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Following the waning severity of COVID-19 due to vaccination and the development of immunity, the current variants of SARS-CoV-2 often lead to mild upper respiratory tract infections (MURTIs), suggesting it is an appropriate time to review the pathogenesis and treatment of such illnesses. The present article reviews the diverse causes of MURTIs and the mechanisms leading to symptomatic illness. Different symptoms of MURTIs develop in a staggered manner and require targeted symptomatic treatment. A wide variety of remedies for home treatment is available, including over-the-counter drugs and plant-derived substances. Recent pharmacological research has increased the understanding of molecular effects, and clinical studies have shown the efficacy of certain herbal remedies. However, the use of subjective endpoints in these clinical studies may suggest limited validity of the results. In this position paper, the importance of patient-centric outcomes, including a subjective perception of improved well-being, is emphasized. A best practice approach for the management of MURTIs, in which pharmacists and physicians create an improved multi-professional healthcare setting and provide healthcare education to patients, is proposed. Pharmacists act as first-line consultants and provide patients with remedies, considering the individual patient’s preferences towards chemical or plant-derived drugs and providing advice for self-monitoring. Physicians act as second-line consultants if symptoms worsen and subsequently initiate appropriate therapies. In conclusion, general awareness of MURTIs should be increased amongst medical professionals and patients, thus improving their management.

The Covid-19 pandemic had a profound effect on the use of constructivism in learning. As schools and learning institutions around the world were forced to transition to online classrooms, teachers had to find new ways to reach their students and engage them in an educational environment. This study was conducted to synthesize the various researches about the impact of a pandemic on the constructivism theory of learning. This paper used the general principle of constructivism to conduct the synthesis review. The findings indicated that there was disruption in student engagement but collaboration among students was maintained. Also, the process of lesson contextualization was interrupted as classes were moved to online platforms. Teachers have used various tools to check the integrity of the students’ outputs and literature suggest that outputs have been upright and reliable. The support of the parents to the learning of the students was perceived to be enhanced. Hence, the constructivism approach was taken to a new level and was truly reshaped by the pandemic.

Low-cost diagnostic tools for point-of-care immunoassays, such as the paper-based enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), have become increasingly important, especially so in the recent COVID-19 pandemic. ELISA is the gold-standard antibody/antigen sensing method. This paper reports an easy-to-fabricate nitrocellulose (NC) paper plate, coupled with a desktop scanner for ELISA, which provides a higher protein immobilization efficiency than the conventional cellulose paper-based ELISA platforms. The experiments were performed using spiked samples for the direct ELISA of rabbit IgG with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.016 μg/mL, in a measurement range of 10 ng/mL to 1 mg/mL, and for the sandwich ELISA of sperm protein (SP-10) with an LOD of 88.8 ng/mL, in a measurement range of 1 ng/mL to 100 μg/mL. The described fabrication method, based on laser-cutting, is a highly flexible one-step laser micromachining process, which enables the rapid production of low-cost NC paper-based multi-well plates with different sizes for the ELISA measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction The outbreak of COVID-19 has produced an unprecedented number of trials and articles. Objective To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS) journal processing times. Methods Original papers search of published in selected ORL-HNS journals in terms of times from submission-to-acceptance (S-A), acceptance-to-first online publication (A-P), and submission-to-online publication (S-P). Papers were divided into those published in the pre-COVID-19 era and those during the COVID-19 era. The latter were further divided into unrelated to COVID-19 and related to COVID-19. Results A total of 487 articles from 5 selected ORL-HNS journals were included, of which 236 (48.5%) were published during the pre-COVID-19 era and 251 (51.5%) were published during the COVID-19 era. Among them, 180 (37%) papers were not related to COVID-19, and 71 (14.5%) were related to COVID-19. The S-A duration of COVID-19-related articles was significantly shorter compared with that of papers submitted in the pre-COVID-19 era and to papers submitted in the COVID-19 era but unrelated to COVID-19 (median 6 to 34 days compared to 65 to 125 and 46 to 127, respectively) in all 5 journals. The most prominent reductions in S-A and S-P times were documented in the laryngology and otology/neurotology disciplines, respectively. Conclusions Processing times of the included papers were significantly shorter in most of the selected ORL-HNS journals during the COVID-19 era compared with the pre-COVID-19 era. COVID-19-related papers were processed more rapidly than non-COVID-19-related papers. These