The influence of post-COVID syndrome on cognitive functions of students

A survey of senior students of the Faculty of General Medicine of the NAO MUK who had recovered from Covid-19 was conducted. The disease in all respondents proceeded in a mild form or moderate severity. Post-covid syndrome developed in students who had a coronavirus infection in the form of moderate severity. The most frequent complications were loss of smell and taste, cough and shortness of breath, as well as cognitive dysfunction in the form of impaired attention, memory and thinking. The decline in performance is associated with the above violations of the central nervous system.

The effect of masks on cognitive performance.

The use of face masks has been a key response to the COVID-19 pandemic in almost every country. However, despite widespread use of masks in classrooms and offices around the world, almost nothing is known about their effects on cognitive performance. Using a natural experiment, I show that mandatory mask wearing has a negative causal effect on the cognitive performance of competitive chess players. I analyzed the quality of almost 3 million chess moves played by 8,531 individuals (ages 5-98 y) in 18 countries before and during the pandemic. Wearing a mask decreased the quality of players' decisions-a measure of their cognitive performance-by approximately one-third of an SD. However, the disruptive effect of masks is relatively short-lived, gradually weakening such that there is no measurable disadvantage from wearing a mask after roughly 4 h of play. The mask effect is driven by a large, negative effect for experts, with minimal change in performance at lower levels, and is stronger in high-incentive competitions. I provide support for a distraction mechanism whereby masks interfere with performance when working memory load is high.

Post-COVID cognitive impairment among general population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Pakistan

OBJECTIVE: To assess and compare the cognitive functioning of post-Covid patient with non-Covid person among the general population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January to May 2021. Sample of 500 community members, including both post-Covid and non-Covid, from population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Male and female with age of 18-64 years were included, age less than 18 years, having any nervous system or psychiatric illness or previous known cognitive impairment were excluded from the study. Validated Cognitive Functioning Self Reporting Scale (CFSS) questionnaire was used. Data was analyzed through SPSS V.25. RESULTS: Out of 600 approached, 500 (83.3%) participants responded to online questionnaire. Mean age of participants was 45+or-22 years, Majority (n=174: 34.7%) of participants were from 31- 40 years' age group. Hypertension (n=33;6.6%) and Diabetes Mellitus (n=30;6%) were the most common comorbid conditions;while 378 (75.6%) had no comorbidities. Mean CFSS values was 38.4+or-11.5 and 42.2+or-12.04 for male (n=230) and female (n=270) participants respectively. Based on standard cut off values of CFSS, mild, moderate and severe cognitive impairment was observed in 46 (24.8%), 127 (68.6%) and 12 (6.4%) cases of post-COVID and 19 (20.4%), 73 (78.4%) and 1 (1.0%) cases of non-COVID participants having no comorbidities. CONCLUSION: Cognitive performance was moderately affected among post COVID patients as compared to non-Covid population, compromising daily executive functioning as well as other elements of mental health such as attention, memory, spatial functioning & inhibition.

The association between COVID-19 and cognitive performance: A Mendelian randomization analysis.

INTRODUCTION: People with COVID-19 had poorer general cognitive functioning compared to people without COVID-19. The causal link between COVID-19 and cognitive impairment is still unknown. METHODS: Mendelian randomization (MR) is a statistical approach based on genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to construct instrumental variables (IVs) and can effectively bring down the confounding bias of environmental or other disease factors, because alleles are randomly assigned to offspring. RESULTS: There was consistent evidence that cognitive performance was causally associated with COVID-19; this suggests that people with better cognitive performance are less likely to be infected with COVID-19. The reverse MR analysis treating COVID-19 as the exposure and cognitive performance as the outcome demonstrated an insignificant association, indicating the unidirectionality of the relationship. DISCUSSION: Our study provided credible evidence that cognitive performance has an impact on COVID-19. Future research should focus on long-term impact of cognitive performance on COVID-19.

Musical and psychomotor interventions for cognitive, sensorimotor, and cerebral decline in patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (COPE): a study protocol for a multicentric randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Regular cognitive training can boost or maintain cognitive and brain functions known to decline with age. Most studies administered such cognitive training on a computer and in a lab setting. However, everyday life activities, like musical practice or physical exercise that are complex and variable, might be more successful at inducing transfer effects to different cognitive domains and maintaining motivation. "Body-mind exercises", like Tai Chi or psychomotor exercise, may also positively affect cognitive functioning in the elderly. We will compare the influence of active music practice and psychomotor training over 6 months in Mild Cognitive Impairment patients from university hospital memory clinics on cognitive and sensorimotor performance and brain plasticity. The acronym of the study is COPE (Countervail cOgnitive imPairmEnt), illustrating the aim of the study: learning to better "cope" with cognitive decline. METHODS: We aim to conduct a randomized controlled multicenter intervention study on 32 Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) patients (60-80 years), divided over 2 experimental groups: 1) Music practice; 2) Psychomotor treatment. Controls will consist of a passive test-retest group of 16 age, gender and education level matched healthy volunteers. The training regimens take place twice a week for 45 min over 6 months in small groups, provided by professionals, and patients should exercise daily at home. Data collection takes place at baseline (before the interventions), 3, and 6 months after training onset, on cognitive and sensorimotor capacities, subjective well-being, daily living activities, and via functional and structural neuroimaging. Considering the current constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic, recruitment and data collection takes place in 3 waves. DISCUSSION: We will investigate whether musical practice contrasted to psychomotor exercise in small groups can improve cognitive, sensorimotor and brain functioning in MCI patients, and therefore provoke specific benefits for their daily life functioning and well-being. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The full protocol was approved by the Commission cantonale d'éthique de la recherche sur l'être humain de Genève (CCER, no. 2020-00510) on 04.05.2020, and an amendment by the CCER and the Commission cantonale d'éthique de la recherche sur l'être humain de Vaud (CER-VD) on 03.08.2021. The protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (20.09.2020, no. NCT04546451).

A Multisensor System Embedded in a Computer Mouse for Occupational Stress Detection.

Occupational stress is a major challenge in modern societies, related with many health and economic implications. Its automatic detection in an office environment can be a key factor toward effective management, especially in the post-COVID era of changing working norms. The aim of this study is the design, development and validation of a multisensor system embedded in a computer mouse for the detection of office work stress. An experiment is described where photoplethysmography (PPG) and galvanic skin response (GSR) signals of 32 subjects were obtained during the execution of stress-inducing tasks that sought to simulate the stressors present in a computer-based office environment. Kalman and moving average filters were used to process the signals and appropriately formulated algorithms were applied to extract the features of pulse rate and skin conductance. The results found that the stressful periods of the experiment significantly increased the participants' reported stress levels while negatively affecting their cognitive performance. Statistical analysis showed that, in most cases, there was a highly significant statistical difference in the physiological parameters measured during the different periods of the experiment, without and with the presence of stressors. These results indicate that the proposed device can be part of an unobtrusive system for monitoring and detecting the stress levels of office workers.

Internet of Behavior and Brain Response Identification for Cognitive Performance Analysis

Learning efficiency analysis has evolved immensely in the aftermath of the COVID-19 epidemic. Technological methods for online learning and big data in the cloud have been applied to develop various curriculums;however, an analysis of learners' performance may only be done at a similar personal background group classification level. Therefore, this study presents a machine learning model for identifying cognitive performance under the principles and characteristics of the Internet of Behavior (IoB) and human brainwaves, which is more reliable than traditional data analysis. The proposed methodology can precisely classify learners according to their current cognitive performance of the brain through simple classification and IoB analysis that can immediately enhance class manipulation. © 2022 Asia-Pacific of Signal and Information Processing Association (APSIPA).

Investigating the short-term effects of using full-body hospital personal protective equipment and changes in physical workload intensity on human physiological and cognitive performance.

