A review on post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis and the role of nintedanib in its management

[...]the current evidence is limited and more evidence is awaited from the ongoing randomized clinical trials evaluating the safety and efficacy of nintedanib in the management of post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis. Angiotensin II (1-10 amino acid long) has a number of profibrotic effects on lung parenchymal cells such as the induction of growth factors like TGF-ß1 for mesenchymal cells, ECM molecules, cytokines like IL-1, and increased motility of lung fibroblasts. [22] Antifibrotic Agent-Nintedanib Nintedanib, an indolinone derivative, also known by its developmental code BIBF1120, is a small molecule inhibitor of receptor tyrosine kinase of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-1, platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-a and ß, and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR-2). [29] Therefore, it appears that nintedanib by inhibiting the receptor tyrosine kinase of all the above mentioned growth factors is shown to have an effect in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

2030 Sustainable Development Goals and higher education: A digital experience in the context of the Interdisciplinary Service-Learning

The digital revolution has played a decisive role in economic and social development. With Covid-19, the need to maintain services and organizations working, adjusting to the social distancing rules, forced institutions to develop new strategies using technologies. In this context, CapacitAmente Project was developed at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, integrating teachers and students from Social Work and Psychology dedicated to promoting continuous training to employees of social solidarity institutions. Using the Service-Learning methodology to implement this interdisciplinary project, a set of actions were developed anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in close collaboration with United Nations University. This project constitutes a potential contribution of good practices for Digital Governance, making theoretical and practical knowledge accessible to all without discrimination, supporting the formulation of policies and the provision of services for the SDGs. © 2022 ACM.

Competitive intensity in differently regulated men's football leagues: evidence from English premier league and German Bundesliga

Purpose>The Premier League (PL) and the Bundesliga (BL) were chosen for this study due to their fundamentally different approaches to ownership regulation and the distribution of media revenues. Regulation in the PL is very liberal if compared to the BL's 50+1-rule. In the BL, the distribution of media revenues is mainly based on past performance, whereas equal distribution is dominant in the PL. The specific aim of this paper was a longitudinal analysis with a focus on the final outcome of the seasons.Design/methodology/approach>This study looks at competitive intensity (CI) in the men's BL and the English PL because it is a crucial indicator for the long-term success of a sports league and the participants. To calculate the CI of both leagues and of all relevant sub-competitions (championship, Champions League (CL), Europa League (EL), Conference League (CoL) and fight against relegation), a CI index (CII) model was generalised and applied for an examination period spanning from 1998/99 to 2020/21.Findings>Until 2008/09, seasonal CI in the BL was somewhat higher than in the PL. But afterwards, the BL's championship race's CI dropped considerably, while the PL's CI for qualification for the CL rose profoundly. Results also showed that the introduction of the CoL raised the leagues' CI indices.Originality/value>Besides a methodological contribution with the generalisation of the applied CI index model, the findings are discussed in the context of the above-mentioned regulatory and distribution mechanisms also taking into account the very current discussion regarding general regulatory changes within European football.

COVID-19 as 'Game Changer' for the Physical Activity and Mental Well-Being of Augmented Reality Game Players During the Pandemic: Mixed Methods Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Location-based augmented reality (AR) games, such as Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, have been shown to have a beneficial impact on the physical activity, social connectedness, and mental health of their players. In March 2020, global social distancing measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the AR games developer Niantic Inc to implement several changes to ensure continued player engagement with Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. We sought to examine how the physical and mental well-being of players of these games were affected during the unprecedented COVID-19 restriction period as well as how their video game engagement was affected. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to examine the impact of COVID-19-related social restrictions on the physical and mental well-being of AR game players; to examine the impact of COVID-19-related social restrictions on the use of video games and motivations for their use; and to explore the potential role of AR games (and video games in general) in supporting well-being during COVID-19-related social restrictions. METHODS: A mixed methods web-based self-reported survey was conducted in May 2020, during which COVID-19-related social restrictions were enforced in many countries. Participants were recruited on the web via four subreddits dedicated to Pokémon GO or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite. Data collected included quantitative data on demographics, time spent playing video games, physical activity, and mental health; qualitative data included motivations to play and the impact of video games on mental health during COVID-19 lockdown. RESULTS: We report results for 2004 participants (1153/1960 male, 58.8%, average age 30.5 years). Self-reported physical activity during COVID-19-related social restrictions significantly decreased from 7.50 hours per week on average (SD 11.12) to 6.50 hours (SD 7.81) (P<.001). More than half of the participants reported poor mental health (925/1766, 52.4%; raw World Health Organization-5 Well-Being Index score <13). Female gender, younger age, and reduced exercise were significant predictors of poor mental health. Participants reported a significant increase in video game play time from 16.38 hours per week on average (SD 19.12) to 20.82 hours (SD 17.49) (P<.001). Approximately three quarters of the participants (n=1102/1427, 77.2%) reported that playing video games had been beneficial to their mental health. The changes made to Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite were very well received by players, and the players continued to use these games while exercising and to maintain social connection. In addition to seeking an escape during the pandemic and as a form of entertainment, participants reported that they used video games for emotional coping and to lower stress, relax, and alleviate mental health conditions. CONCLUSIONS: AR games have the potential to promote physical and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Used by populations under isolation and distress, these games can improve physical and mental health by providing virtual socialization, sustained exercise, temporal routine, and mental structure. Further research is needed to explore the potential of AR games as digital behavioral interventions to maintain human well-being in the wider population.

One train may hide another: Acute cardiovascular diseases could be neglected because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is likely to have significant implications for the cardiovascular care of patients. In most countries, containment has already started (on 17 March 2020 in France), and self-quarantine and social distancing are reducing viral contamination and saving lives. However, these considerations may only be the tip of the iceberg; most resources are dedicated to the struggle against COVID-19, and this unprecedented situation may compromise the management of patients admitted with cardiovascular conditions. AIM: We aimed to assess the effect of COVID-19 containment measures on cardiovascular admissions in France. METHODS: We asked nine major cardiology centres to give us an overview of admissions to their nine intensive cardiac care units for acute myocardial infarction or acute heart failure, before and after containment measures. RESULTS: Before containment (02-16 March 2020), the nine participating intensive cardiac care units admitted 4.8±1.6 patients per day, versus 2.6±1.5 after containment (17-22 March 2020) (rank-sum test P=0.0006). CONCLUSIONS: We confirm here, for the first time, a dramatic drop in the number of cardiovascular admissions after the establishment of containment. Many hypotheses might explain this phenomenon, but we feel it is time raise the alarm about the risk for patients presenting with acute cardiovascular disease, who may suffer from lack of attention, leading to severe consequences (an increase in the number of ambulatory myocardial infarctions, mechanical complications of myocardial infarction leading to an increase in the number of cardiac arrests, unexplained deaths, heart failure, etc.). Similar consequences can be feared for all acute situations, beyond the cardiovascular disease setting.