Physical Activity of Middle School Students from Cluj-Napoca during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Physical activity has numerous health benefits, including better cardiorespiratory fitness, skeletal health, psychological health and reducing obesity. However, more than 80% of adolescents worldwide are not active enough, failing to meet the recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity, and due to COVID-19 restrictions, the percentage might be even higher. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the level of physical activity and its influencing factors in a sample of 333 middle school students (mean age = 12.93, SD = 1.20) from Cluj-Napoca, Romania, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted and two instruments were used to assess interest variables, the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children and the Cues, Perceived Benefits and Barriers to Physical Activity Questionnaire. Results showed a low level of physical activity in our sample for both male (M = 2.76, SD = 0.76) and female (M = 2.62, SD = 0.63) adolescents. The most commonly reported cue to physical activity was "encouragement from parent(s) to exercise", the most prevalent perceived benefit was "to stay in shape", and the most powerful barrier was "wanting to do other things with personal time". Conclusion: Understanding adolescents' cues, perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity could help teachers and coaches to provide suitable programmes, and parents or peers to support adolescents. Discussion includes implications for practice and guidelines for policymakers and participants.

Predicting consumers' purchase intention through fast fashion mobile apps: The mediating role of attitude and the moderating role of COVID-19

Nowadays many people use mobile applications for different purposes to manage their daily activities more conveniently and efficiently. Thus, mobile apps contribute to the optimization of consumers' shopping experience during the decision-making process. Based on the S-O-R framework, the present study explores the direct and indirect impact of utilitarian, hedonic and social attributes of mobile apps on consumers' attitudes and purchase intention through fast fashion mobile apps. An online survey was conducted to test the proposed conceptual model, and the partial least squares (PLS) modeling technique was used for the reliability and validity assessment of the reflective constructs. The results indicate that hedonic motivations have a higher impact on consumers' attitudes than utilitarian ones. Attitude has multiple mediation roles, while channel-switching behaviour caused by COVID-19 moderates the relationship between attitude and purchase intention. The findings are relevant for marketers and fashion retailers to optimize branded mobile apps from a utilitarian and hedonic point of view.

Diagnosis and management of childhood obesity during COVID-19 pandemic: an audit on clinical practice in a tertiary center

Background: Childhood obesity represents an important public health problem and its diagnosis and management should be based on current guidelines. Prevalence of childhood obesity in Romania is one of the lowest in Europe but with a positive trend. Aim(s): The aim of the current study was to analyze the implementation of the recommendations of the 2017 Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline on Assessment, Treatment and Prevention of Pediatric Obesity in a tertiary Endocrinology center from Targu-Mures, Romania. Material(s) and Method(s): Electronic health records (EHR) of children aged 1-15 years admitted in the Endocrinology Clinic of Targu-Mures, Romania, between 1st of January 2020 and 31st of December 2021 were reviewed. Data was collected on age, gender, body mass index standard deviation score (BMI SDS), overweight or obesity coded as diagnosis, waist measurement availability, assessment of potential comorbidities (blood pressure, blood glucose, total and fractioned (HDL and LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and liver enzymes) and attending physician. Result(s): A total of 691 EHR were reviewed, out of which 31.1% (215) did not contain any information except demographics and 2.9% din not contain the BMI SDS and were therefore excluded. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the 476 EHR analyzed was 30.4% (145). Obesity was coded in 76.5% of cases (111) with girls more likely to have the diagnosis missed, regardless of age. Comorbidity assessment was complete in 39 records (26.9%) with cholesterol fractions and blood pressure most often missed, especially in younger age groups. Glucose, total cholesterol and liver enzymes were assessed most often (80%). Waist measurement was recorded in 90.3% of cases. Compliance with recommendations was similar between physicians. Discussion and Conclusion(s): Compared to data available in the literature, clinical practice in this tertiary center is in compliance with the recommendations of the available guidelines even during the COVID 19 pandemic, but there is still a high percentage of not coded diagnosis and a lack of comorbidity screening, especially blood pressure and cholesterol fractions. The most important issue discovered was the high percentage of missing data in the EHR with the need for future audits in this regard.

CHALLENGES REGARDING THE INTERACTION BETWEEN PSYCHOTROPICS AND COVID-19 CO-MEDICATION

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic is at the moment the main topic of interest regarding medical science and research. Responsible for the disease is a novel coronavirus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) accountable for over 118 million cases and a total of 2.61 million deaths worldwide (July 2020). Drug treatment for infected COVID-19 patients represents a difficult task, since there is no currently licensed specific antiviral for SARS-CoVs, the clinical approach of these patients remains the symptomatic one and also providing supportive care if needed. The clinical approach becomes more of a challenge especially if one has a co-existing psychiatric illness under psychotropic treatment. This concern is raised due to potential drug-to-drug interactions (DDIs) between antiviral agents and psychotropics, not only by common metabolic pathways regarding P450 cytocromial enzymes but also by pharmacological synergism regarding common adverse effects. Thus, we searched to identify studies published in PubMed medical database to support clinical practice in these situations and found that mostly all main psychotropics are implied in DDIs with the antivirals used to treat COVID-19 infection. Therefore, the clinical approach in treating COVID-19 patients with antiviral agents remains a challenge especially for those who have a comorbid psychiatric illness and are under treatment with psychotropics.

