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This study evaluated the explanatory factors of humoral immune response in older adults admitted to long-term care institutions in Buenos Aires, Argentina, up to 180 days after vaccination. An open-label, prospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted with volunteers who received two doses of the Sputnik V, Sinopharm, or AZD1222 vaccines. Plasma samples were analyzed at 0 and 21 days after the first dose, 21 days after the second dose, and 120 and 180 days after the first dose. Marginal linear models and generalized additives mixed models were adjusted to determine the behavior of anti-spike IgG antibody concentration over time according to exposure group (naïve/no-naïve) and vaccine. Occurrence of an outbreak of COVID-19 in long-term care institutions and comorbidities were the covariates analyzed. A total of 773 participants were included, with a mean age of 83 years (IQR: 76-89). Results showed that antibody levels in the naïve: Sinopharm group were significantly lower to the other groups (p < 0.05). Antibody levels in the no-naïve: Sinopharm group were similar to those in the naïve group who received AZD1222 (p = 0.945) or Sputnik V (p = 1). Participants exposed to outbreaks in long-term care institutions had significantly higher antibody levels, regardless of exposure group and vaccine (p < 0.001). In conclusion, previous exposure to COVID-19, type of vaccine, and admittance into a long-term care institution with a history of outbreaks are factors to be considered in future epidemic events with transmission dynamics and immunological mechanisms similar to COVID-19, in populations similar to the one analyzed.

