• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.157-164
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• 2021

Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in December 2019, a small number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in neonates have been reported worldwide. Neonates currently account for only a minor proportion of the pediatric population affected by COVID-19. Thus, data on the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 in neonates are limited. Approximately 3% of neonates born to mothers with COVID-19 reportedly tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Current limited data on neonates with COVID-19 suggest that neonatal COVID-19 shows a relatively benign course despite a high requirement for mechanical ventilation. However, neonates with pre-existing medical conditions and preterm infants appear to be at a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. The greatest perinatal concern of the COVID-19 pandemic is the possibility of vertical transmission, especially transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Although direct evidence of the vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is lacking, its possibility during late pregnancy cannot be ruled out. This review summarizes available case studies on COVID-19 in neonates and introduces what is currently known about neonatal COVID-19 with focus on its vertical transmission.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.77 no.4
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• pp.161-166
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• 2014

Since tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health concern and the incidence of multi-drug resistant (MDR)-TB is increasing globally, new modalities for the detection of TB and drug resistant TB are needed to improve TB control. The Xpert MTB/RIF test can be a valuable new tool for early detection of TB and rifampicin resistance, with a high sensitivity and specificity. Late-generation fluoroquinolones, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, which are the principal drugs for the treatment of MDR-TB, show equally high efficacy and safety. Systemic steroids may reduce the overall TB mortality attributable to all forms of TB across all organ systems, although inhaled corticosteroids can increase the risk of TB development. Although fixed dose combinations were expected to reduce the risk of drug resistance and increase drug compliance, a recent meta-analysis found that they might actually increase the risk of relapse and treatment failure. Regarding treatment duration, patients with cavitation and culture positivity at 2 months of TB treatment may require more than 6 months of standard treatment. New anti-TB drugs, such as linezolid, bedaquiline, and delamanid, could improve the outcomes in drug-resistant TB. Nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease has typical clinical and immunological phenotypes. Mycobacterial genotyping may predict disease progression, and whole genome sequencing may reveal the transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus. In refractory Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease, a moxifloxacin-containing regimen was expected to improve the treatment outcome.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.57-70
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• 2021

As COVID-19 spreads, people's interest in smart learning that can do non-face-to-face learning is increasing nowadays. In this study, we aim to empirically analyze how users' thoughts on COVID-19 and the information quality and system quality of smart learning systems affect users' acceptance of smart learning and examine the effect of perceived sensitivity and severity of COVID-19 on the satisfaction and use of smart learning through concerns about the risk of transmission. In addition, we examined the influence of information quality composed of content quality and interaction quality and system quality composed of system accessibility and functionality on the use of smart learning through user satisfaction. To verify the validity of the proposed model, we conducted a survey on 334 users with experience in using smart learning, and performed the analysis using Smart PLS 3.0. According to the analysis results, among information quality and system quality, only functionality has a positive (+) effect on the satisfaction of smart learning, and satisfaction has a positive (+) effect on the usage behavior. However, it is found that accessibility among system quality do not affect satisfaction, and concern about the risk of transmission has a negative effect on satisfaction. This study can provide meaningful guidelines to researchers when researching smart learning to support students' learning in a pandemic situation of a new infectious disease, such as COVID-19. It will also be able to provide useful implications for educational institutions and companies related to smart learning.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 2003.11a
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• pp.113-113
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• 2003

A number of studies have demonstrated recently nonthermal interactions of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields with cellular systems, such as the cells of the immune system. Particular concern came from epidemiological findings, which correlated environmental exposure of human body to weak electromagnetic fields with an elevated risk for developing certain type of leukemias and cancers. Several home/environmental sources generating extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields, such as 50 - 60 Hz high-voltage transmission lines, video display terminals, electric blankets, clinical nuclear magnetic resonance imaging procedures, etc., may interact with the human body. In this study we examined the effects of static magnetic fields (SMF) on the phagocytosis of the murine peritoneal macrophages (C57BL/6). The cells were exposed in vitro for 24 h at 37$^{\circ}C$ to 400 G SMF. The phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages was determined with a luminometer. Exposure to the SMF decreased phagocytic activity of murine peritoneal macrophages. In order to provide a more exact mechanism of the phenomenon, we analyzed peritoneal macrophages for alteration in their proteomes. The expression levels of these 5 proteins were increased in the SMF. In total 5 proteins which were differentially expressed in the SMF compared with control group were identified. The expression levels of these 5 proteins were increased in the SMF.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.33.1-33.10
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• 2022

