The outbreak of COVID-19 is an international crisis that has been unprecedented for the past hundred years. The virus was first reported in Wuhan China in late 2019 and gradually spread worldwide. In such circumstances the effectiveness of international law in protecting human lives and promoting the right to health has been severely tested. More importantly in the words of Michel Bachelet (A UN official) the COVID-19 has become a benchmark for the international community. This article will analyze how international law deals with the COVID-19 crisis in several areas: First the World Health Organizations role as the main body responsible for protecting human healthcare in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak will be analyzed. Second the international responsibility of States in guaranteeing the right to health will be assessed to determine the effectiveness of international law. Third the suspension of human rights abuses due to the COVID-19 outbreak emergency will be tested in the international human rights system. Finally the performance of the UN Security Council in dealing with this pandemic is examined. In each area the question is to what extent the current structure of international law effectively deals with international crises and preserves human dignity. Keywords: COVID-19, International Law, World Health Organization, United Nations Security Council, International Responsibility of Governments, State of Emergency

Joseph Sonnabend, a pioneering figure in the early effort to confront the multiple dimensions of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, died January 24, 2021, at the age of 88. A lengthy and admiring obituary published in the New York Times said of him that he was "one of the most important figures in the fight against AIDS, if also one of the most unheralded."1(pD6) In the current moment, when the language of heroism is routinely employed in describing the work of medical workers struggling to control COVID-19, it is sometimes difficult to recall that the life and work of those regarded as AIDS pioneers were all too often tinged by recrimination and bitter controversy. Such was the career of Sonnabend, someone who saw himself and was viewed by others as a devoted clinician and a combative iconoclast. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print June 10, 2021: e1-e3. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306291).

COVID-19 forced online learning at all levels It raised a problem for the teaching of engineering classes where laboratory work is essential for the learning process To address this problem, we used the current capabilities of cell phones, visual processing software, and social networks to design a set of lab activities that could be reproduced at home by each student at a low cost We developed an exploratory study where we implemented one of those lab activities in a physics course and investigated the impact of this activity on the learning gain of students We implemented the activity in a large group of students (69) and compared with a control group of students (12) that did not participate in the activity in order to evaluate the knowledge gained by the participants Results showed that students that carried out our proposed lab activity increased their learning gain (20%) and obtained better scores in their knowledge tests (76 98 3 21 pre-test versus 92 56 3 18 post-test) ? 2020 IEEE

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inequality of social support systems worldwide, revealing the gaps that further marginalize vulnerable people Despite the fact that sex workers are adversely affected by the pandemic, they are excluded from government relief and protection programmes as well as health services Sex worker communities have developed rapid response strategies to support their peers in overcoming these challenges Sex worker organizations all over the world have been working alongside other groups and communities to advocate for income and health support for all, and an end to repressive policing and state-sanctioned violence

Since the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in 2019, millions of people have been infected with the virus, and due to its high human-to-human transmission rate, there is a need for a vaccine to protect people. Although some vaccines are in use, due to the high mutation rate in the SARS-CoV-2 multiple variants, the current vaccines may not be sufficient to immunize people against new variant threats. One of the emerging variants of concern is B1.1.529 (Omicron), which carries30 mutations in the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is predicted to evade antibodies recognition even from vaccinated people. We used a structure-based approach along with an epitope prediction server to develop a Multi-Epitope based Subunit Vaccine (MESV) involving SARS-CoV-2 B1.1.529 variant spike glycoprotein. The predicted epitope with better antigenicity and non-toxicity were used for designing and predicting vaccine construct features and structure models. The MESV construct In-silico cloning in pET28a expression vector predicted the construct to be highly translational. The proposed MESV vaccine construct was also subjected to immune simulation prediction and was found to be highly antigenic and elicit a cell-mediated immune response. The proposed MESV in the present study has the potential to be evaluated further for vaccine production against the newly identified B1.1.529 (Omicron) variant of concern.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to prevent cross-infection in the operating room during emergency procedures for patients with confirmed or suspected 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by following anesthesia management protocols, and to document clinical- and anesthesia-related characteristics of these patients. DESIGN: This was a retrospective, multicenter clinical study. SETTING: This study used a multicenter dataset from 4 hospitals in Wuhan, China. PARTICIPANTS: Patients and health care providers with confirmed or suspected 2019-nCoV from January 23 to 31, 2020, at the Wuhan Union Hospital, the Wuhan Children's Hospital, The Central Hospital of Wuhan, and the Wuhan Fourth Hospital in Wuhan, China. INTERVENTIONS: Anesthetic management and infection control guidelines for emergency procedures for patients with suspected 2019-nCoV were drafted and applied in 4 hospitals in Wuhan. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Cross-infection in the operating rooms of the 4 hospitals was effectively reduced by implementing the new measures and procedures. The majority of patients with laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV infection or suspected infection were female (23 [62%] of 37), and the mean age was 41.0 years old (standard deviation 19.6; range 4-78). 10 (27%) patients had chronic medical illnesses, including 4 (11%) with diabetes, 8 (22%) with hypertension, and 8 (22%) with digestive system disease. Twenty-five (68%) patients presented with lymphopenia, and 23 (62%) patients exhibited multiple mottling and ground-glass opacity on computed tomography scanning. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that COVID 19-specific guidelines for emergency procedures for patients with confirmed or suspected 2019-nCoV may effectively prevent cross-infection in the operating room. Most patients with confirmed or suspected COVID 19 presented with fever and dry cough and demonstrated bilateral multiple mottling and ground-glass opacity on chest computed tomography scans.

