COVAD survey 2 long-term outcomes: unmet need and protocol

Vaccine hesitancy is considered a major barrier to achieving herd immunity against COVID-19. While multiple alternative and synergistic approaches including heterologous vaccination, booster doses, and antiviral drugs have been developed, equitable vaccine uptake remains the foremost strategy to manage pandemic. Although none of the currently approved vaccines are live-attenuated, several reports of disease flares, waning protection, and acute-onset syndromes have emerged as short-term adverse events after vaccination. Hence, scientific literature falls short when discussing potential long-term effects in vulnerable cohorts. The COVAD-2 survey follows on from the baseline COVAD-1 survey with the aim to collect patient-reported data on the long-term safety and tolerability of COVID-19 vaccines in immune modulation. The e-survey has been extensively pilot-tested and validated with translations into multiple languages. Anticipated results will help improve vaccination efforts and reduce the imminent risks of COVID-19 infection, especially in understudied vulnerable groups

Modelling the Process of Formation of the Market Position of Agriholdings According to Their Transparency Level

The article is aimed at coverage of the results of research on the formation of market position of agriholdings, operating on the Ukrainian market, taking into consideration the level of transparency of their activities by means of econometric modeling. Topicality of such researches is substantiated. The dynamic econometric models of the stock price, EBITDA, and net income dependence on the level of transparency of activity have been developed and analyzed. The carried out assessment of the respective distributive-lagged provided to draw conclusions about the nature of the dynamics of change of the effect from increasing the level of openness of information on both financial and operational activities in the context of ownership structure and the entitlement of investors, financial transparency and management structure on the performance indicators of agriholdings. The approaches proposed in terms of the carried out research can become the basis for the development of a prospective direction of monitoring the level of transparency of agriholdings, as well as the formation of appropriate targeted programs to reduce the relevant risks that have a direct connection with the promotion of companies in the world market, and the promotion of agricultural development at the national level

The Models for Analysis of Interrelations between the Indicators of Investment Activity and the System of Indicators of Efficiency of Using the Potential of the Regional Meat and Meat Products Market

The aim of the publication is to provide the results of the analysis of existing approaches to the formulation and solution of the problem of evaluating the level of efficiency of using investment, production and consumption components of the potential of the regional market for meat and meat products in the context of its territorial systems as well as development of an own scientific and methodological approach to evaluating and analyzing the linkages between the effectiveness of using the components of the regional market for this food type and its determining factors, based on the development and use of possibilities of applied econometric models. With regard to the available statistical base, taking into account the results of studying management of the food and investment components of economic security, namely the works aimed at determining the indicators of investment activity, investment attractiveness and efficiency of using the investment climate of the territorial systems of the region, the investment attractiveness of economic activities, and the consumer and production potentials of the regional market for meat and meat products, there carried out an appropriate analysis of the effectiveness of the factors facilitating the food component of regional development security based on the evaluation of the parameters of the simulative econometric models

Development of a Highly Efficient Combined Apparatus (a Combination of Vortex Chambers with a Bin) for Dry Dedusting of Gases

The use of dust collectors of a new type which combine the operation principle of centrifugal and louvre-vortex apparatuses was considered. The use of a heterogeneous reactor for gas-solid systems with two streams in a cyclone, a direct-flow cyclone with a chamber of preliminary collision of gas-dust flows, as well as improved designs of vortex chambers was considered.A combined dust collector was presented in a form of the Rankine vortex tube in combination with a bin in which louvre-vortex devices are installed. The combined deduster under study provides an organized supply of a gas-dispersed system at adjustable hydrodynamic conditions to louvre-vortex devices used as the dedusting apparatus. It was assumed that the processes of coagulation of particles under appropriate hydrodynamic conditions as well as partial destruction of harmful gas impurities in a continuous phase will take place in the vortex tube. Thus, development of a substantiated physical model (of a design) of a combined dust collector for specified initial conditions and operability of the design were considered on the basis of theoretical and experimental provisions.It has been established that creation of hydrodynamic conditions in centrifugal devices and pipelines is the most promising direction of increasing the degree of dedusting of a gas-dispersed flow. These conditions must ensure supply of the gas-dispersed system to the centrifugal apparatus to ensure agglomeration of fine particles.Design of a dedusting apparatus in which intense collision of dust particles in a special chamber and their agglomeration and subsequent separation supposed to proceed in a chamber which is actually a cyclone is an expedient and effective solution. It provides the degree of purification of the gas and dust flow at a level of 98–99 % regardless of particle size

Illusionism in Sacred Monumental Painting of the Baroque Era, Optics of Perception

The investigation of the mechanisms of dual influence in a pair “work of art – viewer” opens up important opportunities for the worldview, cultural, aesthetic intentions laid down by the author(s), outlines the ways of transmitting the message to the recipient and assesses the effectiveness. The authors of this article analyse the practices of applying the mechanisms and principles of neuroaesthetics in the perception of baroque monumental paintings and the effects caused by the conscious use of illusory techniques in the duality of relationships. The authors of the article aim to find out the principles of the formation of cognitive and aesthetic connections expressed in specific formal principles-approaches, in the processes of perception of illusionistic baroque painting by the primary addressee-a person of the Baroque era – from the point of view of neuroaesthetics. The methodology refers to the implementing a multidisciplinary approach, based on the synthesis of cultural, anthropological and art research methods. To solve research problems and achieve results, we turn to the functional method and the modelling method, thanks to which defining effective models of interaction in the pair “work of art – recipient” and modes of functioning of consciousness when generating a pictorial image

Delayed adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination in patients with systemic sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases: a substudy of the COVAD-2 cohort

Data on short-term safety of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) were explored previously in the first COVID-19 vaccination in autoimmune diseases (COVAD) survey conducted in 2021. However, delayed adverse events (ADEs) (occurring > 7 days post-vaccination) are poorly characterized in these patients with SSc. In this study, we analysed delayed COVID-19 vaccine-related ADEs among patients with SSc, other systemic autoimmune and inflammatory disorders (SAIDs) and healthy controls (HCs) using data from the second COVAD study conducted in 2022. The COVAD-2 study was a cross-sectional, patient self-reported global e-survey conducted from February to June 2022. Data on demographics, SSc/SAID disease characteristics, COVID-19 infection history, and vaccination details including delayed ADEs as defined by the Centre for Disease Control were captured and analysed. Among 17,612 respondents, 10,041 participants fully vaccinated against COVID-19 were included for analysis. Of these, 2.6% (n = 258) had SSc, 63.7% other SAIDs, and 33.7% were HCs. BNT162b2 Pfizer (69.4%) was the most administered vaccine, followed by MRNA-1273 Moderna (32.25%) and ChadOx1 nCOV-19 Oxford/AstraZeneca (12.4%) vaccines. Among patients with SSc, 18.9% reported minor, while 8.5% experienced major delayed ADEs, and 4.6% reported hospitalization. These frequencies were comparable to those of the ADEs reported by other patients with SAIDs and HCs. However, patients with SSc reported a higher frequency of difficulty in breathing than HCs [OR 2.3 (1.0-5.1), p = 0.042]. Patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc experienced minor ADEs [OR 2.1 (1.1-4.4), p = 0.036] and specifically fatigue more frequently [OR 3.9 (1.3-11.7), p = 0.015] than those with limited cutaneous SSc. Systemic sclerosis patients with concomitant myositis reported myalgia more frequently [OR 3.4 (1.1-10.7), p = 0.035], while those with thyroid disorders were more prone to report a higher frequency of joint pain [OR 5.5 (1.5-20.2), p = 0.009] and dizziness [OR 5.9 (1.3-27.6), p = 0.024] than patients with SSc alone. A diagnosis of SSc did not confer a higher risk of delayed post-COVID-19 vaccine-related ADEs overall compared with other SAIDs and HCs. However, the diffuse cutaneous phenotype and coexisting autoimmune conditions including myositis and thyroid disease may increase the risk of minor ADEs. These patients may benefit from pre-vaccination counselling, close monitoring, and early initiation of appropriate care in the post-COVID-19 vaccination period

Maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy disrupts gene expression in Hofbauer cells with limited impact on cytotrophoblasts.

BackgroundHofbauer cells (HBCs) and cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) are major cell populations in placenta. The indirect impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 disease on these cells that are not directly infected has not been extensively studied. Herein, we profiled gene expression in HBCs and CTBs isolated from placentae of recovered pregnant subjects infected with SARS-CoV-2 during all trimesters of pregnancy, placentae from subjects with active infection, SARS-CoV-2 vaccinated subjects, and those who were unexposed to the virus.MethodsPlacentae were collected within 4 h post-delivery and membrane-free tissues were enzymatically digested for the isolation of HBCs and CTBs. RNA extracted from HBCs and CTBs were sequenced using 150bp paired-end reads. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by DESeq2 package in R and enriched in GO Biological Processes, KEGG Pathway, Reactome Gene Sets, Hallmark Gene Sets, and Canonical Pathways. Protein-protein interactions among the DEGs were modelled using STRING and BioGrid.ResultsPregnant subjects (n = 30) were recruited and categorized into six groups: infected with SARS-CoV-2 in i) the first (1T, n = 4), ii) second (2T, n = 5), iii) third (3T, n = 5) trimester, iv) tested positive at delivery (Delivery, n = 5), v) never infected (Control, n = 6), and vi) fully mRNA-vaccinated by delivery (Vaccinated, n = 5). Compared to the Control group, gene expression analysis showed that HBCs from infected subjects had significantly altered gene expression profiles, with the 2T group having the highest number of DEGs (1,696), followed by 3T and 1T groups (1,656 and 958 DEGs, respectively). These DEGs were enriched for pathways involved in immune regulation for host defense, including production of cytokines, chemokines, antimicrobial proteins, ribosomal assembly, neutrophil degranulation inflammation, morphogenesis, and cell migration/adhesion. Protein-protein interaction analysis mapped these DEGs with oxidative phosphorylation, translation, extracellular matrix organization, and type I interferon signaling. Only 95, 23, and 8 DEGs were identified in CTBs of 1T, 2T, and 3T groups, respectively. Similarly, 11 and 3 DEGs were identified in CTBs and HBCs of vaccinated subjects, respectively. Reassuringly, mRNA vaccination did not induce an inflammatory response in placental cells.ConclusionsOur studies demonstrate a significant impact of indirect SARS-CoV-2 infection on gene expression of inner mesenchymal HBCs, with limited effect on lining CTB cells isolated from pregnant subjects infected and recovered from SARS-CoV-2. The pathways associated with these DEGs identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention