Effect of restorative experience in reducing the risk perception of COVID-19 infection: Korean male campers' well-being and willingness to pay a premium for camping

During the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, South Korean men exhibited greater affective risk perceptions than women, displaying anxiety and fear of COVID-19 infection as well as emotional distress. Such negative psychological states can be reduced through exposure to natural environments. Natural settings often provide restorative environments promoting individual mental health, psychological stability, and well-being. Therefore, this study aims to examine the roles of restorativeness as perceived by men in mitigating the affective risk perception of COVID-19, improving well-being, and increasing the willingness to pay a premium to camp in the context of nature-based camping. An online survey was conducted with South Korean men who experienced camping during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 208 responses were used for data analysis. The results of structural equation modeling indicated significant relationships between affective risk perception and perceived restorativeness, perceived restorativeness and well-being, and well-being and willingness-to-pay-a-premium. The mediating effect of well-being was also significant. The findings of a multi-group analysis indicated a significant moderating effect of having children on the relationship between perceived restorativeness and well-being, but not on the relationship between well-being and willingness-to-pay-a-premium. The results of this study provide enhanced insight into restorative experiences in nature as a coping mechanism for increased affective risks as perceived by men during the pandemic. In particular, this study examined the psychological benefits of a natural environment in the context of camping and empirically identified the role of camping in promoting a feeling of restorativeness and inducing men's well-being perception by easing negative emotions. This study also provides practitioners with an understanding of changes in men's perceptions and emotional and behavioral responses through positive restorative experiences.Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by MRE Press.

A study on the artificial intelligence interview experience of nursing students in the COVID-19 situation

Background & Aim: This study aims to examine the perception of artificial intelligence interviews experienced by prospective nursing graduates who have experienced artificial intelligence interviews at medical institutions using focus groups and provide necessary data to increase the efficiency of artificial intelligence interviews. Methods & Materials: This study was conducted to examine nursing students' artificial intelligence interview experience during COVID-19 by performing a focus group interview and qualitative content analysis. The focus group interview was carried out on November 17, 2021, to understand nursing students' artificial intelligence interview experience during COV1D-19, selecting a total of 14 senior nursing students. Results: As a result of analyzing the artificial intelligence interview experiences of nursing students who participated in this study, 35 codes, grouped into eight subcategories, were derived. They are also classified into three categories 1) Finding your way in the dark, 2) Confronting artificial intelligence, and 3) Going beyond artificial intelligence. The eight subcategories derived are as follows: 1) Vagueness, 2) Find your way, 3) The fight between artificial intelligence and me, 4) Strong questions about interview evaluation, 5) New experience, 6) Learn your own tricks for artificial intelligence interviews, 7) Setting up the environment for artificial intelligence interview, 8) Establishment of information system for artificial intelligence interview. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, an educational program should be developed based on the main data obtained from the artificial intelligence interview experience so that nursing college students can adapt to the artificial intelligence interview.

PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE USE AMONG US ADULTS AGE 50+ COMPARED TO YOUNGER AGE GROUPS

Despite increasing numbers of older-adult mental health service users, few studies have examined their use of public mental health services. Using the 2018 and 2019 Mental Health-Client Level data (N=4,291,737 in 2018 and N=4,513,946 in 2019 for those age 18+), we examined age group differences in the types of mental disorders diagnosed in outpatient-only, both outpatient and inpatient, and inpatient-only service settings. Of all users, 25.3% were age 50-64 and 6.7% were age 65+. Multivariable logistic regression results, controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, census region, and alcohol/substance use disorder, showed that compared to the 30-49 age group, the 50-64 and 65+ age groups had higher odds of having depressive disorder in outpatient-only settings (aOR=1.28 [95% CI=1.28-1.29] and aOR=1.08 [95% CI=1.08-1.09] for the 50-64 and 65+ age groups, respectively). Both older groups also had higher odds of delirium/dementia disorder in all three service settings. In addition, they had consistently higher odds of a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder in all three service settings (aOR=1.88 [95% CI=1.86-1.89], aOR=1.70 [95% CI=1.65-1.74], and aOR=1.44 [95% CI=1.39-1.49] in outpatient, both outpatient and inpatient, and inpatient-only settings, respectively). Community mental health centers (CMHC) are on the frontlines in serving vulnerable communities and received increased federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings indicate that CMHCs also need programs dedicated to and tailored for older adults. More research is also needed on older adults who receive public mental health services and unmet mental health needs among low-income older adults with serious mental illness.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Response System at University Level: The Case of Safe Campus Model at Ewha Womans University

In response to the changes in the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic situation, Ewha Womans University established Ewha Safe Campus (ESC), an on-campus infection outbreak management system, to allow students and faculty members to safely resume face-to face classes in 2022. The COVID-19 testing station, Ewha Safe Station, is the core element of ESC. Symptomatic students and faculty members perform a combo swab self-PCR test or receive a nasopharyngeal swab PCR test from experts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through early detection and management. ESC is significant in that it detects infection risks and proactively implements preemptive measures in a university. The COVID-19 health response system model at the university level was applied for the first time in South Korea, reaching a milestone in the history of university health in South Korea. In particular, it is highly valuable that the test was free of charge, as it enabled all of the examinees to have easy access to the test through joint cooperation with the Seegene Medical Foundation. This is a successful example of cooperation between schools and private institutions for public health improvement. In the future, the direct and indirect effects of the establishment and implementation of ESC need to be evaluated and confirmed, and areas requiring improvements need to be identified in preparation for another infectious disease outbreak in the future.

Disparities in Olfactory Dysfunction in African American Individuals During COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: COVID-19 is known to cause olfactory dysfunction (OD). African American individuals have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. To reduce health disparities related to OD, it is important to have accurate objective testing, especially for African American individuals, who have a higher disease burden. Our objective is to examine olfactory performance in African American and White study participants by comparing individual scent scores to assess potential cultural appropriateness of scent selection. Method(s): This was a cross-sectional study of healthy participants from June 2021 to April 2022. Two smelling tests were used: Affordable Rapid Olfactory Measurement Array (AROMA) and Sniffin' Sticks (SST-12). Pearson correlation and chi2 tests were used to detect statistical differences. African American and White participants without sinonasal disease aged 18+ were recruited from outpatient clinics at Kansas University Medical Center and the community. The main outcome for our study is olfactory performance on smelling tests. Result(s): Of the 102 participants, 46 were African American and 56 were White. AROMA and SST-12 scores were significantly correlated in African American (P<.01) and White (P<.01) participants. African American participants scored significantly lower than their White counterparts on both tests (P<.01). AROMA, mean scores were 64.2 and 75.5 for African American and White participants, respectively. SST-12 mean scores were 84.2 and 89.9 for African American and White participants, respectively. On SST-12, 60.9% of African American and 30.4% of White participants were hyposmic, (P<.05). For 6 AROMA scents (licorice, orange, lavender, cinnamon, clove, and rosemary) and 1 SST-12 scent (pineapple) African American participants scored significantly lower than White participants (P<.05). Conclusion(s): When compared with White participants, African American participants performed worse on both smelling tests and a greater proportion were considered hyposmic. African American participants performed significantly worse than their White counterparts on several scents, raising the issue of cultural appropriateness of scents used in olfactory testing.

3D engineered tissue models for studying human-specific infectious viral diseases

Viral infections cause damage to various organ systems by inducing organ-specific symptoms or systemic multi-organ damage. Depending on the infection route and virus type, infectious diseases are classified as respiratory, nervous, immune, digestive, or skin infections. Since these infectious diseases can widely spread in the community and their catastrophic effects are severe, identification of their causative agent and mechanisms underlying their pathogenesis is an urgent necessity. Although infection-associated mechanisms have been studied in two-dimensional (2D) cell culture models and animal models, they have shown limitations in organ-specific or human-associated pathogenesis, and the development of a human-organ-mimetic system is required. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) engineered tissue models, which can present human organ-like physiology in terms of the 3D structure, utilization of human-originated cells, recapitulation of physiological stimuli, and tight cell-cell interactions, were developed. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that these models can recapitulate infection-associated pathologies. In this review, we summarized the recent advances in 3D engineered tissue models that mimic organ-specific viral infections. First, we briefly described the limitations of the current 2D and animal models in recapitulating human-specific viral infection pathology. Next, we provided an overview of recently reported viral infection models, focusing particularly on organ-specific infection pathologies. Finally, a future perspective that must be pursued to reconstitute more human-specific infectious diseases is presented. Copyright © 2022 The Authors

Cardiac Injury and Severe Outcome in Children and Adolescents with COVID-19

Background: Cardiac injury associated with multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been extensively reported but the impact of cardiac injury in children with SARSCoV-2 infection in the absence of MIS-C has not been well described. In this study we describe the cardiac involvement found in children with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests and evaluate the association of cardiac injury with severe outcome in this population. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients ages 0-21 presenting to the emergency department or admitted at our institution during and just beyond the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic at our institution was performed. We excluded patients with MIS-C, cardiomyopathy, or complex congenital heart disease. Cardiac injury was defined as elevated high sensitivity troponin and/or N-terminal pro-brain type natriuretic peptide above 99th percentile. Severe illness was defined as need for advanced respiratory support (positive pressure or mechanical ventilation above baseline), inotropic or vasopressor support, and/or death from any cause during admission. Results: During the study period there were 103 patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR, 17 of whom were excluded for MIS-C, 4 of whom were excluded for cardiomyopathy, 2 for complex congenital heart disease including one with repaired Taussig-Bing anomaly and one with double outlet right ventricle who underwent Fontan surgery. Of the 80/103 (78%) patients remaining in the analysis, 31/80 (39%) were female and the median age was 12.5 years (IWR 1.9-17.5). High-sensitivity troponin T and/or NT-proBNP were measured in 27/80 (34%) patients and abnormalities were present in 5/27 (19%), all of whom had underlying comorbidities such as lung disease, diabetes, or genetic syndromes. Severe outcome occurred in 14/27 (52%) patients and 5/5 (100%) of those with cardiac injury as compared to 9/22 (41%) patients without cardiac injury (p<0.05). Advanced respiratory support was more common in those with cardiac injury as compared to those without, occurring in 5/5 (100%) patients with cardiac injury and in 8/22 (36%) patients without cardiac injury (p<0.05). Electrocardiographic abnormalities were identified in 14/38 (37%) studies and no left ventricular dysfunction was identified on echocardiography. Conclusion: During the initial peak of the pandemic at our institution, cardiac injury was present in 19% of those for whom high-sensitivity troponin and/or NT-proBNP were measured. Presence of cardiac injury was associated with greater risk of severe outcomes including advanced respiratory support. Larger studies to determine the true incidence of cardiac injury in children with COVID-19 would be useful to guide recommendations for standard workup and management.