RESUMEN
The appearance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other emerging infections has significantly impacted the field of dentistry, leading to widespread changes in practices and protocols. This has included the implementation of strict infection control measures, such as meticulous use of personal protective equipment, minimizing aerosol-generating procedures, and the adoption of teledentistry to reduce in-person contact. To date, the complete impact of delays in dental care caused by lockdowns has yet to be determined. The challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic have propelled innovation, shaping a new era of dentistry focused on safety against novel and re-emerging infections.
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COVID-19 , Humanos , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/epidemiología , Equipo de Protección Personal , Odontología , Control de Infección Dental/métodos , SARS-CoV-2 , Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes/prevención & control , Enfermedades Transmisibles Emergentes/epidemiología , Atención OdontológicaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Anti-Asian hate crimes escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, limited research has explored the association between social media sentiment and hate crimes toward Asian communities. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between Twitter (rebranded as X) sentiment data and the occurrence of anti-Asian hate crimes in New York City from 2019 to 2022, a period encompassing both before and during COVID-19 pandemic conditions. METHODS: We used a hate crime dataset from the New York City Police Department. This dataset included detailed information on the occurrence of anti-Asian hate crimes at the police precinct level from 2019 to 2022. We used Twitter's application programming interface for Academic Research to collect a random 1% sample of publicly available Twitter data in New York State, including New York City, that included 1 or more of the selected Asian-related keywords and applied support vector machine to classify sentiment. We measured sentiment toward the Asian community using the rates of negative and positive sentiment expressed in tweets at the monthly level (N=48). We used negative binomial models to explore the associations between sentiment levels and the number of anti-Asian hate crimes in the same month. We further adjusted our models for confounders such as the unemployment rate and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. As sensitivity analyses, we used distributed lag models to capture 1- to 2-month lag times. RESULTS: A point increase of 1% in negative sentiment rate toward the Asian community in the same month was associated with a 24% increase (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.24; 95% CI 1.07-1.44; P=.005) in the number of anti-Asian hate crimes. The association was slightly attenuated after adjusting for unemployment and COVID-19 emergence (ie, after March 2020; P=.008). The positive sentiment toward Asian tweets with a 0-month lag was associated with a 12% decrease (IRR 0.88; 95% CI 0.79-0.97; P=.002) in expected anti-Asian hate crimes in the same month, but the relationship was no longer significant after adjusting for the unemployment rate and the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic (P=.11). CONCLUSIONS: A higher negative sentiment level was associated with more hate crimes specifically targeting the Asian community in the same month. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring public sentiment to predict and potentially mitigate hate crimes against Asian individuals.
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COVID-19 , Crimen , Odio , Medios de Comunicación Sociales , Ciudad de Nueva York , Humanos , Medios de Comunicación Sociales/estadística & datos numéricos , COVID-19/psicología , COVID-19/prevención & control , Crimen/estadística & datos numéricos , Pandemias , SARS-CoV-2RESUMEN
The end-of-life doula role has emerged as an integral part of the interdisciplinary team caring for patients. The doulas provide an extra layer of support from a non-clinical lens to prevent crises, follow-up with families, and guide them through their journey. This manuscript describes how a hospice agency developed a performance improvement project to train volunteers to become end-of-life doulas through a rigorous training program, based on the Doula Model of Care. The implementation of the program was evaluated based on caregiver and staff satisfaction, and volunteer knowledge competency. The results from the pilot program showed mixed outcomes for patient and staff satisfaction, but created a rigorous training program for hospice volunteers. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted data gathering and implementation of the program, so outcomes were varied. However, the program remains successful with ongoing training of the end-of-life doulas and an increase in new volunteers to support the program.
