Machine Learning Approaches for Temporal and Spatio-Temporal Covid-19 Forecasting: A Brief Review and a Contribution

In December 2019 an outbreak of a new disease happened, in Wuhan city, China, in which the symptoms were very similar to pneumonia. The disease was attributed to SARS-CoV-2 as the infectious agent and it was called the new coronavirus or Covid-19. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared a worldwide pandemic of the new coronavirus. We have already counted more than 110 million cases and almost 2.5 million deaths worldwide. In order to assist in decision-making to contain the disease, several scientists around the world have engaged in various efforts, and they have proposed a lot of systems and solutions for tracking, monitoring, and predicting confirmed cases and deaths from Covid-19. Mathematical models help to analyze and understand the evolution of the disease, but understanding the disease was not enough, it was necessary to understand the problem in a quantitative way to lead the decision-making during the pandemic. Several initiatives have made use of Artificial Intelligence, and models were designed using machine learning algorithms with features for temporal and spatio-temporal investigation and prediction of cases of Covid-19. Among the algorithms used are Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest, Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), Ecological Niche Models (ENMs), Long-Short Term Memory Networks (LSTM), linear regression, and others. And these had good results, and to analyze them, the Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), Log Root Mean Squared Error (RMSLE), correlation coefficient, and others were used as metrics. Covid-19 presents a huge problem to public health worldwide, so it is of utmost importance to investigate it, and with these two approaches it is possible to track not only how the disease evolves but also to know which areas are at risk. And these solutions can help in supporting decision-making by health managers to make the best decisions for the disease that is in the outbreak. This chapter aims to present a literature review and a brief contribution to the use of machine learning methods for temporal and spatio-temporal prediction of Covid-19, using Brazil and its federative units as a case study. From canonical methods to deep networks and hybrid committee-based, approaches will be investigated. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

The aging seen from prison: psychosocial analysis of LGBT old age with womens and men deprived of freedom at the brazilian context of COVID-19

Old age is a universal phenomenon that has notably expanded in the Brazilian population, including within the prison system. However, the arrival of the coronavirus in Brazilian prisons reinforced the need to pay attention to the psychosocial vulnerabilities that permeate this environment and affect the population in prison. The study aimed to analyze and compare the social representations of women and men in deprivation of liberty about the conditions that LGBT elderly people have to experience a safe old age in the context in which they live. It is characterized as a qualitative research, based on the Theory of Social Representations, of a descriptive and comparative nature, with cross-sectional data and a non-probabilistic convenience sample. There were 28 people living in deprivation of liberty in male and female penal units, during the pandemic period in a Brazilian state. It is evident that in the representations of the participants, old age is not a phase full of tranquility, as there are conditions and resources necessary to live it well. It is concluded that there is a predominance of many stereotypes about sexual orientation, lifestyle, loneliness in old age and sexuality among the elderly, which can be justified by the lack of knowledge on the subject or even the lack of contact with people LGBT's. © 2022, Sociedad Interamericana de Psicologia. All rights reserved.

"We Will Never be The Same”: Photovoice Reports From Social Workers of Aged Care During COVID-19

Using photovoice methodology, this study aimed to capture the perspectives of social workers from aged care services on how the pandemic impacted them at a professional level. This study comprised 12 social workers (aged 22–41 years;11 females) who worked in aged care facilities during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on photovoice methodology, as a participatory visual research method focused on individual and community assets and co-creation of knowledge, participants were asked to take photographs and then share the photos and associated narratives in a group session on the topic "Me as a professional: One year of pandemic”. From the thematic analysis, four themes emerged: personal and professional growth (increased resilience, with new perspectives on life), responding to the pandemic (implementation of immediate actions to prevent the virus propagation), teamwork (union among staff), and eyes on the future (with a sense of uncertainty, yet supported by the good lessons learned). The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on aged care facilities, with social workers becoming frontline professionals in a public health crisis. These professionals faced "forced growth” during the pandemic that has transformed them both professionally and personally. © 2023 British Association of Social Workers.

