IL-1β-driven NF-κB transcription of ACE2 as a Mechanism of Macrophage Infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by infection with the enveloped RNA betacoronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, led to a global pandemic involving over 7 million deaths. Macrophage inflammatory responses impact COVID-19 severity; however, it is unclear whether macrophages are infected by SARS-CoV-2. We sought to identify mechanisms regulating macrophage expression of ACE2, the primary receptor for SARS-CoV-2, and to determine if macrophages are susceptible to productive infection.

"I think her life got so much better": parents' perceptions of children's quality of life following treatment of tracheomalacia with aortopexy.

Background: Aortopexy is a procedure to reduce pressure on the trachea in children with severe tracheomalacia. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has not been studied in children who have undergone aortopexy; we aimed to explore parents' perceptions of their child's HRQoL before and after aortopexy.

Methods: Parents of children < 18 years who underwent aortopexy at a quaternary specialist centre were purposively sampled and invited to participate in a semi-structured interview.

Grand (meta) challenges in planetary health: environmental, social, and cognitive.

The term "planetary health", coined in the 1970s, arose from planetary consciousness, stimulated in part by the dawn of the space age, and commensurate recognition that our species faces extraordinary obstacles ("limits to growth") if it is to fulfil its promise. While such awareness was then widely suppressed, awareness is reviving, driven by the now obvious perils, not only of climate change but also from weaponization and national aggression. Our neoliberal society (including in academic circles) has inappropriately rewarded articles and researchers that are biased toward optimism.

Stigma relating to tuberculosis infection prevention and control implementation in rural health facilities in South Africa - a qualitative study outlining opportunities for mitigation.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a stigmatised disease with intersectional associations with poverty, HIV, transmission risk and mortality. The use of visible TB infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, such as masks or isolation, can contribute to stigma.

Methods: To explore stigma in this condition, we conducted in-depth individual interviews with 18 health workers and 15 patients in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa using a semi-structured interview guide and narrative approach.