Is That Plausible?

Specifically, when evaluating the connections between sources of information and knowledge claims, it is important for students to reconsider the plausibility of competing claims. [...]as students work through the six steps, they are prompted to ask "Is it plausible?" when evaluating competing claims. Using this strategy, students are likely to come across information that fits into one of the following categories: misinformation, disinformation, or malinformation (see Table 2). [...]perhaps a student reads an article that falsely claims only women can contract the human papillomavirus (HPV) and states that the virus causes cervical cancer as evidence for this claim. To do this, students should check the source by asking the following questions: * Who wrote the article and where did the information first appear online? * Is the person who wrote it an expert, or did the author draw the information from expert sources? * Did the information appear on a reputable outlet? * Does the author have a financial or political motivation for making the claim that could compromise their objectivity?

Successful ECMO course in an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patient with ARDS complicated by pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia and COVID-19: A unique case

Objectives: Reviewing current literature and case reports of patients placed on Venous-Venous ECMO support for HIV and AIDS, with confection with Pneumocystis pneumonia and covid-19 pneumonia. The use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients who have acute respiratory distress syndrome has been shown to have very good outcomes. However, there is limited data to support the initiation of ECMO in patients who have human immunodeficiency virus infection with or without acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Method(s): We present a unique and challenging case of a 30 year old male, with no known past medical history, unvaccinated against covid-19, who presented with one week of progressive shortness of breath. On admission he was found with moderate bilateral infiltrates and was diagnosed with covid-19 pneumonia. Despite appropriate medical therapy, patient developed worsening hypoxic respiratory failure. Found to have elevated (1- 3)-7beta;-d-glucan and tested positive for HIV. CD4 count 11, HIV viral load 70,000. The patient remained severely hypoxemic despite mechanical ventilation, sedation, paralytics and proning. Venous venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was initiated. Considering his non improvement with variety of antivirals and antibiotics and with elevated (1-3)-7beta;-d-glucan in the setting of AIDS he was treated for presumed Pneumocystis pneumonia. The patient tolerated proning while on VV ECMO and his course was complicated with bilateral pneumothorax necessitating chest tube placement. Result(s): The patient successfully completed 64 days on VV ECMO, where he was treated for PCP pneumonia, covid pneumonia, CMV viremia and tolerated initiation of anti-retroviral therapy. Patient was successfully decannulated, and ultimately discharged from the hospital. Conclusion(s): VV-ECMO can be a beneficial intervention with successful outcomes in severely immunocomprimised patients with AIDS. This case highlights the importance of minimizing sedation and early mobilization on ECMO support. (Figure Presented).

REMDESIVIR RETAINS POTENT ACTIVITY AGAINST SARS-CoV-2 VARIANTS OF CONCERN

Background: Recent SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have shown a progressive loss of sensitivity to monoclonal antibody therapeutics. Remdesivir (RDV) is a nucleotide analog prodrug that targets the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) Nsp12 and is approved to treat COVID-19 in hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients. Nsp12 is highly conserved across VOCs to date and RDV antiviral activity against previous VOCs (Alpha to Omicron BA.1) has been maintained. Here, we conduct a structural analysis of Nsp12 substitutions observed in recent Omicron subvariants (BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.75) and assess RDV antiviral activity against clinical isolates and sitedirected mutants (SDMs) in a replicon system. Method(s): The prevalence of Nsp12 substitutions in Omicron subvariants was evaluated by analysis of sequences from the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) EpiCoV database. Structural analysis of identified substitutions was conducted on a prior cryo-electron microscopy-based model of the replication-transcription complex. Antiviral activity against subvariant clinical isolates was assessed by nucleoprotein ELISA in A549-hACE2-TMPRSS2 cells and by SDMs in the replicon system. Result(s): Genomic analysis of >1.4 million Omicron subvariant sequences revealed unique substitutions in Nsp12 compared to the ancestral WA1 strain. Besides P323L, present in all subvariants, G671S was observed in 95.9% of BA.2.75 sequences, F694Y was observed in <=1.9% of BA.4, BA.5 and BA.2.75 sequences, and Y521C was observed in 1.7% of BA.5 sequences. As anticipated, structural analysis of these substitutions showed no direct interaction with the incoming RDV nucleotide triphosphate or the viral RNA. Phenotyping of clinical isolates of Omicron subvariants BA.2, BA.2.12.1, BA.4, BA.5, and BA.2.75 consistently resulted in mean RDV EC50 values of 24.5 nM (BA.2) to 106.0 nM (BA.5). This represented 0.15-to 0.66-fold changes compared to WA1, indicating no loss of in vitro RDV antiviral activity against these VOCs. P323L, G671S, and F694Y were shown previously to have no impact on RDV antiviral activity. Similarly, the individual substitution Y521C showed no change in RDV susceptibility in the SARS-CoV-2 replicon system. Conclusion(s): RDV retained potent in vitro antiviral activity against all tested Omicron VOCs with potencies comparable to the WA1 isolate. These data support the continued use of RDV in patients infected with Omicron subvariants.

