 17 March–3 May 2021) BC concentration were lower than in cold season (second lockdown: 29 October–15 December 2020), which could be mainly related to the BC emission from biomass burning for heating. This study provides a long-term BC measurement database input for air quality and climate models. The analysis of especially weekend and lockdown effect showed implications on future policymaking toward improving local and regional air quality as well. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Viral Swarm: 'Tripledemic' Pushes Healthcare Facilities to the Brink

The article focuses on the surge of respiratory infections in the U.S. in the last quarter of 2022 that are causing hospitalizations and deaths nationally in an unprecedented trifecta of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19. Topics covered include unprecedented levels of RSV happening in pediatric facilities, the challenge of getting people vaccinated, and key differences of the three viruses in terms of patient isolation measures.

孕妇维生素 D 水平的影响因素分析

Objective：To analyze the influencing factors of vitamin D in pregnant women in three stages of pre⁃outbreak，post⁃outbreak and normalization of COVID ⁃19 pandemic. Methods：The pregnant women who received prenatal examination in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from May 2018 to May 2021 were selected as the research objects to detect vitamin D level，and analyze the effects of different pregnancy methods，delivery methods，age，gestational age，parity，number of parities and season on vitamin D level. Results：Totally 1 679 pregnant women were involved，the level of serum 25（OH）D in pregnant women was 18. 70（ 12. 60，27. 20）ng/mL. The rate of vitamin D deficiency was 24. 41%，51. 01% and 34. 23% of three stages of pre⁃outbreak，post⁃outbreak and normalization of COVID ⁃ 19 pandemic，the difference was statistically significant（P<0. 001）. Orderly multiple Logistic regression analysis showed that early pregnancy［ OR=0. 359，95%CI（0. 257，0. 502）］，maternal age <35 years old［ OR=0. 766，95%CI（0. 598，0. 980）］，winter ［OR=0. 388，95%CI（0. 290，0. 520）］，spring［OR=0. 350，95%CI（0. 258，0. 475）］ and summer ［OR=1. 533，95%CI（1. 166， 2. 014）］ had an effect on vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women. Conclusion：The rate of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women is high. Pregnancy，season and age are independent influencing factors of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women. After the normaliza⁃ tion of COVID⁃19 pandemic，pregnant women should supplement vitamins scientifically and individually，strengthen the education of nutrition during pregnancy，and regularly monitor the level of vitamin D. 目的:分析新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情前、疫情暴发到疫情常态化3 个阶段孕妇维生素D 水平及其影响因素。方法:选取2 0 1 8 年 5 月--2021 年5 月在山西医科大学第一医院产检的孕妇作为研究对象，检测维生素D 水平，分析不同怀孕方式、分娩方式、年龄、孕 周、胎次、胎数、季节等对维生素D 水平的影响。结果:共纳入1 679 例孕妇，血清25（OH）D 水平为18. 70（12. 60，27. 20）ng/mL。疫 情前维生素D 缺乏率为24. 41%，疫情暴发期间维生素D 缺乏率为51. 01%，疫情常态化后维生素D 缺乏率为34. 23%，差异有统计 学意义（P<0. 001）;有序多分类Logistic 回归分析显示，孕早期［OR=0. 359，95%CI（0. 257，0. 502）］、孕妇年龄<35 岁［OR= 0. 766，95%CI（0. 598，0. 980）］、冬季［OR=0. 388，95%CI（0. 290，0. 520）］、春季［OR=0. 350，95%CI（0. 258，0. 475）］及夏季［OR= 1. 533，95%CI（1. 166，2. 014）］对孕妇维生素D 缺乏有影响。结论:孕妇维生素D 缺乏率较高，孕期、季节、年龄是孕妇维生素D 缺乏 的独立影响因素。提示孕妇应科学、个性化地补充维生素，加强孕期营养，定期监测维生素D 水平.

Consequences of COVID-19-related lockdowns and reopenings on emergency hospitalizations in pediatric patients in Denmark during 2020-2021.