Gerontological social workers' perspectives about the future at the start of a COVID-19 vaccination program: A photovoice study

The COVID-19 pandemic is a continuing public health crisis, although it has lessened in its intensity since the start of worldwide vaccination programs. In aged care facilities, gerontological social workers have become frontline professionals facing multiple challenges and demands. One year after the first COVID-19 case in Portugal, during the second major lockdown in the country, and with vaccination starting in these facilities, a photovoice program to identify the experiences of these professionals was developed. This study aimed to understand how gerontological social workers foresee the future of practice and intervention with older adults. A thematic analysis was conducted based on the photographs and associated narratives from 10 participants, all female, aged between 22 and 35 years, who attended a program's session. Findings Three themes were identified with the thematic analysis: (1) personal and professional growth (with renewed life perspectives and increased resilience), (2) reinvention of intervention (with improved management of emotions, teamwork, and alternative ways of intervening), and (3) hope to use the lessons learned (hope that vaccination will bring conditions to recover the older adults' well-being and opportunities to use the good lessons learned). Applications These findings are relevant to inform policymakers and governments about practices in aged care facilities and to improve the training of gerontological social workers in acute action management and intervention. We stress alternative ways of intervening that came up in the response to the pandemic such as emotional management, digital technology, communication strategies, self-care, or the families' involvement.

Analise Do Perfil Dos Doadores E Dos Procedimentos De Plaquetaferese No Banco De Sangue Santa Marcelina Realizados Em 2021

Objetivos: Analisar o perfil dos doadores de plaquetafereses do Banco de Sangue Santa Marcelina, no ano de 2021, seguido da analise dos procedimentos correlacionando com caracteristicas dos doadores. Material e metodos: Coleta de dados dos procedimentos de plaquetafereses realizados em 2021 no Banco de Sangue Santa Marcelina. Resultados: Feito, em 2021, 1104 procedimentos de plaquetafereses em 466 doadores. Executados na MCS+, 67% (736 procedimentos) e na TRIMA, 33% (368 procedimentos). Desses 466 doadores, 78% (365 doadores) eram homens e 22% (101) mulheres. Em relacao a idade, 70% (325 doadores) na faixa etaria de 30-49 anos, 1% (4) tinham mais de 60 anos. Doadores com sobrepeso foram os mais comuns, 51% (239), com indice de massa corporea (IMC) entre 25-29,9, obeso grau I (IMC 30-34,9) presente em 26% (120), 17% (78) na faixa normal (IMC 18,5-24,9) e 2% (9), sendo 6 homens e 3 mulheres, tinham obesidade grau III (IMC >=40). A contagem plaquetaria previa em 49% (227) variou entre 200.000 e 269.999/mm3, em 29% (133) entre 150.000-199.999/mm3, 2% (7) apresentavam plaquetas acima de 320.000/mm3. Mais da metade desses doadores, 52% (244), fizeram apenas um procedimento de plaquetaferese em 2021, e no geral, 93% (435) fizeram de 1-6 procedimentos no ano, o maximo de coletas foi de 14 vezes em um doador. Em 61% (284) dos doadores, a volemia sanguinea variou entre 4.100 e 5.299ml, 5% (22) doadores tinham entre 3500 e 4099ml e 5% (23) tinham mais de 6500ml. Em 64% (706) dos procedimentos, o tempo variou entre 60 e 89 minutos, houve 1% (14) procedimentos que, devido intercorrencias variadas, o tempo ficou entre 0 e 30 minutos e nao houve coleta de produto viavel, sendo 8 interrupcoes na MCS+ e 6 na TRIMA. Em 23% (86/368) dos procedimentos na TRIMA foi possivel realizar em menos 60 minutos, e apenas em 5% (36/736) na MCS+, mas, o tempo medio, entre 1 hora e 1h30min, foi similar, 63% (462/736) na MCS+ e 66% (242/368) na TRIMA. Na maioria dos procedimentos, 60% (659), coletou-se uma plaquetafereses simples, e em 37% (413) foi possivel coletar uma dupla, separando por maquina, a TRIMA coletou mais duplas 56% (205/368) contra 28% (208/736) na MCS+. O procedimento removeu de 0,0 a 50% das plaquetas circulantes, em 76% (840) retirou entre 20-39,9%. Apos o procedimento, a contagem plaquetaria remanescente estimada ficou acima de 100.000/mm3 em 100% dos doadores. Discussao: A doacao de plaquetafereses contribui para manutencao dos estoques, pois de um doador e possivel coletar o equivalente a 6 ou 12 unidades de randomicas, se for bolsa simples ou dupla, e sao desleucocitadas durante o processamento com baixa contaminacao de hemacias. Em nosso servico, a maioria dos doadores sao do sexo masculino, acima de 30 anos, com excesso de peso e contagem previa de plaquetas acima de 200.000/mm3. Em 2021 ainda havia muitas restricoes por causa da pandemia de Sars-Cov-2, isso poderia explicar o porque 52% dos doadores fizeram apenas uma doacao neste ano avaliado. Bolsas duplas foram obtidas com mais frequencia na TRIMA, porem, nem todos os doadores tem um acesso venoso bom para TRIMA e a realizamos muito mais procedimentos na MCS+ em nosso servico. Na MCS+ o tempo de procedimento foi maior que na TRIMA, a primeira e de fluxo descontinuo e a segunda continuo, essa diferenca de tempo e de conhecimento geral. Conforme recomendacao, nenhum doador terminou o procedimento com plaquetas estimadas menor que 100.000/mm3. Conclusao: Os equipamentos avaliados sao seguros e tem diferencas de processos que auxiliam o servico a ampliar as opcoes de doadores sem comprometer a qualidade. Deve-se adotar os cuidados previsto na legislacao em relacao a selecao e protecao e estimular as doacoes de repeticao, que sao permitidas ate 24 vezes por ano. Copyright © 2022

