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Objectives: Variant-related differences of SARS-CoV-2 have been reported such as higher transmissibility but less disease severity in omicron sublineages when compared to other variants. Although some studies have examined the outcomes of COVID-19 in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), most were conducted during the initial waves. Thus, we sought to compare the clinical outcomes of SLE patients with COVID-19 during the omicron and pre-delta/delta periods. Method(s): A cohort of adults with SLE from a single center in Puerto Rico was studied. SARS CoV-2 infection was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction or antigen tests. The pre-delta/delta variants period was defined as March 2020 to November 2021 and the omicron period as December 2021 to October 2022. Demographic parameters, cumulative SLE manifestations, disease activity, disease damage, lupus treatments, comorbidities, COVID-19 symptoms, SLE exacerbations, and hospitalizations were compared between the study periods using bivariate and multivariate analyses. Result(s): Of the entire SLE cohort (n = 347), 151 patients (43.5%) had COVID-19. In those with COVID-19, the mean (SD) age was 46.7 (12.5) years and 96.0% were women. Overall, clinical outcomes were favorable with low rates of hospitalizations (2.6%), lupus flares (3.3%), and mortality (0.7%). In 14.6% of cases, COVID-19 occurred during the pre-delta/delta period and in 85.4% during the omicron wave. Patients that had COVID-19 during the predelta/ delta period were younger and had a significantly higher proportion of oral ulcers, psychosis, anti-Smith antibodies, coronary artery disease, and chronic kidney disease compared to those during the omicron wave. Among COVID-19 symptoms, runny nose, cough, and sore throat were more common in the omicron period, whereas anosmia and anorexia were more frequent in the pre-delta/delta period. In the multivariable analyses adjusted by age, all variables retained significance except for psychosis, anti-Smith antibodies, and coronary artery disease. No significant differences were observed for other variables. Conclusion(s): In this group of Puerto Ricans with SLE, a higher proportion had COVID-19 during the omicron wave compared to previous periods. No differences were seen for severe outcomes such as hospitalizations, lupus flares, and mortality. Furthermore, COVID-19 did not appear to have a negative impact on the short-term clinical outcomes of these patients, regardless of the variant period examined.
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This research investigates the mediation of resilience abilities on the relationship between Industry 4.0 technologies adoption and healthcare supply chain performance during the COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil and India. We surveyed 179 practitioners from organizations at different tiers of the healthcare supply chain (e.g., manufacturers, distributors, and care providers) in July 2021. Multivariate data techniques are used to the collected data to verify the hypotheses anchored on concepts from resource dependence theory. We identify two constructs of Industry 4.0 technologies (named after their predominant roles) and two constructs of resilience abilities (named according to the main abilities encompassed). Our findings indicate that resilience abilities mediate the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on the performance of the healthcare supply chain since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the role played by adaptive and restorative abilities seems more prominent than the one played by anticipation and monitoring abilities. Further, sensing and communication technologies directly affect the healthcare supply chain's performance. Our study brings together three emerging topics related to the literature on the healthcare supply chain (Industry 4.0 adoption, resilience abilities development, and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic). Although digitalization of the healthcare supply chain does improve its performance, our research indicated that its impact could be significantly enhanced when resilience abilities are concurrently developed, particularly in the Indian and Brazilian contexts. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
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The purpose of this article was to implement the gamification model in high school students who took the subject of Chemistry I, at CBTis No. 144 in a time of confinement due to Covid-19. This research was carried out from a quasi-experimental quantitative approach, using the pretest-posttest design with one group;In this design, a pre-test (O) was applied to a group of students, then the treatment (X) and finally the post-test (O). In order to verify the hypothesis raised, which established that the teaching and learning process requires the application of techno-pedagogical strategies and tools such as gamification, to increase motivation and commitment in students, and thus observe an improvement in achievement academic. The results showed that when gamifying with the Classcraft platform, students were motivated, engaged, held responsible, had fun, among other benefits, with respect to academic achievement, no significant change was observed. On the other hand, the importance of considering the context where the gamification model will be implemented was also established.