There is a considerable burden of children being hospitalized due to infectious diseases worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine effects of worldwide efforts to control spread of infection. We aimed to investigate overall age-specific hospitalizations due to viral and bacterial infections and diseases triggered by respiratory tract infections during and after lockdown. This nationwide register-based observational study included children from 29 days to 17 years old hospitalized in all Danish pediatric emergency departments during the years 2015-2021. Main outcomes were ICD-10 diagnoses for infectious diseases and infection triggered illnesses. Fluctuations in hospitalization events were explored using figures with weekly events per 100,000. Total events followed a predictable pattern during 2015-2019. In 2020-2021, there was a drop in hospital encounters after lockdowns and surge after reopenings. In 2021, there was a surge of hospital encounters in the late summer due to respiratory syncytial virus infections and asthmatic bronchitis mostly in infants from 29 days to 2 years. For the infectious diseases, there was a dramatic decrease in events after lockdowns and immediate increase in cases that followed the same pattern of previous years after reopenings. Bacterial infections, like urinary tract infections, sepsis, and meningitis followed a steady pattern throughout all calendar-years. CONCLUSIONS: Nationwide efforts to minimize infectious disease spread like lockdowns have a preventative and period lasting effect but reopenings/reunions result in surges of infectious diseases. This might be due to children not getting immunized steadily thereby increasing the pool of possible hosts for potential viral infections. WHAT IS KNOWN: • There is a seasonal fluctuation in viral/respiratory infections in children with higher infection rates in the winter and lower rates in the summer. • RSV infection is a major source of concern. WHAT IS NEW: • Major lockdowns and reopenings disrupt the seasonal fluctuations which can result in high surges in infections that increases the burden of children emergency departments and the risk of serious complications.

Computer games, trust, and immediacy: Role-playing as immigrants in the South

Trust in racial and ethnic diversity has been decreasing in America for the better part of a century. The present study replicated a games-based approach to establishing trust in immigrants during COVID-19. Students in an online American National Government class created a fictional persona from either Mexico, India, or China, and sought U.S. citizenship. A posttest-only control group design was analyzed during Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. Subjects who played the game had significantly higher levels of trust in immigrants. They trusted immigrants from China, India, and the Middle East at higher levels than the control group did as well. Immediacy also interacted with role-playing group, such that applying for citizenship as Chinese immigrants had the largest effect on trusting when the experience was perceived as realistic, immersive, and engaging. Pretending to be less visible immigrant groups appears to generalize trust to immigrants from everywhere at high levels of immediacy. • This study replicates a past experiment, this time using a control group. • Playing a game where characters apply for citizenship leads to trusting immigrants. • Playing as larger, more visible groups leads to trusting immigrants in general. • When playing as less visible groups, immediacy is important for trusting. • Realism, immersion, and engagement can be used to facilitate trust when gaming. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding influenza and its complications this winter

Seasonal influenza is a highly contagious viral respiratory disease, which can affect anyone of any age. It is a worldwide problem, and in the UK the illness most commonly occurs in the winter months. For the majority, symptoms resolve without treatment, but for some the condition brings with it complications, leading to a more serious illness, hospitalisation and sometimes death. This article will look at risk groups and complications, with reference to COVID-19 and the possible scenario of influenza and COVID-19 occurring together this winter. This article aims to give nurses an insight into this disease, helping them recognise its presentation, along with the importance of vaccination for all those for whom it is recommended.

Seasonality of Common Human Coronaviruses, United States, 2014-20211.

The 4 common types of human coronaviruses (HCoVs)-2 alpha (HCoV-NL63 and HCoV-229E) and 2 beta (HCoV-HKU1 and HCoV-OC43)-generally cause mild upper respiratory illness. Seasonal patterns and annual variation in predominant types of HCoVs are known, but parameters of expected seasonality have not been defined. We defined seasonality of HCoVs during July 2014-November 2021 in the United States by using a retrospective method applied to National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System data. In the 6 HCoV seasons before 2020-21, season onsets occurred October 21-November 12, peaks January 6-February 13, and offsets April 18-June 27; most (>93%) HCoV detection was within the defined seasonal onsets and offsets. The 2020-21 HCoV season onset was 11 weeks later than in prior seasons, probably associated with COVID-19 mitigation efforts. Better definitions of HCoV seasonality can be used for clinical preparedness and for determining expected patterns of emerging coronaviruses.

Seasonality of SARS-CoV-2 Infections in G20 Countries: Ecological Analysis of Publicly Available Data.

