Tensions in Cultural Identity and Sense of Belonging for Internally Displaced Adolescents in Ukraine

This article examines the cultural, educational and mental health consequences of large-scale internal displacement for children and adolescents from the Donbas to other parts of Ukraine. The research findings and methodological innovations of the study are discussed in the context of forced migration and displacement caused by the previous (2014) armed conflict in East Ukraine and Donbas with additional challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Our data collection was halted by the military action in Ukraine that started in February 2022 that has caused another wave of forced migration. We reflect on the experience gained from conducting research on sensitive topics of displacement using online methods in the environment of restricted access to schools and adolescents. The adolescents who were interviewed described their experiences of displacement, which for some had taken place nearly eight years before. Trauma from conflict and displacement can have mental health, educational and social consequences for displaced adolescents. These displaced young people and their families face, as internally displaced populations, a double-edged sword in their relationship with their new contexts. They often have numerous challenges in their settling in a new location and public sphere given the existing ethnic, cultural and language diversity of Ukraine and yet have the advantage of being able to adopt and adapt to their new socio-cultural contexts relatively quickly and minimise their pre-migration identities, if they so wish.

The Role of Disordered Regions in Orchestrating the Properties of Multidomain Proteins: The SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein and Its Interaction with Enoxaparin.

Novel and efficient strategies need to be developed to interfere with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. One of the most promising pharmaceutical targets is the nucleocapsid protein (N), responsible for genomic RNA packaging. N is composed of two folded domains and three intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). The globular RNA binding domain (NTD) and the tethered IDRs are rich in positively charged residues. The study of the interaction of N with polyanions can thus help to elucidate one of the key driving forces responsible for its function, i.e., electrostatics. Heparin, one of the most negatively charged natural polyanions, has been used to contrast serious cases of COVID-19 infection, and we decided to study its interaction with N at the molecular level. We focused on the NTR construct, which comprises the NTD and two flanking IDRs, and on the NTD construct in isolation. We characterized this interaction using different nuclear magnetic resonance approaches and isothermal titration calorimetry. With these tools, we were able to identify an extended surface of NTD involved in the interaction. Moreover, we assessed the importance of the IDRs in increasing the affinity for heparin, highlighting how different tracts of these flexible regions modulate the interaction.

Intrinsically disordered proteins in viral pathogenesis and infections.

Disordered proteins serve a crucial part in many biological processes that go beyond the capabilities of ordered proteins. A large number of virus-encoded proteins have extremely condensed proteomes and genomes, which results in highly disordered proteins. The presence of these IDPs allows them to rapidly adapt to changes in their biological environment and play a significant role in viral replication and down-regulation of host defense mechanisms. Since viruses undergo rapid evolution and have a high rate of mutation and accumulation in their proteome, IDPs' insights into viruses are critical for understanding how viruses hijack cells and cause disease. There are many conformational changes that IDPs can adopt in order to interact with different protein partners and thus stabilize the particular fold and withstand high mutation rates. This chapter explains the molecular mechanism behind viral IDPs, as well as the significance of recent research in the field of IDPs, with the goal of gaining a deeper comprehension of the essential roles and functions played by viral proteins.

NMR Reveals Specific Tracts within the Intrinsically Disordered Regions of the SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid Protein Involved in RNA Encountering.

The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein is crucial for the highly organized packaging and transcription of the genomic RNA. Studying atomic details of the role of its intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) in RNA recognition is challenging due to the absence of structure and to the repetitive nature of their primary sequence. IDRs are known to act in concert with the folded domains of N and here we use NMR spectroscopy to identify the priming events of N interacting with a regulatory SARS-CoV-2 RNA element. 13C-detected NMR experiments, acquired simultaneously to 1H detected ones, provide information on the two IDRs flanking the N-terminal RNA binding domain (NTD) within the N-terminal region of the protein (NTR, 1-248). We identify specific tracts of the IDRs that most rapidly sense and engage with RNA, and thus provide an atom-resolved picture of the interplay between the folded and disordered regions of N during RNA interaction.

Implementation of a Community-Based Psychosocial Support Focal Point Response for Internally Displaced Persons in Myanmar During COVID-19.

