The language of crisis: spatiotemporal effects of COVID-19 pandemic dynamics on health crisis communications by political leaders

In times of crisis, communication by leaders is essential for mobilizing an effective public response. During the COVID-19 pandemic, compliance with public health guidelines has been critical for the prevention of infections and deaths. We assembled a corpus of over 1500 pandemic-related speeches, containing over 4 million words, delivered by all 50 US state governors during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed the semantic, grammatical and linguistic-complexity properties of these speeches, and examined their relationships to COVID-19 case rates over space and time. We found that as COVID-19 cases rose, governors used stricter language to issue guidance, employed greater negation to defend their actions and highlight prevailing uncertainty, and used more extreme descriptive adjectives. As cases surged to their highest levels, governors used shorter words with fewer syllables. Investigating and understanding such characteristic responses to stress is important for improving effective public communication during major health crises.

Therapeutic potential of using probiotics in the treatment and prevention of breast câncer

Introduction: Probiotics are living microorganisms that when administered in appropriate amounts, provide several benefits such as prevention of infections, relief of allergic symptoms and lactose intolerance, control of serum cholesterol, blood pressure and gestational diabetes, reduction of gastrointestinal disorders, production of beneficial compounds such as vitamins, short chain fatty acids, and such microorganisms show evidence of actions against certain types of cancers. This study aimed to evaluate the evidence available in the literature on probiotics on breast cancer. Methods: It is an integrative review of the literature, through the PICO strategy, with the guiding question “Does probiotics consumption act on oxidative stress and reduces the risk of breast cancer”? The selection of articles was made on MEDLINE, SciELO and PubMed, including those published between 2016 and 2021, using the keywords: “breast cancer” AND “probiotics” AND “microbiota” their combinations in Portuguese and English, with with previously established inclusion criteria. Results and Discussion: The sample consisted of ten articles, and the answers found were: scientific research in vivo and in vitro, with some variations of probiotics strains, where all demonstrate actions and/or effects on cancer cells or acted on metabolic pathways mitigating the development of tumors. Conclusions: The manifested potential for a possible insertion in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer, being considered an innovation for the scientific community that still fights against various types of problems related to human health, especially some types of cancers, of negative prognoses and with difficult therapeutic interventions.

The main directions of non-specific prevention of infectious diseases

Infectious pathology continues to occupy one of the leading places in the structure of causes of death worldwide and in developing countries prevails over somatic. The most cost-effective way to prevent infectious diseases is vaccination. However, the use of vaccines cannot be implemented to combat all known infectious diseases, given their massive nature and often occurring polyetiology. In this regard, non-specific prevention is of particular relevance. In order to systematize and generalize the data of the scientific literature on methods and means of non-specific prevention, as well as to assess their effectiveness, a search for literary sources using electronic bibliographic resources was carried out https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ and https://elibrary.ru/ according to the keywords «non-specific prevention», «prevention of infections». The analysis of scientific works made it possible to evaluate non-specific prevention from the standpoint of classical epidemiology and the population approach to the organization of epidemiological studies and planning of preventive measures. The measures aimed at the source of infection, the mechanism of transmission and the susceptible organism in relation to different groups of infection are considered. Priority preventive and anti-epidemic measures were identified in relation to infections with aerosol, fecal-oral, contact and transmissible transmission mechanisms, and their effectiveness was evaluated. Special attention is paid to measures for the prevention of zoonotic and natural focal infections, as well as measures for the sanitary protection of the territory of the state from the import and spread of infectious diseases. The applicability of non-specific prevention of infectious morbidity in the conditions of the emergence of new biological threats is considered on the example of a new coronavirus infection COVID-19. It is established that the scientifically based tactics and methodology of non-specific prevention of infectious diseases are the property of domestic and world epidemiology, and its effectiveness has been tested by time and does not lose relevance today. The risk of new threats indicates that the improvement of this approach is a promising direction for the prevention of infectious diseases.

The Role of (Dis)information in Society During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Purpose: Demonstrating the harmfulness of disinformation and summarizing the COVID-19 false information to which recipients are most often exposed. Confrontation of the most popular myths about SARS-CoV-2 with the results of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM). Design/methodology/approach: A review of original papers and reviews of myths about COVID-19. Findings: The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the public with information overload related to SARSCoV- 2. Some of this information may be false and potentially harmful. The rapid spread of information reaching a wide audience is also a threat. Research limitations/implications: The subject of COVID-19 is still unknown and is under constant research, there are many new publications that we are not able to include and this publication needs to be updated. Originality/value: We have not found a similar publication on this topic. The article draws attention to the problem of misinformation, thus helping in the prevention of infections and misguided harmful behaviors.

BTK Inhibitors in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Biological Activity and Immune Effects

Bruton´s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor (BTKi)s block the B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling cascade by binding to the BTK enzyme preventing the proliferation and survival of malignant and normal B cells. During the past decade, the clinical use of BTKis for the treatment of B-cell malignancies has exponentially grown, changing the treatment landscape for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in particular. At present, three different covalent BTKis, ibrutinib, acalabrutinib and zanubrutinib, are FDA-approved and many new inhibitors are under development. Despite having remarkable selectivity for BTK, the first-in-class BTKi ibrutinib can also bind, with various affinities, to other kinases. The combined inhibition of BTK (“on-target” effect) and other kinases (“off-target” effect) can have additive or synergistic anti-tumor effects but also induce undesired side effects which might be treatment-limiting. Such “off-target” effects are expected to be more limited for second-generation BTKis. Moreover, the blockade of BCR signaling also indirectly affects the tumor microenvironment in CLL. Treatment with BTKis potentially impacts on both innate and adaptive immunity. Whether this affects infection susceptibility and vaccination efficacy requires further investigation. Here, we summarize the available knowledge on the impact of BTKis on the immune system and discuss the possible clinical implications. Indeed, a deeper knowledge on this topic could guide clinicians in the management and prevention of infections in patients with CLL treated with BTKis.

Biosafety applies to covid-19: Using realistic high-fidelity simulation in times of pandemic

The concept of Biosafety is very simple and fundamental for every student and health professional, especially for those working on the front line of the Pandemic SaRS-COV (COVID - 19). Biosafety is a set of rules that aim to reduce risks to workers' health, guiding them to the handling and disposal of products, medicines, substances and much more. The levels of Biosafety to be followed vary according to the function of each one, but all workers, from the attendant to the surgeon must meet their standards. The Biosafety course contains all the necessary information to help in the control and prevention of infections, for this pandemic period the course becomes even more relevant, especially when worked through realistic simulation. The audience involved in this course were students of the technical course in nursing who are in a supervised internship and professionals from the units where these students will provide internships. Considering the current pandemic scenario experienced and the need for prevention and safety at work, the biosafety course sought to update supervised internship students in technical nursing and professionals working in the laboratory environment, promoting the development of technical and preventive attitudes according to occupational class legislation. The results showed that the realistic simulation can be applied together with biosafety and that it represents a methodology accepted by students and professionals, as well as highly innovative.