Umifenovir in COVID-19 therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 600 million people worldwide over the last 2.5 years. So far, there efficacy of many antiviral drugs against COVID-19 has been evaluated only in small studies conducted in different countries. Objective. To assess the efficacy of umifenovir in patients with COVID-19. Materials and methods. We performed systematic search of publications in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Sixteen studies with a total of 1,843 patients were included in the analysis. The following endpoints were evaluated: frequencies of negative PCR test on days 7 and 14;mortality in patients with mild, moderate, and severe disease;and frequency of fever resolution on day 7. Results. We found that patients receiving umifenovir demonstrated a significantly higher frequency of negative PCR test on day 7 than patients who received no causal therapy or other antiviral drugs (odds ratio (OR) 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-2.62, p = 0.02, I2 = 13%). This difference was even more significant among patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 (OR: 2.03, 95% CI: 1.24-3.32, p = 0.005, I2 = 0%), as well as on day 14 (OR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.35-3.94, p = 0.0007, I2 = 50%). We also observed a reduced risk of death in the studies that included only patients with mild and moderate disease (JR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.33-0.83, p = 0.006, I2 = 0). Umifenovir therapy did not affect the frequency of fever resolution by day 7 (OR: 0.87, 95% CI: 0.49-1.56, p = 0.64, I2 = 0%). Conclusion. Umifenovir significantly accelerated virus elimination by days 7 and 14 among patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Umifenovir also reduced the risk of death compared to other antiviral drugs.Copyright © 2022, Dynasty Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Governing systemic and cascading disaster risk in Indonesia: where do we stand and future outlook

PurposeThis paper aims to identify key factors for a contextualised Systemic Risk Governance (SRG) framework and subsequently explore how systemic risks can be managed and how local institutional mechanisms can be tweaked to deal with the complex Indonesian risk landscape.Design/methodology/approachUsing a case study from Palu triple-disasters in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, the authors demonstrate how inland earthquakes in 2018 created cascading secondary hazards, namely tsunamis, liquefactions and landslides, caused unprecedented disasters for the communities and the nation. A qualitative analysis was conducted using the data collected through a long-term observation since 2002.FindingsThe authors argue that Indonesia has yet to incorporate an SRG approach in its responses to the Palu triple-disasters. Political will is required to adopt more appropriate risk governance modes that promote the systemic risk paradigm. Change needs to occur incrementally through hybrid governance arrangements ranging from formal/informal methods to self- and horizontal and vertical modes of governance deemed more realistic and feasible. The authors recommend that this be done by focusing on productive transition and local transformation.Originality/valueThere is growing awareness and recognition of the importance of systemic and cascading risks in disaster risk studies. However, there are still gaps between research, policy and practice. The current progress of disaster risk governance is not sufficient to achieve the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030) unless there is an effective governing system in place at the local level that allow actors and institutions to simultaneously manage the interplays of multi-hazards, multi-temporal, multi-dimensions of vulnerabilities and residual risks. This paper contributes to these knowledge gaps.

Social cash assistance for food security during a disaster: lesson learned from Indonesia

There was a change in the environment and food security threat during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries, including Indonesia, are forced to allocate funds to reduce the risk of this disaster. The Government Republic of Indonesia, through the Ministry of Social Affairs, has launched a Social Cash Assistance Program for 10 million families affected by COVID-19. This study aims to identify how families affected by COVID-19 take advantage of this social cash assistance. The study was conducted on the beneficiaries of social assistance, in cash transfer of IDR 600,000 (USD 40), per month, for three months. This study involved 2290 beneficiaries as respondents spread across 12 provinces. The sampling technique was the Cohen Manion Morrison Table by proportional stratified random sampling. The findings show that (1) 99% of cash assistance is used for basic needs, especially for food, and (2) cash assistance could be used for basic needs for around two to three weeks, thereby strengthening food security. Recommendations are submitted based on the results of this study related to social cash assistance and food security. The first is that this assistance still needs to be continued until the COVID-19 pandemic is over. It is to help families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic meet their daily needs. Second, most respondents do not have a fixed income during the pandemic, so providing capital and business startups are needed to increase family income sustainably to maintain food security.

