Reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic: Overview and rapid systematic review of guidelines and recommendations on preventive measures and the management of cases

Given the limited evidence of school closure effectiveness in containing the pandemic and the consequences for young people, reopening schools with appropriate measures is essential. This overview aimed to describe the main measures planned for the 2020–2021 academic year within the WHO European Region. A rapid systematic review of scientific databases was also performed. The websites of the government, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education of European Region countries were searched through 1 October for official documents about the prevention and management of suspected cases/confirmed cases in primary and secondary schools. To find further suggestions, a rapid systematic review was conducted through 20 October searching Pubmed, Scopus, and Embase. There were 23 official documents. France, Luxembourg, Malta, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, the UK, Spain, and San Marino were considered. Performing the rapid review, 855 records were identified and 7 papers were finally selected. The recommendations mostly agreed. However, there was no consensus on the criteria for the return to school of students that tested positive, and the flexibility between attendance at school and remote education for high-risk children often varied. School closure was commonly considered as the very last resort for COVID-19 control. Studies are required to evaluate the impact of different recommendations during this autumn term

Burden of COVID-19: Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) across 16 European countries

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to measure and compare the burden of disease of COVID-19 pandemic in 16 EU/EEA countries through the estimation of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) over a long period of time

Booster main magnet power supply, present operation and potential future upgrades

The Brookhaven Booster Main Magnet Power Supply (MMPS) is a 24 pulse thyristor control supply, rated at 5500 Amps, +/-2000 Volts, or 3000 Amps, +/-6000 Volts. The power supply is fed directly from the power utility and the peak magnet power is 18 MWatts. This peak power is seen directly at the incoming ac line. This power supply has been in operation for the last 18 years. This paper will describe the present topology and operation of the power supply, the feedback control system and the different modes of operation of the power supply. Since the power supply has been in operation for the last 18 years, upgrading this power supply is essential. A new power supply topology has been studied where energy is stored in capacitor banks. DC to DC converters are used to convert the dc voltage stored in the capacitor banks to pulsed DC voltage into the magnet load. This enables the average incoming power from the ac line to be constant while the peak magnet power is pulsed to +/- 18 MWatts. Simulations and waveforms of this power supply will be presented

Prevalence and predictors of stress, suicidal thoughts and depression in Italian university students

Abstract Background Depression is a major public health issue in Europe. The prevalence of depressive symptoms (DS) in university students (US) is considerably higher than in the general population. Since few data on DS among Italian US exist, this study aimed to estimate perceived stress (PS) and DS prevalence and assess associated factors in Italian US. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed in the Social Sciences and Educational Sciences degree courses at University of Cassino through self-administered questionnaires including socio-demographic items, Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) scale and Perceived Stress Scale. Primary outcomes were DS presence (BDI-II score≥14), suicidal thoughts (ST) and PS. Multivariable analysis and linear logistic regressions were performed. Results Globally, 203 questionnaires were collected (23 BDI-II missing). DS and ST prevalence was 30.6% and 11.3 %. PS median score was 20 (IQR=11) and 87.7% reported moderate/severe PS. Family history of psychiatric disorders and not being a freshman (attending first years of courses) were significantly (p < 0.05) related to DS, while not thinking that University hinders carrying out personal activities was protective. High PS and having a chronic disease were significantly associated with ST, while family cohesion appears to be protective. High PS was significantly associated with: female gender, family history of psychiatric disorders, thinking that University hinders resting and relaxing, being under psychiatric/psychological care and having chosen university for Intellectual curiosity. Having no worries about future was linked to a lower PS. Conclusions This study found an alarmingly high prevalence of DS and ST in Italian US. Further longitudinal studies need to define risk factors for depression and stress in US. Public health actions such as offering preventive treatment interventions could improve health in European US. Key messages Depressive symptoms can be widespread up to 30% of university students and European policies should afford this issue with a strong commitment in order to reduce harmful consequences. Predictors of depressive symptoms, such as university workload and family cohesion, are recognizable and can be a target for European strategies aimed to improve university students' mental health

Acute cardiac injury after subarachnoid haemorrhage: two case reports

It is well known that cardiopulmonary complications are often associated to subarachnoid haemorrhage. For appropriate therapeutic managing it is very important to distinguish acute coronary syndrome from neurogenic myocardial injury, which is a reversible condition. Furthermore, because the hearts of brain dead patients may be utilized for therapeutic purpose, it has became of importance to rule out erroneous diagnosis of cardiac ischemia in order to avoid rejection of hearts potential suitable for transplantation

Burden of COVID-19: Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) across 16 European countries

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to measure and compare the burden of disease of COVID-19 pandemic in 16 EU/EEA countries through the estimation of Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) over a long period of time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The observational study was based on data from ECDC and WHO databases collected from 27 January 2020 to 15 November 2020. In addition to the absolute number of DALYs, a weekly trend of DALYs/100,000 inhabitants was computed for each country to assess the evolution of the pandemic burden over time. A cluster analysis and Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test were performed to allow for a country-to-country comparison. RESULTS: The total DALYs amount to 4,354 per 100.000 inhabitants. YLLs were accountable for 98% of total DALYs. Italy, Czechia and Sweden had the highest values of DALYs/100,000 while Finland, Estonia and Slovakia had the lowest. The latter three countries differed significantly from the others – in terms of DALYs trend over time – as shown by KS test. The cluster analysis allowed for the identification of three clusters of countries sharing similar trends of DALYs during the assessed period of time. These results show that notable differences were observed among different countries, with most of the disease burden attributable to YLLs. CONCLUSIONS: DALYs have proven to be an effective measure of the burden of disease. Public health and policy actions, as well as demographic, epidemiological and cultural features of each country may be responsible for the wide variations in the health impact that were observed among the countries analyzed

Organized crime in three regions: comparing the Veneto, Liverpool, and Chicago

This paper studies organized crime in three regions, the Veneto in Northern Italy, Liverpool in England, and Chicago in the United States. Data were gathered from published reports, government documents, and field observation. Case studies were then compiled describing organized crime in each area. The findings suggest that various jurisdictions define organized crime differently. These different definitions correspond to the nature of organized crime in each locality. In spite of these differences, however, there is consensus about the use of the term mafia. Groups that are defined as mafias generally exercise some degree of political influence in their areas of operation. Additionally, criminal groups that began as adolescent gangs retain the gang classification even after they move into drug trafficking and other organized criminal activities. These findings suggest important distinctions between organized criminal groups and improve our understanding of the term organized crime