Purpose: To report a case of COVID-19 presenting with acute psychosis, without the hallmark respiratory symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath associated with the novel virus. Case Summary: A 58 year-old male presented with acute psychosis and no symptoms associated with COVID-19. He denied fever, chills, chest pain, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal symptoms. The patient had a medical history of coronary artery disease, chronic hepatitis C, polysubstance abuse (including cocaine and alcohol), liver disease, anxiety, and panic disorder. Patient was confused, disruptive, unable to communicate, and admitted to hallucinations. Prior to transfer to a psychiatric facility, the patient developed a cough, triggering COVID-19 testing and a positive result. He was initially treated with hydroxychloroquine before this was discontinued. The patient was treated with haloperidol and lorazepam before returning to baseline. He was discharged home with continued isolation. Conclusion: Acute psychosis, with or without other symptoms, appears to be a potential presentation of COVID-19 and should be considered by clinicians as a possible presenting manifestation. Other coronaviruses appear to have also been linked to neurological manifestations, including psychosis. Neurological manifestations of the virus vary widely, but have been reported multiple times. Treatment, as shown in this case report, appears to be supportive and symptom based for the associated psychotic symptoms. Optimal antiviral treatment is still yet to be clearly defined, as research continues on how to best treat the virus itself.

In a number of mammalian species, susceptibility to enteric coronavirus infection has been shown to be age-related. This is thought to be associated with enterocyte maturation and receptor protein expression. One of the factors that can influence differentiation and maturation of enterocytes is the availability of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the intestinal lumen. These compounds are by-products of the bacterial fermentation of dietary fiber and serve as the primary energy source for enterocyte metabolism. The overall objective of this dissertation was to evaluate the effects of dietary fiber and short-chain fatty acids on enterocyte differentiation, maturation, and susceptibility to coronavirus infection in turkeys. Initial work involved the development of an indirect immunoperoxidase assay (IPA) for the identification and localization of turkey coronavirus (TCV) in paraffin-embedded, acid-ethanol fixed tissue. IPA was found to be superior to indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA) for this and other diagnostic purposes. To evaluate cellular differentiation and maturation, an SDS-PAGE/immunoblot technique was developed to determine relative levels of villin expression in turkey embryos. Villin is an actin-bound cytoskeletal protein known to be expressed in increasing quantities at the apical surfaces of maturing enterocytes. Villin expression level was found to increase linearly as a function of embryo age. Villin localization was performed by IPA on paraffin-embedded, acid-alcohol fixed tissue. As enterocytes (embryos) matured, villin was found to concentrate at the apical surfaces and eventually at the basolateral membranes. Experiments were also conducted to see what effect in ovo butyrate administration would have on developing embryonic enterocytes. Butyrate has been shown to enhance differentiation of non-neoplastic and neoplastic cells in culture as well as promote healing of damaged intestinal epithelium in human. Villin expression was significantly enhanced in embryos receiving 0.2 and 0.3 M butyrate 36 hours post-administration. Butyrate appeared to enhance villin expression and therefore enterocyte maturation in a dose-dependent manner. Susceptibility of turkey embryos to TCV infection as a function of age and butyrate treatment was investigated as well as epithelial localization of TCV infection in poults. The level of TCV infection of epithelium was found to increase with embryo age between 17 and 23 days. Poults showed higher levels of infection on the distal 2/3 of villi and no evidence of infection in the intestinal crypts. Butyrate administration in 21-day-old embryos followed by TCV inoculation caused a significant increase of the number of infected cells per villus. This data suggested that butyrate might be used as a means to manipulate enterocyte susceptibility to TCV infection. In the final set of experiments, the effects of fiber-fortified poult diets containing 5% cellulose or 5% guar gum on luminal SCFA levels, enterocyte maturation, and TCV infection were investigated. SCFA levels in cecal contents were determined by gas chromatography. Enterocyte maturation was assessed by the determination of villin expression on immunoblot and the severity of TCV infection was determined by IPA and lesion score. Fiber-fortified diets enhanced SCFA production and villin expression, but contrary to embryo studies, TCV infection appeared to be reduced. In general, poults performed better on the diet containing cellulose. Mechanisms regarding the roles of dietary fiber and SCFA in enterocyte differentiation, maturation, and TCV susceptibility are proposed as well as future directions for research. The in ovo and poults system used in this research may serve as models for further investigation of the influences of host and dietary factors on enteric viral infection and recovery. / Ph. D.

Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning belyser patienters erfarenheter av att vårdas till följd av COVID-19. Det framkommer att det finns en rädsla hos patienter att dö av viruset och att det skapar en stor psykisk påfrestning att behöva vårdas i isolering. Trots detta anser patienterna att de får ett gott stöd av sjuksköterskor. Vidare beskrivs en hörigas erfarenheter vilket visar på avsaknad av kommunikation från sjuksköterskor och en rädsla för patienters skalle. Syfte : Syftet var att skapa en översikt över sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda patienter som insjuknat i COVID-19 under pandemin. Metod:Allmän litteraturöversikt som omfattar elva artiklar av kvalitativa ansatser, två artiklar av blandade ansats och en artikel av kvantitativa ansatser som har analyserats utifrån syfte, metod och resultat. Resultat : Jag har identifierat fem teman. Dessa var ”Rädsla för smittan”, ”Utmaningar med skyddsutrustning”, ”Anpassning till en förändrad vårdsituation”, ”Påverkan på sjuksköterskornas hälsa” och ”Att utvecklas genom svårigheter”. Slutsats: Resultatet visade på att sjuksköterskorna är för utanförskap. Omvårdnaden blev lidande då det uppstod tidsbrist som således påverkade sjuksköterskornas fysiska och psykiska hälsa. Skyddsutrustningen påverkade också omvårdnaden och sjuksköterskorna negativt. Även positiva aspekter av pandemin framkom, sjuksköterskorna har utvecklats i deras yrkesroller.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue comparar actitudes y prácticas de los cirujanos dentistas y médicos cirujanos respecto al uso de colutorios orales frente al Virus SARS-CoV-2. Se elaboró un cuestionario en la plataforma para encuestas virtuales Survey Monkey. Respondieron un total de 149 profesionales divididos en 75 cirujanos dentistas y 74 médicos cirujanos. El cuestionario constaba de 2 dimensiones y un total 10 interrogantes representadas en escala tipo Likert con 5 alternativas ordenadas de mayor a menor intensidad, donde la respuesta de menor intensidad valía 1 punto, la de mayor intensidad 5 puntos y respuestas intermedias 2, 3, y 4 puntos respectivamente. Las respuestas finales para dimensión actitudes obtuvieron una valoración final de desfavorable 6-14, regular 15-22 y favorable 23-30. Para la dimensión prácticas obtuvieron una valoración final de desfavorable 4-9, regular 10-15 y favorable 16-20. Se evidenció que en el grupo de los cirujanos dentistas tienen una actitud favorable en el 50.7% a comparación del grupo de los médicos cirujanos con un porcentaje de 33.8%; y con respecto a la dimensión práctica se pudo constatar que los médicos cirujanos tuvieron una práctica favorable en el 13.5%, en contraste al grupo de cirujano dentistas que presentaron una práctica favorable en el 65.3%.

To mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic, unthinkable restrictions and measures were enforced. In a few weeks’ time, the greatest part of the global population went under strict lockdown policies. In this new reality, Italians took advantage of their balconies and started engaging in collective actions of communal and national solidarity. Unable to be outdoors in any other way they reinvented the balcony as the focal point of their everyday interactions in times that called for social distancing and became ‘viral’. Balconies are a common feature in dense urban settings of South Europe, and transformed into an outdoor territory, which demonstrates architectural innovation, bridging dipoles, of interior and exterior, of individual and collective, but mostly of private and public. Given the circumstances, one can provocatively suggest that balconies are public spaces, especially under the scope of pandemic urbanism. Recognizing public spaces as open, publicly accessible places that facilitate popular activities necessary for community building, we introduce balconies as hybrid and heterotopic spaces mediating the private and public realm. Defined by clear and strict borders, yet accessible in terms of sight and sound, balconies potentially create a wider social network within the city, which should be enhanced. In terms of methodology, besides the literature review, ‘on a balconé’ (sic). ‘Balconer’, in French translates to watch closely from a balcony, without taking part in what is happening and such methodological practice complemented the research, by recording direct and indirect personal observations. As a result, an online international survey was conducted in April 2020, open to subjects both having and not having balconies. Firstly, the perception of balconies in general was investigated, along with an effort to map out regular activities and objects that synthesize such places. Moreover, it was explored whether the viral scenes from all over the world were more than a momentum and an ‘Instagrammable’ trend or whether new synergies underlain beyond, especially in the scope of social interactions and solidarity. The research advocates reconsidering balconies as an important element of building structures, especially in cities. Comparing how previous pandemics and diseases shifted urban planning and design principles, it is high time to discuss the proliferation of balconies as a feature of pro-equal societies. Nevertheless, balconies should be understood as spatial manifestations rather than merely architectural typological elements. In that sense, porches, patios, terraces and rooftops bear the same opportunities. Placemaking and urban policies calling for dense public life should start taking into account places that exceed the street level perspective. Finally, in some languages, balcony is a slang word for female breasts. Reversing this metaphor, as breasts are life-giving, balconies also are life-supporting elements of the buildings and of cities and should be regarded as such.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an ongoing disaster that has devasted millions of lives. With the development of COVID-19 vaccines in late 2020, there was a potential for populations to gain artificial active immunity in order to prevent future outbreaks. However, despite successful clinical trials, millions of citizens have been hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccines (Khubchandani et al., 2021). Demographics of the most prominent US vaccine-hesitant populations consist of ethnic/racial minorities and Republicans groups (Khubchandani et al., 2021). Little information is known about COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in colleges and universities. Colleges provide an elevated risk for infection through their communal residencies, the reemergence of campus activities, and continuous travel to home (Sharma et al., 2021). This study explored COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in UCF college students and explored potential pathways to achieve higher vaccination rates. Potentially believed COVID-19 misinformation was also studied. A COVID-19 opinion survey was designed and distributed to the UCF college population. Two hypotheses were made for this study: (1) There is a significant effect on vaccination status among people of different political parties, field of study, living conditions, masking frequency, and scores on the knowledge-based questions portion. (2) There will be a significant effect on knowledge-based scores with political party and field of study. The results were analyzed using Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, or two-way ANOVA on SPSS. The results showed a significant effect on vaccination status in political parties, masking frequency in class, and scores on the knowledge-based survey questions. There was no significance with race/ethnicity and field of study. There was a significant effect on the knowledge-based survey questions with political party and field of study. Potential side effects and the vaccines being seen as ineffective were the top two reasons that students choose not to vaccinate.

The present study seeks to determine the relationship between Terror Management Theory (TMT) and various measures of existential anxiety, future consciousness, and future-oriented thinking. By using TMT as a theoretical construct, a scale was devised to measure participants’ protective behaviors relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three other scales were utilized, including Lalot’s Future Consciousness Scale (FCS), Strathman’s Consideration of Future Consequences Scale (CFCS), and Weems’ Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (EAQ). The scales were combined into one composite survey along with demographic questions. 315 participants were then administered the collection of scales via an only survey platform. Results indicated strong significant correlations between the scale developed and the three other scales utilized. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed the three scales utilized were strong predictor variables of proximal and distal protective behaviors as predicted by TMT. The possibilities for future research include expansion of the knowledge regarding protective behaviors during widespread health issues, and how to design programs to maximize protective behaviors to minimize health risks.

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By reviewing pre-existing academic literature, research, and data (both international and domestic), this report examines information from a variety of sources to contextualize the threat of COVID-19 against the negative consequences of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) response measures. The qualitative and quantitative data in this report highlights costs associated with COVID-19 response measures relative to the threat of COVID-19 and has been collected to inform a Multiple Accounts Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). This report emphasizes the costs associated with NPIs as they relate to physical and mental health, as well as human rights and economic concerns. Overall, a review of available evidence did find a relationship between COVID-19 NPI response measure implementation and negative outcomes. In fact, it remains unclear if NPIs are proportionate or even effective against the risk posed by COVID-19. How NPIs might be optimized (i.e., to reduce the negative effects of their implementation) remains unclear as mild to severe NPI implementation can yield similar outcomes. Following the above analysis, this report provides recommendations to the Government of BC to ensure that COVID-19 response measures are optimized and proposes that a Multiple Accounts CBA of NPI implementation be completed. / Graduate