Summary

Dear Colleagues,

The collection “Encyclopedia of Hygiene” is designed to combine scientific publications into a single collection of knowledge on hygiene and the impact of the environment on human health. It covers topics such as environmental pollution, electric and magnetic field waves, high-humidity conditions, heat shocks, climate change, non-communicable and emerging diseases, corrosive environments, vacuums, strong vibration, high impact and electrical loading, high levels of ultrasound and infrasound exposure, microplastics, new aero and food allergens, excessive ionizing radiation, etc. The impact of the environment on human health is becoming increasingly apparent, and it is essential to understand the causes and consequences of this impact. This collection provides comprehensive insights into the mechanisms of the interaction of environmental factors with the human body and the role of preventive measures in maintaining public health. It provides valuable information on the latest research and knowledge in this area, which can help individuals and organizations take measures to reduce the negative impact of environmental factors on human health.

We invite researchers and physicians to submit original manuscripts on topics related to hygiene. We are particularly interested in applications that present cutting-edge ideas in hygiene theory and practice, environmental issues, and hygiene hypotheses for autoimmune and allergic diseases; new approaches to hygiene education and behavior change; and critical empirical research that sheds light on the impact of hygiene on human health and well-being. We welcome submissions from a variety of disciplines including, but not limited to: epidemiology, microbiology, behavioral science, environmental science, and medical anthropology. Submitted articles will be carefully reviewed by our expert editorial board, which guarantees the highest standards of scientific reliability and publication quality. The collection will become a valuable resource for anyone interested in understanding the impact of the environment on human health.

Prof. Dr. Yury Zhernov
Prof. Dr. Oleg Mitrokhin
Prof. Dr. Natarajan Sriraam
Collection Editors

Please click here to find Guidelines for Submissions.

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Editors
Yury Zhernov

Institution: Department of General Hygiene, F. Erismann Institute of Public Health, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia

Interests: hygiene; allergology and immunology; dermatology and venereology; virology; infectious diseases; epidemiology

Oleg V. Mitrokhin

Institution: Department of General Hygiene, F. Erismann Institute of Public Health, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia

Interests: hygiene; epidemiology; COVID-19; sanitary regulations; public health

Natarajan Sriraam

Institution: Center for Medical Electronics and Computing, M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India

Interests: gerontology and geriatrics; ageing science; public health; medical electronics

Entries
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Anxiety, Depression, and Other Emotional Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review of the Risk Factors and Risk Groups
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives, including mental health. Identifying risk factors and risk groups associated with anxiety, depression, and other emotional disorders for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic is highly relevant. This narrative review aims to summarize the evidence to date on risk factors for emotional disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to identify the risk groups of people in need of early psychiatric and psychological assistance, point out the controversial data on the influence of risk factors on emotional disorders in COVID-19, and finally offer recommendations for alleviating symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other emotional disorders in such people. According to the current literature, being under the age of 40, being female, having contact with a COVID-infected person, and watching the news about COVID-19 for more than 3 h a day all increase the likelihood of anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. Healthcare workers, particularly nurses, working in the COVID-19 hot zone suffer more from sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression. It is also noted that people with a previous psychiatric history, in addition to increased risks of anxiety and depression, have an increased risk of relapse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The same is true for people who have had episodes of substance abuse in the past. Aside from socioeconomic factors, the mental wellbeing of those who have had COVID-19 is also impacted by biological factors (using anti-COVID-19 drugs, COVID-19-associated immunothrombosis and venous thromboembolism, interferon-gamma-related cytokine storm, etc.), resulting in a wide range of acute and long-term cognitive disorders. During the restricted resource time, the aforementioned risk groups should be prioritized for prevention, early identification, and proper treatment of potential emotional disorders. The risk factors that were found in this narrative review, as well as how they interact and change over time, will help understand why some studies of at-risk groups do not agree with each other, justify new preventive measures, and strengthen existing programs to keep people’s mental health in check during this pandemic and other emergencies.
  • 785
  • 10 Mar 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Syndemic: A Synergistic Anthropological Approach to the COVID-19 Pandemic
This review describes the relationship between the coronavirus-related pandemic and health inequities. The latter are linked to pre-existing social and economic discriminations in terms of access to healthcare for people affected by chronic diseases. We believe that we are living in a “syndemic pandemic”. The term “syndemic” was originally developed by the medical anthropologist Merrill Singer in the 1990s in order to recognize the correlation between HIV/AIDS, illicit drug use, and violence in the United States. This complex interplay exacerbated the burden of the disease and the prognosis of the patient. Similarly, in COVID-19 infection, socio-economic, ethnic, and racial inequities result in higher morbidity and mortality in certain sections of society. Unfortunately, such differences are becoming too common during the COVID-19 pandemic, in terms of the incidence and prevalence of the disease, as well as inequal access to new medical advances and life-saving therapeutics for those with COVID-19, such as vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatment. Lockdown measures, imposed internationally as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are causing economic inequities, which complicate the issue even further. An appropriate syndemic anthropological approach is necessary to ensure that this pandemic does not increase health inequities in access to appropriate treatments.
  • 599
  • 21 Apr 2023
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Effect of Probiotics on Host-Microbial Crosstalk: A Review on Strategies to Combat Diversified Strain of Coronavirus
The scare of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), does not seem to fade away, while there is a constant emergence of novel deadly variants including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron. Until now, it has claimed approximately 276,436,619 infections, and the number of deaths surpluses to 5,374,744 all over the world. While saving the life has been a priority during the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the post-infection healing and getting back to normalcy has been undermined. Improving general health conditions and immunity with nutritional adequacy is currently of precedence for the government as well as frontline health workers to prevent and assuage infections. Exploring the role of probiotics and prebiotics in managing the after-effects of a viral outbreak could be of great significance, considering the emergence of new variants every now and then. To enhance human immunity, the recent evidence on the connection between gut microbiota and the broad spectrum of the clinical COVID-19 disease is the reason to look at the benefits of probiotics in improving health conditions. This review aims to sketch out the prospective role of probiotics and prebiotics in improving the standard of health in common people.
  • 547
  • 10 Mar 2023
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