findings testify to the possibility of markedly expediting S-P times and hopefully set a precedent for postpandemic publishing schedules. Level Of Evidence: 5 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus pandemic is still ravaging the world with its ongoing resurgence and continuous mutation, suggesting the need for continuous research on safe and effective novel vaccines. Presently several types of vaccines have been developed and emerged in the global market to control COVID-19 virus. Consequently, the knowledge and information on COVID-19 have been expanding at a high level. Researchers need to gain relevant knowledge regarding the different vaccines; however scattered information makes this process time-consuming and laborious. The present study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and trends in global COVID-19 vaccine high-cited literature using bibliometric and visualizations methods and offer some directions and suggestions for future research. Methodology: Studies published between December 2019 and 22 Nov 2022 on COVID-19 vaccines were retrieved from the Scopus database. From the 16026 studies retrieved, 406 were identified as high-cited papers (HCPs) having received 100 or more citations. From the 406 HCPs, information about publications outputs, countries, institutions, journals, keywords, and citation counts was identified. Data analysis and visualization were conducted using Microsoft Excel, VOSViewer and Bibliometrix R software. Results: The 406 global HCPs on COVID-19 vaccines research were identified in Scopus database since Dec 2019 till 30 Nov 2022 using a search strategy, which received 123614 citations, averaging 304.17 citations per publication (CPP). An external funding was received by 53.20% (216 publications), which were cited 76107 times (with an average of 352.35 CPP). The 7086 authors from 694 organizations affiliated to 76 countries and publishing in 121 journals were involved in global COVID-19 vaccine research. The most productive countries were USA (n=213), U.K (n=91), China (n=36) and Germany (n=35). The most impactful countries in terms of citations per paper (CPP) and relative citation index (RCI) were South Africa (794.68 and 2.61), Germany (507.11 and 1.67), U.K. (396.59 and 1.30) and Spain (367.5 and 1.121). The most productive organizations were University of Oxford, U.K., Imperial College London, U.K. (n=25 each), Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), USA and Tel Aviv University (n=19 each) and the most impactful organizations were University of Cambridge, U.K (783.4 and 2.57), Emory University, USA (780.1 and 2.56), John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA (702.67 and 2.31) and National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases. USA (676.41 and 2.22). The most productive authors were A.J. Pollard (n=16) and T. Lambe (n=14) (of University of Oxford), O. Tureci and P.R. Dormitzer (n=12 each) (of BioNTechSE, Germany) and the most impactful were D. Cooper (1239.22 and 4.07), K.J. Janseu (1228.11 and 4.03) (BioNTechSE, Germany, K.A. Swanson (987.0 and 3.24) (University of Oxford, U.K.) and P.R. Dormitzer (983 and 3.23) (BioNTechSE, Germany). The most productive journals were New England Journal of Medicine (n=53), The Lancet (n=28), Nature (n=22) and JAMA (N=17). The most impactful journals (as per citations per paper) were New England Journal of Medicine (613.15), Lancet (496.39), Human Vaccines and Immunotherapeutics (369.67) and Nature (360.64). Among population age groups, the major focus was on adults (51.48%) and Middle Aged (39.16%). Among publication types, the major focus was Clinical Studies (26.85%), Epidemiology (22.66%) and Genetics (21.92%). The most significant keywords by frequency of appearances were "COVID-19" (n=388), "COVID-19 Vaccines" (n=357), "Vaccination" (n=221), "Prevention & Control" (n=181) and "Vaccine Immunogenicity" (n=133). Conclusion: The HCPs in COVID-19 vaccine research was done mainly by the authors and institutions of high-income countries (HIC) and was published in high-impact medical journals. Our research has identified the leading countries, institutions, journals, hotspots and development trend in the field that could provide the foundation for further investigations. The bibliometric analysis will help the clinicians to rapidly identify the potential collaborative partners, identify significant studies, and research topics within their domains of COVID-19 vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The openness and resilience of the global research placed new terms in the post-pandemic academic world. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, a wide variety of scientific articles and research literature have been published in a short period. COVID-19 related research papers in the social sciences focused on the impact of the new disease on social, behavioral or economic outcomes. This paper aimed to explore and understand what the impact and which topics are covered in the papers about COVID-19 in Romanian social sciences ISI journals. As such, the approach highlights that performing the query by the term "covid" in seven Romanian journals indexed in the social sciences ISI database, Amfiteatru Economic registered the highest impact in terms of the number of citations per article. Moreover, most of the papers covering topics on COVID-19 were published in 2021, compared to the previous and current year. The findings also show that journals with a higher AIS and IF have a