Traci N. Adams^1,#,*, Haley Belt^1,#, E. Whitney Pollio², Leah Cohen¹, Roma M. Mehta¹, Hetal J. Patel¹, Rosechelle M. Ruggiero¹, Carol S. North³

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.9, pp. 1369-1382, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.066495 - 30 September 2025

Abstract Background: While quantitative research has determined that emotional distress and psychiatric illness among frontline healthcare workers increased with the COVID-19 pandemic, detailed qualitative data describing their personal experiences are needed in order to make appropriate plans to address provider mental health in future pandemics. This study aims to further explore the psychological effects of the pandemic on COVID-19 ICU clinicians and administrators through focus groups. Methods: Two separate 2-h focus groups of physicians were conducted, one with frontline faculty clinicians and another with administrators. Qualitative data analysis was conducted. Results: In September and November 2023, volunteer… More >

Marie Chaumel¹, Nicolas Brichart², Franck Bruyère¹, Ali Bourgi^1,*

Canadian Journal of Urology, Vol.32, No.4, pp. 359-366, 2025, DOI:10.32604/cju.2025.066470 - 29 August 2025

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted healthcare systems globally, raising concerns about delayed cancer diagnosis and treatment. In France, transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT) was prioritized in national urology guidelines to ensure the timely management of urothelial carcinoma. This study aimed to assess the impact of care reorganization on tumor staging, recurrence, palliative care, and mortality in bladder cancer patients from the pre-pandemic through late-pandemic periods. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study including all patients who underwent TURBT with histologically confirmed urothelial carcinoma between April and December of 2019 (pre-pandemic), 2020 (early pandemic), 2021… More >

Melissa Mashaba¹, Curwyn Mapaling^2,*, Wandile F. Tsabedze³

Journal of Psychology in Africa, Vol.35, No.1, pp. 29-35, 2025, DOI:10.32604/jpa.2025.066007 - 30 April 2025

Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic introduced significant psychosocial stressors for morticians in South Africa, yet their coping mechanisms remain underexplored. This study investigated how South African morticians (N = 10, Black males) coped with these stressors during the pandemic through semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) informed thematic analysis identified five themes: (i) death overload distress associated with trauma and fear of exposure; (ii) insomnia due to worry, workload, and fear of infection; (iii) stigmatisation from community avoidance and negative perceptions; (iv) social isolation and anxiety related to emotional disconnection, personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, More >

Agar Marín-Morales^1,2,*, Sofia Amaoui², Carmen Fernández-Fillol^2,3,4, Gustavo Carlo⁵, Sandra Rivas-García^2,6

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.4, pp. 561-576, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.058881 - 30 April 2025

Abstract Background: Prosocial behavior plays a crucial role in improving interpersonal relationships and social well-being, especially in times of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a severe humanitarian crisis, prompting governments to implement measures such as social confinement. The main objective of the study was to analyze the psychological and sociodemographic variables that may predict prosocial behavior during quarantine. Methods: The sample consisted of 172 participants from Spain, divided into two groups based on whether they reported an increase in prosocial behaviors during quarantine. An online survey was administered to analyze the psychological and sociodemographic variables. Results: Overall, More >

Meng Wang¹, Onkei Lei^1,2, Frankie U Kei Wong¹, Water Soi Po Wong¹, Walter Heung Chin Hui¹, Gasper Chi Hong Leong¹, Wenze Fang^1,3, Zhaowei Kong^1,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 363-378, 2025, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2025.060875 - 31 March 2025

Abstract Background: This study evaluated physical fitness and mental health in young and elderly women 3 months after mild COVID-19 infection, and examined the impact of infection and age on long COVID occurrence and trajectory. Methods: There were 213 eligible female volunteers (107 young, 106 elderly) recruited approximately three months after the significant outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Participants completed a fitness test and mental health assessment using the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Self-Assessment Scale (PTSD) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Inventory (PSQI). Results: Despite no significant difference in physical fitness, infected young and elderly females experienced poorer… More >

Mukul Mishra¹, Deeba Khan², Sehbanul Islam^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.49, No.1, pp. 127-147, 2025, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2025.058038 - 24 January 2025

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the newly emerged coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has resulted in unprecedented global health challenges, including millions of infections and deaths. While the direct effects of the virus are critical, the interplay between SARS-CoV-2 and cellular host factors significantly impacts the replication cycle of the virus and the clinical severity of COVID-19. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of host-pathogen interactions, focusing on the functional roles and regulatory mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins. We systematically review the literature to detail how SARS-CoV-2 engages with host cellular machinery, with a specific emphasis on their More >

Shikha Kukreti^1,#, Min-Chi Hsieh^2,#, Musheer A. Aljaberi³, Ru-Yi Huang^4,5,6, I-Ting Hwang⁷, Carol Strong², Jung-Sheng Chen⁸, Ming-Ta Hsieh^9,10,*, Mark D. Griffiths¹¹, Chung-Ying Lin^12,13,*, Nai-Ying Ko¹

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.26, No.12, pp. 987-996, 2024, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2024.057708 - 31 December 2024

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted medical education and caused psychological distress and worry about clinical learning for those who received clinical medical education during this period. Although the acute phase of COVID-19 has now ended, understanding its impact is essential for strengthening medical system preparedness. Therefore, the present study examined the association between changes in medical education and worry about clinical learning, considering the mediating role of psychological distress among participants who received clinical training. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 542 post-graduate year (PGY) doctors and allied health students from the… More >

Tianfei Yang¹, Xianyi Long^2,*

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, Vol.26, No.9, pp. 719-730, 2024, DOI:10.32604/ijmhp.2024.053705 - 20 September 2024

Abstract Background: Though the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, and our society gradually returns to normal, Chinese people’s work and lifestyles are still influenced by the “pandemic aftermath”. In the post-pandemic era, employees may feel uncertainty at work due to the changed organizational operations and management and perceive the external environment to be more dynamic. Both these perceptions may increase employees’ negative emotions and contribute to conflicts between work and life. Drawing from the ego depletion theory, this study aimed to examine the impact of job insecurity during the post-pandemic era on employees’ work-life conflicts, and the mediating… More >

MEHRSA JALALIZADEH^1,#, HEVELINE RAYANE MOURA ROESCH^1,#, FERNANDO KORKES², QUOC DIEN-TRINH³, LEONARDO OLIVEIRA REIS^1,4,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.10, pp. 1565-1573, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.052179 - 18 September 2024

Abstract Objectives: The Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde−SUS) is the universal public healthcare system of Brazil that maintains a nationwide database of its patients. Our primary objective was to analyze regional and temporal trends, while our secondary goal was to establish correlations between states’ health economy status and their prostate cancer (PCa) epidemiology. Methods: We analyzed Brazil’s nationwide data on prostate cancer (PCa) incidence, mortality, and care gathered between 2013 and 2021 by the Information Technology Department of SUS (DATA-SUS), updated monthly using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) code. Results: In the period,… More >

Saad Akbar^1,2, Humera Azam¹, Sulaiman Sulmi Almutairi^3,*, Omar Alqahtani⁴, Habib Shah⁴, Aliya Aleryani⁴

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.80, No.1, pp. 1075-1104, 2024, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2024.050913 - 18 July 2024

Abstract The prompt spread of COVID-19 has emphasized the necessity for effective and precise diagnostic tools. In this article, a hybrid approach in terms of datasets as well as the methodology by utilizing a previously unexplored dataset obtained from a private hospital for detecting COVID-19, pneumonia, and normal conditions in chest X-ray images (CXIs) is proposed coupled with Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI). Our study leverages less preprocessing with pre-trained cutting-edge models like InceptionV3, VGG16, and VGG19 that excel in the task of feature extraction. The methodology is further enhanced by the inclusion of the t-SNE (t-Distributed… More >