Background: Data on nutrition delivery over the whole hospital admission in critically ill patients with COVID-19 are scarce, particularly in the Australian setting., Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe nutrition delivery in critically ill patients admitted to Australian intensive care units (ICUs) with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with a focus on post-ICU nutrition practices., Methods: A multicentre observational study conducted at nine sites included adult patients with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis admitted to the ICU for >24 h and discharged to an acute ward over a 12-month recruitment period from 1 March 2020. Data were extracted on baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes. Nutrition practice data from the ICU and weekly in the post-ICU ward (up to week four) included route of feeding, presence of nutrition-impacting symptoms, and nutrition support received., Results: A total of 103 patients were included (71% male, age: 58 ± 14 years, body mass index: 30±7 kg/m 2 ), of whom 41.7% (n = 43) received mechanical ventilation within 14 days of ICU admission. While oral nutrition was received by more patients at any time point in the ICU (n = 93, 91.2% of patients) than enteral nutrition (EN) (n = 43, 42.2%) or parenteral nutrition (PN) (n = 2, 2.0%), EN was delivered for a greater duration of time (69.6% feeding days) than oral and PN (29.7% and 0.7%, respectively). More patients received oral intake than the other modes in the post-ICU ward (n = 95, 95.0%), and 40.0% (n = 38/95) of patients were receiving oral nutrition supplements. In the week after ICU discharge, 51.0% of patients (n = 51) had at least one nutrition-impacting symptom, most commonly a reduced appetite (n = 25; 24.5%) or dysphagia (n = 16; 15.7%)., Conclusion: Critically ill patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia were more likely to receive oral nutrition than artificial nutrition support at any time point both in the ICU and in the post-ICU ward, whereas EN was provided for a greater duration when it was prescribed. Nutrition-impacting symptoms were common., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest Four authors (Chapple, Ridley, Marshall, and Udy) hold leadership positions with Australian Critical Care. Chapple and Ridley are Editors, Marshall is the Editor-in-Chief, and Udy is a member of the Editorial Board. Consistent with ACC policies, the authors are excluded from any decision-making processes in relation to this submission. The manuscript was managed from submission through to final decision by Assoc Prof Tom Buckley, Editor., (Copyright © 2023 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with detrimental effects on mental health and psychological well-being. Although multiple studies have shown decreases in mental health-related Emergency Department (ED) presentations early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the medium-term effects on mental health-related ED presentations have remained less clear. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the pandemic on mental health ED presentations by comparing observed presentation numbers to predictions from pre-pandemic data., Methods: This retrospective cohort study tallied weekly ED presentations associated with mental health disorders from a state-wide minimum dataset. Three time periods were identified: Pre-Pandemic (January 1, 2018-March 8, 2020), Statewide Lockdown (March 9, 2020-June 28, 2020), and Restrictions Easing (June 29, 2020-June 27, 2021). Time series analysis was used to generate weekly presentation forecasts using pre-pandemic data. Observed presentation numbers were compared to these forecasts., Results: Weekly presentation numbers were lower than predicted in 11 out of 16 weeks in the Statewide Lockdown period and 52 out of 52 weeks in the Restrictions Easing period. The largest decrease was seen for anxiety disorders (Statewide Lockdown: 76.8% of forecast; Restrictions Easing: 36.4% of forecast), while an increase was seen in presentations for eating disorders (Statewide Lockdown: 139.5% of forecast; Restrictions Easing: 194.4% of forecast)., Conclusions: Overall weekly mental health-related presentations across Queensland public EDs were lower than expected for the first 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings underline the limitations of emergency department provision of mental health care and the importance of alternate care modalities in the pandemic context., (© 2024 The Authors. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted major challenges with usual nutrition care processes, leading to reports of malnutrition and nutrition-related issues in these patients., Objective: The objective of this study was to describe nutrition-related service delivery practices across hospitalisation in critically ill patients with COVID-19 admitted to Australian intensive care units (ICUs) in the initial pandemic phase., Methods: This was a multicentre (nine site) observational study in Australia, linked with a national registry of critically ill patients with COVID-19. Adult patients with COVID-19 who were discharged to an acute ward following ICU admission were included over a 12-month period. Data are presented as n (%), median (interquartile range [IQR]), and odds ratio (OR [95% confidence interval {CI}])., Results: A total of 103 patients were included. Oral nutrition was the most common mode of nutrition (93 [93%]). In the ICU, there were 53 (52%) patients seen by a dietitian (median 4 [2-8] occasions) and malnutrition screening occurred in 51 (50%) patients most commonly with the malnutrition screening tool (50 [98%]). The odds of receiving a higher malnutrition screening tool score increased by 36% for every screening in the ICU (1st to 4th, OR: 1.39 [95% CI: 1.05-1.77] p = 0.018) (indicating increasing risk of malnutrition). On the ward, 51 (50.5%) patients were seen by a dietitian (median time to consult: 44 [22.5-75] hours post ICU discharge). The odds of dietetic consult increased by 39% every week while on the ward (OR: 1.39 [1.03-1.89], p = 0.034). Patients who received mechanical ventilation (MV) were more likely to receive dietetic input than those who never received MV., Conclusions: During the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, approximately half of the patients included were seen by a dietitian. An increased number of malnutrition screens were associated with a higher risk score in the ICU and likelihood of dietetic consult increased if patients received MV and as length of ward stay increased., (Crown Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: COVID-19 emergency caused several effects on the dental educational system, especially affecting courses including practical activities. The study aims to evaluate the impact of the suspension of dental clinical activities on the Italian dental students' self-confidence. Furthermore, the other purpose of the research is to find an integrative didactics solution to improve the clinical training of dentistry during the COVID-19 pandemic., Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was administered to evaluate the impact of the suspension of clinical activities on dental students' self-confidence. A 67-questions survey tested the students' self-confidence in several dental disciplines (Conservative Dentistry, Endodontics, Oral Surgery and Dental Emergency). The study reached a sample of 193 dental students and the answers from 9 different Italian dental schools were analysed., Results: The degree of students' self-confidence for all the dental disciplines investigated was found statistically different between the periods before and after the interruption of clinical activities. The students proposed, as a potential solution to improve their practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, to combinate the use of a video tutorials and dental simulators., Conclusion: The interruption of the training in clinical practice significantly affected the educational career and the self-confidence of students. An alternative teaching method involving the use of video tutorials as support in teaching clinical procedures deserves to be considered., (© 2023 The Authors. European Journal of Dental Education published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background/objectives: The aim of this post-hoc analysis was to evaluate if epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) quantity and quality, as evaluated by computed tomography (CT), have a different role in the risk of mortality and pulmonary embolism in critically ill COVID-19 patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU)., Subjects/methods: CT derived EAT volume and density, as well as anthropometric and blood biomarkers, were evaluated in a sample of 138 subjects, 109 men and 29 women, for whom CT images and information on pulmonary embolism were available from a total of 313 subjects who were consecutively admitted to the ICU for COVID-19 from the REINSURE-ARDS prospective registry., Results: A total of 28 patients (20.3%) died during the first 28 days after ICU admission. 26 subjects out of 138 had pulmonary embolism (18.8%). Age, weight, BMI, IL-6 levels and pulmonary embolism prevalence were significantly higher across EAT volume tertiles. Subjects who died in the first 28 days from ICU admission were older, had higher EAT volume, D-dimer, LDH and IL-6 level. After adjustment for age and gender, participants in tertile 3 of EAT volume had lower survival at 28 days from ICU admission as compared to subjects in the tertile 1, HR 2.95 (95% C.I. 1.02-8.49), but after adjusting for potential confounders the relation was no longer significant. No relation between EAT density and mortality was observed. From a binary logistic regression, subjects in tertile 3 of EAT volume and in tertile 1 of EAT density showed a 4 times and 3.6 times increased risk of pulmonary embolism, respectively., Conclusions: ICU subjects affected by severe COVID-19 with higher EAT volume and low EAT density should be carefully monitored and managed with a prompt and aggressive approach, to prevent serious and life-threatening consequences and the increase of hospital treatment costs., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly affected older adults residing in nursing homes, resulting in high rates of hospitalisation and death. Here, we evaluated the longitudinal humoral response and neutralising capacity in plasma samples of volunteers vaccinated with different platforms (Sputnik V, BBIBP-CorV, and AZD1222). A cohort of 851 participants, mean age 83 (60-103 years), from the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina were included. Sequential plasma samples were taken at different time points after vaccination. After completing the vaccination schedule, infection-naïve volunteers who received either Sputnik V or AZD1222 exhibited significantly higher specific anti-Spike IgG titers than those who received BBIBP-CorV. Strong correlation between anti-Spike IgG titers and neutralising activity levels was evidenced at all times studied (rho=0.7 a 0.9). Previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and age <80 years were both associated with higher specific antibody levels. No differences in neutralising capacity were observed for the infection-naïve participants in either gender or age group. Similar to anti-Spike IgG titers, neutralising capacity decreased 3 to 9-fold at 6 months after initial vaccination for all platforms. Neutralising capacity against Omicron was between 10-58 fold lower compared to ancestral B.1 for all vaccine platforms at 21 days post dose 2 and 180 days post dose 1. This work provides evidence about the humoral response and neutralising capacity elicited by vaccination of a vulnerable elderly population. This data could be useful for pandemic management in defining public health policies, highlighting the need to apply reinforcements after a complete vaccination schedule., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Rodriguez, Silva, Miglietta, Rall, Pascuale, Ballejo, López Miranda, Ríos, Ramis, Marro, Poncet, Mazzitelli, Salvatori, Ceballos, Gonzalez Lopez Ledesma, Ojeda, Aguirre, Miragaya, Gamarnik, Rossi, Laboratorio SeVa Group and PAMI Group.)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread worldwide, infecting nearly 500 million people, with more than 6 million deaths recorded globally. Obesity leads people to be more vulnerable, developing worse outcomes that can require hospitalization in intensive care units (ICU). This review focused on the available findings that investigated the link between COVID-19, body composition, and nutritional status. Most studies showed that not only body fat quantity but also its distribution seems to play a crucial role in COVID-19 severity. Compared to the body mass index (BMI), visceral adipose tissue and intrathoracic fat are better predictors of COVID-19 severity and indicate the need for hospitalization in ICU and invasive mechanical ventilation. High volumes of epicardial adipose tissue and its thickness can cause an infection located in the myocardial tissue, thereby enhancing severe COVID-related myocardial damage with impairments in coronary flow reserve and thromboembolism. Other important components such as sarcopenia and intermuscular fat augment the vulnerability in contracting COVID-19 and increase mortality, inflammation, and muscle damage. Malnutrition is prevalent in this population, but a lack of knowledge remains regarding the beneficial effects aimed at optimizing nutritional status to limit catabolism and preserve muscle mass. Finally, with the increase in patients recovering from COVID-19, evaluation and treatment in those with Long COVID syndrome may become highly relevant.

