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This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from different pathological samples processed in the Microbiology Laboratory of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balș”, Romania, between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2022, aiming to establish the ratio of methicillin-resistant to methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strains and the antibiotic resistance pattern of isolated microorganisms. The data of isolates originating from routine diagnostic tasks were analyzed retrospectively using laboratory data from the microbiology department. Up to 39.11% of Staphylococcus aureus strains were resistant to oxacillin (MRSA), with 49.97% resistance to erythromycin and 36.06% inducible resistance to clindamycin. Resistance rates to ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, gentamicin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole were 9.98%, 5.38%, 5.95%, and 0.96%, respectively. There was no resistance to vancomycin. Between 2017 and 2022, the percentage of MRSA strains decreased from 41.71% to 33.63%, sharply increasing to 42.42% in 2021 (the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the percentage of strains isolated from lower respiratory tract infections was higher than that of strains isolated from wounds or blood, as in previous years). This study showed a high percentage of MRSA strains (39.11% overall) with a higher proportion of these strains isolated from the blood (42.49%) compared to other clinical specimens.

The qualitative data presented in this paper was part of a larger concurrent mixed methods study evaluating the effectiveness of a transportation program (Project TRIP) for low-income residents in rural eastern North Carolina. Twenty stakeholders involved in TRIP were interviewed, including riders (n = 12) of which 83% were over 50 years old, program staff including the program coordinator and 5 case managers (n = 6), and transportation providers (n = 2). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews were completed by phone with each participant. Themes from the qualitative data included the: (1) Emotional, health, & financial impacts of TRIP, (2) Changes that should be implemented into TRIP when replicating the program, and (3) Unique aspects of how TRIP operates that could inform other rural transportation programs. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcript data. The findings are couched in the context of how TRIP potentially defrays the impacts of cumulative disadvantage that residents experience over the life course by increasing access to healthcare.

AbstractSocial and mental stressors associated with the pandemic of a novel infectious disease, e.g., COVID-19 or SARS may promote long-term effects on child development. However, reports aimed at identifying the relationship between pandemics and child health are limited. A retrospective study was conducted to associate the SARS pandemic in 2003 with development milestones or physical examinations among longitudinal measurements of 14,647 children. Experiencing SARS during childhood was associated with delayed milestones, with hazard ratios of 3.17 (95% confidence intervals CI: 2.71, 3.70), 3.98 (3.50, 4.53), 4.96 (4.48, 5.49), or 5.57 (5.00, 6.20) for walking independently, saying a complete sentence, counting 0–10, and undressing him/herself for urination, respectively. These results suggest relevant impacts from COVID-19 on child development should be investigated.

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the changes in physical activity (PA), sleep time (ST), and body weight (BW) Pre- and during COVID-19 in South Korea, and specifically, PA data were obtained during COVID-19 at three-time points based on the multilevel social distancing policies. All data were surveyed by questionnaires online and offline, and participants were required to fill in the monthly average of daily step counts were recorded an application on participants' smartphone devices from Pre-COVID-19 (2019 year) and during COVID-19 (2020 year). Participants were 834 adults (males: 54.4%, female: 45.6%) and all statistical analyses were summarized by SPSS 25.0 program. The monthly average of daily step counts was 6747.09 during Pre-COVID-19, but the PA during COVID-19 was 5812.11 daily step counts per month. Also, there were significant pairwise differences between average PA Pre-COVID-19 and each level of social distancing (p < 0.001). After COVID-19, the participants who slept less than 7 hours decreased by 3.6%, while those who slept more than 9 hours increased by that much. As a result of BW, 269 participants responded their BW changed during COVID-19, and 199 of them reported they gained BW during COVID-19 (74.0%). Although self-reported questionnaires may have led to an under-or over-estimation of ST and BW, the present study found that the environment in which the COVID-19 is prevalent had adverse relationships on PA, ST, and BW. Therefore, it is important to identify strategies to motivate individuals for remaining physically active and getting adequate sleep while maintaining social distancing due to the presence of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The impact of COVID-19 on mental health across the globe has been colossal. Student mental health and well- being during the pandemic has caused increasing concern due to the drastic transition to online classes, lowered opportunities for socialization and stress related to COVID-19. The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence of mental fatigue among undergraduate medical students at the College of Medicine and Health Sciences (COMHS), National University of Science and Technology, Sultanate of Oman and study the impact of resilience as a protective factor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results indicated that participants experienced mild levels of mental fatigue. Normal levels of resilience capacity were seen among medical students. Significant negative correlation was seen between Mental Fatigue and Resilience. Linear regression analysis indicated that gender was a moderate predictive factor in the experience of mental fatigue. Post-lockdown survey results indicated that medical students continued to experience signs of mental fatigue, though restrictions have eased. They also continued to exhibit normal levels of resilience capacity. Students at the COMHS experienced mild levels of mental fatigue during the pandemic lockdown period. Normal level of resilience capacity effectively contributed as an emotional protective factor. Medical students continue to experience mild levels of mental fatigue, though lockdown restrictions have eased. Enhancing campus-based counselling support services to target COVID-19 related psychological distress and improve resiliency capacity is vital.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people’s health behavioral changes have been transposed into a new dimension. Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic may have an impact on sustained health behavior (SHB). Therefore, this study aimed to explore the validity and reliability of the COVID-19 Coping Scale among working-age individuals and to assess whether coping with COVID-19-related stress could influence SHB in this population. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on the population of the city of Dhaka in Bangladesh. A total of 263 working-age individuals (19–65 years) participated in the study. The present study results confirmed the COVID-19 Coping Scale was a valid and reliable instrument for this population. Moreover, the present finding indicated decreased odds of SHB for individuals who rated lower scores on coping with COVID-19 compared to individuals who rated higher scores; the result remained significant after controlling for gender and education (OR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54–0.87). The present study suggests two important findings: (i) the instrument used in this study was valid and reliable in this population, and (ii) coping with COVID-19-related stress may be an important aspect of practicing SHB. Policymakers may use the highlighted findings to facilitate sustainable health behavior for long-term health benefits and to tackle future pandemics like COVID-19 or in a similar context.

Additional file 3: Supplementary Table 3. Final multiadjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the association between pre-pandemic factors at baseline and reduction in physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic by sex and intensity of PA, N=624a.

Avec la crise du coronavirus, les destinations lointaines de nature comme la Patagonie chilienne sont inquiètes d’un effondrement du tourisme. Les communautés locales, apeurées par les risques liés à l’accueil de visiteurs, se replient et se protègent. Les entrepreneurs espèrent un rapide retour à la « normalité » d’une zone relativement épargnée par la COVID-19, mais craignent la fin du boom touristique, car prendre l’avion restera anxiogène dans un contexte de pandémie. Ces destinations devraient recentrer leur offre afin de capter une clientèle de proximité, mais cela semble un défi peu rentable pour les zones isolées. Alors que les entrepreneurs affinent leur plan marketing et les services d’État leurs protocoles d’accueil sécurisés, les animateurs de projets touristiques écologiques, axés sur la conservation, le tourisme rural et les migrations d’agrément, font valoir leurs atouts. L’actuelle crise pourrait mettre fin au tourisme de masse, à l’hypermobilité vers des hauts lieux et aux projets basés sur la rentabilité. La crise socioenvironnementale globale est l’occasion de repenser les rapports à la nature et de renforcer les systèmes touristiques locaux, pensés comme des lieux de vie, basés sur des économies rurales respectueuses de l’environnement, les échanges culturels, scientifiques et traditionnels, attirants autant pour les clientèles nationales qu’étrangères. With the coronavirus crisis, remote nature destinations like Chilean Patagonia are worried of a possible collapse of tourism. Local communities, frightened by the risks of welcoming visitors, are withdrawing and protecting themselves. Entrepreneurs hope for a rapid return to “normality” in an area relatively untouched by COVID-19 but they fear the end of the tourism boom, as flying will remain an anxiety-provoking issue in a post-pandemic situation. These destinations have to refocus their offer in order to capture a national clientele, but this seems an unprofitable challenge for isolated areas. While entrepreneurs are refining their marketing plans and government services are establishing their secure reception protocols, leaders of ecological and conservation tourism projects along with rural tourism and leisure migration stakeholders are highlighting their assets. The current crisis could put an end to mass tourism, hypermobilities, projects based on high profitability and overtourism in iconic places. In that sense, the present global socioenvironmental crisis is an opportunity to rethink our relationship with nature and seek ways to strengthen local tourism systems, conceived as places to live and based on environmentally friendly rural economies, cultural, scientific, and traditional exchanges, attractive both to national and foreign visitors.