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The Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) was established by WHO in 1952 to conduct surveillance for influenza to inform strain selection for seasonal vaccines and to monitor for influenza pandemics. In 2016 WHO initiated a pilot project to add RSV to influenza surveillance platforms;this was disrupted by the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, and SARS CoV-2 was the first pathogen to be incorporated into influenza sentinel surveillance on a wide scale. This resulted in a "GISRS-plus" surveillance network for influenza and SARS CoV-2 that is now being standardized by WHO. In the wake of the SARS CoV-2 pandemic, there is global interest and funding to support pan-respiratory disease surveillance, which could result in expanding influenza/SARS CoV-2 surveillance platforms to include other pathogens and enhancing event- and indicator-based surveillance. Challenges with expanding sentinel surveillance include overburdening sentinel surveillance systems, reduced number of samples collected and loss of data quality for influenza and SARS CoV-2;thus, other types of surveillance for respiratory diseases might also be considered. This talk describes CDC-supported influenza surveillance platforms in Southeast Asia and recent successes and challenges in adding SARS CoV-2 to this surveillance. It discusses potential risks and benefits to GISRS-plus surveillance created by including other pathogens. Finally, it discusses decision-making steps on which methods to use for collecting data on respiratory viruses.Copyright © 2023
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[Background] The COVID-19 pandemic hints at the importance of modernizing disease control system. To understand the scientific research strength of our country's disease control system in recent years is conducive to formulating more targeted policies or measures to promote the modernization of the disease control system. [Objective] To understand the scientific research strength and research hotspots of China's provincial-level centers for disease control and prevention (CDCs) from 2011 to 2020, and provide evidence for the development of scientific research work, discipline construction, and talent team construction in CDCs in the future. [Methods] The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) of the Web of Science Core Collection were used to retrieve SCI-indexed English papers published by 31 provincial CDCs (excluding Taiwan Province, Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions) in our country from 2011 to 2020, and to screen literature with provincial CDCs as the first affiliation for bibliometric analysis and visual analysis. Bibliometric analysis included the SCI-indexed publications of different provincial CDCs (as co-affiliation and the first affiliation), the number of SCI-indexed papers published by provincial CDCs (as the first affiliation) and funding rates by years, the high-frequency authors of SCI-indexed papers published by provincial CDCs (as the first affiliation) and their distribution, and the characteristics of the journals. Visual analysis software Citespace 5.8.R1 was used to draw keyword co-occurrence maps, cluster information tables, and emergence maps to provide information on research hotspots and their evolution. [Results] From 2011 to 2020, the number of SCI-indexed papers from 31 provincial CDCs was 8 420 (including co-affiliation), of which 2 060 papers listed provincial CDCs as the first affiliation. The provincial CDCs of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong, and Guangdong were the leading six institutes in terms of the total number of SCI-indexed papers contributed as co-affiliation or the first affiliation. There was a large gap in the total number of SCI-indexed papers among the provincial CDCs. The highest total number of SCI-indexed papers contributed by provincial CDCs as the first affiliation was Zhejiang CDC (448 papers), while the lowest number was Xinjiang CDC (only 1 paper). From 2011 to 2020, the total number of SCI-indexed papers contributed by the 31 provincial CDCs as the first affiliation showed an overall increasing trend. Except for 2011, which was 63.1%, the funding rates in other years exceeded 70%. In terms of high-frequency authors, 13 first authors published >=10 SCI-indexed papers: Zhang Yingxiu from Shandong CDC had the highest number of SCI-indexed papers (47), followed by Hu Yu from Zhejiang CDC. Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Shandong still ranked the top six of >=4 first authored-SCI papers. In terms of journal characteristics, the top 20 journals with the highest number of SCI papers published a total of 862 papers, accounting for 41.8% (862/2 060), and PLOS ONE ranked the first (188 papers). The research hotspots were mainly concentrated in the fields of infection, child health, and epidemiology. The main keywords of the first three cluster categories were related to the research fields of adolescent overweight and obesity, HIV, and vaccine immunity. The results of keyword emergence showed that research hotspots shifted from overweight, obesity, and body mass index to antibodies, vaccines/vaccination, and cohorts. [Conclusion] The past ten years have witnessed increasing numbers of SCI-indexed papers published by provincial CDCs in our country and a stubbornly high funding rate. However, the gap among the provincial CDCs is still large seeing that economically developed eastern provincial CDCs published more SCI-indexed papers. Research hotspots have gradually shifted from overweight, obesity, and body mass index to antibodies, vaccines/vaccination, and cohorts.Copyright © 022 Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention. All rights reserved.