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Doulas , Cuidado Terminal , Humanos , COVID-19/prevención & control , Cuidados Paliativos al Final de la Vida/organización & administración , VoluntariosRESUMEN
Adolescence is a period of substantial social-emotional development, accompanied by dramatic changes to brain structure and function. Social isolation due to lockdowns that were imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental impact on adolescent mental health, with the mental health of females more affected than males. We assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns on adolescent brain structure with a focus on sex differences. We collected MRI structural data longitudinally from adolescents prior to and after the pandemic lockdowns. The pre-COVID data were used to create a normative model of cortical thickness change with age during typical adolescent development. Cortical thickness values in the post-COVID data were compared to this normative model. The analysis revealed accelerated cortical thinning in the post-COVID brain, which was more widespread throughout the brain and greater in magnitude in females than in males. When measured in terms of equivalent years of development, the mean acceleration was found to be 4.2 y in females and 1.4 y in males. Accelerated brain maturation as a result of chronic stress or adversity during development has been well documented. These findings suggest that the lifestyle disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns caused changes in brain biology and had a more severe impact on the female than the male brain.
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Encéfalo , COVID-19 , Imagen por Resonancia Magnética , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/psicología , Femenino , Masculino , Adolescente , Encéfalo/diagnóstico por imagen , Encéfalo/crecimiento & desarrollo , SARS-CoV-2 , Pandemias , Factores Sexuales , Aislamiento Social , Caracteres Sexuales , Cuarentena , Salud Mental , Niño , Desarrollo del AdolescenteRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Increasing trust and confidence in vaccines is a global priority, as countries have grappled with delivering COVID-19 vaccines, maintaining routine childhood vaccination rates and introducing new vaccines. Community-based vaccine promotion interventions are commonly implemented, but effectiveness evidence is limited. In 2022, supported by the Australian Government and in partnership with Fiji's Ministry of Health and UNICEF, we codesigned, delivered and comprehensively evaluated a vaccine education and communication training programme for health workers and community influencers to promote COVID-19 and routine immunisation. METHODS: The Vaccine Champions programme included three phases: (1) codesign with Fiji stakeholders; (2) vaccine education and communication training for Vaccine Champions and (3) support for Champions to deliver community vaccine discussion sessions over 6 months.The RE-AIM framework evaluation measured programme reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance. Mixed-methods data were collected through interviews, surveys and field notes, integrating qualitative and quantitative data to triangulate findings. Primary outcomes included Champions' knowledge, communication self-efficacy, trust in COVID-19 vaccines, programme satisfaction and community members' intention to vaccinate. RESULTS: We trained 35 Champions (27/35 female), including health workers, faith and community influencers. Half had a health background (17/35). Champions conducted 54 discussion sessions, reaching 1717 community members. Most Champions (22/35) conducted at least 1 session, with 16 running 3 or more. Champions who did not run sessions reported barriers like lack of confidence and competing duties. Training increased Champions' communication self-efficacy and trust in COVID-19 vaccines. Community member intention to vaccinate increased from 41% (394/960) to 83% (822/991) before and after a session. The programme was well received with interest in continued engagement. CONCLUSION: Training health workers and community Vaccine Champions can promote vaccine confidence. Programmes require government support and engagement for sustainability. Robust evaluation frameworks are needed to build the evidence base.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Humanos , COVID-19/prevención & control , Femenino , Masculino , Personal de Salud , Fiji , SARS-CoV-2 , Adulto , Confianza , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud , Persona de Mediana Edad , Vacunación , Programas de InmunizaciónRESUMEN
Social emotional learning (SEL) has a robust evidence basis, but there remains a large gap in literature on the effectiveness of programs across educational settings in low- and middle-income countries and conflict-affected settings. The present study was a pilot trial aimed at evaluating the effects of a classroom based SEL program on dimensions of classroom climate and individual student social emotional skills. In the present study, fourth through sixth grade classrooms in 10 schools (N = 39 teachers, 75.68% female; N = 1048 students, 62.3% female) were randomly allocated to the SEL or wait-list control condition. The SEL program was associated with significant improvements in teacher reports of student achievement orientation (dr = 1.21) and responsible decision-making (dr = 0.49). There were no significant differences between conditions on peer sensitivity, teacher-pupil interactions, student interpersonal skills, or overall social emotional skills. Findings suggest that this community-developed, contextually relevant SEL curriculum may hold promise even in the context of ongoing adversity, including the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened insecurity due to political violence.
