Particularities of the Theory of Mind in the Academic environment during the Covid 19 pandemic

Introduction: The current period is marked by several negative aspects of the COVID 19 pandemic, which have led to a series of emotional and cognitive changes that affect our functioning. The ability to "read" the minds of others is the key aspect of social behavior, helping us understand our context. Objective(s): To identify the level of emotion recognition in Medicine students during the Covid 19 pandemic. Method(s): Throughout 2021, we evaluated 649 Romanian General Medicine students in years 4, 5 and 6, by using a Google Play application (android and iOS).We analyzed socio-demographic parameters and the affective component of Theory of Mind (The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test). The mean scores between groups were compared with the Student's t and the ANOVA tests. Result(s): The mean score was 25.83+/-3.36 (min 11, max 33) out of a possible maximum of 36. We noted that women have a higher capacity for recognizing emotions than men (26.04 +/-3.22 vs. 25.01 +/- 3.78, P = 0.0016) without differences in terms of the study year. Also, women showed a greater ability to recognize negative emotions compared to men (16.57 +/- 2.44 vs. 15.49 +/- 2.75, P <0.001). No statistically significant differences were found between the two genders in terms of positive emotions' recognition. Conclusion(s): The ability to recognize emotions seems to be more developed in women, especially when it entails recognizing negative emotions. Theory of Mind abilities are important for empathy and the therapeutic relationship required in Medicine.

Implementation of Good Clinical Practice in Early COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread across the globe generating a pandemic. Every affected country has tried its best to mitigate the virus's effects. Aim: This study was designed to implement the good clinical practice in the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases Timisoara (ICDT) for Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection by a retrospective search for patients with a possible COVID-19 infection before widespread testing was available in our country. Materials and Methods: The retrospective study was conducted on selected group of 19 patients admitted to the ICDT, who displayed radiological signs of possible SARS-CoV-2 infection, between September 2019 and May 2020 in collaboration with the Radiology Department. Patients have been followed-up regarding their clinical status and asked to participate in Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody testing at a local laboratory. The patients were divided based on the period they were admitted to the hospital into four groups: September-December 2019, January-February 2020, March-April 2020 and May 2020. The patients tested for coronavirus came from all four timeframes. Results: Only 13 patients (male: female ratio was 10:3 ;mean age was 71.69 years) from the initial group were available and willing to answer a short interview and only five agreed to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies. Most of the patients admitted to the hospital were suffering from acute myocardial infarction (30.7%), as well as heart failure (30.7%), followed by coronary heart disease (15.38%). A 30.7% of the patients had atrial fibrillation, 23% were also diagnosed with pneumonia during their hospital admission, 23% were also being treated for arterial hypertension, 7.69% had diabetes mellitus and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD). Out of the five patients tested for IgG antibodies, two tested positive, with a titre above 1.4. Conclusion: The patients who have gone through the SARS-CoV-2 infection without being previously diagnosed were identified and followed-up on their health status. By conceiving and performing this study, the authors have strived to establish a new set of rules to advance and improve good clinical practice in unprecedented times.

Neurological Dysfunction Associated with Covid-19

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. The clinical presentation is predominantly respiratory symptoms;however, in the current literature, several neurological manifestations associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection have been described. The authors present the clinical case of a 45-year-old man hospitalized for pneumonia with a positive test result for SARS-CoV-2, without a neurological history, who, on the sixteenth day of hospitalization, presented a sudden change in his state of consciousness accompanied by conjugated right gaze deviation and myoclonus of the face and thoracic region to the left, followed by generalized tonic-clonic seizures associated with persistent left hemiparesis. The present study highlights a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 in cerebrospinal fluid. The patient progressed with gradual improvement, and the outcome was favorable.