Durvalumab (D) +/- tremelimumab (T) + chemotherapy (CT) in 1L metastatic (m) NSCLC: Overall survival (OS) update from POSEIDON after median follow-up (mFU) of approximately 4 years (y)

Background: In the Phase 3 POSEIDON study, 1L T+D+CT demonstrated statistically significant improvements in PFS and OS (OS HR 0.77;95% CI 0.65-0.92;p=0.0030;mFU 34.9 mo in censored pts) vs CT alone in pts with mNSCLC. D+CT showed a statistically significant improvement in PFS and a positive trend for OS improvement vs CT that did not reach significance (OS HR 0.86;95% CI 0.72-1.02;p=0.0758). Here we report an updated exploratory analysis of OS, and histology and mutational status subgroups, after a mFU of ~4 y. Method(s): Pts with EGFR/ALK wild-type mNSCLC were randomised 1:1:1 to 1L D (until progression) +/- limited-course T (up to 5 doses) + platinum-based CT (up to 4 cycles);or CT (up to 6 cycles). Alpha-controlled endpoints were PFS and OS for D+CT vs CT and T+D+CT vs CT. Pt tumours were molecularly characterised via sequencing of tissue and/or ctDNA samples. Result(s): At an updated data cutoff (DCO) of 11 Mar 2022 (mFU 46.5 mo in censored pts), T+D+CT continued to show OS benefit vs CT (HR 0.75;95% CI 0.63-0.88) with an estimated 25.0% of pts alive at 3 y vs 13.6% (Table). D+CT continued to numerically improve OS vs CT (HR 0.84;95% CI 0.71-0.99;3 y OS 20.7%). Consistent with results at the earlier DCO, OS benefit appeared more pronounced with T+D+CT vs CT in pts with non-squamous (than squamous;data will be presented) histology. A trend for OS benefit with T+D+CT vs CT continued to be observed in non-squamous subgroups with mutations (m) in STK11 (Table), KEAP1 or KRAS (data will be presented). No new safety signals were identified based on collection of serious AEs during long-term FU. [Formula presented] Conclusion(s): The results of this exploratory analysis from POSEIDON, after mFU of ~4 y, demonstrate the durable long-term OS benefit of adding a limited course of T to D and 4 cycles of CT. These data support the use of this regimen as a 1L treatment option for pts with mNSCLC, including harder-to-treat mutational subgroups such as STK11m, KEAP1m or KRASm. Clinical trial identification: NCT03164616 (release date: 23 May 2017). Editorial acknowledgement: Medical writing support for the development of this , under the direction of the authors, was provided by James Holland, PhD, of Ashfield MedComms (Macclesfield, UK), an Inizio company, and was funded by AstraZeneca. Legal entity responsible for the study: AstraZeneca PLC. Funding(s): AstraZeneca. Disclosure: B.C. Cho: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: KANAPH Therapeutic Inc, Brigebio therapeutics, Cyrus therapeutics, Guardant Health, Oscotec Inc;Financial Interests, Personal, Member of the Board of Directors: Interpark Bio Convergence Corp., J INTS BIO;Financial Interests, Personal, Stocks/Shares: TheraCanVac Inc, Gencurix Inc, Bridgebio therapeutics, KANAPH Therapeutic Inc, Cyrus therapeutics, Interpark Bio Convergence Corp, J INTS BIO;Financial Interests, Personal, Royalties: Champions Oncology;Financial Interests, Personal, Research Grant: Novartis, Bayer, AstraZeneca, MOGAM Institute, Dong-A ST, Champions Oncology, Janssen, Yuhan, Ono, Dizal Pharma, MSD, AbbVie, Medpacto, GIInnovation, Eli Lilly, Blueprint medicines, Interpark Bio Convergence Corp;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role, Consulting: Novartis, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Roche, BMS, Ono, Yuhan, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Takeda, MSD, Janssen, Medpacto, Blueprint medicines;Financial Interests, Personal, Other: DAAN Biotherapeutics. J.A. Alatorre Alexander: Financial Interests, Personal, Speaker's Bureau: BMS, Roche, AstraZeneca, MSD, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Eli Lilly, Janssen;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: BMS, Roche, AstraZeneca, MSD, Boehringer Ingelheim, Takeda, Eli Lilly, Janssen. S. Lucien Geater: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Pfizer;Financial Interests, Institutional, Principal Investigator: AstraZeneca, Roche, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: Pfizer. K. Sang-We: Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Boehringer Ingelheim;Financial I terests, Personal, Research Grant: Yuhan;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Role: AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Norvatis, Lilly, Takeda, Therapex, and Yuhan. M. Hussein: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AbbVie, Aptitude Health, AstraZeneca, Biopahrama, BMS, Exelixis, Mirati Therapeutics, Cardinal Health, Coherus Biosciences, Athenex, Karyopharm Therapeutics, IntegraConnect, Oncocyte. C.T. Yang: Financial Interests, Personal, Principal Investigator: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly, MSD, Merck, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Hanso Pharma, Roche, Ono, BMS, Chugai. L.H. Araujo: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: MSD, Roche, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Takeda, Lillly, Janssen, Amgen, Novartis, BMS, Sanofi;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Roche, MSD, Takeda, AstraZeneca, Sanofi. H. Saito: Financial Interests, Personal, Speaker's Bureau: AstraZeneca, ONO Pharmaceutical;Financial Interests, Personal, Principal Investigator: AstraZeneca, Chugai Pharmaceutical ONO Pharmaceutical, Bristol Myers Squibb. N. Reinmuth: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Hoffmann-La Roche, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Merck, Pfizer, and Takeda;Financial Interests, Personal, Speaker's Bureau: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Daiichi Sankyo, Hoffmann-La Roche, Janssen, Lilly, MSD, Merck, Pfizer, and Takeda;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Hoffmann-La Roche, Janssen, MSD, Merck, Pfizer, and Takeda;Financial Interests, Personal, Other: Symphogen: Data Safety Monitoring Board. Z. Lai, H. Mann, X. Shi: Financial Interests, Personal, Full or part-time Employment: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Personal, Stocks/Shares: AstraZeneca. S. Peters: Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Board: Vaccibody, Takeda, Seattle Genetics, Sanofi, Roche/Genentech, Regeneron, Phosplatin Therapeutics, PharmaMar, Pfizer, Novartis, Mirati, Merck Serono, MSD, Janssen, Incyte, Illumina, IQVIA, GlaxoSmithKline, Gilhead, Genzyme, Foundation Medicine, F-Star, Eli Lilly, Debiopharm, Daiichi Sankyo, Boehringer Ingelheim, Blueprint Medicines, Biocartis, Bio Invent, BeiGene, Bayer, BMS, AstraZeneca, Arcus, Amgen, AbbVie, iTheos, Novocure;Financial Interests, Institutional, In ited Speaker: Takeda, Sanofi, Roche/Genentech, RTP, Pfizer, PRIME, PER, Novartis, Medscape, MSD, Imedex, Illumina, Fishawack, Eli Lilly, Ecancer, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, BMS, OncologyEducation, RMEI, Mirati;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Associate Editor Annals of Oncology: Elsevier;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, MERMAID-1: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, MERMAID-2, POSEIDON, MYSTIC: AstraZeneca;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Clinical Trial Steering committee CheckMate 743, CheckMate 73L, CheckMate 331 and 451: BMS;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, RELATIVITY 095: BMS;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, BGB-A317-A1217-301/AdvanTIG-301: BeiGene;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Clinical Trial Chair ZEAL-1: GSK;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Clinical Trial steering Committee PEARLS, MK-7684A: MSD;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Clinical Trial Steering Committee SAPPHIRE: Mirati;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, LAGOON: Pharma Mar;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, phase 1/2 trials: Phosplatin Therapeutics;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Clinical Trial Chair Skyscraper-01;chair ALEX;steering committee BFAST;steering committee BEAT-Meso;steering committee ImPower-030, IMforte: Roche/Genentech;Financial Interests, Institutional, Invited Speaker, Phase 2 Inupadenant with chemo: iTeos;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Officer, ESMO President 2020-2022: ESMO;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Officer, Council Me ber & Scientific Committee Chair: ETOP/IBCSG Partners;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Officer, Vice-President Lung Group: SAKK;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Involved in Swiss politics: Swiss Political Activities;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Officer, President and Council Member: Ballet Bejart Lausanne Foundation;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Principal Investigator, Involved in academic trials: ETOP / EORTC / SAKK;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Member: Association of Swiss Physicians FMH (CH), IASLC, ASCO, AACR;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Leadership Role, ESMO President: ESMO;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Member, Vice-President Lung Group: SAKK;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Leadership Role, Vice -President: SAMO;Non-Financial Interests, Personal, Member, Association of Swiss interns and residents: ASMAC/VSAO. E.B. Garon: Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: ABL Bio, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Dracen Pharmaceuticals, Eisai, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Gilead, GSK, Merck, Natera, Novartis, Personalis, Regeneron, Sanofi, Shionogi, Xilio Therapeutics;Financial Interests, Personal, Research Grant: ABL Bio, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Dynavax Technologies, EMD Serono, Genentech, Iovance Biotherapeutics, Eli Lilly, Merck, Mirati Therapeutics, Neon Therapeutics, Novartis. T.S.K. Mok: Financial Interests, Personal, Invited Speaker: ACEA