Fruit and vegetable mixtures for health-promoting colored extruded snacks

Diet-related non-communicable diseases have an impact on sustainable development and have greatly influenced mortality worldwide, even nowadays, where they regained a greater relevance with COVID-19 pandemic emergence. Food habits and immunity have been closely related, and technological adaptions to produce healthier snacks are now on the global agenda of the food industry. As naturally functional raw materials, fruit and vegetables (F&V) effectively meet the high nutritional value and sensory appeal necessary to snacks design. This work aimed to harness the potential of such resources, including both native and introduced F&V species that confer visually attractive color to cold processed extrudates. The performance of different F&V processing methods was tested, for final blending with hydrocolloids resulting in sugarless confectionery-like extruded snacks. Liquid and dry milling of F&V yielded colorful pigment-rich ingredients, whose physical characteristics differed in terms of extraction efficiency, water activity, and moisture, with associated technological process advantages or handicaps. Formulas with different hydrocolloids were tested, and the one with the highest sensory acceptability was reported. © 2023 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.

Mortality in adults with COVID-19: experience of the Intensive Care Unit of a Third Level Hospital in Paraguay

Introduction: Several factors may influence mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Objective: This research aimed to determine mortality and associated factors in adults with COVID-19 hospitalized in the intensive care unit of a Third Level Hospital in Paraguay. Methodology: Observational, descriptive of crossassociation, cross-sectional, and retrospective study. We included medical records of adult patients, of both sexes, who had a confirmed diagnosis (by antigen and/or PCR test) of SARS-CoV-2 infection and who were hospitalized in the intensive care unit of a Third Level General Hospital in Paraguay. Results: We included 116 patients, 54% of whom were male. The mean age was 57 ± 12.9 years. Of participants, 51% had hypertension and 29% diabetes mellitus. Mechanical ventilation was required in 85% of the patients. Of ventilated patients, 75% had a fatal outcome. A statistically significant association was found between the presence of bacterial infections and hemodialysis requirement and fatal outcome (p=0.0074 and p=0.00011, respectively). The mean age of the deceased patients was 59.5 years, while the group of patients discharged from the intensive care unit had a mean age of 54.2 years. The difference between these ages in relation to death was significant, with a p<0.05. Discussion: Overall mortality due to COVID-19 was more than 6 per 10 patients, being higher in those patients with ventilation. Those patients who presented bacterial superinfection or required hemodialysis during hospitalization had a worse outcome compared to patients who did not present this type of complications. © 2023, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Santa Rosa del Aguaray Branch, National University of Asuncion. All rights reserved.

Mobile App for the information management of pre-existing diseases towards preventing COVID-19 severity

World Health Organization (WHO) studies indicate that people with pre-existing diseases are prone to suffer the severity of the effects of COVID-19 in case of infection. This work presents a mobile application development through open-source software and machine learning techniques for the prediction of the COVID-19 severity in an individual based on pre-existing disease information. For the prediction of the severity and to determine the possibility that an individual ends up in an intensive care unit (ICU), we set a machine learning algorithm, which resulted in a higher probability of prediction when the user undergoes cases of pre-existing diseases, with an efficiency rate of 98 %. We carried out load and stress testing to verify the processing performance, battery consumption, startup latency, and maximum amount of user connections supported by the application, complemented with a wristband for individual's real-time monitoring to attain low battery consumption when using public cloud services and low-power technologies for the connection. © 2023 IEEE.

Can we detect in vivo hemolysis during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support using endogenous carbon monoxide production?

Introduction: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been widely used in patients with ARDS due to COVID-19. In vivo hemolysis (ivH) is one of its complications, characterised by peaks of plasma free hemoglobin (fHb). However, an increase in carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) has also been observed due to Hb metabolism by heme-oxygenase that releases carbon monoxide. The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of ivH events and their relation to COHb in COVID-19 patients undergoing ECMO. Method(s): Single-centre observational retrospective study that included 33 COVID-19 patients with ARDS who received VV-ECMO treatment in the ICU from March 2020 to September 2021. Daily analytical monitoring was carried out including arterial blood gas test with cooximetry and biochemical parameters, incorporating the estimation of fHb using quantitative hemolysis index (HI). Significant ivH was considered with fHb > 50 mg/dL after discarding in vitro hemolysis. Daily maximum values of HI and COHb were recorded and paired in order to evaluate their correlation by generalised linear model. Result(s): The total prevalence of patients having ivH in our cohort was 27.3%. Mortality during ECMO treatment in our study was 57.6%, higher within the group of patients with ivH events (77.8% vs 50%). A total of 777 daily maximum values of fHb from all the patients were obtained. Values of COHb were significantly higher during ivH episodes. Furthermore, positive significant correlation was obtained between daily analytical values of fHb and COHb (B coefficient 42.156;p = 0.042), as shown in Fig. 1. The cut-off value of COHb to be discriminative for hemolysis (fHb > 50 mg/dL) was 3.85% COHb (90.5% sensitivity and 83.3% specificity). Conclusion(s): Point-of-care carboxyhemoglobin is a cheap and widely available parameter that could be useful when detecting in vivo hemolysis during ECMO treatment.

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.

Analysis of experiences about Covid-19 in the Latin American context through grounded theory

This work aims to describe and analyze, through Grounded Theory, the experiences of the management of covid-19 in people in Latin America who suffered from the disease or were in the process of mourning because of it. The analysis units were open and semi-structured interviews via Zoom with ten people from seven Latin American countries who had experienced covid-19. For the analysis of the interviews, the Atlas.ti software was used. The results show the emergence of a substantive theory on the management of covid in four aspects: knowledge of the disease;accompaniment in illness and grief;exercise of spirituality;and coping strategies. It is concluded that the management of covid-19 involves both psychospiritual and social and economic aspects.

Prevalence of adverse drug reactions associated with emergency department visits and risk factors for hospitalization

Objective: Adverse drug reactions increase morbidity and mortality, prolong hospital stay and increase healthcare costs. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of emergency department visits for adverse drug reactions and to describe their characteristics. The secondary objective was to determine the predictor variables of hospitalization for adverse drug reactions associated with emergency department visits. Method(s): Observational and retrospective study of adverse drug reactions registered in an emergency department, carried out from November 15th to December 15th, 2021. The demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients, the drugs involved and the adverse drug reactions were described. Logistic regression was performed to identify factors related to hospitalization for adverse drug reactions. Result(s): 10,799 patients visited the emergency department and 216 (2%) patients with adverse drug reactions were included. The mean age was 70 +/- 17.5 (18-98) years and 47.7% of the patients were male. A total of 54.6% of patients required hospitalization and 1.6% died from adverse drug reactions. The total number of drugs involved was 315 with 149 different drugs. The pharmacological group corresponding to the nervous system constituted the most representative group (n = 81). High-risk medications, such as antithrombotic agents (n = 53), were the subgroup of medications that caused the most emergency department visits and hospitalization. Acenocumarol (n = 20) was the main drug involved. Gastrointestinal (n = 62) disorders were the most common. Diarrhea (n = 16) was the most frequent adverse drug reaction, while gastrointestinal bleeding (n = 13) caused the highest number of hospitalizations. Charlson comorbidity index behaved as an independent risk factor for hospitalization (aOR 3.24, 95% CI: 1.47-7.13, p = 0.003, in Charlson comorbidity index 4-6;and aOR 20.07, 95% CI: 6.87-58.64, p = 0.000, in Charlson comorbidity index >= 10). Conclusion(s): The prevalence of emergency department visits for adverse drug reactions continues to be a non-negligible health problem. High-risk drugs such as antithrombotic agents were the main therapeutic subgroup involved. Charlson comorbidity index was an independent factor in hospitalization, while gastrointestinal bleeding was the adverse drug reaction with the highest number of hospital admissions.Copyright © 2022 Sociedad Espanola de Farmacia Hospitalaria (S.E.F.H)

Teaching L2 pronunciation in OneNote: Exploring students' performance and views

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the acceleration of technological changes in language education in universities as well as in other educational levels. Technology has been of great use in the case of online or hybrid English teaching, but most importantly to support classroom practice during short confinement periods or to practice oral skills without a mask out of the classroom. This chapter describes five activities to enhance students' pronunciation and phonological awareness in OneNote. The activities were put into practice with a group of twenty-one future teachers in the course English Phonetics over a period of 12 weeks. After that, their performance and their perceptions on the tasks were explored by means of an ad hoc post-questionnaire composed of open answer questions, together with multiple and single response ones. The results indicate that in general the tasks that were designed were perceived as positive in terms of support of classroom practice, but also in connection with error detection, phonological awareness purposes or access to feedback. Furthermore, participants' views related to the future applicability of the tasks were optimistic. © Peter Lang GmbH. International Academic Publishers Berlin 2023. All rights reserved.

Customer satisfaction and sale performance in New York State brewery tasting rooms

The US craft brewery industry has grown steadily in recent years before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of small, independently owned craft breweries rely on tasting rooms for revenues and profits. Using data collected from a survey of tasting room visitors from 21 craft breweries in New York, this research investigates factors influencing visitors' customer satisfaction (CS) and the link between brewery tasting room CS and sales performance. The results show that brewery interior ambience, beer tasting execution, and friendliness and knowledge of servers are the main factors influencing CS in tasting rooms. Furthermore, results suggest that higher CS levels increase visitors' purchase likelihood and beer purchase amounts (by volume and value). These findings indicate that breweries should focus on such factors as strengthening staff training, enhancing tasting room ambience, and improving beer tasting execution that have the highest positive influence on CS to increase sales. This study has implications for the rapidly growing craft brewery industry in the USA. © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association.

Design and construction of automated mechanical ventilation equipment

This document presents the requirements met for the design, construction and initial validation of a mechanical ventilation system to be used in patients with respiratory insufficiency, which in the initial context was due to the COVID-19 pandemics. The design required the use of computer aided drawing software (Computer Aided Design) CAD and the construction required the use of installed capabilities in mechanical, electropneumatic, electronic, biomedical and automation manufacturing of institutes and centers of the Universidad Don Bosco (El Salvador). The adjust-ment, configuration and programming tasks were in charge of research professors specialized in these dis-ciplines. The elements used for its construction were available in the Salvadoran market, considering the closure of borders as a government measure to face the expansion of the pandemics. After the design, manufacturing and commissioning stage, conditions of the supplied air were measured with the help of professionals dedicated to the maintenance of medical equipment and with the approval of internist doctors. The results achieved are those obtained with paramedical equipment and with first aid equipment, and consequently it has been foreseen that the equipment can be tested in a subsequent instance with the certified medical union. © 2022, Universidad Politecnica Salesiana. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Spanish Version of Fear of COVID-19 Scale: its Association with Acute Stress and Coping its Association with Acute Stress and Coping.

The COVID-19 is a "unique" stressor, which can produce physical and psychological trauma. Coping styles can buffer this psychological impact. Consequently, this paper aims to psychometrically adapt the Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCV-19S) to Spanish and examines the relationships between FCV-19S, stress response, and coping strategies. The sample comprised a convenience sample of 1146 participants (12-83 years), 880 from Spain (76.8%), and 266 from Dominican Republic (23.2%). Overall, the findings support a one-factor structure for FCV-19S, consisting of 7-items, and was invariant across age, sex, occupational status, and cross-national. Therefore, indicating evidences of construct validity. Evidences of reliability were also observed (Cronbach's α = .86, McDonald's ω = .86, Guttmann's λ6 = .86, greatest lower bound = .91, composite reliability = .85, and average variance extracted = .44). Moreover, as regards criterion-related validity, the mediation analysis indicated that the relationship between FCV-19S and acute stress was positive and high, with maladaptive coping styles mediating the relationship, and with a stronger mediation for men. The findings give evidences of the reliability and validity of the Spanish version of FCV-19S among Spanish-speaker participants, which provides the chance of cross-cultural studies.

