HOCl Rapidly Kills Corona, Flu, and Herpes to Prevent Aerosol Spread.

The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the dental practice, especially as droplet-aerosol particles are generated by high-speed instruments. This has heightened awareness of other orally transmitted viruses, including influenza and herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1), which are capable of threatening life and impairing health. While current disinfection procedures commonly use surface wipe-downs to reduce viral transmission, they are not fully effective. Consequently, this provides the opportunity for a spectrum of emitted viruses to reside airborne for hours and upon surfaces for days. The objective of this study was to develop an experimental platform to identify a safe and effective virucide with the ability to rapidly destroy oral viruses transported within droplets and aerosols. Our test method employed mixing viruses and virucides in a fine-mist bottle atomizer to mimic the generation of oral droplet-aerosols. The results revealed that human betacoronavirus OC43 (related to SARS-CoV-2), human influenza virus (H1N1), and HSV1 from atomizer-produced droplet-aerosols were each fully destroyed by only 100 ppm of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) within 30 s, which was the shortest time point of exposure to the virucide. Importantly, 100 ppm HOCl introduced into the oral cavity is known to be safe for humans. In conclusion, this frontline approach establishes the potential of using 100 ppm HOCl in waterlines to continuously irrigate the oral cavity during dental procedures to expeditiously destroy harmful viruses transmitted within aerosols and droplets to protect practitioners, staff, and other patients.

Emirates mars mission (emm) overview and status

The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) is the United Arab Emirates (UAE) first mission to Mars and is the first Arab mission to another planet. It launched an unmanned observatory called "Hope" into an elliptical orbit around Mars on July 20, 2020 carrying three scientific instruments to study the Martian atmosphere in visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths. EMM will be the first mission to provide the first truly global picture of the Martian atmosphere, revealing important information about how atmospheric processes drive diurnal variations for a period of one Martian year. This will provide scientists with valuable understanding of the changes to the Martian atmosphere today through the achievement of three scientific objectives: A. Characterize the state of the Martian lower atmosphere on global scales and its geographic, diurnal and seasonal variability. B. Correlate rates of thermal and photochemical atmospheric escape with conditions in the collisional Martian atmosphere. C. Characterize the spatial structure and variability of key constituents in the Martian exosphere. The mission is led by Emiratis from Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and is expanding the nation s human capital through knowledge transfer programs set with international partners from the University of Colorado Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), Arizona State University (ASU) School of Earth and Space Exploration, and University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL). The paper highlights the driving motivation behind the mission, its scientific objectives and instruments, the unforeseen challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the status and accomplishments of the mission since its Mars Orbit insertion on Feb 9, 2021. © 2021 International Astronautical Federation, IAF. All rights reserved.

Emergency medicine virtual conference participants' engagement with ep and competing activities

Learning Objectives: To characterize the competitive demands for learner attention during virtual didactics and pilot a methodology for future studies. Background: Residency didactic conferences have transitioned to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This format creates new questions about learning outcomes, the success of which relies on learner engagement. Objectives: To characterize the competitive demands for learner attention during virtual didactics and pilot methodology for future studies. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of attendees at virtual didactics from a single four-year EM training program. We designed an activity survey utilizing a self-report strategy informed by validated classroom assessments of student engagement. This two-question survey was deployed using ZoomTM polling across six conference days using random signaled sampling. Participants identified their learner role and reported all activities during the preceding 5-minutes. Results: We had 1,303 responses over 40 survey deployments. Responses came from Residents (63.4%), Faculty (27.5%), Fellows (2.3%), Students (2%) or Others (4.8%). About 85.3% of attendees reported engaging in the virtual conference within the last five minutes. A total of 902 out of 1,303 (69.2%) respondents reported engaging in multiple activities, including: related-educational (34.2%), work-related (21.1%), social (18.8%), entertainment (4.4%), personal (14.6%), and self care (13.4%). There was a decline in reported engagement in conference and education-related activities as the conference block progressed. Conclusions: Learners engage in a variety of other activities during virtual didactics. Engagement appears to fluctuate and trend temporally which may inform teaching strategies. This information may also provide unique instructor feedback. This pilot study demonstrates methodology for future studies of conference engagement and learning outcomes.

A Pair of "ACEs".