Pharma, Alpha Biopharma Co., Ltd., Amgen, Amoy Diagnostics Co., Ltd., AstraZeneca (before 1/1/19), BeiGene, BI, BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Daz Group, Fishawack Facilitate Ltd., InMed Medical Communication, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Jiahui Holdings Co. Limi, Novartis, OrigiMed Co. Ltd., P. Permanyer SL, PeerVoice, Physicians' Education Resource, Pfizer, PrIME Oncology, Research to Practice, RochePharmaceuticals/Diagnostics/Foundation One, Sanofi-Aventis, Shanghai BeBirds Translation & Consulting Co., Ltd., T;Financial Interests, Personal, Advisory Board: AbbVie Inc., ACEA Pharma, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Berry Oncology, Blueprint Medicines Corporation, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb Company, C4 Therapeutics, Inc, Covidien LP, CStone Pharmaceuticals, Curio Science, D3 Bio Ltd., Hengrui Therapeutics Inc., HutchMed, Ignyta, Inc., Incyte Corporation, Inivata, IQVIA, Janssen, Lily, Loxo-Oncology Inc., Lunit, Inc., Mer k Serono, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Mirati Therapeutics, Inc., MiRXES Group, Novartis, OrigiMed, Pfizer, Puma Biotechnolo;Financial Interests, Personal, Member of the Board of Directors: AstraZeneca PLC, HutchMed;Financial Interests, Personal, Full or part-time Employment: The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Full-Time);Financial Interests, Personal, Stocks/Shares: Aurora Tele-Oncology Ltd., HutchMed, Act Genomics-Sanomics Group, Loxo-oncology, Virtus Medical Group and Lunit USA, Inc;Non-Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: AstraZeneca, BMS, G1 Therapeutics, MSD, Merck Serono, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, SFJ, Takeda, XCovery;Financial Interests, Personal, Leadership Role: Lunit USA, Inc., ACT Genomics-Sanomics Group, Aurora;Financial Interests, Personal, Other, Independent contractor: AbbVie Inc., ACEA Pharma, Alpha Biopharma Co., Ltd., Amgen, Amoy Diagnostics Co., Ltd., AstraZeneca (before 1/1/19), BeiGene, Berry Oncology, BI, Blueprint Medicines Corporation, BMS, C4 Therapeutics, Inc, CStone Pharmaceuticals, Curio Science, Daiichi Sa, Loxo-Oncology, Merck Serono, MSD, Mirati Therapeutics Inc., MoreHealth, Novartis, OrigiMed, Pfizer, Puma Biotechnology Inc., Qiming Development (HK) Ltd., Roche Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi-Aventis, SFJ Pharmaceutical Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceuticals HK Ltd., Vert, Guardant Health, Hengrui Therapeutics Inc., HutchMed, Ignyta, Inc., Incyte Corporation, Inivata, IQVIA, Janssen, Lilly, Lunit USA, Inc., Loxo-Oncology, Lucence Health Inc., Medscape LLC/ WebMD, Merck Serono, MSD, Mirati Therapeutics Inc., MiRXES, MoreHea. M.L. Johnson: Financial Interests, Institutional, Research Grant: AbbVie;Acerta;Adaptimmune;Amgen;Apexigen;Arcus B osciences;Array BioPharma;Artios Pharma;AstraZeneca;Atreca, BeiGene;BerGenBio;BioAtla;Boehringer Ingelheim, Calithera Biosciences;Checkpoint Therapeutics;Corvus Pharmaceuticals;Curis;CytomX, Daiichi Sanyo;Dracen Pharmaceuticals;Dynavax, Eli Lilly, Elicio Therapeutics, EMD Serono, Erasca, Exelixis, Fate Therapeutics, Genentech/Roche, Genmab, Genocea Biosciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Gritstone Oncology, Guardant Health, Harpoon, Helsinn Healthcare SA, Hengrui Therapeutics, Hutchison MediPharma, IDEAYA Biosciences, IGM Biosciences, Immunocore, Incyte, Janssen, Jounce Therapeutics, Kadmon Pharmaceuticals, Loxo Oncology, Lycera, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Merck, Merus, Mirati Therapeutics, NeoImmuneTech, Neovia Oncology, Novartis, Numab Therapeutics, Nuvalent, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, PMV Pharmaceuticals, RasCal Therapeutics, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Relay Therapeutics, Revolution Medicines, Ribon Therapeutics, Rubius Therapeutics, Sanofi, Seven and Eight Biopharmaceuticals/Birdie Pharmaceuticals, Shattuck Labs, Silicon Therapeutics, Stem CentRx, Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Tarveda, TCR2 Therapeutics, Tempest Therapeutics, Tizona Therapeutics, Tmunity Therapeutics, Turning Point Therapeutics, University of Michigan, Vyriad, WindMIL, Y-mAbs Therapeutics;Financial Interests, Institutional, Advisory Role: AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Axelia Oncology, Black Diamond, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Calithera Biosciences, Checkpoint Therapeutics, CytomX Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo, EcoR1, Editas Medicine, Eisai, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, G1 Therapeutics, Genentech/Roche, Genmab, Genocea Biosciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Gritstone Oncology, IDEAYA Biosciences, iTeos, Janssen, Merck, Mirati Therapeutics, Novartis, Oncorus, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Revolution Medicines, Ribon Therapeutics, Sanofi, Turning Point Therapeutics, WindMIL. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest. Copyright © 2022