Resumen En la actualidad los profesionales de la salud son el recurso ms valioso con el que cuenta cada pas para combatir la enfermedad COVID-19. Las tasas de contagio intrahospitalario son altas y ligadas al acto de atencin sanitaria. Las medidas de proteccin por parte de los empleadores son fundamentales para el cuidado de los que cuidan. La situacin de pnico generada por el temor a contraer o transmitir la enfermedad, siendo primeros respondedores en la lnea de combate ante la pandemia, ha sido amplificada por varios factores. Cuestiones como presin psicolgica, carga laboral, mediatizacin, aspectos judiciales, desproteccin, falta de descanso, nuevos roles, discriminacin y agresiones son algunas de las situaciones a las que se los profesionales se deben enfrentar.(Acta Med Colomb 2020; 45. DOI:https://doi.org/10.36104/amc.2020.1975).

OBJECTIVE: To establish whether one can build a mortality prediction model for COVID-19 patients based solely on demographics and comorbidity data that outperforms age alone. Such a model could be a precursor to implementing smart lockdowns and vaccine distribution strategies. METHODS: The training cohort comprised 2337 COVID-19 inpatients from nine hospitals in The Netherlands. The clinical outcome was death within 21 days of being discharged. The features were derived from electronic health records collected during admission. Three feature selection methods were used: LASSO, univariate using a novel metric, and pairwise (age being half of each pair). 478 patients from Belgium were used to test the model. All modeling attempts were compared against an age-only model. RESULTS: In the training cohort, the mortality groups median age was 77 years (interquartile range = 70C83), higher than the non-mortality group (median = 65, IQR = 55C75). The incidence of former/active smokers, male gender, hypertension, diabetes, dementia, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic cardiac disease, chronic neurological disease, and chronic kidney disease was higher in the mortality group. All stated differences were statistically significant after Bonferroni correction. LASSO selected eight features, novel univariate chose five, and pairwise chose none. No model was able to surpass an age-only model in the external validation set, where age had an AUC of 0.85 and a balanced accuracy of 0.77. CONCLUSION: When applied to an external validation set, we found that an age-only mortality model outperformed all modeling attempts (curated on www.covid19risk.ai) using three feature selection methods on 22 demographic and comorbid features.

