Intercultural education in the face of the impact of new technologies and covid 19

This research analyzes the pedagogical challenges that intercultural education means in the situation of sanitary confinement that the strategies to face COVID-19 present. It means reproducing the values and assets inherent to this pedagogy through the resources that New Technologies of Social Communication offer. They must learn about the physical characteristics of the world, train and develop skills and competencies, raise awareness of the importance of attending to the ways of life that are shared with respect to the validity of dignity as a reality that articulates coexistence;this, in virtual space. It highlights the fact that success in reaching deserves the values that intercultural education promotes. It is an ethnographic investigation when analyzing a specific pedagogical situation. © 2021, Universidad del Zulia. All rights reserved.

A Prospective Model of a Digital Epidemiological Surveillance 4.0 Based on the Peruvian Public Health System

The health-disease situation of the population and health care delivery services are continuously monitored by epidemiological surveillance systems and health information systems, but since the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in December 2019 and spread globally, each country tried to control the virus by activating their own health protocols, but they became insufficient to face the pandemic and every control attempts seem impossible to all humanity, even more without the support of information technologies, which provides a rapid response for decision-making. Being that the reason why surveillance systems should help mitigate the spread of diseases and, at the same time, plan resources to protect the health status of citizens. Therefore, the aim of this article is to propose a model of a digital epidemiological surveillance 4.0, considering the current technological revolution and the constant evolution of the Internet. This model is divided into 4 phases: situational analysis, planning, execution and evaluation, and supported on 4 key components: logistic support, digital privacy and data protection, communication and technology, and disruptive innovation. A quantitative type of research was applied in a sample of 58 participants, all working as health staff in Chiclayo-Peru, to whom a data collection instrument, based on digital forms and interviews with medical epidemiologists, was applied, that information, which mainly considers the perception and perspectives of the epidemiological surveillance system, served as the basis for the proposed model. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

MR imaging features of COVID-19-related cranial nerves lesions

Objective: To describe six COVID-19-related cranial nerves lesions Background: NA Design/Methods: All participants presented with at least one cranial nerve lesion few days after initial respiratory symptoms of COVID-19, which diagnosis was confirmed based on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from nasopharyngeal swab. MRI were performed in 1.5 or 3 Tesla clinical scanners. Case 1: A 41-year-old woman with anosmia and ageusia in the second week that did not resolve after two months. MRI: bilateral hyperintense signal on FLAIR in the olfactory bulb. Case 2: A 27-year-old woman with blurred vision and pain in the left eye in the second week. MRI: hyperintense signal on STIR, with gadolinium enhancement, suggestive of the left optic neuritis. Case 3: A 25-year-old woman with vertigo, right XII nerve palsy, right XI nerve palsy in the second week. MRI: hyperintense focus on T2-weighted-imaging with restricted diffusion in the caudal portion of the pons, medial to the sulcus limitans, in the right XI nerve nucleus, as well as gadolinium enhancement in the mastoid portion of the right XII nerve. Case 4: A 30-year-old woman with right XII nerve palsy on the tenth day. MRI: gadolinium enhancement in the canalicular portion of the right facial nerve. Case 5: A 65-year-old man presenting headache and bilateral facial nerve palsy (L>R) with lower limbs areflexia on the second week. MRI: bilateral contrast enhancement in the canalicular and labyrinthine portions of the facial nerves. Lumbar spine imaging showed gadolinium enhancement in the cauda equina nerve roots. Electroneuromyography and lumbar puncture were suggestive of Guillain-Barré syndrome. Case 6: A 33-year-old man with bilateral facial nerve palsy on the second week. MRI: gadolinium enhancement in the canalicular and labyrinthine portions of the facial nerves Conclusions: Many neurological manifestations have been reported in association with COVID- 19 infection and cranial nerve commitment may be one of them.

Detection of a SARS-CoV-2 sequence with genosensors using data analysis based on information visualization and machine learning techniques

We report on genosensors to detect an ssDNA sequence from the SARS-CoV-2 genome, which mimics the GU280 gp10 gene (coding the viral nucleocapsid phosphoprotein), using four distinct principles of detection and treating the data with information visualization and machine learning techniques. Genosensors were fabricated on either gold (Au) interdigitated electrodes for electrical and electrochemical measurements or on Au nanoparticles on a glass slide for optical measurements. They contained a matrix of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) onto which a layer of capture probe (cpDNA) sequence was immobilized. Detection was performed using electrical and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The highest sensitivity was reached with impedance spectroscopy, including using a low-cost (US$ 100) homemade impedance analyzer. Complementary ssDNA sequences were detected with a detection limit of 0.5 aM (0.3 copy per mu L). This performance may be attributed to the high sensitivity of the electrical impedance technique combined with an appropriate arrangement of the sequences on the electrodes and hybridization between the complementary sequences, as inferred from polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). The selectivity of the genosensor was confirmed by plotting the impedance spectroscopy data with a multidimensional projection technique (interactive document mapping, IDMAP), where a clear separation was observed among the samples of the complementary DNA sequence at various concentrations and from buffer samples containing a non-complementary sequence and other DNA biomarkers. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 mimicking sequences was also achieved with machine learning techniques applied to scanning electron microscope images taken from genosensors exposed to distinct concentrations of the complementary ssDNA sequences. In summary, the genosensors proposed here are promising for detecting SARS-CoV-2 genetic material (RNA) in biological fluids in point-of-care settings.

Telework, production and public expenditure: what have we learned from Covid-19?

The work investigate the behavior of variables associated with production and public spending at the State Secretariat of Finance, Espirito Santo, Brazil, between March and July 2020, considering the broad adherence to teleworking in the period - which reached 93.2% of the total workers of the institution. The phenomenon was one of the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, which as a choice of local public policy involved social isolation and the need to adapt to not interrupt the provision of services. The research is quantitative, using a database extracted from institutional records of the main electronic systems used by the agency, with items of expenses analyzed using the Holt-Winters method and values at constant prices. The results show that the production levels maintained an average behavior after the initial adaptation period and that the number of employees allocated in the period remained stable, with a slight downward trend. There was a reduction in spending items (water, electricity and travel) in relation to their historical values. The work contributes to research in the area by presenting an empirical study involving teleworking and public administration, in a unique context provided by the pandemic, collaborating with quantitative information on public spending and production, which corroborate with perceptions identified in previous qualitative research. Regarding the identification of evidence that can support the development of public policies, there are indications that a robust planning to rationalize the use of physical environments and structures could have caused a reduction in other items of public expenditure.

Umbilical Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells modulate TNF and soluble TNF Receptor 2 (sTNFR2) in COVID-19 ARDS patients.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed at explaining the mechanism of therapeutic effect of Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells (UC-MSC) in subjects with COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Patients with COVID-19 ARDS present with a hyperinflammatory response characterized by high levels of circulating pro-inflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor α and ß (TNFα and TNFß). Inflammatory functions of these TNFs can be inhibited by soluble TNF Receptor 2 (sTNFR2). In patients with COVID-19 ARDS, UC-MSC appear to impart a robust anti-inflammatory effect, and treatment is associated with remarkable clinical improvements. We investigated the levels of TNFα, TNFß and sTNFR2 in blood plasma samples collected from subjects with COVID-19 ARDS enrolled in our trial of UC-MSC treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed plasma samples from subjects with COVID-19 ARDS (n=24) enrolled in a Phase 1/2a randomized controlled trial of UC-MSC treatment. Plasma samples were obtained at Day 0 (baseline, before UC-MSC or control infusion), and Day 6 post infusion. Plasma concentrations of sTNFR2, TNFα, and TNFß were evaluated using a quantitative multiplex protein array. RESULTS: Our data indicate that at Day 6 after infusion, UC-MSC recipients develop significantly increased levels of plasma sTNFR2 and significantly decreased levels of TNFα and TNFß, compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that sTNFR2 plays a mechanistic role in mediating UC-MSC effect on TNFα and TNFß plasma levels, determining a decrease in inflammation in COVID-19 ARDS.

Umbilical Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for COVID-19 Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is cause of a global pandemic of a pneumonia-like disease termed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 presents a high mortality rate, estimated at 3.4%. More than 1 out of 4 hospitalized COVID-19 patients require admission to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for respiratory support, and a large proportion of these ICU-COVID-19 patients, between 17% and 46%, have died. In these patients COVID-19 infection causes an inflammatory response in the lungs that can progress to inflammation with cytokine storm, Acute Lung Injury (ALI), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), thromboembolic events, disseminated intravascular coagulation, organ failure, and death. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are potent immunomodulatory cells that recognize sites of injury, limit effector T cell reactions, and positively modulate regulatory cell populations. MSCs also stimulate local tissue regeneration via paracrine effects inducing angiogenic, anti-fibrotic and remodeling responses. MSCs can be derived in large number from the Umbilical Cord (UC). UC-MSCs, utilized in the allogeneic setting, have demonstrated safety and efficacy in clinical trials for a number of disease conditions including inflammatory and immune-based diseases. UC-MSCs have been shown to inhibit inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs and have been utilized to treat patients with severe COVID-19 in pilot, uncontrolled clinical trials, that reported promising results. UC-MSCs processed at our facility have been authorized by the FDA for clinical trials in patients with an Alzheimer's Disease, and in patients with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). We hypothesize that UC-MSC will also exert beneficial therapeutic effects in COVID-19 patients with cytokine storm and ARDS. We propose an early phase controlled, randomized clinical trial in COVID-19 patients with ALI/ARDS. Subjects in the treatment group will be treated with two doses of UC-MSC (l00 × 106 cells). The first dose will be infused within 24 hours following study enrollment. A second dose will be administered 72 ± 6 hours after the first infusion. Subject in the control group will receive infusion of vehicle (DPBS supplemented with 1% HSA and 70 U/kg unfractionated Heparin, delivered IV) following the same timeline. Subjects will be evaluated daily during the first 6 days, then at 14, 28, 60, and 90 days following enrollment (see Schedule of Assessment for time window details). Safety will be determined by adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) during the follow-up period. Efficacy will be defined by clinical outcomes, as well as a variety of pulmonary, biochemical and immunological tests. Success of the current study will provide a framework for larger controlled, randomized clinical trials and a means of accelerating a possible solution for this urgent but unmet medical need. The proposed early phase clinical trial will be performed at the University of Miami (UM), in the facilities of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI), UHealth Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Clinical Translational Research Site (CTRS) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at the Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH).

[Debate on the return to face-to-face classes in Pandemic]. / Debate sobre el retorno a clases presenciales en Pandemia.

The implications of closing educational establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic and the dis cussion about the opening of them, invite and require us to consider, from different positions and responsibilities, the changes that we must make as a society at the educational level. In this article, a group of health professionals collects information and reflects on the repercussions of returning or not to school activities, in terms of physical and emotional health and academic education. Based on what is known to be protective factors and possible threats to return, it is possible to conclude that each local reality must make its own informed decision, with the participation of all its members, seeking the common good, which favors students, protects teachers, and privileges the role of the educational system in socio-emotional learning. School is a space for containing the emotions and adaptation needs that students and their families have experienced in these uncertain times. We all have a level of responsibility in building a new civilization around these issues that link education, physical and mental health, social collaboration, and individual responsibility. Differences in people's living conditions and unequal opportunities have become more visible than before (others are still hidden) and create an opportunity for changes that we must face together.