Evolution of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma diagnosis during the last decade

Background: Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has historically been an important diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The multidisciplinary approach and new diagnostic techniques' implementation have modified this process. Method(s): We conducted a retrospective analysis based on clinical data of patients with PDAC between the years 2010 to 2021, analyzing the diagnosis and initial treatment evolution. Result(s): 673 patients between 2010-2021 with a suspected diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma were reviewed. Most of them were metastatic (n=362;53.8%), followed by locally advanced unresectable (n=166;24.7%) and resectable or borderline resectable (n=145;21.5%). Regarding the pathological diagnosis, it was not possible in 62 patients (9.2%), varying over time from 21.2%in 2010-2012 to 1% in 2019-2021 (p<0,0001). Moreover, the number of biopsies has decreased with a mean number of biopsies to obtain a pathological diagnosis of 1.55 (2010-2012) vs 1.31 (2019-2021). During this last period, most of the diagnoses were made by cytological analysis (61.4%;n=121). Specifically in the 2019-2021 patients subgroup, we found that 18 NGS (9,1%) were performed in this period (solid tumor), with 4 patients having actionable mutations (22.2%;3 KRAS G12C). Germline (g) mutational panels were carried out in 89 patients, finding only 9 positive cases (10.1%), being 3 of them gBRCA1/2 mutated (3,4%). In our study, a decrease in palliative management was evidenced over time. In 2010-2012, 28,8% of patients received exclusively palliative care against 9,6% in 2019-21 (p, 0.0001). An increase in PDAC diagnosis was observed since 2010, 44 patients/year in 2010-12 vs. 66 patients/year in 2019-21 (including COVID-19 pandemic period). All previous results are summarized. Conclusion(s): The diagnosis of PDAC has changed throughout the last decade, increasing the percentage of patients with a pathological diagnosis without increasing the number of invasive procedures. The number of patients suitable for anti-cancer therapy has also increased among time. In our cohort, the implementation of molecular testing would change the therapeutic approach in more than 20% of patients.

Underdiagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a problem that persists

Introduction and objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a public health problem of the first order and underdiagnosis of this disease is a universal phenomenon. The objective of our study is to determine the prevalence of COPD and to analyze the clinical, radiological and functional characteristics of patients without a previous diagnosis of COPD and diagnosed with this disease in the post-COVID follow-up consultation, and to compare them with patients without COPD. Methods and materials: A study was carried out of the patients referred to the post-COVID consultation who were diagnosed with COPD in said consultation between the months of June 2020 and February 2021. The variables included were: sex, age, smoking habit, pack-year index (IPA), degree of dyspnea according to the mMRC scale, function and characteristics in chest CT. Result(s): Of the 371 patients evaluated in the post-COVID follow-up consultation, 23 of them, 11%, were diagnosed with COPD. 61% were men with a mean age of 60 +/- 11 years, 17% being active smokers, 56% ex-smokers with a mean IPA of 26 +/- 15. The rest of the variables are shown in Table 1. Significant differences were found between patients with and without COPD in terms of smoking (p<0.001) and lung function (p=0.002). No significant differences were found in the rest of the variables. 21% of COPD patients had emphysema on chest CT. Conclusion(s): The diagnosis of COPD was established in 11% of the patients evaluated in the post-COVID consultation.

Persistent interstitial involvement in relation to the severity of SARS CoV-2 infection

Introduction and objective: The objective of our study was to determine if the presence of interstitial involvement in the chest CT of patients infected with SARS CoV2 is related to the severity and need for oxygen therapy during the acute episode. Material(s) and Method(s): We carried out a descriptive study of patients infected with SARS CoV2 between March and June 2020 in follow-up in the postCOVID consultation from June 2020 to December 2021 and divided them into 4 groups based on the severity of the acute process. Group 1: did not require oxygen therapy, group 2: oxygen therapy up to 15lpm, group 3: high flow nasal cannula or continuous positive pressure, and group 4 orotracheal intubation. We analyzed the clinical characteristics and the evolution of the lesions on chest CT and respiratory function tests 12 months after hospital discharge. Result(s): We analyzed 388 patients, mean age 57+/-13 years, 53% male. Group 1: 68 (17.5%), group 2: 213 (54.8%), group 3: 19, (5%) group 4: 88 (23%).The most frequent radiological alterations were ground glass (70%) and bronchial dilations (30%), being present in 42% of patients in group 1, 75% in group 2, 84% in group 3 and in 97% % of patients in group 4. These differences were significant comparing patients in group 1 with group 2 (p=0.001), with group 3 p=0.012 and with group 4, (p<0.001). No significant differences were found when comparing the rest of the groups with each other. Conclusion(s): The persistence of postCOVID radiological alterations 12 months after hospital discharge is related to the need for oxygen therapy during the acute episode.

Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine in Spanish Healthcare Workers.

INTRODUCTION: Frontline health care workers (HCW) have higher risk than the general population to become infected by SARS.CoV.2, so they were a priority group for Covid-19 vaccine administration. We compared the incidence and prevalence of HCW infected pre-and post- vaccination with the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective observational study carried out between 01/12/20 and 07/03/21 in La Paz University Hospital, Madrid (Spain). SARS.CoV.2 positive cases in HCW after vaccination were collected and compared to those hospitalized COVID-19 patients at the same hospital. RESULTS: Two weeks after finishing the first round of vaccinations daily new cases of HCW infections (symptomatic and asymptomatic) decreased substantially and cumulative cases of infected HCW and hospitalized COVID-19 patients started to diverge. No new positive cases of HCW infection were registered seven days after the second dose of BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. CONCLUSIONS: BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is highly effective in Spanish HCW.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic influence the early diagnosis of bone metastatic disease? Experience in our health area

Aim/Introduction: To analyze the relationship (negative correlation) between the health care delay related with the Covid-19 pandemic and the cases detected of bone scans with multiple bone metastases coinciding with the oncological diagnosis. Material(s) and Method(s): 5849 full-body bone scans with 99mTc-HMDP performed during the periods of March 2018 -February 2020 (2910 cases) and March 2020 -February 2022 (2939 cases), which were evaluated as tumor extension studies. The official commence of the Covid-19 pandemic in Spain (March 2020) was chosen as the temporary time dividing line.In each period, the number of bone scans that presented multiple bone metastases was assessed, and the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were compared, searching for statistically significant differences. Result(s): In the pre-Covid19 period, 62 patients (2.13%) with multiple bone metastases were detected (average age 69.7 years;58% men). The tumors with the highest frequency of these findings were prostate cancer (38.8%) and breast cancer (27.4%).In the Covid-19 pandemic period, 70 patients (2.38%) had multiple bone metastases (average age 68.3 years;77.1% men). Prostate cancer was the tumor with the highest frequency of multiple bone metastases (55.7%).The findings have not shown a significant increase in the incidence of bone metastatic disease between these two periods (p=0.259);although, there are statistically significant differences regarding the characteristics of patients with multiple bone metastases at diagnosis, detecting in the pandemic period a higher number of cases in men (p=0.0088) and in patients with prostate cancer (p=0.0237). Conclusion(s): The health care delay caused by the pandemic has not been associated with a significant increase in the number of cancer patients with multiple bone metastases at diagnosis;although, in our health area, early diagnosis for male with cancer does seem to have been delayed, especially in those with prostate cancer.

Clinical and Economic Impact of COVID-19 and Serologic Protection among Farm Workers: Results from the Guatemala Agricultural Workers and Respiratory Illness Impact (AGRI) Study

Background. In the Guatemala AGricultural workers and Respiratory Impact (AGRI) study, we evaluated the clinical and socioeconomic burdens of respiratory disease in a cohort of Guatemalan banana farm workers. Methods. All eligible workers were offered enrollment from June 15-December 30, 2020, and annually, then followed for influenza-like illnesses (ILI) through: 1) selfreporting to study nurses, 2) sentinel surveillance at health posts, and 3) absenteeism. Workers with ILI submitted nasopharyngeal swabs for influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 testing, then completed surveys at days 0, 7, and 28. Enrollment and acute-illness serum samples were tested for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG (anti-N, Roche Elecsys ), and neutralizing antibodies (NAb) were tested in a subset using a lentivirus-based pseudovirion assay. Results. Through October 10, 2021, 1,833 workers were enrolled. The majority were male (84%), young (mean 31 years), and healthy (< 13% had comorbidity). Through October 10, 2021, 1,833 workers developed 169 ILIs (12.0/100 person-years) and 43 (25.4%) of these ILIs were laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 (3.1/100 person-years). Workers with SARS-CoV-2-positive ILI reported more anosmia (p< 0.01), dysgeusia (p< 0.01), difficulty concentrating (p=0.01), and irritability (p=0.01), and greater clinical and well-being severity scores (Flu-iiQ) than testnegative ILIs (Fig 1);they also had greater absenteeism (p< 0.01) and lost income (median US$127.1, p< 0.01). Among 1334 workers enrolled in 2020, 616 (46.2%) had anti-N IgG suggestive of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. COVID-19 incidence density for IgG-seropositive workers was 0.4/100 Person Years (PY), lower than those who were seronegative (2.3/100 PY) (Fig 2). At enrollment, anti-N IgG titers in serum correlated with neutralizing antibody titers (R2 =0.26, p< 0.0001). Notably, in < 6 months from enrollment, most workers with follow-up NAb testing (65/77, 84%) exhibited a 95% decrease in neutralizing antibody titers. Conclusion. Guatemalan farm workers suffered a significant burden of COVID-19, including more severe clinical and economic outcomes than other respiratory illnesses. Ongoing vaccination programs and longitudinal serology will provide additional insight into long-term immunity.

Performance of Saliva Compared to Nasopharyngeal Swab in Detection of SARS-CoV-2 at a Field Site in Rural Guatemala Using the Roche Cobas Liat Point-of-Care Assay

Background. Saliva samples are less invasive but not considered the gold standard for detecting SARS-CoV-2, and they are not validated for the Roche Cobas Liat platform. We aimed to evaluate the performance of a saliva sample compared to nasopharyngeal (NP) swab in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 on the Roche Cobas Liat platform at a research site in rural Guatemala. Methods. Adults in an existing cohort study with influenza-like illness (ILI) provided clinical data and underwent NP swab (Copan) collection by trained nurses. Swabs were immediately placed into universal transport media (UTM), stored at 2-8 degreeC for less than 30 minutes and then tested on the Cobas Liat platform for SARS-CoV-2. Consenting subjects who had not eaten or drank in the last 2 hours were asked to provide a 5-mL saliva sample directly into an RNAse free container. The saliva sample remained at 2-8 degreeC for 24 hours, then diluted 1:2 with 0.85% saline (to reduce viscosity) and run on the same assay. We used descriptive statistics to compare the performance of saliva to NP swabs. Results. Of the 28 subjects screened (1/10/22 - 4/26/22), 23 (82%) were consented and enrolled. The majority of subjects were male (78.3%) with a mean age of 31 years (range: 18-59 years). Of the 23 subjects enrolled, 14 (30.4%) reported fever and cough, 16 (34.8%) reported cough only, 14 (30.4%) reported fever only, and 2 (4.3%) reported cough and nasal congestion. The median symptom duration was 3.0 days (IQR: 1.5-5 days). Of the 23 subjects, 5 (23.7%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in both sample types (NP swab and saliva);3 (13%) were discordant, including 1 (4.3%) saliva-positive only and 2 (8.7%) NP-positive only. Compared to NP swab, preliminary performance of saliva in detection of SARS-CoV-2 included a sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 71.4%, 93.7%, 87%, 83.3%, and 88.2%, respectively. The Fisher's exact test p-value (0.003) shows concordance between both tests. Conclusion. Our preliminary results show good precision between NP and saliva samples in detection of SARS-CoV-2 on the Roche Cobas Liat platform. Ongoing data collection will provide greater insight on the discordant results, but our findings support the continued use of saliva in the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in this population.