INTRODUCTION: Once-weekly (OW) semaglutide was associated with clinically relevant improvements in glycaemic control and body weight versus comparators in the SUSTAIN randomised controlled trials (RCTs). SURE UK, which is one of a series of individual studies that comprise the SURE programme, evaluated the use of OW semaglutide in a real-world patient population with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the UK. METHODS: In this prospective, observational study, adults ( 18 years) with 1 documented glycated haemoglobin (HbA(1c)) value 12 weeks before semaglutide initiation were enrolled. The primary endpoint was change in HbA(1c) from baseline to end of study (EOS; ~ 30 weeks, although due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visits up to week 52 were permitted). Secondary endpoints included change in body weight, waist circumference and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Physicians were to report all episodes of documented or severe hypoglycaemia, fatal events, serious adverse drug reactions, pregnancies and adverse events (AEs) in foetuses/newborn infants; other AEs during the study period could be reported on a voluntary basis. RESULT: The estimated mean change in HbA(1c) from baseline to EOS was ? 16.3 mmol/mol [95% confidence interval (CI): ? 18.22, ? 14.37] (? 1.5%-points [95% CI ? 1.67, ? 1.31]; p < 0.0001) among the 171 enrolled patients who completed the study on treatment. Mean body weight change was ? 5.8 kg (95% CI ? 6.75, ? 4.94; p < 0.0001). Sensitivity analyses showed similar results. Improvements were also observed in other secondary endpoints, including PROs. No new safety concerns were identified with semaglutide treatment. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving OW semaglutide experienced statistically significant and clinically relevant reductions from baseline in HbA(1c) and body weight. These results are in line with those of the SUSTAIN RCTs and support the use of OW semaglutide in routine clinical practice in adults with T2D in the UK. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03876015. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13300-021-01141-8.

The 5,8-quinolinedione-betulin hybrids were investigated using spectroscopic methods as well as a variety of quantum chemical calculations in order to characterize their molecular structure We used FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy supplemented by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and molecular orbital (HOMO, LUMO) analyses The experimental and calculated FT-IR spectra showed a good correlation for all compounds Analysis of carbonyl band showed that the compounds are the 7-mono substituted The calculated 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra of hybrids reproduced well the experimental ones Identification of C-6 and C-7 carbon atoms of 5,8-quinolinedione revealed the position of betulin moiety at the C-7 of 5,8-quinolinedione Molecular electrostatic potential maps of hybrids allowed to recognize the electrophilic and nucleophilic regions within the molecules The molecular docking study was used to examine the interaction between the 5,8-quinolinedione-betulin hybrids and the SARS-CoV-2 protein, like: Mpro and PLpro The obtained results showed that compounds with the highest Dock Score are good anti-SARS-CoV-2 potential drug candidates

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

COVID-19 is battling with many countries in the world, including Nigeria, and it has affected various sectors. Contact tracing technique without Statisticians in the team as recommended by WHO is being used in Nigeria to curb the spread of COVID-19 virus, yet confirmed cases is on the increase daily. This study proposed the integration of Statistical techniques for improving contact tracing efforts to stop the spread of the virus. A fitted model using the R package, and Adaptive Cluster Sampling mechanism was embedded. Parameters of the model were estimated using Markov Chain Monte-Carlo (MCMC) Algorithm with Winbugs software. Trace plot and correlogram were used for MCMC diagnostics to examine the goodness of fit of the model. The fitted model was used to obtain a predictive distribution for predicting the estimated number of COVID-19 carriers in Nigeria. The model has a good fit since It converged to the representation of the target posterior within the 95% highest posterior density (HPD) interval, its chains mixed well, and autocorrelation is quite similar at each lag. Estimated number of COVID-19 carriers were well estimated and higher in each state than confirmed cases. The present contact tracing process is inefficient to track COVID-19 carriers, hence integrated contact tracing technique with the involvement of Statisticians was recommended. .

CRISPR-Cas9-based forward genetic screens represent a powerful discovery platform to uncover genes regulating specific biological processes. This article describes a method for utilizing a freely available GlycoGene CRISPR library to knock out any gene participating in human glycosylation in arbitrary cell types. The end product is a stable GlycoGene CRISPR knockout cell library, where each cell contains one or more sgRNA and lacks corresponding function. The cell library can be screened using various lectin/antibody reagents. It can also be applied in functional assays to establish glycan structure-glycogene-glycopathway relationships. This is a powerful systems glycobiology strategy for dissecting glycosylation pathways and processes. ? 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Scale-up and NGS validation of the GlycoGene CRISPR plasmid library Basic Protocol 2: Preparation of a GlycoGene CRISPR lentivirus pool and an isogenic cell line stably expressing Cas9 nuclease Basic Protocol 3: Preparation of a GlycoGene CRISPR cell library, self-inactivation of Cas9, and library validation by NGS Basic Protocol 4: Enrichment of lectin-binding or non-binding cells and related multiplex NGS data acquisition Basic Protocol 5: Bioinformatics pathway analysis.

BACKGROUND: As mental illness continues to affect 1 in 5 individuals, and the need for support has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the promise of digital mental health tools remains largely unrealized due to a lack of uptake by patients and providers. Currently, most efforts on supporting the uptake of digital mental health tools remain fragmented across organizations and geography. There is a critical need to synthesize these efforts in order to provide a coordinated strategy of supporting the adoption of digital mental health tools. OBJECTIVE: The specific aim of this project is to develop a web-based resource document to support the engagement of mental health providers and patients in the use of digital mental health tools. METHODS: The web-based resource was developed using a multimethod approach. A grey literature review was conducted in 2019 to identify relevant toolkits that are available in the public domain. This was supplemented with an environmental scan where individuals with expertise in the development, acquisition, implementation, and evaluation of digital mental health tools were invited to contribute additional tools or documents not identified in the grey literature search. An engagement workshop was held with stakeholders to explore how the resource document should be developed and delivered. These findings were collectively used to develop the final iteration of the resource document. RESULTS: Based on a gray literature review and environmental scan with 27 experts, 25 resources were identified and included in the resource guide. These resources were developed for patients and providers by organizations from 5 countries. An engagement workshop was held with 14 stakeholders, and barriers related to cultural sensitivity, sustainability, and accessibility of the toolkit were identified. The final iteration of the resource document was developed by the research team using findings from the gray literature review, environmental scan, and engagement workshop. The contents of the 45-page resource guide are directed at mental health care providers, administrators, and patients (inclusive of families and caregivers). CONCLUSIONS: The use of a multimethod approach led to the development of a resource guide that builds on existing evidence on digital mental health tools and was co-designed with stakeholders and end-users. The resource guide is now publicly available online for free and is being promoted through digital health and mental health websites. Future work should explore how this document can be integrated into clinical care delivery and pathways.

In this paper, we strongly advocate for universal palliative care access during the COVID\19 pandemic. The delivery of universal palliative care services has been called for by leading global health organizations and experts. Nurses are critical to realizing this goal. COVID\19 diagnoses and fatalities continue to rise, underscoring the importance of palliative care, particularly in the context of scant resources. To inform the writing of this paper, we undertook a review of the COVID\19 and palliative care literature and drew on our experiences. It is very clear that investment in nurses is needed to ensure appropriate palliative care services now and into the future. Avoiding futile interventions and alleviating suffering is an ethical imperative for nurses regardless of the setting. Multi\level practices and policies to foster the delivery of safe, high\quality palliative care for all are urgently needed.

BACKGROUND: With the necessary skills available to community pharmacists, they are well equipped to relieve pressure on hospitals and general practices by providing referral services for symptomatic patients for COVID-19 testing. OBJECTIVE: The assessment of potential barriers that limit the successful implementation of a community pharmacy referral service for patients with suspected COVID-19 symptoms. METHODS: A questionnaire comprising of 100 questions was administered to one pharmacist by interview in 1023 working community pharmacies in 4 regions of Egypt between May 17 and May 30th 2020. RESULTS: Forty-five barriers were identified. Respondents (79%, n = 803) had difficulty obtaining an accurate patient history. Patient data confidentiality was a significant issue for pharmacists who had not received referral training, with these respondents being significantly (P = .010) less able to differentiate between COVID-19 and similar conditions. Respondents (68.8%, n = 698) were not confident in determining whether COVID-19 was the cause of the patients presenting symptoms. A large majority (73.7%, n = 747) of respondents were worried about referring misdiagnosed patients and were concerned about the negative implications of proceeding with such a referral, including legal consequences. Of Respondents (71.7%, n = 727) reported that online referral was not easy, and 71.6% (n = 722) were unable to locate paper referral forms. Only a small number of pharmacists (11%, n = 112) preferred to report a referral in their own name. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated the potential of the community pharmacists role as a point of referral for COVID-19 testing, and identified some major barriers to implementation of this. The lack of pharmacists education, legal support, availability of referral forms, clarity of responsibility and unsupportive management teams are key obstacles that must be overcome for the successful implementation of a COVID-19 referral service.

