PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE COVID-19 BURNOUT SCALE IN BRAZIL

The present study aims to adapt and analyze the psychometric properties (evidence of factor validity and internal consistency) of the COVID-19 Burnout Scale in a sample of Brazilian health professionals. Two studies were carried out (N total = 427). In Study 1 [202 health professionals (age over 18), mainly women (82%) and psychologists (31.2%)], an exploratory factor analysis support the one-factor solution and the suitability of the ten items. Moreover, was also presented in Study 2 [225 health professionals (over 18 years old), the majority of women (79.6%) and psychologists (24.8%)] results of confirmatory factor analysis and item parameters (Item Response Theory) that corroborate the unifactorial structure and convergent validity with the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale. The results indicate that this measure may be suitable for use in research and in the burnout evaluation scenario. © 2022 Universidad Miguel Hernandez. All rights reserved.

Modeling the Geospatial Evolution of COVID-19 using Spatio-temporal Convolutional Sequence-to-sequence Neural Networks

Europe was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and Portugal was severely affected, having suffered three waves in the first twelve months. Approximately between January 19th and February 5th 2021 Portugal was the country in the world with the largest incidence rate, with 14-day incidence rates per 100,000 inhabitants in excess of 1,000. Despite its importance, accurate prediction of the geospatial evolution of COVID-19 remains a challenge, since existing analytical methods fail to capture the complex dynamics that result from the contagion within a region and the spreading of the infection from infected neighboring regions. We use a previously developed methodology and official municipality level data from the Portuguese Directorate-General for Health (DGS), relative to the first twelve months of the pandemic, to compute an estimate of the incidence rate in each location of mainland Portugal. The resulting sequence of incidence rate maps was then used as a gold standard to test the effectiveness of different approaches in the prediction of the spatial-temporal evolution of the incidence rate. Four different methods were tested: a simple cell level autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model, a cell level vector autoregressive (VAR) model, a municipality-by-municipality compartmental SIRD model followed by direct block sequential simulation, and a new convolutional sequence-to-sequence neural network model based on the STConvS2S architecture. We conclude that the modified convolutional sequence-to-sequence neural network is the best performing method in this task, when compared with the ARMA, VAR, and SIRD models, as well as with the baseline ConvLSTM model.

Effects of COVID-19 on the mental health of the world's elderly population

The present study is an integrative review, which aimed to understand the damage to the mental health of the elderly population caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific evidence on the psychological impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the world's elderly population was based on one of the methods of disease prevention, through social isolation, where the elderly population became more vulnerable to loneliness, feeling of abandonment, fear of death and loss, among others. Among the most important impacts found are anxiety, depression, stress, behavioral changes, early grief, and untreated chronic pain, reaching the extreme that is suicide. The relevance of this work is due to the importance of knowing and studying the mental health of the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to help in the psychological treatment of patients in need. The integrative review technique was performed, which is a study that aims to gather other similar studies, evaluate them and gather them in analysis in order to create a new content. For the search for information, file bases such as Scientific Electronic Libraby Online (SciELO), the Portal of Electronic Journals of Psychology (PePSIC), MEDLINE, PubMed, Google Scholar were used.

Instructional Resources for Better Interpersonal Relationships During the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing became necessary to reduce the possibility of contagion by the virus. However, in this context the number of social interactions has decreased. Given this situation, this chapter aims to present an instructional material entitled “Social skills for better interpersonal relationships while facing COVID-19.” The material presents the main classes of social skills that can contribute to coping with the pandemic situation. The classes of social skills are Civility, Communication, Empathy, Empathy, Interpersonal Problem Solving, Self-Control, Emotional expressiveness. Finally, the chapter presents some practical guidelines for coping and developing social skills. We believe that the development and competent use of social skills can improve interpersonal relationships, resulting in a life with better mental health during the pandemic. © 2021 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Remote Training of Social Skills for Middle School Teachers

