Longitudinal Speckle Tracking Strain Abnormalities in Chagas Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCM) is ranked among heart failure etiologies with the highest mortality rates. CCM is characterized by alterations in left ventricular function with a typical and unique pattern of myocardial involvement. Left ventricle longitudinal speckle tracking strain is emerging as an important additive method for evaluating left ventricular function and risk of future cardiovascular events. This systematic review aimed to characterize the left ventricle (LV) longitudinal strain by speckle tracking patterns in the different stages of Chagas disease, compared to healthy controls. METHODS Searches in Medline, EMBASE, and LILACS databases (from inception to 20 May 2021) were performed. Articles written in any language that assessed patients with Chagas disease and reported any measures derived from the left ventricular strain by speckle tracking were included. Two reviewers independently selected the studies, extracted the data, and assessed the quality of evidence. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were pooled using random-effects meta-analyses. RESULTS Of 1044 references, ten studies, including a total of 1222 participants (CCM: 477; indeterminate form: 444; healthy controls: 301), fulfilled the selection criteria and were included in the final analysis. Patients with CCM had a significantly higher mean global longitudinal strain (GLS) value than indeterminate form (IF) patients (SMD 1.253; 95% CI 0.53, 1.98. I2 = 94%), while no significant difference was observed between IF patients and healthy controls (SMD 0.197; 95% CI -0.19, 0.59. I2 = 80%). Segmental strain analyses revealed that patients with the IF form of CD had significantly worse strain values in the basal-inferoseptal (SMD 0.49; 95% CI 0.24, 0.74. I2: 24%), and mid-inferoseptal (SMD 0.28; 95% CI 0.05, 0.50. I2: 10%) segments compared to healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest different levels of functional derangements in myocardial function across different stages of Chagas disease. Further research is needed to assess the prognostic role of LV longitudinal strain and other measures derived from speckle tracking in CD patients regarding progression to cardiomyopathy and clinical outcomes prediction

The effect of comorbidities on glycemic control among Colombian adults with diabetes mellitus: a longitudinal approach with real-world data

Background: Achieving an optimal glycemic control has been described to reduce the incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) related complications. The association between comorbidities and glycemic control remains unclear. Our aim is to evaluate the effect of comorbidities on glycemic control in people living with DM. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal study on data from the National Registry of Chronic Kidney Disease from 2014 to 2019 in Colombia. The outcome was poor glycemic control (PGC = HbA1c ≥7.0%). The association between each comorbidity (hypertension (HTN), chronic kidney disease (CKD) or obesity) and PGC was evaluated through multivariate mixed effects logistic regression models. The measures of effect were odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). We also evaluated the main associations stratified by gender, insurance, and early onset diabetes as well as statistical interaction between each comorbidity and ethnicity. Results: From 969,531 people at baseline, 85% had at least one comorbidity; they were older and mostly female. In people living with DM and CKD, the odds of having a PGC were 78% (OR: 1.78, CI 95%: 1.55-2.05) higher than those without CKD. Same pattern was observed in obese for whom the odds were 52% (OR: 1.52, CI 95%: 1.31-1.75) higher than in non-obese. Non-significant association was found between HTN and PGC. We found statistical interaction between comorbidities and ethnicity (afro descendant) as well as effect modification by health insurance and early onset DM. Conclusions: Prevalence of comorbidities was high in adults living with DM. Patients with concomitant CKD or obesity had significantly higher odds of having a PGC

Efficacy of phage therapy in preclinical models of bacterial infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Antimicrobial resistance of bacterial pathogens is an increasing clinical problem and alternative approaches to antibiotic chemotherapy are needed. One of these approaches is the use of lytic bacterial viruses known as phage therapy. We aimed to assess the efficacy of phage therapy in preclinical animal models of bacterial infection. METHODS In this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE/Ovid, Embase/Ovid, CINAHL/EbscoHOST, Web of Science/Wiley, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to Sept 30, 2021. Studies assessing phage efficacy in animal models were included. Only studies that assessed the efficacy of phage therapy in treating established bacterial infections in terms of survival and bacterial abundance or density were included. Studies reporting only in-vitro or ex-vivo results and those with incomplete information were excluded. Risk-of-bias assessment was performed using the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation tool. The main endpoints were animal survival and tissue bacterial burden, which were reported using pooled odds ratios (ORs) and mean differences with random-effects models. The I2 measure and its 95% CI were also calculated. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022311309. FINDINGS Of the 5084 references screened, 124 studies fulfilled the selection criteria. Risk of bias was high for 70 (56%) of the 124 included studies; therefore, only studies classified as having a low-to-moderate risk of bias were considered for quantitative data synthesis (n=32). Phage therapy was associated with significantly improved survival at 24 h in systemic infection models (OR 0·08 [95% CI 0·03 to 0·20]; I2=55% [95% CI 8 to 77]), skin infection (OR 0·08 [0·04 to 0·19]; I2 = 0% [0 to 79]), and pneumonia models (OR 0·13 [0·06 to 0·31]; I2=0% [0 to 68]) when compared with placebo. Animals with skin infections (mean difference -2·66 [95% CI -3·17 to -2·16]; I2 = 95% [90 to 96]) and those with pneumonia (mean difference -3·35 [-6·00 to -0·69]; I2 = 99% [98 to 99]) treated with phage therapy had significantly lower tissue bacterial loads at 5 ± 2 days of follow-up compared with placebo. INTERPRETATION Phage therapy significantly improved animal survival and reduced organ bacterial loads compared with placebo in preclinical animal models. However, high heterogeneity was observed in some comparisons. More evidence is needed to identify the factors influencing phage therapy performance to improve future clinical application. FUNDING Swiss National Foundation and Swiss Heart Foundation