The analysis explores government, party system and political attitudes as dimensions revealing Portugals exceptionalism during its post-bailout period (2015C19) vis--vis three other South European countries, Greece, Italy and Spain It shows that government stability was greater in Portugal, no party system revolution took place and political trust recovered more quickly than in the other countries In contrast, Portugal is not dissimilar from the other cases regarding the prevalence of populist attitudes, even though populist actors did not achieve electoral success before 2019 The article includes an update on political attitudes and government-opposition relations during the covid-19 pandemic and introduces the other articles in this collection ? 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

RESUMO: Objetivo: Descrever, de forma retrospectiva, os casos graves de pacientes hospitalizados e os bitos relacionados epidemia de COVID-19 no estado de S?o Paulo, desde a data do primeiro registro, com incio de sintomas em 10 de fevereiro de 2020 at registros disponveis em 20 de maio de 2021. Mtodos: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo realizado por meio da base de dados do Sistema de Vigilancia Epidemiolgica da Gripe. Foram calculadas as taxas de incidncia, mortalidade e incidncia acumulada no perodo, estratificadas por faixa etria e agrupadas de acordo com cada Departamento Regional de Sade. Os casos graves foram geocodificados para a anlise de seu espalhamento pelo estado e foi calculado o R efetivo, que estima o potencial de propaga??o de um vrus em uma popula??o. Resultados: Houve aumento significativo dos casos graves e bitos registrados no perodo de um ano, e as taxas de incidncia e mortalidade foram heterogneas no estado. Os perodos mais crticos em rela??o incidncia de casos graves ocorreram entre maio e julho de 2020 e entre mar?o e abril de 2021. Os Departamentos Regionais de Sade de S?o Jos do Rio Preto, Grande S?o Paulo e Ara?atuba concentraram as maiores taxas de incidncia e mortalidade. Os casos graves e bitos foram mais frequentes nos homens e na popula??o acima de 60 anos, e as principais condi??es de risco relacionadas aos bitos foram cardiopatia (59%) e diabetes (42,8%). Conclus?es: Espera-se que esses resultados ofere?am embasamento e possam contribuir para uma a??o de controle mais eficiente da COVID-19, alm de permitir o entendimento histrico de sua evolu??o no estado.

We correct common assumptions about COVID burden and disease characteristics in high-income (HIC) versus low- and middle-income (LMIC) countries by augmenting widely-used surveillance data with auxiliary data sources. We constructed an empirically-based model of serological detection rates to quantify COVID reporting rates in national and sub-national locations. From those reporting rates, we estimated relative COVID burden, finding results that contrast with estimates based on case counts and modeling. To investigate COVID mortality by age in an LMIC context, we utilized a unique morgue study of COVID in Lusaka alongside the population attributable fraction method to account for HIV comorbidity. We calculated the comorbidity-corrected age-adjusted mortality curve in Lusaka and found it significantly skewed toward younger age groups as compared to HICs. This unexpected result recommends against the unexamined use of HIC-derived parameterizations of COVID characteristics in LMIC settings, and challenges the hypothesis of an age-structure protective factor for COVID burden in Africa. Indeed, we found overall COVID burden to be higher in Lusaka than in HICs. Concurrent with high COVID burden, many LMICs have high prevalence of other public health issues such as HIV, which compete for limited health investment resources. Given differences in age-structure, comorbidities, and healthcare delivery costs, we provide a case study comparing the cost efficacy of investment in COVID versus HIV and found that even in a high HIV prevalence setting, investment in COVID remains cost-effective. As a whole, these analyses have broad implications for interpretations of COVID burden, modeling applications, and policy decision-making. Significance StatementThe analyses presented here demonstrate the power of auxiliary COVID data sources to fill information gaps, particularly for LMICs. Our results reveal differences in COVID surveillance and disease dynamics between HICs and LMICs that challenge common perceptions and assumptions about COVID in these respective contexts. We show the divergence of COVID reporting rates between HICs and LMICs and the effects on relative estimated burden. Contradicting common modeling practices, our analysis demonstrates that the age-structure of COVID mortality cannot be accurately generalized from HICs to LMICs. We find higher COVID burden in LMIC contexts than HICs particularly in younger age groups and show that investment in COVID is cost-effective even in light of other public health concerns.

On 11 June WHO announced that the spread of H1N1 had reached pandemic phase 6. Since then countries around the world have increased their planning and preparedness for the continuing pandemic. Guidelines have been issued and circulated but confusion continues over their interpretation. We need to remind ourselves of the principles behind control measures and educate and reinforce standard infection control procedures in the acute hospital setting.