International journal of environmental research and public health
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jul 2020
Health Surveillance and Response to SARS-CoV-2 Mass Testing in Health Workers of a Large Italian Hospital in Verona, Veneto.
Italy presented the first largest COVID-19 outbreak outside of China. Veneto currently ranks fourth among the Italian regions for COVID-19 confirmed cases (~19,000). This study presents health surveillance data for SARS-CoV-2 in 6100 health workers (HW) employed in a large public hospital. ⋯ To our knowledge, this study represents the largest available HW case list swab-tested for SARS-CoV-2, covering almost the total workforce. Mass screening enabled the isolation of HW, improved risk assessment, allowed for close contacts of and infected HW to return to work, provided evidence of SARS-CoV-2 diffusion, and presented solid ground to prevent nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 infections. The ongoing concurrent sero-epidemiological study aims to enable the improvement of health surveillance to maintain the safety of HWs and the communities they serve.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jul 2020
Social Distancing among Medical Students during the 2019 Coronavirus Disease Pandemic in China: Disease Awareness, Anxiety Disorder, Depression, and Behavioral Activities.
During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, harsh social distancing measures were taken in China to contain viral spread. We examined their impact on the lives of medical students. ⋯ Despite medical students' knowledge of disease control and prevention, their lives were greatly affected by social distancing, especially in the Wuhan epicenter. Even well-informed students needed psychological support during these extraordinarily stressful times.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jul 2020
Meta AnalysisCorrelations of Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
(1) Background: The global threat of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues. The diversity of clinical characteristics and progress are reported in many countries as the duration of the pandemic is prolonged. We aimed to perform a novel systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on findings about correlations between clinical characteristics and laboratory features of patients with COVID-19. (2) Methods: We analyzed cases of COVID-19 in different countries by searching PubMed, Embase, Web of Science databases and Google Scholar, from the early stage of the outbreak to late March. ⋯ In elderly patients, laboratory and clinical characteristics indicate a more severe disease course. Moreover, treatments such as antiviral agents, antibiotics, and oxygen therapy which are used in over three quarters of patients are also analyzed. The results will provide "evidence-based hope" on how to manage this unanticipated and overwhelming pandemic.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jul 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialManipulative Therapy Plus Ankle Therapeutic Exercises for Adolescent Baseball Players with Chronic Ankle Instability: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial.
Manipulative therapies and exercises are commonly used for the management of chronic ankle instability (CAI), but there is no evidence regarding the efficacy of high-velocity low-amplitude manipulation (HVLA) in addition to ankle therapeutic exercise to improve CAI in adolescent baseball players (ABP). To compare the effects of HVLA plus ankle therapeutic exercise and ankle therapeutic exercise alone on ankle status, pain intensity, pain pressure threshold (PPT), range of motion (ROM) of the ankle joint, and balance ability in ABP with CAI, a single-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted. A total of 31 ABP with CAI were randomly allocated to the intervention (n = 16) or control (n = 15) groups. ⋯ For ROM, there were significant group and time interactions on dorsiflexion (p = 0.006) and eversion (p = 0.026). The unipedal stance of the balance ability showed significant group and time interactions in path length (p = 0.006) and velocity (p = 0.006). Adding HVLA to resistance exercises may be synergistically effective in improving the ankle status, pain intensity, ROM, and balance ability in ABP with CAI.
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Int J Environ Res Public Health · Jul 2020
The Drag Crisis Phenomenon on an Elite Road Cyclist-A Preliminary Numerical Simulations Analysis in the Aero Position at Different Speeds.
The drag crisis phenomenon is the drop of drag coefficient (Cd) with increasing Reynolds number (Re) or speed. The aim of this study was to assess the hypothetical drag crisis phenomenon in a sports setting, assessing it in a bicycle-cyclist system. A male elite-level cyclist was recruited for this research and his competition bicycle, helmet, suit, and shoes were used. ⋯ The viscous drag coefficient ranged between 0.15 and 0.43 and presented a trend decreasing from 4 m/s to 22 m/s. Coaches, cyclists, researchers, and support staff must consider that Cd varies with speed and Re, and the bicycle-cyclist dimensions, shape, or form may affect drag and performance estimations. As a conclusion, this preliminary work noted a drag crisis between 3 m/s and 9 m/s in a cyclist in the aero position.