Digital Games as Persuasion Spaces for Political Marketing: Joe Biden's Campaign in Fortnite

The aim of this study is to explore how digital entertainment games are used as spaces for political persuasion in electoral campaigns, by examining Joe Biden's use of Fortnite during the campaign for the 2020 US presidential election as a case study. To date, the study of persuasive communication related to games has been mostly focused on persuasive games. This article approaches the use of entertainment games as spaces for persuasive communication answering the research question: How is political marketing - and electoral propaganda specifically - embedded into digital entertainment games? To answer this question, we have analyzed the persuasive dimensions of the Biden-Harris campaign in Fortnite using a qualitative mixed-methods approach that combined the identification and analysis of the persuasive strategies used in the game with a textual analysis of 19 articles discussing the campaign. The results of the analysis of the Biden-Harris campaign in Fortnite show that the persuasive efforts embedded in the game mostly made use of textual persuasion and procedural persuasion, relying largely on goal rules. The results of the textual analysis of the articles show that, although there is an appreciation of how the campaign links political persuasive goals with the challenges presented to the player, the lack of understanding of the persuasive potential of the game results in a gaming experience that in some cases does not meet the expectations of Fortnite’s experienced and demanding players

Feasibility of the 30 s Sit-to-Stand Test in the Telehealth Setting and Its Relationship to Persistent Symptoms in Non-Hospitalized Patients with Long COVID

Fatigue, dyspnea and pain are the main limitations of patients with long COVID. The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility of the 30 s sit-to-stand (30s-STS) test in the telehealth setting and its relationship to persistent symptoms in a sample of non-hospitalized patients with long COVID. A cross-sectional study was conducted in community patients with long COVID. Data collection and assessments were performed by videoconference and consisted of the fatigue assessment scale (FAS), London activity of daily living scale (LCADL), post-COVID-19 functional status (PCFS) and European quality of life questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L), including the pain/discomfort dimension. The 30s-STS test was performed using a standardized protocol adapted for remote use, and the modified Borg scale (0-10) was used to assess dyspnea and lower limb fatigue immediately after the test. The feasibility of the 30s-STS test was assessed by the proportion of eligible participants who were able to complete the test. Safety was assessed by the number of adverse events that occurred during the test. Seventy-nine participants were included (median age: 44 years, 86.1% women). Performance in the 30s-STS test was 11.5 ± 3.2 repetitions with 60.8% of the sample below reference values. All eligible participants were able to complete the test. No adverse events were reported during the evaluation. Participants with lower 30s-STS performance had more fatigue and dyspnea, worse quality of life, more severe pain/discomfort, and worse functional status (p < 0.05). A significant correlation was obtained between LCADL and dyspnea, reported on the Borg scale (0-10) post 30s-STS (r = 0.71; p < 0.001). In conclusion, the 30s-STS test proved to be a feasible test to implement in the telehealth setting and is related to fatigue, dyspnea, quality of life and pain in non-hospitalized patients with long COVID. Clinicians may use this test when assessment of the physical sequelae of COVID-19 in the face-to-face setting is not possible

La Familia Telerín: Connected Learning through Transmedia

Nowadays, transmedia storytelling has shaped new ways to produce children’s content, in which the audience has an increasingly active role (Livingstone and Bovill 2013; Cortesi et al. 2015). The fruition of storytelling content through digital media allows to connect it with personal interests and school activitiesas well as to enhance the link between adults and children (Ito et al. 2013; Jenkins, Īto, and boyd 2015). The main goal of this paper is to analyze the new transmedia release of one the most successful and recognized TV cartoons all over Spain and Latin America: La Familia Telerín. Specifically, we want to discover how the cartoon was re-valued by the production company Anima Kitchen, and understand the role that transmedia storytelling played out in this regard. Adopting a digital anthropology approach (Horst and Miller 2012), our findings come from big data, a focus group and through a virtual ethnography. The findings provide us with a clear understanding about how transmedia storytelling supports social values, media skills and learning activities into the everyday life of children

Contribución de las Redes Sociales a la creación de narrativas transmedia a partir de las series de ficción en Televisión.