higher share of cited articles. Results presented in this study, identify as well, the word cloud diagrams for the covered topics in the title of the papers. In such regard, the most frequent words in the corpus made of titles of cited papers are teleworking, workaholism. For the uncited papers, the results suggest that more general terms are frequent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on journal processing times before publication in the field of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS). Online search of original papers published in selected ORL-HNS journals in terms of times from submission to acceptance (S-A), acceptance to first online publication (A-P), and submission to online publication (S-P). Papers were divided into those published in the pre-COVID-19 era and those during the COVID-19 era. The latter were further divided into unrelated to COVID-19 and related to COVID-19. A total of 487 articles from 5 selected ORL-HNS journals were included, of which 236 (48.5%) were published during the pre-COVID-19 era and 251 (51.5%) were published during the COVID-19 era. Among them, 180 (37%) papers were not related to COVID-19, and 71 (14.5%) were related to COVID-19. The S-A duration of COVID-19-related articles was significantly shorter compared to papers submitted in the pre-COVID-19 era and to papers submitted in the COVID-19 era but unrelated to COVID-19 (median 6–34 days compared to 65–125 and 46–127, respectively) in all 5 journals. The most prominent reductions in S-A and S-P times were documented in the laryngology and otology/neurotology disciplines, respectively. Processing times of the included papers were significantly shorter in most of the selected ORL-HNS journals during the COVID-19 era compared to the pre-COVID-19 era. COVID-19-related papers were processed more rapidly than non-COVID-19-related papers. These findings testify to the possibility of markedly expediting S-P times and hopefully set a precedent for post-pandemic publishing schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is associated with toilet paper hoarding and to assess which risk factors are associated with the risk of toilet paper hoarding. Design: A systematic review and realist review were conducted. Data sources: PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO were searched (systematic review). PubMed, pre-prints and grey literature were also searched (realist review). The databases were searched from inception until October 2020. Study selection: There were no restrictions on the study design. Outcomes and measures: For the systematic review, toilet paper hoarding was the main outcome, and pathological use of toilet paper was the secondary outcome. For the realist review, the context-mechanisms-outcome (CMO) scheme included the COVID-19 pandemic (context), four proposed mechanisms, and one outcome (toilet paper hoarding). The four potential mechanisms were (1) gastrointestinal mechanisms of COVID-19 (e.g. diarrhoea), (2) social cognitive biases, (3) stress-related factors (mental illnesses, personality traits) and (4) cultural aspects (e.g. differences between countries). Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: All studies of human populations were considered (including general population studies and clinical studies of patients suffering from mental health problems). Results: The systematic review identified 14 studies (eight studies for the main outcome, six studies for the secondary outcome). Three surveys identified the role of the COVID-19 threat in toilet paper hoarding in the general population. One study pointed to an association between a personality trait (conscientiousness) and toilet paper buying and stockpiling as well as an additional significant indirect effect of emotionality through the perceived threat of COVID-19 on toilet paper buying and stockpiling. Six case reports of pathological use of toilet paper were also identified, although none of them were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The realist review suggested that of all the mechanisms, social cognitive biases and a bandwagon effect were potential contributors to toilet paper hoarding in the general population. The stressful situation (COVID-19 pandemic) and some personality traits (conscientiousness) were found to be associated with toilet paper hoarding. Cultural differences were also identified, with relatively substantial effects of toilet paper hoarding in several Asian regions (Australia, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with a worldwide increase in toilet paper hoarding. Social media and social cognitive biases are major contributors and might explain some differences in toilet paper hoarding between countries. Other mental health-related factors, such as the stressful situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, fear of contagion, or particular personality traits (conscientiousness), are likely to be involved. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020182308 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on 7th WCWS organizing during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic taking place online from the 20th to 22nd May 2021. Topics include comprehending the role of gender, race, class, sexuality, and the state in critiquing and resisting patriarchal structures and capitalist powers; and fundamentalist religious ideologies, increasingly authoritarian political systems, population growth, pollution, and the existential threat of climate crisis.

