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Thompson PW. Impact of COVID-19 on Ethnically Minoritised Carers in UK's Care Home Settings: a Systematic Scoping Review. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2024; 11:1651-1659. [PMID: 37410355 PMCID: PMC11101518 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-023-01640-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 has impacted disproportionately two groups in the UK: healthcare workers and people from ethnically minoritised groups. However, there is a lack of evidence on how COVID-19 affected ethnically minoritised carers in care homes. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the available evidence regarding the impact of COVID-19 on ethnically minoritised carers in UK. The relevant records were systematically searched in Cochrane COVID-19 Study Register and WHO COVID-19 global literature. A total of 3164 records were retrieved. Following duplicate elimination and abstract, title, and full-text screening, 10 studies were identified as eligible for the present scoping review. Most of the studies were conducted in the UK and USA, involving diverse healthcare occupations and methodologies. Multiple studies found anxiety, depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder among carers with high odds among ethnically minoritised carers. Limited access to personal protective equipment and workplace discrimination was noted and linked with poor mental health. The carers reported difficulties in care delivery and managing extra workload arising from staff shortages. The risk of infection and clinically significant mental disorders was higher among carers from the ethnically minoritised background. They exhibited fear about care homes' uncertain futures and consequential financial losses. Conclusively, COVID-19 appeared to exert adverse effects on practices and experiences of ethnically minoritised carers in the UK's care homes; however, further studies are warranted to increase the understanding of COVID-19-related experiences of this group of carers which significantly contribute to the country's healthcare system.
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Akhtar S, Pranay K, Kumari K. Personal protective equipment and micro-nano plastics: A review of an unavoidable interrelation for a global well-being hazard. Hyg Environ Healh Adv 2023; 6:100055. [PMID: 37102160 PMCID: PMC10089666 DOI: 10.1016/j.heha.2023.100055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
The usage and the demand for personal protective equipments (PPEs) for our day-to-day survival in this pandemic period of COVID-19 have seen a steep rise which has consequently led to improper disposal and littering. Fragmentation of these PPE units has eventually given way to micro-nano plastics (MNPs) emission in the various environmental matrices and exposure of living organisms to these MNPs has proven to be severely toxic. Numerous factors contribute to the toxicity imparted by these MNPs that mainly include their shape, size, functional groups and their chemical diversity. Even though multiple studies on the impacts of MNPs toxicity are available for other organisms, human cell line studies for various plastic polymers, other than the most common ones namely polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP), are still at their nascent stage and need to be explored more. In this article, we cover a concise review of the literature on the impact of these MNPs in biotic and human systems focusing on the constituents of the PPE units and the additives that are essentially used for their manufacturing. This review will subsequently identify the need to gather scientific evidence at the smaller level to help combat this microplastic pollution and induce a more in-depth understanding of its adverse effect on our existence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaheen Akhtar
- Kolkata Zonal Centre, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Kolkata 700107, West Bengal, India
| | - Kumar Pranay
- Department of Biochemistry, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna 800014, Bihar, India
| | - Kanchan Kumari
- Kolkata Zonal Centre, CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Kolkata 700107, West Bengal, India
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Abedin MJ, Khandaker MU, Uddin MR, Karim MR, Ahamad MSU, Islam MA, Arif AM, Sulieman A, Idris AM. PPE pollution in the terrestrial and aquatic environment of the Chittagong city area associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant health implications. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2022; 29:27521-27533. [PMID: 34981371 PMCID: PMC8723821 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17859-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The present study focuses on the indiscriminate disposal of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and resulting environmental contamination during the 3rd wave of COVID-19-driven global pandemic in the Chittagong metropolitan area, Bangladesh. Because of the very high rate of infection by the delta variant of this virus, the use of PPEs by the public is increased significantly to protect the ingestion/inhalation of respiratory droplets in the air. However, it is a matter of solicitude that general people throw away the PPEs to the dwelling environment unconsciously. With the increase of inappropriate disposal of PPEs (i.e., mostly the disposable face masks made from plastic microfibers), the possibility of transmission of the virus to the general public cannot be neglected completely. This is because this virus can survive for several days on the inanimate matter like plastics and fibers. At the same time, the result of environmental contamination by microplastic/microfiber has been widespread which eventually creates the worst impact on ecosystems and organisms. The present results may help to increase public perception of the use and subsequent disposal of PPEs, especially the face masks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Jainal Abedin
- Faculty of Public Health, Thammasat University, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand
| | - Mayeen Uddin Khandaker
- Centre for Applied Physics and Radiation Technologies, School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, 47500, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Md Ripaj Uddin
- Institute of National Analytical Research and Service (INARS), BCSIR, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, 1205, Bangladesh
| | - Md Rezaul Karim
- Department of Chemistry, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
| | | | - Md Ariful Islam
- Department of Chemistry, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, Chattogram, 4349, Bangladesh
| | - Abu Mohammad Arif
- One Health Institute, Chattogram Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chattogram, 4225, Bangladesh
| | - Abdelmoneim Sulieman
- Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 422, Alkharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abubakr M Idris
- Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
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Khatatbeh M, Al-Maqableh HO, Albalas S, Al Ajlouni S, A'aqoulah A, Khatatbeh H, Kasasbeh MA, Khatatbeh I, Albalas R, Al-Tammemi AB. Attitudes and Commitment Toward Precautionary Measures Against COVID-19 Amongst the Jordanian Population: A Large-Scale Cross-Sectional Survey. Front Public Health 2021; 9:745149. [PMID: 34820350 PMCID: PMC8606566 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.745149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims: This study aimed to (1) assess the non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures that were used by the Jordanian population against COVID-19, and (2) determine the sociodemographic and behavioral predictors of contracting COVID-19 with a focus on the utilization of personal precautionary measures. Methods: A descriptive questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was used in this study. A structured web-based questionnaire was disseminated to the Jordanian community through social media platforms. Participants were asked a series of questions about socio-demographic characteristics, in addition to the knowledge, attitudes, and commitment toward using various personal precautionary measures (e.g., face mask, hand washing, social distancing) against the COVID-19. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and binary logistic regression through SPSS®. Results: Responses from 7,746 participants were included in our final analyses. Descriptive statistics showed that most participants (82.6%) believed that face mask protects against COVID-19. Around 69.5% of the participants were completely committed to wearing a face mask, while 65% of the participants were completely committed to hand washing. The results of the regression analysis revealed that female gender (AOR = 1.2; 95% CI: 1.07-1.35; p = 0.002), having a family member infected with COVID-19 (AOR = 8.5; 95% Cl: 7.51-9.70; p = 0.001), having a health-related work or study (AOR = 1.2; 95% Cl: 1.09-1.38; p = 0.001), believing that face masks do not protect against COVID-19 (AOR = 1.3; 95% Cl: 1.12-1.47; p = 0.001), and partial commitment to handwashing (AOR = 1.2; 95% Cl: 1.11-1.75; p = 0.006) were all associated with an increased odds of contracting COVID-19 among the participants. Conclusion: Overall, commitment to non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) measures, such as wearing a face mask, hand washing, and physical distancing, was not optimal among Jordanians. This might explain the dramatic increase in the infectivity rate of the COVID-19 virus in the past few months in the country. More sustainable efforts regarding health promotion and strict policies are required to prevent a third wave of hitting the country and to prevent similar infectious threats in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moawiah Khatatbeh
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Hindya O. Al-Maqableh
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Samir Albalas
- Department of Health Service Administration, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Sara Al Ajlouni
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Ashraf A'aqoulah
- Department of Health Systems Management, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haitham Khatatbeh
- Doctoral School of Health Sciences, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
| | - Mohammed A. Kasasbeh
- School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Higher Colleges of Technology, Fujaira, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ibdaa Khatatbeh
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Rahaf Albalas
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
| | - Ala'a B. Al-Tammemi
- Department of Family and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Health Sciences, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
