Investigaciones Teológicas-Eclesiales I

La labor del teólogo, como investigador, es la de aportar a la comprensión de situaciones que presentan confusión. La Teología, en diálogo constante con las demás ciencias humanas, puede brindar luces en momentos de ofuscación y desesperanza. Reflexiones teológicas-eclesiales / hace aportes en temas como la Familia; la Excomunión; el Amor y la Sabiduría; el Matrimonio; la Palabra de Dios; la Mujer; el Mundo Laical; la Fe y la Política; y, la Constitución Lumen Gentium. Sus autores, desde el abordaje académico y científico, presentan un texto de fácil comprensión para lectores con una educación mínimamente formal en torno a estudios de historia y religión. A la vez, ofrece horizontes de profundización a los investigadores del fenómeno histórico y cultural de la religión, dando continuidad a la serie de publicaciones sobre Investigaciones teológicas eclesiales

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Diagnóstico de las razones que motivan a los jóvenes a participar en la propuesta cristiana que la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana ofrece en el Campus Girón.

El objetivo general de este trabajo investigativo es esbozar un diagnóstico de las razones que motivan a los estudiantes del campus El Girón a participar en la propuesta cristiana que la UPS ofrece, para así contar con un análisis contundente de la situación pastoral universitaria actual del Campus El Girón en Quito. Para este estudio se realizó encuestas directas a estudiantes salesianos de la UPS durante los años 2008 hasta el 2010, al igual que entrevistas a profesionales pastorales y docentes salesianos que trabajan dentro y fuera de la UPS. Aparte del Diagnóstico, este trabajo presenta algunas formas y tácticas de incrementar la participación estudiantil salesiana. El modelo económico que impera en la actualidad ha institucionalizado el consumismo y el materialismo. La globalización, el capitalismo y materialismo se han convertido en una cultura terrenal tan atrayente a los jóvenes universitarios y a su vez tan en contraposición con los valores del evangelio. El niño Jesús en su cuna de paja refleja la hermosura del Reino de Dios que empieza con la carencia de lo material pero con abundancia de amor y felicidad: sin casa, ni dinero, pero sí con el amor de Dios y de sus padres María y José. Este trabajo investigativo cree en un proyecto pastoral universitario que esté amalgamado y centrado en Jesús y con una hegemonía planificada de procesos, el cual nos permita acompañar e involucrar a todos los hijos de Dios que estudian en nuestra institución: progresistas y conservadores, apáticos y comprometidos, chicos y chicas que recitan el catecismo de memoria y los que hacen rap con las parábolas de Jesús

Memorias I Simposio Internacional de Filosofía y Teología: miradas acerca de la construcción de lo humano en el siglo XXI

Tiempos aciagos nos ha tocado vivir. Tiempo de hacerse preguntas trascendentales. Inquietudes humanas que afloran en momentos de incertidumbre, donde la vida es valorada como preciosa, con relación a las cercanías de la muerte, de la pérdida de aquello o aquellos que amamos. Las preguntas profundas del ser humano son una preocupación de la Filosofía y de la Teología, saberes que buscan dar sentido a aquellas cuestiones que están más allá de los hechos. En este contexto, la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana a través de sus carreras de Filosofía y Teología abren el debate y aportan a la comprensión del pensamiento humano. Ya desde el I Simposio de Filosofía y Teología de noviembre del 2019 y hoy con estas memorias buscamos nuevos horizontes de sentido para aquellos debates que no están valorados y que, sin embargo, son fundamentales: la ética, la dimensión antropológica de lo humano en este nuevo siglo XXI. Esperamos aportar para construir nuevas formas de enfrentar y entender lo humano, adaptados a las nuevas realidades que vivimos

