COVID-19 and persons with disabilities in the Philippines: A policy analysis

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic warrants an immediate response. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are one of the most vulnerable populations susceptible to marginalization. While there are existing guidelines in the Philippines that aim to assist their basic needs, a call for inclusivity in policymaking for the COVID-19 response is highly advocated. This paper aims to analyze existing policy guidelines concerning the welfare of PWDs in the country based on several policy domains. Methods: Relevant documents were acquired through extensive search of government and nongovernment websites and news agencies. Literature included memorandums, circulars, and news bulletins in the period between January 2020 to May 2021. This study conducted a framework analysis on policies enacted by the Philippine government during the COVID-19 pandemic concerning PWDs. The framework was divided into eight areas: access to (1) information, (2)healthcare, (3) education, and (4) financial support, (5) protection from infection in residential settings, (6) reasonable accommodation, (7) consideration for disabled people facing multiple exclusions, and (8) inclusion to decision-making process. Results: Fifteen PWD related COVID-19 response documents from the Philippines were reviewed and analyzed. Most policies corresponded to themes related to financial support and reasonable accommodations. Most documents were limited to proposals and suggestions with only a few documents including specific details on how the program will be implemented and monitored. Conclusion: The state has proven its cognizance for PWDs; however, implementation and its impact remain to be seen. The government needs to evaluate these efforts to identify gaps and barriers. A comprehensive national database should be implemented to centralize registration of PWDs, and efforts should be made to inform and educate PWDs of their rights and of existing programs. Most importantly, PWDs should be included in the discourse and decision-making process to ensure programs are acceptable and accessible

Autoantibodies in COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms: a systematic review

ObjectiveThe long-lasting persistence of autoantibodies stands as one of the hypotheses explaining the multisystemic manifestations seen in individuals with post-COVID-19 condition. The current review offers restricted insights into the persistence of autoantibodies in plasma/serum in people with post-COVID symptoms.MethodsPubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases, as well as on medRxiv and bioRxiv preprint servers were searched up to January 5th, 2024. Papers investigating the presence of autoantibodies in plasma/serum samples in people with post-COVID symptoms were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess methodological quality.ResultsFrom 162 identified records, five articles met all inclusion criteria; four studies included infected controls with no post-COVID symptoms whereas all five studies included non-infected controls (410 COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms, 223 COVID-19 survivors with no post-COVID symptoms as controls and 266 non-infected healthy controls). Four studies concluded that the presence of autoantibodies had a potential (but small) role in post-COVID-19 condition whereas one study concluded that autoantibodies were not associated. Quality assessment showed all studies had high methodological quality.ConclusionAlthough evidence suggests that persistent autoantibodies can be associated with post-COVID symptoms, the clinical relevance of their presence seems modest at this stage. Current results highlight further research to clarify the role of autoantibodies in the development of post-COVID symptoms, guiding the development of tailored diagnostic and treatment approaches to enhance patient outcomes.Systematic review registrationhttps://osf.io/vqz28

COVID-19 and persons with disabilities in the Philippines: A policy analysis

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic warrants an immediate response. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are one of the most vulnerable populations susceptible to marginalization. While there are existing guidelines in the Philippines that aim to assist their basic needs, a call for inclusivity in policymaking for the COVID-19 response is highly advocated. This paper aims to analyze existing policy guidelines concerning the welfare of PWDs in the country based on several policy domains. Methods: Relevant documents were acquired through extensive search of government and nongovernment websites and news agencies. Literature included memorandums, circulars, and news bulletins in the period between January 2020 to May 2021. This study conducted a framework analysis on policies enacted by the Philippine government during the COVID-19 pandemic concerning PWDs. The framework was divided into eight areas: access to (1) information, (2)healthcare, (3) education, and (4) financial support, (5) protection from infection in residential settings, (6) reasonable accommodation, (7) consideration for disabled people facing multiple exclusions, and (8) inclusion to decision-making process. Results: Fifteen PWD related COVID-19 response documents from the Philippines were reviewed and analyzed. Most policies corresponded to themes related to financial support and reasonable accommodations. Most documents were limited to proposals and suggestions with only a few documents including specific details on how the program will be implemented and monitored. Conclusion: The state has proven its cognizance for PWDs; however, implementation and its impact remain to be seen. The government needs to evaluate these efforts to identify gaps and barriers. A comprehensive national database should be implemented to centralize registration of PWDs, and efforts should be made to inform and educate PWDs of their rights and of existing programs. Most importantly, PWDs should be included in the discourse and decision-making process to ensure programs are acceptable and accessible.</jats:p

Effects of Age, Sex, Serostatus and Underlying Comorbidities on Humoral Response Post-SARS-CoV-2 Pfizer-BioNTech Vaccination – A Systematic Review

