Frequencies of Adverse Events Aftervaccination for Covid-19 in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus from a Reference Center in Asuncion, Paraguay

Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of adverse effects (AE) of vaccination against COVID-19 in patients with SLE who visit medical centers in Asuncion, Paraguay. Method(s): The study performed was observational, transverse, descriptive. 152 patients with SLE were included, who received at least one dose of anti-COVID vaccine. A survey was carried out, which allowed the data collection through phone calls or instant messaging. Each investigator had a spreadsheet that related the generated code with the surveyed patient's name. Once the call ended and if the patient agreed to participate in the study, a code was generated. Result(s): 88.5% of the individuals were female, the average age was 33.93 +/- 11,102 years. Of these, 94.3% received their first dose, 86.3% the second dose, 39.7% the third dose, and 2.3% the fourth dose. Of the total vaccinated patients, 39.38% were administered Sputnik-V, 26.02% Pfizer, 16.43% AstraZeneca, 13.35% Moderna, 4.1% Covaxin, and 0.68% Hayat Vax. Of 292 doses administered, 103 AEs were recorded, 79.6% within the first 5 days and the rest within the next 5 days. 44.03% presented the AE after the first dose, 32.11% after the second dose and 23.85% after the third dose. Themean duration of symptoms was 7.49 +/- 9.877 days. The most important side effect was pain at the injection site, followed by fever and fatigue. The worsening of Lupus due to the administration of the anticovid vaccine was demonstrated in 9.93% of the cases. Conclusion(s): Mild effects were registered. It is concluded that vaccination against COVID-19 is safe for individuals with SLE.

Educating Educators - Re-Adaptation of Qualification Course in Diabetes for Health Care Professionals in an Online Format

Background and Aims: The qualification course aims to encourage different health care professionals (HCP) to develop attitudes and educational actions in dealing with people who have diabetes, their families, and caregivers. Since 2008, more than 2000 HCP have been qualified. The activities during the course are workshops and case discussions through debates and awareness. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, three editions of the qualification were made virtually. Method(s): This case report explores how changed the qualification course Educating Educators, through the explanation of how to apply diabetes education in health services, and teaching processes to the development and implementation of an educational project in diabetes. Result(s): As of the COVID-19 pandemic, the course, which was 50% practical and 50% expository and fully face-to-face, couldn't longer be held in this format. With this continuous demand to qualify HCP in diabetes education, the course during the pandemic had participants of the 39th, 40th, and 41st editions held in a fully online format. The digital model changed the four days of the course in face-to-face modality to two days in two weeks in a virtual way, with a break between the meetings for mentoring and discussion in small groups, some orientations to turn possible the conclusion of elaboration their projects. Conclusion(s): This new model of education appeared can be used to achieving people that don't can participate in face-to-face meetings. Also, the virtual model can provide a constant conversation between tutors and participants to improve their projects.

Machine learning techniques applied to the coronavirus pandemic: a systematic and bibliometric analysis from January 2020 to June 2021

During the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus (Covid-19), Machine Learning (ML) techniques can be used, among other alternatives, to detect the virus in its early stages, which would aid a fast recovery and help to ease the pressure on healthcare systems. In this study, we present a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and a Bibliometric Analysis of ML technique applications in the Covid-19 pandemic, from January 2020 to June 2021, identifying possible unexplored gaps. In the SLR, the 117 most cited papers published during the period were analyzed and divided into four categories: 22 articles that analyzed the problem of the disease using ML techniques in an X-Ray (XR) analysis and Computed Tomography (CT) of the lungs of infected patients;13 articles that studied the problem by addressing social network tools using ML techniques;44 articles directly used ML techniques in forecasting problems;and 38 articles that applied ML techniques for general issues regarding the disease. The gap identified in the literature had to do with the use of ML techniques when analyzing the relationship between the human genotype and susceptibility to Covid-19 or the severity of the infection, a subject that has begun to be explored in the scientific community. © 2022, Scipedia S.L.. All rights reserved.

Indigenous people of Paraná and Covid-19: 2020 overview

The coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global crisis. From the economic scenario until the Indigenous people’s lifestyle, including the typically capitalist society, has been significantly reshaped. As invisible characters in History, the Indigenous people of Paraná have been socially isolated and may be under non-measurable inequalities, misleading statistics, and limited support by the health institutions. This study aimed to analyze the vulnerabilities and resilience responses of the Indigenous people of Paraná to the Covid-19 pandemic and discuss the underreporting and inconsistency of data on confirmed cases and deaths by Covid-19 based on state and national health institutions. This research consists of descriptive and qualiquantitative analysis conducted online that lasted ten months in which: (i) data from two governmental health institutions responsible for monitoring Covid-19 among the Indigenous people of Paraná and two Indigenous were collected and compared;and (ii) perceptions from the Indigenous people of Paraná through interviews and responses to the considered problem at indigenous organizations. As non-conclusive results, it is mentioned: (a) the confirmed cases and deaths by Covid-19 among Indigenous people of Paraná were discrepant according to the considered health institutions;(b) the Indigenous people of Paraná have probably got limited access to health services, including the lack of Covid-19 testing that may be influencing on the underreporting data, and (c) the transparency of methods of data collection and publishing has been inadequate among the studied health institutions. © 2022 Universidade Federal do Parana. All rights reserved.

Exposure Route Influences Disease Severity in the COVID-19 Cynomolgus Macaque Model.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent pandemic has highlighted the need for animal models that faithfully replicate the salient features of COVID-19 disease in humans. These models are necessary for the rapid selection, testing, and evaluation of potential medical countermeasures. Here, we performed a direct comparison of two distinct routes of SARS-CoV-2 exposure-combined intratracheal/intranasal and small particle aerosol-in two nonhuman primate species, rhesus and cynomolgus macaques. While all four experimental groups displayed very few outward clinical signs, evidence of mild to moderate respiratory disease was present on radiographs and at necropsy. Cynomolgus macaques exposed via the aerosol route also developed the most consistent fever responses and had the most severe respiratory disease and pathology. This study demonstrates that while all four models produced suitable representations of mild COVID-like illness, aerosol exposure of cynomolgus macaques to SARS-CoV-2 produced the most severe disease, which may provide additional clinical endpoints for evaluating therapeutics and vaccines.

An Integrated Framework Based on Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS and Multiple Correspondences Analysis (MCA) for Evaluate the Technological Conditions of the Teleworker in Times of Pandemic: A Case Study

The COVID 19 pandemic has affected the daily routine of all people, both in their family and work environments, globally. As a result, many companies in practically all the productive sectors of the countries have required to rethink several critical aspects of the business itself so as not to be absorbed by the crisis, avoid as much as possible losses in financial, human, technological resources, etc., and even disappear. In these challenging times that we live in, the corporate technology platform must provide remote connection facilities to employees. Thus, Teleworking is facilitated in a safe, flexible way, which does not delay the processes and business goals. To define this technological roadmap, it is essential to review the current specialized components, the network infrastructure, and recommendations to improve and optimize existing processes. Concerning the application of integrated methodologies for evaluating Teleworker’s technological conditions during the COVID-19, some studies have been found related to health and safety conditions, growth in the implementation of this modality, and future trends in teleworking. However, the approach to technological requirements in teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic is still limited and not sufficiently studied. To address this challenge, this paper presents an integrated framework based on the application of Fuzzy AHP, TOPSIS, and multivariate methods for the evaluation of technological conditions of teleworkers during the COVID-19 in the construction sector. The methodology’s design is based on the international guidelines and pertinent scientific literature in Telework. The results obtained evidence that the criteria “Infrastructure,” “Digital Connectivity Services,” “Applications,” and “Users” are relevant in the evaluation of technological conditions for Telework due to the few differences in their relative weights. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Mitochondrial induced T cell apoptosis and aberrant myeloid metabolic programs define distinct immune cell subsets during acute and recovered SARS-CoV-2 infection (preprint)

By interrogating metabolic programs in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of acutely infected COVID-19 patients, we identified novel and distinct immune cell subsets Our studies identified a non-clonal population of T cells expressing high H3K27me3 and voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) with mitochondrial dysfunction and increased susceptibility to cell death. Characterized by dysmorphic mitochondria and increased cytoplasmic cytochrome c, apoptosis of these cells was inhibited by preventing VDAC aggregation or blocking caspase activation. Further, we observed a marked increase in Hexokinase II+ polymorphonuclear-myeloid derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSC). While PMN-MDSC were also found in the PBMC of patients with other viral infections, the Hexokinase II+ PMN-MDSC were found exclusively in the acute COVID-19 patients with moderate or severe disease. Finally, we identified a population of monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC) expressing high carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT1a) and VDAC, which were present in the PBMC of the acute COVID-19 patients, but not recovered COVID-19 patients and whose presence correlated with severity of disease. Overall, these unique populations of immune cells provide insight into the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and provide a means to predict and track disease severity as well as an opportunity to design and evaluate novel therapeutic regimens.