Network interventions for managing the COVID-19 pandemic and sustaining economy.

Sustaining economic activities while curbing the number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases until effective vaccines or treatments become available is a major public health and policy challenge. In this paper, we use agent-based simulations of a network-based susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) model to investigate two network intervention strategies for mitigating the spread of transmission while maintaining economic activities. In the simulations, we assume that people engage in group activities in multiple sectors (e.g., going to work, going to a local grocery store), where they interact with others in the same group and potentially become infected. In the first strategy, each group is divided into two subgroups (e.g., a group of customers can only go to the grocery store in the morning, while another separate group of customers can only go in the afternoon). In the second strategy, we balance the number of group members across different groups within the same sector (e.g., every grocery store has the same number of customers). The simulation results show that the dividing groups strategy substantially reduces transmission, and the joint implementation of the two strategies could effectively bring the spread of transmission under control (i.e., effective reproduction number ≈ 1.0).

Novel approaches utilizing robotic navigational bronchoscopy: a single institution experience.

The effective biopsy of pulmonary nodules is crucial to early diagnosis and consequent effective treatment for patients. As a relatively new procedure, few studies look at the effectiveness of the Monarch system in achieving this goal. The aim of this study is to describe the validity of the Monarch-guided robotic navigational bronchoscopy as an effective diagnostic method for pulmonary disease. A secondary aim is to describe the validity of dye localization using the robotic platform to improve the diagnostic accuracy of surgical biopsies in suspicious subcentimeter nodules. This observational cohort study includes patients who underwent robotic navigational bronchoscopy at John Muir Health between July 8, 2020 and October 11, 2021. Some underwent the navigational bronchoscopy in conjugation with a dye localization procedure. Patient data were collected from the institutional database. We measured specificity, sensitivity, and likelihood ratios. A total of 69 patients underwent robotic navigational bronchoscopy. The procedure had a specificity and sensitivity of 100% and 91.3%, respectively. Additionally, 28 patients underwent robotic navigational bronchoscopy in conjugation with dye localization. The specificity and sensitivity for the combined procedures was 100% and 100%, respectively. Robotic Navigational Bronchoscopy can be a successful diagnostic technique to diagnose pulmonary disease quickly and accurately. The technique allowed for the effective biopsy of traditionally difficult to access nodules. Additionally, by combining dye localization techniques, surgical biopsy of the nodules significantly improved the diagnostic accuracy. This single anesthetic event can potentially lead to earlier diagnosis, staging, and treatment of early stage lung cancers.

Socio-demographic determinants of motorcycle speeding in Maha Sarakham, Thailand.

Thailand has the highest road traffic fatality rate in Southeast Asia, making road safety a critical public health concern. A 2015 World Health Organization (WHO) Report showed that speeding behavior was the most important determinant for road traffic crashes in Thailand. Here, we aimed to examine associations of socio-demographic factors (gender, age, socioeconomic status) with self-reported motorcycle speeding behavior. Additionally, we examined a potential role of time discounting and risk preference as mediators in the association of socio-demographic factors with speeding. We used data obtained from the Mahasarakham University Social Network Survey 2018 (MSUSSS) (N = 150). We ran linear network autocorrelation models (lnam) to account for the data's social network structure. We found that males are more likely than females to engage in speeding behavior (ß = 0.140, p = 0.001) and to discount the future (ß = 5.175, p = 0.017). However, further causal mediation analysis showed that time discounting does not mediate the gender-speeding association (p for mediation = 0.540). Although socioeconomic status (subjective social class) was not associated with speeding (ß = 0.039, p = 0.177), age was marginally associated with speeding (ß = 0.005, p = 0.093). Future studies may consider using a larger sample.

Mindfulness Meditation Activates Altruism.

Clinical evidence suggests that mindfulness meditation reduces anxiety, depression, and stress, and improves emotion regulation due to modulation of activity in neural substrates linked to the regulation of emotions and social preferences. However, less was known about whether mindfulness meditation might alter pro-social behavior. Here we examined whether mindfulness meditation activates human altruism, a component of social cooperation. Using a simple donation game, which is a real-world version of the Dictator's Game, we randomly assigned 326 subjects to a mindfulness meditation online session or control and measured their willingness to donate a portion of their payment for participation as a charitable donation. Subjects who underwent the meditation treatment donated at a 2.61 times higher rate than the control (p = 0.005), after controlling for socio-demographics. We also found a larger treatment effect of meditation among those who did not go to college (p < 0.001) and those who were under 25 years of age (p < 0.001), with both subject groups contributing virtually nothing in the control condition. Our results imply high context modularity of human altruism and the development of intervention approaches including mindfulness meditation to increase social cooperation, especially among subjects with low baseline willingness to contribute.

Hemoglobin E, malaria and natural selection.

It is known that there has been positive natural selection for hemoglobin S and C in humans despite negative health effects, due to its role in malaria resistance. However, it is not well understood, if there has been natural selection for hemoglobin E (HbE), which is a common variant in Southeast Asia. Therefore, we reviewed previous studies and discussed the potential role of natural selection in the prevalence of HbE. Our review shows that in vitro studies, evolutionary genetics studies and epidemiologic studies largely support an involvement of natural selection in the evolution of HbE and a protective role of HbE against malaria infection. However, the evidence is inconsistent, provided from different regions, and insufficient to perform an aggregated analysis such as a meta-analysis. In addition, few candidate gene, genome-wide association or epistasis studies, which have been made possible with the use of big data in the post-genomic era, have investigated HbE. The biological pathways linking HbE and malaria infection have not yet been fully elucidated. Therefore, further research is necessary before it can be concluded that there was positive natural selection for HbE due to protection against malaria. Lay summary: Our review shows that evidence largely supports an involvement of natural selection in the evolution of HbE and a protective role of HbE against malaria. However, the evidence is not consistent. Further research is necessary before it is concluded.