Background: Endemic circulation of human-specific hepatitis E virus (HEV) genotypes 1 and 2 may occult the importance of sporadic zoonotic HEV transmissions in Africa. Increasing numbers of studies reporting anti-HEV antibodies in cattle and the discovery of infectious HEV in cow milk has raised public health concern, but cattle exposure has seldom been investigated in Africa. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the role of cows in the epidemiology of HEV in Burkina Faso and farmers habits in terms of dairy product consumption as a prerequisite to estimate the risk of transmission to humans. Methods: Sera from 475 cattle and 192 pigs were screened for the presence of anti-HEV antibodies while HEV RNA in swine stools was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Data on mixed farming, dairy product consumption and selling habits were gathered through questionnaires. Results: The overall seroprevalence in cattle was 5.1% and herd seroprevalence reached 32.4% (11/34). Herd seropositivity was not associated with husbandry practice or presence of rabbits on the farms. However, herd seropositivity was associated with on-site presence of pigs, 80.7% of which had anti-HEV antibodies. The majority of farmers reported to preferentially consume raw milk based dairy products. Conclusions: Concomitant presence of pigs on cattle farms constitutes a risk factor for HEV exposure of cattle. However, the risk of HEV infections associated with raw cow dairy product consumption is currently considered as low.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.485-491
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• 2022

Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern worldwide. Social contact patterns can affect the epidemiology and risk of airborne diseases such as TB. This study was designed to investigate the social contact patterns associated with TB. Methods: In this case-control study, groups of participants with and without TB were matched by age and sex. Participants reported the nature, location, frequency, and average duration of social contacts over 1 month. The duration and number of social and spatial contacts were compared between groups using the chi-square test and the t-test. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to quantify the relationship between social contact time and TB status. Data were analyzed using Stata version 11 statistical software. A p-value of <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: In this study, 80 patients with TB and 172 control participants were included, and a total of 3545 social contacts were registered. Social contact with family members (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.40), contact with a person with TB (OR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.01), and contact at the participant's home (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.19 to 1.82) were significantly associated with TB status. Conclusions: The duration of long-term social contact, rather than the number of contacts, may be the main contact-related factor associated with TB transmission in this population. The focus of contact-tracing efforts should be on finding and treating both family members and long-term contacts in non-household settings.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.347-357
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• 2023

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic turned biological hazards in the working environment into a global concern. This systematized review of published reviews aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the specific jobs and categories of workers exposed to biological hazards with the related prevention. Methods: We extracted reviews published in English and French in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Two authors, working independently, subsequently screened the potentially relevant titles and abstracts recovered (step 1) and then examined relevant full texts (step 2). Disagreements were resolved by consensus. We built tables summarizing populations of exposed workers, types of hazards, types of outcomes (types of health issues, means of prevention), and routes of transmission. Results: Of 1426 studies initially identified, 79 studies by authors from every continent were selected, mostly published after 2010 (n = 63, 79.7%). About half of the reviews dealt with infectious hazards alone (n = 38, 48.1%). The industrial sectors identified involved healthcare alone (n = 16), laboratories (n = 10), agriculture (including the animal, vegetable, and grain sectors, n = 32), waste (n = 10), in addition of 11 studies without specific sectors. The results also highlighted a range of hazards (infectious and noninfectious agents, endotoxins, bioaerosols, organic dust, and emerging agents). Conclusion: This systematized overview allowed to list the populations of workers exposed to biological hazards and underlined how prevention measures in the healthcare and laboratory sectors were usually well defined and controlled, although this was not the case in the agriculture and waste sectors. Further studies are necessary to quantify these risks and implement prevention measures that can be applied in every country.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-67
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• 2012

Antibiotic resistance in animal isolates of enterococci is a public health concern, because of the risk of transmission of antibiotic-resistant strains or resistance genes to humans through the food chain. This study investigated phenotypic and genotypic resistances profile of tetracycline in 245 $Enterococcus$ isolates from bovine milk. A total of 245 enterococci were isolated from 950 milk samples. The predominant strain was $E.$ $faecalis$ (n = 199, 81.2%) and $E.$ $faecium$ (n = 25, 10.2%). $E.$ $avium$ (n = 7, 2.9%), $E.$ $durans$ (n = 6, 2.5%), $E.$ $gallinarum$ (n = 4, 1.6%), and $E.$ $raffinosus$ (n = 4, 1.6%) were also isolated. Of the 245 enterococcal isolates 76.3% (n = 187) displayed tetracycline resistance (${\geq}16{\mu}g/ml$). Of the 187 tetracycline-resistant isolates, 83.4% (n = 156), 16.1% (n = 30), and 26.7% (n = 50) possessed the genes $tet$(M), $tet$(L), $tet$(S) respectively. While 3.2% (n = 6) of the tetracycline-resistant isolates possessed all three genes $tet$(M) + $tet$(L) + $tet$(S), 8.6% (n = 16), 16.0% (n = 30), and 2.7% (n = 5) of them possessed two genes $tet$(M) + $tet$(L), $tet$(M) + $tet$(S), and $tet$(L) + $tet$(S) respectively. The tetracycline resistance pattern investigated in this study was attributable mainly to the presence of $tet$(M).