Seminarios autogestionados de psiquiatría como modelo de participación estudiantil activa en pregrado. Experiencia 2014-2021 en la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile / Self-managed psychiatry seminars as a model of active student participation in undergraduate education

In the last decade, medical students stood out as active agents in their training, which implies their involvement in the design, implementation, evaluation, and curricular co-governance. This article describes a model of active undergraduate student participation from 2014 to 2021 and compares the face-to-face and synchronous online modalities, later brought forward by the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. Annually, a call was made to UC School of Medicine undergraduate students to establish the topics and areas to be addressed during self-managed seminars. Then, medical students located in Chile were invited to attend the activity. Psychiatry was established as a priority topic in six out of eight years. Five seminars were conducted, the last two in synchronous online mode. The number of people enrolled in the online modality increased by 251% compared to the face-to-face modality (face-to-face mean = 133 ± 33 SD; online mean = 336 ± 24SD), with no significant differences in rates of attendance between modalities (Odds ratio (OR) = 1,12; 95% CI= 0,82 - 1,55; p = 0,45). The online modality was associated with a higher proportion of enrollees belonging to an institution outside the Metropolitan Region (OR 12,63; 95% CI = 8,64 - 18,46; p < 0,01). The self-managed psychiatry seminars correspond to a model of active undergraduate student participation, with the synchronous online modality representing an opportunity to massify it throughout the national territory.

Delirium, catatonía y síndrome de abstinencia manifestados como agitación psicomotora en COVID-19: una propuesta de manejo farmacológico en el hospital general

Background: Neuropsychiatric symptoms can be part of the clinical spectrum of COVID-19 infections. Aim: To devise an evidence based clinical algorithm as a guide for clinicians, to identify and treat underlying clinical syndromes of psychomotor agitation, such as delirium, catatonia or substance withdrawal in patients who are hospitalized and infected with SARS-CoV-2. Material and Methods: A review of the literature about the pharmacological management of neuropsychiatric manifestations of COVID-19 at the general hospital, to develop a clinical protocol based on a consensus from an interdisciplinary expert panel at a Clinical Hospital. Results: A consensual clinical algorithm for the management of delirium, catatonia, and substance withdrawal, manifested as psychomotor agitation in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, was developed as a clinical proposal for physicians at different levels of complexity in health services. Conclusions: Cooperation among different clinical units in the general hospital facilitated the implementation of a clinical algorithm for clinicians for the management of psychomotor agitation in COVID-19 patients.

Efectos negativos en la investigación y el quehacer médico en Chile de la Ley 20.584 y la Ley de Neuroderechos en discusión: la urgente necesidad de aprender de nuestros errores / Negative effects of the patients' rights law and neuro-rights bill in Chile

Recently, the Chilean Senate approved the main ideas of a constitutional reform and a Neuro-rights bill. This bill aims to protect people from the potential abusive use of "neuro-technologies". Unfortunately, a literal interpretation of this law can produce severe negative effects both in the development of neuroscience research and medical practice in Chile, interfering with current treatments in countless patients suffering from neuropsychiatric diseases. This fear stems from the observation of the negative effects that recent Chilean legislations have produced, which share with the Neuro-Rights Law the attempt to protect vulnerable populations from potential abuse from certain medical interventions. In fact, Law 20,584 promulgated in 2012, instead of protecting the most vulnerable patients "incapacitated to consent", produced enormous, and even possibly irreversible, damage to research in Chile in pathologies that require urgent attention, such as many neuropsychiatric diseases. This article details the effects that Law 20.584 had on research in Chile, how it relates to the Neuro-Rights Law, and the potential negative effects that the latter could have on research and medical practice, if it is not formulated correcting its errors.

Disfunción tiroidea y trastornos del ánimo: revisión del estado del arte / Thyroid dysfunction and mood disorders: review of the state of the art

La relación entre función tiroidea y trastornos del ánimo se ha observado desde hace más de 50 años. Las hormonas tiroideas, actúan en el cerebro modulando génicamente proteínas asociadas a la fisiopatología de los trastornos del ánimo y potenciando los sistemas de neurotransmisión serotoninérgica y noradrenérgica. En el tratamiento de un episodio depresivo, la normalización de hormonas tiroideas es fundamental, y debe realizarse en todo paciente con sintomatología anímica, especialmente en aquellos con respuestas insuficientes a tratamiento, que requieren niveles de hormonas más estrictos que lo recomendado para población general. En pacientes eutiroideos, la potenciación con triyodotironina ha sido probada, pero también se ha utilizado T4 en altas dosis en casos resistentes, en que se postula que pudiese existir un estado de resistencia a hormonas tiroideas, no reflejado en los niveles hormonales periféricos evaluados rutinariamente. Las enzimas deiodasas, el receptor de hormona tiroidea, y el transportador de hormona tiroidea en la barrera hematoencefálica son blancos a investigar. Los objetivos de la presente revisión son ofrecer orientaciones respecto del uso de hormonas tiroideas en pacientes con trastornos del ánimo, una puesta al día sobre la relación entre hormonas tiroídeas y sistema nervioso central, y las interacciones entre psicofármacos y función tiroidea.

The relationship between thyroid function and mood disorders has been observed for more than 50 years. Thyroid hormones act in the brain genetically modulating proteins associated with the pathophysiology of mood disorders and potentiating the serotonergic and noradrenergic neurotransmission systems. In the treatment of a depressive episode, the normalization of thyroid hormones is essential, and should be performed in all patients with mood symptoms, especially in those with insufficient responses to treatment, which require more stringent hormone levels than recommended for the general population. In euthyroid patients, potentiation with triiodothyronine has been proven, but T4 has also been used in high doses in resistant cases, in which it is postulated that there might be a state of resistance to thyroid hormones, not reflected in the peripheral hormonal levels evaluated routinely. The enzymes deiodasas, the thyroid hormone receptor, and the thyroid hormone transporter in the blood brain barrier are white to investigate. The objectives of this review are to provide guidance regarding the use of thyroid hormones in patients with mood disorders, an update on the relationship between thyroid hormones and central nervous system, and the interactions between psychoactive drugs and thyroid function.