Public health emergencies create challenges for the accommodation of visitors to hospitals and other care facilities. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 early in the pandemic, health care institutions implemented severe visitor restrictions, many remaining in place more than 2 years, producing serious unintended harms. Visitor restrictions have been associated with social isolation and loneliness, worse physical and mental health outcomes, impaired or delayed decision-making, and dying alone. Patients with disabilities, communication challenges, and cognitive or psychiatric impairments are particularly vulnerable without caregiver presence. This paper critically examines the justifications for, and harms imposed by, visitor restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers ethical guidance on family caregiving, support, and visitation during public health emergencies. Visitation policies must be guided by ethical principles; incorporate the best available scientific evidence; recognize the invaluable roles of caregivers and loved ones; and involve relevant stakeholders, including physicians, who have an ethical duty to advocate for patients and families during public health crises. Visitor policies should be promptly revised as new evidence emerges regarding benefits and risks in order to prevent avoidable harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution is devoted to the development of international student mobility in the framework of the Erasmus+ and Non-European Mobility programmes, while the focus is also on the interest and experience of students from the Faculty of Economics and Management of the Czech University of Live Sciences Prague. At work, the development of the number of students arriving and leaving in 2008-2019 and the interest in destination countries and universities are assessed using statistical methods. Based on time series models, the expected development of indicators in the coming years was predicted. The work is also based on the results of a questionnaire survey carried out on the population of students of the Faculty of Economics and Management and focused on the perception and evaluation of the programme. The survey showed that students take foreign mobility as a unique asset that will make it easier for them to find adequate employment in the future in terms of their education. For international mobility, improvements in language skills, knowledge of new cultures and the creation of foreign social connections are highly regarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper defines the nature of collective irrationality that flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic and lays out specific individual and shared traits and dispositions that facilitate it. Drawing on the example of globally experienced phenomenon of panicked toilet paper buying and hoarding during the COVID-19 pandemic and resources from philosophy, psychology, sociology, and economics this paper identifies four essential features of collective irrationality: weak shared mentality; non-cognitive and immediate mimicry; affective contagion; and psychosocial adaptivity. After (I) initially pointing out conceptual problems around benchmarking collectivity and irrationality, this paper (II) identifies weak mentality as serving the goals of “group” recognition internally and externally. It is argued that (III) the non-cognitive and immediate mimicry and emotional contagion are shared and individual dispositional conditions that facilitate collective irrationality in environments affected by uncertainty (IV). The human mimetic faculty and susceptibility to emotional contagion are presented as enabling and augmenting conditions under which collective irrationality flourishes. Finally, (IV) presenting collective irrationality in the context of psychosocial adaptivity, the paper provides evolutionary reasons for engaging in irrational behaviors, rendering collective irrationality as an adaptive strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 has mutated many times since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the omicron is currently the most dominant variant. Determining the specific strain of the virus is beneficial in providing proper care and containment of the disease. We have previously reported a novel method of counting the number of particle immunoagglutination on a paper microfluidic chip using a smartphone-based fluorescence microscope. A single-copy-level detection was demonstrated from clinical saline gargle samples. In this work, we further evaluated two different SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies to spike vs. nucleocapsid antigens for detecting omicron vs. delta and spike vs. nucleocapsid proteins. The SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody to nucleocapsid proteins could distinguish omicron from delta variants and nucleocapsid from spike proteins. However, such distinction could not be found with the monoclonal antibody to spike proteins, despite the numerous mutations found in spike proteins among variants. This result may suggest a clue to the role of nucleocapsid proteins in recognizing different variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive summary of evidence to