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The purpose of this paper is to show a forecast of the economicfinancial environment for the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) after COVID19 based on the Austrian Economics approach. To do so, we achieve several economic-financial scenarios using a forecast of RFEA revenues with the AAA version of the Exponential Triple Smoothing (ETS) algorithm and interpret the results based on the Austrian Economics approach with information on the Spanish economic situation and the budget of the National Sports Council (CSD) as the main source of funding. The results show that, although national federations, such as the RFEA, have sufficient net worth to absorb the negative results and responsible behavior is not rewarded in these public or semi-public bodies, the RFEA should try to adapt its expenditures to the new level of expected income to avoid major financial problems in the future. The result of the work can serve as a starting point for a reflection on the future of the RFEA and any other Sports Federation.
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Purpose of overview: The constant surge in accessing essential medicines creates a greater need for continuous monitoring of usage. The inability to source active pharmaceutical ingredients during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in drug shortages that increased online requests for medications. E-commerce and social sites have opened the floodgate for the marketing of falsified, substandard, and unregistered pharmaceuticals, making them easily accessible to consumers with the click of a button. A high prevalence of such products with compromised quality highlights further the need for enhanced post-marketing vigilance of safety and quality within the pharmaceutical industry. This review aims to assess the extent to which pharmacovigilance (PV) systems in selected Caribbean countries conform to the minimum World Health Organization (WHO) requirements, highlight the importance of PV in ensuring the safer use of medicines across the Caribbean region, and identify opportunities and challenges in building comprehensive PV systems. Recent Findings: The review finds that while major advancements in PV and adverse drug reaction (ADR) monitoring have occurred in Europe and other parts of the Americas, little has been done in the Caribbean region. Only a few countries in the region are active members of the WHO's global PV network, and ADR reporting is minimal. The reason for low reporting includes a lack of awareness, commitment, and participation of healthcare professionals, manufacturers, authorized distributors, and the general consumers. Summary: Nearly all established national PV systems do not fully conform to the minimum PV requirements by the WHO. Legislation, regulatory framework, political commitment, adequate funding, strategies, and incentives to encourage reporting of ADRs are needed to build sustainable PV systems in the Caribbean.Copyright © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
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In transport infrastructure concessions, the sources of revenue to the private partner (or concessionaire) may include (i) the infrastructure users (e.g., landing fees, in the case of airports), (ii) the government (e.g. through availability payments), and (iii) both users and government, which might be called a hybrid concession. An example of the latter is a highway concession where the concessionaire charges tolls to the road users but, because of relatively low revenues, the government agency complements the toll revenue with availability payments. Focusing on airports, this paper summarizes the cases where it may be justified for the government to complement users' revenues and describes a model developed for the financial assessment of airport concessions involving payments by both the government and airport users, through the collection of several charges. The methodology described in the paper is also used to review the flexibility in new or ongoing airport concessions to mitigate traffic risks, which have been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The methodology can also be applied to other forms of transport infrastructure. A practical application of the model is demonstrated in the paper, using publicly available information, as well as basic assumptions, to build case studies for the Larnaca and Paphos airports in Cyprus. The model can also be used to carry out sensitivity analyses of the impact of key input parameters on outputs such as the investor's return on equity and annual debt service cover ratio. © 2023 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V.
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The aims of this research is to know the protection of float funds in the regulation of the payment system in Indonesia and how to optimize the protection of float funds in order to mitigate insolvency risk. This research will examine the regulation relating to float funds, which has seen tremendous expansion in recent years. However, until today, the float fund does not yet have an optimum protection to mitigate risk of insolvency. Therefore the urgency of the protection of float fund through an update of regulation should be of concern, that is the necessity of insured protection towards float fund, as well as regulation on the use of float funding investment returns. This research is descriptive analytic and uses normative juridical approach by prioritizing the analysis of secondary data in the form of primary source of law that is laws and regulations;secondary source of law such as journals and other previous research;and tertiary source of law. Next, the received data is analyzed qualitatively and juridical. The conclusion of this research are by regulation, the protection of float fund has not been conducted optimally, a concrete effort is needed from the regulator to optimize the protection of float fund to mitigate the risk of failure of payment due to insolvency by insurance protection, and regulation on the use of float fun investment returns.
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This study explores how the COVID-19 pandemic—with its college closures, business shutdowns, and student enrollment declines—impacted the independence of college media during the pandemic, and how those impacts will continue after the pandemic is over. Using a mixed-methods approach based on the Hierarchical Influences Model framework (Shoemaker & Reese, 2013), this study integrates the results of a survey of 126 student media news outlets with interviews from 15 well-known news organizations from universities with established independent practices, to establish a relationship between revenue sources and student participation with independence measures. Results confirmed a stronger push toward digital products and the use of a wider variety of revenue-generating techniques during the pandemic. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Newspaper Research Journal is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
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During the last decade, feeding patterns, more specifically those of children, have worsened—affecting dietary habits and Mediterranean diet adherence. Here, we examine the post-pandemic feeding habits of Spanish toddlers. A total of 2465 parents of children aged between 12 and 36 months completed an online 25-item multiple-choice survey asking about dietary habits and Mediterranean diet adherence. Only 34 children (1.38%) had an adequate intake of all of the food groups included in the questionnaire. Adherence worsened as toddlers grew (p < 0.0001). Further, lower compliance was found in children with a higher intake of fast food (p < 0.001), those with siblings (p = 0.0045), and children who were the second or third child (p = 0.0005). The food group with the most commonly reported adequate intake was fish (88% of children), followed by pulses (80%), water (79%), and meat (78%). Cow's milk was the most commonly consumed dairy product among all age groups analyzed. Half of the children exhibited a low consumption of milk and dairy products. These results showed that a lack of adherence to a balanced diet is common among Spanish toddlers in the post-pandemic period and that greater parent education could improve the nutrition of toddlers.
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[...]the mortality reduction has previously been reported in the prospective meta-analysis [2] conducted by The WHO Rapid Evidence Appraisal for COVID-19 Therapies (REACT) Working Group. Nonetheless, owing to relatively scarce evidence, it is still unclear whether monoclonal IL-6 antibodies reduce mortality in patients with COVID-19, similar to the IL-6 receptor inhibitors. [...]large-scale randomised trials should also be conducted to establish the role of monoclonal IL-6 antibodies in the treatment of COVID-19. [...]among hypothetical long-term complications, peripheral neuropathy would also be noticeable [10] and may contribute to the broad long COVID pattern. [...]there is a theoretical risk of altering the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors during tumour disease management [11].
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Background/Aims The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented pressures on NHS departments, with demand rapidly outstripping capacity. The British Society for Rheumatology 'Rheumatology Workforce: a crisis in numbers (2021)' highlighted the need to provide innovative ways of delivering rheumatology specialist care. At University College London Hospitals (UCLH) we created a rheumatology multidisciplinary team (MDT) clinic to meet rising demands on our service. The aims of the Rheumatology MDT clinic were to: reduce new appointment/follow-up waiting times, increase clinic capacity, incorporate musculoskeletal (MSK) point of care ultrasound, reduce number of hospital visits and add value to each clinic encounter. Methods We ran a 6-month pilot, supported by our outpatient transformation team, incorporating a Rheumatology Advanced Practice Physiotherapist (APP), Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) and MSK ultrasound within a Consultant clinic. The success of the pilot helped secure funding for a further 12 months. Over 18 months we have implemented: APP/Consultant enhanced triage - up to 40% of referrals were appropriate for APP assessment, including regional MSK problems and back pain. This increased capacity for consultant-led appointments. Standardisation of time-lapse between CNS and consultant follow-up appointments to ensure appropriate spacing between patient encounters. Facilitated overbooking of urgent cases afforded by additional capacity provided by the APP. MSK ultrasound embedded in the clinic template. 