Mindfulness interventions were shown to be effective in improving well-being and reducing perceived stress in several conditions. These effects were also found in online mindfulness-based training, especially in employees in organizational environments. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of an online mindfulness intervention on healthy employees, especially after the first Italian Covid-19 lockdown. Participants in the intervention group underwent an 8-week mindfulness online training program based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) protocol compared to a control (no-intervention) group. All participants filled in weekly surveys for the whole intervention duration via online questionnaires to measure their habits, mindfulness (FFMQ-15), emotion regulation (ERQ), positive and negative affect (PANAS), depression, anxiety and stress (DASS-21), resilience (RSA) and insomnia (ISI). 69 participants in the intervention group and 63 in the no-treatment control group were considered in the longitudinal analyses. We found significant differences between the intervention and control groups over time in the measures of mindfulness (in particular the nonreactivity subscale), positive affect, depression, and insomnia. Moreover, we found that the frequency of practice and ease perceived in practicing were positively correlated to several indices of well-being (mindfulness, positive affect, cognitive reappraisal) and negatively correlated to several indices of stress (negative affect, depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, expressive suppression). These results show the importance and effectiveness of online mindfulness training programs to cope with stress among employees, especially after the Covid-19 lockdown., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Information is lacking concerning in-hospital echocardiography analysis of COVID-19 infection in Brazil. We evaluated echocardiographic parameters to predict a composite endpoint of mortality, pulmonary thromboembolism or acute renal failure., Methods: A prospective full echocardiographic study of consecutive patients hospitalized with COVID-19, single tertiary centre in Brazil. We correlated echocardiographic findings to biomarkers, clinical information, thoracic tomography, and in-hospital composite endpoint of mortality, pulmonary thromboembolism or renal failure., Results: One hundred eleven patients from March to October 2020, 67 ± 17 years, 65 (58.5%) men, death was observed in 21/111 (18.9%) patients, 48 (43%) required mechanical ventilation, myocardial infarction occurred in 10 (9%), pulmonary thromboembolism in 7 (6.3%) patients, haemodialysis was required for 9 (9.8%). Echocardiography was normal in 51 (46%) patients, 20 (18%) presented with decreased left ventricle ejection, 18 (16.2%) had abnormal left ventricle global longitudinal strain, 35 (31%) had diastolic dysfunction, 6 (5.4%) had an E/e'ratio > 14, 19 (17.1%) presented with right ventricle dilated/dysfunction, 31 (28%) had pericardial effusion. The echocardiographic parameters did not correlate with mortality, biomarkers, clinical events. Tricuspid velocity was related to the composite endpoint of mortality, pulmonary thromboembolism or acute renal failure (p: 00.3; value: 2.65 m/s; AUC ROC curve: 0.739; sensitivity: 73.3; specificity: 66.7; CI: 0.95, inferior: 0.613; superior: 0,866)., Conclusions: Among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, echocardiography was normal in 51(46%) patients, and 20 (18%) patients presented with a decreased left ventricle ejection fraction. Tricuspid velocity was related to the composite endpoint of mortality, pulmonary thromboembolism or acute renal failure., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background and Aims: Recent studies show that obesity is a risk factor for hospital admission and for critical care need in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim was to determine whether obesity is a risk factor for unfavourable health outcomes in patients affected by COVID-19 admitted to ICU., Methods and Results: 95 consecutive patients with COVID-19 (78 males and 18 females) were admitted to ICU and included in the study. Height, weight, BMI, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) scores, CRP, CPK, ICU and hospital length of stay and comorbidities were evaluated. Participants with obesity had a lower 28 day survival rate from ICU admission than normal weight subjects. Cox proportional hazard model-derived estimates, adjusted for age, gender and comorbidity, confirmed the results of the survival analysis (HR:5.30,95%C.I.1.26-22.34). Obese subjects showed longer hospital and ICU stay as compared with normal weight counterpart.Subjects with obesity showed significantly higher CRP and CPK levels than normal weight subjects., Conclusion: In individuals with obesity, careful management and prompt intervention in case of suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection is necessary to prevent the progression of the disease towards severe outcomes and the increase of hospital treatment costs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Pandemics and the large-scale outbreak of infectious disease can significantly impact morbidity and mortality worldwide. The impact on intensive care resources can be significant and often require modification of service delivery, a key element which includes rapid expansion of the critical care workforce. Pandemics are also unpredictable, which necessitates rapid decision-making and action which, in the lack of experience and guidance, may be extremely challenging. Recognising the potential strain on intensive care units (ICUs), particularly on staffing, a working group was formed for the purpose of developing recommendations to support decision-making during rapid service expansion., Methods: The Critical Care Pandemic Staffing Working Party (n = 21), representing nursing, allied health, and medical disciplines, has used a modified consensus approach to provide recommendations to inform multidisciplinary workforce capacity expansion planning in critical care., Results: A total of 60 recommendations have been proposed which reflect general recommendations as well as those specific to maintaining the critical care workforce, expanding the critical care workforce, rostering and allocation of the critical care workforce, nurse-specific recommendations for staffing the ICU, education support and training during ICU surge situations, workforce support, models of care, and de-escalation., Conclusion: These recommendations are provided with the intent that they be used to guide interdisciplinary decision-making, and we suggest that careful consideration is given to the local context to determine which recommendations are most appropriate to implement and how they are prioritised. Ongoing evaluation of recommendation implementation and impact will be necessary, particularly in rapidly changing clinical contexts., (Copyright © 2020 Australian College of Critical Care Nurses Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Context.—: An abundance of clinical reports focused on specific laboratory parameters have been reported on coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), but a systematic analysis synthesizing these findings has not been performed., Objective.—: To review and summarize the current available literature on the predictive role of various biomarkers in COVID-19 patients., Data Sources.—: A literature search was performed using databases including PubMed, medRxiv, and bioRxiv. A total of 72 papers were reviewed, including 54 peer-reviewed papers and 18 non-peer-reviewed preprints., Conclusions.—: Although the markers are considered nonspecific, acute-phase reactants, including C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, serum amyloid A (SAA), and procalcitonin, were reported as sensitive markers of acute COVID-19 disease. Significantly elevated white blood cell count; marked lymphopenia; decreased CD3, CD4, or CD8 T-lymphocyte counts; high neutrophil count; thrombocytopenia; and markedly elevated inflammatory biomarkers were associated with severe disease and the risk of developing sepsis with rapid progression. Trends observed by serial laboratory measurements during hospitalization, including progressive decrease of lymphocyte count, thrombocytopenia, elevated CRP, procalcitonin, increased liver enzymes, decreased renal function, and coagulation derangements, were more common in critically ill patient groups and associated with a high incidence of clinical complications. Elevated interleukin 6 level and markedly increased SAA were most often reported in severely and critically ill patients. Indicators of systemic inflammation, such as neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, systemic immune-inflammation index, or COVID-19 Severity Score, may be used to predict disease severity, outcome, and mortality. Interpretation of the data reported in the studies reviewed here is limited because of the study design (mostly retrospective), limited sample size, and a lack of defined clinical criteria., (© 2020 College of American Pathologists.)

This study examined perceptions of and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic among 489 faculty from four public universities in the southeast United States. Data were collected via an online survey during the Fall 2020 semester, when campuses re-opened after closing in March. Two thirds of faculty perceived the severity of COVID-19 as severe, and their greatest concerns related to preventive behaviors, the possibility of a virus resurgence, and concern for the health of family/friends. The majority reported frequently engaging in COVID-19-preventing behaviors, which was highest among female and older faculty, and those with higher perceived severity and concern for personally contracting the virus. Over half of respondents reported teaching and scholarly activities were negatively impacted by the pandemic; most notable barriers to productivity included anxiety/stress and a distracted home environment. The study adds to the research on university faculty during the pandemic and aligns with research on the adult population.

Before the EdD program through UC Davis, my own decisions and thinking process perpetuated an inequitable system that seemed to be working to support and uplift marginalized communities. When beginning my personal journey through the doctoral program and throughout the pandemic, there were epiphanies that awakened me to new institutional versions that empowered my ways of approaching education and leading future generations to question, early and often, the systems that were supposed to increase their ability to become leaders themselves. The concluding research recommendations support the implementation of culturally sustaining pedagogical practices to increase authentic historically marginalized student self-expression and empowerment of students and community. This work is done through understanding the priorities of the community, offering transparency, communicating, and listening while promoting health and safety as a means of cariño. Communicating that our priorities on site are children first, rather than test scores and attendance percentages, I seek creative means to empower our young scholars to bridge a gap between site and community and authentically celebrate the diversity on our campus.

This article explores the impact of changes in teaching modalities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of K-12 teachers, by gender, during the first year of the pandemic. Teachers from a random sample of K-12 schools in North Dakota and Minnesota were surveyed in April 2020, October 2020, and March/April 2021 about their current levels of stress and depression, as well as the frequency with which they experienced certain physical conditions. One-way analysis of variance and multiple regression were used to compare time points for each of the outcomes by gender. Female teachers were more likely to experience higher levels of stress than male teachers, while male teachers were more likely to experience higher levels of depression than female teachers, with spikes in stress and depression levels experienced by both males and females in Time 2. Additionally, physical symptoms were more likely to be experienced by female teachers, with Time 2 respondents overall reporting significantly higher proportions of physical symptoms than Time 1 or Time 3 respondents. Consistently experiencing heightened levels of stress and depression can lead to burnout for teachers. School districts need to monitor stress, especially among females, and depression, especially among males, to recognize the difference in experience for each gender in the teaching profession, as well as provide supports and resources to their teachers to help them in coping with these mental-health issues. [Note: The issue number (2) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct issue number is 1.]

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained the resources of the world's healthcare systems. Most individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) experience significant mental health issues and face substantial barriers in accessing appropriate supports which have been exacerbated during the pandemic. It is unknown the extent to which COVID-19 impacted the demand for and effectiveness of inpatient care for those with NDDs. The impact of COVID-19 on the number of admissions of youth with NDDs to pediatric inpatient psychiatry units, as well as their functioning and length of stay during the first two years of the pandemic was analyzed using Bayesian structural time series models. Admission data of youth with NDDs from four pediatric inpatient units in Alberta, Canada (n = 2144) was examined. Inpatient admissions of youth with NDDs significantly increased following the onset of the pandemic. Compared to the period prior to the pandemic, patients with NDDs had significantly worse overall functioning and received fewer days of treatment. These findings highlight the need for increased resources to support the mental health needs of this vulnerable population and are consistent with other studies in the general population examining the utilization of inpatient psychiatric units during the pandemic.

Many school nurses experienced increased work burden and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis examined data from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cross-sectional, nationwide survey of school nurses in March 2022 to examine associations between school nurses' ability to conduct their core responsibilities and selected nurse and school factors among school nurses during the 2021-2022 school year and COVID-19 pandemic. Perceived adequate staffing and financial compensation reduced the odds of reported difficulties across all core school nursing tasks. Nurses without a registered nurse license and with higher caseloads were more likely to report difficulty in implementing specific tasks. The impact of these factors varied, with inadequate financial compensation having the largest association with school nurses' difficulty implementing all the core responsibilities. The study results improve our understanding of school nurses' challenges in implementing core school nursing responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2021-2022 school year.

Abstract Background COVID-19 pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) represents the biggest global health emergency in recent decades. The host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 seems to play a key role in disease pathogenesis and clinical manifestations, with Natural Killer (NK) lymphocytes being among the targets of virus-induced regulation. Methods This study performed a single-cell multi-omics analysis of transcripts and proteins of NK lymphocytes in COVID-19 patients, for the characterization of the innate immunological response to infection. NK cells were isolated from peripheral blood samples collected from adult subjects divided into 3 study groups: (1) non-infected subjects (Naïve group, n = 3), (2) post COVID-19 convalescent subjects (Healed group, n = 3) and (3) patients that were vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 (Vaccine group, n = 3). Cells were then analysed by the BD Rhapsody System for the single-cell multi-omics investigation of transcriptome and membrane proteins. Results The bioinformatic analysis identified 5 cell clusters which differentially expressed gene/protein markers, defining NK cell subsets as “Active NK cells” and “Mature NK cells”. Calculating the relative proportion of each cluster within patient groups, more than 40% of the Naïve group cell population was found to belong to Mature NKs, whereas more than 75% of the Vaccine group cell population belonged to the cluster of Active NKs. Regarding the Healed group, it seemed to show intermediate phenotype between Active and Mature NK cells. Differential expression of specific genes, proteins and signaling pathways was detected comparing the profile of the 3 experimental groups, revealing a more activated NK cell phenotype in vaccinated patients versus recovered individuals. Conclusions The present study detected differential expression of NK cell markers in relation to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccine administration, suggesting the possibility to identify key molecular targets for clinical-diagnostic use of the individual response to viral infection and/or re-infection.

Technological advances have created a myriad of possibilities for university teaching, administration, and research. In particular, the internet makes it possible for teaching and meetings to occur when faculty and students are in different locations, and the use of such technologies has seen an unprecedented upsurge since the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we explore a Family Science graduate seminar taught by an instructor 5000 miles away from the students (n= 7) and a teaching assistant (TA) who were in the same classroom. Using a feminist pedagogical framework, we examined students, the TA, and the instructor's reactions, emotions, and experiences during a 15-week interactive video conferencing (IVC) seminar. Focusing on discussions in the context of IVC, we share benefits and challenges and offer recommendations for using IVC. This paper contributes to the timely dialogue about discussions and emotions in teaching synchronously online and explores the possibilities and limitations of IVC teaching.

Introduction: At the beginning of the 2020-2021 academic year, the government, health organizations, and educational institutions had to face the implementation of protocols and action plans within the classrooms to prevent COVID-19. Aim. This study aimed to analyze the thoughts and concerns of Spanish teachers during the academic year 2020-2021. Method: The study involved the participation of 965 teachers (74.3% Women; M[subscript age] = 43.5 9.9). An ad hoc questionnaire comprising 38 items was utilized, focusing on the resources offered by the administration for the return to classrooms, teachers' concerns about this new academic year, and their thoughts on ideal teaching conditions. Results: Differences were observed based on age and gender in the management (P1) (p = 0.02) and support (P2) (p = 0.04) from the educational administration, perceived security (P3) (p = 0.01), reduction of the working day (P5) (p = 0.002), and the adequacy of material (P6) (p = 0.004) and human (P8) (p = 0.04) resources. Teachers with greater experience exhibited differences in the items P2 (p = 0.03), P3 (p = 0.03), and P8 (p = 0.03). Conclusions: Less experienced teachers expressed higher levels of concern, while those with more teaching experience highlighted the need for additional human resources and training.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the forefront disparities and inequities in U.S. K-12 public school systems that affected both educators and the students they served--not only during school closures but also after in-person instruction resumed. The purpose of this scholarly essay is to shed light on the levels of isolation that occurred during the pandemic and still affect educators in K-12 public schools as they seek to foster academically rigorous and inclusive school communities. Recognizing, and then quickly responding to, historic events by implementing strategies that take into account the social determinants of learning and health is the starting point to helping the education stakeholders heal, which will then facilitate students to regain their personal and academic confidence and abilities as we move to a post-pandemic world.

Child care and school are similar and interrelated, yet the comparison of school to child care seems contentious. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed pressure points in labeling these educational and care institutions essential--or not. This paper encourages collaboration between schools and child care as a vital component to reimagining education.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the work situations that education professionals perceived as stressful during the first wave of COVID-19 infections, and their possible variation according to demographic characteristics and working conditions. Empirical, quantitative, ex-post-facto, cross-sectional study was carried out, in which participated 9,058 teachers (86.9% women; M age = 41.08; SD = 8.82) who completed a semi-structured questionnaire of demographic and labor information and a scale of teacher stressors in the context of a pandemic. It was used Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) with post hoc Bonferroni contrasts to study the variations in the perception of stress according to demographic and work variables. The MANOVAs indicated significant variations in the perception of stress according to the teachers' gender, age, marital status, having dependents (children and parents), the level of education of the teacher, the employment situation (permanent vs. transitory), teaching seniority, the type of educational management, the number of students in charge and the number of weekly working hours (for all cases, Hotelling's F with p <0.001).

The COVID-19 pandemic has created many formidable challenges for educational institutions around the world. This case study sought to gain insight into South Korean university students' satisfaction with online learning during the pandemic. It also obtained participant recommendations for improving online learning. Participants included 20 South Korean students studying at a university in central South Korea. Data included open-ended surveys, a focus group, and semi-structured interviews. Most students had mixed feelings in regard to satisfaction with online classes. A salient result is a need for more interaction in online classes. Students also provided a wide range of recommendations to improve online learning. Through these recommendations, university educators and administrators can better optimize online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and after the crisis has dissipated.