The emergence of the COVID-19 viral pandemic has generated a renewed interest in pharmacologic agents that target the renin angiotensin system (RAS). Angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 (ACE1) inhibitors decrease the synthesis of angiotensin II (Ang II) from its precursor angiotensin I and inhibit the breakdown of bradykinin, while Ang II receptor blockers antagonize the action of Ang II at the receptor level downstream. The actions of both classes of drugs lead to vasodilation, a blunting of sympathetic drive and a reduction in aldosterone release, all beneficial effects in hypertension and congestive heart failure. ACE2 cleaves the vasoconstrictor Ang II to produce the anti-inflammatory cytoprotective angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7) peptide, which functions through the G protein-coupled receptor MAS to counteract the pathophysiologic effects induced by Ang II via its receptors, including vasoconstriction, inflammation, hypercoagulation, and fibrosis. SARS-CoV-2 enters human cells by binding ACE2 on the cell surface, decreases ACE2 activity, competes for ACE2 receptor-binding sites, and shifts the RAS toward an overexpression of Ang II, accounting for many of the deleterious effects of the virus. Thus, there is great interest in developing recombinant ACE2 as a therapeutic for prevention or treatment of COVID-19. Notably, ACE2 is highly expressed in the oral cavity, and saliva and dorsum of the tongue are major reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2. Cost-effective methods to debulk the virus in the oral cavity may aid in the prevention of viral spread. Here we review the pharmacology of targeted small molecule inhibitors of the RAS and discuss novel approaches to employing ACE2 as a therapeutic for COVID-19.

COVID-19 Vaccination: To Lead by Example or an Opportunity Lost.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created a global health emergency. Vaccine hesitancy and tremendous misinformation about the actual science are leaving the public with significant confusion. However, sound epidemiologic science is guiding us to a clear path toward mitigating this modern-day scourge. It is remarkable how putting an end to current COVID-19 outbreaks has such a simple solution-convincing the public to accept getting vaccinated. The dental research, dental education, and dental practice communities have a unique opportunity to act as trusted public exemplars as well as trusted interpreters of the science for the public.

The Profound Impact of COVID-19 on the Dental Profession

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the world in unprecedented ways. It is clear that this pandemic, unlike any public health challenge in recent memory, has the potential to fundamentally alter the delivery of many healthcare services, including dentistry. As evidence-based information on COVID-19 continues to emerge, this article serves as a means to disseminate current opinions, management strategies, and the impact of COVID-19 on dentistry.

Describing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV care in latin america

Background: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with HIV (PWH) are unknown. Beyond SARS-CoV-2 co-infection, the pandemic may have devastating consequences for HIV care delivery. Understanding these is crucial as reduced antiretroviral therapy (ART) availability alone could lead to ≥500,000 AIDS-related deaths in 2020-2021. With Latin America now a focal point in the pandemic, we sought to describe the impact of COVID-19 on HIV care at Latin American clinical sites. Methods: Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology (CCASAnet) and additional Brazilian HIV care sites in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru were included. An electronic survey of COVID-19 effects on HIV clinic operations was administered in Spanish or English via phone and email, April 28-June 2, 2020. We also compared national COVID-19 case, mortality, and policy data from public sources. Results: Brazil's and Mexico's epidemics appear most pronounced, with >10,000 confirmed COVID-19-related deaths (Figure 1);countries implemented “social distancing” policies at different times after initial cases, with Haiti earliest and Mexico latest (Figure 2). Nearly all 13 sites reported decreased hours and providers for HIV care. Twelve of 13 reported increased use of telehealth, suspension/postponements of routine HIV appointments, and/or suspension of HIV research. Eleven of 13 reported initiation of new COVID-19 research but suspension of community HIV testing, and nearly half provided additional ART supplies. Nearly 70% reported impacts on HIV viral load testing and nearly 40% reported personal protective equipment stock-outs (Table). All 13 sites experienced changes in resources/services in tandem with national policies;there was wide variation, however, in the number of economic and health supports implemented thus far (e.g., quarantines, tax deferrals, interest rate reductions, etc.), from 172 COVID-19-related policies in Brazil to only 30 in Mexico Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has already had a substantial effect on daily operations of HIV clinics in Latin America. The downstream effects of these impacts on HIV outcomes in Latin America will need to be further studied. (Table Presented).