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Given different advances in applied literature, risky and positive behaviours keep gaining ground as key contributors for riding safety outcomes. In this regard, the Cycling Behaviour Question-naire (CBQ) represents one of the tools available to assess the core dimensions of cycling behaviour and their relationship with road safety outcomes from a behavioural perspective. Nevertheless, it has never been psychometrically approached through a cross-cultural perspec-tive. Therefore, this study aimed to perform the cross-cultural validation of the CBQ, examining its psychometric properties, reliability indexes, validity insights and descriptive scores in 19 countries distributed across five regions: Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. For this purpose, it was used the data retrieved from a full sample of 7,001 urban cyclists responding to a large-scale electronic survey. Participants had a mean age of M = 36.15 (SD = 14.71), ranging between 16 and 83 years. The results of this large-scale study empirically support the assumption that the 29-item version of the CBQ has a fair dimensional structure and item composition, good internal consistency, reliability indexes, and an interesting set of validity insights. Among these results, there can be highlighted that: (i) Structurally speaking, the questionnaire works better under a three-factor dimensionality, keeping all its 29 items, whose factor loadings are >0.400 in
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The digital competence of teachers is a key aspect for education in the current socio digital context. The approach to the knowledge that students have in this area is essential in initial teacher training to guide training programs to its development and updating. The objectives of this research are to analyze the perception that first-year undergraduate students of Education have about their competence mastery, and to detect possible differences according to the variables age, gender, degree, academic year and university entrance route. A quantitative, non-experimental and transectional study with a post-hoc design and descriptive, associative and correlational analysis was carried out with 3029 first-year undergraduate students in Education in Catalonia and Andorra during 3 academic years. The results indicate a high self-perception that, contrasted by means of a discussion group with students in their final year, is considered not to reflect reality. There are no significant differences in the level of self-perception according to gender, degree and university entrance route, but there are significant differences according to age and the academic year in which they begin their studies, probably due to the Covid-19 situation and the adaptation of the environments to online and hybrid formats. © 2022 Universidad de Sevilla. All rights reserved.
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Purpose : Dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading contributor to visual impairment across the globe. No current treatment exists to improve visual function or reduce disease progression outside of vitamin supplementation and lifestyle changes. LIGHTSITE III is evaluating multiwavelength photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy using the LumiThera Valeda® Light Delivery System in dry AMD Methods : LIGHTSITE III (NCT04065490) is a prospective, double-masked, randomized, sham-controlled, parallel group, multi-center study to assess the safety and efficacy of PBM in dry AMD. Target enrollment was approximately 96 subjects (144 eyes). Subjects are treated with six series of PBM/Sham treatments (3x per week for 3 weeks) delivered over a 24-month period with a 13-month efficacy analysis of data. PBM therapy consists of low-level light exposure to selected tissues resulting in positive effects on mitochondrial output and improvement in cellular activity. Valeda is used to deliver multiwavelength PBM treatment using 590, 660 and 850 nm of light. Subjects are assessed for clinical and safety outcomes (i.e., best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), low- luminance BCVA, contrast sensitivity, reading speed, color vision, VFQ-25 and perimetry). Independent OCT, FAF and color fundus imaging outcomes at selected timepoints are analyzed by a masked imaging reading center Results : A total of 148 eyes from 100 subjects with dry AMD have been enrolled and randomized in a 2:1 design (PBM:Sham). The majority of subjects are female (68%) and Caucasian (99%). The average age at enrollment was 75 years and mean time since dry AMD diagnosis is 4.9 years. COVID-19 interference has been minimal and not significantly impacted subject enrollment or retention. Clinical and anatomical outcome data from the interim analysis conducted at Month 13 is presented. Results from the 21-month time point are expected at end of 2022 Conclusions : LIGHTSITE III provides the largest, randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of PBM in dry AMD subjects. PBM therapy may offer a new treatment strategy with a unique mechanism and modality for patients with dry AMD.
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Before the shutdown due to COVID-19, all courses and laboratories from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) were conducted in person at the university facilities. Many of the laboratories required students to work in groups due to the limited equipment availability. Most universities were forced to adopt distance learning as a primary teaching modality when the pandemic started. Previously, the Learning Management Systems (LMS) were used mainly for support course functions, where students could review the content and grades in their own time, submit assignments, or download materials. During the pandemic time, students attended virtual sessions via video conference, reviewed materials independently, or had restricted interactions. This modality limited the ability to conduct lab experiments. The adopted lab methodologies were to offer online circuits laboratories implemented via portable equipment, designed for work at home, and acquired for the students;or by providing remote access to some university equipment. The ECE department had additional challenges because most of our students live in the border region between USA and México, and many had limited technological resources to access virtual or remote laboratories. UTEP started resuming face-to-face courses and events on campus after the pandemic acute phase period. For the fall 2021 semester, the school initiated activities under enhanced safety precautions for in-person classes. Currently, the circuits laboratory returned to face-to-face delivery mode using bench industrial-grade equipment with higher resolution and accuracy than personal devices, offering students a more comprehensive range of experiments to improve their abilities and knowledge in the technical field. However, some characteristics of the virtual model were kept, such as working at home in the preliminary laboratory phase using portable equipment and then allowing students to work individually at the university workstation, using time more efficiently, and keeping the improved LMS content. This paper compares online and in-person circuits laboratory sessions, exploring the differences, limitations, benefits, and challenges for the students and the response due to geographic restrictions. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022
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Background & Aim: The recent supply chain crisis highlights a need to establish alternative manufacturing (MFG) protocols ensuring continuity of existing and new cell therapy (CT) clinical trials. Our academic CT program, and likely others, experienced purchasing delays and restrictions caused by diversion of critical supplies to meet COVID-19- related research demands and/or reduced vendor capacity due to resource constraints, including attrition of skilled workforce. Mitigation strategies aimed at creating process redundancies overcome production challenges resulting from a scarcity of goods. Here, we validated an alternative ex vivo culture system to clinically MFG lentiviral vector (LV) modified CAR T cells due to limited availability of cell expansion culture bags for the Wave bioreactor, a critical unit of operation that we have used to successfully MFG thousands of gene-modified T cell products for 30+ clinical trials. Methods, Results & Conclusion: The disposable G-REX culture vessels were compatible and seamlessly integrated with our closed system platform. Mesothelin CAR T cells were manufactured in parallel via the G-REX or conventional Wave bioreactor using consented patient starting material. Critical quality attributes of the final T cell products, including viability, transduction efficiency, phenotype and function were assessed. Transduction efficiencies assessed by flow cytometry and/or molecular qPCR were lower in products generated in the G-REX compared to the wave using the same multiplicity of infection. However, at least 50-fold expansion was achieved, with cell viabilities greater than 90% and with comparable cellular phenotypes. The Meso CAR T cells generated by either process were capable of eliciting CAR-mediated cytotoxicity and effector cytokine production. Strikingly, 2-4 billion T cells were harvested from a starting seed number of just 50 million T cells in the 1L G-REX, which may be sufficient to meet most protocol- specified cell therapy doses, suggesting that a full apheresis collection may not be needed. Notably, this process required just 1/3 of the starting material, 1/5 of the media and decreased manual effort through culture duration compared to the Wave. Additionally, the reduced reliance on specialized capital equipment combined with a small footprint enables simultaneous MFG of several immunotherapy products. These advantages propose consideration in replacement of current expansion platform as well as validating an alternative process for MFG CAR T cells.
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Virus infections belonging to the Coronaviridae family are causal agents of respiratory, hepatic, intestinal, and occasionally neurological pathologies. They can cause ischemic stroke and cerebral hemorrhage by various mechanisms. This article is observational, retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive. Series of cases of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke treated at the "1 de Octubre" Regional Hospital from May 2020 to August 2020 associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection with the use of CT imaging diagnostic aids based on the CO-RADS classification, RT-PCR, clinical and imaging correlation of the stroke, considering its location and time of evolution. A total of 9 patients with CVD and COVID-19 were found: 4 patients with a history of SAH and 4 patients without comorbidities who debuted with CVD during COVID-19 infection, 1 with heart valve disease, the neurological symptoms collected were: headache, disorientation, dysarthria, motor aphasia, seizures, facial paralysis, hemiparesis, and hemiplegia. 7 patients with ischemic presentation, one of them had a hemorrhagic transformation and 2 only had hemorrhagic events. The hypercoagulable state associated with the hyperinflammatory response triggered by COVID-19 could be considered a possible cause of stroke. COVID-19 is a pathology related to cerebral vascular disease, causing ischemic pathology, but it can also have hemorrhagic characteristics.
