Psychosocial Morbidity and its Correlates in Cancer Patients of the Mediterranean Area: Findings from the Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study

BACKGROUND: A few and partial data are available on psychosocial morbidity among cancer patients in Mediterranean countries. As a part of a more general investigation (Southern European Psycho-Oncology Study-SEPOS), the rate of psychosocial morbidity and its correlation with clinical and cultural variables were examined in cancer patients in Italy, Portugal and Spain. METHODS: A convenience sample of cancer outpatients with good performance status and no cognitive impairment were approached. The Hospital Anxiety-Depression scale (HAD-S), the Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer scale (Mini-MAC), and the Cancer Worries Inventory (CWI) were used to measure psychological morbidity, coping strategies and concerns about illness. RESULTS: Of 277 patients, 34% had pathological scores ("borderline cases" plus "true cases") on HAD-S Anxiety and 24.9% on HAD-S Depression. Total psychiatric "caseness" was 28.5% and 16.6%, according to different HAD cut-offs (14 and 19, respectively). Significant relationships of HAD-S Anxiety, HAD-S Depression, HAD-S Total score, with Mini-MAC Hopeless and Anxious Preoccupation, and CWI score were found. No differences emerged between countries on psychosocial morbidity, while some differences emerged between the countries on coping mechanisms. Furthermore, Fatalism, Avoidance and marginally Hopeless were higher compared to studies carried out in English-speaking countries. LIMITATIONS: The relatively small sample size and the good performance status prevent us to generalize data on patients with different cancer sites and advanced phase of illness. CONCLUSIONS: One-third of the patients presented anxiety and depressive morbidity, with significant differences in characteristics of coping in Mediterranean countries in comparison with English-speaking countries

Essentiality of Small Business Owners Neuroticism, and Extroversion with the Influence on Macroeconomy and Bank Risk Microloans in the United States

This study addressed the perceived negative individual characteristics that may precipitate failure of small business owners in securing microloans. The purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental, correlational study is to examine how the neuroticism, and extroversion of small business owners relate to their ability to secure microloans for their business needs in the United States. Goldberg’s Big Two Theory provided a framework for the study, which included a quantitative, survey-based correlational desig

Gender, mental health and resilience in armed conflict: listening to life stories of internally displaced women in Colombia

For over 60 years, Colombia has endured violent civil conflict forcibly displacing more than 8 million people. Recent efforts have begun to explore mental health consequences of these contexts, with an emphasis on national surveys. To date few Colombian studies explore mental health and well-being from a lived experience perspective. Those that do, overlook processes that enable survival. In response to this gap, we conducted a life history study of seven internally displaced Colombian women in the Cundinamarca department, analysing 18 interview sessions and 36 hours of transcripts. A thematic network analysis, informed by Latin-American perspectives on gender and critical resilience frameworks, explored women’s coping strategies in response to conflict-driven hardships related to mental well-being. Analysis illuminated that: (1) the gendered impacts of the armed conflict on women’s emotional well-being work through exacerbating historical gendered violence and inequality, intensifying existing emotional health challenges, and (2) coping strategies reflect women’s ability to mobilise cognitive, bodied, social, material and symbolic power and resources. Our findings highlight that the sociopolitical contexts of women’s lives are inseparable from their efforts to achieve mental well-being, and the value of deep narrative and historical work to capturing the complexity of women’s experiences within conflict settings. We suggest the importance of social interventions to support the mental health of women in conflict settings, in order to centre the social and political contexts faced by such marginalised groups within efforts to improve mental health

Acute Aseptic Meningoencephalitis due to COVID-19 in an Otherwise Healthy Patient: A Case Report

Several studies have shown the extrapulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. Although extrapulmonary manifestation to the heart, kidney, blood, and skin are common, neurological and cerebrovascular manifestations are rare with most of these cases being described in patients who also have the pulmonary manifestation of the disease. Here we present the case of an 18 year-old male with no prior history of respiratory symptoms who presented to the emergency department with altered mental status. Neurology was consulted and the patient was started empirical on ceftriaxone, vancomycin, dexamethasone, and acyclovir for meningoencephalitis. Urine drug screen, head CT, and brain MRI were negative. EEG revealed mild generalized slowing without epileptiform abnormalities. CSF analysis revealed RBC 2,230 (spun: clear, colorless), WBC 84 (segs 2%, lymphocytes 96%, monocytes 2%), protein 112 mg/dL, glucose 69 mmol/L, and gram stain with no polyps or organisms seen. CSF meningoencephalitis PCR panel for 14 common pathogens was negative. Due to recent contact with co-workers who tested positive, nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV2 PCR was ordered and it returned positive. This patient was diagnosed with acute aseptic meningoencephalitis due to COVID-19 and the vancomycin, ceftriaxone and acyclovir were discontinued. Patient’s encephalopathy improved and he was discharged home on oral steroids

Behavior of Clayey Soil Existing in the Portoviejo Canton and Its Neutralization Characteristics

An investigation has been carried out on soil characterization and behavior in the canton of Portoviejo province of Manabí, in the Eloy Alfaro street sector of the Andrés de Vera Parish; where pits or open-air surveys were carried out and experimental laboratory tests of soils. It was demonstrated that soils have expansive properties of different characteristics, from medium to high degree of expansively according to the results of Laboratory of Soil Mechanics, where samples were tested analyzing the behavior according to the soil type. In this context, the results obtained by incorporating lime into the mixture are presented in 3 and 6%, thus obtaining a reduction by contraction to the volumetric change of the soil between 8 and 13%, allowing to improve its physical and mechanical properties; as well as its increase to bearing capacity by the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) test method from 9 to 16%, thus improving soil plasticity. With the results obtained, a description of the soil could be elaborated to determine the variations and changes according to the lime content, which was added to the soil, which allowed to reduce the deformations and damages caused to the superficial and structural pavement caused by the clays expansive, because in contact with the water the soil expands and at the same time when it drains the water contracts, proving that stabilizing the expansive clays with hydrated lime would improve the conditions of the pavement and its useful life

Caracterización del perfil aromático de pisco de Perú de la variedad Quebranta por ctromatografía de gases-olfatometría y análisis químico

Veintiuna muestras de pisco comercial elaboradas a partir de uvas de la variedad Quebranta en cuatro de las mayores regiones pisqueras de Perú han sido analizadas por Cromatografía de Gases-Olfatometría (GC-O) y análisis químico cuantitativo (GC-FID y GC-MS). El estudio olfatométrico ha revelado que el pisco peruano de la variedad de uva Quebranta posee un perfil aromático relativamente sencillo formado por 22 odorantes, (todos ellos se han podido identificar sin problema). La mayoría de estos odorantes detectactos están relacionados con la fermentación, con alguna excepción, como es el caso del guaiacol, la -damascenona, el geraniol y el linalool, que proceden de las uvas. El análisis químico de los compuestos volátiles de estas muestras ha mostrado un perfil volátil típico de un destilado de vino, con niveles no muy altos pero perceptibles de linalool, geraniol y -damascenona. Aunque cabe destacar que estas muestras de pisco han presentado niveles muy superiores de -feniletanol, isobutanal y acetato de etilo que los encontrados en otros destilados del vino, como grappas y orujos. Algunas de las muestras analizadas contienen también muy altas cantidades de acetato de -feniletilo (hasta 13 μg L-1), que surge como un compuesto aromático clave potencialmente responsable de las diferencias sensoriales entre muestras. De hecho, los bajos niveles de este compuesto, junto con los también bajos niveles de -feniletanol, -damascenona y linalool pueden explicar las diferencias encontradas desde el punto de vista sensorial entre los piscos de la región de Moquegua y el resto. En general, las diferencias vinculadas a la distribución geográfica no son muy grandes, aunque los resultados sugieren que podría ser suficiente para su clasificación

COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Three Latin American Countries:Reasons Given for Not Becoming Vaccinated in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela

Although vaccines have been developed to prevent COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy is a significant barrier for vaccination programs. Most research on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has blamed misinformation and misstated concerns about effectiveness, safety, and side effects of these vaccines. The preponderance of these studies has been performed in the Global North. Although Latin American has been substantially and negatively impacted by COVID-19, few studies have examined COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy there. We explored reasons volunteered for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy from a sample of 1,173 Colombians, Ecuadorians, and Venezuelans. Overall, COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in these three countries is higher than desirable, but most people who are COVID-19 vaccine hesitant offered one reason or fewer. The reasons offered are diverse, including myths and exaggerations, but also individual-level contraindications for vaccination and structural barriers. Because of the diversity of reasons, single-issue mass campaigns are unlikely to bring about large shifts in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Our data suggest that interpersonal communication, particularly in Ecuador, and addressing structural concerns, particularly in Venezuela, are likely to have the greatest impact on vaccine uptake

Risk factors for atopic and non-atopic asthma in a rural area of Ecuador

Background: Asthma has emerged as an important public health problem of urban populations in Latin America. Epidemiological data suggest that a minority of asthma cases in Latin America may be associated with allergic sensitisation and that other mechanisms causing asthma have been overlooked. The aim of the present study was to investigate risk factors for atopic and non-atopic asthma in school-age children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3960 children aged 6–16 years living in Afro-Ecuadorian rural communities in Esmeraldas province in Ecuador. Allergic diseases and risk factors were assessed by questionnaire and allergic sensitisation by allergen skin prick reactivity. Results: A total of 390 (10.5%) children had wheeze within the previous 12 months, of whom 14.4% had at least one positive skin test. The population-attributable fraction for recent wheeze associated with atopy was 2.4%. Heavy Trichuris trichiura infections were strongly inversely associated with atopic wheeze. Non-atopic wheeze was positively associated with maternal allergic symptoms and sedentarism (watching television (>3 h/day)) but inversely associated with age and birth order. Conclusions: The present study showed a predominance of non-atopic compared with atopic wheeze among schoolchildren living in a poor rural region of tropical Latin America. Distinct risk factors were associated with the two wheeze phenotypes and may indicate different causal mechanisms. Future preventive strategies in such populations may need to be targeted at the causes of non-atopic wheeze

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae associated early pregnancy loss : an emerging neonatal and maternal pathogen

Objectives   There is increasing evidence indicating an association between invasive non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) infection in pregnancy and early pregnancy loss. As the diagnosis relies on microbiological investigation of post-mortem placental and foetal samples, a significant proportion of NTHi-related pregnancy loss remains unrecognised. To better characterise NTHi in septic abortion, we report NTHi cases associated with early pregnancy loss. Methods  We reviewed all post-mortems at <24 weeks gestation with histologically proven acute chorioamnionitis on placental histology and enrolled cases with at least one matched foetal and placental sample culture positive for NTHi. The study was approved by the NHS Lothian Caldicott Guardian. Results   In our cohort, invasive NTHi has accounted for 20% of infections associated with early pregnancy loss prior to 24 weeks gestation. All patients were young and healthy pregnant women at < 20 weeks' gestation who presented with abdominal pain, PV bleed /discharge and were septic at the time of presentation. One patient with previous history of miscarriage who presented with cervical incompetence had more severe pathology suggestive of early intrauterine pneumonia. Conclusion   The burden of invasive NTHi disease in early pregnancy loss is likely to be much larger than currently recognised. NTHi should be considered in pregnant women presenting with abdominal pain and PV bleed/discharge in whom clinical signs of sepsis are present. Active surveillance should be considered in this patient group including septic abortion to capture the true prevalence of this emerging pathogen to inform preventative and therapeutic approaches.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe