Employer branding orientation: effects on recruitment performance under COVID-19

In this study we examined the impact of employer branding orientation (EBO) on recruitment performance. The study is based on a sample of 153 knowledge-intensive firms operating on the Russian labor market. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to test the research model. Our results revealed that EBO positively related to employer branding strategy and employer value proposition (EVP) which, in turn, impact the recruitment performance. We also identified the moderating effect of COVID-19 influence on employer branding programs. This study contributes to the debate on the role of EBO in HRM practices of companies and provides practitioners with evidence on importance of EVP formulation.

A patient-centric modeling framework captures recovery from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The biology driving individual patient responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection remains ill understood. Here, we developed a patient-centric framework leveraging detailed longitudinal phenotyping data and covering a year after disease onset, from 215 infected individuals with differing disease severities. Our analyses revealed distinct 'systemic recovery' profiles, with specific progression and resolution of the inflammatory, immune cell, metabolic and clinical responses. In particular, we found a strong inter-patient and intra-patient temporal covariation of innate immune cell numbers, kynurenine metabolites and lipid metabolites, which highlighted candidate immunologic and metabolic pathways influencing the restoration of homeostasis, the risk of death and that of long COVID. Based on these data, we identified a composite signature predictive of systemic recovery, using a joint model on cellular and molecular parameters measured soon after disease onset. New predictions can be generated using the online tool http://shiny.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/apps/covid-19-systemic-recovery-prediction-app , designed to test our findings prospectively.

Factors Related to Treatment Attendance for Patients Seeking Gender-Affirming Voice Therapy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors related to treatment attendance for patients seeking gender-affirming voice therapy (GAVT). METHOD: We completed retrospective chart reviews of 50 patients (43 transgender women, three transgender men, four nonbinary patients; aged 18-67 years, M = 34.92 years, SD = 12.32 years) referred for GAVT at a Midwest outpatient center from 2016 to 2021. Data extraction included patient demographics, therapy visit specifics (e.g., number of sessions attended, treatment completion status, and in-person vs. virtual visits) and treatment timing (in relation to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic), and psychosocial and socioeconomic information. RESULTS: There was no impact of treatment-timing relative to the onset of the pandemic on any attendance measure; however, patients were 1.9 times more likely to complete therapy with each virtual telehealth session attended. Individual factors of outside social support and hormone replacement therapy were positively related to the number of therapy sessions attended, whereas insurance provider and employment status were related to therapy completion. CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic was positively associated with GAVT completion. Future research should investigate psychosocial and socioeconomic factors to understand how to identify patients at risk for poor treatment adherence and facilitate access to clinical care.

Perceptions of Antenatal Exercise in Pregnant Females and the Impact of COVID-19.

Exercise during pregnancy presents many benefits for the mother and baby. Yet, pregnancy is characterised by a decrease in exercise. Studies have reported barriers to antenatal exercise. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have further exacerbated barriers to antenatal exercise as pregnant females faced many challenges. Rich, in-depth exploration into pregnant female's perceived barriers to antenatal exercise during COVID-19 is imperative. Questionnaires reporting physical activity levels were completed by all participants (n = 14). Semi-structured interviews were conducted between November 2020 and May 2021 in the UK. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis and revealed four main themes: 'Perceptions of being an active person shaping activity levels in pregnancy', 'How do I know what is right? Uncertainty, seeking validation and feeling informed', 'Motivators to antenatal exercise' and 'A process of adaptations and adjustment'. Findings indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated barriers to antenatal exercise and highlight the importance of direct psychosocial support and clear, trustworthy information. Findings also support the fundamental need for better education amongst healthcare professionals regarding antenatal exercise.

Brand orientation, employer branding and internal branding: Do they effect on recruitment during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Over the last twenty-five years, employer branding has been a subject of increasing attention among HRM scholars and practitioners. However, very limited research has explored the link between employer branding and HRM performance. To address the gap, in this study we explored how employer branding orientation impacted recruitment outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition we combined both the brand orientation and internal branding concepts to better empirically explain their impact on building employer brand orientation. Based on cross-sectional data collected from 233 companies operating on Russian labor market, we found the positive relationships between brand orientation and employer branding orientation, between employer branding orientation and the employer branding programs, which are positively related to recruitment outcomes. However, the moderating effect of internal branding was negative. We also found moderating effects of COVID-19 in the relationship between employer branding orientation, employer branding programs, and recruitment outcomes.