The present study investigated the short-term effects of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and physical workload intensity on human physiological and cognitive performance among 21 males and 19 females. PPE1 consisted of a medical coverall and surgical mask, while PPE2 consisted of impermeable full-body coverall, shoe covers, latex gloves, N95 mask, and face shield. Objective assessments were heart rate, energy expenditure, core body temperature, clothing microclimate temperature and humidity, and cognitive performance were the continuous performance test and N-Back test. Subjective assessments included thermal sensation, perceived fatigue/skin wetness/clothing moisture. Using PPE2 and increased workload intensity significantly increased the values of all physiological parameters and the subjective ratings of fatigue, thermal sensation, skin wetness, and clothing moisture. Moreover, the participants' cognitive performance was not affected by the type of PPE.Practitioner summary: Healthcare workers are at the highest risk in the fight against pandemics. Therefore, these people are required to use personal protective equipment. Using this equipment may have difficulties. The results show physiological strain and higher subjective ratings associated with using full-body hospital PPE and increased physical workload.

Chronic, acute and protocol-dependent effects of exercise on psycho-physiological health during long-term isolation and confinement.

Exercise could prevent physical and psychological deteriorations, especially during pandemic times of lock-down scenarios and social isolation. But to meet both, the common exercise protocols require optimization based on holistic investigations and with respect to underlying processes. This study aimed to explore individual chronic and acute effects of continuous and interval running exercise on physical and cognitive performance, mood, and affect and underlying neurophysiological factors during a terrestrial simulated space mission. Six volunteers (three females) were isolated for 120 days. Accompanying exercise training consisted of a continuous and interval running protocol in a cross-over design. Incremental stage tests on a treadmill were done frequently to test physical performance. Actigraphy was used to monitor physical activity level. Cognitive performance, mood (MoodMeter®), affect (PANAS), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), vascular-endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and saliva cortisol were investigated prior to, four times during, and after isolation, pre- and post-exercise on two separate days, respectively. As a chronic effect, physical performance increased (and IGF-1 tended) in the course of isolation and training until the end of isolation. Subjective mood and affect state, as well as cognitive performance, basal BDNF and VEGF levels, were well-preserved across the intervention. No acute effects of exercise were detected, besides slower reaction time after exercise in two out of nine cognitive tests, testing sensorimotor speed and memory of complex figures. Consistently higher basal IGF-1 concentrations and faster reaction time in the psychomotor vigilance test were found for the continuous compared to the interval running protocol. The results suggest that 120 days of isolation and confinement can be undergone without cognitive and mental deteriorations. Regular, individual aerobic running training supporting physical fitness is hypothesized to play an important role in this regard. Continuous running exercise seems to trigger higher IGF-1 levels and vigilance compared to interval running. Systematic and prolonged investigations and larger sample size are required to follow up on exercise-protocol specific differences in order to optimize the exercise intervention for long-term psycho-physiological health and well-being.

Mental States and Cognitive Performance Monitoring for User-Centered e-Learning System: A Case Study

The unprecedented long-term online learning caused by COVID-19 has increased stress symptoms among students. The e-learning system reduces communications between teachers and students, making it difficult to observe student's mental issues and learning performance. This study aims to develop a non-intrusive method that can simultaneously monitor stress states and cognitive performance of student in the scenario of online education. Forty-three participants were recruited to perform a computer-based reading task under stressful and non-stressful conditions, and their eye-movement data were recorded. A tree ensemble machine learning model, named LightGBM (Light Gradient Boosting Machine), was utilized to predict stress states and reading performance of students with an accuracy of 0.825 and 0.793, respectively. An interpretable model, SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanation), was used to identify the most important eye-movement indicators and their effects on stress and reading performance. The proposed model can serve as a foundation for further development of user-centred services in e-learning system. © 2022 The authors and IOS Press.

ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN DIETARY PATTERNS, NUTRITIONAL STATUS AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE OF FINAL YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, KNUST

AJOL : This study explored the relationship between dietary patterns, nutritional status and cognitive performance of final year undergraduate students in the Food Science and Technology department of KNUST. A cross sectional study was conducted among the final year undergraduate students of the Food Science and Technology Department, KNUST, Kumasi. A total of 30 participants were conveniently sampled for the study;however, only 21 were able to complete the study due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting closure of schools. Five distinct dietary patterns were obtained using 99 food components identified through the food frequency questionnaire. These mainly comprised of starch-based foods, soups and stews with little fruits and vegetables consumption. A good proportion of participants (42.9%) had normal BMI. The prevalence of underweight, overweight and obesity was 14.3%, 28.6% and 14.3% respectively. Participants with normal cognitive performance were slightly higher (52.4%) than those with mild cognitive impairment (47.6%) according to the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test. The results showed no significant correlation between dietary patterns and nutritional status. Adherence to dietary pattern 4 characterized by low consumption of iron-enhancing fruits, sea foods, soups and stews, high consumption of starch-based foods, no iron-enhancing vegetables and snack consumption was associated with cognitive decline. Fruits and vegetables consumption was generally low, necessitating nutrition education and campaigns to encourage healthy eating. Furthermore, it will be necessary to apply policies to regulate the quality of food sold at on-campus cafeterias and canteens since students eat from these places while on campus