When performing an aggregate data meta-analysis of a continuous outcome, researchers often come across primary studies that report the sample median of the outcome. However, standard meta-analytic methods typically cannot be directly applied in this setting. In recent years, there has been substantial development in statistical methods to incorporate primary studies reporting sample medians in meta-analysis, yet there are currently no comprehensive software tools implementing these methods. In this paper, we present the "metamedian" R package, a freely available and open-source software tool for meta-analyzing primary studies that report sample medians. We summarize the main features of the software and illustrate its application through real data examples involving risk factors for a severe course of COVID-19.

In this article, we analyse the level of and development in students' academic stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We devote particular attention to students that first entered university in 2020, 'the COVID cohort', who had fewer opportunities to integrate in ways that theoretically should mitigate the impact of pandemic-induced disruption to their studies. Using four waves of data, collected 2020-2022, we find evidence of both pandemic and cohort effects among Swedish university students (N = 3138). During the pandemic's first year academic stress due to COVID-19 increased regardless of pre-pandemic university experience. The stress, in turn, negatively impacted students' life satisfaction, a factor theoretically linked to key student outcomes like persistence and academic performance but had limited effect on students' long-term optimism. The COVID cohort expressed higher levels of academic stress and experienced a greater drop in life satisfaction compared to the most senior students (3 years or more), but largely overlapped with students with some university experience (1-2 years). These group differences persisted in spring 2022. Finally, we found that the higher levels of pandemic-induced academic stress in the COVID cohort were mitigated by experiences that foster academic and social integration, specifically by teacher support and social cohesion.

Objective: To examine how public health policy was reinforced by peer workers who were called Public Health Ambassadors (PHAs) at a West Coast university during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Descriptions of PHA community interactions were collected. Analyses were conducted using data from the 12-weeks of the 2020 Fall Quarter. Results: In total, there were 5,112 interactions of which there were three types: (1) educational (4%), (2) noncompliance (90%), and (3) thanking (6%). About 1.3% of interactions were met with resistance. Conclusions: Overall, compliance with campus public health guidance was high. Trends suggest compliance fatigue may have occurred after the first four weeks as evidenced by increased noncompliance rates and test positivity rates. Policy Implications: These results suggest the feasibility of the implementing US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations of using trusted messengers to reinforce critical behaviors to support community health.

This article details a pedagogical inquiry research project, "Crafting Pedagogies with(in) Suspension: Viral Pedagogies in COVID times in Early Childhood Education," where educator co-researchers collaborated with a pedagogist-researcher to explore how we might craft early childhood education pedagogies relevant to pandemic times. In particular, we trace how questions of community-making emerged as quotidian conceptions of community failed in the conditions of the pandemic. Thinking with the question "how much snot is too much snot?"--a question educators were asked to assess as a marker of community participation--we share three tensions of community-making: policing bodies, normalcy, and community-making as an ongoing process. Importantly, we work to share our pedagogical thinking with these tensions, asking how they create different possibilities for making community with children and families in educational contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic is having profound effects on college students, and those with mental health conditions are more vulnerable to the impact of this stress. Objective: To study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on college students' mental health. Participants: Participants (n=489) were mostly female, undergraduate, and aged 18-25. Methods: Participants completed an online survey assessing symptoms of mental health problems including hopelessness, loneliness, sadness, anxiety, sadness, and anger. Results: Approximately 81.6 % self-reported at least one negative mental health symptom. Students reported increased feelings of hopelessness (+7.8%), loneliness (+6.7%), sadness (+8.8%), depression (+2.6%), anxiety (+5.2%), and anger (+14.6%) during the pandemic than before. LGBTQ students and Black students had significantly more mental health symptoms during the pandemic than straight and White students. Conclusions: Results of this study highlight the negative impact of the pandemic and resultant changes on college students' mental health.

The Southwest Florida region experienced COVID-19 and a major hurricane between 2020 and 2022. The increase in major emergencies, which are often unpredictable, can be highly distressing for those affected. This phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of academics through these two significant traumatic events and explores the relationship between their experiences and their resilience. Using constant comparative thematic analysis, two themes were identified: creating community through an ethic of care and finding resilience through purpose. Implications and recommendations are provided for future work to help inform higher education leaders and policymakers of the effects of reoccurring trauma on academics and give leaders a better understanding of academic resilience and resilience development. Furthermore, by understanding academic resilience in the face of adversity, this study provides academic leaders with insight to create new strategies to support academics and foster resilience in higher education.

The global pandemic has severely disrupted the performing arts sector, with research documenting economic, professional, and health impacts on musicians. The psychological effects of lockdowns have been recognized, but little is known regarding their impact on freelance creative collaborative artists. This qualitative case study uses a resilience lens to report the perspectives of freelance creative collaborative musicians from the city of Melbourne, the Australian city which experienced the greatest period of lockdown in the country. Three main themes were identified: professional impacts (loss of work, loss of artistic identity, professional coping strategies), personal impacts (lockdown stressors, personal coping strategies, relationships), and future professional outlook (developing new professional skills and directions, positive and negative future outlooks). The findings demonstrate these musicians' resilience in spite of difficult circumstances, resulting in positive adaptations and personal growth.

Disruptions to education systems (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) evoke a range of responses from teachers. Teachers are required to learn new skills, attend to students' social emotional needs, modify their instructional approaches, and discover innovative ways to engage their students in science, technology, and engineering courses, all while managing their own professional and personal needs. Although teachers of all disciplines adjust their instructional and curricular approaches in response to disruptions, the impetus for this study was to explore the unique challenges of science teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected their sense of agency (sense of control). To understand how science teachers acquired, used, and invested in capital (i.e., available resources with the potential to meet identified challenges) to achieve professional agency, we studied 113 science teachers in 2020-2021 when they experienced disruptions associated with the pandemic. An analysis of open-ended responses from 60 teachers indicates that teachers who achieved agency shared four attributes. They: (1) demonstrated an awareness of needed capital, (2) acquired capital, (3) used capital, and (4) dedicated effort toward capital-building for future use. Our findings inform science teacher educators and schools that are committed to mitigating science teacher attrition by understanding how teachers respond to personal and professional stresses.

