Correction to: IAMSE Meeting Report: Student Plenary at the 24th Annual Conference of the International Association of Medical Science Educators.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s40670-020-01087-9.].

Measurement of filtration efficiencies of healthcare and consumer materials using modified respirator fit tester setup.

During the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic there is unprecedented demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), especially N95 respirators and surgical masks. The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to be transmitted via respiratory droplets from asymptomatic individuals has necessitated increased usage of both N95 respirators in the healthcare setting and masks (both surgical and homemade) in public spaces. These precautions rely on two fundamental principles of transmission prevention: particle filtration and droplet containment. The former is the focus of NIOSH N95 testing guidelines, and the latter is an FDA guideline for respirators and surgical masks. While studies have investigated droplet containment to provide guidance for homemade mask production, limited work has been done to characterize the filtration efficiency (FE) of materials used in home mask making. In this work, we demonstrate the low-cost (<$300) conversion of standard equipment used to fit-test respirators in hospital and industrial settings into a setup that measures quantitative FEs of materials based on NIOSH N95 guidelines, and subsequently measure FEs of materials found in healthcare and consumer spaces. These materials demonstrate significant variability in filtration characteristics, even for visually similar materials. We demonstrate a FE of 96.49% and pressure drop of 25.4 mmH20 for a double-layer of sterilization wrap used in surgical suites and a FE of 90.37% for a combination of consumer-grade materials. The excellent filtration characteristics of the former demonstrate potential utility for emergent situations when N95 respirators are not available, while those of the latter demonstrate that a high FE can be achieved using publicly available materials.

Analysis of Paper-Based Colorimetric Assays With a Smartphone Spectrometer.

We report on the adaptation of a smartphone's rear-facing camera to function as a spectrometer that measures the spectrum of light scattered by common paper-based assay test strips. We utilize a cartridge that enables a linear series of test pads in a single strip to be swiped past the read head of the instrument while the phone's camera records video. The strip is housed in a custom-fabricated cartridge that slides through the instrument to facilitate illumination with white light from the smartphone's flash LED that is directed through an optical fiber. We demonstrate the ability to detect subtle changes in the scattered spectrum that enables quantitative analysis of single-analyte and multi-analyte strips. The demonstrated capability can be applied to broad classes of paper-based assays in which visual observation of colored strips is not sufficiently quantitative, and for which analysis of red-green-blue pixel values of a camera image are not capable of measuring complex scattered spectra.

Multimode smartphone biosensing: the transmission, reflection, and intensity spectral (TRI)-analyzer.

We demonstrate a smartphone-integrated handheld detection instrument capable of utilizing the internal rear-facing camera as a high-resolution spectrometer for measuring the colorimetric absorption spectrum, fluorescence emission spectrum, and resonant reflection spectrum from a microfluidic cartridge inserted into the measurement light path. Under user selection, the instrument gathers light from either the white "flash" LED of the smartphone or an integrated green laser diode to direct illumination into a liquid test sample or onto a photonic crystal biosensor. Light emerging from each type of assay is gathered via optical fiber and passed through a diffraction grating placed directly over the smartphone camera to generate spectra from the assay when an image is collected. Each sensing modality is associated with a unique configuration of a microfluidic "stick" containing a linear array of liquid chambers that are swiped through the instrument while the smartphone captures video and the software automatically selects spectra representative of each compartment. The system is demonstrated for representative assays in the field of point-of-care (POC) maternal and infant health: an ELISA assay for the fetal fibronectin protein used as an indicator for pre-term birth and a fluorescent assay for phenylalanine as an indicator for phenylketonuria. In each case, the TRI-analyzer is capable of achieving limits of detection that are comparable to those obtained for the same assay measured with a conventional laboratory microplate reader, demonstrating the flexibility of the system to serve as a platform for rapid, simple translation of existing commercially available biosensing assays to a POC setting.

Women, cardiac syndrome X, and microvascular heart disease.

New data suggest that persistent chest pain, despite normal coronary angiography, is less benign than previously thought. It has long been recognized that cardiac syndrome X (CSX) is associated with significant suffering, disability, and health care costs, but the biggest shift in thinking comes in terms of long-term risk. It is now recognized that the prognosis is not benign and that a significant proportion of patients are at increased cardiovascular disease risk. Of major debate is the question of whether the mechanisms that explain this chest pain are cardiac vs noncardiac. The most current definition of CSX is the triad of angina, ischemia, and normal coronary arteries, which is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. This paper provides a review of CSX, epidemiology of the problem, proposed explanatory mechanisms, and important next steps in research. Central to this review is the proposition that new insights into CSX will be fostered by both clinical and scientific collaboration between cardiovascular and pain scientists.

Using community-based participatory research to develop the PARTNERS youth violence prevention program.

BACKGROUND: School-based violence prevention programs have shown promise for reducing aggression and increasing children's prosocial behaviors. Prevention interventions within the context of urban after-school programs provide a unique opportunity for academic researchers and community stakeholders to collaborate in the creation of meaningful and sustainable violence prevention initiatives. OBJECTIVES: This paper describes the development of a collaborative between academic researchers and community leaders to design a youth violence prevention/leadership promotion program (PARTNERS Program) for urban adolescents. Employing a community-based participatory research (CBPR) model, this project addresses the needs of urban youth, their families, and their community. METHODS: Multiple strategies were used to engage community members in the development and implementation of the PARTNERS Program. These included focus groups, pilot testing the program in an after-school venue, and conducting organizational assessments of after-school sites as potential locations for the intervention. RESULTS: Community members and academic researchers successfully worked together in all stages of the project development. Community feedback helped the PARTNERS team redesign the proposed implementation and evaluation of the PARTNERS Program such that the revised study design allows for all sites to obtain the intervention over time and increases the possibility of building community capacity and sustainability of programs. CONCLUSION: Despite several challenges inherent to CBPR, the current study provides a number of lessons learned for the continued development of relationships and trust among researchers and community members, with particular attention to balancing the demand for systematic implementation of community-based interventions while being responsive to the immediate needs of the community.