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Emociones , Aprendizaje Social , Estudiantes , Humanos , Femenino , Haití , Masculino , Proyectos Piloto , Niño , Estudiantes/psicología , Instituciones Académicas , Habilidades Sociales , Curriculum , COVID-19/psicología , COVID-19/prevención & control , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de SaludRESUMEN
SARS-CoV-2 is a virus which infects the respiratory tract and may cause severe, occasionally life-threatening disease COVID-19. In more than 5% of symptomatic patients the infection is associated with post-acute symptoms. The initial contact of the virus with the immune system of the nasopharynx and oropharynx induces a mucosal immune response manifested by the production of secretory IgA (sIgA) antibodies which may contribute to the restriction of the infection to the upper respiratory tract and an asymptomatic or clinically mild disease. The current systemically administered vaccines protected against the severe COVID-19 infection and its post-acute sequelae. However, they do not induce antibodies in mucosal secretions in SARS-CoV-2-naive individuals. In contrast, in those who previously experienced mucosal infection, systemically administered vaccines may stimulate sIgA production. The clinical benefit of systemic vaccination convincingly documented in tens of millions of individuals overshadows the rare, sometimes controversial reports of complications encountered after vaccination. The inability of current SARS-CoV-2 vaccines to induce mucosal immune responses and to prevent the spreading of the virus by external secretions demonstrates the mutual independence of mucosal and systemic compartments of the immune system, and thus emphasizes need for the development of vaccines inducing protective immune responses in both compartments.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/inmunología , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/inmunología , SARS-CoV-2/inmunología , Vacunación , Inmunidad MucosaRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Healthcare providers should be well prepared to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and protect their patients and themselves as frontline workers. The aim of this study was to assess oncologists' and health care workers (HCWs) knowledge, attitude, and practice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on them. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among Egyptian oncologists and HCWs in the oncology department at Suez Canal University Hospitals, Egypt. Participants were reached through a Google Form questionnaire. The questionnaire was shared on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp) over four months, from June 1st to September 30, 2022. All physicians and HCWs in the oncology department were invited to participate in the survey. Researchers intended to enroll all physicians and HCWs within the study period. RESULTS: Out of the 110 participants included in the study, there was a female predominance, and the majority were oncology nurses and clinical oncologists. Knowledge with significant participants' characteristics showed that knowledge significantly varied by age. The level of knowledge was significantly higher among participants between 30 and 40 years old (OR = 5.111; 95% CI, 1.202-21.738; P = 0.027). 65.5% of the participants had poor knowledge, with a mean ± SD of 4.9 ± 1.4. About 43.6% of the participants experienced more burnout than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with a negative emotional impact. 63.7% reported a negative financial impact due to the pandemic. 62.7% had support from their family, even though their job increases their risk of infection. 7.3% only reported a positive impact regarding their friend's relationship. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 pandemic has a negative impact on oncologists' personal and professional lives. Interventions should be implemented to lessen the negative impact and better prepare oncologists to handle future crises with greater efficiency and resilience.
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COVID-19 , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Personal de Salud , Oncólogos , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/psicología , Femenino , Masculino , Adulto , Estudios Transversales , Oncólogos/psicología , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , Egipto/epidemiología , Personal de Salud/psicología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Actitud del Personal de Salud , PandemiasRESUMEN
The COVID-19 pandemic caused notable changes to the food-related habits of consumers worldwide due to their concerns about the risk of infection and the requirement to follow government mandates. To investigate the impact of the pandemic on Chinese consumers' food safety knowledge, food safety behaviors, and their most recent food poisoning experiences, we compared the results from an online survey (n = 583, Dec 2019) conducted before the pandemic was officially announced with an identical survey (n = 599, Aug 2023) conducted seven months after the Chinese government downgraded restrictions related to COVID-19. Post-pandemic there was a significant decrease in consumers' food safety knowledge and self-reported food safety behaviors and a significant increase in their self-reported experiences of food poisoning. Despite respondents stating that their food safety knowledge and behaviors had improved since the start of the pandemic, the data obtained from the two surveys and the respondents self-reporting of foodborne illness suggest that in fact their safety knowledge and behaviors had decreased. These findings highlight the need to reinforce food safety education and behaviors during times when the food system is disrupted, and consumers are focusing on what they perceive to be more immediate issues.