Considering the high number of conflicts in the classroom between students and teachers, the present study aimed to evaluate the effects of a remote Social Skills Training program on Middle School Teachers. The study included 19 teachers aged between 29 and 63 (M = 43.95;SD = 10.57) years, who taught in public and private schools. The enrolled participants were divided between the experimental Social Skills Training group and a control group identified as Cycle of Lectures for Middle School Teachers. Two instruments were used: the Social Skills Inventory - 2 and the Educational Social Skills Inventory - teacher version. The project was submitted to the University’s Ethics Committee and data collection took place in an online format due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Ten virtual meetings were held with days and times scheduled in advance, with the provision of a link to access the virtual room. In these meetings, participants were trained to acquire social skills and educational social skills for better management of situations considered difficult. The difficult situations encompassed four specific themes: Indiscipline, Psychosocial Difficulties, Violence and Discrimination. For data analysis, the JT Method was used using the reliable change indices as the standard to consider individual improvements of the subjects. Regarding Social Skills, the participants in the experimental group presented gains, reliable changes, in all five dimensions of the social skills inventory. Concerning educational social skills, 27.3% of the participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in all dimensions. The intervention led to the acquisition of a more elaborate repertoire of social skills and educational social skills in the teachers, which could help them to establish more favorable learning environments. © 2021 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Reducing broad-spectrum antibiotic use in intensive care unit between first and second waves of COVID-19 did not adversely affect mortality.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics due to diagnostic uncertainty, particularly in critical care. Multi-professional communication became more difficult, weakening stewardship activities. AIM: To determine changes in bacterial co-/secondary infections and antibiotics used in COVID-19 patients in critical care, and mortality rates, between the first and second waves. METHODS: Prospective audit comparing bacterial co-/secondary infections and their treatment during the first two waves of the pandemic in a single-centre teaching hospital intensive care unit. Data on demographics, daily antibiotic use, clinical outcomes, and culture results in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection were collected over 11 months. FINDINGS: From March 9th, 2020 to September 2nd, 2020 (Wave 1), there were 156 patients and between September 3rd, 2020 and February 1st, 2021 (Wave 2) there were 235 patients with COVID-19 infection admitted to intensive care. No significant difference was seen in mortality or positive blood culture rates between the two waves. The proportion of patients receiving antimicrobial therapy (93.0% vs 81.7%; P < 0.01) and the duration of meropenem use (median (interquartile range): 5 (2-7) vs 3 (2-5) days; P = 0.01) was lower in Wave 2. However, the number of patients with respiratory isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4/156 vs 21/235; P < 0.01) and bacteraemia from a respiratory source (3/156 vs 20/235; P < 0.01) increased in Wave 2, associated with an outbreak of infection. There was no significant difference between waves with respect to isolation of other pathogens. CONCLUSION: Reduced broad-spectrum antimicrobial use in the second wave of COVID-19 compared with the first wave was not associated with significant change in mortality.

Development of polypyrrole (nano)structures decorated with gold nanoparticles toward immunosensing for COVID-19 serological diagnosis.

The rapid and reliable detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) seroconversion in humans is crucial for suitable infection control. In this sense, many studies have focused on increasing the sensibility, lowering the detection limits and minimizing false negative/positive results. Thus, biosensors based on nanoarchitectures of conducting polymers are promising alternatives to more traditional materials since they can hold improved surface area, higher electrical conductivity and electrochemical activity. In this work, we reported the analytical comparison of two different conducting polymers morphologies for the development of an impedimetric biosensor to monitor SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion in humans. Biosensors based on polypyrrole (PPy), synthesized in both globular and nanotubular (NT) morphology, and gold nanoparticles are reported, using a self-assembly monolayer of 3-mercaptopropionic acid and covalently linked SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid protein. First, the novel hybrid materials were characterized by electron microscopy and electrochemical measurements, and the biosensor step-by-step construction was characterized by electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. As a proof of concept, the biosensor was used for the impedimetric detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid protein monoclonal antibodies. The results showed a linear response for different antibody concentrations, good sensibility and possibility to quantify 7.442 and 0.4 ng/mL of monoclonal antibody for PPy in the globular and NT morphology, respectively. The PPy-NTs biosensor was able to discriminate serum obtained from COVID-19 positive versus negative clinical samples and is a promising tool for COVID-19 immunodiagnostic, which can contribute to further studies concerning rapid, efficient, and reliable detections.

Comparison of Antibiotic Use between the First Two Waves of COVID-19 in an Intensive Care Unit at a London Tertiary Centre: reducing broad-spectrum antimicrobial use did not adversely affect mortality

Background The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics due to diagnostic uncertainty, particularly in critical care. Multiprofessional communication became more difficult, weakening stewardship activities. Aim To determine changes in bacterial co-/secondary infections and antibiotics used in COVID-19 patients in critical care, and mortality rates, between the first and second waves. Methods Prospective audit comparing bacterial co-/secondary infections and their treatment during the first two waves of the pandemic in a single centre teaching hospital ICU. Data on demographics, daily antibiotic use, clinical outcomes, and culture results in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection were collected over 11 months. Findings From 9/3/20 to 2/9/20 (Wave 1), there were 156 patients and between 3/9/20 and 1/2/21 (Wave 2) there were 235 patients with COVID-19 infection admitted to intensive care. No significant difference was seen in mortality or positive blood culture rates between the two waves. The proportion of patients receiving antimicrobial therapy (93.0% vs 81.7%;p<0.01), and the duration of meropenem use (median (interquartile range): 5 (2-7) vs 3 (2-5) days;p=0.01) was lower in Wave 2. However, the number of patients with respiratory isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4/156 vs 21/235;p<0.01) and bacteraemia from a respiratory source (3/156 vs 20/235 p<0.01) increased in Wave 2, associated with an outbreak of infection. There was no significant difference between waves with respect to isolation of other pathogens. Conclusions Reduced broad spectrum antimicrobial use in the second wave of COVID-19 compared with the first wave was not associated with significant change in mortality.

Gamification for Infectious Diseases Medical Education: Creating a Videogame to Teach COVID 19 Diagnosis and Treatment to Medical Students

Background. Brazillian authorities reported a total of 16.3 million cases and 454. 000 deaths during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil by may 2021. It became necessary to educate healthcare professionals on diagnosis and treatment of the syndrome. Game based learning surfaced as an effective alternative, since it promotes critical thinking and problem solving skills. A team of Brazilian and Peruvian students, physicians, designers and programmers gathered to create a decision based computer game that simulates a hospital scenario and allows medical students to analise, make decisions and receive feedback. This work describes the creative process and showcase the initial version of the software. Methods. Professors and students of Medicine, Information Technology (IT), Design and Architecture from Brazil and Peru assembled a team in order to develop the computer game. Clinical cases were created by the medical students and professors, comprising medical procedures for the treatment and management of COVID 19, and a video game script was developed exploring gamification principles of challenge, objectivity, persistence, failure, reward and feedback. Algorithms (image 1) were created, under supervision of professors of Medicine, to define possible courses of action and outcomes (e.g. gain or loss of points, improvement or worsening of the patient). Students of Design created artistic elements, and IT students programmed with a game engine software. This fluxogram, written in portuguese, describes in detail all the possible courses of actions that can be exercised by the player. It is created by a team of Professors of Medicine and medical students, in accordance with evidence-based guidelines. Primarily, this document guides the programmers and designers throughout the development phase of the game. Results. Initially, an expandable minimum viable product was obtained. The game, visualized on image 2, consists in a non-playable character and a playable character (i.e. doctor), with a scenario and a dialogue script simulating a clinical examination of a COVID 19 patient. The player can interact with certain elements within the game, e.g. the computer and other characters, to retrieve test results or start dialogues with relevant information. Hospital scenario and dialogue window between doctor (player in black) and patient (non playable character) are displayer in the game engine software (Unity 2D). On the bottom half of the screen, the dialogue box allows the player to collect the patient's medical history. The player can interact with certain elements to obtain relevant information to make decision and progress in the game. Conclusion. The game allows medical students to practice diagnosis and treatment of COVID 19. Future versions will include assessment reports of player's actions, and a new score system will be implemented. New diseases will be incorporated in the gameplay to match the variety of scenarios offered by real hospitals and patients. Artificial intelligence will be employed to optimize gameplay, feedback and learning.