Glucosaminylmuramyl dipeptide efficacy in post-COVID-19 patient rehabilitation treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered people's lifestyles around the world. Prevention of recurrent episodes of the disease and mitigation of its consequences are especially associated with effective post-COVID-19 rehabilitation in patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the drug Likopid (glucosaminylmuramyl dipeptide, GMDP) for post-COVID-19 rehabilitation in patients. Material and methods. Patients who recovered from mild to moderate COVID-19 (n=60, mean age 54+/- 11.7 years) were randomized into the observation group (n=30, 15 men and 15 women) who received 2 courses of Licopid (1 mg twice a day) and the comparison group (n=30, 15 men and 15 women). Analysis of the phenotypic and functional characteristics of the innate immune cellular factors was carried out before the start of immunomodulatory therapy, immediately after the end of the course, and also after 6 months observations. In order to assess the quality of life of all patients, we used the SF-36 Health Status Survey and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaires. Results. During assessing the effect of immunomodulatory therapy on the parameters of innate immunity of patients at the stage of rehabilitation after COVID-19, an increase in the protective cytolytic activity of CD16+ and CD8+Gr+ cells, as well as a persistent increase in TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 expression was found, which indicates the antigen recognition recovery and presentation at the level of the monocytic link of the immune system. The use of GMDP as an immunomodulatory agent resulted in an 8-fold reduction in the frequency and severity of respiratory infections due to an increase in the total monocyte count. As a result of assessing patients' quality of life against the background of the therapy, a positive dynamic in role functioning was revealed in patients. In the general assessment of their health status, an increase in physical and mental well-being was noted during 6 months of observation. The comparison group showed no improvement in the psychoemotional state. Discussion. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of GMDP immunomodulatory therapy in correcting immunological parameters for post-COVID-19 rehabilitation in patients. The data obtained are consistent with the previously discovered ability of GMDP to restore impaired functions of phagocytic cells and induce the expression of their surface activation markers, which in turn contributes to an adequate response to pathogens. Conclusion. The study revealed that the correction of immunological parameters with the use of GMDP in COVID-19 convalescents contributed not only to a decrease in the frequency and severity of respiratory infections, but also to an improvement in the psycho-emotional state of patients, and a decrease in anxiety and depression.Copyright © Eco-Vector, 2023. All rights reserved.

Role of corporate sustainability disclosures in moderating the impact of country-level uncertainties on tourism sector firms' risk

The study investigates the role of corporate sustainability disclosures in moderating the link between country-level uncertainties (economic policy uncertainty, political uncertainty and uncertainty due to climate change) and firms' risks (total risk, market risk, and default risk) in the worldwide tourism firms. We consider the volume of ESG (environmental, social and governance) activities disclosures by the firms as a proxy of corporate sustainability disclosures. The study also explores the link between sustainability disclosures and firms' risks to validate the risk-reduction hypothesis. The study further highlights the relevance of country-level uncertainties in increasing firms' risks. The findings indicate that corporate sustainability disclosures can assist in mitigating tourism firms' risks during periods of heightened country-level uncertainties. The study also documents the significance of sustainability disclosures in reducing the effect of uncertainties on tourism firms' risks during the COVID-19 period. The results validate the risk-reduction hypothesis indicating that firms' engagement in corporate sustainability practices facilitates risk mitigation efforts during periods of escalated external uncertainties. By demonstrating that firms that engage in sustainability practices and provide required disclosures are better equipped to manage risks during periods of increased uncertainty, the study provides valuable insights for industry stakeholders, including investors, policymakers, and firms themselves. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of Sustainable Tourism is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd 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.)