ABSTRACTWith the advent of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, several vaccines have been developed to mitigate its spread and prevent adverse consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The mRNA technology is an unprecedented vaccine, usually given in two doses to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections. Despite effectiveness and safety, inter-individual immune response heterogeneity has been observed in recipients of mRNA-based vaccines. As a novel disease, the specific immune response mechanism responsible for warding off COVID-19 remains unclear at this point. However, significant evidence suggests that humoral response plays a crucial role in affording immunoprotection and preventing debilitating sequelae from COVID-19. As such this paper focused on the possible effects of age, sex, serostatus, and comorbidities on humoral response (i.e., total antibodies, IgG and/or IgA) of different populations post-mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination. A systematic search of literature was performed through PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Google Scholar. Studies were included if they reported humoral response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. A total of 32 studies was identified and reviewed, and the percent difference of means of reported antibody levels were calculated for comparison. Findings revealed that older individuals, the male sex, seronegativity, and those with more comorbidities mounted less humoral immune response. Given these findings, several recommendations were proposed regarding the current vaccination practices. These include giving additional doses of vaccination for immunocompromised and elderly populations. Another recommendation is conducting clinical trials in giving a combined scheme of mRNA vaccines, protein vaccines, and vector-based vaccines.</jats:p

Effects of age, sex, serostatus, and underlying comorbidities on humoral response post-SARS-CoV-2 Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccination: a systematic review

With the advent of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, several vaccines have been developed to mitigate its spread and prevent adverse consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The mRNA technology is an unprecedented vaccine, usually given in two doses to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections. Despite effectiveness and safety, inter-individual immune response heterogeneity has been observed in recipients of mRNA-based vaccines. As a novel disease, the specific immune response mechanism responsible for warding off COVID-19 remains unclear at this point. However, significant evidence suggests that humoral response plays a crucial role in affording immunoprotection and preventing debilitating sequelae from COVID-19. As such, this paper focused on the possible effects of age, sex, serostatus, and comorbidities on humoral response (i.e. total antibodies, IgG, and/or IgA) of different populations post-mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination. A systematic search of literature was performed through PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, Google Scholar, Science Direct, medRxiv, and Research Square. Studies were included if they reported humoral response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. A total of 32 studies were identified and reviewed, and the percent differences of means of reported antibody levels were calculated for comparison. Findings revealed that older individuals, male sex, seronegativity, and those with more comorbidities mounted less humoral immune response. Given these findings, several recommendations were proposed regarding the current vaccination practices. These include giving additional doses of vaccination for immunocompromised and elderly populations. Another recommendation is conducting clinical trials in giving a combined scheme of mRNA vaccines, protein vaccines, and vector-based vaccines

Flavonoids from Uvaria alba attenuate LPS-induced inflammatory responses by suppressing NF-κB activation in RAW 264.7 macrophages: In silico and in vitro perspectives

Hyperreactive inflammatory response occurs when there is excessive activation of NF-κB leading to a pathologic cascade of inflammatory reactions. Thus, we investigated the inflammatory modulating potentials of the Philippine medicinal endemic plant Uvaria alba. ELISA was initially performed to measure levels of proinflammatory mediators (NO and PGE 2 ) and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), followed by RT-PCR and western blotting to determine mRNA and protein expression, respectively. Using immunofluorescence staining combined with western blot analysis, the activation of NF-κB was further investigated. Putative flavonoids from the bioactive butanol subextract (UaB) were identified using high resolution LC-MS and subjected to in silico screening against COX-1/2, iNOS, TNF-α, TACE, and IKK via molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations at 140 ns. UaB abrogated protein and mRNA expressions of iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 by suppressing the production of proinflammatory mediators and cytokines. Furthermore, UaB attenuated NF-κB activation by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of the transcription factor p65. LC-MS analysis with UaB revealed the presence of flavonol aglycones — quercetin (4) and kaempferol (6) — and their glycosylated derivatives — quercitrin (3), rutin (5), and kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside (7). Molecular docking analysis suggests that the major flavonol aglycones exhibited high affinity towards COX-2 NSAID-binding site, TNF-α and TACE, while the glycosylated flavonoids showed high affinity towards iNOS and IKK. The top protein-ligand complexes were found to be dynamically stable as shown by molecular dynamics simulations. This is the first report highlighting the mechanistic in silico and in vitro anti-inflammatory potential of U. alba

Autoantibodies in COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms: a systematic review

Objective: The long-lasting persistence of autoantibodies stands as one of the hypotheses explaining the multisystemic manifestations seen in individuals with post-COVID-19 condition. The current review offers restricted insights into the persistence of autoantibodies in plasma/serum in people with post-COVID symptoms. Methods: PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases, as well as on medRxiv and bioRxiv preprint servers were searched up to January 5th, 2024. Papers investigating the presence of autoantibodies in plasma/serum samples in people with post-COVID symptoms were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess methodological quality. Results: From 162 identified records, five articles met all inclusion criteria; four studies included infected controls with no post-COVID symptoms whereas all five studies included non-infected controls (410 COVID-19 survivors with post-COVID symptoms, 223 COVID-19 survivors with no post-COVID symptoms as controls and 266 non-infected healthy controls). Four studies concluded that the presence of autoantibodies had a potential (but small) role in post-COVID-19 condition whereas one study concluded that autoantibodies were not associated. Quality assessment showed all studies had high methodological quality. Conclusion: Although evidence suggests that persistent autoantibodies can be associated with post-COVID symptoms, the clinical relevance of their presence seems modest at this stage. Current results highlight further research to clarify the role of autoantibodies in the development of post-COVID symptoms, guiding the development of tailored diagnostic and treatment approaches to enhance patient outcomes