Résumé
Clarifying the effects of mega sporting events is an important issue. This study was conducted on the residents of pre-camp sites to identify changes in their sports lifestyles and attitudes toward sports before and after the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020). By examining these changes in relation to the hosting of Tokyo 2020, the effects of the mega-sports event were discussed. Data were collected through a questionnaire survey conducted before and after Tokyo 2020. The survey targeted students (elementary, junior high, and high school students) from schools located in the Tokyo 2020 pre-camp sites. The sample size was 3,129 for the pre-survey and 2,299 for the post-survey. A comparison of changes in sports life and attitudes toward sports before and after Tokyo 2020 did not reveal consistent changes in these survey items. However, positive changes were observed in some of the items related to sports spectating, sports volunteering, and attitudes toward sports after Tokyo 2020. These results suggest that mega-sporting events held in the social context of the coronavirus pandemic influence sports promotion, and may contribute to the promotion of sports spectating and sports volunteering, and the formation of positive attitudes toward sports. Previous studies on mega-sporting events have focused on the economic effects and regional benefits. In contrast, this study suggests that the holding of mega-sporting events may also contribute to sports promotion. However, this study could not identify the factors and mechanisms that cause the event holding effect. More research is needed to verify the effects of mega-sports events in the future.
Résumé
Objective: We investigated the characteristics of vertigo and dizziness developing in children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: A total of 56 children aged 2–15 years old (median 12 years) with dizziness seen during the five-year period from April 2017 to March 2022 participated in this study. We performed examinations of the equilibrium function for the diagnosis. In particular, we compared the differences in the distribution of the diagnosis prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: In both periods, the most common diagnoses were orthostatic dysregulation (OD), psychogenic vertigo, Meniere's disease, benign paroxysmal vertigo, and migrainous vertigo. The patients diagnosed as having vertigo and dizziness during COVID-19 pandemic were significantly older. Furthermore, the main causes were obviously biased towards OD during the pandemic period. Discussion and Conclusion: The prevalence of OD was about 5% in elementary school students and about 10% in junior high school students. We consider that the prolonged lockdown measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including school attendance restrictions, during the pandemic produced chronic stress in children, which increased the potential risk of development of OD. © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.
Résumé
Background: Serum beta2MG (beta2-microglobulin) is an indicator of dialysis efficiency;however, it is also elevated in immune diseases and infections. The mRNA vaccines for corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported to produce stronger immune responses than conventional vaccines. In this study, we examined whether mRNA vaccination increases serum beta2MG levels in hemodialysis patients. Method(s): This was a single-center, case series study. A total of 23 maintenance hemodialysis patients who received Pfizer's vaccine (brand name: BioNTech SE) were included and observed between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. We analyzed changes in serum beta2MG levels before and after vaccination. The pre-vaccination beta2MG value (baseline) was measured within 3 months prior to the first vaccination, and the postvaccination beta2MG values were evaluated at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months. Result(s): Twenty-one patients were finally enrolled in this study. Fifteen (71.4%) patients were male, mean age was 70.7+/-12.8 years, and dialysis period was 5.3 (2.0 - 12.7) years (median, interquartile range). Some side effects were observed, fever in six cases (28.6%) and diarrhea in one case (4.8%). Serum beta2MG levels transiently increased from 27.6+/-5.7 mug/L to 32.1+/-8.4 mug/L before and after vaccination (P<0.001), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels also increased transiently from 0.24+/-0.37 mg/dL to 0.59+/-0.66 mg/dL before and after vaccination (P<0.05). These transient elevations were restored to baseline levels over time. Serum beta2MG and CRP levels showed no significant differences after 1 and 3 months compared with baseline. During this observational period, no patient had changes in dialysis condition, size or type of dialyzer, modality, and blood volume flow. Conclusion(s): In hemodialysis patients, a transient increase in serum beta2MG levels after vaccination may be caused by an immune response to vaccination and should be differentiated from worsened dialysis efficiency. (Figure Presented).
Résumé
Antibody tests for SARS-CoV-2 can be used to identify people who were previously infected by SARS-CoV-2, and useful to elucidate the relationship between antibody titer and infection protective function if the test is quantitative. Antibody tests have some unique characteristics;e.g., the limit of detection and the characteristics of antibodies to be detected differ depending on the type of antigen (Nucleocapsid protein or Spike protein) and its domain used, host cell, immobilization method and detection method of the bound antibody etc. In addition, antibody having cross reactivity with coronavirus strains other than SARS-CoV-2 may exist in human samples. These characteristics affect the analytical performance of antibody tests, and thus some tests that will not work as expected may be distributed. Standardized performance criteria and the reference standard for the evaluation of the antibody test are reguired. In this paper, we investigated and summarized the activities about evaluations of antibody tests and establishments of the reference standards for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody in the US, UK and WHO in order to cope with next spread of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. © 2021, National Institute of Health Sciences. All rights reserved.