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Drug Alcohol Depend 2021 Feb 16;221:108621. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Universidade Federal de São Paulo - UNIFESP, Department of Preventive Medicine, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address:

Background: To estimate the prevalence of changes in the frequency of self-reported heavy episodic drinking (HED) among drinkers in Latin America and Caribbean countries on alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to assess self-reported factors associated with the increased frequency of HED.

Methods: Data from 12,328 adults who responded to the cross-sectional survey conducted in 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean by Pan American Health Organization were used. Logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the effect of the sociodemographic characteristics, quarantine practices, and anxiety symptoms on the increase in frequency of HED among the 2019 drinkers. Read More

J Dent 2021 Feb 23:103618. Epub 2021 Feb 23.

Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address:

Objectives: To quantify, characterize and analyze e-mail from predatory journals (PJ) received by an academic in dentistry.

Methods: E-mails received in 2019 and suspected of being potentially predatory were pre-selected. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) checklist was applied to identify the suspected biomedical PJ, including the following criteria: article processing charge (APC), fake impact factor, the journal being listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Read More

Int Dent J 2021 Feb 13. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

Objectives: This study reports on the readiness of Palestinian dentists to reopen their practices for routine care during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional study targeted dentists in the West Bank area of Palestine using an online survey during the first 2 weeks of May 2020. Questions mainly asked about dentists' perception of the risks of COVID-19, readiness to reopen their clinics for routine care, and the level of confidence in dealing with patients suspected of having COVID-19. Read More

Commun Dis Intell (2018) 2021 Feb 26;45. Epub 2021 Feb 26.

Central Queensland Public Health Unit, Central Queensland Hospital and Health Services, Rockhampton, Australia.

Abstract: The implementation of public health measures to control the current COVID-19 pandemic (such as wider lockdowns, overseas travel restrictions and physical distancing) is likely to have affected the spread of other notifiable diseases. This is a descriptive report of communicable disease surveillance in Central Queensland (CQ) for six months (1 April to 30 September 2020) after the introduction of physical distancing and wider lockdown measures in Queensland. The counts of notifiable communicable diseases in CQ in the six months were observed and compared with the average for the same months during the years 2015 to 2019. Read More

J Psychiatr Res 2021 Feb 13;136:296-305. Epub 2021 Feb 13.

Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350122, Fujian Province, China; Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address:

Background: This study explored the behavioural responses and anxiety symptoms of the general adult population in Japan during the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.

Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between 12th and May 13, 2020. Quota sampling was used to attain equal gender and age distributions representative of the Japanese population. Read More