Reduction of cardiac imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Italy. Findings from the IAEA Non-invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Background: In early 2020, COVID-19 massively hit Italy, earlier and harder than any other European country. This caused a series of strict containment measures, aimed at blocking the spread of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was also affected when resources were diverted towards care of COVID-19 patients, including intensive care wards. Aim of the study: The aim is assessing the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac imaging in Italy, compare to the Rest of Europe (RoE) and the World (RoW). Methods: A global survey was conducted in May–June 2020 worldwide, through a questionnaire distributed online. The survey covered three periods: March and April 2020, and March 2019. Data from 52 Italian centres, a subset of the 909 participating centres from 108 countries, were analyzed. Results: In Italy, volumes decreased by 67% in March 2020, compared to March 2019, as opposed to a significantly lower decrease (p &lt; 0.001) in RoE and RoW (41% and 40%, respectively). A further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 summed up to 76% for the North, 77% for the Centre and 86% for the South. When compared to the RoE and RoW, this further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 in Italy was significantly less (p = 0.005), most likely reflecting the earlier effects of the containment measures in Italy, taken earlier than anywhere else in the West. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic massively hit Italy and caused a disruption of healthcare services, including cardiac imaging studies. This raises concern about the medium- and long-term consequences for the high number of patients who were denied timely diagnoses and the subsequent lifesaving therapies and procedures

International Impact of COVID-19 on the Diagnosis of Heart Disease

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely affected diagnosis and treatment of noncommunicable diseases. Its effects on delivery of diagnostic care for cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide, have not been quantified. Objectives: The study sought to assess COVID-19's impact on global cardiovascular diagnostic procedural volumes and safety practices. Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations in cardiovascular procedure volumes and safety practices resulting from COVID-19. Noninvasive and invasive cardiac testing volumes were obtained from participating sites for March and April 2020 and compared with those from March 2019. Availability of personal protective equipment and pandemic-related testing practice changes were ascertained. Results: Surveys were submitted from 909 inpatient and outpatient centers performing cardiac diagnostic procedures, in 108 countries. Procedure volumes decreased 42% from March 2019 to March 2020, and 64% from March 2019 to April 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography decreased by 59%, transesophageal echocardiography 76%, and stress tests 78%, which varied between stress modalities. Coronary angiography (invasive or computed tomography) decreased 55% (p &lt; 0.001 for each procedure). In multivariable regression, significantly greater reduction in procedures occurred for centers in countries with lower gross domestic product. Location in a low-income and lower–middle-income country was associated with an additional 22% reduction in cardiac procedures and less availability of personal protective equipment and telehealth. Conclusions: COVID-19 was associated with a significant and abrupt reduction in cardiovascular diagnostic testing across the globe, especially affecting the world's economically challenged. Further study of cardiovascular outcomes and COVID-19–related changes in care delivery is warranted

Impact of COVID-19 on Diagnostic Cardiac Procedural Volume in Oceania: The IAEA Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Objectives: The INCAPS COVID Oceania study aimed to assess the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac procedure volume provided in the Oceania region. Methods: A retrospective survey was performed comparing procedure volumes within March 2019 (pre-COVID-19) with April 2020 (during first wave of COVID-19 pandemic). Sixty-three (63) health care facilities within Oceania that perform cardiac diagnostic procedures were surveyed, including a mixture of metropolitan and regional, hospital and outpatient, public and private sites, and 846 facilities outside of Oceania. The percentage change in procedure volume was measured between March 2019 and April 2020, compared by test type and by facility. Results: In Oceania, the total cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was reduced by 52.2% from March 2019 to April 2020, compared to a reduction of 75.9% seen in the rest of the world (p&lt;0.001). Within Oceania sites, this reduction varied significantly between procedure types, but not between types of health care facility. All procedure types (other than stress cardiac magnetic resonance [CMR] and positron emission tomography [PET]) saw significant reductions in volume over this time period (p&lt;0.001). In Oceania, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) decreased by 51.6%, transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) by 74.0%, and stress tests by 65% overall, which was more pronounced for stress electrocardiograph (ECG) (81.8%) and stress echocardiography (76.7%) compared to stress single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) (44.3%). Invasive coronary angiography decreased by 36.7% in Oceania. Conclusion: A significant reduction in cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was seen across all facility types in Oceania and was likely a function of recommendations from cardiac societies and directives from government to minimise spread of COVID-19 amongst patients and staff. Longer term evaluation is important to assess for negative patient outcomes which may relate to deferral of usual models of care within cardiology