explore and position the role of serology testing in the context of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) immunization and policy response in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The document builds on a review of academic literature and existing policies followed by a process of discussion, validation, and feedback by a group of six experts. Six countries and territories—Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Taiwan—were sampled to highlight the differing contexts and scenarios in the region. The review includes an overview of (1) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence of Variants of Concern (VOCs), especially Omicron, (2) the introduction of immunization, (3) the available testing options and potential use of serology testing, (4) the landscape of guidelines and recommendations for their use, and (5) the barriers and challenges to implementing serology testing as a tool to support COVID-19 immunization. Based on the findings, the co-authors propose a set of recommendations to resolve knowledge gaps, to include the use of serology testing as part of the policy response, and to ensure adequate means of implementation. This paper's target audience includes members of the academic community, medical societies, health providers and practitioners, and decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted all surgical specialties significantly and exerted additional pressures on the overburdened United Kingdom (UK) National Health Service. Healthcare professionals in the UK have had to adapt their practice. In particular, surgeons have faced organisational and technical challenges treating patients who carried higher risks, were more urgent and could not wait for prehabilitation or optimisation before their intervention. Furthermore, there were implications for blood transfusion with uncertain patterns of demand, reductions in donations and loss of crucial staff because of sickness and public health restrictions. Previous guidelines have attempted to address the control of bleeding and its consequences after cardiothoracic surgery, but there have been no targeted recommendations in light of the recent COVID-19 challenges. In this context, and with a focus on the perioperative period, an expert multidisciplinary Task Force reviewed the impact of bleeding in cardiothoracic surgery, explored different aspects of patient blood management with a focus on the use of haemostats as adjuncts to conventional surgical techniques and proposed best practice recommendations in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The ability to publish is a career-critical skill but requires the acquisition of a wide and disparate skill set. The Write a Scientific Paper (WASP) course was created in Malta in 2010, an intensive, three-day event. WASP is an accredited event held in Malta, London, and Bahrain. The COVID pandemic forced WASP to go online. This study compared satisfaction with WASP online as opposed to in-person by analyzing course feedback pre- and post-pandemic. Methods: Google forms are used to collect anonymous feedback on a Likert scale for various aspects of each WASP. The period 2017 to 2022 was used to compare four courses on-site and five courses online. Feedback on: Rate lectures, handouts, WASP overall and how likely are you to recommend WASP was compared. Results: Response rates were >60% and almost all Cronbach's Alpha values were >0.7. High satisfaction scores were achieved in all four questions (>4/5). There were no significant differences except in lectures, which scored well but fared slightly worse overall online. Conclusions: Migrating online does not necessarily lead to change/s in presentation contents but transforms delivery. Our results indicate that WASP is accepted online but the slightly lower lectures score implies that WASP might be better delivered in-person than online. However, students remained happy to recommend WASP and this accords with other studies that overall, student satisfaction with online education is common. It is hoped that as the pandemic recedes, webinars complement and not continue to totally replace traditional in-person meetings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This document provides an English translation of the Israeli Joint Commission’s national guidelines for triaging severely ill patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods Four subcommittees of medical, legal, ethical-social, and religious experts developed the general principles and practical medical criteria for triaging scarce life-saving resources. Results The guidelines provide an overview of general principles as well as pragmatic medical criteria and a practical triage protocol to be followed should the healthcare system be overwhelmed due to COVID-19. Issues covered include triggers for activating the guidelines, guiding ethical, legal, and religious principles, equity in access, fair distribution, transparency, consistency, palliation, medical policy prioritization, problem-solving mechanisms, and public trust. Conclusions The Israeli consensus document and pragmatic medical triage protocol offer a societal and medical roadmap for allocating scarce resources during the COVID-19 pandemic or other disasters.

