217.
Maria Lúcia Teixeira Garcia, Gary Spolander, etc.,
Social Work in Brazil in the Vortex of Three crises: Pandemic, Social and Political, 2022.08.18,
https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjsw/bcac129/6671434?searchresult=1#369428390 .
Social work in Brazil advocates a radical and critical model of social work theorisation and practice. This article explores the Brazilian theoretical and practice model, identifying the profession as being in the vortex of Covid-19, increasing state economic austerity, attacks on previously hard-won progressive social policy and increasing inequality and precarity. This provides a challenging practice environment. The professional re-conceptualisation model proposes that social work needs to fully theorise social difficulties to ensure that the profession intervenes to address the causes of the problems, rather than manifestations underlying them. This is undertaken through aligning itself with working-class conflicts, promoting rights and refusing to accept the rolling back of support already won. The Brazilian framework, located within its social realities, offers an opportunity for social work globally to consider what lessons can be learnt, to recognise the uniqueness of its perspectives and provide solidarity through its recognition.
216.
Alessia Maccaro, Davide Piaggio, etc.,
COVID-19 preparedness and social dynamics in a Sub-Saharan Africa country, Benin, 2022.08.24,
https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/37/4/daac105/6674369?searchresult=1#369637091 .
This project aims to assess and analyse the perception and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Benin. The applied research methodology was interdisciplinary and combined field studies that used ethnographic and social research methods with coding and data analysis, leading to theoretical dilemmas, which were analysed from the viewpoint of bioethical reflection. Furthermore, biomedical engineering approaches were used to assess the preparedness to COVID-19. Despite the preparedness to COVID-19 due to the promoted governmental measures, a peculiar management of the pandemic emerged. The latter, although noteworthy, did not overcome the typical challenges of medical locations in low-resource settings. This, together with the controversial spread of information and local beliefs, caused significant economic and social consequences, exceeding the benefits related to the containment of the virus. This research highlights how the emotion of fear, in this specific situation, was herald of dramatic consequences, rather than having a heuristic and empowering effect.
215.
James Scheibner, Jane Nielsen, Dianne Nicol,
An ethico-legal assessment of intellectual property rights and their effect on COVID-19 vaccine distribution: an Australian case study, 2022.07.12,
https://academic.oup.com/jlb/article/9/2/lsac020/6640316 .
This article posits that Australia, as an affluent country with increasing capacity to manufacture vaccines, has an obligation to assist its regional (and global) counterparts in implementing vaccination programs that protect their populations. First, the article explores the capacity of high-income nations to meet their obligations, assist their neighbours and refrain from vaccine nationalism. This inquiry involves an analysis of the optimal ethical strategy for distributing vaccines globally, and the role that Australia might play in this distribution strategy. Secondly, the article examines the intellectual property landscape for vaccines in Australia, focusing on the patents that cover vaccine compositions and manufacturing techniques (recognizing the potential for know-how and access to materials as well as patents to affect manufacturing capacity). This article then discusses the strategies the Australian Government has at its disposal to counter potential intellectual property impediments whilst complying with existing obligations under the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), as an ethically appropriate response to the pandemic. This article also considers whether a so-called TRIPS waiver could provide better options and concludes that the challenge of compelling disclosure of know-how remains.
214.
Justin C Strickland, Derek D Reed, etc.,
Behavioral economic methods predict future COVID-19 vaccination, 2022.08.25,
https://academic.oup.com/tbm/advance-article/doi/10.1093/tbm/ibac057/6675466?searchresult=1 .
A goal of behavioral science is to develop methods that can predict future behavior to inform preventive health efforts and identify ways people engage in positive health behaviors. Behavioral economic methods apply easy to use and rapid assessment tools to evaluate these mechanisms of health behavior engagement. Here, we show how similar methods can be applied to novel behaviors yet experienced like intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19. We find that responses on a behavioral economic task designed to measure vaccination likelihood closely corresponded to the likelihood of being vaccinated 1 year later. This prediction was above and beyond common predictors of vaccination including demographics like political orientation and age. These findings provide support for these novel methods in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically, and behavioral health, broadly.
213.
Shan Luo, Ying Liang, etc.,
Identifying factors contributing to increased susceptibility to COVID-19 risk: a systematic review of Mendelian randomization studies, 2022.04.20,
https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/51/4/1088/6571699#369253943 .
This review summarizes modifiable factors for intervention (e.g. smoking, obesity and inflammatory factors) and proteomic signatures (e.g. OAS1 and IL-6) that could help identify drugs for treating COVID-19.
212.
Min Gao, Paul Aveyard, etc.,
Association between smoking, e-cigarette use and severe COVID-19: a cohort study, 2022.02.18,
https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/51/4/1062/6531917 .
Current smoking was associated with a reduced risk of severe COVID-19 but the association with e-cigarette use was unclear. All-cause mortality remained higher despite this possible reduction in death from COVID-19 during an epidemic of SARS-CoV-2. Findings support investigating possible protective mechanisms of smoking for SARS-CoV-2 infection, including the ongoing trials of nicotine to treat COVID-19.
211.
Luke Bryant, Robert C Free, etc.,
Cohort Profile: The United Kingdom Research study into Ethnicity and COVID-19 outcomes in Healthcare workers (UK-REACH), 2022.08.27,
https://academic.oup.com/ije/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ije/dyac171/6678066?searchresult=1 .
The UK-REACH cohort was established to understand why ethnic minority healthcare workers (HCWs) are at risk of poorer outcomes from COVID-19 when compared with their White ethnic counterparts in the UK. Through study design, it contains a uniquely high percentage of participants from ethnic minority backgrounds about whom a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data have been collected.
210.
Katrina Perehudoff, Carlos Durán, etc.,
Impact of the European Union on access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review, 2021.10.01 ,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanepe.2021.100219 .
This article illustrates that EU policy makers adopt measures with the potential to influence medicines in LMICs despite limited evidence of their positive and/or negative impact(s). The EU's fragmented internal and external actions in fields related to pharmaceuticals reveal the need for principles for global equitable access to medicines to guide EU policy.
209.
Inés Sananez, Silvina C. Raiden, etc.,
A poor and delayed anti-SARS-CoV2 IgG response is associated to severe COVID-19 in children, 2021.10.10,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103615 .
This study finds out a weak and delayed kinetic of antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 together with a systemic pro-inflammatory profile characterize pediatric severe COVID-19. Because comorbidities are highly prevalent in children with severe COVID-19, further studies are needed to clarify their contribution in the weak antibody response observed in severe disease.
208.
COVIDSurg Collaborative,
Effect of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns on planned cancer surgery for 15 tumour types in 61 countries: an international, prospective, cohort study, 2021.10.05,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00493-9 .
This study finds that cancer surgery systems worldwide were fragile to lockdowns, with one in seven patients who were in regions with full lockdowns not undergoing planned surgery and experiencing longer preoperative delays. Although short-term oncological outcomes were not compromised in those selected for surgery, delays and non-operations might lead to long-term reductions in survival. The resilience of elective surgery systems requires strengthening, which might include protected elective surgical pathways and long-term investment in surge capacity for acute care during public health emergencies to protect elective staff and services.
Chinese Society of International Law, in association with Chinese Institute of International Law at China Foreign Affairs University, and National Center for Foreign-related Rule of Law Research at China Foreign Affairs University
Contact: secretary@bigghgg.cn