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Wu F, Zhang M, Liu C, Yang J, Ren M, Wu QL, Shi X. The spatial distribution of the photosynthetic picoeukaryotes community structure in Lake Hongze. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2021; 97:6318369. [PMID: 34244753 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiab100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatial dynamics of picophytoplankton were investigated by flow cytometry and high-throughput sequencing in Lake Hongze, a large river-connecting lake. Picophytoplankton were mainly composed of phycocyanin-rich picocyanobacteria (PCY) and photosynthetic picoeukaryotes (PPEs). Picocyanobacteria was the dominant picophytoplankton group since the contribution of PPEs to total picophytoplankton was only 11.78%. However, PPEs were highly diverse and were composed of Chlorophyta, Bacillariophyta and Chrysophyceae. Environmental factors showed spatial differences, particularly in total phosphorus (TP), suspended solids (SS) and chemical oxygen demand (CODMn), which showed relatively high concentrations around the river channel. The abundances of PPEs and PCY showed similar spatial patterns, which were relatively low in the river course since they were negatively related to SS and CODMn. The top 10 OTUs contributed 79.18% of the total PPEs reads and affiliated with main species in PPEs. CCA results showed that, PPEs community composition was significantly impacted by temperature and DO at sites away from river channel, while was only influenced by nitrite at sites around the river channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Min Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Changqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jinsheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mindong Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qing Long Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China
| | - Xiaoli Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 73 East Beijing Road, Nanjing 210008, China.,Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Regional Modern Agriculture and Environmental Protection, Huaiyin Normal University, Huaian 223001, China
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Sugawara Y, Iwagami M, Kikuchi K, Yoshida Y, Ando R, Shinoda T, Ryuzaki M, Nakamoto H, Sakai K, Hanafusa N, Kashihara N, Nangaku M. Infection prevention measures for patients undergoing hemodialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: a nationwide questionnaire survey. Ren Replace Ther 2021; 7:27. [PMID: 34094590 PMCID: PMC8164066 DOI: 10.1186/s41100-021-00350-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a global pandemic affecting a variety of medical treatments, including hemodialysis. This study aims to investigate the implementation of infection control measures, to examine the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) and disinfectants, and to quantify the number of nosocomial COVID-19 transmissions in hemodialysis facilities in Japan during the pandemic. Methods We conducted a nationwide questionnaire survey between 20 October and 16 November 2020 (i.e., between the "second wave" and "third wave" in Japan) in the 4198 dialysis facilities of the Japanese Association of Dialysis Physicians and the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy. A total of 2227 facilities (53.0%) responded. The questionnaire consisted of (i) characteristics of facilities, (ii) infection prevention measures in routine dialysis practices, (iii) shortage of PPE, (iv) feasibility of various isolation measures, and (v) nosocomial transmission. Results Half of the responding facilities were hospitals with multiple departments, and the other half were clinics specialized in dialysis. Several infection prevention measures such as health checks of staff and patients, donning of masks before and after hemodialysis, and disinfection of frequently contacted areas were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant improvement in the implementation rate of these measures during the pandemic, compared to before it, which reached over 90%. More than half of the facilities reported a shortage of disposable masks (67.2%) and hand sanitizer alcohol (56.7%). Isolation of COVID-19 patients in private rooms was possible only in 52.7% of the facilities. The majority of facilities (73.3%) could not accept COVID-19 dialysis patients due to lack of space and manpower. Nosocomial transmission of COVID-19 occurred in 4.0% of the facilities. Of those infected, 51.9% were staff. Conclusions This survey revealed that most hemodialysis facilities in Japan had improved implementation of infection control measures and had shortage of PPEs and disinfectants, though some facilities did not implement infection prevention measures adequately, mainly due to the limited space of the facility. It may be recommended that each facility immediately establishes isolation measures to prepare for the pandemic of COVID-19. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s41100-021-00350-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuka Sugawara
- Division of Nephrology and Endocrinology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655 Japan
| | - Masao Iwagami
- Department of Health Services Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.,Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Kan Kikuchi
- Division of Nephrology, Shimoochiai Clinic, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoko Yoshida
- Division of Nephrology and Endocrinology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655 Japan
| | - Ryoichi Ando
- Department of Nephrology, Seishokai Memorial Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshio Shinoda
- Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tsukuba International University, Tsuchiura, Japan
| | - Munekazu Ryuzaki
- Department of Nephrology, Tokyo Saiseikai Central Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hidetomo Nakamoto
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Saitama Medical University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Ken Sakai
- Department of Nephrology, Toho University Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Norio Hanafusa
- Department of Blood Purification, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Naoki Kashihara
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan
| | - Masaomi Nangaku
- Division of Nephrology and Endocrinology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8655 Japan
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