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COVID-19 , Inocuidad de los Alimentos , Enfermedades Transmitidas por los Alimentos , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , China/epidemiología , Femenino , Masculino , Adulto , Enfermedades Transmitidas por los Alimentos/epidemiología , Enfermedades Transmitidas por los Alimentos/prevención & control , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto Joven , Encuestas y Cuestionarios , SARS-CoV-2 , Comportamiento del Consumidor , Población Urbana , Adolescente , Anciano , PandemiasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Algae-derived nutraceuticals, such as spirulina, have been reported to have biological activities that may minimize clinical consequences to COVID-19 infections. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine whether spirulina is an effective treatment for high-risk patients with early COVID-19 in an outpatient setting. METHODS: The TOGETHER trial is a placebo-controlled, randomized, platform trial conducted in Brazil. Eligible participants were symptomatic adults with a positive rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 older than 50 y or with a known risk factor for disease severity. Patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo or spirulina (1 g twice daily for 14 d). The primary end point was hospitalization defined as either retention in a COVID-19 emergency setting for >6 h or transfer to tertiary hospital owing to COVID-19 at 28 d. Secondary outcomes included time-to-hospitalization, mortality, and adverse drug reactions. We used a Bayesian framework to compare spirulina with placebo. RESULTS: We recruited 1126 participants, 569 randomly assigned to spirulina and 557 to placebo. The median age was 49.0 y, and 65.3% were female. The primary outcome occurred in 11.2% in the spirulina group and 8.1% in the placebo group (odds ratio [OR]: 1.24; 95% credible interval: 0.84, 1.86). There were no differences in emergency department visit (OR: 1.21; 95% credible interval: 0.81, 1.83), nor time to symptom relief (hazard ratio: 0.90; 95% credible interval: 0.79, 1.03). Spirulina also not demonstrate important treatment effects in the prespecified subgroups defined by age, sex, BMI, days since symptom onset, or vaccination status. CONCLUSIONS: Spirulina has no any clinical benefits as an outpatient therapy for COVID-19 compared with placebo with respect to reducing the retention in an emergency setting or COVID-19-related hospitalization. There are no differences between spirulina and placebo for other secondary outcomes. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04727424.
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Tratamiento Farmacológico de COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Suplementos Dietéticos , Hospitalización , SARS-CoV-2 , Spirulina , Humanos , Masculino , Femenino , Persona de Mediana Edad , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/epidemiología , Anciano , Brasil , Método Doble Ciego , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has led to the death of about 7 million people worldwide. When infected, older individuals and those with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and compromised immune system are at higher risk for unfavorable outcomes. These comorbidities are prevalent in kidney transplant candidates and recipients making them inherently vulnerable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection, hence, the significant burden the pandemic has exerted on kidney transplant programs. With the swift discovery and wide-scale availability of vaccines and therapeutics against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the pandemic is currently behind us allowing transplant programs to relieve their restrictions and resume normal pre-COVID-19 operations. In the aftermath of the pandemic, we discuss the implications for immunosuppression and vaccination, COVID-19-induced kidney injury phenotypes and long COVID-19 symptoms. We also discuss some of the operational aspects the pandemic brought about - mainly the utilization of telemedicine - that are now here to stay.
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COVID-19 , Trasplante de Riñón , Humanos , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/inmunología , SARS-CoV-2 , Telemedicina , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/administración & dosificaciónRESUMEN
Patients undergoing hemodialysis are particularly vulnerable to severe outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with mortality rates higher than that of the general population. Vaccination reduces the risk of adverse outcomes, with booster doses being particularly beneficial. However, limited data are available on the effectiveness of subsequent vaccinations or their effect on increasing antibody levels. This single-center study aimed to investigate changes in SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody titers following the fourth vaccination among 28 patients undergoing hemodialysis. Blood tests were conducted at various intervals post-vaccination, with a focus on identifying factors associated with antibody levels. The IgG antibody levels rapidly increased by Day 7 post-vaccination, with a median time to peak of 11 days. Antibody titers tended to be higher in male patients than in female patients. This study sheds light on the immune response to the fourth vaccination in patients undergoing hemodialysis. As this study included a small sample size, with a short observation period, further research is warranted to comprehensively understand the effectiveness of vaccination and the benefits of additional doses of vaccine.
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Anticuerpos Antivirales , Vacuna BNT162 , Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Inmunoglobulina G , Diálisis Renal , SARS-CoV-2 , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus , Humanos , Masculino , Femenino , Vacuna BNT162/inmunología , Vacuna BNT162/administración & dosificación , Anticuerpos Antivirales/sangre , Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , COVID-19/inmunología , COVID-19/prevención & control , SARS-CoV-2/inmunología , Anciano , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus/inmunología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Inmunoglobulina G/sangre , Inmunoglobulina G/inmunología , Japón/epidemiología , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/inmunología , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/administración & dosificación , Vacunación , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Inmunización Secundaria , Adulto , Pueblos del Este de AsiaRESUMEN
Objective: To evaluate the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) by assessing their impact on serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) levels as a marker of neuroaxonal damage. Methods: Single-center observational longitudinal study including patients with MS who consecutively received their initial vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 at Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, following the first national immunization program in Spain. Serum samples were collected at baseline and after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. sNfL levels were quantified using the single molecule array (SIMOA) technique. Adverse events, including clinical or radiological reactivation of the disease, were recorded. Results: Fifty-two patients were included (median age, 39.7 years [range, 22.5-63.3]; 71.2% female). After SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, no increased inflammatory activity, either determined by the presence of relapses and/or new MRI lesions and/or high sNfL levels, was detected. Accordingly, there was no difference between median sNfL levels before and after vaccination (5.39 vs. 5.76 pg/ml, p=0.6). Despite this, when looking at baseline patient characteristics before vaccination, younger age associated with disease activity after vaccination (OR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77-0.98, p=0.022). Larger studies are needed to validate these results. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccines did not cause reactivation of disease at a clinical, radiological or molecular level, thus suggesting that they are safe in MS patients.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Esclerosis Múltiple , Proteínas de Neurofilamentos , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , Femenino , Masculino , Adulto , Persona de Mediana Edad , Esclerosis Múltiple/inmunología , Esclerosis Múltiple/sangre , COVID-19/inmunología , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/sangre , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/efectos adversos , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/inmunología , Proteínas de Neurofilamentos/sangre , SARS-CoV-2/inmunología , Adulto Joven , Estudios Longitudinales , Biomarcadores/sangre , Axones/patología , España/epidemiología , Vacunación/efectos adversosRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have suffered considerable morbidity and mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few data on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) are available from middle-income countries in the WHO European Region. We evaluated primary series COVID-19 VE against laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among HCWs in Georgia. METHODS: HCWs in six hospitals in Georgia were invited to enroll in a prospective cohort study conducted during March 19-December 5, 2021. Participants completed weekly symptom questionnaires. Symptomatic HCWs were tested by RT-PCR and/or rapid antigen test (RAT), and participants were routinely tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR or RAT, regardless of symptoms. Serology was collected at enrolment, and quarterly thereafter, and tested by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We defined primary series vaccination as two doses of COVID-19 vaccine received ≥14 days before symptom onset. We estimated VE as (1-hazard ratio)*100 using a Cox proportional hazards model with vaccination status as a time-varying covariate. Estimates were adjusted by potential confounders that changed the VE estimate by more than 5%, according to the change-in-estimate approach. RESULTS: Overall, 1561/3849 (41%) eligible HCWs enrolled and were included in the analysis. The median age was 40 (IQR: 30-53), 1318 (84%) were female, and 1003 (64%) had laboratory evidence of prior SARS-Cov-2 infection. At enrolment, 1300 (83%) were unvaccinated; By study end, 1082 (62%) had completed a primary vaccine series (69% BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech); 22% BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm); 9% other). During the study period, 191(12%) participants had a new PCR- or RAT-confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. VE against PCR- or RAT- confirmed symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection was 58% (95%CI: 41; 70) for all primary series vaccinations, 68% (95%CI: 51; 79) for BNT162b2, and 40% (95%CI: 1; 64) for BBIBP-CorV vaccines. Among previously infected HCWs, VE was 58% (95%CI: 11; 80). VE against medically attended COVID-19 was 52% (95%CI: 28; 68), and VE against hospitalization was 69% (95% CI: 36; 85). During the period of predominant Delta variant circulation (July-December 2021), VE against symptomatic COVID-19 was 52% (95%CI: 30; 66). CONCLUSIONS: Primary series vaccination with BNT162b2 and BBIBP-CorV was effective at preventing COVID-19 among HCWs, most of whom had previous infection, during a period of mainly Delta circulation. Our results support the utility of COVID-19 primary vaccine series, and the importance of increasing coverage, even among previously infected individuals.
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Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , Personal de Salud , SARS-CoV-2 , Eficacia de las Vacunas , Humanos , Femenino , Masculino , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/epidemiología , COVID-19/inmunología , COVID-19/virología , Adulto , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/inmunología , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/administración & dosificación , SARS-CoV-2/inmunología , Persona de Mediana Edad , Estudios Prospectivos , Georgia (República)/epidemiología , Vacunación , Anticuerpos Antivirales/sangre , Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , Vacuna BNT162/inmunología , Vacuna BNT162/administración & dosificaciónRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: People with lived experience of a health issue can be engaged in research to address issues related to social justice, informing change through partnerships and an understanding of community perspectives and needs. Although photovoice has been applied to various disciplines and topics across the health sciences, the concrete design of the photovoice process and participants' experience of engaging in photovoice is not always well documented or understood. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes youth participants' experiences and perspectives with a youth-led photovoice design process on a study regarding COVID-19 vaccine confidence. METHOD: The sample consisted of 27 youth aged 14-24 who reported experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges [MHSU] during the COVID-19 pandemic and some degree of COVID-19 vaccine confidence. Youth participated in a series of photography workshops, then each attended one of the six focus groups about both the topic and experience of the photovoice project. RESULTS: Four themes were constructed from the data: 1) Participating in a photovoice project was an enjoyable experience that had a positive effect on participants; 2) Shared group experiences contributed to building a safe space for participants; 3) Photography and the photovoice process served as a catalyst for reflection; 4) Photovoice shifted participants' perspectives on both the COVID-19 vaccine and photography. CONCLUSIONS: This project, a youth-engaged and youth-led photovoice study, describes how the photovoice methodology can be applied in a public health context to meaningfully involve young people and impact their lives. By involving youth in the co-construction of the study design and implementation, photovoice research can represent positive and empowering experiences for participants. Bringing together a diverse and multifaceted lived experience engagement research team structure strengthened the design, delivery, analysis, and interpretation of the project.
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COVID-19 , Fotograbar , Humanos , Adolescente , Femenino , COVID-19/prevención & control , COVID-19/psicología , COVID-19/epidemiología , Masculino , Adulto Joven , Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Grupos Focales , Salud MentalRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines are pivotal in combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); however, the declining antibody titers postvaccination pose challenges for sustained protection and herd immunity. Although gut microbiome is reported to affect the early antibody response after vaccination, its impact on the longevity of vaccine-induced antibodies remains unexplored. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted involving 44 healthy adults who received two doses of either the BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1 vaccine, followed by a BNT162b2 booster at six months. The gut microbiome was serially analyzed using 16S rRNA and shotgun sequencing, while humoral immune response was assessed using a SARS-CoV-2 spike protein immunoassay. RESULTS: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii was associated with robust and persistent antibody responses post-BNT162b2 vaccination. In comparison, Escherichia coli was associated with a slower antibody decay following ChAdOx1 vaccination. The booster immune response was correlated with metabolic pathways involving cellular functions and aromatic amino acid synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study underscored the potential interaction between the gut microbiome and the longevity/boosting effect of antibodies following vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. The identification of specific microbial associations suggests the prospect of microbiome-based strategies for enhancing vaccine efficacy.