USAGE INTENTIONS, ATTITUDES, AND BEHAVIORS TOWARDS ENERGY-EFFICIENT APPLICATIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Energy waste is an emerging issue worldwide, with energy conservation goals, such as conscious energy consumption, playing a crucial role in helping the environment. The rapid growth of smart appliances has led to the development of mobile applications, with an increased interest among policymakers to design eco-saving plans for optimizing power and battery consumption. This study aims to explore the usage intention of energy-efficient applications, through young consumers??? energy conservation behavior, behavioral characteristics, and COVID-19 pandemic experience. Based on empirical investigation, a survey was applied in Romania among 590 mobile app users. The data were tested using partial least square structural equation modeling (SmartPLS, version 3). The results indicate the impact of behavioral characteristics, namely, energy conservation attitude, subjective norms, and environmental knowledge on young users??? energy conservation behavior. The influential effect of COVID-19 on energy-saving behavior was also proven. Energy conservation behavior, and functional and hedonic values positively influence Millennials??? and Gen Zers??? energy-efficient app usage intentions. The study also discusses some implications for policy makers, marketers, and software developers, as well as providing theoretical suggestions for future work.

Global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stroke care and intravenous thrombolysis

Objective: The objectives of this study were to measure the global impact of the pandemic on the volumes for intravenous thrombolysis (IVT), IVT transfers, and stroke hospitalizations over 4 months at the height of the pandemic (March 1 to June 30, 2020) compared with two control 4-month periods. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread repercussions on the delivery of health care worldwide. Design/Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, observational, retrospective study across 6 continents, 70 countries, and 457 stroke centers. Diagnoses were identified by ICD-10 codes and/or classifications in stroke center databases. Results: There were 91,373 stroke admissions in the 4 months immediately before compared to 80,894 admissions during the pandemic months, representing an 11.5% (95%CI,-11.7 to-11.3, p<0.0001) decline. There were 13,334 IVT therapies in the 4 months preceding compared to 11,570 procedures during the pandemic, representing a 13.2% (95%CI,-13.8 to-12.7, p<0.0001) drop. Interfacility IVT transfers decreased from 1,337 to 1,178, or an 11.9% decrease (95%CI,-13.7 to-10.3, p=0.001). There were greater declines in primary compared to comprehensive stroke centers (CSC) for stroke hospitalizations (-17.3% vs-10.3%, p<0.0001) and IVT (-15.5% vs-12.6%, p=0.0001). Recovery of stroke hospitalization volume (9.5%, 95%CI 9.2-9.8, p<0.0001) was noted over the two later (May, June) versus the two earlier (March, April) months of the pandemic, with greater recovery in hospitals with lower COVID-19 hospitalization volume, high volume stroke center, and CSC. There was a 1.48% stroke rate across 119,967 COVID-19 hospitalizations. SARS-CoV-2 infection was noted in 3.3% (1,722/52,026) of all stroke admissions. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a global decline in the volume of stroke hospitalizations, IVT, and interfacility IVT transfers. Primary stroke centers and centers with higher COVID19 inpatient volumes experienced steeper declines. Recovery of stroke hospitalization was noted in the later pandemic months, with greater recovery in hospitals with lower COVID-19 hospitalizations, high volume stroke centers, and CSCs.

Coping mechanisms and resilience in psychiatric trainees during COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionThe Covid-19 pandemic has a profound impact on all domains of day to day life, forcing individuals to make substancial change in the way of living. Such change is known to cause an important psychological distress, and in some persons evidencing silent disorders among apparently functional individuals. Good coping mechanisms and resilience can be the key to overpass this difficult period.ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to evaluate the coping mechanisms and resilience that Romanian psychiatric trainees used during Covid19 pandemic.MethodsWe developed an online questionnaire. We included questions about different socio-demographical variables and about coping mechanisms (using COPE scale), resilience (using Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale) and quality of life (using QoL Scale).ResultsThe preliminary data show that staying busy, seeking social support and having a positive minset are emotion-focused coping strategies present in individuals who overpass easier this period.ConclusionsThe Covid-19 pandemic is creating significant distress and impairment in functioning, but individuals who have good psychological mechanisms and who are more adaptable are less vulnerable during Covid-19 pandemic. Future research should build upon these findings to better understand coping mechanisms during crises and also social policies should be developed to acknowledge the variable needs in adults.

Stroke Thrombectomy in Patients with COVID-19: Initial Experience in 13 Cases.

We performed a retrospective review in both comprehensive stroke units of a region affected early by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, between March 1 and April 26, 2020, including patients with COVID-19 who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for ischemic stroke. We identified 13 cases, representing 38.2% of 34 thrombectomies performed during this period. We observed increased mortality and a high incidence of thrombotic complications during hospitalization. Given the high rate of infected patients, systematic use of full personal protection measures seems justified.

Impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on acute stroke pathways - insights from the Alsace region in France.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To date, no study has attempted to quantify the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the incidence and treatment of acute stroke. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of acute stroke pathway parameters in all three stroke units in the Alsace region during the first month of the outbreak (1-31 March 2020), using the similar period from 2019 as a comparator. A secondary detailed analysis of all stroke alerts and stroke unit admissions was performed in the centre with the largest case volume. RESULTS: Compared to the same period in 2019, in March 2020 there were 39.6% fewer stroke alerts and 33.3% fewer acute revascularization treatments [40.9% less intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and 27.6% less mechanical thrombectomy (MT)]. No marked variation was observed in the number of stroke unit admissions (-0.6%). The proportion of patients with acute revascularization treatments (IVT or MT) out of the total number of stroke unit admissions was significantly lower in March 2020 (21.3%) compared to 2019 (31.8%), P = 0.034. There were no significant differences in time delays or severity of clinical symptoms for patients treated by IVT or MT, nor in the distribution of final diagnosis amongst stroke alerts and stroke unit admissions. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the overall incidence of stroke remained the same, but fewer patients presented within the therapeutic time window. Increased public awareness and corrective measures are needed to mitigate the deleterious effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on acute stroke care.