Teaching without PANTS! (Pandemic Accelerated, Novel Technology Symptoms): How affordable learning solutions enabled rapid response instruction

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting closures of in-person interactions required colleges and universities on a worldwide scale to rapidly establish alternative modalities of instructional delivery. Educators quickly converted courses to a digital format, and their efforts were often met with PANTS (i.e., Pandemic Accelerated, Novel Technology Symptoms). As faculty and students are burdened with PANTS, students' learning experiences may be compromised with the addition of home, health, financial, and technological stressors. Data assessing concerns pertaining to the "virtual university" transition were collected from 1,038 students at one public university in southern California. Findings indicate that students are predominantly concerned with experiencing a disconnection with their instructors, disengagement with the course material, and an increase in workload due to the online transition. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model (Bronfenbrenner U, Morris PA, The bioecological model of human development. In Damon W, Lerner RM (eds) Handbook of child psychology, 6th edn. Volume one: theoretical models of human development. Wiley, pp 793-823, 2006) and Koehler and Mishra's (2009) TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) Framework, this chapter proposes strategies instructors can utilize, such as the implementation of open educational resources (OER) to reduce the strains associated with PANTS. Faculty are encouraged to "teach without PANTS," which requires recognizing the unique learning needs of a diverse body of students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Integrated vector management program in the framework of the Covid-19 pandemic in Medellin, Colombia

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic pressured health care systems to remain alert and active in their vector-borne disease control and prevention programs, leading to changes in vector control strategies in urban areas affected by dengue, Zika and chikungunya. Objective: To describe the adaptations made to the vector control and surveillance program in Medell??n during the COVID-19 health emergency. Materials and methods: Once the health emergency started,biosecurity protocols were developed. Entomological surveillance was strengthened from the institutional environment instead of homes. Data was collected in Medell??n from 2018 to 2021 during the vector control and surveillance program activities, which included epidemiological and entomo-virological surveillance, entomological index survey, ovitrap monitoring, community mobilization, search and elimination of mosquito breading sites, and chemical control. These actions were adapted and/or increased to promote self-care among communities in total and partial confinement, and to develop prevention and control measures. Results: Mosquito monitoring was increased by 40% using ovitraps, entomological -virological surveillance showed an increase in 2020 of 34,4% compared to 2019 and virtual media was used to keep and improve contact with the community. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on arbovirus prevention and control programs. The city of Medell??n quickly adapted its entomo-virological surveillance activities, control measures, and the contact with the community during the pandemic, which allow the Integrated Vector Management program to remain active in the city.

DEVELOPMENT of COVID-19 MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES and RECOMBINANT PROTEINS AS REAGENTS for BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH and DIAGNOSTIC TESTS

Since SARS-COV-2 virus spread worldwide and COVID-19 turned rapidly into a pandemic illness, the necessity for vaccines and diagnostic tests became crucial. The viral surface is decorated with Spike, the major antigenic determinant and main target for vaccine development. Within Spike, the receptor binding domain (RBD), constitutes the main target of highly neutralizing antibodies found in COVID-19 convalescent plasma. Besides vaccination, another important aspect of Spike (and RBD) is their use as immunogen for the development of poli- and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Here we report the development and preliminary biochemical characterization of a set of monoclonal antibodies against the Spike RBD domain along with the recombinant expression of two mayor COVID-19 protein reagents: the viral Spike RBD domain and the extracellular domain of the human receptor ACE2. RBD and the extracellular domain of ACE2 (aa 1-740) were obtained through transient gene transfection (TGE) in two different mammalian cell culture systems: HEK293T adherent monolayers and Expi293F™ suspension cultures. Due to its low cost and ease scale-up, all transfections were carried with polyethyleneimine (PEI). Expressed proteins were purified from culture supernatants by immobilized metal affinity chromatography. Anti-RBD mAbs were developed from two different immunization schemes: one aimed to elicit antibodies with viral neutralizing potential, and the other with the ability to recognize denatured RBD for routine lab immunoassays. To achieve this, the first group of mice was immunized with RBD in aluminum salts (RBD/Al) and the other with RBD emulsified in Freunds adjuvant (RBD/FA). Polyclonal and monoclonal antibody reactivities against native or denatured RBD forms were then assessed by ELISA. Complete RBD denaturation was followed by intrinsic fluorescence spectral changes upon different physicochemical stress treatments. As expected, RBD/Al immunized mice developed an antibody response shifted to native RBD while those immunized with RBD/FA showed a high response against both forms of the protein. In accordance with the observed polyclonal response, RBD/FA derived mAbs recognize both, native and denatured RBD. On the contrary, hybridomas generated from the RBD/Al protocol mostly recognize RBD in its native state. Further ELISA binding assays revealed that all RBD/FA derived mAbs can form a trimeric complex with ACE2 and RBD, denoting they would not have viral neutralizing activity. ELISA competition assays with the RBD/ACE2 complex aimed to determine the neutralization potential of the RBD/Al derived mAbs are under way. Overall, the anti-Spike RBD mAbs and the recombinant RBD and ACE2 proteins presented here constitute valuable tools for diverse COVID-19 academic research projects and local immunity surveillance testing.