Comunicación e interacción familiar por videollamadas: reflexión ante la pandemia COVID-19

Objetivo: describir los cuidados de enfermería para el mantenimiento de la comunicación e interacción familiar durante la hospitalización y aislamiento, mediante el uso de videollamadas. Síntesis de contenido: los diagnósticos de enfermería “disposición para mejorar los procesos familiares” y “riesgo de soledad” se sugieren dados por los factores de riesgo o condiciones presentes en los pacientes y su familias ante un proceso de hospitalización u aislamiento: deseos de mejorar el patrón de comunicación y la resiliencia familiar, mejorar la adaptación de la familia a los cambios, aislamiento físico y social y la deprivación afectiva y emocional. También, se describen las intervenciones de enfermería “mantenimiento de los procesos familiares”, “aumentar los sistemas de apoyo”, “fomentar la implicación familiar”, “estimulación de la integridad familiar” y “apoyo espiritual”, ordenadas en 4 fases según el proceso de implementación sugerido para realizar las videollamadas, enunciando las recomendaciones basadas en la literatura con su correspondiente fuente bibliográfica. Consideraciones finales: la situación actual de la pandemia dejó en mayor evidencia el déficit de interacción y comunicación familiar de los pacientes que requieren aislamiento e incluso en los que pasan por un proceso de hospitalización común; el personal de salud se ha visto en la necesidad de mantener y potencializar el vínculo familiar. Este artículo presenta recomendaciones basadas en la literatura científica para facilitar la implementación de las videollamadas como un cuidado de enfermería al momento de reducir distancias entre los pacientes y sus familias.Objetivo: describir los cuidados de enfermería para el mantenimiento de la comunicación e interacción familiar durante la hospitalización y aislamiento, mediante el uso de videollamadas. Síntesis de contenido: los diagnósticos de enfermería “disposición para mejorar los procesos familiares” y “riesgo de soledad” se sugieren dados por los factores de riesgo o condiciones presentes en los pacientes y su familias ante un proceso de hospitalización u aislamiento: deseos de mejorar el patrón de comunicación y la resiliencia familiar, mejorar la adaptación de la familia a los cambios, aislamiento físico y social y la deprivación afectiva y emocional. También, se describen las intervenciones de enfermería “mantenimiento de los procesos familiares”, “aumentar los sistemas de apoyo”, “fomentar la implicación familiar”, “estimulación de la integridad familiar” y “apoyo espiritual”, ordenadas en 4 fases según el proceso de implementación sugerido para realizar las videollamadas, enunciando las recomendaciones basadas en la literatura con su correspondiente fuente bibliográfica. Consideraciones finales: la situación actual de la pandemia dejó en mayor evidencia el déficit de interacción y comunicación familiar de los pacientes que requieren aislamiento e incluso en los que pasan por un proceso de hospitalización común; el personal de salud se ha visto en la necesidad de mantener y potencializar el vínculo familiar. Este artículo presenta recomendaciones basadas en la literatura científica para facilitar la implementación de las videollamadas como un cuidado de enfermería al momento de reducir distancias entre los pacientes y sus familias

Plano de cuidados de enfermagem para a prevenção de úlceras por pressão secundárias à posição prona em pacientes com COVID-19

