Pandemic responses at the subnational level: Exploring politics, administration, and politicization in Swedish municipalities.

The Swedish response to the pandemic at the national level has attracted considerable international attention, but little focus has been placed on the way municipalities dealt with the crisis. Using Hay's dimensions of politicization, namely the capacity for human agency, deliberation in the public domain, and social context, we analyze the politicization of the municipal response to the pandemic in Sweden. We do this based on the analysis of the decision making process to activate (or not) an extraordinary crisis management committee. We find inter alia, that (i) only a quarter of the municipalities activated the committee while a majority of them had an alternate special organization in place; (ii) support to the existing organizational structure was more salient than creating an extraordinary organization, and (iii) a robust municipal structure was deemed to be one able to withstand shocks without resorting to extraordinary governance arrangements. We find a 'conditioned politicization' of the response, privileging administration over politics.

La respuesta sueca a la pandemia a nivel nacional ha atraído una atención internacional considerable, pero se ha prestado poca atención a la forma en que los municipios abordaron la crisis. Usando las dimensiones de politización de Hay, a saber, la capacidad de agencia humana, la deliberación en el dominio público. y contexto social, analizamos la politización de la respuesta municipal a la pandemia a nivel municipal en Suecia a través de la elección de activar un comité extraordinario de gestión de crisis. Encontramos, entre otras cosas, que (i) solo una cuarta parte de los municipios activaron el comité mientras que la mayoría de ellos tenían una organización especial alterna; (ii) el apoyo a la estructura organizativa existente era más importante que la creación de una organización extraordinaria, y (iii) se consideraba que una estructura municipal robusta era capaz de soportar los impactos sin recurrir a arreglos de gobernanza extraordinarios. Encontramos una "politización condicionada" de la respuesta, privilegiando la administración sobre la política.

Assessing the effectiveness of public health interventions for Covid-19 in Greece and Cyprus.

In this article, we statistically examine the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) implemented by the national governments of Greece and Cyprus during 2020 to (a) limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and (b) mitigate the economic fallout brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Applying a modified health belief model, we hypothesize that behavioral outcomes at the policy level are a function of NPIs, perceived severity, and social context. We employ a Prais-Winsten estimation in 2-week averages and report panel-corrected standard errors to find that NPIs have clear, yet differential, effects on public health and the economy in terms of statistical significance and time lags. The study provides a critical framework to inform future interventions during emerging pandemics.

En este artículo, examinamos estadísticamente la efectividad de las intervenciones no farmacéuticas (NPI) implementadas por los gobiernos nacionales de Grecia y Chipre durante 2020 para (a) limitar la propagación del virus SARS­CoV­2 y (b) mitigar las consecuencias económicas provocadas por la pandemia de Covid­19. Al aplicar un modelo de creencias de salud modificado, planteamos la hipótesis de que los resultados de comportamiento a nivel de política son una función de las NPI, la gravedad percibida y el contexto social. Empleamos una estimación de Prais­Winsten en promedios de dos semanas e informamos los errores estándar corregidos del panel para encontrar que las NPI tienen efectos claros, aunque diferenciales, en la salud pública y la economía en términos de importancia estadística y retrasos. El estudio proporciona un marco crítico para informar futuras intervenciones durante las pandemias emergentes.

Helicobacter pylori, gastric microbiota and gastric cancer relationship: Unrolling the tangle.

Helicobacter pylori infection (Hp-I) represents a typical microbial agent intervening in the complex mechanisms of gastric homeostasis by disturbing the balance between the host gastric microbiota and mucosa-related factors, leading to inflammatory changes, dysbiosis and eventually gastric cancer. The normal gastric microbiota shows diversity, with Proteobacteria [Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) belongs to this family], Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroides and Fusobacteria being the most abundant phyla. Most studies indicate that H. pylori has inhibitory effects on the colonization of other bacteria, harboring a lower diversity of them in the stomach. When comparing the healthy with the diseased stomach, there is a change in the composition of the gastric microbiome with increasing abundance of H. pylori (where present) in the gastritis stage, while as the gastric carcinogenesis cascade progresses to gastric cancer, the oral and intestinal-type pathogenic microbial strains predominate. Hp-I creates a premalignant environment of atrophy and intestinal metaplasia and the subsequent alteration in gastric microbiota seems to play a crucial role in gastric tumorigenesis itself. Successful H. pylori eradication is suggested to restore gastric microbiota, at least in primary stages. It is more than clear that Hp-I, gastric microbiota and gastric cancer constitute a challenging tangle and the strong interaction between them makes it difficult to unroll. Future studies are considered of crucial importance to test the complex interaction on the modulation of the gastric microbiota by H. pylori as well as on the relationships between the gastric microbiota and gastric carcinogenesis.

SARS-CoV-2 seroepidemiological study in healthcare workers and discordant results using seven different diagnostic methods.

