Epilepsy care during the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the care of all patients around the world. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) COVID-19 and Telemedicine Task Forces examined, through surveys to people with epilepsy (PWE), caregivers, and health care professionals, how the pandemic has affected the well-being, care, and services for PWE. The ILAE included a link on their website whereby PWE and/or their caregivers could fill out a survey (in 11 languages) about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including access to health services and impact on mental health, including the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. An anonymous link was also provided whereby health care providers could report cases of new-onset seizures or an exacerbation of seizures in the context of COVID-19. Finally, a separate questionnaire aimed at exploring the utilization of telehealth by health care professionals since the pandemic began was available on the ILAE website and also disseminated to its members. Seventeen case reports were received; data were limited and therefore no firm conclusions could be drawn. Of 590 respondents to the well-being survey (422 PWE, 166 caregivers), 22.8% PWE and 27.5% caregivers reported an increase in seizure frequency, with difficulty in accessing medication and health care professionals reported as barriers to care. Of all respondents, 57.1% PWE and 21.5% caregivers had severe psychological distress (k score >13), which was significantly higher among PWE than caregivers (p<0.01). An increase in telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic was reported by health care professionals, with 40% of consultations conducted by this method. Although 74.9% of health care providers thought that this impacted positively, barriers to care were also identified. As we move forward, there is a need to ensure ongoing support and care for PWE to prevent a parallel pandemic of unmet health care needs

A review of eco-friendly functional road materials

Extensive studies on traditional and novel engineering materials and the increasing demands by growing traffic have led to tremendous changes of the function of roads. Roads, as an important part of the human living environment, have evolved from structures that were designed and built for passing vehicles, to ecological assets with significant economic importance. In addition to structural stability and durability, functions such as noise reduction, urban heat island mitigation, de-icing and exhaust gas absorption, are also expected. This study focused on state-of-the-art research on the performance, applications and challenges of six environment-friendly functional road materials, namely the permeable asphalt concrete, noise-reducing pavement materials, low heat-absorbing pavement materials, exhaust gas-decomposing pavement materials, de-icing pavement materials, and energy harvesting pavement materials. With this study, we aim to provide references to the latest relevant literatures of the design and development of environment-friendly functional pavement, and promote innovation in materials science and pavement design principles. For this purpose, this review compiled extensive knowledge in modern road construction and related disciplines, in order to promote the development of modern pavement engineering technologies

Impact of somatic comorbidities on quality of life of patients living with epilepsy in Sagamu, Nigeria

Purpose Somatic comorbidities are probably as important as the psychiatry comorbidities in people with epilepsy (PWE) although the former has received little attention especially in low‐ and middle‐income countries where the incidence of epilepsy is high. The main objective of this study was to determine the frequencies of somatic comorbidities in PWE. We also compared quality of life of two groups of PWE: Those with somatic comorbidities and those without. Methods In this comparative cross‐sectional study, consecutive adult patients with epilepsy above 18 years of age were recruited at the neurology outpatient clinic of Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital from July 2010 through March 2011. Epilepsy‐related data and somatic comorbidities were collated in this population. Health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) and depression were also measured using QOLIE‐31(version 1.0) and Becks depression inventory II (BDI‐II), respectively. Results One hundred and two PWE were recruited with 31 (30.4%) having at least one somatic comorbidity. Hypertension (OR = 12.43), dyspepsia (OR = 8.16), and stroke (OR = undefined) were significantly prevalent among PWE who are ≥50 years old. Energy was significantly lower among patients with comorbidities, and patients with multiple comorbidities had worse quality of life than those with single comorbidity (P = 0.006). Conclusion Somatic comorbidity is prevalent in this population with significant impact on their quality of life. We emphasize the need to screen for and reduce the numbers of somatic comorbidities in PWE as this can improve their quality of life