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Anticuerpos Antivirales , Vacuna BNT162 , COVID-19 , Microbioma Gastrointestinal , Inmunización Secundaria , SARS-CoV-2 , Vacunación , Humanos , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/inmunología , Masculino , Femenino , Adulto , Anticuerpos Antivirales/sangre , Anticuerpos Antivirales/inmunología , SARS-CoV-2/inmunología , COVID-19/inmunología , COVID-19/prevención & control , Vacuna BNT162/inmunología , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/inmunología , Persona de Mediana Edad , ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/inmunología , Estudios Prospectivos , Formación de Anticuerpos/inmunología , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus/inmunología , Inmunidad Humoral/inmunología , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
During COVID-19 pandemic, cases of postvaccination infections and restored SARS-CoV-2 virus have increased after full vaccination, which might be contributed to by immune surveillance escape or virus rebound. Here, artificial linear 9-mer human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-restricted UC peptides were designed based on the well-conserved S2 region of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein regardless of rapid mutation and glycosylation hindrance. The UC peptides were characterized for its effect on immune molecules and cells by HLA-tetramer refolding assay for HLA-binding ability, by HLA-tetramer specific T cell assay for engaged cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) involvement, by HLA-dextramer T cell assay for B cell activation, by intracellular cytokine release assay for polarization of immune response, Th1 or Th2. The specific lysis activity assay of T cells was performed for direct activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes by UC peptides. Mice were immunized for immunogenicity of UC peptides in vivo and immunized sera was assay for complement cytotoxicity assay. Results appeared that through the engagement of UC peptides and immune molecules, HLA-I and II, that CTLs elicited cytotoxic activity by recognizing SARS-CoV-2 spike-bearing cells and preferably secreting Th1 cytokines. The UC peptides also showed immunogenicity and generated a specific antibody in mice by both intramuscular injection and oral delivery without adjuvant formulation. In conclusion, a T-cell vaccine could provide long-lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2 either during reinfection or during SARS-CoV-2 rebound. Due to its ability to eradicate SARS-CoV-2 virus-infected cells, a COVID-19 T-cell vaccine might provide a solution to lower COVID-19 severity and long COVID-19.
Asunto(s)
Linfocitos B , Vacunas contra la COVID-19 , COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus , Linfocitos T Citotóxicos , Vacunas de Subunidad , Glicoproteína de la Espiga del Coronavirus/inmunología , Animales , Humanos , Ratones , SARS-CoV-2/inmunología , Vacunas contra la COVID-19/inmunología , Vacunas de Subunidad/inmunología , Vacunas de Subunidad/administración & dosificación , Linfocitos B/inmunología , Linfocitos T Citotóxicos/inmunología , COVID-19/inmunología , COVID-19/prevención & control , Femenino , Antígenos HLA/inmunología , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Vacunas de Subunidades ProteicasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between parent and child COVID-19 immunization series completion using vaccine records. METHODS: A cross-sectional chart review was performed on parent and child patients at the Albany Medical Center Internal Medicine and Pediatrics practice. Patient and parent demographic data, COVID-19 immunization status, and health care worker status was collected. Patient data was further separated into 2 cohorts to account for vaccine eligibility among child age groups, with 5-11 years and 6 months-4 years cohorts. Chi square or Fisher's exact test was used where appropriate. RESULTS: Across both cohorts, 371 child patients were identified and cross-matched with corresponding parents. Neither cohort offered evidence linking child immunization series completion with the child's race, ethnicity, or county of residence. However, rates of series completion were higher for children with private insurance versus public options in both the 5-11 years and 6 months-4 years cohorts (both p < 0.001). Children were more likely to be immunized against COVID-19 if their parents were fully immunized against COVID-19 (both p < 0.05). Children aged 6 months-4 years were more likely to be immunized against COVID-19 if their parent was a health care worker (p = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a significance between child insurance status, as well as between parental vaccination status and child vaccination status. Only children under 5 years were more likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if their parent was a health care worker.