Sexual Behaviors during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Social Representations of Gay and Heterosexual Men

Objective. This article aimed to compare the social representations between groups of gay and heterosexual men about sexual behavior as a result of social isolation from the Covid-19 pandemic. Method. 200 men participated (100 heterosexuals and 100 homosexuals) with average age of 27.06 and 28.12, respectively. A sociodemographic questionnaire was used for sample characterization and a semi-structured interview for the apprehension of SR, with data processed by the IRAMUTEQ software. Results. Similarities were found in both groups in terms of active sex life and the use of technologies for sexing and access to pornography. However, homosexuals diverge in the representational structure when seeking greater compensatory strategies for having more stable civic states. It is concluded that physical distance reveals heterogeneous intercurrences to affective-sexual life in this new social reality. © 2022 Actualidades en Psicologia. All rights reserved.

The mental health of polytechnic higher education students in the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The pandemic significantly changed social and academic routines of higher education students. Objective: Identify the mental health levels of higher education students and the associated factors. Methods: Cross-sectional study with a convenience sample of 567 students (mean age 23.92, ± 8.36;63.8% female), that answered an online survey at the beginning of the second lockdown, which in-cluded the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), sociodemographic and academic aspects, and main changes that occurred during the pandemic. Results: The mean score of the GHQ was 29.18 (±12.99) and the lowest and highest scores were obtained in severe depression (3.55±4.46) and social dysfunction (11.44±3.81). 60.5% indicated risk for mental problems. Participants identifying changes at labor level had better mental health. The ones identifying changes at familiar routines had higher depressive symptomatology and changes in familiar relationships had higher anxiety symptomatology and insomnia. Conclusion: It is urgent to consider the mental health of students, promoting strategies to minimize the impact of the pandemic, namely in social dysfunction. © 2022, Escola Superior de Enfermagem de Coimbra. All rights reserved.

