Engaging staff to improve COVID-19 vaccination response at long-term care facilities (ENSPIRE): A cluster randomized trial of co-designed, tailored vaccine promotion materials.

Background: COVID-19 vaccination rates among long-term care center (LTCC) workers are among the lowest of all frontline health care workers. Current efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake generally focus on strategies that have proven effective for increasing influenza vaccine uptake among health care workers including educational and communication strategies. Experimental evidence is lacking on the comparative advantage of educational strategies to improve vaccine acceptance and uptake, especially in the context of COVID-19.

Blood flow regulation and oxidative stress during submaximal cycling exercise in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Background: The impact of blood flow regulation and oxidative stress during exercise in cystic fibrosis (CF) has yet to be investigated.

Methods: A maximal graded exercise test was conducted to determine exercise capacity (VO peak) and peak workload in 14 pediatric patients with mild CF (age 14±3y, FEV 93±16 % predicted) and 14 demographically-matched controls. On a separate visit, participants performed submaximal cycling up to 60% of peak workload where brachial artery blood velocity was determined using Doppler ultrasound.

Evidence of vascular endothelial dysfunction in young patients with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that affects not only pulmonary function but also multiple organ systems. The fl ow-mediated dilation (FMD) test is a noninvasive assessment of endothelial function and nitric oxide bioavailability. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine (1) whether endothelial dysfunction is present in young patients with CF and (2) whether endothelial function is associated with pulmonary function and exercise capacity.