¿Es efectiva la potenciación con folato para el trastorno depresivo mayor? / Is augmentation with folate effective for major depressive disorder?

INTRODUCCIÓN: En una proporción importante de los pacientes con depresión, el tratamiento antidepresivo no lleva a una respuesta satisfactoria. Actualmente se postula que la coadministración de nutrientes estandarizados farmacológicamente (nutracéuticos), como el folato en este caso, podrían potenciar los efectos de los antidepresivos. MÉTODOS: Para responder esta pregunta utilizamos Epistemonikos, la mayor base de datos de revisiones sistemáticas en salud, la cual es mantenida mediante búsquedas en múltiples fuentes de información, incluyendo MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, entre otras. Extrajimos los datos desde las revisiones identificadas, reanalizamos los datos de los estudios primarios, realizamos un metanálisis y preparamos una tabla de resumen de los resultados utilizando el método GRADE. RESULTADOS Y CONCLUSIONES: Identificamos cuatro revisiones sistemáticas que en conjunto incluyen nueve estudios primarios, de los cuales, ocho son ensayos aleatorizados. Concluimos que la potenciación con folato en el tratamiento del trastorno depresivo mayor probablemente resulta en poca o nula diferencia en los síntomas depresivos. Pudiese ser interesante evaluar el efecto de formas de presentación específicas del folato o en población con déficit objetivado.

INTRODUCTION: Antidepressant treatment does not lead to a satisfactory response in a significant proportion of patients with depression. It has been postulated that co-administration of pharmacologically standardized nutrients (nutraceuticals), such as folate, would potentiate the effect of antidepressants. METHODS: To answer this question we used Epistemonikos, the largest database of systematic reviews in health, which is maintained by screening multiple information sources, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, among others. We extracted data from the systematic reviews, reanalyzed data of primary studies, conducted a meta-analysis and generated a summary of findings table using the GRADE approach. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: We identified four systematic reviews including nine studies overall, of which eight were randomized trials. We concluded augmentation with folate for the treatment of major depressive disorder probably results in little or no difference in depressive symptoms. It would be interesting to evaluate the effects of specific presentation forms of folate or in population with objective folate deficit.

Efectividad de las intervenciones psicológicas basadas en el modelo transteórico (MTT) del cambio para el control metabólico de pacientes diabéticos / Effectiveness of psychological interventions based on the transtheoretical model (MTT) of change for metabolic control of diabetic patients

Objetivo: Evaluar el rol de las intervenciones basadas en el Modelo Transteórico (MTT) para mejorar el autocuidado de pacientes con diabetes mellitus tipo 1 ó tipo 2 (DM1, DM2). Metodología: Se realizó una búsqueda (mayo 2017), en las bases de datos Pubmed, Academic Search Complete y PsycInfo, utilizando términos en inglés relacionados con Glucose Metabolic Disorder, Motivational Interviewing y Randomized Control Trial. Criterios de inclusión: pacientes diabéticos, mayores de 18 años, estudios realizados en atención primaria y cuyo resultado primario fuere el control glicémico. La selección de estudios fue realizada de forma independiente por MP y LR, resolviendo discrepancias con CC. Los resultados son presentados en base al protocolo PRISMA. Resultados: Se identificaron 455 estudios, en base a título y resumen se seleccionaron 68, de los cuales 8 cumplían con los criterios de inclusión. Los participantes presentaban entre 53 y 64 años de edad. No se encontraron estudios con población con DM1. No se encontraron resultados significativos para el control metabólico. Sin embargo, cuatro de los estudios demostraron que el MTT fue efectivo para aumentar la actividad física y dos reportaron mejorar la adherencia al tratamiento farmacológico y mitigar las barreras percibidas para la toma de medicamentos. Conclusiones: Intervenciones psicológicas basadas en el MTT para el cambio de estilo de vida de los pacientes con DM2, favorecen el autocuidado de la enfermedad a través de la adherencia al tratamiento farmacológico y actividad física. No existe evidencia que sugiera que estas intervenciones impacten directamente en el control metabólico. (AU)

Objetive: To establish the role of health behavior interventions based on the Transtheorical Model (TTM), in the treatmentand management of type 1 and type diabetes mellitus (DM1, DM2). Methods: The databases Pubmed, Academic Search Complete and PsycInfo were searched for studies published before May 2017, with the Mesh terms Glucose Metabolic Disorder, Transtheoretical Model. Randomized controlled trials were analyzed. Inclusion criteria: adults with DM1 or DM2, studies conducted in primary care services, glycemic control as primary outcome. Study selection and inclusion was conducted by MP and LR, solving discrepancies with CC. Results :are presented according to the PRISMA statement. Results: 455 studies were initially identified from the selected databases. 68 studies were identified through title and abstract, and analyzed in detail. 8 studies fulfilled inclusion criteria. Participant's age ranged from 53 to 64 years old. There were no studies conducted with DM1patients. There were no significant results for glycemic control. Nonetheless, 4 studies showed that TTM is effective in increasing physical activity and 2 studies showed a significant improvement in treatment adherence and lower psychological limitations to pharmacological adherence. Conclusions: Health behavior interventions based on the TTM for lifestyle changes, have a positive impact in the self-management of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. (AU)