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The purpose of the present study is to know the impacts of Covid19 on the structures of governmental institutions in Latin America and the effects on Human Rights in terms of health and education, for example. For the analysis, we consider some elements such as the functioning of political parties, the arbitrariness of power, fiscal transparency and public spending, allowing us to take a picture of the reality to be studied regarding the quality of democracy in these countries, and also considering the cooperation efforts, in the normative and institutional scopes inside and out. As we seek to relate Human Rights and Democracy, we focus on the ethical dimension of the new challenges facing Latin America. The exposition, sometimes detailed, of situations that illustrate the malfunctioning of institutions came from observation and review of a diverse literature, and from different perspectives specifically in the scope of International Relations. © 2022, UNIV CARLOSIII MADRID. All rights reserved.
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Aim: The aim of this research was to evaluate the impact of a telerehabilitation program on physical fitness, muscle strength, and levels of depression and anxiety in post-COVID-19 patients. Methods: Thirty-two individuals recovered from COVID-19 (48.20±12.82 years) were allocated into either a telerehabilitation (TG n=16) or control (CG n=16) group. Physical fitness, handgrip strength, depression and anxiety levels were assessed before and after an 8-week intervention. Results: There was a significant improvement in muscle strength in both groups. Physical fitness significantly increased compared to the CG at the end of the intervention. Levels of anxiety and depression significantly decreased after the intervention when compared to the CG. Conclusion: Eight weeks of functional telerehabilitation training is a viable and efficient way to rehabilitate patients affected by COVID-19, as it improved physical conditioning and mental health. © 2023, University Library System, University of Pittsburgh. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and preventive measures led to changes in the quality and quantity of sleep, impacting mental health. Objectives: To understand how the pandemic and confinement interfered with the routines and/or sleeping habits of children and adolescents and influenced mental health. Methodology: A literature review on MEDLINE was conducted, with the research question: What are the changes in the routines or sleep habits of children and adolescents during the pandemic? Results and discussion: From the 370 articles analysed, 35 were selected. Due to confinement and online learning, the number of hours of sleep increased. However, the quality of sleep decreased due to decreased physical activity, an unbalanced diet, and increased time in front of screens. Consequently, there was a negative influence on mental health. Conclusion: The increase in sleep disorders and their influence on mental health was observed, with the need to develop awareness and literacy strategies addressing this area.
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SARS-CoV-2 rapid spread required urgent, accurate, and prompt diagnosis to control the virus dissemination and pandemic management. Several sensors were developed using different biorecognition elements to obtain high specificity and sensitivity. However, the task to achieve these parameters in combination with fast detection, simplicity, and portability to identify the biorecognition element even in low concentration remains a challenge. Therefore, we developed an electrochemical biosensor based on polypyrrole nanotubes coupled via Ni(OH)2 ligation to an engineered antigen-binding fragment of heavy chain-only antibodies (VHH) termed Sb#15. Herein we report Sb#15-His6 expression, purification, and characterization of its interaction with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 in addition to the construction and validation of a biosensor. The recombinant Sb#15 is correctly folded and interacts with the RBD with a dissociation constant (KD) of 27.1 ± 6.4 nmol/L. The biosensing platform was developed using polypyrrole nanotubes and Ni(OH)2, which can properly orientate the immobilization of Sb#15-His6 at the electrode surface through His-tag interaction for the sensitive SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection. The quantification limit was determined as 0.01 pg/mL using recombinant RBD, which was expressively lower than commercial monoclonal antibodies. In pre-characterized saliva, both Omicron and Delta SARS-CoV-2 were accurately detected only in positive samples, meeting all the requirements recommended by the World Health Organization for in vitro diagnostics. A low sample volume of saliva is needed to perform the detection, providing results within 15 min without further sample preparations. In summary, a new perspective allying recombinant VHHs with biosensor development and real sample detection was explored, addressing the need for accurate, rapid, and sensitive biosensors.
