The impact of protective measures against COVID-19 on the wellbeing of residents in nursing homes and their relatives: a rapid review.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and compared to other population groups, older people were at a heightened risk of developing lethal disease symptoms. Thus, many countries put in place protective measures to protect this "at-risk" population, especially in nursing homes, to limit the number of infections. These measures consisted mostly in the absence of social gatherings, the impossibility for relatives to enter the nursing homes, limitations in group activities, and the ban of group-eating. Although these measures were helpful to mitigate the spread of the disease, they also induced long periods of social isolation for the residents of nursing homes. This could have impacted the wellbeing and quality of life of residents and their relatives, with a possible impact on the overall health of residents. We designed this rapid review to investigate the literature on the impact of COVID-19 protective measures in nursing homes on the quality of life, wellbeing and physical health of residents and their relatives. Our results showed that most of the articles included in the review, either using qualitative or quantitative methods, evidenced a detrimental impact of protective measures on resident's and their relatives' wellbeing. We argue that, in the event of a new pandemic similar to the COVID-19, protective measures should also take into account their psychological impact, and not only their physical impact.

Minerals as additives for decreasing the toxicity of Mediterranean contaminated dredged sediments.

The management of dredged sediments is a priority issue in the Mediterranean sea where sediments are historically polluted. The aims of this study were to evaluate the toxicity of port sediment samples and the effect of three mineral additives (hematite, zerovalent iron (ZVI) and natural zeolite (NZ)) on sediment elutriate toxicity. Four sediments (A, B, C and D) were provided by port authorities after composting procedure; particle size, particulate organic carbon, metals and organic pollutants (TBT, PAHs, PCBs) were determined in whole sediments. Elutriates from these composted sediments were analyzed by determining toxicity level using oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae bioassay, metal and dissolved organic carbon concentrations. Toxicity, measured on undiluted elutriates (250 g/L), decreased as follows: A≥B>C∼D. The treatment of sediments with mineral additives (5%) revealed that hematite tends to decrease the elutriate toxicity in all samples, particularly in samples B and C. This effect may be related to metal concentration decrease in elutriates, in particular Cu and Zn, that have a significant toxic effect on oyster larvae. ZVI and NZ have a variable influence on elutriate toxicity. Results suggest that hematite may be a possible candidate for decreasing chemical concentration and improving the quality of elutriates. Hematite could be used for sediment stabilization prior to the deposit in a specific site or landfill.

Sorption of Cs(I) on Magnetite in the Presence of Silicates.

The sorption of H(4)SiO(4) on magnetite has been qualified and quantified using three different surface complexation models, CCM, DLM, and NEM. The three tested models can account for the sorption of silicates using the same stoichiometry, one neutral species binding on a neutral surface, and the same constant, error aside. Experiments have also been performed to demonstrate that the sorption of dissolved silicates has a nonnegligible effect on the behavior of the surface of magnetite. Then, the sorption of cesium is insignificant on the neat surface of magnetite and is increased up to 10-20% when silicates are present in solution. A theoretical model, where the rule of electrostatics is pointed out, has been developed to account for the experimental observations. This model allows the reproduction of the sorption of cesium in the presence of dissolved silicates for the following four cases: -concentration of silicates under solubility limit -concentration of silicates over solubility limit -binary mixtures of silica and magnetite -natural magnetite with silica as impurity. The reaction given in the model to account for the experimental observations proposes that silicates may act as a "bridge" between the surface of magnetite and cesium. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

Surface Complexation Modeling of Yb(III) and Cs(I) Sorption on Silica.

A surface complexation model is used to describe sorption of ytterbium and cesium on the silica surface. The constant capacitance model gives the description of the solid-solution interface chosen for this work. The first step in the modeling consists of extracting the surface acidity constants. The result is: The second step consists of the extraction of surface complexation constants for both ytterbium and cesium. The sorption of the cations is represented as follows: for the ytterbium sorption, for the cesium sorption, In the case of cesium, the sorption of sodium is competitive and has to be considered: Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Comparing Electrostatic and Nonelectrostatic Surface Complexation Modeling of the Sorption of Lanthanum on Hematite.

The sorption of lanthanum on hematite is studied in experiments for three different surface loading ratios. The experiments consist of following the evolution of the amount of cation sorbed on surface with pH, and as well as measuring the number of protons released during sorption for the three different surface loading conditions. The sorption edge shifts to high pH, and the number of protons released during sorption increases, when the surface loading increases. Three different surface complexation models (SCMs), with three different electrostatic descriptions of the interface, are used to fit the experimental sorption curves. The stoichiometries proposed by the models are compared with the measurement of the protons released. Descriptions of the interface are given by the diffuse layer model (DLM), the constant capacitance model (CCM), and a nonelectrostatic model (NEM). If the fit quality is comparable for the three models, only the electrostatic models are able to account for the dependence of stoichiometry on surface loading. On the other hand, the NEM gives the same stoichiometry, with the same number of protons released, when surface loading conditions change. This is not in agreement with experiment observations. The stoichiometries, confirmed by an independent experiment, and the value of the surface constants obtained are the same, error aside, for DLM and CCM for the three different surface loading ratios. The NEM gives different values, even if the fit quality is comparable. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

Surface Complexation Modeling of Yb(III), Ni(II), and Cs(I) Sorption on Magnetite.

The sorption of ytterbium, nickel, and cesium on magnetite is studied via experiments. The affinity of the magnetite surface is greater for ytterbium, then nickel, and nonexistent for cesium. Three different surface complexation models, with three different electrostatic descriptions of the interface, are used to fit the experiment data. These descriptions are given by the double layer model (DLM), the constant capacitance model (CCM), and a nonelectrostatic model (NEM). The results of fits give the same stoichiometries for the surface reactions for the three tested models in similar surface loading conditions. The values of the surface constants obtained are the same, taking into account the error for DLM and CCM. NEM gives different values, even if the fit quality is comparable. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.