Communicating Science, Technology, and Environmental Issues: A Case Study of an Intercultural Learning Experience

This science communication case study analyzes an online international co-taught course where students practiced blog article conceptualization and production covering a wide variety of science and technology related issues. Students had an international experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gained experience in communicating science and technology to intercultural audiences. Through student article reviews, course evaluations and project reflections students demonstrated an adoption of new science communication skills and some key examples of changing perspective on issues such as environment and technology. They also enjoyed the opportunity to learn about new cultures, reflect on their own, and bond over life experiences. Copyright © 2022 van Kempen, Kristiansen and Feldpausch-Parker.

The Gut Microbiome Of Covid-19 Recovered Patients Returns To Uninfected Status In A Minority-Dominated United States Cohort

Introduction: Intestinal Microbiota Influences Both Susceptibility And Severity Of Bacterial And Viral-Induced Pathogenicity, Including Respiratory Diseases. In This Study, We Investigated The Relationship Between Intestinal Microbiota And Sars-Cov-2-Mediated Pathogenicity In The United States, Majority African American Cohort. Hypothesis: Intestinal Microbiota Is Modulated By Sars-Cov-2 Infection And Is Related To Symptom Severity And Recovery From The Disease. Methods: We Conducted A Single-Institution Study, Prospectively Collecting Fecal Samples From 50 Sars-Cov-2 Infected Patients Within 3 Days Of Icu Admission And 9 Sars-Cov-2 Recovered Patients Upon Testing Negative For The Virus. Feces Of 34 Uninfected Subjects At The Hospital With Unrelated Respiratory Medical Conditions Were Used As Controls. Total Fecal Rna/Dna Was Extracted And Microbiota Composition Was Determined Using 16s Rrna Gene Sequencing Of The V1-V3 Region. The 16s Rdna Sequencing Reads Were Processed Using Dada2 To Generate Amplicon Sequence Variants (Asv). Rt-Pcr On Fecal Rna Using Two Sets Of Validated Primer/Probes Was Performed To Establish The Presence Or Absence Of Sars-Cov-2 Viral Rna. Results: The Fecal Microbial Composition Was Found To Be Significantly Different Between Sars-Cov-2 Patients And Controls (Permanova Fdr-P=0.004), Independent Of Treatments Such As Antibiotic Exposure. Peptoniphilus, Corynebacterium And Campylobacter Were Identified As The Three Most Significantly Enriched Genera In Covid Patients Compared To Controls. Actively Infected Patients Were Also Found To Have A Different Gut Microbiota Than Recovered Patients (Permanova Fdr-P=0.003), And The Most Enriched Genera In The Covid-19 Patients Was Campylobacter, With Agathobacter Being Enriched In The Recovered Patients. No Difference In Microbial Community Structure Between Recovered Patients And Uninfected Controls Was Observed (Permanova Fdr-P=0.93), With Phocea Being The Top Genus Associated With Patients Who Recovered From Covid-19. Furthermore, No Difference In Alpha Diversity Between The Three Groups Was Noticed. More Importantly, 24 Of The 50 Covid-19 Patients (48%) Tested Positive Via Rt-Qpcr For Fecal Sars-Cov-2 Rna. A Significant Difference In Gut Microbial Composition Between Sars-Cov-2 Positive And Negative Samples Was Observed, With Klebsiella And Agathobacter Being Enriched In The Positive Cohort And Phocea In The Negative Cohort. No Significant Associations Between Microbiome Composition And Disease Severity Or Proton Pump Inhibitor Treatment Were Found. Conclusion: The Intestinal Microbiota Is Sensitive To The Presence Of Sars-Cov-2, With Increased Relative Abundance Of Genera (Campylobacter, Klebsiella) Associated With Gi Disease. Further Studies Are Needed To Investigate The Functional Impact Of Deleterious Bacterial Genera In Sars-Cov-2 On Gi Health.

Enrollment rate of African Americans in a colon cancer screening trial at a historically black college and university is similar to other patient populations

Introduction: Clinical trials often have low enrollment of minorities, particularly African-Americans (AAs), which may limit the generalizability of research findings. Previously identified barriers to AAs recruitment include historical abuses leading to mistrust, communication issues with providers, socio-economic factors, and a lack of access to clinical trials. In a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) serving a primarily AA population at a large safe-net hospital, we evaluated the enrollment of eligible AA patients for a colorectal cancer (CRC) screening clinical trial. This was compared to the enrollment rates across other study sites. Methods: A large, prospective, multi-centered clinical trial to validate a blood-based test for early detection of CRC (PREEMPT-CRC) was initiated at a HBCU, where 84% of patients are AAs. To maximize study recruitment, culturally sensitive methods were employed including racially congruent recruitment staff as well as synchronized timing of consent/study procedures with preendoscopy COVID testing/clinic visits. Detailed information for all eligible subjects was recorded. Demographic and socio-economic data including census information for enrolled and not enrolled subjects were compared. The enrollment rate (defined as enrolled/eligible patients) over the first 6 weeks at the HBCU and that of the other study sites providing screening logs was analyzed. Results: The enrollment rate at the HBCU was 55% (44 out of 80 eligible patients;95% CI 43.5- 66.2%), compared to 49.8% (258 out of 518 eligible patients;95% CI 45.4- 54.2%) at the other 26 study sites. While age and gender of enrolled patients at the HBCU were comparable to other sites, the main difference was race: at the HBCU the study participants were 79.5% AAs and 9.1% whites, while at the other sites the participants were 11.5% AAs and 82.8% whites (p< 0.001). At the HBCU, the demographic characteristics and socio-demographic data including income, marital status insurance status/type, and census tract median household income of the 44 enrolled and 36 notenrolled subjects were similar (Table 1). Conclusion: Contrary to conventional belief that AAs do not want to be involved in clinical trials, we find their enrollment is similar to a predominant white study population when offered the opportunity in a culturally sensitive setting. Future trials should consider including HBCU sites in order to attain adequate AA enrollment to improve the generalizability of research findings. (Table Presented).