SARS-CoV-2 variants impact RBD conformational dynamics and ACE2 accessibility

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has killed over 5 million people and is causing a devastating social and economic impact all over the world. The rise of new variants represents a difficult challenge due to the loss of vaccine and natural immunity, and increased transmissibility. These variants contain mutations in the spike glycoprotein, which mediates fusion between the viral and host cell membranes, via its receptor binding domain (RBD) that binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). To understand the effect of RBD mutations, a lot of attention has been given to the RBD-ACE2 interaction. However, this type of analysis is limited since it ignores the conformational dynamics of the RBD itself. Observing that some variants mutations occur in residues that are not in direct contact with ACE2, we hypothesized that they could affect RBD conformational dynamics. To test this, we performed long atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structural dynamics of wt RBD, and that of three variants (alpha, beta and delta). Our results show that in solution, wt RBD presents two distinct conformations: an 'open' conformation where it is free to bind ACE2;and a 'closed' conformation, where the RBM ridge blocks the binding surface. The alpha and beta variants significantly impact the open/closed equilibrium, shifting it towards the open conformation by roughly 20%. This shift likely increases ACE2 binding affinity. In the delta variant RBD simulations, the closed conformation was never observed. Instead, the system alternated between the before mentioned open conformation and an alternative 'reversed' one, with a significantly changed orientation of the RBMridge flanking the RBD. These results support the hypothesis that variants impact RBD conformational dynamics in a direction that simultaneously promotes efficient binding to ACE2 and antibody escape.

The impact of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant on the human ACE2 binding: a computational study

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, which escalated into a global pandemic in early 2020, accounting for more than 400 million infections and more than 6 million confirmed deaths worldwide (as of 2022/03/10). The SARS-CoV-2 mechanism of transmission and infection involves the binding of the virus to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) host receptor through the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike (S) protein. The RBD is a privileged target of our immune system and antiviral therapies. Throughout last year multiple vaccines and new therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 have been developed. However, their effectiveness is challenged by the continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2, accompanying the origin and spread of new variants of concern (VOC): Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and recently, Omicron. Among the reported mutations in the VOC S proteins, several are specific to the RBD, which are associated with higher transmissibility or the ability to escape the immune response of previously infected patients. (Previously published in: Greaney, A.J. et al. (2021) Cell Host Microbe 29,44- 57). In late 2021, the newly SARS-CoV-2 Omicron VOC raised considerable global concern due to the presence of more than 30 mutations in the S protein, 15 of which occur in the RBD (Previously published in: Mannar D et al. (2022) Science 375,760-764). Here we investigated the impact of the VOC RBD mutations on its interaction with ACE2, with a major focus on the Omicron RBD, by performing microsecond molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of this complex. Our analysis of the binding and structural dynamics of these mutations provided a detailed characterization of the binding mode between the VOC RBDs and the receptor. This allowed us to understand the role of key residues in the VOC RBD-ACE2 interface and the effect of specific substitutions on the binding affinity via the establishment of new inter-protein contacts.

Social representations of LGBT old age and sex professionals in brazilian adults

The number of elderly people in the world is growing significantly, thus urging the need to ensure that this population can live a full life, especially given the current pandemic scenario of COVID-19. Objective: To analyze the social representations of LGBT old age for male and female sex professionals through the pandemic. Method: It is a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory research. 10 men and 10 women participated of the study, aging between 18 and 48 years old, all sex workers. For this study were used a sociodemographic questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The collection was recorded from the Google Forms and analyzed based on the Hierarchical Descending Classification, in the IRAMUTEQ software. Results: The results show 3 classes: (1) "Social understanding of the topic LGBT old age";(2) "Stigma to genders and sexual orientations");(3) "Double problem: physical transformations and the obstacles that accompany them". Conclusions: The representations are associated with the difficulties the elderly have in aging, as well as to debate LGBT old age. There are also greater obstacles when it comes to aging women and LGBT sex workers. In this way, the study seeks to contribute to the advance of the debate about LGBT aging and old age.