The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems & Community Development's spring-summer 2024 issue features commentaries from the 2023 Agroecology Summit in the U.S. These commentaries challenge the dominant global industrial food system and emphasize the need for unity among progressives in the agroecology movement. The issue also includes open-call papers on various topics, such as college student food security, emergency food assistance, and agrihood development. The journal aims to promote a more equitable and resilient global food system by encouraging collaboration and finding common ground. [Extracted from the article]

COVID-19 pandemic limits many physical activities of the society in public areas. The agricultural production sector is one of the important sectors in supporting the country’s nutrition demand. Research is a way to maintain the productivity of the agricultural sector. This study has a purpose to analyze if pandemic COVID-19 has an impact on the number of papers about agriculture recorded by Scopus. This study uses a quantitative with secondary data analysis approach in collecting data. The samples are paper on the Scopus website contains keywords “agriculture& meat”, and “agriculture&egg”. the period of samples are during 2019-2020. The data are analyzed using Vosviewer software to show the institution with the most related topic paper. The result shows that some papers are decreasing while others are increase based on the document type. For paper related to “agriculture” meat”, article as full type research paper increases along with review type paper. For a paper about “agriculture & egg”, conference type paper and review increase, while other decreases. It can be concluded that the type of paper along with the topic affects the institutions’ productivity in publishing papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives: Information professionals have supported medical providers, administrators and decision-makers, and guideline creators in the COVID-19 response. Searching COVID-19 literature presented new challenges, including the volume and heterogeneity of literature and the proliferation of new information sources, and exposed existing issues in metadata and publishing. An expert panel developed best practices, including recommendations, elaborations, and examples, for searching during public health emergencies. Methods: Project directors and advisors developed core elements from experience and literature. Experts, identified by affiliation with evidence synthesis groups, COVID-19 search experience, and nomination, responded to an online survey to reach consensus on core elements. Expert participants provided written responses to guiding questions. A synthesis of responses provided the foundation for focus group discussions. A writing group then drafted the best practices into a statement. Experts reviewed the statement prior to dissemination. Results: Twelve information professionals contributed to best practice recommendations on six elements: core resources, search strategies, publication types, transparency and reproducibility, collaboration, and conducting research. Underlying principles across recommendations include timeliness, openness, balance, preparedness, and responsiveness. Conclusions: The authors and experts anticipate the recommendations for searching for evidence during public health emergencies will help information specialists, librarians, evidence synthesis groups, researchers, and decision-makers respond to future public health emergencies, including but not limited to disease outbreaks. The recommendations complement existing guidance by addressing concerns specific to emergency response. The statement is intended as a living document. Future revisions should solicit input from a broader community and reflect conclusions of meta-research on COVID-19 and health emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses how a state produces new internal borders. It selected 1668 newspaper articles on the COVID-19 internal bordering case in Slovakia to answer this question. These articles were then analysed using the thematic trajectory analysis (TTA) through the conceptual prism of structurationism. The results suggest states apply methods during the production of internal borders similar to those used during the (re-)production of an international border. In particular, it shows the application of a military-testing nexus and economic tools to ensure compliance with the new border. Results also revealed that such a border is heavily dependent on popular support for the government and open to re-negotiations by relevant societal groups. From the border production perspective, this study offers a preliminary step into the area of internal borders imposed on a generally homogenous population, especially regarding the borders produced under COVID-19 conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new paper in the journal Development explores the role of chemokines in embryonic development. The study focuses on an atypical chemokine receptor called ACKR3, which is found in the placenta. The researchers found that ACKR3 prevents a chemokine called CXCL12 from entering the embryonic bloodstream, ensuring proper haematopoiesis in the embryo. Interfering with ACKR3 function led to impaired bone marrow haematopoiesis, compromised fetal growth, and impaired immune and inflammatory responses in offspring. The researchers plan to further investigate the impact of interfering with placental ACKR3 on animals as they develop into adulthood and explore potential connections to human ACKR3 polymorphisms. [Extracted from the article]

Background: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become the most threatening issue to all populations around the world. It is, directly and indirectly, affecting all of us and thus, is an emerging topic dealt in global health. To avoid the infection, various studies have been done and are still ongoing. COVID-19 cases are reported all over the globe, and among the millions of cases, genetic similarity may be seen. The genetical common features seen within confirmed cases may help outline the tendency of infection and degree severity of the disease. Here, we reviewed multiple papers on SNPs related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and analyzed their results. Methods: The PubMed databases were searched for papers discussing SNPs associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and severity. Clinical studies with human patients and statistically showing the relevance of the SNP with virus infection were included. Quality Assessment of all papers was done with Newcastle Ottawa Scale. Results: In the analysis, 21 full-text literature out of 2956 screened titles and abstracts, including 63,496 cases, were included. All were human-based clinical studies, some based on certain regions gathered patient data and some based on big databases obtained online. ACE2, TMPRSS2, and IFITM3 are the genes mentioned most frequently that are related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. 20 out of 21 studies mentioned one or more of those genes. The relevant genes according to SNPs were also analyzed. rs12252-C, rs143936283, rs2285666, rs41303171, and rs35803318 are the SNPs that were mentioned at least twice in two different studies. Conclusions: We found that ACE2, TMPRSS2, and IFITM3 are the major genes that are involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. The mentioned SNPs were all related to one or more of the above-mentioned genes. There were discussions on certain SNPs that increased the infection and severity to certain groups more than the others. However, as there is limited follow-up and data due to a shortage of time history of the disease, studies may be limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illustration of the assembly, distribution, and point-of-care use of a rapidly-deployable, cell-free COVID-19 biosensor: 1) Assemble: Assembling CFPS reagents by mixing E. coli lysate, murine RNase Inhibitor (mRI), energy sources, cofactors, and toehold switch riboregulator plasmid. 2) Print: aliquoting CFPS reagents onto paper substrates housed in a plastic test cassette. 3) Dehydrate: lyophilizing CFPS reagents on paper substrates. 4) Distribute. 5) Saliva sample: applying saliva samples onto cassette without pretreatments. 6) Reaction: bioluminescent protein expression in presence of target RNA (+), or ribosome detachment in absence of target RNA (-). 7) Visual result: bioluminescent output in the presence of target RNA and NanoLuc luciferase expression. [Display omitted] • Progress towards a rapid, low-cost, point-of-care Covid-19 biosensor. • Engineered toehold switches respond to saliva enriched with SARS-CoV-2 RNA. • mRI enables robust paper-based cell-free protein synthesis in the presence of saliva. • Plastic cassette houses paper-based diagnostic test for simple distribution and use. The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the global demand for rapid, low-cost, widely distributable and point-of-care nucleic acid diagnostic technologies. Such technologies could help disrupt transmission, sustain economies and preserve health and lives during widespread infection. In contrast, conventional nucleic acid diagnostic procedures require trained personnel, complex laboratories, expensive equipment, and protracted processing times. In this work, lyophilized cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) and toehold switch riboregulators are employed to develop a promising paper-based nucleic acid diagnostic platform activated simply by the addition of saliva. First, to facilitate distribution and deployment, an economical paper support matrix is identified and a mass-producible test cassette designed with integral saliva sample receptacles. Next, CFPS is optimized in the presence of saliva using murine RNase inhibitor. Finally, original toehold switch riboregulators are engineered to express the bioluminescent reporter NanoLuc in response to SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences present in saliva samples. The biosensor generates a visible signal in as few as seven minutes following administration of 15 μL saliva enriched with high concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 RNA sequences. The estimated cost of this test is less than 0.50 USD, which could make this platform readily accessible to both the developed and developing world. While additional research is needed to decrease the limit of detection, this work represents important progress toward developing a diagnostic technology that is rapid, low-cost, distributable and deployable at the point-of-care by a layperson. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for rapid and accurate diagnostic methods for various infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV-2. Traditional RT-PCR methods, while highly sensitive and specific, require complex equipment and skilled personnel. In response, we developed an integrated RT-LAMP-MS assay, which combines rapid reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) with microscanning (MS) technology for detecting SARS-CoV-2. The assay uses magnesium pyrophosphate formed during LAMP amplification as a visual marker, allowing direct observation via microscopy without the need for additional chemical indicators or probes. For the SARS-CoV-2/IC RT-LAMP-MS assay, the sample-LAMP reagent mixture was added to a microchip with SARS-CoV-2 primers and internal controls, then incubated at 62 °C for 30 min in a heat block, followed by amplification analysis using a microscanner. In clinical tests, the RT-LAMP-MS assay showed 99% sensitivity and 100% specificity, which is identical to the RT-LAMP results and comparable to the commercial AllplexTM SARS-CoV-2 assay results. Additionally, the limit of detection (LOD) was determined to be 10−1 PFU mL−1 (dynamic range: 103~10−1 PFU mL−1). The assay delivers results in 30 min, uses low-cost equipment, and demonstrates 100% reproducibility in repeated tests, making it suitable for point-of-care use in resource-limited settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All socioeconomic classes are impacted by the COVID-19 epidemic, with stress being one of the biggest symptoms causing indigestion, breathlessness, heart disease, obesity, and many more. The most commonly used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) drugs include, escitalopram, sertraline, paroxetine, and fluoxetine are provided by doctors. If the medicines are not taken in the recommended dosage, at the correct intervals, which can occasionally be fatal because persons with depression are susceptible to mood fluctuations. There are no appropriate ways to monitor high dosages in clinical laboratories, the requirement for simple, novel material with cutting-edge technology to do so is essential. Herein, we report the application of a single fluorescent probe, Tyrosine-GQDs for the detection of SSRI drugs. Upon addition of SSRI drugs into the Tyrosine-GQDs, the fluorescence emission intensity of Tyrosine-GQDs decreased due to the complex formation through H-bonding which is evidenced by the rise of new peaks in fluorescence spectra and lifetime measurements. The calculated detection limit proves that the designed nanoprobe is highly sensitive and selective towards escitalopram, sertraline, paroxetine, and fluoxetine are 0.13 × 10−6 M, 0.15 × 10−6 M, 0.07 × 10−6 M, and 0.07 × 10−6 M, respectively. A paper-based fluorescent sensor is fabricated using the designed probe which is efficient in the detection of the dosage of SSRI drugs. [Display omitted] • Tyrosine-GQDs are employed for the spectrophotometric detection of SSRI drugs. • The limit of detection for the SSRI drugs is quantified in sub-micromolar concentration. • The effect of interference shows that the complex formed between the Tyrosine-GQDs and drugs is highly stable. • The H-bond formation between the drugs and Tyrosine-GQDs dominates the mechanism responsible for the fluorescence quenching. • The fluorescent paper sensor is effective in determining the SSRI drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative geographical methods have played an important role in COVID-19 research. To complement and extend previous review studies, we conduct a scoping review of COVID-19 studies employing quantitative geographical approaches by focusing on 331 papers published in 45 journals in geography, urban studies, and planning. We identify four major research themes (clusters): (1) how SARS-CoV-2 viruses spread in cities, (2) the COVID-19 mortality (death) rates and their association with socioeconomic variables, (3) how the COVID-19 pandemic changed people's mobilities, and (4) how the COVID-19 pandemic affects air pollution. We conclude that spatial models play a key role in COVID-19 quantitative geographical approaches, and human mobility is an important and widely studied topic. We also reveal a lack of research focusing on environmental pollution (other than air pollution) that potentially worsened during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By examining seemingly contradictory reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic and relating these to the basic income debate in Australia, this article explores the potential that the socio-economic crisis provoked by COVID-19 presen ts for a transformation of welfare systems. Drawing on ethnographic observation, the article describes the emergence of grassroots forms of solidarity in response to the pandemic. Within the context of the increasing hardship experienced by Australians, ongoing failures of existing welfare systems, and inadequate government responses to COVID-19, the groundswell of solidarity may coalesce with increasing support for a basic income, creating a conjunctural movement that propels radical social transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 is a global threat, causing high mortality, especially in the elderly. The main symptoms and the primary cause of death are related to interstitial pneumonia. Viral entry also into myocardial cells mainly via the angiotensin converting enzyme type 2 (ACE2) receptor and excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, however, also make the heart susceptible to injury. In addition to the immediate damage caused by the acute inflammatory response, the heart may also suffer from long-term consequences of COVID-19, potentially causing a post-pandemic increase in cardiac complications. Although the main cause of cardiac damage in COVID-19 remains coagulopathy with micro- (and to a lesser extent macro-) vascular occlusion, open questions remain about other possible modalities of cardiac dysfunction, such as direct infection of myocardial cells, effects of cytokines storm, and mechanisms related to enhanced coagulopathy. In this opinion paper, we focus on these lesser appreciated possibilities and propose experimental approaches that could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the cellular and molecular bases of cardiac injury in COVID-19 patients. We first discuss approaches to characterize cardiac damage caused by possible direct viral infection of cardiac cells, followed by formulating hypotheses on how to reproduce and investigate the hyperinflammatory and pro-thrombotic conditions observed in the heart of COVID-19 patients using experimental in vitro systems. Finally, we elaborate on strategies to discover novel pathology biomarkers using omics platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]