Artificial Corneal Transplantation and the Safe Recovery of Vision in the COVID-19 Pandemic

In March 2020 the WHO announced the pandemic due to the new coronavirus nCoV-19, which uses the ACE-2 enzyme, present in several body tissues, to infect the host. The presence of ACE-2 in the corneal limbus makes the eyeball an important route of infection for the virus, which is why corneal transplantation is precluded in cases of suspected COVID-19 donors. Also in 2020, The Global Alliance of Eye Bank Association (GAEBA) developed restrictive measures aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus between eye tissue donors and recipient patients, consequently, there was a reduction in effective donors and a global increase in the waiting lines for corneal transplantation worldwide. On the other hand, artificial corneal implantation presents itself as a positive alternative for the current moment, since it makes it impossible for the donor and the recipient of the eye tissue to become infected. In this sense, the present study aims to describe the use of artificial corneas in keratoplasties, considering this a safe and effective method for restoring vision during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Children's behavioral problems, screen time, and sleep problems' association with negative and positive parenting strategies during the COVID-19 outbreak in Brazil.

Families' health, safety, and economic stability were jeopardized during the pandemic. Parental stress is a risk factor for hostile and less supportive parenting. Parenting styles are a set of attitudes, feelings and behaviors related to parenting that modulate the child's psychosocial functioning and might impact on the adaptability to a stressful time. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the group differences among children raised by negative and positive parenting families during COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We have done an online survey with 329 parents. Parents answer about parenting strategies and styles, children's behavior, Covid related questions, socio-economic information, sleep and gaming disorders. RESULTS: Parents' frequent use of negative strategies were a risk factor to have a negative outcome related to mental health, games, sleep, and children behavior. DISCUSSION: Parenting strategies are some targets pointed in this study for intervention. Parents' styles and strategies training to better manage children might be even more important to avoid negative consequences for children in stressful times.

ZOOM OUT/ZOOM IN ON THE DIGITAL SOCIAL NETWORKS OF THE PORTUGUESE NATIONAL FILM PLAN: A view in pandemic times

The interest in the potential of cinema as extensible to the scope of education dates back to the beginning of the seventh art and has followed the evolution of society. In line with this vision, the Portuguese National Film Plan (PNFP) emerges nowadays as a government program for film literacy among school audiences, awakening in young people the habit of watching cinema and valuing it as an art. This essay has the purpose of taking a look at the presence of the PNFP on digital social networks during the closure of schools decreed for Portugal as one of the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Characterized by in-presence and collective activities, the Plan faced the impossibility of developing them as before, since the school space was transferred to online settings. We observed that pandemic times have come to reveal some of the virtues of the new media and ways of living the cinema, which, not excluding others, are a contribution to the future of the relationship between cinema and education, a dynamic that the PNFP has been developing. We conclude that social web tools such as the digital social networks can be a valid asset for the Plan, in a virtualization that is complementary to its physical presence in schools.

Racism and necropolitics: a debate between social theory and psychoanalysis

Taking Covid-19 Pandemic as a context and analyzer, this article discusses the historical links between racism and the medicalized management of the right to life and death in Brazil. It is based on the understanding that listening and clinical management of situations of psychological distress in the context of the medicalization of life (in Pandemic, and even outside it) necessarily imply making social criticism as well. To this end, we propose a debate that encapsulates clinical theory, the histories of social medicine and psychoanalysis in Brazil, and the concepts of bio and necropoli-tics. Our hypothesis is that if, on the one hand, on its arrival in Brazil, psychoanalysis was “co-opted” by a hygienist medical tradition (which for years polarized the way it was seen in our country), on the other, by its conceptual structure, by the initial counterpoint with Brazilian modernism, and by its current debate on segregation, this praxis can make explicit its anti-racist power and vocation. © 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Detection of a SARS-CoV-2 sequence with genosensors using data analysis based on information visualization and machine learning techniques

