Virtual Healthcare Simulation: Implementation, Distractions, and Preferences.

Introduction: Social distancing guidelines related to COVID-19 resulted in many simulation centers temporarily closing or adopting virtual simulation-based education (SBE). This mixed methods study aimed to evaluate our center's readiness to implement virtual SBE, the preferred method of delivery (virtual vs. nonvirtual), and any reported distractions.

Is the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine effective in elderly populations? Results from population data from Bavaria, Germany.

Background: The efficacy of the BioNTech-Pfizer BNT162b2 vaccination in the elderly (≥80 years) could not be fully assessed in the BioNTech-Pfizer trial due to low numbers in this age group. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the BioNTech-Pfizer (BNT162b2) vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe outcomes in octo- and novo-generians in a German state setting.

Methods And Findings: A prospective observational study of 708,187 persons aged ≥80 years living in Bavaria, Germany, was conducted between Jan 9 to Apr 11, 2021.

Influence of Socioeconomic Bias on Emergency Medicine Resident Decision Making and Patient Care.

Introduction: Physician bias impacts clinical decision making, resulting in disparities in patient care. Most existing studies focus on sex and racial bias. This study aimed to investigate disparities in physician decision making among patients of varying socioeconomic status (SES).

Mucin 1, a signal transduction membrane-bound mucin, is present in human disc tissue and is downregulated in vitro by exposure to IL-1ß or TNF-α.

Background: Back pain and disc degeneration have a growing socioeconomic healthcare impact. Mucin 1 (MUC1) is a transmembrane glycoprotein whose extracellular and intracellular domains participate in cellular signaling. Little is currently known about the presence or role of MUC1 in human disc degeneration.

Constitutive expression of IL-22 in the human intervertebral disc and its reduction by exposure to pro-inflammatory cytokines in vitro.

The importance of cytokines in disc degeneration is well recognized. Little is known about IL-22 expression in the human intervertebral disc. We investigated IL-22 immuno-localization in disc tissue, and molecular expression and production of IL-22 by annulus cells cultured in three-dimensional (3D) culture.