Background: The study reports the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns on jobs for people with intellectual disabilities and autism. The study focuses on the impact of the first and the fire-break lockdowns and the actions taken to support young people. Method: Data was collected from the cohort of young people currently working in Wales, and that received job coach support from the Engage to Change Project, on furlough arrangements, job retainment and job losses. Innovative initiatives to support young people are described. Results: Review of the working situation during the pandemic was conducted for 184 jobs, evaluating the proportion of young people being furloughed or working remotely and compared with the general population in Wales. Conclusions: Supported employment agencies adapted their practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering new and innovative ways to support young people and facilitate their return to work.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, an ad hoc organisational framework was established between academic, local government and community partners to implement the “Sentinella – Identify, Trace and Prevent” screening programme in Verona, north-east Italy. Between September 2020 and May 2021, key populations not covered by any screening policies at the local and national level were screened for SARS-CoV-2. Target populations were: older adult residents (males >65 years and females >75 years), bus and taxi drivers, social workers, supermarket employees, hospital cleaning and catering staff, researchers working in the local hospitals, students, and people experiencing homelessness (PEH). Five dedicated swab clinics, home testing facilities, and one mobile clinic were activated to collect nasopharyngeal swabs. Molecular analysis was performed for all the subjects; an antigen-rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDT) was also implemented as a point-of-care test for PEH. Medical follow-up, psychological support, and quarantine facilities were organised for subjects who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 2075 subjects participated in the surveillance programme. Amongst these, 1,572 were residents/workers, whilst 503 were PEH. A total of 127 (6.2%) participants tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Sixty-nine were residents, 58 PEH. The incidence rate was 4 per 10.000 person/day (95% CI 3.1–5.0). The highest prevalence and incidence rates were found amongst supermarket employees (9.7% and 8.5 per 10.000 person/day, 95% CI 3.81–18.86, respectively), followed by hospital cleaning staff (8.1%, 7.6 per 10.000 person/day, CI 95% 4.9–11.7). Regarding PEH, the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was 11.5%. All PEH identified as positive were isolated in dedicated shelter facilities. Amongst the 69 residents/workers who were quarantined, 53 were reached for initial psychological support for assessing the presence of any psychological distress or psychiatric pathology. Amongst the subjects evaluated, 10 (18.9%) presented clinically significant psychological discomfort and accessed the stepped-care psychological intervention. The community partnerships played a pivotal role in optimising early case detection. Promotion of testing helped to prevent and contain more efficiently potential clusters through strategic planning, especially for PEH. Insights from the study highlight the importance of community partnerships in public health emergencies, particularly in the context of highly transmissible diseases pathways.

IntroductionInfectious diseases can spread rapidly in the globalized world, and the complex intersection of individual, social, economic, and cultural factors make it difficult to identify vulnerabilities in the face of pandemics.MethodsTherefore, this study aimed to identify vulnerability factors to infection and worse outcomes associated with COVID-19. This is a scoping review study of six databases that selected publications between 2019 and 2023, focusing on individual, social, and programmatic dimensions of vulnerability. The results were recorded in a spreadsheet and analyzed, considering the interrelationships among these dimensions.ResultsA total of 45 articles were included in the review. Content analysis was conducted using the theoretical framework of health vulnerability, which divides vulnerability into individual, social, and programmatic dimensions. Race/ethnicity, homelessness, incarceration, socioeconomic level, food insecurity, and remote areas were classified as social dimensions. On the other hand, cancer, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, alcoholism, advanced age, obesity, mental disorders, diabetes, kidney disease, and pregnancy were classified as individual dimensions. None of the publications found explicitly mentioned programmatic vulnerabilities.DiscussionThe research found that social vulnerabilities reinforce individual vulnerabilities, creating a vicious cycle. In addition, programmatic vulnerabilities reinforce this relationship. This study emphasizes that public policies should address these different dimensions of vulnerability. It suggests that this information should be incorporated into health surveillance and future decision-making to face new pandemics.Systematic review registrationhttps://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-wgfmj-v1.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant, unforeseen changes in classroom instructions, including the evaluation of students. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate college students' cheating both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of (a) preponderance of cheating, (b) the factors that may have led to an increase in the amount of cheating, and (c) the underlying reasons for and affective response to cheating. Method: A sample of primarily Psychology majors (N = 214) attending a public land-grant university in the southeastern U.S. voluntarily completed a survey at the end of the Fall 2020 semester. Results: The results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic increased first time cheating, cheating in online classes was higher than that of in-person classes for most types of graded materials, and students are adept and adaptive at dealing with faculty attempts to combat cheating. Students' primary reasons for cheating were "feeling pressure," and "pandemic," and students who had cheated reported feeling "relieved" most often. Conclusion: With the onset of the pandemic and subsequent increase in online instruction, cheating behavior has also increased. Teaching Implications: As online enrollment continues to grow, understanding students' cheating behavior.

Background: Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, students with COVID-19 may end isolation after 5 days if symptoms are improving; some individuals may still be contagious. Rapid antigen testing identifies possibly infectious virus. We report on a test-to-return (TTR) program in a Massachusetts school district to inform policy decisions about return to school after COVID-19. Methods: During the 2021-2022 Omicron BA.1 surge, students with COVID-19 could return on day 6-10 if they met symptom criteria and had a negative rapid test; students with positive rapid tests and those who declined TTR remained isolated until day 11. TTR positivity rates were compared by grade level, vaccination status, symptom status, and day of infection. Results: 31.4% of students had a positive TTR rapid test; there were no differences by grade or vaccination status. Ever-symptomatic students were more likely to have a positive rapid test (75/174 [43.1%] vs 18/104 [17.3%]). For ever-symptomatic students, TTR positivity decreased by day of infection. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of students may still be contagious 6 days after onset of COVID-19 infection. TTR programs may increase or reduce missed school days, depending on when return is otherwise allowed (day 6 or 11). The impact of TTR programs on school-associated transmission remains unknown.