Assessment of Task Demand and Usability of a Virtual Reality-Based Rehabilitation Protocol for Combat Related Traumatic Brain Injury From the Perspective of Veterans Affairs Healthcare Providers: A Pilot Study

The risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is significantly higher among Veterans compared to non- Veterans. Access to treatment for TBI and post concussive symptoms is sometimes difficult, because of barriers related to distance, finances, and public safety (i.e., COVID-19 infection). Virtual reality rehabilitation (VRR) offers an opportunity to incorporate a virtual space into a rehabilitation environment. To our knowledge, VRR has not been used to assist Veterans with TBI and related health problems with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (iADLs). The purpose of this study is to investigate the usability of a novel VRR ADL and iADL training protocols, developed by the Gaming Research Integration for Learning Laboratory (GRILL®) at the Air Force Research Laboratory, for cognitive rehabilitation for Veterans with a TBI. We deployed a prototype protocol among healthcare providers (n = 20) to obtain feedback on usability, task demand, and recommended adjustments. Our preliminary analysis shows that providers found the VRR protocol involved low physical demand and would likely recommend it to their patients. Although they had some concerns with vertigo-like symptoms from using a digital technology, they believed the protocol would improve iADL functioning and was a good addition to pre-existing rehabilitation protocols. These outcomes provide justification for more impactful studies investigating the effectiveness of this protocol among Veterans with TBI. Copyright © 2021 Greenhalgh, Fitzpatrick, Rodabaugh, Madrigal, Timmerman, Chung, Ahuja, Kennedy, Harris and Adamson.

Usability and Effectiveness of an Individualized, Tablet-Based, Multidomain Exercise Program for People With Dementia Delivered by Nursing Assistants: Protocol for an Evaluation of the InCoPE-App.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had drastic consequences on everyday life in nursing homes. Limited personnel resources and modified hygiene and safety measures (eg, no external exercise instructors, no group settings) have often led to interrupted physical exercise treatments. As a consequence, people with dementia benefiting from individualized exercise programs are affected by the pandemic's impact. OBJECTIVE: Our goal is to develop an easily applicable mobile application (Individualized Cognitive and Physical Exercise [InCoPE] app) allowing nursing assistants to test cognitive function and physical performance and subsequently train people with dementia through a multidomain, individualized exercise program. METHODS: We will evaluate the usability and effectiveness of the InCoPE-App by applying a mixed method design. Nursing assistants will use the InCoPE-App for 18 weeks to assess the cognitive function and physical performance of 44 people with dementia every 3 weeks and apply the individualized exercise program. We will record overall usability using questionnaires (eg, Post-Study System Usability and ISONORM 9241/10), log events, and interviews. Perceived hedonic and pragmatic quality will be assessed using the AttrakDiff questionnaire. Effectiveness will be evaluated by considering changes in quality of life as well as cognitive function and physical performance between before and after the program. RESULTS: Enrollment into the study will be completed in the first half of 2022. We expect an improvement in the quality of life of people with dementia accompanied by improvements in cognitive function and physical performance. The usability of the InCoPE-App is expected to be rated well by nursing assistants. CONCLUSIONS: To date, there is no scientifically evaluated app available that enables nursing assistants without expertise in sports science to deliver an individualized exercise program among people with dementia. A highly usable and effective InCoPE-App allows nursing assistants to test cognitive function and physical performance of people with dementia and, based thereon, select and deliver an appropriate individualized exercise program based on the cognitive and physical status of an individual, even in times of a pandemic. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Register of Clinical Trials DRKS00024069; https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00024069. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/36247.

