Does a lack of vaccine side effects correlate with reduced BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine response among healthcare workers and nursing home residents?

Background The BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination has mitigated the burden of COVID-19 among residents of long-term care facilities considerably, despite being excluded from the vaccine trials. Data on reactogenicity (vaccine side effects) in this population are limited. Aims To assess reactogenicity among nursing home (NH) residents. To provide a plausible proxy for predicting vaccine response among this population. Methods We enrolled and sampled NH residents and community-dwelling healthcare workers who received the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, to assess local or systemic reactogenicity and antibody levels (immunogenicity). Results NH residents reported reactions at a much lower frequency and lesser severity than the community-dwelling healthcare workers. These reactions were mild and transient with all subjects experiencing more local than systemic reactions. Based on our reactogenicity and immunogenicity data, we developed a linear regression model predicting log-transformed anti-spike, anti-receptor-binding domain (RBD), and neutralizing titers, with a dichotomous variable indicating the presence or absence of reported reactions which revealed a statistically significant effect, with estimated shifts in log-transformed titers ranging from 0.32 to 0.37 (all p < 0.01) indicating greater immunogenicity in subjects with one or more reported reactions of varying severity. Discussion With a significantly lower incidence of post-vaccination reactions among NH residents as reported in this study, the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine appears to be well-tolerated among this vulnerable population. If validated in larger populations, absence of reactogenicity could help guide clinicians in prioritizing vaccine boosters. Conclusions Reactogenicity is significantly mild among nursing home residents and overall, subjects who reported post-vaccination reactions developed higher antibody titers.

Use of My Health Record by Clinicians in the Emergency Department: An Analysis of Log Data

Objectives: Leverage log data to explore access to My Health Record (MHR), the national electronic health record of Australia, by clinicians in the emergency department.Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using secondary routinely-collected data. Log data pertaining to all patients who presented to the emergency department between 2019 and 2021 of a not-for-profit hospital (that annually observes 23,000 emergency department presentations) were included in this research. Attendance data and human resources data were linked with MHR log data. The primary outcome was a dichotomous variable that indicated whether the MHR of a patient was accessed. Logistic regression facilitated the exploration of factors (user role, day of the week, and month) associated with access.Results: My Health Record was accessed by a pharmacist, doctor, or nurse in 19.60% (n = 9,262) of all emergency department presentations. Access was dominated by pharmacists (18.31%, n = 8,656). All users demonstrated a small, yet significant, increase in access every month (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% Confidence interval: 1.06–1.07, p ≤ 0.001).Discussion: Doctors, pharmacists, and nurses are increasingly accessing MHR. Based on this research, substantially more pharmacists appear to be accessing MHR, compared to other user groups. However, only one in every five patients who present to the emergency department have their MHR accessed, thereby indicating a need to accelerate and encourage the adoption and access of MHR by clinicians.

On the Mathematical Narration by Trans-Spectrum University Students

More than 80 years of literature support the idea that math attitudes and experiences differ by gender. However, such research treats gender as a simple and dichotomous variable, which it is not. As such, our understandings of math affective variables are completely dominated by a cisgender narrative and a false gender binary. In particular, I argue that it is important to research the lived experiences in the math classroom and the sense of belonging felt by trans-spectrum students. This qualitative study has employed a narrative methodology to analyze the semi-structured interviews of 6 participants who identify as trans-spectrum university students in order to explore the tactile lived experiences in the math classroom as it relates to gender, when gender is considered holistically. Overall, the participants indicated that while mathematics as a discipline is not gender-specific, the participants face discrimination and microaggressions around mathematics that help create a chilly atmosphere. The participants, then, narrate their sense of belonging in regard to a separation between mathematics as a discipline and mathematical activities. Collectively, all participants presented stories that highlight conflicts within various social binaries, such as male/female or private/public school.

Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi adopsi pemanfaatan limbah pertanian sebagai pakan pada peternak sapi perah di Kabupaten Enrekang

<p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aim was to determine the factors that influence the adoption of agricultural waste utilization as dairy feed among farmers in Enrekang Regency.</p><p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Methods: </strong>This research was conducted from July to September 2019 in Cendana and Anggeraja Districts, which are the centers for dairy cows in Enrekang district. The number of farmers in these two sub-districts were 261 people or 72% of the total population of dairy farmers in Enrekang district. The number of respondents were 77 who were selected using the simple random sampling method. Data collection was carried out by trained enumerators using a questionnaire. Data analysis used the F test to determine the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable (adoption of agricultural waste utilization) and the t test for the partial test of each independent variable. The mathematical model used was a logistic regression model because the variable adoption of agricultural waste utilization was a dichotomous variable.</p><p class="MDPI17abstract"><strong>Results</strong><strong>: </strong>The results showed that the most common types of agricultural waste used as feed in the dry season were sweet potato leaves and rejected sweet potatoes (50.6%), while in the rainy season it was sweet corn straw (30.6%). The method of utilizing agricultutral waste as feed was: directly given to dairy cattle (53%), withered first (25%), fermented (11%) and mixed with concentrate (11%). Factors that influence the adoption of agricultural waste as feed were the number of lactating dairy cattle (X1), contact with extension workers (X4) and the age of farmers (X5). Meanwhile, the cosmopolite variables (X2), formal education (X3), length of farming (X6) and number of families (X7) did not affect the adoption of agricultural was as feed.<strong></strong></p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>To increase the adoption of agricultural waste as feed, the intensity of extension needs to be increased, especially for older breeders with 1 - 3 heads of lactating cattle.

Impact of corporate social responsibility on financial performance of listed Moroccan companies

This paper aims to study empirically the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance (FP) in the Moroccan context. We opted for a longitudinal study of listed companies over the period 2012-2017. We have used the accounting and financial indicators to assess FP. In the absence of an index which measures the score of the PS, we opted for a dichotomous variable which takes a value 1 if the company is labeled CSR by the CGEM and value 0 if not. Control variables are measured by size, age, risk, and industry. Panel data are used as well to analyze data. Findings of this study indicate mixed results. Indeed, we have found a positive impact of CSR on PF, when using ROA as proxy for FP. However, when using ROE as proxy for FP, we do not find any impact of CSR on FP (neutral impact). We found that ROS is linked negatively with CSR.

Sleep duration and incident frailty: The Rural Frailty Study

Background The association between sleep duration and frailty remains unconclusive since most of the studies have been cross-sectional. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the association between sleep duration, sleep complaints, and incident frailty. Methods A community-based cohort study from rural areas in Mexico with 309 older adults aged 70 and over. Data from waves two and three of the Rural Frailty Study were used. We operationalized the Fried frailty phenotype to describe prevalent and incident frailty at two consecutive waves. Sleep duration was classified as: ≤ 5 h, 6 h, 7–8 h, and ≥ 9 h; and the self-reported sleep complaints as a dichotomous variable. Analyses were performed using Poison regression models. Results The average age was 76.2 years and 55.3% were women; the incidence of frailty was 30.4%; 13.3% slept ≤5 h, and 38.5% ≥ 9 h. Compared with the group that slept 7–8 h, the risk of frailty at 4.4 years of follow-up was significantly higher among those who slept ≤5 h (adjusted RR 1.80, 95% CI: 1.04–3.11) and among those who slept ≥9 h (adjusted RR 1.69, 95% CI: 1.10–2.58). Sleep complaints were not associated with incident frailty (adjusted RR 1.41, 95% CI: 0.94–2.12). Conclusions Our results show that short and long sleep duration are associated with the incidence of frailty. Studies that objectively evaluate sleep duration are needed to clarify whether meeting the recommended hours of sleep decreases frailty incidence.

Education of Adolescents in the Prevention of HIV/AIDS in the Czech Republic

The number of HIV-positive people in the Czech Republic has trebled over the last decade. An educational programme aimed at the prevention of HIV and STDs in adolescents between 13 and 19 years of age is underway in the Moravian-Silesian Region in the Czech Republic. All schools in the region have been offered the chance to participate in the programme (on a voluntary basis). The programme consists of an educational lecture and a game with interactive elements; the students perform various tasks in groups. An anonymous paired questionnaire (input/output) was used to assess the efficacy of the programme. In order to evaluate the programme efficacy, descriptive statistics, non-parametric Wilcoxon paired test at the level of significance of 5%, and a model of logistic regression for a dichotomous variable were used. A total of 1210 students took part in the programme. The students’ knowledge improved, on average, by 15.5%. The highest efficacy was observed in the age group of 13–14-year-olds, where the improvement reached 17.9%. The educational programme was effective in raising awareness about STDs. Due to the observed increase in knowledge especially among the youngest participants (13–14 years old), we recommend aiming further interventions at the youngest age groups.

Measuring CSR Disclosure when Assessing Stock Market Effects

A growing number of studies use a dichotomous variable indicating the presence of a standalone CSR report to capture impacts of CSR disclosure. Our concern is that, without considering differences in the information provided, such an approach could lead to incorrect inferences regarding those impacts. Accordingly, we extend prior research by examining whether, similar to differences in environmental disclosure, the mere presence of a standalone CSR report mitigates negative market reactions at times of regulatory cost exposure. We focus on the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi disaster and a sample of international utilities with nuclear power generation. Controlling for other factors related to social and regulatory cost exposures, we find only the environmental disclosures appear to reduce negative market effects. We thus argue that, in exploring the impacts of CSR disclosure, researchers need to carefully consider, beyond just the presence of a CSR report, differences in the extent of information being provided.

Do Saharan Dust Intrusions Affect the Incidence and Severity of COVID-19 in Spain?

Scientific evidence suggests that Saharan dust intrusions in Southern Europe contribute to the worsening of multiple pathologies and increase the concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants. However, few studies have examined whether Saharan dust intrusions influence the incidence and severity of COVID-19 cases. To address this question, in this study we carried out generalized linear models with Poisson link between incidence rates and daily hospital admissions and average daily concentrations of PM10 and NO2 in nine Spanish regions for the period from February 1, 2020 to May 31, 2020. The models were adjusted by maximum daily temperature and average daily absolute humidity. Furthermore, we controlled for trend, seasonality and the autoregressive nature of the series. The variable relating to Saharan dust intrusions was introduced using a dichotomous variable, NAF, averaged across daily lags in ranges of 0–7 days, 8–14 days, 14–21 days and 22–28 days. The results obtained in this study suggest that chemical air pollutants, and especially NO2, are related to the incidence and severity of COVID-19 in Spain. Furthermore, Saharan dust intrusions have an additional effect beyond what is attributable to the variation in air pollution; they are related, in different lags, to both the incidence and hospital admissions rates for COVID-19. These results serve to support public health measures that minimize population exposure on days with particulate matter advection from the Sahara.

Association Between Lipoprotein(a) and Peri-procedural Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus Who Underwent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BackgroundHigh lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) levels are associated with increased risks of cardiovascular events in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Peri-procedural myocardial infarction (PMI) occurs commonly during the PCI, whereas the relationship between Lp(a) and PMI remains unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between Lp(a) value and the incidence of PMI in a larger-scale diabetic cohort undergoing PCI throughout 2013.MethodsA total of 2,190 consecutive patients with DM were divided into two groups according to the median Lp(a) level of 175 mg/L: Low Lp(a) group (N = 1095) and high Lp(a) group (N = 1095). PMI was defined based on the 2018 universal definition of myocardial infarction.ResultsPatients with high Lp(a) levels exhibited higher rates of PMI compared to those with low Lp(a) levels (2.3% versus 0.8%, P = 0.006). The multivariable logistic analysis showed that PMI was independently predicted by Lp(a) as a dichotomous variable (OR 2.64, 95%CI 1.22–5.70) and as a continuous variable (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.12–2.20). However, further investigation found that this association was only maintained in men, whose Lp(a) levels were significantly associated with the frequency of PMI, both as a dichotomous variable (OR 3.66, 95%CI 1.34–10.01) and as a continuous variable (OR 1.81, 95%CI 1.18–2.78). Lp(a) wasn’t a risk factor of PMI in women.ConclusionsHigh Lp(a) levels had forceful correlations with the increased frequency of PMI in male diabetic patients undergoing PCI. Lp(a) might act as a marker of risk stratification and a therapeutic target to reduce PCI-related ischemic events.