Reducing your risk cancer-focused health events to meaningfully engage the medically underserved and diminish future cancer disparities

Lack of access to cancer prevention education, early screening, and timely treatment, particularly in low socioeconomic, underserved communities, are cited as substantial barriers to improving survivorship. Outreach educational efforts with on-site screenings offered in partnership with community groups are known to be valuable in encouraging community members' uptake of healthy behaviors and adherence to screening recommendation. To create more engaging events, a community-academic partnership, We Engage 4 Health (WE4H), co-created 11 unique 4-panel comic-style stories designed to be read aloud together as attendees visit each event table. These colorful stories are shared on boards that stand on each table and are offered in both English and Spanish at this time. Many tables also have an accompanying hands-on activity. Together, they lead to meaningful "low stakes" discussions which support understanding of seemingly complex health information. Story topics include the cause of cancer (Cells Gone Wrong), cancer risk factors (Reducing Your Risk), the role of primary care in cancer screening (Primary Care for Prevention), the purpose of research (short Research Ready) and details about specific cancer types (Combatting Colon Cancer, Blocking Breast Cancer, Looking for Lung Cancer, Silencing Skin Cancer, Hindering HPV, and Professional Prostate Protection) and COVID-19 (Take Your Best Shot FAQs). A health passport is used to facilitate table visitation and survey collection at each table enables meaningful evaluation of the event as well as provides the community hosts and their partners baseline cancer data to inform future programing. In 2022, WE4H and the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center partnered with three different communities to co-host pilot events that served over 100 adult residents. Community, research interns and university students volunteered to work the tables at the event and received training prior. Post event surveys and discussions indicated that community partners appreciated the different take on a health fair event. Most volunteers indicated that they would enjoy volunteering again. Attendees indicated that they liked the graphic-style story format used and most preferred it to text and text with graphics approaches. Taken together, the data indicates that Reducing Your Risk events are useful in meaningfully engaging hard to reach, at risk attendees. Additional in-person and virtual events are being planned for 2023 as an approach to reach the medically underserved throughout our region.

Patient Preferences for Lung Cancer Interception Therapy

Objectives: Interception therapy requires an individual to take a treatment today to prevent a future medical event. Patients must trade off treatment burdens incurred today against future benefits. We examined the preferences of high-risk lung cancer (LC) individuals for potential interception therapies that reduce the risk of developing lung cancer. Method(s): An online discrete-choice experiment (DCE) was developed for hypothetical LC interception treatments with four attributes: reduction in risk of LC over 3 years, injection site reaction severity, nonfatal serious infection risk, and death from serious infection risk. Respondents chose between two alternative treatments or a no-treatment option. The DCE was analyzed using random-parameters logit, and maximum acceptable risk for an LC risk reduction was calculated. Logit analysis explored characteristics of respondents who always selected no treatment. Result(s): The sample included 803 adults aged 50-80 years with at least a 20 pack-year smoking history. Respondents had an average willingness to accept interception therapy (alternative-specific constant=1.30, 95% CI: 0.91-1.69). Respondents viewed larger reductions in the risk of LC as most important. Respondents were willing to accept increases in risk of nonfatal serious infection up to 15% for a 15% improvement in relative LC risk reduction and increases in risk of death from serious infection up to 1.5% for a 23% improvement in relative LC risk reduction. However, 16% of respondents selected 'no treatment' for all DCE questions. Older respondents, current smokers who have never tried to quit, and those who did not get regular skin exams for cancer and/or COVID-19 vaccine were more likely to opt out of interception therapy. Conclusion(s): Generally, individuals at high risk of LC are willing to consider interception therapy. Study results can support benefit-risk assessments for future systemic LC interception treatments, and the results may have implications for other therapeutic areas.Copyright © 2023

The Moderating Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from OECD Countries

This study aims to investigate the nature and intensity of the changes in corporate financial performance due to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures as a result of certain relationships between corporate governance and company performance in the non-financial sector. This study selected 625 non-financial companies across six organizations for economic cooperations (OECD) countries' stock markets for the period of 10 years (2012–2021). For this qualitative study, corporate governance, financial performance, and corporate social responsibility score data were collected from the DataStream, a reliable database for examining the research on OECD countries' listed companies. For the data analysis we applied various statistical tools such as regression analysis and moderation analysis. The findings of the study show that all attributes of the corporate governance mechanism, except for audit board attendance, have significant positive impacts on financial performance indicators for all the selected OECD economies except the country France. France's code of corporate governance has a significant negative impact on return on asset (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) due to differences in cultural and operational norms of the country. The audit board attendance has no significant impact on ROA. Moreover, all the attributes except board size (BSIZ) have significant positive impacts on the earnings per share (EPS) in Spain, The United Kingdom (UK) and Belgium. The values obtained from the moderation effect show that Corporate social responsibility is the key factor in motivating corporate governance practices which eventually improves corporate financial performance. However, this study advocated the implications, Investors and stakeholders should consider both corporate governance and CSR disclosures when making investment decisions. Companies that prioritize both governance and CSR tend to have better financial performance and are more likely to mitigate risks. Moreover, the policy makers can improve the code of corporate governance in order to attain sustainable development in the stock market.

Asthma as a protective factor against COVID-19 infection: a narrative literature review

Asthma and COPD comorbidities are expected to exacerbate the clinical manifestations of COVID-19. However, many reported studies show that asthmatic patients infected with COVID-19 do not show severe clinical manifestations, and some are asymptomatic. This literature review aimed to describe COVID-19 in asthmatic patients along with the hypothesis that asthma is a protective factor against COVID-19 infection. Systemic corticosteroids have been shown to reduce the death/mortality rate in patients who are hospitalized due to COVID-19 infection. This is possibly due to the suppression of the immune system against a hyperinflammatory state which can result in further damage from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mucus hypersecretion, which is one of the hallmarks of asthma, can prevent the SARS-CoV-2 virus from reaching the distal lung and can protect the lungs from pathological processes. The secreted mucus is rich in glycoproteins, such as MUC5AC, which act as the first line of defense against infection. Mucus hypersecretion in asthmatic patients may prevent SARS-CoV-2 from penetrating far enough to gain access to type-2 alveolar cells, which are the cells that predominantly express ACE2 in the lungs. In conclusion, comorbid asthma in patients infected with COVID-19 does not cause adverse clinical manifestations to appear, but on the contrary, it will have a protective effect on patients.

Evusheld prophylaxis increases social interactions and improves anxiety, depression, agoraphobia and quality of life scores

Evusheld is a combination injection of tixagevimab/cilgavimab for pre-exposure COVID-19 prophylaxis and was made available to UK private clinics from October 2022. NICE review is ongoing. Whilst efficacy analysis of Evusheld has focused on the risk-reduction of contracting COVID-19, anecdotal reports suggest additional psychological benefits from Evusheld, although supportive objective data are lacking. In this study, we used 4 well-established psychological health questionnaires to assess different psychological parameters (EQ5D-3 L quality of life (QoL) score, DSM5 Agoraphobia score, Duke's Social Support Index (DSSI) and the hospital anxiety and depression score (HADS)) in blood cancer patients treated with Evusheld at the Genesis Care (GC) Clinic, Cambridge. Patient data (pre-and post-Evusheld) were compared with a control group of GC blood cancer patients who had not received Evusheld. The study was approved by GC and all patients had consented to email contact. Questionnaire replies were anonymised and free-text comments were invited. Questionnaires were completed by 29/40 Evusheld and 54/100 control patients. With EQ5D, Evusheld did not impact mobility, self-care and pain/discomfort scores and patient/ control groups scored at similar levels. EQ5D scores for 'usual activities' and 'anxiety/depression' improved post-Evusheld (patients reporting 'normal activities' increased from 52% to 76% (control = 78%);patients reporting 'no anxiety/ depression' increased from 45% to 66% (control = 65%)). The mean global EQ5D QoL score improved post-Evusheld [69.4% to 72.9% (control = 75.7%)]. With the DSM5 agoraphobia score, Evusheld treatment improved agoraphobia parameters, reducing the mean score from 15.7 to 5.1 (control = 3.7;max = 40) with certain striking changes;72% of pretreatment patients avoided crowded situations all of/most of the time, reducing to 14% post-Evusheld (control = 11%). The DSSI score assessed social/work interactions with external household contacts and post-Evusheld the mean number of interactions over 3 weeks increased from 1.48 to 3.37 (control = 3.77). Pre-Evusheld, 52% of patients had no interactions outside their household, dropping to 20% in the 3 weeks post-Evusheld (control = 17%). Using the HADS 14-point analysis of depression and anxiety revealed on average that each parameter was 25.3% 'significantly improved' and 25.4% 'a little improved' post-Evusheld. Accepting limitations of a small study and potential biases associated with a self-funding patient cohort, Evusheld treatment broadly improved all psychological scores assessed. Free-text comments clearly indicate that Evusheld had a major positive impact on QoL/social mobility for specific patients. The Evusheld patients had higher baseline scores for social isolation, anxiety, depression and agoraphobia compared with control patients, yet Evusheld treatment appeared to improve these parameters to a level similar to control patients.

Importance of meaningful engagement: how and why older adults volunteer in uncertain times

PurposeMany older adults engage in volunteer activities, drawing meaning and purpose through such efforts. Social distancing restrictions, put in place during Covid-19 surges to reduce the risk of transmission, disrupted older adult volunteers' lives and volunteer experiences. Social distancing measures provide a unique opportunity to explore what happened when the choices around pausing or stopping volunteering were not entirely within the control of older adults. This paper aims to explore the experiences of older adult volunteers as they navigated uncertainties and made difficult decisions around balancing their safety and their desire to continue volunteering.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted interviews with 26 community-dwelling older adults, age 50+, who had engaged in volunteer activities for at least 1 h a week prior to the start of the pandemic. The interviews were conducted on the phone or via Zoom. The authors used thematic analysis to help us analyze the data and identify patterns from participants' experiences.FindingsDespite the risk presented by Covid-19, most participants volunteered during the pandemic. They continued some or all of their previous activities with safety-related adjustments, with some seeking new or different opportunities. Participants' discussions highlight the challenges of volunteering during the pandemic and the importance of engagement to their resiliency and subjective well-being.Originality/valueThis paper provides original contributions to understanding how and why older adults volunteered during the Covid-19 pandemic. The social distancing measures provide a novel opportunity to enrich our understanding of the meaningfulness and value of volunteerism to older adults' lives and subjective well-being.

Retention of health human resources in COVID-19 pandemic condition

Health is a multifaceted issue and providing and promoting all its dimensions is an interdisciplinary task. Examination of crisis conditions shows that the retention of health human resources is very important due to the high volume of work in these conditions. Due to the severity of the prevalence of COVID-19, the health system must have an acceptable plan for dealing with this disease. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting the retention and stability of human resources in crises. We used a critical review method using specific keywords ("human resources retention", "COVID-19", and some other related keywords) in, Pubmed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and SID databases until September 2022 without time limitation. Reviewers screened founded studies separately and finally, we summarized the main results of 12 eligible articles. Four main strategies (Organizational management and leadership, risk reduction, improving the mental health of health workers, and financial and welfare support) are possible solutions to reduce healthcare workers' burnout and increase their resilience to this hard situation. It seems that planning, appropriate policy-making to implement the solutions found, division of tasks, and compilation of a national document on human resource protection in crises with the cooperation of people and officials can be very helpful.

Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AME) 20th National Congress

The proceedings contain 9 papers. The topics discussed include: dulaglutide and NAFLD risk reduction;correlation between plasmatic long pentraxin PTX3 and nodular thyroid disease: a preliminary report;the fructose-bisphosphate aldolase a act as autoantigen in primary autoimmune hypophysitis;cortisol deficiency in Lenvatinib treatment;side effects of mitotane treatment: a retrospective study in 35 patients with adrenocortical carcinoma in adjuvant therapy;non-functioning pituitary adenoma: do predictor factors exist?;incidence and features of adrenal crisis in a series of 133 patients with Addison's disease;serological evidence and self-reported outcomes in patients with adrenal insufficiency during the first waves of COVID-19 in the North-East Italy;and persistent effects of spironolactone after its withdrawal in patients with hyperandrogenic skin disorders.