Abstract Introduction: Prone position (PP) is a therapeutic alternative widely used and recommended in patients with COVID-19. Although PP is a non-invasive procedure, it is complex and could be associated with complications such as the development of pressure ulcers (PU). We aimed to propose a standardized nursing care plan in terms of NANDA-International, NIC (Nursing Interventions Classification) and NOC (Nursing Outcomes Classification) to prevent PU secondary to the PP in people with COVID-19. Content synthesis: In patients with COVID-19, in addition to risk factors such as advanced age and the presence of comorbidities, PP contributes to the presence of pressure ulcer risk nursing diagnoses [00249], of deterioration of skin [00047] and tissue [00248] integrity. On the other hand, the nursing intervention for the prevention of pressure ulcers [3540], due to the specificity and scientific basis of its activities, is key to minimize the development of this complication, improve the quality of care and the prognosis in this type of patients. Finally, to evaluate the effectiveness of nursing care, we propose the nursing results (NOC): consequences of immobility: physiological [0204] and tissue integrity: skin and mucous membranes [1101]. Conclusion: PP is a recommended adjunctive therapy for the management of critically ill COVID-19 patients due to its benefits to improve lung function. However, it is associated with adverse effects such as PU. This article presents recommendations based on a narrative review for a better implementation of preventive nursing care that reduces the frequency of PU in this population. How to cite this article: Rojas LZ, Mora Rico LA, Acosta Barón JV, Cristancho Zambrano LY, Valencia Barón YD, Hernández Vargas JA. Plan de cuidados de enfermería para la prevención de úlceras por presión secundarias a la posición prono en pacientes COVID-19. Revista Cuidarte. 2021;12(3):e2234. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.2234  Resumen Introducción: La posición prono (PP) es una alternativa terapéutica ampliamente recomendada e implementada en los pacientes con COVID-19. Sin embargo, aunque es un procedimiento no invasivo, es complejo y se asocia con eventos adversos como las úlceras por presión (UPP). Nuestro objetivo es proponer un plan de cuidados de enfermería basado en el lenguaje estandarizado NANDA-I, NIC, NOC para la prevención de las UPP secundarias a la PP en la enfermedad de COVID-19. Síntesis del contenido: En los pacientes con COVID-19, además de factores de riesgo propios del paciente como la edad avanzada y la presencia de comorbilidades, la PP contribuye a la presencia de los diagnósticos de enfermería de riesgo de úlcera por presión [00249], de deterioro de la integridad cutánea [00047] y tisular [00248].  Por su parte, la intervención de enfermería prevención de úlceras por presión [3540], es clave para minimizar el desarrollo de esta complicación, mejorar la calidad de la atención y el pronóstico en este tipo de pacientes. Finalmente, para determinar la efectividad del cuidado de enfermería se proponen los resultados NOC consecuencias de la inmovilidad: fisiológicas [0204] e integridad tisular: piel y membranas mucosas [1101]. Conclusión: La PP es una terapia coadyuvante  recomendada para el manejo de los pacientes con COVID-19 críticamente enfermos, debido a que optimiza la función pulmonar, sin embargo está asociada a eventos adversos como las UPP. Este artículo presenta recomendaciones basadas en una revisión narrativa para facilitar la implementación de cuidados de enfermería preventivos que reduzcan su frecuencia en esta población. Cómo citar este artículo: Rojas LZ, Mora Rico LA, Acosta Barón JV, Cristancho Zambrano LY, Valencia Barón YD, Hernández Vargas JA. Plan de cuidados de enfermería para la prevención de úlceras por presión secundarias a la posición prono en pacientes COVID-19. Revista Cuidarte. 2021;12(3):e2234. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.2234Resumo Introdução: A posição prona (PP) é uma alternativa terapéutica amplamente recomendada e implementada em pacientes com COVID-19. No entanto, embora seja um procedimento não invasivo, é complexo e está associado a eventos adversos, como úlceras por pressão (UP). Nosso objetivo é propor um plano de cuidados de enfermagem baseado na linguagem padronizada NANDA-I, NIC, NOC para a prevenção de UP secundárias à PP na doença COVID-19. Síntese de conteúdo: Em pacientes com COVID-19, além dos próprios fatores de risco do paciente, como idade avançada e presença de comorbidades, a PP contribui para a presença de diagnósticos de enfermagem de risco de úlcera por pressão [00249], de deterioração da pele [00047] e do tecido Integridade. Por sua vez, a intervenção de enfermagem na prevenção de úlceras por pressão [3540] é fundamental para minimizar o desenvolvimento desta complicação, melhorar a qualidade da assistência e o prognóstico neste tipo de paciente. Por fim, para determinar a eficácia da assistência de enfermagem, são propostos os resultados da NOC, consequências da imobilidade: fisiológicas [0204] e integridade do tecido: pele e mucosas [1101]. Conclusão: PP é uma terapia adjuvante recomendada para o tratamento de pacientes graves com COVID-19, pois otimiza a função pulmonar, porém está associada a eventos adversos, como UP. Este artigo apresenta recomendações baseadas em revisão narrativa para facilitar a implementação de cuidados preventivos de enfermagem que reduzam sua frequência nesta população. Como citar este artigo: Rojas LZ, Mora Rico LA, Acosta Barón JV, Cristancho Zambrano LY, Valencia Barón YD, Hernández Vargas JA. Plan de cuidados de enfermería para la prevención de úlceras por presión secundarias a la posición prono en pacientes COVID-19. Revista Cuidarte. 2021;12(3):e2234. http://dx.doi.org/10.15649/cuidarte.223

Two cosmoses, one universe: a narrative review exploring the gut microbiome's role in the effect of urban risk factors on vascular ageing

In the face of rising global urbanisation, understanding how the associated environment and lifestyle impact public health is a cornerstone for prevention, research, and clinical practice. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with urban risk factors contributing greatly to its burden. The current narrative review adopts an exposome approach to explore the effect of urban-associated physical-chemical factors (such as air pollution) and lifestyle on cardiovascular health and ageing. In addition, we provide new insights into how these urban-related factors alter the gut microbiome, which has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. We focus on vascular ageing, before disease onset, to promote preventative research and practice. We also discuss how urban ecosystems and social factors may interact with these pathways and provide suggestions for future research, precision prevention and management of vascular ageing. Most importantly, future research and decision-making would benefit from adopting an exposome approach and acknowledging the diverse and boundless universe of the microbiome

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality