ABSTRACT
Resumen Introducción: El distanciamiento social y la cuarentena han probado tener efectos negativos en la salud mental de las poblaciones, a saber: miedo, ansiedad, depresión y sintomatología de estrés postraumático. La resiliencia emerge como variable amortiguadora del impacto. El objetivo del estudio fue comparar el impacto psicológico del COVID-19 en varios países latinoamericanos. Método: se obtuvo una muestra de 1184 participantes de México, Cuba, Chile, Colombia y Guatemala; cuya edad osciló entre 18 y 83 años (M = 38.78, DT = 13.81). Se aplicó una encuesta sobre síntomas médicos asociados al COVID-19 con tres instrumentos para evaluar: (1) síntomas de depresión, ansiedad y estrés, (2) impacto del evento y (3) resiliencia. Resultados: Las personas más jóvenes, con mayor cantidad de síntomas médicos y con mayores puntajes de impacto del evento tienden a presentar mayor sintomatología depresiva, ansiosa y estrés, siendo el impacto del evento el predictor más determinante. La resiliencia fue el predictor protector contra la depresión, ansiedad y estrés. Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran las diferencias en la respuesta psicológica ante la pandemia del COVID-19 en cada país, y sugieren la necesidad del desarrollo de políticas públicas enfocadas en la prevención y la promoción de la salud integral ante emergencias sanitarias.
Abstract Introduction: Social distancing and quarantine have proven to have negative effects on the mental health of populations, namely fear, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Resilience emerges as a buffering variable for such impact. The objective of this study was to compare the psychological impact of COVID-19 in several Latin American countries. Method: A sample of 1184 participants from Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Colombia and Guatemala was obtained; whose age ranged from 18 to 83 years old (M = 38.78, SD = 13.81). A survey on medical symptoms associated with COVID-19 and three instruments to evaluate: (1) depression, anxiety and stress, (2) impact of the event and (3) resilience were administered. Results: Younger people, with more symptoms associated with COVID-19 and those who reported higher scores of impact of event tended to present greater depressive, anxious and stress symptomatology. The impact of the event was the most determinant predictor. Resilience was protective against the impact of event, depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusions: The results show the differences in the psychological response to COVID-19 in each country and suggesting the need to develop public policies focused on prevention and promotion of integral health when facing sanitary emergencies.
ABSTRACT
Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the potential of novel nanoparticles (NPs) intended for topical administration of the hydrophilic antioxidant Glutathione and the lipophilic Idebenone. Glutathione was introduced into the NPs using two approaches: i) covalently bonded to Chitosan; ii) physically complexed with Idebenone and Sulfobutylether--cyclodextrin. Methodology: NPs were formulated using the ionic gelation technique, by dissolving the polysaccharide-forming matrix (Chitosan, Glycol chitosan, Glutathionyl Chitosan) in water or in slightly acidic solution. Idebenone was physically entrapped whereas glutathione was either physically entrapped or covalently bonded to chitosan. Physicochemical characterization of the resulting NPs included size, zeta potential measurements, antioxidant association efficiency, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and stability studies. Antioxidants in vitro release from the most stable NPs was assessed with Franz diffusion cells, and the in vitro antioxidant activity was evaluated by the 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical test. NP cytotoxicity was assessed on immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT) cell line. Results: The NPs showed smaller particle size in acidic solution than in aqueous medium, whereas zeta potential values were always positive, irrespective of the medium. Stability studies led to the choice of the aqueous formulation where Glutathione was covalently bonded to Chitosan for this study. DSC highlighted amorphization of Idebenone in these NPs. In vitro release studies showed that only Idebenone was released from the NPs. The antioxidant activity test revealed a strong effect (close to 100%) of Idebenone loaded into NPs while its aqueous solution showed no activity. No cytotoxicity in human keratinocytes was observed for the investigated NPs. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that Idebenone can be loaded into a hydrophilic delivery system without organic solvents, often used for its solubilization, possessing high antioxidant activity. Therefore, these nanocarriers represent a promising strategy for the design of formulations for topical treatments with antioxidants.