Clinical Characteristics and Mortality-Associated Factors in COVID-19 Critical Patients in a Portuguese ICU.

INTRODUCTION: Severe COVID-19 is associated with serious complications and poor outcomes. Older age and underlying comorbidities are known risk factors for severe COVID-19, but a better understanding of baseline characteristics and outcomes of patients with severe COVID-19 is urgently needed. METHODS: This study was a retrospective case series of 227 consecutive patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at our institution between March 2020 and December 2021. Demographic and clinical data were collected. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 65 years, and 180 (79.3%) were male. Cardiovascular comorbidities were frequent and included hypertension (n=148; 65.2%), dyslipidemia (n=116; 51.1%), obesity (n=114; 50.2%), and diabetes mellitus (n=80; 35.2%). About 20% of the patients had the chronic respiratory disease, with sleep apnea being the most common. Immunosuppression was identified in 13% of the patients, with autoimmunity, post-transplantation, and neoplasms being the most represented causes. Most patients were admitted to the ICU at six to 15 days after symptom onset, corresponding to stages IIb (pulmonary involvement/hypoxia) and III (hyperinflammatory). All patients received systemic steroids, with an average treatment duration of 22 days. Several ventilatory support strategies were used; 80 patients were supported entirely noninvasively with high flow nasal oxygenation and noninvasive ventilation, while 164 patients were invasively ventilated. Most intubations (65%) occurred in the first 24 hours after admission, and the mean duration of mechanical ventilation was 14 days. The reintubation rate was 10%, occurring on average two to three days after planned extubation. Thirty-two tracheostomies were performed. Bacterial co-infection was treated in 75% of patients, and Aspergillus co-infection complicating COVID-19 pneumonia was diagnosed in eight patients. Median ICU and hospital stays were 15 and 25 days, respectively, and the 28-day mortality rate was 38%. Patients over 75 years experienced a higher mortality rate (56%). Increased age and multimorbidity, particularly comprising cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors, were significantly more common in patients who died within 28 days after ICU admission. CONCLUSIONS: A large proportion of critically ill COVID-19 patients required prolonged mechanical ventilation. ICU/hospital stay and mortality were particularly elevated in older patients and patients with cardiovascular risk factors. Considerable discrepancy existed between the proportion of patients with microbiological documentation of bacterial infections and those receiving antimicrobials. Improved methods for adequate microbiological diagnosis are needed and stewardship programs should be reinforced.

Impact of Paternal Leadership on Employee Retention during COVID-19: Financial Crunch or Financial Gain

The leadership style that is most appropriate for the given circumstance will determine whether or not a leader is successful. It means what great leaders should do while working with a diverse workforce. They should be emotionally intelligent in order to understand their team members and modify their leadership style in order to achieve the best out of them. Employee engagement in the workplace is crucial for firms, but different factors can keep employees motivated. Work engagement activities, particularly those supported by the human resource department, have typically been observed as the primary factors that motivate employees. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a number of adjustments. The primary goal of this study is to examine how virtual human resource practices and paternal leadership affected employee retention in COVID-19, with the function of work engagement activities as a mediator. The data were gathered from 250 Portuguese Professors who were instructing undergraduate students using a survey instrument. Smart-PLS partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the study's hypotheses. It has been discovered that paternalistic leadership, also known as a resource provider with a benevolent attitude, has a direct impact on job performance and employee intention to leave the job, but during a pandemic, where the role of the government in supporting their nationals was not as significant in Portugal as it could be, people also faced their leaders of organizations as opportunists. Not all, but most paternal organizations took financial decisions to safeguard their business and were not people-oriented. Now the dignity of the paternal leader on the canvas of leadership is fading. This neo-normal approach will contribute to the literature on paternal leadership.

Student Acceptance Of Online Educational Processes In Wake Of Covid-19

Covid-19 has increased the pace of inclusion of digital technologies for the learning of students as opposed to learning in a traditional classroom setting. It has altogether transformed the learning and teaching environment and has quickly created the space to adapt to the online mode of learning. This investigation aims to analyze the impact of online methods and processes used by students focusing on the acceptance of technologies that universities adopt due to the global pandemic. Technology Acceptance Model is used as a basis for this study. An online survey was conducted through a questionnaire, and 426 responses were collected from students. The Structural Equation Model was used for processing the data. The findings have suggested that Technology Acceptance Model is helpful in the understanding of students' acceptance of online mode of education in the current scenario of a global pandemic.

Towards Financing System of Integrated Enterprise Development in the Time of COVID-19 Outbreak

The development of an enterprise under current conditions requires an integrated approach and an appropriate financing system. The purpose of this study is to justify the replication model of financing the integrated enterprise development. The research methodology suggests that each enterprise has its own development 'genome';, which makes it possible to apply the replication of its directions based on a justified financing system of such an integration. The proposed replication model is augmented by regression analysis, which made it possible to carry out scenario forecasting of alternative options for the company's development. The conduction of the study is based on 16 textile enterprises. The formed map of the integrated enterprise development enabled the determination of their points to replicate resources in four directions (environmental and economic, innovative, informational, and organizational). The interaction of companies on the basis of strengths diffusion (exchange of potential) with the application of financial netting is considered an alternative to replication. The research proved that an alternative option can solely be recommended for developed companies and requires the identification and minimization of risks. The strong link between the level of integrated and overall development of companies was acknowledged. Asymmetry of business development in the context of a replication model of its integration enables the achievement of high results while minimizing financial resources. Enterprises implementing the replication model of integration considerably improve their prospects and increase overall development performance. The application of the replication model of financing integration under the crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic fosters efficient use of financial resources and the overall enterprise development.

Initial Screening of Poly(ethylene glycol) Amino Ligands for Affinity Purification of Plasmid DNA in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems.

Gene therapy and DNA vaccination are among the most expected biotechnological and medical advances for the coming years. However, the lack of cost-effective large-scale production and purification of pharmaceutical-grade plasmid DNA (pDNA) still hampers their wide application. Downstream processing, which is mainly chromatography-based, of pDNA remains the key manufacturing step. Despite its high resolution, the scaling-up of chromatography is usually difficult and presents low capacity, resulting in low yields. Alternative methods that are based on aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) have been studied. Although higher yields may be obtained, its selectivity is often low. In this work, modified polymers based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) derivatisation with amino groups (PEG-amine) or conjugation with positively charged amino acids (PEG-lysine, PEG-arginine, and PEG-histidine) were studied to increase the selectivity of PEG-dextran systems towards the partition of a model plasmid. A two-step strategy was employed to obtain suitable pure formulations of pDNA. In the first step, a PEG-dextran system with the addition of the affinity ligand was used with the recovery of the pDNA in the PEG-rich phase. Then, the pDNA was re-extracted to an ammonium-sulphate-rich phase in the second step. After removing the salt, this method yielded a purified preparation of pDNA without RNA and protein contamination.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TIME MANAGEMENT, WORK STRESS AND WORK PERFORMANCE-A QUANTITATIVE STUDY IN PORTUGAL

The purpose of the present study is to determine the relationship between time management, work stress and work performance empirically in the present COVID-19 situation. A random sampling method has been used in this study and sample of 250 employees was selected from the different organizations. Questionnaires were distributed among the participants.Software SPSS version 21 was used to find the correlation between time management, work stress and work performance. Social exchange theory supports the hypothesis of this research. Findings reveal that there is significant negative relationship between time management and work stress, significant positive relationship between time management and work performance and significant negative relationship between work stress and work performance. Stress at work decreases the employee performance. When workers are managing their time in an efficient way, they face less stress at work. Less stress at work increases the performance at work. Employees must have time management skills to increase job performance.

The Effect of Corporate Philanthropy on Consumer Behavior: Open Innovation in the Operating Mechanism

The aim of this study was to highlight the effect of corporate philanthropy (CP) on consumer patronage behavior. For this purpose, reciprocity was taken as the key mechanism which determines consumers’ willingness to participate in and buy goods or services of a company performing philanthropic activities. The moderating effect of trust and vicarious licensing was also studied. Considering the importance of CP to society and its residents, it is essential to recognize its effect on consumer patronage behavior. To accomplish this objective, data were collected from 340 respondents via a questionnaire. The results of this research revealed that reciprocity shows a statistically significantly positive association with both participation intention (R = 0.729, R2 = 0.531, p = 0.000, b = 0.740) and purchasing intention (R = 0.71, R2 = 0.534, p = 0.000, b = 0.878). Similarly, trust strengthens the relationship of reciprocity with both participation intention (b = 0.250) and purchasing intention (b = 0.310). However, vicarious licensing weakens the relationship of reciprocity with both participation intention (b = −0.175) and purchasing intention (b = −0.187). The mediation effect of participation intention was also examined in this study. The results of this research will contribute to the benefit of society, since philanthropy plays a vital role in society’s progress. The greater response of consumers towards companies performing philanthropic activities justifies the importance of CP.

Assessing the Impact of Green Hiring on Sustainable Performance: Mediating Role of Green Performance Management and Compensation.

The global need to preserve ecology has propelled the green movement across the globe. An emerging managerial challenge for all organizations is to protect natural resources by reducing their negative impact on the environment and increase sustainable performance. Greening is the need of the age to conserve natural resources. This study investigates the impact of green human resource management practice-i.e., green hiring-on the sustainable performance of public and private healthcare organizations. A quantitative research approach was used for data collection. Scale survey of 160 responses was gathered from public and private healthcare organizations. Partial least square-structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. The study results suggest that green recruitment has a positive and significant impact on environmental performance, economic performance, and social performance. Path coefficients test also revealed that green performance management and compensation significantly mediate the relationship between green hiring and sustainable performance of public and private healthcare organizations. This study is helpful for organizations in adapting GHRM practices that will benefit the organizations in all ways. This study also provides a better understanding to policymakers on how to promote GHRM practices and increase sustainability in organizations.

Alignment of Islamic Banking Sustainability Indicators with Sustainable Development Goals: Policy Recommendations for Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to establish the link of key Islamic banking sustainability indicators with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as a policy recommendation for sustainable development and to mitigate the distressing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit). To identify the key Islamic banking sustainability indicators, the authors selected the most cited sustainability measurement indexes in Islamic banking. Initially, the indexes were divided into 10 broader themes, and then the key Islamic banking sustainability indicators were shortlisted from each theme based on their high-frequency distribution. The shortlisted sustainability indicators were then ratified to be in line with Islamic philosophy based on “Maqasid al-Shariah” (objectives of Shariah) and were subsequently grouped into the three dimensions of economic, environmental, and social sustainability based on the axial coding method. Finally, the categorized sustainability indicators were aligned with the relevant UN SDGs through the axial coding method for policy formulation, and respectively 12 propositions were developed for policy formulation. This study labeled the methodological process of this study as the ECA method (exploration, categorization, alignment). The new ECA method offers a reverse extension in the “SDG compass” developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for aligning business policies with the UN SDGs. The process of aligning Islamic banking sustainability indicators with the UN SDGs will provide a roadmap to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of economic, environmental, and social issues. Due to the diversity of the UN SDG framework, it covers multiples aspects for sustainable development. Therefore, considering the UN SDGs in terms of various banking instruments will mitigate the multiple distressing impacts of COVID-19 on the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit), it will also promote a sustainable development agenda.

Describing variability in pig genes involved in coronavirus infections for a One Health perspective in conservation of animal genetic resources.

Coronaviruses silently circulate in human and animal populations, causing mild to severe diseases. Therefore, livestock are important components of a "One Health" perspective aimed to control these viral infections. However, at present there is no example that considers pig genetic resources in this context. In this study, we investigated the variability of four genes (ACE2, ANPEP and DPP4 encoding for host receptors of the viral spike proteins and TMPRSS2 encoding for a host proteinase) in 23 European (19 autochthonous and three commercial breeds and one wild boar population) and two Asian Sus scrofa populations. A total of 2229 variants were identified in the four candidate genes: 26% of them were not previously described; 29 variants affected the protein sequence and might potentially interact with the infection mechanisms. The results coming from this work are a first step towards a "One Health" perspective that should consider conservation programs of pig genetic resources with twofold objectives: (i) genetic resources could be reservoirs of host gene variability useful to design selection programs to increase resistance to coronaviruses; (ii) the described variability in genes involved in coronavirus infections across many different pig populations might be part of a risk assessment including pig genetic resources.

Rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T-cell immunity in recovered COVID-19 cases.

OBJECTIVES: There is emerging evidence that SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T-cell responses are likely to provide critical long-term protection against COVID-19. Strategies to rapidly assess T-cell responses are therefore likely to be important for assessing immunity in the global population. METHODS: Here, we have developed a rapid immune-monitoring strategy to assess virus-specific memory T-cell responses in the peripheral blood of COVID-19 convalescent individuals. We validated SARS-CoV-2-specific memory T-cell responses detected in whole blood using in vitro expansion with SARS-CoV-2 proteins. RESULTS: T-cell immunity characterised by the production of IFN-γ and IL-2 could be consistently detected in the whole blood of recovered participants. T cells predominantly recognised structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins. In vitro expansion demonstrated that while CD8+ T cells recognised nucleocapsid protein, spike protein and ORF3a, CD4+ T cells more broadly targeted multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins. CONCLUSION: These observations provide a timely monitoring approach for identifying SARS-CoV-2 cellular immunity and may serve as a diagnostic for the stratification of risk in immunocompromised and other at-risk individuals.

The COVID-19 Contagion–Pandemic Dyad: A View from Social Sciences

The objective of this concept paper focuses on the relevance of the analytical potential of Social Sciences for understanding the multiple implications and challenges posed by the COVID-19 contagion–pandemic dyad. This pandemic is generating a global threat with a high number of deaths and infected individuals, triggering enormous pressure on health systems. Most countries have put in place a set of procedures based on social distancing, as well as (preventive) isolation from possible infected and transmitters of the disease. This crisis has profound implications and raises issues for which the contribution of Social Sciences does not seem to be sufficiently mobilised. The contribution of Social Sciences is paramount, in terms of their knowledge and skills, to the knowledge of these problematic realities and to act in an informed way on these crises. Social Sciences are a scientific project focused on interdisciplinarity, theoretical and methodological plurality. This discussion is developed from the systems of relationships between social phenomena in the coordinates of time and place, and in the socio-historical contexts in which they are integrated. A pandemic is a complex phenomenon as it is always a point of articulation between natural and social determinations. The space of the discourse on the COVID-19 pandemic can be understood as the expression of a coalition of discourses, i.e., the interaction of various discourses, combined in re-interpretative modalities of certain realities and social phenomena. The circumstantial coalitions of interests, which shape the different discursive records and actions produced by different agents of distinct social spaces, enable the acknowledgement and legitimation of this pandemic threat and danger, and the promotion of its public management.