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The pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (2019) highlighted the educational inequalities in the country, creating challenges for education professionals, students and families. This new atmosphere was reflected in the teaching practice and in the daily practice of the countless schools in the country, which, with the intense advance of the disease, soon tried to look for means and methods to ensure minimal contact with students. This scenario of fragility triggered many concerns about the school-student relationship. Before that, some questions arose: What do the students say ? How are you receiving the content ? How do you access online classes ? Once the problem is situated, this article intends to present some methodologies used with elementary school students and high school students, which aimed to create a proximity between the school, teacher and student. It is, therefore, reflections on a pedagogy of sensibilities, which, in addition to the official contents present in the curriculum, considers the experiences of students.
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The research aimed to analyze the curricular practices of literacy in Portuguese language classes adapted for Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) due to the Covid-19 pandemic scenario. It was guided by the questioning: what are the didactic strategies used by a literacy teacher in the Portuguese language teaching-learning processes during the ERT? It was a case study qualitative research. The research locus was a public school in the municipal network of Maceio-Alagoas whose classes were taking place remotely. For the collection of empirical data, the curricular practices developed in a class of the 2nd year of elementary school were observed. The results showed that the literacy teacher used the WhatsApp application as a "virtual classroom," resorted to the Portuguese language textbook and carried out other complementary parallel activities. Regarding the (re)invention of practices, the teacher produced video classes, explanatory audios, sent texts, digitalized activity proposals and photographs, with the pedagogical intention of mediating children's learning.
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Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic significantly impacted on trauma systems, since emergency departments (ED) suddenly were overwhelmed by patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Once, trauma volume was supposed to decrease due to lockdown policies, we aimed to describe ICU trauma admissions during this period. Method(s): Retrospective observational study of all trauma patients admitted to the ICU of a Portuguese Trauma Center between January 2020 and December 2021. Data were collected from clinical hospital records. Result(s): 437 trauma patients (15% of all admissions), mostly male (71%), with a median age of 59 years-old (42-74) were included. At least one comorbidity was present in 71% of the patients. Median severity scores were: SAPS II 26 (19-38), SOFA 3 (1-6), ISS 13 (9-22), RTS 8 (6-8) and TRISS 96,75 (81.1-98.6). The most frequent mechanisms of injury were falls (59%) and road traffic accidents (25%). The majority consisted of blunt trauma (88%), 65% of brain trauma and 35% of musculoeskeletal trauma. Trauma Team assessment was started in < 3 min in all cases and median length of stay (LOS) in the ED was 261 min (154-418). Surgical intervention was performed in < 4 h in 56% of surgical brain trauma injuries, in < 6 h in 67% of extremity open fractures and in < 1 h in 6% of a penetrating trauma. Shock, mainly hemorrhagic, was present in 8% of the patients on hospital admission. 38% were submitted to invasive mechanical ventilation and 34% to vasopressors. The most common complication was nosocomial infection (18%). The median LOS in the UCI was 12 days (5-24). Only 8% of the patients died in the ICU and 11% in the hospital. Conclusion(s): During pandemic, trauma persisted a major health problem with a significant consumption of time and critical care resources. The high influx of patients may have influenced the LOS in the ED before ICU admission and the time until the surgical intervention. Despite it, mortality remained low.
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OBJECTIVE: To review and analyze the available information about the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico and the determining factors for its transition to an endemic phase. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study based on the Delphi Method with the participation of a panel made up by specialists in infectious diseases, immunology, internal medicine, pulmonology, pediatrics and public health. RESULT(S): 2270 bibliographic sources were identified;after excluding those that offered repetitive information, 454 were included in the final analysis. The main factors that obstruct the transition from a COVID-19 pandemic to an endemic one were defined as the high capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to mutate (since the efficacy of anti-COVID-19 vaccines depends to a large extent on the genetic presentations of the virus) and the high prevalence in the country of comorbidities that make the population more vulnerable against the disease. Strengthening primary care and promoting a culture of surveillance and prevention are essential. CONCLUSION(S): It was concluded, by consensus, that there are factors that obstruct the passage of the COVID-19 pandemic to an endemic phase, including the intrinsic nature of disease control and the unpredictability of virus mutations.Copyright © 2023 Comunicaciones Cientificas Mexicanas S.A. de C.V.. All rights reserved.
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The study explored the perspectives and experiences of the participating teachers regarding the sudden switch to online learning during the COVID-19 epidemic. 159 teachers from four junior high schools in Taguig City, Philippines, provided the data. The study used the quantitative approach to research, specifically it utilized the descriptive method using survey as way to gather data. The data was statistically analyzed using the frequency distribution, percentage formula, mean, and Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The study's findings show that the respondents' perceptions and experiences during the sudden change to online learning, which was caused by the pandemic that focuses on internet access, digital infrastructure, administrator assistance, and learning environments, are typically similar. Additionally, there were no significant differences found between the participants' responses and their demographics as to sex, highest educational attainment, years in service and specialization. © 2023 The Author(s).
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Introduction: the study of the characteristics of patients with COVID-19 makes it possible to determine risk groups in specific populations and to outline strategies by the institutions to improve the quality of care for these patients. Background: to characterize patients with COVID-19 in Pinar del Rio between March 2020 and March 2021. Methods: an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the province of Pinar del Rio between March 2020 and March 2021. The sample consisted of 450 patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results: female patients predominated (56%), with a history of arterial hypertension (24,6%). A high incidence of COVID was found in individuals with between two and five chronic non-communicable diseases (40,2%). Of all patients diagnosed with COVID-19, 49% were passive smokers. Conclusions: COVID-19 occurred mainly in patients with several chronic diseases, as well as in those exposed.
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The challenges imposed by the business environment increasingly obligate supply chains to seek lower costs while maintaining high service levels. Healthcare supply chains face additional challenges since their main indicator is to save lives and provide care, nonetheless, keeping the revenue flow to support the activities. The covid-19 pandemic evidenced that a severe rupture in healthcare chains generates rupture in all other supply chains. In this sense, our paper has the objective of presenting a conceptual healthcare supply chain performance framework empirically validated by structural equation modelling. Our survey data were processed through the covariance-based structural equation modelling method, adopted for assessing the causal connection among the constructs. The paper revealed a relationship of supply chain integration, supply chain risk management, and supply chain 4.0 (antecedents) with healthcare supply chain performance (consequent). The literature contributions of this paper are (i) developing and validating a new scale for each construct;(ii) finding evidence of the causal relationships between the factors;(iii) measuring how the constructs influence the healthcare supply chain performance in both public and private healthcare sectors and providing discussion and tools to improve these results;(iv) this work empirically tested a theoretical framework;(v) the study reveals that the sector (public or private) has a moderating effect on all the constructs. Furthermore, the results of this study help to address some literature gaps identified by scholars having the potential to serve as a guide to organisations that are willing to implement these practices. Lastly, we recommend that HC supply chain managers consider the implementation of robust initiatives regarding SCRM, SCI, and SC40. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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The transport and logistics sector, which include freight forwarders companies, constitutes a vast network of entities that are central to a good performance in services. With the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the global economy, there was a huge shortage in the number of containers available, thus creating the need to optimize the loading of available equipment to avoid waste and maximize profits from each export. The present work presents a novel approach where a set of restrictions were created that, applied in synergy with the Non-Linear GRG algorithm, aim to allocate the boxes in different consecutive lines until forming a wall, and, therefore, the walls complete the container, in order to maximize the occupancy on it. To validate the proposed approach a prototype was developed and studied in real-world problem where the solutions resulted in occupations around 80% to 90%. Thus, we can foresee the importance of the proposed approach in decision-making regarding container consolidation services. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.