PRUDENCE IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN LEGAL EDUCATION IN TIMES OF COMPLEXITY

Society is experiencing an unprecedented health crisis, with COVID-19, in the 21st century. In parallel, the environment remains distant from the care reflected in the Brazilian legal system. In this context, it is estimated that environmental education is capable of favoring the social and political transformation necessary for a social change in the man-nature relationship. To this end, we propose an analysis of the interaction between environmental education in higher education, the virtue of prudence, and the ethics of understanding in legal education. From this perspective, the question is: how can prudence act in environmental education in legal education in order to favor the formation of legal professionals committed to the construction of fair and sustainable societies? This is a descriptive, exploratory, bibliographic, and documentary research, based on the hypothetical-deductive method. The conclusion is that prudence in environmental education in legal education is capable of contributing to the formation of social actors who are aware, motivated and capable of promoting effective changes in favor of building fairer and more sustainable societies.

An overview on the current available treatment for COVID-19 and the impact of antibiotic administration during the pandemic.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has caused several problems in healthcare systems around the world, as to date, there is no effective and specific treatment against all forms of COVID-19. Currently, drugs with therapeutic potential are being tested, including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, immunotherapy, and antibiotics. Although antibiotics have no direct effect on viral infections, they are often used against secondary bacterial infections, or even as empiric treatment to reduce viral load, infection, and replication of coronaviruses. However, there are many concerns about this therapeutic approach as it may accelerate and/or increase the long-term rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We focused this overview on exploring candidate drugs for COVID-19 therapy, including antibiotics, considering the lack of specific treatment and that it is unclear whether the widespread use of antibiotics in the treatment of COVID-19 has implications for the emergence and transmission of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

NLP&IR@UNED at CheckThat! 2021: Check-worthiness estimation and fake news detection using transformer models

This article describes the different approaches used by the NLPIR@UNED team in the CLEF2021 CheckThat! Lab to tackle the tasks 1A-English, 1A-Spanish and 3A-English. The goal of Task 1A in English is to determine which tweets within a set of COVID-19 related tweets are worth checking. Task 1A in Spanish is similar but in this case the tweets are related to political issues in Spain. In both tasks, transformer models have been used to identify check-worthy tweets, obtaining the first place in the task in English and the fourth place in the task in Spanish. Task 3A is focused on determining the veracity of a news article. It is a multi-class classification problem with four possible values: true, partially false, false, and other. For this task we have used two different approaches: a gradient-boosting classifier with TF-IDF and LIWC features, and a transformer model fed with the first tokens of each news article. We got the fourth place out of 25 participants in this task. © 2021 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).

On the use of telemedicine in the context of COVID-19: legal aspects and a systematic review of technology

Purpose: The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review of telemedicine technology and to discuss the role of legislation in the application of telemedicine technology within the scope of COVID-19. Methods: The search for papers was conducted in the databases Cochrane Central, MEDLINE, and Embase. The keywords considered for this systematic review were (coronavirus OR “2019-nCoV” OR 2019nCoV OR nCoV2019 OR “nCoV-2019” OR “COVID-19” OR COVID19 OR “HCoV-19” OR HCoV19 OR CoV OR “2019 novel*” OR Ncov OR “n-cov” OR “SARS-CoV-2” OR “SARSCoV-2” OR “SARSCoV2” OR “SARSCoV2” OR SARSCov19 OR “SARS-Cov19” OR “SARS-Cov-19” OR “severe acute respiratory syndrome*” OR ((corona* OR corono*) AND (virus* OR viral* OR virinae*))) AND ((telemedicine OR telehealth OR “remote assessment” OR telemonitoring)). The review process was carried out by six independent reviewers, using the PRISMA-P method. Results: As a result, a total of 34 papers were selected, which addressed the study of telemedicine technologies used in times of endemics, epidemics, and pandemics, focusing on COVID-19. Conclusion: Telemedicine allows for care in remote areas and at a lower cost to the patient and, in the current situation, it can reduce the number of contagions as well as the occupation of beds in health facilities. Telemedicine may suffer from limitations, mainly due to current legislation, but in this pandemic era of COVID-19, several countries around the world have made their laws more flexible to allow more widespread use of telemedicine. © 2021, Sociedade Brasileira de Engenharia Biomedica.

Consumer behavior in confinement times: Food choice and cooking attitudes in Spain.

The present study provides an overview of the food related behavior of the Spanish population during the confinement period due to the Covid-19 sanitary emergency. A national survey was responded by 600 volunteers, who answered questions related to food consumption, home-food and cooking related habits (F&C), and the Spanish version of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire. In general, most consumers could be considered "External eaters"; F&C questionnaire allowed segmenting the population in "low-cooking engagement", "health -concerned" and "health-disregarded" groups. These consumers' segments reported different behavior, highlighting, for example, the increase of snacks and ultra-processed food consumption of the health-disregarded group.