Previous laboratory studies of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) revealed that the stability of the virus in the air or on surfaces is sensitive to seasonally relevant environmental conditions. However, the seasonality of the virus in the real world remains unclear because each country adopted various infection control policies. Therefore, we investigated peak dates with regard to new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and an association of these dates with the timing of the lockdown among G20 countries that have four seasons from 1 June 2020 to 18 February 2021. As a result, countries in both hemispheres experienced seasonal peaks in the number of COVID-19 cases both in the middle of warm and cold seasons. In addition, there were no apparent relationships between the peak date and periods with stringent measures. Our study demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 causes seasonal outbreaks in the winter and possibly summer and thus, countries might need to consider measures to prepare for resurgence of the virus in the middle of 2021.

Preparing for a tough winter ahead

Winter pressures began early, with nurses in primary care facing a host of challenges, including rising workload and unknowns around the severity of flu and Covid-19. Katherine Price reports

Features of the Circulation of ARVI Pathogens During of Emergence and Widespread of SARS-CoV-2 in the 2018–2021

Relevance. The long-term leadership of ARVI pathogens determines their significance in the damage caused to both health and the economy of the country. Aim. To identify the features of the structure of ARVI during the emergence and widespread spread of SARS-CoV-2. Materials and methods. The article uses methods used in epidemiological surveillance of acute respiratory viral infections. Results and discussion. The results of the diagnostic available ARVI pathogens monitoring during epidemic seasons 2018-2021 are presented. The tendency of greater engagement of aged group 15 y.o. and older in epidemic process by morbidity and hospitalization due to SARI was shown. 49 818 nasal swabs from patients with influenza infection, 36 044 – with ARVI and 59 062 – with SARS-CoV-2 were tested. The top three in the structure of ARVI were INF, HEV-D and HRSV (in the 2018–2019 season);INF, SARS-CoV-2 and HEV-D (2019–2020);SARS-CoV-2, HEV-D and HPIV/HCoV (2020–2021). The activity of viral pathogens also differed: for HPIV, HAdV, HEV-D, HMPV, a decrease in activity was noted during the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 (2019–2020) and some of its growth in the following season;in relation to HRSV and INF-a decrease in activity during the last two seasons, and for INF – extremely low activity in the 2020-2021 season;the activity of seasonal HCoV even increased slightly. The data of genetic analyses of SARS-CoV-2 positive samples showed the heterogeneity of its population with a representative of variants (Alfa, Delta) as well as endemic for Russia and Moscow variants only. The recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2021–2022 northern hemisphere influenza season and in the 2022 southern hemisphere influenza season are presented due to their drift changeability. Conclusions. SARS-CoV-2 was influenced by the activity of ARVI pathogens with the almost complete displacement of influenza viruses from the circulation in the period 2020–2021. © Burtseva EI, et al.

Bio-monitoring of atmospheric heavy metal pollution of major emergency events using moss bags:a case study in Xichang

In order to trace and monitor the atmospheric heavy metal pollution in Xichang City, an investigation activity was carried out with a sort of moss (Taxiphyllum taxirameum) (packed in moss bags) as a biological indicator for monitoring heavy metal pollution. The investigation was conducted from the period from April 2019 to April 2020, during which two grave emergency events occurred during spring monitoring period from January 15 to April 15, 2020, i.e., COVID-19 and "3.30"severe forest fire in Xichang, which inevitably affected the atmospheric quality. Based on the concentration analysis of 12 kinds of heavy metal, including Al, Cr, Fe, Cu, Ni, Pb, Mn, Hg, Zn, V, As and Ba contained in the moss and the local meteorological data, comparing those informative data before and after the time when the emergency events toke place, the paper made an analysis on the impacts of two enormous emergency events on the air pollution of heavy metal in Xichang. The results showed that total amount of enrichment of above-mentioned 12 heavy metals in spring (January 15 to April 15, 2020) is (12.85 +or- 1.57) mg/g, which was significantly higher than in the other three seasons (p < 0.01), but no significant discrepancies about the total enrichment amount in the other three seasons (p > 0.05). Primarily because of COVID-19 pandemic, the level of motor vehicles emissions cut down, and the decrease of the tourism in the related areas perhaps causing the decline of pollution of Pb. In addition, the decrease of unbalanced emission of pollutants led to a noted increase of atmospheric oxidation in urban area, thus boosting the formation of secondary particulate matter, and the particulate matter from surrounding industrial sources was transported into the urban area;as a result, remarkable increases of Hg concentration of moss within the moss bags were detected downwind the industrial area located in the urban fringe. Consequently, the investigation showed that the moss-bag method is an effective biological tool for monitoring air heavy metal pollution, which could reflect the impacts of major pollution events on air quality.