'Zoom' patient education webinars facilitated by MDT members and wider disciplines e.g. dietetics, to empower self-management and reduce the administrative burden of patient emails/phone calls occurring outside the clinic. Patient participation sessions and feedback to help shape the service. Results During the 6-month pilot we reduced our waiting time for follow-up appointments from 9 months to 2. We now have capacity to book 1-2 urgent cases each week. Pre-MDT the average wait from consultant referral to physiotherapist appointment was 55 days. The MDT allows for same day assessment (reducing 2-3 patient journeys a clinic) and where suitable, facilitates discharge or onwards referral to the appropriate service. A dedicated MDT CNS has shortened treatment times, reduced email traffic between CNS and consultant and allows for same day, joint decision-making resulting in fewer appointments. Zoom webinar feedback has been positive. Patients value the broad expertise of allied health professionals which supports self-management. Embedding ultrasound allows for same day diagnostics, decreased referrals to radiology and reduced hospital visits. Conclusion Our MDT model has reduced waiting lists, decreased treatment delays and cut hospital attendances. Point of care ultrasound allows for same day decision making and abolishes the cost and diagnostic delay associated with referrals to radiology or outsourced providers. Shared decision-making adds value to outpatient attendances, which is reflected in patients' positive feedback. The MDT model maximises the existing workforce skill set by enhancing the APP and CNS role, allowing patients immediate access to their expertise.
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State and local educational agencies are grappling with growing mental health needs among school-aged children that intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. We undertake a case study of the experiences of one state, Tennessee, to examine the landscape of mental health interventions that are being deployed and to illuminate contextual factors that can support their implementation or exacerbate state and local challenges in addressing children's fast-rising mental health needs. We begin with an examination of the knowledge base on interventions and approaches that are commonly employed in K-12 schools to address children's mental health needs, including in Tennessee, with the aim to identify notable gaps in what we understand about their implementation and impacts on student outcomes. We find a lack of rigorous research that can inform efforts to improve the implementation and effectiveness of school-based mental health interventions. We bring this insight to our case-study analysis, which shows that this lack of guidance from research is compounded by inadequate, time-limited and fluctuating public funding that hinders local efforts to establish strong, ongoing programs that provide or connect K-12 students to essential mental health services. We call for more federal funding to support state and local implementation of proven and promising interventions for addressing children's mental health needs and more rigorous evaluations to strengthen the evidence base on their implementation and impacts.
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This study analyses the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on theatres in the Czech Republic. The pandemic has had a significant impact on performing arts, especially on theatres, and has tested the resilience of the entire system. This study compares the different levels of its impact during the first wave of measures taken to avoid the spread of the virus and the response of the hundred and forty-six theatres in the Czech Republic to the crisis. Using data from a broad survey and applying multiple correlation analyses, the study seeks relationships between selected indicators (finance, HR, artistic performance) before the crisis and the level of impact during the early stage of the pandemic. It demonstrates that theatres founded by the state or by local governments were more resilient to the initial, immediate impact of COVID-19 and were better prepared for possible economic shocks than non-profit theatres. Study results also confirm that the pandemic affected non-profit theatres severely. The study provides rare empirical data on the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 Journal of Competitiveness. All rights reserved.
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While the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019 threatened educational activities in Higher Education globally, it renewed the interest in online learning and teaching in developing countries. To frame our understanding, we employed the Technological Readiness Index lens to investigate the institutional needs necessitated by the sudden uptake of online teaching and how these needs could be funded in one of the developing countries in Africa.15 Heads of Departments (HODs), working in different universities across Zimbabwe, participated in the in-depth interviews and WhatsApp discussions to generate data. Findings replicate that while HODs noted the indispensability of online teaching to embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), universities were confronted with trenchant institutional needs, for example, the absence of well-trained personnel, poor digital infrastructure and cyber security of which most of them emanated from inadequate funding. Considering this, the study proposes that rather than depending on traditional donor and stakeholder quota funding, governments of developing countries must liberalise internet trade markets through legal frameworks to de-monopolise the provision of internet services to reduce costs of erecting digital infrastructures and provision of services. This study, provides insights and extends scholarship on other funding strategies available for the digitalization of education in higher education.