The Political Life of an Epidemic: cholera, crisis and citizenship in Zimbabwe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (hb £78.99 – 978 1 108 48910 2;pb £26.99 – 978 1 108 73344 1). 2020, v + 230 pp

Historical and political decisions (by both colonial and postcolonial states), including urban planning defined by racial segregation and spatial inequalities, failed public health infrastructure, and the postcolonial government’s struggle to maintain political power ‘converged to create a “perfect storm” for a ruinous cholera outbreak’ (p. 86). [...]Chigudu discusses what he terms ‘multiple ontologies’ to show the different forms, experiences and meanings the cholera epidemic took. [...]the exploration of historical memory and political subjectivities generated by the epidemic illustrates political consciousness amidst feelings of abandonment by the state.

Pediatric appendicitis in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective chart review.

Aim: Conduct a time trend analysis that describes 2 groups of patients admitted to a large tertiary children's hospital that presented with appendicitis and determine if there was an increase in complicated appendicitis when compared between 2 time periods before and during the early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all children presenting to a single-center site with appendicitis between March 23 and August 31, 2020, in the Central Texas region. We compared 507 patients presenting with appendicitis from the non-COVID-19 era in 2019 with n = 249 to patients presenting during the COVID time period with n = 258. All patients with appendicitis within those time periods were reviewed with analysis of various characteristics in regard to presentation, diagnosis of uncomplicated versus complicated appendicitis, and management outcomes. Results: There were no significant demographic differences or change in the number of appendicitis cases noted between the 2 time periods of comparison. There was no significant difference in rates of complicated appendicitis or presentation time following symptom onset between the 2 eras. There was no significant difference in intraoperative or postoperative complications. There was a statistically significant increase in the use of computed tomography (CT) scans (P-value = 0.004) with patients 1.81 times more likely to have a CT scan in the pandemic era after adjusting for patient-level factors. The effect of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 status on outcomes was not part of the data analysis. Conclusion: Our study is the largest to date examining appendicitis complications in the era of COVID. In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found no delay in presentation in children presenting to the emergency department and no increase in complicated appendicitis. We did identify an increase in the use of CT scans for definitive diagnosis of appendicitis noted in the pandemic era. Although COVID-19 status was not studied, the finding of increased CT use for a definitive diagnosis of appendicitis was a distinctive finding of this study showing a change in practice in pediatric emergency medicine.

Faculty Development Advancements-Lessons Learned in a Time of Change.

Faculty development (FD) activities at colleges of medicine shifted to virtual in March 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic limited in-person engagement. Medical schools delivered quality virtual faculty development (VFD) through accessing national and international experts virtually, improving faculty access to FD through recorded sessions, collaborating across institutions, and building on previous success as comfort with virtual platforms grew. Disruptive innovation and Keller's ARCS model, highlighting motivational concepts of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction, guided nine faculty developers' reflections towards continuous quality improvement of VFD offerings. The convenience and low-cost availability of virtual activities mean this format will likely persist.

Persistent visual dysfunction following posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome due to COVID-19: Case series and literature review.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The full spectrum of neurological sequelae in COVID-19 is beginning to emerge. SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to cause both direct and indirect brain vascular endothelial damage through infection and inflammation that may result in long-term neurological signs and symptoms. We sought to illuminate persistent neuro-ophthalmological deficits that may be seen following posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) due to COVID-19. METHODS: We identified three individuals with PRES due to COVID-19 in our hospital system. One patient was identified on presentation to our neuro-ophthalmology clinic. The other patients were identified through internal records search. These cases were compared to published reports of PRES in COVID-19 identified through systematic literature search of PubMed/LitCOVID. RESULTS: All three patients were hospitalized with severe COVID-19 and developed altered mental status with new onset seizures that led to the recognition of PRES through diagnostic imaging. During recovery, two patients had persistent visual dysfunction including visual field deficits. One patient also experienced hallucinatory palinopsia and visual hallucinations. Literature search identified 32 other cases of PRES in the context of COVID-19. Visual disturbances were described in 14 cases (40%), with only seven cases (50%) reporting full recovery by the time of publication. CONCLUSIONS: As we learn about enduring neurological complications of COVID-19, it is possible that complications may be underrecognized and underreported. Understanding the range of complications can help in postcare evaluation and management changes in the critical care setting to potentially allow intervention before persistent deficits occur due to COVID-19.

An Evaluation of YouTube Videos as a Surgical Instructional Tool for Endoscopic Endonasal Approaches in Otolaryngology.

OBJECTIVES: Online surgical videos are an increasingly popular resource for surgical trainees, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objective was to assess the instructional quality of the YouTube videos of the transsphenoidal surgical approach (TSA), using LAParoscopic surgery Video Educational Guidelines (LAP-VEGaS). METHODS: YouTube TSA videos were searched using 5 keywords. Video characteristics were recorded. Two fellowship-trained rhinologists evaluated videos using LAP-VEGaS (scale 0 [worst] to 18 [best]). RESULTS: The searches produced 43 unique, unduplicated videos for analysis. Mean video length 7 minutes (standard deviation [SD] = 13), mean viewership was 16 017 views (SD = 29 415), and mean total LAP-VEGaS score was 9 (SD = 3). The LAP-VEGaS criteria with the lowest mean scores were presentation of the positioning of the patient/surgical team (mean = 0.2; SD = 0.6) and the procedure outcomes (mean = 0.4; SD = 0.6). There was substantial interrater agreement (κ = 0.71). CONCLUSIONS: LAP-VEGaS, initially developed for laparoscopic procedures, is useful for evaluating TSA instructional videos. There is an opportunity to improve the quality of these videos.

Lyophilized, thermostable Spike or RBD immunogenic liposomes induce protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in mice.

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred interest in potent and thermostable SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. Here, we assess low-dose immunization with lyophilized nanoparticles decorated with recombinant SARS-CoV-2 antigens. The SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein or its receptor-binding domain (RBD; mouse vaccine dose, 0.1 µg) was displayed on liposomes incorporating a particle-inducing lipid, cobalt porphyrin-phospholipid (dose, 0.4 µg), along with monophosphoryl lipid A (dose, 0.16 µg) and QS-21 (dose, 0.16 µg). Following optimization of lyophilization conditions, Spike or RBD-decorated liposomes were effectively reconstituted and maintained conformational capacity for binding human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) for at least a week when stored at 60°C in lyophilized but not liquid format. Prime-boost intramuscular vaccination of hACE2-transgenic mice with the reconstituted vaccine formulations induced effective antibody responses that inhibited RBD binding to hACE2 and neutralized pseudotyped and live SARS-CoV-2. Two days following viral challenge, immunized transgenic mice cleared the virus and were fully protected from lethal disease.

A Study Protocol for an Open-Label Feasibility Treatment Trial of Visual Snow Syndrome With Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

Background: Visual Snow (VS) syndrome is believed to be due to aberrant central visual processing. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) brain imaging and visual evoked potential studies provide evidence for excessive neuronal activity in the medial temporal lobe, specifically the lingual gyrus, and suggest the VS syndrome is a hyperexcitability syndrome. These data provide the basis for consideration of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a potential treatment for the VS syndrome. Objective: To publish the study protocol for a pilot study underway at the University of Colorado School of Medicine to investigate the use of rTMS intervention to improve symptoms and visual dysfunction associated with VS. The study aims to determine the adverse events and drop-out rate, evaluate performance of outcome measures, including a novel VS symptom scale, and describe changes in outcomes associated with treatment. Methods and Design: Up to 10 participants meeting criteria for VS syndrome, age 19-65 years, will undergo an open-label intervention consisting of 10 rTMS sessions, occurring 5 days a week over a 2-week period. Participants will complete pre-treatment and post-treatment assessments that include: the Colorado Visual Snow Scale (CVSS), the National Eye Institute Visual Functional Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25), the General Anxiety Disorder-7 scale (GAD-7), and three psychophysical visual processing tasks. Discussion: Knowledge gained from this pilot study will inform future study planning and provide valuable lessons for future investigation of rTMS for the VS syndrome. An overview of study proceedings thus far demonstrates recruitment challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and additional challenges that are unique to the VS syndrome and to treatment schedules associated with TMS. Registration: This study has been approved by the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04925232.

Demographic and technological factors influencing virtual seizure clinic visit satisfaction before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in rural Hawaii.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine clinic visits traditionally originated from spoke clinic sites, but recent trends have favored home-based telemedicine, particularly in the time of Covid-19. Our study focused on identification of barriers and factors influencing perceptions of care with use of home-based telemedicine in patients with seizures living in rural Hawaii. We additionally compared characteristics of patients using telemedicine versus in-person clinic visits prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. METHODS: For the retrospective portion of our study, we queried charts of adult outpatients treated by the two full-time epileptologists at a Level 4 epilepsy center accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers between November 2018 and December 2019. We included patients who live on the neighbor islands of Hawaii but not on Oahu, i.e., patients who would require air travel to see an epileptologist. There had been no set protocol at the epilepsy center for telemedicine referral; our practice had been to offer telemedicine visits to all neighbor island patients when felt to be appropriate. We collected demographic and clinic visit data. For the prospective portion we surveyed neighbor island patients or their caregivers, seen via home-based telemedicine between March 2020 and December 2020. We obtained verbal consent for study participation. Survey questions addressed satisfaction with clinical care, visit preferences, and potential barriers to care. RESULTS: In a 14-month period prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, 75 (61%) neighbor island patients were seen exclusively in-person in seizure clinic while 47 (39%) had at least one telemedicine visit. 39% of patients seen only in-person were female whereas 38% of patients seen by telemedicine were female. Patients seen in-person had an older median age (47.2 years) compared to those seen at least once by telemedicine (42.4 years). The no-show rate was 13% for in-person visits versus 4% for telemedicine visits. Among patients seen in person, 17% were Asian, 32% Native Hawaiian, and 47% White, whereas patients seen by telemedicine were 15% Asian, 23% Native Hawaiian, and 57% White. Patients who were seen in person lived in zip codes with median household income of $68,516 and patients who were seen by telemedicine lived in zip codes with median household income of $67,089. Patients who were seen in person lived in zip codes in which 78% of the population had access to broadband internet, whereas patients who were seen by telemedicine lived in zip codes in which 79% of the population had access to broadband internet. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we surveyed 47 consecutive patients seen by telemedicine, 45% female with median age of 33 years. Telemedicine connection was set up by the patient in 74% of cases, or by the patient's mother (15%), other family member (9%), or other caregiver (2 %). Median patient satisfaction score was 5 ("highly satisfied") on a 5-point Likert scale with mean score of 4.6. Telemedicine visit was done using a smartphone by 62% of patients, a computer by 36% of patients, and a tablet by 2% of patients. A home WiFi connection was used in 83% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Home-based telemedicine visits provide a high-satisfaction method for seizure care delivery despite some obstacles. Demographic disparities may be an obstacle to telemedicine care and seem to relate to race and possibly age, rather than to sex/gender, household income, or access to broadband internet. Additionally, despite high satisfaction overall, more patients felt the physical exam was superior at in-person clinic visits and more patients expressed a preference for in-person visits. During the Covid-19 pandemic when there may be barriers to in-person clinic visits, home-based telemedicine is a feasible alternative.

Computational prediction of the effect of amino acid changes on the binding affinity between SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD and human ACE2.

The association of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) represents the first required step for cellular entry. SARS-CoV-2 has continued to evolve with the emergence of several novel variants, and amino acid changes in the RBD have been implicated with increased fitness and potential for immune evasion. Reliably predicting the effect of amino acid changes on the ability of the RBD to interact more strongly with the hACE2 can help assess the implications for public health and the potential for spillover and adaptation into other animals. Here, we introduce a two-step framework that first relies on 48 independent 4-ns molecular dynamics (MD) trajectories of RBD-hACE2 variants to collect binding energy terms decomposed into Coulombic, covalent, van der Waals, lipophilic, generalized Born solvation, hydrogen bonding, π-π packing, and self-contact correction terms. The second step implements a neural network to classify and quantitatively predict binding affinity changes using the decomposed energy terms as descriptors. The computational base achieves a validation accuracy of 82.8% for classifying single-amino acid substitution variants of the RBD as worsening or improving binding affinity for hACE2 and a correlation coefficient of 0.73 between predicted and experimentally calculated changes in binding affinities. Both metrics are calculated using a fivefold cross-validation test. Our method thus sets up a framework for screening binding affinity changes caused by unknown single- and multiple-amino acid changes offering a valuable tool to predict host adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 variants toward tighter hACE2 binding.

Rituximab-induced acute lympholysis and pancytopenia after COVID-19 vaccination.

Rituximab and COVID-19 vaccine can cause massive hyperacute depletion of B cells and plasma cells, as well as subsequent cytokine release syndrome, coagulopathy, and pancytopenia. These effects differ from the adverse effects that have been reported for rituximab, and new guidelines regarding the timing of rituximab infusion and vaccination are urgently needed.

Globe Subluxation After Proning in a Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patient.

