Usefulness, Reliability, Quality, and Content of Portuguese Language YouTube Videos on COVID-19

Objective: To investigate the usefulness, reliability, quality, and content of Portuguese-language YouTube videos on COVID-19. Material and Methods: Three keywords selected on Google Trends were searched on YouTube, and the 60 first videos listed with each term were analyzed. Two calibrated researchers evaluated the reliability (DISCERN Modified Scale), the quality (Global Quality Score - GQS), and the usefulness of videos for the users (COVID-19 Specific Score - CSS). The number of views, likes, and engagement were also analyzed. The data were evaluated by the Mann-Whitney test and Spearman correlation (α=5%). Results: 59 videos were included. The average scores of quality, reliability, and usefulness were 3.0 (±1.1), 3.2 (± 0.8), and 1.5 (± 0.9), respectively. Two-thirds of the videos (64.4%) had low/moderate quality, and the majority (76.2%) were about signs and symptoms. The numbers of views (p=0.005), likes (p=0.006), and engagement (p=0.014) were significantly higher in moderate/good quality videos. The number of comments (p=0.007), duration of videos (p=0.004), and the DISCERN score (p<0.001) were significantly higher in videos made by health professionals. The general quality of the videos was positively correlated to the CSS scores, number of views, likes, and engagement (p<0.05). Conclusion: Most videos had moderate quality and reliability and low usefulness for the users

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved