Measuring optimal psychological conditions for teaching and learning in post-COVID-19 education

The sudden outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the declaration of a pandemic caused many rapid changes to educational systems around the world in March 2020. Many issues were encountered during the transition from on-campus to online teaching and learning approaches. With educators and policymakers focusing on how best to provide quality education and scrambling to ensure that appropriate technology and teacher training were in place, mental health issues became increasingly prevalent. Positive education approaches that build on existing strengths are essential to ensure both student and teacher well-being. The Positive Workplace Framework (PWF) is an example of how a strength-based approach can improve well-being in schools. By implementing practices related to one's basic mental fitness needs and promoting team resiliency assets, schools can create optimal conditions that allow everyone to thrive and be at their best. The Mental Fitness and Resiliency Inventory (MFRI) is a validated questionnaire that provides a snapshot of a school's well-being practices, as well as a profile from which to structure plans for enhancing collective well-being among staff and students. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Type I interferons and their autoantibodies in the context of systemic lupus erythematosus

PurposeType I IFNs and their autoantibodies are implicated in the pathogenesis of Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but their incidence and importance is still unclear. Neutralizing autoantibodies against IFNα have been previously reported in patients with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome type I (APS-1), rheumatoid arthritis, thymoma and more recently life-threatening COVID-19 patients. We hypothesized that autoantibodies towards type I IFNs, that develop in some patients with SLE, are neutralizing and may interfere with the course of the disease.MethodsLuciferase immunoprecipitation (LIPS) analysis was used to screen 474 SLE patient and 312 control serum samples for the presence of IFNα binding autoantibodies and determine their subclasses. Type I IFN neutralizing capacity was tested using a reporter cell line. Circulating levels of IFNα were measured with Single Molecule Array (Simoa).Results14% of SLE patients were positive for anti-IFNα and 13% were positive for anti-IFNω. The autoantibodies against IFNα were predominantly of IgG1 subclass and neutralized IFNα bioactivity in approximately one half of the positive cases. Once developed, anti-IFNα autoantibodies were present throughout the disease course. IFNα2 and -α8 were targeted first in two informative follow-up cases. The reactivity broadened to other IFNα subtypes and IFNω within several months. Serum levels of IFNα correlated negatively with anti-IFNα neutralizing titers. Patients with high levels of autoantibodies against IFNα had significantly lower levels of circulating IFNα compared to anti-IFNα negative patients. Interestingly, patients with high IFNα neutralizing capacity displayed significantly lower disease activity than patients without these autoantibodies.ConclusionsBased on our results we suggest that autoantibodies that are able to neutralize the circulating levels of all IFNα subtypes may have a beneficial effect to SLE disease course.