Information Usage and Compliance with Preventive Behaviors for COVID-19: A Longitudinal Study with Data from the JACSIS 2020/JASTIS 2021

The influence of different types of information sources on individual preventive behaviors remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the associations between individual information usage to obtain information about COVID-19 and compliance with preventive behaviors. This longitudinal study was based on an Internet survey conducted in August–September 2020 and February 2021. We used compliance with four preventive behaviors for COVID-19, “wearing a mask”, “ventilation”, “social distancing”, and “avoiding crowds” as outcome variables, and 20 types of information sources based on people or institutions (Medical worker, Government, etc.) and media (TV news, Twitter, etc.) as predictors. Absolute differences and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using generalized estimating equations adjusted for possible confounders. Among the 18,151 participants aged 20–79, the mean age was 51.7 (SD = 15.9) in 2020, and 51.3% were male. In total, compliance with “wearing a mask”, “ventilation”, “social distancing”, and “avoiding crowds” was seen in 86.2%, 46.9%, 45.4%, and 62.6% of individuals in 2020, and 89.3%, 38.2%, 47.2%, and 61.6% of individuals in 2021, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, “medical workers”, “professionals”, “the government”, “Twitter”, “news websites”, and “TV news” were positively associated with compliance with two or more preventive behaviors (p < 0.05). The type of information source may play an important role in providing information for COVID-19 prevention

Heart Failure Telemonitoring in Japan and Sweden: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background: Telemonitoring of heart failure (HF) patients is increasingly discussed at conferences and addressed in research. However, little is known about actual use in specific countries. Objective: We aimed to (1) describe the use of non-invasive HF telemonitoring, (2) clarify expectations of telemonitoring among cardiologists and nurses, and (3) describe barriers to the implementation of telemonitoring in Japan and Sweden. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional survey of non-invasive HF telemonitoring. A total of 378 Japanese (120 cardiologists, 258 nurses) and 120 Swedish (39 cardiologists, 81 nurses) health care professionals from 165 Japanese and 61 Swedish hospitals/clinics nationwide participated in the study (210 in Japan and 98 in Sweden were approached). Data were collected between November 2013 and May 2014 with a questionnaire that was adapted from a previous Dutch study on telemonitoring. Results: The mean age of the cardiologists and nurses was 47 years and 41 years, respectively. Experience at the current position caring for HF patients was 19 years among the physicians and 15 years among the nurses. In total, 7 Japanese (4.2%) and none of the Swedish health care institutions used telemonitoring. One fourth (24.0%, 118/498) of the health care professionals were familiar with the technology (in Japan: 21.6%, 82/378; in Sweden: 30.0%, 36/120). The highest expectations of telemonitoring (rated on a scale from 0-10) were reduced hospitalizations (8.3 in Japan and 7.5 in Sweden), increased patient self-care (7.8 and 7.4), and offering high-quality care (7.8 and 7.0). The major goal for introducing telemonitoring was to monitor physical condition and recognize signs of worsening HF in Japan (94.1%, 352/374) and Sweden (88.7%, 102/115). The following reasons were also high in Sweden: to monitor effects of treatment and adjust it remotely (86.9%, 100/115) and to do remote drug titration (79.1%, 91/115). Just under a quarter of Japanese (22.4%, 85/378) and over a third of Swedish (38.1%, 45/118) health care professionals thought that telemonitoring was a good way to follow up stable HF patients. Three domains of barriers were identified by content analysis: organizational barriers "how are we going to do it?" (categories include structure and resource), health care professionals themselves "what do we need to know and do" (reservation), and barriers related to patients "not everybody would benefit" (internal and external shortcomings). Conclusions: Telemonitoring for HF patients has not been implemented in Japan or Sweden. However, health care professionals have expectations of telemonitoring to reduce patients' hospitalizations and increase patient self-care. There are still a wide range of barriers to the implementation of HF telemonitoring

Are popular books about diet and health written based on scientific evidence? A comparison of citations between the USA and Japan

Abstract Objectives: To describe and compare the references cited in popular books about diet and health between the USA and Japan. Design: Books were selected based on their best-seller rankings in the diet and health category of online bookstores. We identified references throughout all pages of the books and examined the number of references, reference format (identifiable or not) and presence of specific types of references, such as systematic reviews of human research. We compared the characteristics of references between the two countries and examined related factors to citation. Setting: Cross-sectional study. Participants: Books (n 100 in each country). Results: Among 100 books from each country, sixty-five US and sixty-six Japanese books had references. Forty-five US books cited more than 100 references, against only five Japanese books. The number of books that cited systematic reviews of human research differed between the USA (n 49) and Japan (n 9). Additionally, the number of books that provided identifiable information for all references was significantly higher in the USA (n 63) than in Japan (n 42). Books whose first authors have licences of medical doctors were more likely to cite references than those without in both countries. Conclusions: Two-thirds of books about diet and health cited references in both the USA and Japan, but Japanese books cited fewer references and were less likely to cite systematic reviews and provide identifiable references than US books. Further research into the scientific reliability of information in books about diet and health is warranted

The cerebral network of COVID-19-related encephalopathy: a longitudinal voxel-based 18F-FDG-PET study

International audienc

The wide spectrum of COVID-19 neuropsychiatric complications within a multidisciplinary centre

International audienceA variety of neuropsychiatric complications has been described in association with COVID-19 infection. Large scale studies presenting a wider picture of these complications and their relative frequency are lacking. The objective of our study was to describe the spectrum of neurological and psychiatric complications in patients with COVID-19 seen in a multidisciplinary hospital centre over 6 months. We conducted a retrospective, observational study of all patients showing neurological or psychiatric symptoms in the context of COVID-19 seen in the medical and university neuroscience department of Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris-Sorbonne University. We collected demographic data, comorbidities, symptoms and severity of COVID-19 infection, neurological and psychiatric symptoms, neurological and psychiatric examination data and, when available, results from CSF analysis, MRI, EEG and EMG. A total of 249 COVID-19 patients with a de novo neurological or psychiatric manifestation were included in the database and 245 were included in the final analyses. One-hundred fourteen patients (47%) were admitted to the intensive care unit and 10 (4%) died. The most frequent neuropsychiatric complications diagnosed were encephalopathy (43%), critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy (26%), isolated psychiatric disturbance (18%) and cerebrovascular disorders (16%). No patients showed CSF evidence of SARS-CoV-2. Encephalopathy was associated with older age and higher risk of death. Critical illness neuromyopathy was associated with an extended stay in the intensive care unit. The majority of these neuropsychiatric complications could be imputed to critical illness, intensive care and systemic inflammation, which contrasts with the paucity of more direct SARS-CoV-2-related complications or post-infection disorders