Dealing with cancer screening in the COVID-19 era.

OBJECTIVE: This article aims to alert health professionals for cancer screening in the face of the possibility of new waves of disease. METHODS: A narrative review was conducted through a search in MEDLINE, Lilacs, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and international medical societies publications. RESULTS: Breast cancer: in high-risk patients (confirmed familial cancer syndrome or with high-risk tools scores), clinicians should act according to usual recommendations; in average-risk individuals, consider screening with mammography with a longer time span (maximum of two years). Cervical cancer: women turning 25 years old who have already been immunized and with no previous Pap test can have the test postponed during the pandemic; if there is no previous dose of Human Papillomavirus vaccination, initiation of screening should be recommended following a more rigid approach for COVID prevention; in women over 30 years of age who have never participated in cervical screening, the first screening exam is also essential. Colorectal cancer: if the individual is at elevated risk for familial cancer, the screening with colonoscopy according to usual recommendations should be supported; if at average risk consider screening with Fecal Occult Blood Test. Prostate cancer: there is a trend to postpone routine prostate cancer screening until the pandemic subsides. CONCLUSIONS: The decision to keep cancer screening must be discussed and individualized, considering the possibility of new waves of COVID-19.

Fiscal Stimulus, Fiscal Policies, and Financial Instability

Abstract: Fiscal policies have been limited and without a capacity to generate employment as a result of the processes of financial deregulation and liberalization prior to the Global International Financial Crisis (GIFC). During the Post-crisis period, budgets were limited to face the onerous payments of the external debt service. As austerity policies deepened and job creation was set aside in order to meet the reduction in the fiscal deficit, the economy remained stable but financial instability deepened. COVID-19 highlighted the deficiencies in social spending, especially the health sector, and the lack of complementarity between monetary policy and fiscal policy in Latin American countries. © 2021, Journal of Economic Issues / Association for Evolutionary Economics.

New Limits of the Neoliberalism: Society and Market

Abstract: Neoliberalism has been able to change the markets and the economy of societies around the world. These transformations are especially important with regards to fictitious commodities: land, labor, and money. However, the 2020 pandemic imposes new limits, when life itself is at risk globally. This work highlights the major neoliberal reforms relating to fictitious commodities, the difficulties of society to resist and create counterweights. The health crisis that has emerged with the COVID-19 pandemic is the result of decades of over-exploitation of nature and human beings. The reforms over fictitious commodities, especially labor, have led to a constant and systematic decline of society. This article is supported by the theoretical legacy of Karl Polanyi and Kari Polanyi Levitt that allows us to consider the most important trends of neoliberal reforms and their main objectives. © 2021, Journal of Economic Issues / Association for Evolutionary Economics.

DEVELOPMENT OF A HYPERIMMUNE EQUINE SERUM THERAPY FOR COVID-19 IN ARGENTINA

The disease named COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, is currently generating a global pandemic. Vaccine development is no doubt the best long-term immunological approach, but in the current epidemiologic and health emergency there is a need for rapid and effective solutions. Convalescent plasma is the only antibody-based therapy available for COVID-19 patients to date. Equine polyclonal antibodies (EpAbs) put forward a sound alternative. The new generation of processed and purified EpAbs containing highly purified F(ab')(2 )fragments demonstrated to be safe and well tolerated. EpAbs are easy to manufacture allowing a fast development and scaling up for a treatment. Based on these ideas, we present a new therapeutic product obtained after immunization of horses with the receptor-binding domain of the viral Spike glycoprotein. Our product shows around 50 times more potency in in vitro seroneutralization assays than the average of convalescent plasma. This result may allow us to test the safety and efficacy of this product in a phase 2/3 clinical trial to be conducted in July 2020 in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina.