Promoting Equity and Assuring Teaching and Learning Quality: Magisterial Lectures in a Philippine University during the COVID-19 Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift to online learning, one of the challenges to faculty and administrators was to provide students with high-quality, curriculum-based learning materials that could be accessed despite students' variable levels of Internet access. Part of the Ateneo de Manila University's response to this challenge is the production of the Magisterial Lectures, an Open Educational Resource (OER) series of video lectures by some of the University's most respected faculty members. The goals of this paper are to describe how the production of the lectures was guided by the principles of quality and equity, to discuss the use and reach of the lectures based on YouTube analytics and a survey of Ateneo students and teachers, and to measure the impact of the lectures on students' learning experience. We enact quality in terms of curricular alignment and high production value. Equity was achieved by making the resource available publicly, free of charge. We found that the videos reached over 350,000 viewers in 37 countries. A survey of Ateneo students and teachers, the primary beneficiaries, shows that these materials were effective educational tools. Their effectiveness is attributable to the grounding of the production in quality and equity, the teachers' careful integration of the recordings in their lessons, and the students' engagement with the lectures following their own learning preferences and strategies.

The impact of extreme weather on student online learning participation.

In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced over 1 billion learners to shift from face-to-face instruction to online learning. Seven months after it began, this transition became even more challenging for Filipino online learners. Eight typhoons struck the Philippines from October to November 2020. Two of these typhoons caused widespread flooding, utilities interruptions, property destruction, and loss of life. We examine how these severe weather conditions affected online learning participation of Filipino students pursuing their undergraduate and graduate studies. We used CausalImpact analysis to explore September 2020 to January 2021 data collected from the Moodle Learning Management System data of one university in the Philippines. We found that overall student online participation was significantly negatively affected by typhoons. However, the effect on participation in Assignments and Quizzes was not significant. These findings suggested that students continued to participate in activities that have a direct bearing on their final grades, rather than activities that had no impact on their course outcomes.

Psychological distress and fear of Covid-19 in student nurses before clinical placement: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the degree of psychological distress and fear of COVID-19 experienced by undergraduate student nurses who were about to begin their clinical placements. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 100 second- and third-year undergraduate student nurses of the University of Zaragoza (Spain). Measures included the Fear of COVID-19 Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. RESULTS: Regularly, student nurses did not think of themselves as vulnerable to COVID-19. However, a significant association was observed between the student nurses' level of psychological distress and cohabiting with relatives or people who were considered vulnerable to the infection (p = 0.035). The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale results revealed a low level of psychological distress in general; the Fear of COVID-19 Scale indicated moderate fear (2.94). CONCLUSION: Student nurses who lived with their relatives experienced higher levels of stress due to the perceived risk of transmission, but were less fearful of loss of work and income. Anxiety in our sample was associated principally with not knowing their upcoming placement location.

Patient Profile and Management of Delirium in Older Adults Hospitalized Due to COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 can cause neurologic symptoms, as well as respiratory ones. Older adults are at risk of developing acute delirium in older persons (ADOP). The combination of experiencing respiratory isolation due to COVID-19, as well as other associated risk factors for older adults, may have had an impact on ADOP and ADOP management in the acute hospital setting. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of ADOP in patients admitted to a COVID-19 unit. An observational prospective study on a sample of 108 patients was carried out between November 2020 and May 2021. The following data were collected: sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors for ADOP, management of ADOP, and impact on ADOP on both functional and cognitive deterioration. A 29.6% proportion of older adults admitted to an acute COVID-19 unit presented hyperactive ADOP, mainly during the night. Management of ADOP in our sample involved mainly pharmacological treatment and had a serious impact on hospital stay and both functional and cognitive deterioration. Preventive strategies and being accompanied by a relative or a carer may be useful to manage ADOP during hospital admission due to COVID-19.