We report on genosensors to detect an ssDNA sequence from the SARS-CoV-2 genome, which mimics the GU280 gp10 gene (coding the viral nucleocapsid phosphoprotein), using four distinct principles of detection and treating the data with information visualization and machine learning techniques. Genosensors were fabricated on either gold (Au) interdigitated electrodes for electrical and electrochemical measurements or on Au nanoparticles on a glass slide for optical measurements. They contained a matrix of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) onto which a layer of capture probe (cpDNA) sequence was immobilized. Detection was performed using electrical and electrochemical impedance spectroscopies and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The highest sensitivity was reached with impedance spectroscopy, including using a low-cost (US$ 100) homemade impedance analyzer. Complementary ssDNA sequences were detected with a detection limit of 0.5 aM (0.3 copy per mu L). This performance may be attributed to the high sensitivity of the electrical impedance technique combined with an appropriate arrangement of the sequences on the electrodes and hybridization between the complementary sequences, as inferred from polarization-modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). The selectivity of the genosensor was confirmed by plotting the impedance spectroscopy data with a multidimensional projection technique (interactive document mapping, IDMAP), where a clear separation was observed among the samples of the complementary DNA sequence at various concentrations and from buffer samples containing a non-complementary sequence and other DNA biomarkers. The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 mimicking sequences was also achieved with machine learning techniques applied to scanning electron microscope images taken from genosensors exposed to distinct concentrations of the complementary ssDNA sequences. In summary, the genosensors proposed here are promising for detecting SARS-CoV-2 genetic material (RNA) in biological fluids in point-of-care settings.

INTERNATIONAL OVERVIEW ON COPING-19 PANDEMIC COVERAGE IN 2020

This article aims to outline an overview of the adoption of traffic restriction measures and the political, economic and social responses in Brazil and countries of five continents in coping with the Covid-19 pandemic. This describes the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic in China and its rapid geographical progression, as well as the central role of cases of asymptomatic people or people with mild symptoms in the spread of the virus worldwide. There is an overview of the restriction measures adopted in countries on five continents. Next, a synthesis of the main political, economic and social responses to the pandemic adopted in 19 selected countries, with the representation of all continents, is presented. It is observed that in most of the countries analyzed some type of movement restriction measure were adopted by national governments, as well as measures to help workers and vulnerable groups.

On the use of telemedicine in the context of COVID-19: legal aspects and a systematic review of technology

Purpose: The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review of telemedicine technology and to discuss the role of legislation in the application of telemedicine technology within the scope of COVID-19. Methods: The search for papers was conducted in the databases Cochrane Central, MEDLINE, and Embase. The keywords considered for this systematic review were (coronavirus OR “2019-nCoV” OR 2019nCoV OR nCoV2019 OR “nCoV-2019” OR “COVID-19” OR COVID19 OR “HCoV-19” OR HCoV19 OR CoV OR “2019 novel*” OR Ncov OR “n-cov” OR “SARS-CoV-2” OR “SARSCoV-2” OR “SARSCoV2” OR “SARSCoV2” OR SARSCov19 OR “SARS-Cov19” OR “SARS-Cov-19” OR “severe acute respiratory syndrome*” OR ((corona* OR corono*) AND (virus* OR viral* OR virinae*))) AND ((telemedicine OR telehealth OR “remote assessment” OR telemonitoring)). The review process was carried out by six independent reviewers, using the PRISMA-P method. Results: As a result, a total of 34 papers were selected, which addressed the study of telemedicine technologies used in times of endemics, epidemics, and pandemics, focusing on COVID-19. Conclusion: Telemedicine allows for care in remote areas and at a lower cost to the patient and, in the current situation, it can reduce the number of contagions as well as the occupation of beds in health facilities. Telemedicine may suffer from limitations, mainly due to current legislation, but in this pandemic era of COVID-19, several countries around the world have made their laws more flexible to allow more widespread use of telemedicine. © 2021, Sociedade Brasileira de Engenharia Biomedica.