Human factors affecting ventilation in Australian classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic: Toward insourcing occupants' proficiency in ventilation management

Underventilation in classrooms is associated with poorer academic performance and greater transmission risk of COVID-19. In a study involving data from CO2 logging in 67 classrooms in Brisbane, Australia, it was found that more than half of the classrooms monitored experienced between 5 and 50 separate instances of CO2 concentrations exceeding 1,800 ppm, a level at which cognitive performance reductions have been recorded and which is considered high risk for COVID-19 transmission. The research identifies a number of human-related factors affecting ventilation in certain classrooms, including the disabling of window operation to minimize the potential for student interference, keeping windows closed in naturally ventilated buildings to improve energy efficiency, difficult to reach switches for exhaust fans and perceptions of the likelihood of remedial action being taken. Identifying Inbodied Interaction as a useful lens to enable users themselves to better identify and remedy instances of poor IAQ, the paper contributes: (1) Insight into the CO2 concentrations experienced in Australian classrooms during the COVID pandemic;(2) Identification of human-factors contributing to the ventilation-and underventilation-of the rooms monitored;and (3) Suggestions for how to foster greater awareness of ventilation among classroom occupants and translate awareness into more active, informed, and healthier ventilation behaviors from occupants, using principles of Inbodied Interaction.

Explaining individual differences in cognitive performance: The role of anxiety, social support and living arrangements during COVID-19.

The present study investigated the relationship between anxiety, social support, living arrangements and cognitive performance of university students during the global pandemic. Two hundred and fifteen students participated by completing online questionnaires. Separate moderated multiple regression models were used to test whether social support (Family, Friends, Significant Other subscales of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) moderated the relationship between anxiety (Anxiety subscale of Depression, Anxiety Stress Scale), living arrangements (Living Alone vs Living with Friends and Family) and cognitive performance (Cognitive Failures Questionnaire), after controlling for comorbid depression. The results for each level of perceived social support suggested that anxiety was negatively associated with cognitive performance. Our most significant finding was that for students living alone, social support from a significant other offered a protective factor, whereby buffering the anxiety related cognitive deficits prevalent in those who reported lower social support. These data have important practical implications for supporting the social-emotional and academic needs of university students during the global pandemic.

Module to support independent learning of elementary school students in the pandemic period

Lost learning during a pandemic causes students' learning outcomes to drop. An alternative solution to the child's learning problem is learning with modules. Learning modules suitable for elementary school students need to be developed. Therefore, the study aimed to: (1) Discover the condition of elementary school students learning during the pandemic period;(2) Investigate the importance of independent learning;(3) Examine the use of modules as a supporting tool;(4) Delivering module illustration that can be developed for students. Furthermore, this study used a qualitative method with a phenomenology approach, and elementary school students, parents, and teachers serve as informants. The data were collected by interview and document, using the citation technique known as snowball citation, while the data was analyzed using data triangulation. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Students felt uncomfortable learning during the pandemic;(2) Independent learning was important for elementary school students;(3) All parents agreed that the module could facilitate independent learning during the pandemic period;(4) The module illustration developed for elementary school students was completed by examples or real-life application. In cooperation with relevant individuals, the learner can make the decisions necessary to meet their learning needs and comprises internal and external components. Reflective skills are a combination of the learner's cognitive, metacognitive, and affective abilities, which we will refer to as their "internal components." The learner's "external environment" refers to the learning facility, time available, and peer and facilitator interaction. It contained learning material, objectives, question model, and evaluation and was understandable, attractive, and pleasing to learn. Also, this was completed by video link, adapted to the learning needs, and contained character development.

Cognitive disorders in young people after suffering COVID-19

In this work, a research was conducted on the tendency to the appearance of cognitive disorders and the association with COVID-19 disease in persons 18-27 years of age.

Cognitive and balance performance of older adult women during COVID-19 pandemic quarantine: an ex post facto study.

Introduction: Isolation and self-quarantine can expose individuals, particularly older people, to cognitive and physical decline. Due to a reduction in their musculoskeletal and neural flexibility, older adults are more likely to be affected by quarantine limitations. This study aimed to investigate the effect of self-quarantine on cognitive and balance performance of older women during the COVID-19 outbreak. Material and methods: In a convenience sampling method, a total of 75 older adult women were recruited in this ex post facto study. The mini-mental state exam, single leg stance test, and timed up and go test were used to assess cognitive functions, static, and dynamic balance, respectively. Fall risk was measured by the Johns Hopkins assessment tool. Evaluations were performed before and after 7 months of quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak (November 2019 - June 2020), in which volunteers were at the lowest level of physical and social interaction. Results: No significant difference was observed in the mean static balance performance of the older adult women between the baseline and quarantine phases [p = 0.095, t (df) = -1.69]. The dynamic balance performance [p < 0.001, t (df) = 5.6] and cognitive status (p < 0.001, t = -7.4) decreased and the fall rate increased [p < 0.001, t (df) = 7.35] after 7 months of quarantine. Conclusions: It seems that self-quarantine can cause a decline in cognitive functions and dynamic balance performance of older women. It implies that the decrease in social interactions and physical activities caused by the limitations of self-quarantine put individuals at greater risk of cognitive impairment and increase their falling rate by impairing dynamic balance.

The effects of exercise on cognitive dysfunction in patients with Coronavirus and sports recommendations for their recovery

Background & Aims: Beginning in 2020, a deadly disease called COVID-19 spread throughout the world, plunging all countries into a viral infection. Viral infections are naturally associated with upper respiratory tract infections, which are commonly reported with fever, headache, and cough. COVID-19 virus can infect a person's respiratory system and lungs, eventually leading to death. The virus can first activate and infect macrophages. Macrophages then transfer COVID 19 to T cells and make them weak. In addition, by weakening T cells, T cell subsets are activated to increase cytokines to enhance the immune response. T cells, CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells play an important antiviral role in the body. It is noteworthy that CD4 + T cells in the body produce T cell-dependent (B) cells to increase virus-specific antibodies. On the other hand, CD8 + T cells are a toxic cell and can kill virus-infected cells. Most published studies have focused on the effect of aerobic exercise on immune system function. Recent studies have shown that tai chi and yoga exercises can also be beneficial for immune system function. Exercise has long been known as an important modulator of inflammatory processes. Exercise can apparently have both tonic and suppressive effects on the immune system. The effect of exercise on innate and acquired safety parameters depends on the intensity, load and duration of exercise. As the severity increases, immune function and ultimately the risk of infection increase. These risks depend on immune system regulators (genetics, nutritional status, psychological stress, circadian rhythms), environmental stressors (extreme temperatures, airway irritants) that increase inflammation. In response to exercise, immune cells grow, proliferate, and produce molecules such as cytokines and cytotoxic granules. Prolonged exercise, at least in healthy individuals, appears to reduce basal inflammatory status by reducing the circulation of inflammatory cytokines. Regular periods of short-term training (i.e., up to 45 minutes) with moderate intensity boost the immune system (increase T cells) while frequent periods of long-term high-intensity training (> 2 hours) can suppress the immune system. Acute exercise, even in healthy individuals, leads to a strong inflammatory response that is mediated by leukocyte mobilization (even for short periods of 6 minutes) and increases potent inflammatory mediators such as TNF-a, IL-1. The effect of increasing aerobic capacity on improving lung function and preventing lung injury can be summarized in four mechanisms. The first mechanism of aerobic exercise can prevent the suppression of the immune system by affecting the immune system and increase anti-inflammatory factors. The second mechanism contains the role of aerobic capacity in restoring the elasticity of lung tissue to normal and increasing the strength and endurance of the respiratory muscles, which helps increase ventilation, and reduce lung damage. The third mechanism includes the role of aerobic capacity as an antioxidant to limit the production of free radicals and oxidative damage. The fourth mechanism involves the role of aerobic capacity in reducing cough and clearing the airways by improving pulmonary safety and autonomic modulation.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) on the mental health of healthcare professionals: a systematic review

Background: In times of this global pandemic situation, population's mental health is compromised, especially in those groups that are at the forefront of defense against the virus such as healthcare professionals. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak on healthcare professionals' mental health.