Diversification and hedging strategies of green bonds in financial asset portfolios during the COVID-19 pandemic

In this paper, we investigate whether investors can reap potential diversification or hedging benefits from holding green bonds in a portfolio containing a conventional financial asset during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from 6 November 2014 to 5 November 2020, we estimate corrected dynamic conditional correlation between between green bonds and four major asset classes: stocks, corporate bonds, commodities, and clean energy. We extend our analysis by using these correlations to examine hedging, optimal portfolio weights, and naïve strategies and evaluate their implications for investors by calculating hedging effectiveness and utility gain improvement. Results reveal that across the full sample, pre-COVID-19, and during-COVID-19 periods, optimal portfolio weights represent an ideal strategy to realize the greatest risk reduction and risk-adjusted return. Further, green bonds could add substantial diversification benefits for investors holding assets in clean energy, global stocks, and commodities.

30 - Disaster Risk Management

Disaster risk management encompasses a holistic approach to all hazards throughout the disaster cycle of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Research during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted numerous shortfalls globally in disaster preparedness and response within the health care setting. The results of multiple studies suggest that a lack of preparedness and high vulnerability remain significant challenges for health care organizations during disasters. Risk may also need to be reexamined in light of the increasing frequency, duration, and intensity of crisis events. Rather than focusing on an all-hazards approach to disaster risk management, it may be prudent to consider the top hazards an organization may face.

Applications of the One Health concept: Current status in the Middle East

Background: The One Health concept (OHC) seeks to improve the health of plants, animals, and humans because improving animal and plant health will increase the capacity for improving human health. Many risks such as plant and animal biotechnology applications have the potential to generate new diseases that can be transmitted to humans. In this way, the health of humans, animals, and plants is interrelated and depends on one another. However, it has been difficult to apply the OHC in some countries, such as those in the Middle East. The absence of financial support in the region is a major hindrance to applying this concept in the region. The application of the OHC requires the support of specialists who can advocate the government for support in launching OHC-related projects. Here, we discuss the OHC in the context of antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic diseases, and biosafety/biosecurity, which are important public health issues. Furthermore, we describe the current status of the OHC in the Middle East and recent research conducted related to this concept. There has been recent international solidarity in the application of the OHC to reduce risks that threaten the health of organisms. Several countries jointly launched the Global Health Security Agenda in 2014 with the aim of realizing a world that is free of infectious disease-related health risks. However, no previous review articles have examined the applications of the OHC in the Middle East region. This article discusses the OHC in terms of its needs and current applications in the Middle East. Methodology: The following keywords were used in the search: "One Health," "Middle East," "medicinal plants," "viruses," "rabies," "MERS," and "antimicrobial resistance." Related papers were obtained by searching for these keywords using available search engines, such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and Google search, as well as international organization websites. Conclusion(s): The concept of One Health is relatively new and has not been applied in most countries, possibly because the value of this concept for improving human health is not well understood. The key principle defining this concept and its importance is the interdependency of plants, animals, and human health. By applying the OHC, humans can benefit from healthy plants and animals by enhancing their growing conditions, medications, and environments. This would in turn improve general human health by allowing the safe extraction of therapeutics and food resources.Copyright © 2023

Building Resilience in Times of New Global Challenges: A Focus on Six Main Attributes

This work discusses the crucial concept of resilience in six specific paragraphs, starting from the grid of the main attributes (namely, safety, robustness, adaptive capacity, sustainability, governance, and anamnesis) proposed by Indirli (2019). This study found that two views were particularly challenging, however conflicting: the homeostatic approach (engineering resilience, e.g. oscillations around an initial steady state) or the autopoietic approach (ecological resilience, e.g. irreversible shifts towards a new situation). In fact, a reliable resilience's assessment is fundamental when geohazards affect the environment, urban habitat, building construction, lifelines and heritage. The reason of this study is also due to the increasing ambiguity whereby the term is frequently used in multidisciplinary fields, as engineering, social-economical/social-ecological systems and disaster/risk assessment in case of catastrophic scenarios. Therefore, considering the urgent need of analysis tools to prevent/properly govern future crises, the authors intend to give a useful hint towards the adoption of resilient approaches. The original and captivating methodology developed here confirms and enhances the validity of the starting point cornerstones (modifying and fulfilling the initial definitions), in primis the relationship between the resilience's main concept and its attributes. Hence, the final goal is to provide an effective framework to study, without rigidity, complex questions in times of new global challenges, as the combination of natural and anthropogenic hazards, with particular reference to geohazards and global warming. Thus, successful actions focused on risk mitigation (with a tight link to communication, dissemination and exploitation policies) can be implemented, aimed at enhancing consciousness about disasters, for a wide range of different organizations, from experts in risk management and preservation of environment/heritage to people and stakeholders concerned. The investigation carried out here has been supported interlacing a theoretical discussion with the analysis of specific case studies (e.g. the behaviour of buildings, infrastructure and heritage under earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). It is to be noted that this approach has been already adopted to evaluate the overall resilience of the Italian community during the first period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such a tragic event has certainly been a very hard test, where resilience should be considered as a strategic indicator, proving that really short time to operate effective choices is available, being the humanity able or not to govern the next changes, hopefully towards enough resilient results. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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.

Application of ultrasound-guided peripheral arterial puncture in severe patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 under three-level protection

Objective To explore the application of ultrasound-guided arterial line placement in severe patients with COVID-19. Methods From February to April 2020, we retrospectively collected and analyzed the clinical data of critical patients with COVID-19 with an indwelling peripheral arterial catheter treated by the medical team of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Patients with ultrasound-guided peripheral arterial catheterization were taken as the study group, while patients whose arterial catheter was placed by traditional palpation were taken as the control group. The puncture condition and complication rate were compared between the two groups. Results A total of 60 severe patients with COVID-19 who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. There were 30 cases in the study group and 30 cases in the control group. In the study group, the success rate of the first catheterization of the peripheral artery (63.3% vs. 26.7%) and the total puncture success rate [(79.43+/- 25.79)% vs. (53.07+/-30.21)%] were higher than those in the control group (all P < 0.05), the puncture times(1.43+/-0.56 vs. 2.50+/-1.28) were less than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The rates of 24-hour disuse (6.7% vs. 30.0%), local hematoma (10.0% vs. 36.7%), occlusion, and tortuous (3.3% vs. 40.0%) in the study group were lower than those in the control group (all P < 0.05). Conclusion Under the three-level protection, ultrasound-guided arterial catheter placement for severe patients with COVID-19 can improve the success rate of catheter placement, reduce puncture times, and reduce the incidence of complications.Copyright © 2021, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. All rights reserved.

COVID-19 pandemic, risk-reduction strategies and crisis management in the travel insurance sector

Travel has always been considered to be a risky affair as there are multiple uncertainties associated with it. Though the tourism industry has developed sophisticated methods to manage these risks, there are still certain uncontrollable and unforeseen circumstances that might affect the physical, emotional, and mental state of travellers. The result would be a huge financial burden for the traveller and increased frustration towards the tour operator. The concept of travel insurance was introduced to relieve travellers of such unforeseen risks while travelling. Moreover, the Covid 19 pandemic has instilled a sense of fear and doubt among the minds of travellers which affects their travel decision-making to a large extent. Destinations and tourism suppliers have introduced various risk reduction strategies and methods to resolve this issue. This paper focuses on understanding the concept of risk associated with travel, the various dimensions of risk management, and the key strategies adopted by tour operators and suppliers to minimize such risks. © 2023 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.