Promoting Equity and Assuring Teaching and Learning Quality: Magisterial Lectures in a Philippine University during the COVID-19 Pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to shift to online learning, one of the challenges to faculty and administrators was to provide students with high-quality, curriculum-based learning materials that could be accessed despite students’variable levels of Internet access. Part of the Ateneo de Manila University’s response to this challenge is the production of the Magisterial Lectures, an Open Educational Resource (OER) series of video lectures by some of the University’s most respected faculty members. The goals of this paper are to describe how the production of the lectures was guided by the principles of quality and equity;to discuss the use and reach of the lectures based on YouTube analytics and a survey of Ateneo students and teachers;and to measure the impact of the lectures on students’learning experience. We enact quality in terms of curricular alignment and high production value. Equity was achieved by making the resource available publicly, free of charge. We found that the videos reached over 350,000 viewers in 37 countries. A survey of Ateneo students and teachers, the primary beneficiaries, shows that these materials were effective educational tools. Their effectiveness is attributable to the grounding of the production in quality and equity;the teachers’careful integration of the recordings in their lessons;and the students’engagement with the lectures following their own learning preferences and strategies.

COVID-19: Critical appraisal of the evidence.

We present the summary of a critical appraisal document of the available evidence on COVID-19, developed with a clinical practice guide format following GRADE methodology. The document tries to provide answers to a series of structured clinical questions, with an explicit definition of the population, intervention / exposure, comparison and outcome, and a rating of the clinical relevance of the outcome measures. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to answer the questions, grouped into six chapters: epidemiology, clinical practice, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and vaccination. We assessed the risk of bias of the selected studies with standard instruments (RoB-2, ROBINS-I, QUADAS and Newcastle-Ottawa). We constructed evidence tables and, when necessary and possible, meta-analysis of the of the most relevant outcome measures. We followed the GRADE system to synthesise the evidence, assessing its quality, and, when appropriate, giving recommendations, rated according to the quality of the evidence, the values and preferences, the balance between benefits, risks and costs, equity and feasibility.

Endoscopic endonasal surgery during COVID-19 pandemic: Management guideline.

Current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic is challenging medical and surgical activities. Specifically, within neurosurgery, endoscopic endonasal approaches pose a high risk of contagion for healthcare personnel involved in it. Initially, the recommendation was to avoid such surgeries. However, the pandemic has dragged on and new solutions must be proposed to continue carrying out these approaches safely. Given the lack of established protocols, we propose the following one, which concisely establishes the measures to be taken in both urgent and scheduled surgery. In addition, a new protection-aspiration device (Maskpirator) is described.

COVID-19 EN PEDIATRÍA: VALORACIÓN CRÍTICA DE LA EVIDENCIA

Resumen Presentamos el resumen de un documento de valoración crítica de la evidencia disponible sobre COVID-19, elaborado con formato de guía de práctica clínica siguiendo metodología GRADE. El documento trata de dar respuestas a una serie de preguntas clínicas estructuradas, con definición explícita de la población, intervención/exposición, comparación y resultado, y una jerarquización de la importancia clínica de las medidas de efecto valoradas. Realizamos revisiones sistemáticas de la literatura para responder a las preguntas, agrupadas en seis capítulos: epidemiología, clínica, diagnóstico, tratamiento, prevención y vacunas. Valoramos el riesgo de sesgo de los estudios seleccionados con instrumentos estándar (RoB-2, ROBINS-I, QUADAS y Newcastle-Ottawa). Elaboramos tablas de evidencia y, cuando fue necesario y posible, metanálisis de las principales medidas de efecto. Seguimos el sistema GRADE para realizar síntesis de la evidencia, con valoración de su calidad, y, cuando se consideró apropiado, emitir recomendaciones, jerarquizadas en función de la calidad de la evidencia, los valores y preferencias, el balance entre beneficios, riesgos y costes, la equidad y la factibilidad. We present the summary of a critical appraisal document of the available evidence on COVID-19, developed with a clinical practice guide format following GRADE methodology. The document tries to provide answers to a series of structured clinical questions, with an explicit definition of the population, intervention / exposure, comparison and outcome, and a rating of the clinical relevance of the outcome measures. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to answer the questions, grouped into six chapters: epidemiology, clinical practice, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and vaccination. We assessed the risk of bias of the selected studies with standard instruments (RoB-2, ROBINS-I, QUADAS and Newcastle-Ottawa). We constructed evidence tables and, when necessary and possible, meta-analysis of the of the most relevant outcome measures. We followed the GRADE system to synthesize the evidence, assessing its quality, and, when appropriate, giving recommendations, rated according to the quality of the evidence, the values and preferences, the balance between benefits, risks and costs, equity and feasibility.