A 79-year-old male was hospitalized for respiratory failure secondary to coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia. Approximately 6 hours after initiating proning, left globe subluxation with darkening of the superior sclera consistent with tache noir was noted. The left globe was thought to be hypotonus secondary to ciliary body shut down after a prolonged period of high intraocular pressure. The globe was reduced in the supine position with gentle traction of the eyelids. Over the next 24 hours, the left intraocular pressure improved to 10 mm Hg, and the tache-noir de la sclérotique resolved. The authors report the first known case of globe subluxation secondary to proning.

Voice Acoustics and Vocal Effort in Mask-Wearing Healthcare Professionals: A Comparison Pre- and Post-Workday.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated voice acoustics and self-perceptual ratings in healthcare workers required to wear face masks throughout their workday. METHODS: Eighteen subjects (11 cisgender female, 7 cisgender male; M = 33.72 years, SD = 8.30) completed self-perceptual ratings and acoustic recordings before and after a typical workday. Chosen measures were specific to vocal effort, dysphonia, and laryngeal tension. Mixed effects models were calculated to determine the impact of session, mask type, sex, and their interactions on the set of perceptual and acoustic measures. RESULTS: The subjects self-reported a significant increase in vocal effort following the workday. These perceptual changes coincided with an increase in vocal intensity and harmonics-to-noise ratio, but decrease in relative fundamental frequency offset 10. As expected, men and women differed in measures related to fundamental frequency and vocal tract length. CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals wearing masks reported greater vocal symptoms post-workday compared to pre-workday. These symptoms coincided with acoustic changes previously related to vocal effort; however, the degree of change was considered mild. Further research is needed to determine whether vocal hygiene strategies may reduce vocal symptoms in mask-wearing workers.

Initial clinical characteristics of gravid severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-positive patients and the risk of progression to severe coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: Available data suggest that the obstetric population is particularly vulnerable to severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, with a variable clinical course leading to severe respiratory failure. However, established early warning scores designed to identify patients at risk of clinical deterioration were never validated in the obstetric population. OBJECTIVE: This retrospective cohort study sought to evaluate the initial clinical characteristics of pregnant patients diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and to develop a pregnancy-specific early warning score to identify patients at risk for clinical deterioration and requiring advanced respiratory support. STUDY DESIGN: This was a single center, retrospective cohort study of pregnant patients diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection between April 2020 and December 2020. A total of 50 patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection between April 2020 and November 2020 were used to create the prediction model. Initial clinical characteristics identified at the time of diagnosis were compared between patients who required advanced respiratory support and those who were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms for those diagnosed during the period of April 2020 to November 2020. Risk factors associated with a requirement for advanced respiratory support were used to create the Obstetric Warning Score system. The Obstetric Warning Score system was then validated using 30 patients diagnosed with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in December 2020. A receiver operating characteristic curve was generated to evaluate the test characteristics of the Obstetric Warning Score system compared with other scoring systems including the Early Warning Score, the National Early Warning Score 2, and the Maternal Early Warning Criteria. RESULTS: Women who required advanced respiratory support were more likely to present with dyspnea (100% vs 33.3%; P<.001), have a higher heart rate (113.4 beats per minute vs 93 beats per minute; P<.001), respiratory rate (23.5 breaths per minute vs 17.7 breaths per minute; P<.001), temperature (99.1°F vs 98.3°F; P=.004), and C-reactive protein level (7.4 mg/dL vs 2.4 mg/dL; P<.001). Furthermore, 88.2% of patients requiring advanced respiratory support showed chest x-ray findings consistent with pneumonia, compared with 20.0% of the patients not requiring advanced respiratory support (P<.001). All patients requiring advanced respiratory support presented with at least 1 coronavirus disease 2019 symptom, whereas only 51.5% of patients not requiring advanced respiratory support were symptomatic (P<.001). The Obstetrical Warning Score model allocated 1 point each for a hazard ratio of >100 beats per minute, temperature of >99.0°F, C-reactive protein level of >2.0 mg/dL, respiratory rate between 20 and 24 breaths per minute, complaints of dyspnea, and a positive chest x-ray. A respiratory rate of >24 breaths per minute was assigned 2 points. The area under the curve for the Obstetric Warning Score system was 0.97 compared with 0.72 for the Early Warning Score system, 0.92 for the National Early Warning Score 2 system, and 0.85 for the Maternal Early Warning Criteria system. An Obstetric Warning Score of ≥3 was predictive of a requirement for advanced respiratory support with a sensitivity of 100%, specificity 64%, and a positive predictive value of 36%. CONCLUSION: The Obstetric Warning Score system presents a validated method for providers to identify pregnant patients who are at risk for respiratory failure and a requirement for advanced respiratory support.