Bringing Research into the Classroom – The Citizen Science approach in schools.

The way science is approached in the classroom can be instrumental in dispelling negative stereotypes about science and scientific research in future generations. The present report looks at the Citizen Science approach as an opportunity to connect schools with the world of research to foster a better command of scientific processes in the young, raise their awareness of current issues faced in certain sectors and geographical regions, and help them make sense of the surrounding world. The purpose of this report is to provide a baseline for understanding the key conditions of successfully implementing citizen science activities in schools. This report is based on three main sources of information: (1) review of recent literature on Citizen Science and its applications in schools; (2) a collection of citizen science case studies selected by educational organisations in four countries (Belgium, Greece, Poland and Spain) and from the Scientix repository of resources; and (3) the discussions between project managers, project representatives and science educators participating in the 14th Science Projects Networking Event (SPNE14), organisedbyScientixwiththecollaborationoffour other organisations and projects – GFOSS, Jet Propulsion Theatre, EDU-ARCTIC and ERIS. The report includes three main sections. The first explores the current literature on citizen science, guided by three main questions: (1) how do we define citizen science, (2) what are the main actors involved in citizen science projects and how do they contribute, and (3) what are the particularities of citizen science activities run in the context of formal education. The second section illustrates 20 citizen science projects, indicating the target audiences and main areas of research covered, as well as a description of the activities, outlining which part of the scientific method is carried out by volunteers, and, when such information is available, descriptions of the roles and interactions between the researchers and citizen scientists. Finally, the third section presents a discussion on the case studies included in the report, with a focus on the main challenges and opportunities of bringing citizen science in schools. The main challenge of running citizen science activities in school which transpired from the literature review and the review of the case studies is the issue of balancing research and educational outcomes. For educational outcomes to be achieved, citizen science projects in schools need to go beyond engaging pupils only in data collection and simple analysis, and look to involving them in meaningful research practices, which will give them the opportunity to develop scientific inquiry skills. On the same line, if genuine science outcomes are to be met, the ‘novice’ scientists (teachers and their students) need to interact with the researchers in order to be exposed to the requirements of the scientific method, and be supported in implementing it. Research suggests that carefully designed projects, created in dialogue between schools (teachers) and researchers which take into consideration the needs and constraints of both groups can successfully achieve both goals.status: Published onlin

Author Correction: Early treatment of COVID-19 with anakinra guided by soluble urokinase plasminogen receptor plasma levels: a double-blind, randomized controlled phase 3 trial (Nature Medicine, (2021), 27, 10, (1752-1760), 10.1038/s41591-021-01499-z)

In the version of this Article initially published, there was an error in the author affiliations. Specifically, affiliation 27, corresponding to author Carlo Selmi, has been corrected from “Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy” to read: “Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy & IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy.” The change has been made to the online version of the Article. © The Author(s) 2021

Early treatment of COVID-19 with anakinra guided by soluble urokinase plasminogen receptor plasma levels: a double-blind, randomized controlled phase 3 trial

Early increase of soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) serum levels is indicative of increased risk of progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to respiratory failure. The SAVE-MORE double-blind, randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of anakinra, an IL-1α/β inhibitor, in 594 patients with COVID-19 at risk of progressing to respiratory failure as identified by plasma suPAR ≥6 ng ml(-1), 85.9% (n = 510) of whom were receiving dexamethasone. At day 28, the adjusted proportional odds of having a worse clinical status (assessed by the 11-point World Health Organization Clinical Progression Scale (WHO-CPS)) with anakinra, as compared to placebo, was 0.36 (95% confidence interval 0.26-0.50). The median WHO-CPS decrease on day 28 from baseline in the placebo and anakinra groups was 3 and 4 points, respectively (odds ratio (OR) = 0.40, P < 0.0001); the respective median decrease of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score on day 7 from baseline was 0 and 1 points (OR = 0.63, P = 0.004). Twenty-eight-day mortality decreased (hazard ratio = 0.45, P = 0.045), and hospital stay was shorter

Effect of anakinra on mortality in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and patient-level meta-analysis

Background: Anakinra might improve the prognosis of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 (ie, patients requiring oxygen supplementation but not yet receiving organ support). We aimed to assess the effect of anakinra treatment on mortality in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Methods: For this systematic review and individual patient-level meta-analysis, a systematic literature search was done on Dec 28, 2020, in Medline (PubMed), Cochrane, medRxiv, bioRxiv, and the ClinicalTrials.gov databases for randomised trials, comparative studies, and observational studies of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, comparing administration of anakinra with standard of care, or placebo, or both. The search was repeated on Jan 22, 2021. Individual patient-level data were requested from investigators and corresponding authors of eligible studies; if individual patient-level data were not available, published data were extracted from the original reports. The primary endpoint was mortality after 28 days and the secondary endpoint was safety (eg, the risk of secondary infections). This study is registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020221491). Findings: 209 articles were identified, of which 178 full-text articles fulfilled screening criteria and were assessed. Aggregate data on 1185 patients from nine studies were analysed, and individual patient-level data on 895 patients were provided from six of these studies. Eight studies were observational and one was a randomised controlled trial. Most studies used historical controls. In the individual patient-level meta-analysis, after adjusting for age, comorbidities, baseline ratio of the arterial partial oxygen pressure divided by the fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2), C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations, and lymphopenia, mortality was significantly lower in patients treated with anakinra (38 [11%] of 342) than in those receiving standard of care with or without placebo (137 [25%] of 553; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0·32 [95% CI 0·20–0·51]). The mortality benefit was similar across subgroups regardless of comorbidities (ie, diabetes), ferritin concentrations, or the baseline PaO2/FiO2. In a subgroup analysis, anakinra was more effective in lowering mortality in patients with CRP concentrations higher than 100 mg/L (OR 0·28 [95% CI 0·17–0·47]). Anakinra showed a significant survival benefit when given without dexamethasone (OR 0·23 [95% CI 0·12–0·43]), but not with dexamethasone co-administration (0·72 [95% CI 0·37–1·41]). Anakinra was not associated with a significantly increased risk of secondary infections when compared with standard of care (OR 1·35 [95% CI 0·59–3·10]). Interpretation: Anakinra could be a safe, anti-inflammatory treatment option to reduce the mortality risk in patients admitted to hospital with moderate to severe COVID-19 pneumonia, especially in the presence of signs of hyperinflammation such as CRP concentrations higher than 100 mg/L. Funding: Sobi. © 2021 Elsevier Lt