Self-limiting severe neutropenia in a patient with COVID-19

Neutropenia is a rare haematological complication of COVID-19 infection in immunocompetent patients. There is sparse literature on neutropenia in patients with COVID-19, except a few case reports. We encountered a similar case in an intensive care unit that developed severe neutropenia on day 24 of illness. Neutropenia resolved spontaneously on 4th day of its appearance. The patient was isolated and kept under close observation, antibiotics were upgraded and strict asepsis was maintained. Thus, we observed in a patient with no comorbidities and uncomplicated neutropenia that strict measures to prevent infection may suffice and the undue risk of hematopoietic therapy can be avoided. An expert opinion should always be sought in such cases as the presence of complications may require an aggressive approach.

The legal, ethical and welfare implications of feeding vegan diets to dogs and cats

Veganism is on the rise both in humans and in companion animals, with many owners citing animal welfare as their primary reason for adopting a vegan lifestyle. Feeding vegan diet to dogs and cats significantly impacts their welfare as it puts them at undue risk of developing diet-induced disorders, leaving owners liable to prosecution if they are unwilling to adhere to expert recommendations. As commercial vegan diets are a relatively new phenomena, more research needs to be conducted to understand the full effects. In the meantime, veterinary professionals should continue to educate owners on suitable diets based on the individual's requirements.

IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON BANGLADESH ECONOMY: IS THE POST COVID-19 BANGLADESH ECONOMY RISKY?

In this study, the principal purpose has been to investigate the impacts of COVID-19 on GDP, export volumes, remittance and unemployment of Bangladesh and to forecast these variables for a period of time using econometric techniques. The results show that the loss of GDP, export volumes and remittance of Bangladesh in 2020 will be $40984.3387 million, $6540.966 million, $3941.449 million respectively. In terms of percentage, the loss of GDP is 18.08%, export volumes – 18.08%, and remittance – 19.73% of the total values. The predicted values indicate that the Bangladeshi GDP, export volumes and remittance inflows will fall for 3 years, 2 years and 2 years respectively. Due to COVID-19 outbreak, the loss of world GDP will be 14904846.597 million dollars or 17.07% of the total GDP and will experience decrease for 7 years. Thus, Bangladeshi economy will face downturn for a lesser period than the world. The predicted GDP shows that COVID-19 will result in a decline of Bangladeshi GDP and export volumes until 2021, after which they will be have an increase rate of 4.7% and 9.8% respectively. Additionally, prediction of the remittance inflows reveals a decline in 2020, but an increase of 6.692% for 2021. It is also concluded that in 2020 global unemployment rate will be increase by 1.36%, while the unemployment rate in Bangladesh will be increase by 58.23%. This indicator for Bangladesh is very high, but it will fall by 18.72% in 2021 and starting with 2022 it will be increasing by 2.47% for a long period of time. Thus, it can be said that COVID-19 will be a big threat for increasing the unemployment rate for a long period of time. The research testifies that the death rate with respect to confirmed cases is statistically significant at any level. Finally, as no economic indicators other than the unemployment rate will be unreasonably affected, the post COVID-19 economy of Bangladesh will not face undue risk.

Sex-based differences in spawning behavior account for male-biased harvest in Lake Erie walleye (Sander vitreus)

Sex- and size-specific reproductive behaviors can increase the vulnerability of certain demographic components of fish populations to exploitation, potentially leading to unsustainable harvest. Lake Erie’s largest walleye (Sander vitreus) spawning population, which aggregates on the Ohio reef complex during spring, is subject to angling. Information on the sex composition of harvest or how reproductive behavior might influence harvest is lacking. To address these uncertainties, we implanted 337 reef-spawning individuals with acoustic transmitters, and their spawning behavior on the reef complex was monitored for 4 years using acoustic telemetry. Males arrived on spawning grounds earlier and remained on them longer than females. These behavioral differences led us to predict that recreational angler harvest during the spawning season would be male-biased. Creel surveys confirmed this prediction, although sex composition of the harvest was influenced by angling technique. Collectively, these findings suggest that sex-based differences in reproductive behaviors bias the recreational harvest toward males on the reef complex during the spawning season. This male-biased harvest seems unlikely to pose an undue risk to Lake Erie’s walleye fishery.

