Impacts of the Early COVID-19 Pandemic Among a National Sample of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors in the United States.

Purpose: Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors (AYAs) experience early-onset chronic conditions and disrupted psychosocial development. We report prevalence of disruptions in care delivery and social support during the early wave of the pandemic in a national sample of AYAs in the United States. Materials and Methods: We used data from the population-based National Health Interview Survey (NHIS; July-December 2020), which allows for nationally representative estimates, and included questions related to COVID-19. We identified 61 AYAs diagnosed with cancer between ages 15 and 39 years and not currently receiving cancer treatment and 244 age- and sex-matched controls. We compared the proportion of AYAs and controls reporting delayed care due to the pandemic, not getting needed care due to the pandemic, and changes in social and emotional support. Results: AYAs were predominantly non-Hispanic White (61.3%) and female (58.8%), with a median age at diagnosis of 28 years (interquartile range [IQR] 21-31 years). Fewer AYAs were employed (52.1% vs. 71.5%), and more lived in poverty (32.0% vs. 12.4%) and felt depressed daily (9.9% vs. 3.0%, all p < 0.05). The proportion of AYAs reporting delayed care (39.8% vs. 15.3%) and not getting needed care (31.7% vs. 10.4%) due to the pandemic was more than double that of controls (both p < 0.01). One in five AYAs experienced less social and emotional support compared to the prior year, although not significantly different from controls (21.6% vs. 12.4%, p = 0.10). Conclusions: The pandemic disrupted AYAs' care and exacerbated their psychosocial challenges. Providers and health systems should prioritize reconnecting AYAs to affordable and comprehensive care.

Teaching the First-Year, Hands-On Engineering Design Experience Online

During the summer of 2020, a team of faculty reimagined the School of Engineering's first-year design course to increase consistency among sections, to create space for first-year students attending online classes to form friendships, to explicitly teach design thinking and problem solving in a virtual environment, and to integrate ethics into the project-based course. This fall-term course enrolled the first-year class of approximately 140 chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, and general engineering students. Interdisciplinary teams worked on projects in the general theme of “Engineering for Social Good.” Project topics included: designing smarter and more resilient cities, developing therapeutic devices, designing shelter for refugees in flight, and making fuel from food waste. The faculty designed and led their own section's projects while having a set of common activities and deliverables with similar timelines and baseline rubrics. To build community among the students, every project team had a maximum of eight students with an assigned undergraduate teaching assistant. Each class dealt with the limits of the pandemic in different ways. For instance, some courses developed “@Home” kits, some courses provided limited access to campus spaces, and some courses had all virtual projects. The faculty met weekly to assess course progress. Additionally, a survey was developed to assess students' learning gains, their experiences in the course, and approaches to handling a project-based course in the era of COVID. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2021

"Every day is just kind of weighing my options." Perspectives of young adult cancer survivors dealing with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

PURPOSE: We explored adolescent and young adult cancer survivor (AYA) experiences with COVID-19 to understand the impact of living through a pandemic, unmet needs, and coping strategies. METHODS: AYAs were recruited nationally, completed an online survey, and attended one of six online focus groups. We used qualitative content analysis to analyze focus group data. RESULTS: Thirty-nine AYAs completed the survey, and 24 also participated in the focus groups. In the survey, AYAs responded that COVID-19 increased anxiety about their health or their family's health, feelings of isolation, and worries about job security. Overarching focus group themes included AYA behavioral responses to the pandemic similar to their peers, the added burden of cancer, and unexpected advantages of a cancer history. When discussing the added burden of cancer, subthemes included difficulties and delays in medical care, mental health stressors, and compounding uncertainty. Unexpected advantages of a cancer history included relying on coping strategies developed during active treatment and resiliency from practicing social distancing during treatment. CONCLUSIONS: AYAs have struggled in the early pandemic in ways similar to their peers but with compounding uncertainty regarding their unknown risk due to cancer history. Healthcare providers and systems can better support AYAs by providing additional psychosocial supports, developing strategies to triage good candidates for telehealth, and providing information about cancer survivor-specific risks for COVID-19. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Our findings indicate a need for psychosocial supports that address managing anxiety and uncertainty. AYAs may be able to draw on their cancer experiences to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Repositioned Drugs for COVID-19-the Impact on Multiple Organs.

This review summarizes published findings of the beneficial and harmful effects on the heart, lungs, immune system, kidney, liver, and central nervous system of 47 drugs that have been proposed to treat COVID-19. Many of the repurposed drugs were chosen for their benefits to the pulmonary system, as well as immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects. However, these drugs have mixed effects on the heart, liver, kidney, and central nervous system. Drug treatments are critical in the fight against COVID-19, along with vaccines and public health protocols. Drug treatments are particularly needed as variants of the SARS-Cov-2 virus emerge with some mutations that could diminish the efficacy of the vaccines. Patients with comorbidities are more likely to require hospitalization and greater interventions. The combination of treating severe COVID-19 symptoms in the presence of comorbidities underscores the importance of understanding the effects of potential COVID-19 treatments on other organs. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42399-021-00874-8.