The aim of the study was to access the SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence in healthcare workers (HCWs) of a tertiary pediatric hospital after the first wave of the pandemic and to compare the results among seven commercially available antibody detection assays, including chemiluminescence (CMIA), electroluminescence (ECLIA), Εnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), and rapid immunochromatography (RIC). SARS-CoV-2 antibody detection was performed in serum samples of 1216 HCWs, using a reference CMIA assay and 8/1216 (0.66%) were detected positive. Positive serum samples were further tested with other assays; however, only one sample was positive by all tests. The rest 7 cases were negative with ECLIA and ELISA and gave discordant results with RIC test. Six months later, new serum samples of seropositive HCWs were analyzed with the same 7 tests, with inconsistent results again. Identification of reliable SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests is important to determine the actual number of past infections, the duration of antibodies, and guide public health decisions.

Assessing the effects of calculated inaction on national responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

How does calculated inaction affect subsequent responses to the COVID-19 crisis? We argue that when governments employ calculated inaction during crises, they are more likely to manipulate the technical (scientific) aspects of national responses and highlight symbolic politics, each in the name of projecting power and strengthening the regime's governing authority. Using theoretical insight from McConnell and 't Hart's policy inaction typology, we investigate sense-making and crisis response narratives in China and Greece. We conclude with implications for policymaking and the crisis management literature.

¿Cómo afecta la inacción calculada las respuestas posteriores a la crisis del COVID­19? Argumentamos que cuando los gobiernos emplean una inacción calculada durante las crisis, es más probable que manipulen los aspectos técnicos (científicos) de las respuestas nacionales y resalten la política simbólica, cada una en nombre de proyectar poder y fortalecer la autoridad gobernante del régimen. Utilizando los conocimientos teóricos de McConnell y la tipología de inacción política de 't Hart, investigamos las narrativas de respuesta a crisis y de toma de sentido en China y Grecia. Concluimos con las implicaciones para la formulación de políticas y la literatura sobre gestión de crisis.

Molecular epidemiology of Bordetella pertussis in Greece, 2010-2015.

PURPOSE: To determine the predominant strains of Bordetella pertussis in Greece during 2010-2015. METHODOLOGY: Infants and children (n=1150) (15 days to 14 years) of Greek, Roma and immigrant origin with different vaccination statuses were hospitalized in Athens, Greece with suspected pertussis infection. IS481/IS1001 real-time PCR confirmed Bordetella spp./B. pertussis infection in 300 samples. A subset of samples (n=153) were analysed by multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and (n=25) by sequence-based typing of the toxin promotor region (ptxP) on DNA extracted from clinical specimens.Results/Key findings. A complete MLVA profile was determined in 66 out of 153 samples; the B. pertussis MLVA type 27 (n=55) was the dominant genotype and all tested samples (n=25) expressed the ptxP3 genotype. The vaccine coverage in the Greek population was 90 %; however, the study population expressed complete coverage in 2 out of 264 infants (0-11 months) and in 20 out of 36 children (1-14 years). Roma and immigrant minorities represent 7 % of the Greek population, but make up 50 % of the study population, indicating a low vaccine coverage among these groups. CONCLUSIONS: The B. pertussis MT27 and ptxP3 genotype is dominant in Greek, Roma and immigrant infants and children hospitalized in Greece. Thus, the predominant MLVA genotype in Greece is similar to other countries using acellular vaccines.

Using higher-order crossings to distinguish liver regeneration indices in hepatectomized diabetic and non-diabetic rats.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Diabetes mellitus is implicated in several liver diseases; hence, its potential affection to liver regenerative capacity is an open research question. So far, only sporadic studies have addressed this issue, mainly using basic statistical techniques. The current study evaluated the ability of a novel technique, namely higher-order crossings (HOC), based on liver DNA biosynthesis and thymidine kinase (TK) enzymatic activity data, to discriminate liver regeneration processes between hepatectomized diabetic and non-diabetic rats. METHODS: We used 251 adult male rats, divided in two groups; diabetic by Alloxan injection and non-diabetic control, subjected to 70% partial hepatectomy and killed at different time intervals post-partial hepatectomy (PH) (0-240 h). The rate of tritiated thymidine (3HTdR) incorporation into hepatic DNA and the enzymatic activity of liver TK were estimated and, after proper interpolation, were analyzed using HOC sequences. Changes of the latter were captured and used as a means for linear discrimination between the two groups. RESULTS: Ninth-order HOC estimated for post-PH (24, 28, 40, 44, 72 and 84 h) exhibited linear discrimination for the rate of 3HTdR incorporation, whereas second-order HOC estimated for (44-72 h) post-PH exhibited linear discrimination for the TK enzymatic activity data. Fuzzy logic-based c-means cluster analysis of HOC provided distinct areas of group categorization (100% accuracy) for diagnostic distinctions (P < 0.001). The data grouping pointed out by the HOC-based analysis revealed an onset delay in the liver regeneration process when Alloxan diabetes was present (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that HOC have the potential to linearly discriminate between experimentally induced diabetic and non-diabetic liver regeneration post-PH processes, based on two liver regeneration indices, capturing the delay seen in the liver regeneration process due to Alloxan diabetes, fostering their use as an efficient classification tool. In this way, HOC could be used as an advanced, easily implemented and user-friendly method to thoroughly analyze liver regeneration processes.