To Maintain or Cease Non–Vitamin K Antagonist Oral Anticoagulants Prior to Minimal Bleeding Risk Procedures: A Review of Evidence and Recommendations

For procedures associated with minimal bleeding risk, there are data and experience to support the practice of continuing vitamin K antagonists rather than interrupting therapy, to prevent exposing patients to the undue risk of developing thromboembolism during anticoagulation cessation. Despite the increasing use of non–vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs), there is little evidence to guide the management of these drugs around minimal bleeding risk procedures. This review examines and discusses the major society guidelines and recommendations addressing the management of NOACs around minimal bleeding risk procedures. Additionally, it summarizes the existing evidence, and highlights the gaps in knowledge where evidence is not yet available. Finally, recommendations are made to assist the proceduralist deal with this area of limited evidence.

Against Epistocracy

Jason Brennan has argued that democracy is intrinsically unjust, for it grants voting power to politically incompetent individuals, thus exposing people to an undue risk of harm. He claims democracy should be replaced by epistocracy, i.e., the rule of the knowers. In this paper, I show that his argument fails. First, Brennan mistakes voters’ competence for voters’ trustworthiness. Second, despite Brennan's claim to the contrary, an epistocracy may not reduce people’s exposure to an undue risk of harm. Third, Brennan overlooks the fact that citizens are not equally affected by ‘bad voting.’ Fourth, far from being a defence of libertarian ideals, Brennan's argument supports paternalism.

Online Hate and Hurt: Ethical considerations when online research takes an ugly turn

When conducting online research, a researcher has an ethical obligation to safeguard the community and community members from any undue risk. In November 2014 David Kalac used an internet message board called 4Chan to upload pictures of a deceased woman who he had apparently strangled. In this case it was the users themselves who took the ethical responsibility to report the crime to the relevant authorities. The above is a clear cut case of possible crime that should have been reported by a researcher if they were studying them at the time, however other cases can be more problematic. In October 2015 a user on Tumblr named Zamii070 was bullied into attempting to commit suicide by members of the Steven Universe online community due to their consensus that her fan artwork was not “acceptable”. In a study on the One Direction fandom, fans were seen threatening to throw acid in other’s faces over a disagreement over Harry Style’s new haircut. This paper will discuss the ethical dilemmas and challenges of researching an online community where there is a potential for harm in the real world and a discussion on how to mitigate these circumstances.

Republication of “Acceptability of Behavioral lnterventions Used in Classrooms: The Influence of Amount of Teacher Time, Severity of Behavior Problem, and Type of Intervention”

This article explored factors related to teacher judgments that an intervention is either acceptable or unacceptable for use in typical classroom environments. The acceptability of various interventions was assessed by having 180 preservice and student teachers read case studies involving a classroom intervention and then judging the acceptability of the intervention according to five factors — whether the intervention was considered generally acceptable, whether it posed undue risk to the child, whether it required excessive teacher time, whether it had negative effects on nontarget children, and whether it required such high levels of teacher skill that the typical teacher could not implement it. The major outcomes of the study included: (a) the determination that acceptability of a classroom intervention is not a unitary concept, rather it embodies five components; (b) the construction of a reliable instrument for assessing the acceptability of classroom interventions; and(c) the finding that various interventions differ markedly in their acceptability. Results are discussed in terms of relevance to developing interventions that are effective and yet can be utilized by regular classroom teachers.

Minors and incompetent adults: A tale of two populations

The participation of vulnerable populations in biomedical research—such as minors and incompetent adults—has in the past, and will continue to be a central consideration in bioethics considering they warrant special protections against potential rights violations and exposure to undue risk. These populations, however, should not be excluded from the opportunity to benefit from scientific progress through their research participation. The promises of personalized medicine for improved diagnosis and treatment of pediatric diseases further underscores this pressing need for their inclusion. This chapter provides both a retrospective and prospective analysis of research participation, with a special focus on the involvement of minors and incompetent adults in the data-intensive research typical of personalized medicine and genomic translation. The authors propose reverse vulnerability as one conceptual lens through which to examine the ethical intersectionalities associated with data-intensive research participation within both populations. The chapter includes a discussion of how situational vulnerabilities unfold for minors and incompetent adults while participating in data-intensive research, as well as how these vulnerabilities are implicated in future ethics governance in the post genomic era.