MIF Festival 2021 and COVID-19

John McGrath is Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Manchester International Festival (MIF) and The Factory, Manchester, UK. The festival is biennial and commissions new work by artists from all over the globe, presenting the work over an 18 day period in July. Here, John talks in an interview with Maggie B. Gale about the impact of the pandemic on the planning season for the festival, as well as on the festival itself, which took place in July 2021. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Corrigendum: Flattening the COVID-19 curve: Emotions mediate the effects of a persuasive message on preventive action.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1047241.].

Resistance Analyses of Patient Viral Samples from the Remdesivir Phase 3 Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial-1 (ACTT-1)

Background. Remdesivir (RDV) is a broad-spectrum nucleotide analog prodrug approved for the treatment of COVID-19 in non-hospitalized and hospitalized adult as well as pediatric patients with clinical benefit demonstrated in multiple Phase 3 trials. Here we present SARS-CoV-2 resistance analyses from the Phase 3 ACTT-1 placebo-controlled clinical trial in hospitalized adults. Methods. Oro- or nasopharyngeal swab samples in ACTT-1 study were collected on Day 1, 3, 5, 8, 11, 15, and 29. All participants with >80th and 50% of participants with < 20th percentile of cumulative viral shedding underwent resistance analysis in both the RDV and placebo arm. The SARS-CoV-2 genome was sequenced using next generation sequencing. Phenotyping was conducted using virus isolation from clinical samples or generation of select site-directed mutants (SDMs) in a SARS-CoV-2 replicon system. Results. The majority of the sequencing data were obtained from participants with 80th percentile of cumulative viral shedding from the RDV and placebo arms as shown in Table 1. Among participants with both baseline and postbaseline sequencing data, emergent substitutions in nsp12 were observed in 12 of 31 participants (38.7%) treated with RDV and 12 of 30 participants (40.0%) in the placebo arm. The nsp12 substitutions that emerged in the RDV arm were only observed in one participant each, and the majority were present as mixtures with wildtype sequence. The following nsp12 mutations emerged in the RDV treatment group and were successfully phenotyped as clinical isolates or SDMs with low to no fold change in RDV susceptibility: A16V (0.8-fold), P323L+V792I (2.2-fold), C799F (2.5-fold), K59N (1.0-fold), and K59N+V792I (3.4-fold). V792I and C799F were identified previously in vitro in resistance selection experiments (Stevens Sci Transl Med 2022). In addition, for D684N and V764L identified in the RDV arm, the recovery of neither clinical isolates nor SDMs for phenotypic analysis were successful. Conclusion. The similar rate of emerging nsp12 substitutions in participants treated with RDV compared to placebo and the minimal to no change in RDV susceptibility among the treatment-emergent nsp12 substitutions support a high barrier to RDV resistance development in COVID-19 patients.

Diagnostic Test Kinetics, Infectivity, and Immunological Responses Among Unvaccinated Adults During Acute SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Background. Appropriate diagnostic testing can be used to inform infection control measures and reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission, yet the test kinetics, infectivity, and immunological responses during acute, non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infection need clarity. Methods. We conducted a prospective cohort study between Nov 2020-July 2021 in Seattle, Washington of 95 unvaccinated, immunocompetent adults with no prior SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nasal swabs (nasopharyngeal and anterior) and blood serum samples were serially collected at six visits over two months. Viral RNA, N and S antigen concentrations, and viral growth/infectivity were measured from nasal samples. Anti-S total antibody and IgG assays were performed on serum. We fit loess curves to quantitative data corresponding to each testing modality by days since symptom onset (DSSO) and compared qualitative test results across time points to demonstrate timedependent agreement of PCR, N antigen, and culture results. Generalized estimating equations were used to approximate relative risk of culture positivity (a proxy for infectiousness) for positive vs. negative test results (antigen and PCR), stratified by presence/ absence of symptoms and DSSO. Sampling Schema Nasal swabs and venous blood were collected at visits 1-4;venous blood only at visits 5-6. All participants were enrolled within 14 days of symptom onset (median: 6) and 7 days of a positive test (median: 4). Results. Infections in this cohort (median age: 29y) were mild (no hospitalization). Median (IQR) time to negative result was 11 (4), 13 (6), and 20 (7) DSSO for culture growth, N antigen, and PCR tests, respectively. Viral RNA quantities declined more slowly than antigen and culturable virus;antibody titers rose rapidly 5-15 DSSO and plateaued 20-30 DSSO. All culture-positive samples collected 0-5 DSSO were positive by PCR, but relative risk of culture positivity (infectiousness) for positive vs. negative PCR results declined 6-10 DSSO. Relative risk of culture positivity for positive vs. negative antigen results was consistently high 0-10 DSSO, with similar results when stratified by presence of symptoms. Diagnostic test kinetics and immunological responses Diagnostic test kinetics and immunological responses measured in adults with non-severe, symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection: loess trendlines and 95% confidence intervals are given for SARS-CoV-2 viral load (calculated from PCR Ct value using a calibration curve), TCID50 from viral culture, mean concentrations of nucleocapsid and spike antigen proteins, and anti-S total and IgG antibody concentrations. Conclusion. The results reinforce the importance of molecular PCR testing as a highly sensitive diagnostic tool but with limited utility as an indicator of viral culturability and likely infectiousness. N antigen testing may be a preferable diagnostic test within two weeks of symptom onset, especially 6-10 DSSO, because it more closely correlates with culture growth over the course of infection.

Flattening the COVID-19 curve: Emotions mediate the effects of a persuasive message on preventive action.

Introduction: Across four countries (Canada, USA, UK, and Italy), we explored the effects of persuasive messages on intended and actual preventive actions related to COVID-19, and the role of emotions as a potential mechanism for explaining these effects. Methods: One thousand seventy-eight participants first reported their level of concern and emotions about COVID-19 and then received a positive persuasive text, negative persuasive text, or no text. After reading, participants reported their emotions about the pandemic and their willingness to take preventive action. One week following, the same participants reported the frequency with which they engaged in preventive action and behaviors that increased the risk of contracting COVID-19. Results: Results revealed that the positive persuasive text significantly increased individuals' willingness to and actual engagement in preventive action and reduced risky behaviors 1 week following the intervention compared to the control condition. Moreover, significant differences were found between the positive persuasive text condition and negative persuasive text condition whereby individuals who read the positive text were more willing and actually engaged in more preventive action compared to those who read the negative text. No differences were found, however, at the 1-week follow-up for social distancing and isolation behaviors. Results also revealed that specific discrete emotions mediated relations between the effects of the texts and preventive action (both willing and actual). Discussion: This research highlights the power of educational interventions to prompt behavioral change and has implications for pandemic-related interventions, government policy on health promotion messages, and future research.

Science denial: Why it happens and what to do about it

Science denial, doubt, and resistance have been persistent and growing problems in the United States, as well as in other countries. At no time, however, have the consequences been as deadly as in 2020, with a global pandemic ravaging the world's population, spreading rapidly when unchecked, fueled by denial of its lethality and the steps needed to contain it. At the same time, the effects of climate change continue unabated, threatening life on this planet. The scientific and medical community warned that the virus was dangerous and that unprecedent steps were immediately necessary to limit the potential catastrophic impact. The United States was slow to act, however, in terms of testing, contact tracing, travel limitations, and orders to stay at home. As the virus wreaks havoc on the world and individuals both deny its existence and avoid preventative measures, we are increasingly aware of the need to explore and interpret the conditions for science denial, doubt, and resistance. This book sheds light on key psychological reasons that have been the subject of the research independently and collaboratively over the years: cognitive biases, evaluating science claims, science knowledge, motivated reasoning, social identity, beliefs about knowledge and science, and the effect of attitudes and emotions. It also offers action steps for individuals, educators, science communicators, and policy makers to support public understanding of science. The idea for this book came from individual and collaborative work over two decades. Many long conversations at conferences and meetings about public understanding and misunderstanding of science, coupled with complementary research agendas in the psychology of thinking and learning about science, leads to collaborate on an article for Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, entitled "Public Understanding of Science: Policy and Educational Implications". (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

Risk perception, decision-making, and risk communication in the time of COVID-19.

After first being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization [WHO], (2020) in March 2020, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread rapidly and in the process altered our very way of life. At the same time, it became increasingly clear that a wide range of new behavioral science research was necessary to understand fully how people comprehend and respond to such an unprecedented and long lasting health threat as COVID-19. One of the primary aims for this Special Issue was to gather and publish that research. The studies contained in this Special Issue, conducted between April 2020 and March 2021, were selected to represent experimental research that is relevant to this unique situation and that also inform and extend existing theory. These studies investigate three broad topics: Risk perception, decision-making under risk, and risk communication in the context of COVID-19. Collectively, they advance our knowledge of risk calibration, health communication interventions, and decisions about behaviors that address risk in the context of a global health threat. Perhaps most importantly they also make a practical contribution to how we approach these issues going forward. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Motivational and emotional impacts on public (mis)understanding of science

The psychology of science resistance, doubt, and denial has never had clearer consequences than during the COVID-19 pandemic. This manuscript explores how misconceptions about climate change, vaccines, and COVID-19 cannot be understood apart from the conscious and unconscious motivations and emotions which contribute to public (mis)understanding of science. Drawing on research presented during my Presidential Address for Division 15 of the American Psychological Association in 2020, interventions designed to upend misconceptions and promote understanding and appreciation of science in formal and informal settings are reviewed and recommendations are proposed for promoting public understanding of science in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Educational Psychologist is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Validation of home visual acuity tests for telehealth in the COVID-19 era

Purpose : One of the most important clinical data points in evaluating ophthalmology patients is visual acuity (VA). During the COVID-19 pandemic, eye health providers are utilizing telehealth to decrease patient and provider risk related to in-person clinic visits, while still providing high-quality care. This study sought to compare at-home VA tests with in-office clinical VA measurements to determine the validity of at-home VA testing for telehealth visits. Methods : Patients from 1 comprehensive and 3 subspecialty ophthalmology clinics had VA greater than or equal to 20/200 in the study eye. The patients were prospectively randomized to perform 2 of 3 at-home VA tests (printed chart - University of Arizona/Banner Eye Care Letter Distance Chart;mobile phone app - Verana Vision Test;website test - Farsight.care) within 3 days of their standard of care clinic visit. Patients also completed a survey to assess usability of home tests. At the clinic visit, best corrected Snellen distance acuity was measured to serve as the reference standard. Results : Of the 44 patients (84 eyes) enrolled, 60% were female and the mean age was 66 years (range 22 to 80). The mean difference between printed chart and Snellen, website test and Snellen, and mobile app and Snellen acuity data was 0.10 (95% CI: 0.09-0.11), 0.13 (95% CI: 0.12-0.14), and 0.12 (95% CI: 0.11-0.13) LogMAR, respectively. The highest degree of correlation was between the website and Snellen tests (0.74, 95% CI: 0.59-0.84) (Table 1). Patients found the tests easy to perform at home and were neutral regarding confidence in their results and desire to continue with home testing. In the survey, there was no significant difference for between the 3 tests regarding any of the 4 questions (P = 0.32- 0.62), although there was a trend toward a more positive response with the printed chart (Table 2). Conclusions : These data suggest that some at-home visual acuity tests are comparable in accuracy to in-clinic Snellen visual acuity tests (within 1 line of difference). Patient surveys indicated the tests were easy to understand and complete at home. Further development and validation of at-home vision testing modalities are needed to provide accurate and accessible tele-ophthalmology care.

Negotiating Time and Space When Working From Home: Experiences During COVID-19.

Stay-at-home mandates following the COVID-19 pandemic increased work from home (WFH). While WFH offers many benefits, navigating work in nontraditional contexts can be a challenge. The objective of this study was to explore the benefits and challenges of WFH during COVID-19 to identify supports and resources necessary. Comments from two free-response questions on a survey regarding experiences of WFH (N = 648, N = 366) were analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Four themes emerged: time use, considerations of working in the home space, intersections between work-life and home-life, and temporality of WFH as situated within a pandemic. Across all themes were concerns related to participation in both work and home roles, work performance, and well-being. Findings highlight the importance of support during times of disruption of occupational patterns, roles, and routines. Despite challenges, many individuals hoped to continue WFH. Organizations should consider the complex intersections of work-life and home-life to develop supportive policies and resources.