The aim of the present article is to purpose new career counselling perspectives for vulnerable workers in the time of COVID-19 recession. We summarize perspectives on vulnerable workers following a recently advanced taxonomy on the work precarity framework characterized by three broad categories: precarity of work (i.e. fear and concern associated with the continuity of employment), precarity at work (i.e. psychosocial or physical safety at work, including discrimination, harassment, and unsafe working conditions), and precarity from work (i.e. uncertainty and insecurity due to maintaining employment that does not satisfy the basic needs of workers). These three facets of precariousness are frequently experienced by vulnerable workers, and they are related to poorer mental and physical health. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically exacerbated this trend for vulnerable workers. Thus, suggestions for mitigating the impact of the current crisis are presented. Our perspective deals with the psychology of sustainability, sustainable development, and the psychology of working theory. In this framework, vocational psychologists could reform and reorganize specific career counselling practices for vulnerable workers, promoting sustainable and decent work and inclusivity. This could be achieved by applying four key points: (1) Enrich career counselling interventions with the processes of self-identity, reflection, and reflexivity on what constitutes actual sustainability for vulnerable workers in terms of professional and personal development; (2) Promote the use of an evidence-based methodology in accordance with the accountability principles for the 21st century; (3) Advocate to enrich available services with positive primary preventive strength-based actions and interventions through timely differentiated career counselling strategies; ( 4) Encourage applied research and practices to find new ways to balance resources with evidence-based efficacy; for example, by using the power of the audience in group-based life design counselling.

Parents can play a key role in their children's homework activities; this has been particularly true during the home-schooling caused by the pandemic. However, how parents affect students' mathematical activity is scarcely researched, in particular in the case of primary school students. Within the framework of activity theory, in this contribution two case studies are compared and contrasted to investigate how parents can influence the different aspects of their child's mathematical activity at home. Findings show that parents may play a role in many homework activities, including interpretation of the tasks. In particular, parents can influence the division of labor and the rules, in particular the normative aspects about the solution to be given that is the outcome of the homework activity.

School closures because of the COVID-19 pandemic affected over a billion young people worldwide and presented a threat to long-term learning, particularly for public school students in low socioeconomic situations. This article offers quasi-experimental evidence on a low-cost strategy for distance learning applied in the Republic of Panama to minimize the negative consequences of the pandemic on public elementary school children's reading levels. We conducted a 12-week intervention that utilized mobile phone technology and dissemination of reading material through WhatsApp, a cross-platform messaging freeware service, to maintain and improve children's reading levels during the pandemic school shutdown. The objective was to determine the feasibility of using WhatsApp as a digital tool to facilitate education and inform evolving practice and policy responses. Results among 292 students between the second and sixth grades indicated overall mean gains of up to 10.3% in the number of words read per minute, with statistically significant improvements overall and higher gains among the second and third grades. In addition, the adoption rate was high, with a reported average of 84% completion of the daily readings. The results of this low-tech intervention have immediate and longer-term implications for using mobile technology as a supplemental or complementary learning tool, especially for developing regions and during school closures or school vacations.

The importance of staying relevant when teaching communication and advertising courses is hardly a new concept nor is the use of modern and evolving technologies to achieve this goal. However, empirically assessing college students' perceptions of online learning when it is a forced choice is an underexplored area. To address this gap and consider the perspectives of diverse student populations, this paper analyzes data collected from a large communication class at a Hispanic serving institution. The purpose of this research is to better understand students' perceptions of teaching technologies, class sizes, benefits and hindrances of online learning, preferred course delivery methods, social adaptations, and perceptions of how their university has handled the transition. Data revealed face-to-face courses were the most desired modality with no race or first-generation (FG) differences; however, gender differences were present. Class size impacted modality preference as well as preference for the inclusion of specific online tools. Additionally, a longitudinal comparison of student data between 2018 and 2020, before and after the onset of the global pandemic, revealed significant differences in student preparedness, faculty interaction, and institutional communication.

The evidence overwhelming suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic, its associated public health measures, and the consequences of these measures negatively affected the mental health and well-being of postsecondary students; however, few studies have examined which subsects of this population were most adversely affected on a global scale. This study sought to identify which subsets of post-secondary student populations were most impacted by COVID-19-related public health measures. Data from a large global survey were used to identify levels of stress and quality of life. These data were assessed against demographic variables to identify correlational relationships and odds-ratios. Results highlighted that student who identified as being from a low-income family, having special needs or living with non-COVID health issues, and/or self-reported as female or other gender, reported higher increases in stress and greater decreases in quality of life. The implications of these findings suggest that post-secondary institutions can proactively identify at-risk students and support them through these challenges. Such practices may reduce the negative impacts that adversities have on stress levels and quality of life of these populations, and mitigate the negative consequences associated with decreased mental health and well-being.

The advent of COVID-19 generated unprecedented disruptions in the education sector throughout the world. This study presents a comparison of teacher characteristics, perceptions about the development of online educational activities and the difficulties experienced at the beginning of online teaching implementation and at the end of 2020 in Paraguay. A mixed methodology was used with focus group interviews and semi-structured questionnaires administered through electronic means. Teachers from all educational levels in Paraguay, from public and private institutions, were considered. At the beginning of the pandemic, 1030 teachers participated. In the follow-up study, 299 teachers participated, mainly from the capital city and the Central Department. The study revealed significant proportions of teachers who were forced to acquire new equipment and increased technological services. The main means of communication used, at all levels, were WhatsApp and educational platforms. At the end of 2020, there were a higher proportion of teachers trained in the use of technological tools for teaching. The main problem faced by teachers in remote activities is associated with internet connection. Although challenging, teachers also considered the opportunities granted by the situation. These teaching experiences serve to establish and design mechanisms to make education in times of pandemic bearable.