[Endoscopic endonasal surgery during COVID-19 pandemic: Management guideline]. / Cirugía endoscópica endonasal durante la pandemia COVID-19: protocolo de actuación.

Current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic is challenging medical and surgical activities. Specifically, within neurosurgery, endoscopic endonasal approaches pose a high risk of contagion for healthcare personnel involved in it. Initially, the recommendation was to avoid such surgeries. However, the pandemic has dragged on and new solutions must be proposed to continue carrying out these approaches safely. Given the lack of established protocols, we propose the following one, which concisely establishes the measures to be taken in both urgent and scheduled surgery. In addition, a new protection-aspiration device (Maskpirator) is described.

Coronavirus disease 2019 in heart transplant recipients: Risk factors, immunosuppression, and outcomes.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 continues to inflict significant morbidity and mortality, particularly on patients with preexisting health conditions. The clinical course, outcomes, and significance of immunosuppression regimen in heart transplant recipients with COVID-19 remains unclear. METHODS: We included the first 99 heart transplant recipients at participating centers with COVID-19 and followed patients until resolution. We collected baseline information, symptoms, laboratory studies, vital signs, and outcomes for included patients. The association of immunosuppression regimens at baseline with severe disease were compared using logistic regression, adjusting for age and time since transplant. RESULTS: The median age was 60 years, 25% were female, and 44% were white. The median time post-transplant to infection was 5.6 years. Overall, 15% died, 64% required hospital admission, and 7% remained asymptomatic. During the course of illness, only 57% of patients had a fever, and gastrointestinal symptoms were common. Tachypnea, oxygen requirement, elevated creatinine and inflammatory markers were predictive of severe course. Age ≥ 60 was associated with higher risk of death and the use of the combination of calcineurin inhibitor, antimetabolite, and prednisone was associated with more severe disease compared to the combination of calcineurin inhibitor and antimetabolite alone (adjusted OR = 7.3, 95% CI 1.8-36.2). Among hospitalized patients, 30% were treated for secondary infection, acute kidney injury was common and 17% required new renal replacement therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We present the largest study to date of heart transplant patients with COVID-19 showing common atypical presentations and a high case fatality rate of 24% among hospitalized patients and 16% among symptomatic patients.

Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Parkinson's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Survey of 568 Spanish Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to know the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on Spanish patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: This is a descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study. An anonymous online survey with 95 questions was distributed among patients. Responses were collected from 11 May 2020 to 20 July 2020. RESULTS: Of a total of 570 questionnaires received, 568 (99.6%) were considered valid for the analysis (mean age, 63.5 ± 12.5 years; 53% females). A total of 553 patients (97.4%) were aware of the COVID-19 pandemic and 68.8% were concerned about it; 95.6% took preventive measures. A total of 484 patients (85.2%) had no contact with cases of COVID-19, and only 15 (2.6%) had confirmed COVID-19. Although up to 72.7% remained active during confinement, 65.7% perceived a worsening of their symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Spanish patients with PD perceived the COVID-19 pandemic with concern and responsibility. More than half experienced worsening of their symptoms during confinement. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Use of tocilizumab in kidney transplant recipients with COVID-19.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with coronavirus infection is related to a cytokine storm with large interleukin-6 (IL-6) release. The IL-6-receptor blocker tocilizumab may control the aberrant host immune response in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) . In this pandemic, kidney transplant (KT) recipients are a high-risk population for severe infection and showed poor outcomes. We present a multicenter cohort study of 80 KT patients with severe COVID-19 treated with tocilizumab during hospital admission. High mortality rate was identified (32.5%), related with older age (hazard ratio [HR] 3.12 for those older than 60 years, P = .039). IL-6 and other inflammatory markers, including lactic acid dehydrogenase, ferritin, and D-dimer increased early after tocilizumab administration and their values were higher in nonsurvivors. Instead, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels decreased after tocilizumab, and this decrease positively correlated with survival (mean 12.3 mg/L in survivors vs. 33 mg/L in nonsurvivors). Each mg/L of CRP soon after tocilizumab increased the risk of death by 1% (HR 1.01 [confidence interval 1.004-1.024], P = .003). Although patients who died presented with worse respiratory situation at admission, this was not significantly different at tocilizumab administration and did not have an impact on outcome in the multivariate analysis. Tocilizumab may be effective in controlling cytokine storm in COVID-19 but randomized trials are needed.