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Global Mental Health research group at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health worked with three local partner organizations in Myanmar to develop a psychosocial support (PSS) program that could be delivered by community-based focal points in internally displaced persons camps. This PSS program was designed to be delivered in communities with limited access to regional mental health services due to pandemic travel restrictions. The content of the PSS program was based on materials from an ongoing Common Elements Treatment Approach (CETA) mental health program; CETA counselors based in the three partner organizations were available to provide telephone-based CETA counseling. In April 2020, the partners organizations recruited and trained PSS focal points in 25 IDP camps to establish a multi-tiered system of MHPSS supports. Implementation: The PSS program including psychoeducation handouts focused on stress and coping during COVID-19 and skills for cognitive restructuring (i.e., changing unhelpful thoughts) in simplified terms, audio recordings of the content of these handouts and referral opportunities for telephone-based services by CETA counselors located outside of the camps. PSS focal points distributed the handouts, had the recordings played via radio and loudspeaker, and were available to answer questions and provide access to a PSS program phones to connect with the CETA counselors. After 6 months of implementation, program monitoring logs were reviewed and a cross-sectional evaluation was conducted to assess the PSS program's reach, understanding, and perceived utility. Evaluation: Forty-one focal points implemented the PSS program in 25 IDP camps in Kachin and northern Shan States. From May to September 2020, the focal points distributed handouts to 5,725 households and reported 679 visits by IDPs, including facilitating 332 calls to a CETA counselor. Data from the program evaluation (n = 793 participants) found high levels of handout readership and perceived utility of the information, and good comprehension of the content and application of skills. Discussion: Findings suggest that provision of a multi-tiered MHPSS program, with PSS focal points providing direct information and linkages to further mental health services via telephone, was feasible despite the constraints of the pandemic. Utilizing camp-based focal points was acceptable and successful in delivering basic psychosocial supports to a broad population while serving as points of contact for individuals who wanted and needed telephone-based counseling services.

Community-based surveillance in internally displaced people's camps and urban settings during a complex emergency in Yemen in 2020.

BACKGROUND: The need for early identification of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in communities was high in Yemen during the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic because most cases presenting to health facilities were severe. Early detection of cases would allow early interventions to interrupt the transmission chains. This study aimed to describe the implementation of community-based surveillance (CBS) in in internally displaced people (IDP) camps and urban settings in Yemen from 15 April 2020 to 30 September 2020. METHODS: Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance for evaluation of surveillance systems, we assessed the usefulness and acceptability of CBS. For acceptability, we calculated the proportion of trained volunteers who reported disease alerts. To assess the usefulness, we compared the alerts reported through the electronic diseases early warning system (eDEWS) with the alerts reported through CBS and described the response activities implemented. RESULTS: In Al-Mukalla City, 18% (14/78) of the volunteers reported at least one alert. In IDP camps, 58% (18/31) of volunteers reported at least one alert. In Al-Mukalla City, CBS detected 49 alerts of influenza-like illness, whereas health facilities detected 561 cases of COVID-19. In IDP camps, CBS detected 91 alerts of influenza-like illness, compared to 10 alerts detected through eDEWS. In IDP camps, CBS detected three other syndromes besides influenza-like illness (febrile illness outbreak suspicion, acute diarrhoea, and skin disease). In IDP camps, public health actions were implemented for each disease detected and no further cases were reported. CONCLUSIONS: In Yemen, CBS was useful for detecting suspected outbreaks in IDP camps. CBS implementation did not yield expected results in general communities in urban areas in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic when little was known about the disease. In the urban setting, the system failed to detect suspected COVID-19 cases and other diseases despite the ongoing outbreaks reported through eDEWS. In Yemen, as in other countries, feasibility and acceptability studies should be conducted few months before CBS expansion in urban communities. The project should be expanded in IDP camps, by creating COVID-19 and other disease outbreak reporting sites.

The method utilized to purify the SARS-CoV-2 N protein can affect its molecular properties.

One of the main structural proteins of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the nucleocapsid protein (N). The basic function of this protein is to bind genomic RNA and to form a protective nucleocapsid in the mature virion. The intrinsic ability of the N protein to interact with nucleic acids makes its purification very challenging. Therefore, typically employed purification methods appear to be insufficient for removing nucleic acid contamination. In this study, we present a novel purification protocol that enables the N protein to be prepared without any bound nucleic acids. We also performed comparative structural analysis of the N protein contaminated with nucleic acids and free of contamination and showed significant differences in the structural and phase separation properties of the protein. These results indicate that nucleic-acid contamination may severely affect molecular properties of the purified N protein. In addition, the notable ability of the N protein to form condensates whose morphology and behaviour suggest more ordered forms resembling gel-like or solid structures is described.

Guaranteeing the Health Rights of People with Disabilities in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Perspectives from China.

The question of how to guarantee the health rights of people with disabilities, and their health equity in particular, is frequently neglected in infectious disease pandemics. The international response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is no exception in this regard. This neglect is related to other forms of marginalization and exclusion, as people with disabilities are generally poorer and more vulnerable than their non-disabled counterparts. Sustainable Development Goal 3 lacks an appropriate human rights language that enshrines equality and inclusivity in pandemic prevention work and related policies and legislation; and, as a result, it does not sufficiently guarantee the health rights of people with disabilities. This paper draws on China's pandemic prevention work to extract relevant lessons, and seeks to explain how decision-making systems and resource allocation mechanisms impact on the health rights of people with disabilities. It discusses the unique roles of justice and legislation in helping to guarantee the health rights of people with disabilities in an infectious disease pandemic, and concludes that future research should more closely consider how Sustainable Development Goal 16 can support Sustainable Development Goal 3.