Estimating the effect of mobility on SARS-CoV-2 transmission during the first and second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic,Switzerland, March to December 2020

IntroductionHuman mobility was considerably reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. To support disease surveillance, it is important to understand the effect of mobility on transmission.AimWe compared the role of mobility during the first and second COVID-19 wave in Switzerland by studying the link between daily travel distances and the effective reproduction number (R_t ) of SARS-CoV-2.MethodsWe used aggregated mobile phone data from a representative panel survey of the Swiss population to measure human mobility. We estimated the effects of reductions in daily travel distance on R_t via a regression model. We compared mobility effects between the first (2 March–7 April 2020) and second wave (1 October–10 December 2020).ResultsDaily travel distances decreased by 73% in the first and by 44% in the second wave (relative to February 2020). For a 1% reduction in average daily travel distance, R_t was estimated to decline by 0.73% (95% credible interval (CrI): 0.34–1.03) in the first wave and by 1.04% (95% CrI: 0.66–1.42) in the second wave. The estimated mobility effects were similar in both waves for all modes of transport, travel purposes and sociodemographic subgroups but differed for movement radius.ConclusionMobility was associated with SARS-CoV-2 R_t during the first two epidemic waves in Switzerland. The relative effect of mobility was similar in both waves, but smaller mobility reductions in the second wave corresponded to smaller overall reductions in R_t . Mobility data from mobile phones have a continued potential to support real-time surveillance of COVID-19.     

Retrospective Outcome Analysis of 39 Patients Who Underwent Lip Surgery for Cutaneous Carcinoma

Purpose

The treatment of lip carcinomas needs tumor surgical resection with safety margins respect. The aim of this study was to report the oncologic and aesthetic/functional outcomes of a retrospective monocentric case series of 39 patients treated for cutaneous lip cancer.

Methods

This retrospective study assessed 56 patients who were treated for a lip carcinoma between 2008 and 2012 and included 39 patients with cutaneous lip basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. Clinical, surgical and pathological data were reviewed, and patients were interviewed for follow-up data. A comparison was made between the marked surgical margins and the margins observed under microscopy after histologic process.

Results

The most frequent tumor type was basal cell carcinoma in 69.2 %. The measured surgical margins were superior to the histological margins in 24 cases (61.5 %) and were inferior in 13 cases (33.3 %). Overall survival and recurrence-free survival rates at 1 year were 97.5 and 95 % respectively.

Conclusion

Differences between the surgical margins and the final histologic margins were the main finding of this retrospective study. These differences were attributed to surgical practices and modification during the histological process. Nevertheless, we did not observe a higher rate of recurrence or death in our study than in literature.

     

A longitudinal study of various crevicular fluid components as markers of periodontal disease activity

Abstract In order to examine the relationship of possible crevicular biochemical parameters to attachment loss (ALOSS), 330 sites from & untreated adult patients were monitored longitudinally at 3-month intervals, for up to 1 year. Attachment levels were measured with a force-sensing probe and an acrylic stent in duplicates at each study point. Crevicular samples were collected and used for the determination of the following 11 markers: number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂), osteocalcin (OC), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), collagenase (COL), β-glucuromdase (BG), antigenic and functional elastase (AEL and FEL), α-1 antitrypsin (alAT), α-2 macroglobulin (a2M) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). 10 sites with ALOSS of 1.5 mm per 3 months (active sites) and 43 sites with negligible changes (inactive sites) were identified. Total amounts of ALP, BG and COL were found to be significantly higher in active as compared to inactive sites, prior to significant ALOSS, without any significant differences in crevicular fluid volume and clinical indices. When biochemical parameters were expressed as ratios to the number of PMNs, PGE₂/PMNs was significantly elevated in active sites. The capacity of such individual parameters to distinguish between active and inactive sites was limited. However, linear discriminant analysis using total amounts of PGE₂, COL, ALP, a2M, OC and AEL showed more significant diagnostic values (sensitivity: 80%. specificity: 91%). These findings suggest that the combination of several biochemical parameters in crevicular fluid could give more information to predict future clinical ALOSS.     

Preoperative assessment for patients with renal impairment

The kidneys play an essential role in homeostasis. They regulate crucial physiological variables including blood pressure, acid-base, fluid and electrolyte balance. With an ageing and increasingly diabetic population, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease is increasing. Acute kidney injury is also very common in hospitalized patients. It is therefore essential to identify patients with renal impairment and assess its impact on a patient's physiology, with aberrancies such as anuria, metabolic acidosis and hyperkalaemia all being potentially life-threatening if untreated. It is these physiological derangements that lead to the observed association of renal impairment with an increased perioperative morbidity and mortality. Prevention, identification and correction of the physiological consequences of renal impairment are vital in improving postoperative outcomes in these patients. This article aims to provide a context and structure for the preoperative assessment of patients with renal impairment irrespective of its cause.     

Aggression Management Training in Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Scoping Review

Recent events and media coverage have put aggression and violence toward healthcare workers on the agenda of many governments and healthcare providers. Shown to cause poor job satisfaction, attrition and higher rates of turnover, aggression and violence toward healthcare workers is a substantial problem in the provision of quality care. We aim to determine the feasibility of providing aggression management training to undergraduate nursing students to better prepare them for the workforce. This review found seven studies utilizing various methods of providing aggression management training to students. Delivery was diverse in terms of format, content and duration, and the efficacy of training was typically determined in a pre- and post-test fashion. The findings in reviewed studies indicate significant improvements in competence and attitudes, however some methodological caveats exist. We conclude that aggression management training for undergraduate nursing students is indeed feasible within certain constraints: methodological approaches to demonstrating efficacy need to evolve beyond pre- and post-test designs and changes in content delivery incorporating new and novel methods, such as simulation, need to be considered and incorporated. Aggression management training should be considered as essential in the nursing curriculum in order to provide neophyte nurses with the skills and capabilities to manage aggression and violence in their future workplaces.     

The Effect of Music on Auditory Hallucination and Quality of Life in Schizophrenic Patients: A Randomised Controlled Trial

The study was conducted to determine the effects of music on auditory hallucination and quality of life in schizophrenic patients. The sample of this randomised controlled study consisted of 28 patients (14 experimental and 14 control groups) hospitalised with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (DSM-IV) and auditory hallucination. The study data were collected with the Information Form, The Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS), Characteristics of Auditory Hallucinations Questionnaire, and The World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF). The hallucination, positive formal thought, and total SAPS scores of the patients in the experimental group obtained during their hospitalisation were determined to be higher than those obtained at discharge and at follow-ups after discharge. The characteristics of auditory hallucination questionnaire scores of the patients in the experimental and control groups decreased. The physical, mental, environmental, and national environmental domain scores of the quality of life in the experimental group increased at sixth month after discharge. Listening to music had positive effects on positive symptoms and the quality of life of patients with auditory hallucination. In line with these results, listening to music may be recommended to cope with auditory hallucinations and to provide positive quality of life.