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The role played by children’s motor skills, socialisation and the outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of a more outward-looking education. Linked to this, we can identify two other less obvious pandemics: sedentary lifestyles and social isolation.This article presents the results of three studies involving several educational experiences during this unique period between the academic years 2019/20 and 2021/22. It provides a voice to the protagonists: schoolchildren (n=123), educators (n=14) and families (n=128), to understand their experiences and expectations of active and outdoor based education in the different settings in which this took place during the period:the playground, the home, the street, the outdoors and indoor classrooms.As a result, the impact of confinement, both at home and school, on childhood as well as the value of utilising the outdoors and nature as an educational space become clear.We can verify that barriers can be broken down and that outdoor education can overcome difficulties when the teachers set their minds to it. Some of these difficulties are related to a certain reluctance to go outside the classroom, despite scientific evidence indicating that we are safer against COVID-19 in outdoor spaces.This contradiction seems to stem from an excess of zeal and liability, especially on the part of education authorities, which prevented or hindered outdoor education while taking great care to establish strict health prevention measures inside schools. It ends with a message of optimism and realism on the part of educators, who now have the certainty that this pandemic has shown us the great value of outdoor learning. © Federación Española de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educación Física (FEADEF).
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The urban parish, Corazón city, is located in the Pangua canton, Cotopaxi province, located in the foothills of the Andes Mountain range, where the water supply of drinking water is currently carried out by gravity with a storage tank to the population. This research analyzed the water supply during the period of confinement due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This was based on the change in use, behavior, and losses to the system. In order to population conditions, data from registered volumes were employed, distributed and consumed volumes registers were the variables used to develop the dynamic model, which has helped to estimate the charge in drinking water consumption due to the pandemic lockdown. Hence, the current consumption during the confinement period was determined, and the forecast considering the actual conditions. Finally, the dynamic model of water consumption was proposed;the results obtained showed that water consumption had not experienced any significant change during the social distancing period, and the maximum growth rate of 0.2755 will be reached in December 2020. A sharp change in water consumption tendency was probably not observed because the majority of Corazón city population have been working from home before and after the pandemic. To conclude, it is necessary to remark that thanks to the data provided, it was possible to model this behavior within mathematical formulas and the Vensim software, having results close to reality;Indeed, two critical scenarios have been considered on the supply system under analysis. © 2022. International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology.All Rights Reserved
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Introduction: Occupational training of Biostatistics residents for the development of COVID-19 preventive actions is a current challenge in the medical education process of professionals who are trained in this specialty, given the priority that this subject has within the national health system of Cuba. Objective: To assess the state of occupational training of Biostatistics residents for COVID-19 prevention during the actions that they carry out in education at work. Methods: A pre-experimental quantitative research was carried out using an intentional sample of ten Biostatistics residents from Holguín Province, with prior signing of informed consent. The method of direct observation in the field and the McNemar’s statistical test were used. Results: Occupational competence for COVID-19 prevention was provided, as it must be assessed in the cases of Biostatistics residents, since it is not included in the current program;as well as the main achievements and deficiencies that they demonstrated during the actions carried out in education at work. Conclusions: Occupational competence for COVID-19 prevention is a new quality that characterizes occupational training of Biostatistics residents in contemporary times. It is a cross-sectional competence that must be incorporated into their work profile, insofar it must be developed and assessed during the actions carried out in education at work, combined with higher medical teaching and research work. © 2021, Editorial Ciencias Medicas. All rights reserved.
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INTRODUCTION: Identifying effective drugs for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is urgently needed. An efficient approach is to evaluate whether existing approved drugs have anti-SARS-CoV-2 effects. The antiviral properties of lithium salts have been studied for many years. Their anti-inflammatory and immune-potentiating effects result from the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3. AIMS: To obtain pre-clinical evidence on the safety and therapeutic effects of lithium salts in the treatment of COVID-19. RESULTS: Six different concentrations of lithium, ranging 2-12 mmol/L, were evaluated. Lithium inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV-2 virus in a dose-dependent manner with an IC50 value of 4 mmol/L. Lithium-treated wells showed a significantly higher percentage of monolayer conservation than viral control, particularly at concentrations higher than 6 mmol/L, verified through microscopic observation, the neutral red assay, and the determination of N protein in the supernatants of treated wells. Hamsters treated with lithium showed less intense disease with fewer signs. No lithium-related mortality or overt signs of toxicity were observed during the experiment. A trend of decreasing viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs and lungs was observed in treated hamsters compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide pre-clinical evidence of the antiviral and immunotherapeutic effects of lithium against SARS-CoV-2, which supports an advance to clinical trials on COVID-19's patients.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Drug Treatment , Animals , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use , Cricetinae , Humans , Lithium , SARS-CoV-2 , SaltsABSTRACT
The global COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the adoption of online delivery methods supported by accessible technologies, applications, and academic learning platforms. There is a larger demand for remote courses by companies, universities, and grade schools. Distance education has become one of the learning options most used by universities, where interactive learning is available. Students can also review the content of the courses on a Learning Management System (LMS) and study in their own time, supplemented with face-to-face or remote tutoring sessions in case of specific doubts. Online education is focused on learning content more than the communication between students and tutors. At the University of Texas at El Paso, Texas, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, we have additional challenges due to the USA and Mexico border's geographic location because some of our students are living in Mexico, and we are supporting them virtually. The delivery of online laboratories was implemented using remote access to the equipment in the university's physical laboratories;moreover, students acquired portable equipment designed to work at home, creating an environment similar to a real laboratory but with some limitations. Students opted for one method or another depending on vendor availability or their resources. This paper explores the differences, as well as the limitations, between the tools used for distance learning in the circuit's laboratories. As a case of study, there is a comparison between face-to-face and remote laboratory sessions and personal laboratory at home scenarios. Also, the paper describes the students' benefits and challenges and the response of students due to geographic limitations. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021
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Introduction and objectives: This report describes the cardiac pacing activity performed in Spain in 2020, including the number and type of implanted devices, demographic and clinical factors, and data on remote monitoring. Methods: Information consisted of the European Pacemaker Patient Card, data submitted to the cardiodispositivos.es online platform, the databases of participating centers, and supplier-reported data. Results: A total of 14 662 procedures were registered from 102 hospitals, representing 39.2% of the estimated activity. The implantation rates of conventional and low-energy resynchronization pacemakers were 759 and 31 units per million population, respectively. In all, 520 leadless pacemakers were implanted, 70 with atrioventricular synchrony. The mean age at implantation was high (78.8 years), and the most frequent electrocardiographic change was atrioventricular block. There was a predominance of dual-chamber pacing mode but VVI/R single-chamber pacing was used in 19% of patients in sinus rhythm, depending on age and sex. Remote monitoring capability was present in 18.5% of implanted conventional pacemakers and 45.6% of low-energy resynchronization pacemakers, although registration in this system increased by 53% in 2020. Conclusions: In 2020, in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the number of implanted conventional pacemakers decreased by 8% and cardiac resynchronization therapy by 4.6%. The number of leadless pacemakers increased by 16.5%. Sequential pacing was predominant, influenced by age and sex. Home monitoring played a fundamental role as a mode of follow-up in this SARS-CoV-2 pandemic year. (C) 2021 Sociedad Espanola de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.
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The aim of this paper was to analyze psychometric properties of a review of the PANAS short form (Thompson, 2007), within the framework of the psychosocial impact of Covid-19 pandemic. Sample was international and non-randomized, withe people from 1) Colombia (72%), 2) Brasil (9.5%), 3) other Latinoamerican countries (12.1%) and USA, Canada, and European countries (6.31%). Results showed high alfa (0.82) and omega (0.82) internal reliability coefficients, without differences between groups, according Feld's test. Both parallel and exploratory factor analysis show a bi- dimensional factorial structure, with RSMEA: 0.079, RMSR: 0.042;CFI: 0.949 and GFI: 0.989, but with important differences between simples in adjustment goodness indicators. Regarding convergent validity, high informal social support perception (relatives, friends), a high active coping and a course of time more positive, faster and hopeful were associated with a better affect balance.