Las redes sociales, los foros, chats o blogs son algunos de los objetos culturales que han transformado el modo de “ver televisión” y entran en juego como medios que favorecen y amplían el contenido de ficción de la televisión. Ante esta oportunidad la audiencia ha dejado a un lado su actitud pasiva para participar en la creación de contenidos a través de estos medios digitales, que conectan de forma más directa al usuario y la cadena de televisión. Tomando estas ideas como punto de partida, nos interesa conocer cómo los nuevos medios están presentes no sólo en la vida social de las personas sino también en la interacción con otros medios de comunicación como la televisión. Descubriendo tanto su lenguaje como las formas de expresión y las practicas discursivas, que se derivan de su uso. Para ello se adopta un marco sociocultural, que nos lleva a plantear un estudio de caso a través de un enfoque cualitativo. Analizaremos el modelo de producción generado por TVE de la serie de ficción “Víctor Ros” en la cuál ha utilizado una nueva estrategia basada en los Social Media para potenciar la originalidad de la serie y ofrecer nuevo contenido relacionado con la serie para promover y ampliar el valor activo de la audiencia.Social networks, forums, chats or blogs are some of the cultural objects that have transformed the way of “watching TV” and emerges as a medium to promote and expand the content of television fiction. For this reason, the audience has left aside his passive attitude to participate in the creation of content through digital media, to connect more directly the user and television. Taking these ideas as a starting point, we are interested in how new media are present not only in the social life of people but also in the interaction with other media such as television. Discovering both its language and ways of expression as well as discursive practices, which are derived from their use. According to this, we adopted a sociocultural framework, which leads us to propose a case study through a qualitative approach. We analyze the production model generated by TVE on the drama series “Victor Ros” in which they used a new strategy based on social media to enhance the originality of the series and offer new content related to the show to promote and expand asset value of the audience.post-print2001 K

Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups influence the risk of incident knee osteoarthritis in OAI and CHECK cohorts: a meta-analysis and functional study

Extended report[Abstract] Objective To evaluate the influence of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups in the risk of incident knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to explain the functional consequences of this association to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Methods Two prospective cohorts contributed participants. The osteoarthritis initiative (OAI) included 2579 subjects of the incidence subcohort, and the cohort hip and cohort knee (CHECK) included 635, both with 8-year follow-up. The analysis included the association of mtDNA haplogroups with the rate of incident knee OA in subjects from both cohorts followed by a subsequent meta-analysis. Transmitochondrial cybrids harbouring haplogroup J or H were constructed to detect differences between them in relation to physiological features including specific mitochondrial metabolic parameters, reactive oxygen species production, oxidative stress and apoptosis. Results Compared with H, the haplogroup J associates with decreased risk of incident knee OA in subjects from OAI (HR=0.680; 95% CI 0.470 to 0.968; p<0.05) and CHECK (HR=0.728; 95% CI 0.469 to 0.998; p<0.05). The subsequent meta-analysis including 3214 cases showed that the haplogroup J associates with a lower risk of incident knee OA (HR=0.702; 95% CI 0.541 to 0.912; p=0.008). J cybrids show a lower free radical production, higher cell survival under oxidative stress conditions, lower grade of apoptosis as well as lower expression of the mitochondrially related pro-apoptotic gene BCL2 binding component 3 (BBC3). In addition, J cybrids also show a lower mitochondrial respiration and glycolysis leading to decreased ATP production. Conclusions The physiological effects of the haplogroup J are beneficial to have a lower rate of incident knee OA over time. Potential drugs to treat OA could focus on emulating the mitochondrial behaviour of this haplogroup.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; CIBERCB06/01/0040-SpainInstituto de Salud Carlos III; RETIC-RIER-RD12/0009/0018Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI14/01254Instituto de Salud Carlos III; CP12/0319

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers Withdrawal Is Associated with Higher Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19

Our main aim was to describe the effect on the severity of ACEI (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) and ARB (angiotensin II receptor blocker) during COVID-19 hospitalization. A retrospective, observational, multicenter study evaluating hospitalized patients with COVID-19 treated with ACEI/ARB. The primary endpoint was the incidence of the composite outcome of prognosis (IMV (invasive mechanical ventilation), NIMV (non-invasive mechanical ventilation), ICU admission (intensive care unit), and/or all-cause mortality). We evaluated both outcomes in patients whose treatment with ACEI/ARB was continued or withdrawn. Between February and June 2020, 11,205 patients were included, mean age 67 years (SD = 16.3) and 43.1% female; 2162 patients received ACEI/ARB treatment. ACEI/ARB treatment showed lower all-cause mortality (p < 0.0001). Hypertensive patients in the ACEI/ARB group had better results in IMV, ICU admission, and the composite outcome of prognosis (p < 0.0001 for all). No differences were found in the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events. Patients previously treated with ACEI/ARB continuing treatment during hospitalization had a lower incidence of the composite outcome of prognosis than those whose treatment was withdrawn (RR 0.67, 95%CI 0.63-0.76). ARB was associated with better survival than ACEI (HR 0.77, 95%CI 0.62-0.96). ACEI/ARB treatment during COVID-19 hospitalization was associated with protection on mortality. The benefits were greater in hypertensive, those who continue

Multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase IV–III study to evaluate the efficacy of cloxacillin plus fosfomycin versus cloxacillin alone in adult patients with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia: study protocol for the SAFO trial

SAFO study group and the Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI).[Introduction] Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia is a frequent condition, with high mortality rates. There is a growing interest in identifying new therapeutic regimens able to reduce therapeutic failure and mortality observed with the standard of care of beta-lactam monotherapy. In vitro and small-scale studies have found synergy between cloxacillin and fosfomycin against S. aureus. Our aim is to test the hypothesis that cloxacillin plus fosfomycin achieves higher treatment success than cloxacillin alone in patients with MSSA bacteraemia.[Methods] We will perform a superiority, randomised, open-label, phase IV–III, two-armed parallel group (1:1) clinical trial at 20 Spanish tertiary hospitals. Adults (≥18 years) with isolation of MSSA from at least one blood culture ≤72 hours before inclusion with evidence of infection, will be randomly allocated to receive either cloxacillin 2 g/4-hour intravenous plus fosfomycin 3 g/6-hour intravenous or cloxacillin 2 g/4-hour intravenous alone for 7 days. After the first week, sequential treatment and total duration of antibiotic therapy will be determined according to clinical criteria by the attending physician. Primary endpoints: (1) Treatment success at day 7, a composite endpoint comprising all the following criteria: patient alive, stable or with improved quick-Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, afebrile and with negative blood cultures for MSSA at day 7. (2) Treatment success at test of cure (TOC) visit: patient alive and no isolation of MSSA in blood culture or at another sterile site from day 8 until TOC (12 weeks after randomisation). We assume a rate of treatment success of 74% in the cloxacillin group. Accepting alpha risk of 0.05 and beta risk of 0.2 in a two-sided test, 183 subjects will be required in each of the control and experimental groups to obtain statistically significant difference of 12% (considered clinically significant).[Ethics and dissemination] Ethical approval has been obtained from the Ethics Committee of Bellvitge University Hospital (AC069/18) and from the Spanish Medicines and Healthcare Product Regulatory Agency (AEMPS, AC069/18), and is valid for all participating centres under existing Spanish legislation. The results will be presented at international meetings and will be made available to patients and funders.[Trial registration number] The protocol has been approved by AEMPS with the Trial Registration Number EudraCT 2018-001207-37. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03959345; Pre-results.The SAFO trial is supported by a competitive grant awarded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias at the Spanish government’s National Institute of Health Research, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), (FIS PI17/01116). This study was supported by Plan Nacional de I+D+i 2017–2021 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI RD16/0016/0005).Peer reviewe

Physiotherapists’ ethical behavior in professional practice: a qualitative study

BackgroundIn health professions, ethics is considered a fundamental competence. The increase in clinical autonomy in the field of physiotherapy is associated with an increase in ethical situations in their clinical practice.ObjectiveTo explore the ethics of the clinical relationship between physiotherapists and patients, the ethics training received by physiotherapists, and if in the clinical context, physiotherapists identify the necessary attitudes and apply the ethical recommendations of the profession for the ethical situations they experience.MethodsA qualitative exploratory and descriptive study was performed with physiotherapists. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using content analysis, as proposed by Krippendorf. The study protocol was approved by the University of Valencia Ethics Committee of Human Research.ResultsThis study included 15 physiotherapists (66.66% women, average age = 42.2 years), which was sufficient to reach data saturation. We identified four categories: (i) Ethics of the clinical relationship (ethical values, principles, and norms; type of clinical relationship), (ii) Ethics training received (during the physiotherapy studies; current training of students; low importance of ethics in the curriculum), (iii) Necessary attitudes for professional ethical practice (main attitudes were identified: personal attitudes and professional attitudes); (iv) Experiences from professional practice (general; public sector vs. private sector).ConclusionThe ethics of the clinical relationship between physiotherapists and patients is determined by the attitudes of the practitioner, which are the result of his or her values and previous experiences; and are very centered on ethics of indication (founded mainly on the principles of Beneficence and Non-Maleficence). It is necessary to improve the ethical training received by physiotherapists, which is poorly focused on professional attitudes