ABSTRACT
This study aimed to characterize the impacts that the Covid-19 pandemic caused in patients undergoing treatment for substance use disorders, in the outpatient psychiatric service of a teaching hospital in the interior of the State of Sao Paulo. A documentary research was carried out on 123 medical records of patients who received care at the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic in the years 2019, 2020 and 2021. Data analysis showed that the largest portion of patients who abandoned treatment did so before the beginning of the pandemic and that there was no significant increase in substance use by patients who remained under follow-up during the pandemic period. It was concluded that the scenario of the Covid-19 pandemic was not the main variable that interfered with substance consumption and treatment adherence and that possibly intrinsic and extrinsic determinants also affected consumption and adherence. More research will be needed to assess other factors that affect substance use and treatment adherence in the population studied.
ABSTRACT
The use of new technologies in education (computers and other devices) is a key factor that allows cost reduction, since physical material is no longer necessary and everything can be done through a program or app, making it easier for students and teachers to search and deliver quality information quickly and efficiently in real time. The objective of the work is to emphasize the strength of technology in higher education to favor integration, the modest but encouraging opportunities and results that have been achieved, as an ecumenical and dynamic factor in the integration process. The methodology is qualitative in approach, since a documentary analysis is developed through the collection of material, books and articles that allow us to reflect on the possibility of carrying out more in-depth studies on the convergence between education and technologies. The results reflect a technological evolution of Education 4.0 and the concepts that support higher education in the digital era, the pedagogical and academic trends that support it, and its impact on the virtualization of higher education. In the conclusions we perceive the new trends in digital education, the pandemic by covid-19 accelerated changes in study methods with the obligation of virtual study through similarities that describe the convergences and divergences between educational conceptions and technologies. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The PEST analysis or also called PESTEL (political, economic, sociocultural, technological, ecological and legal) is a strategic planning tool to define a context,also serves to identify external factors in the business environment, currently contributing negatively to the creation or motivations of entrepreneurs in the popular and solidarity economy of Ecuador post covid, which is why, because of its importance the present research aims to identify the factors of the external environment of national companies in the period 2019–2021 that affect the development and performance of the ventures. The methodology used was developed based on secondary source of the central bank of Ecuador, year 2020, with descriptive and analytical level, as well as, a bibliographic documentary search of qualitative and quantitative character. The results obtained helped us to describe each of the factors that are affecting the creation of new entrepreneurship at the country level after the appearance of the pandemic of covid 19, as well as the disadvantages that it has brought to the Ecuadorian popular and solidarity economy. We conclude with the description of the environment of the popular and solidarity economy ventures by considering the elements, analysis of resources and the market that is fundamental for the start-up of a business as long as they are carried out following the basic parameters so that they become frameworks for action ideas. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
Background: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are uniquely susceptible to viral and bacterial illnesses. In addition, MM and its treatments lead to immune deficiency, putting patients at a high risk for infection, including the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The emotional impact of COVID-19 on high-risk groups, such as MM patients, remains unclear. The purpose of this project was to understand psychosocial distress and unmet needs among patients with active MM during the acute and chronic phase of COVID-19 and its impact in the United States. Methods: We utilized the HealthTree Cure Hub (healthtree.org) and invited patients with active MM cancer or precursor conditions to participate in an online CancerSupportSource distress screening questionnaire by the Cancer Support Community. Participants were asked to rate their level of concern (Not at All to Very Seriously) on 12 items assessing physical, psychosocial, and practical needs during the acute and chronic phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. De-identified responses were aggregated and reviewed. Results: 1,079 MM patients analyzed during the acute phase of the pandemic (April 15, 2020, to June 8, 2020) and 246 were analyzed during the chronic phase (January 8, 2021, to February 12, 2021). The percent of patients responding moderately to very seriously concerned are reported here. While eating and nutrition increased 3% from acute (71%) to chronic (74%) phases, physical needs overall decreased 2%. Psychosocial needs (worrying about the future, family concerns, feeling irritable, sad, nervous, or lonely, and relationship concerns) decreased 4% between the two phases, despite the 2% increase in problems with your spouse/partner. Additionally, practical needs (health insurance or money worries) decreased 4% between the acute and chronic phases of the pandemic. Conclusions: Respondents to our survey maintain a concern for eating and nutrition during the acute and chronic phases of the pandemic. Between the three types of needs examined in this survey, physical needs had the smallest change over time. This information can inform patients and medical professionals of the type of distress experienced by patients and help investigators assess the needs of the patient community to enhance patient outcomes.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Pregnant women can be infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), yet the incidence of perinatal infection is low. We hypothesized that this could be related to low expression of the membrane receptor for SARS-CoV-2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), in the fetoplacental unit. We evaluated protein expression of ACE2 at various gestational ages in both placentae and fetal organs from pregnancies not infected with SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: In May 2020, using samples from a registered biobank, we performed immunohistochemical analysis for ACE2 in tissue samples from fetal organs and placentae from five cases of second- or third-trimester medical termination of pregnancy in healthy women (performed between 15 and 38 weeks' gestation), as well as a further two placentae, one from a 7-week spontaneous miscarriage in a non-infected woman and one from a symptomatic pregnant woman positive for SARS-CoV-2 delivered by Cesarean section at 34 weeks. Samples were paraffin-embedded and organ tissues included kidney, brain, lung, intestinal tract, heart and testis. Matching tissues (kidney, intestinal tract, lung and testis) from autopsies of four 8-year-old children were tested as controls. Tissue sections were incubated with rabbit monoclonal anti-ACE2, and protein expression of ACE2 was detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: ACE2 expression was detected in fetal kidney, rectum and ileum samples from 15 weeks onwards and in the pediatric controls. It was barely detectable in fetal lung samples at 15 + 5 weeks' gestation and not detectable thereafter, and, in the pediatric controls, ACE2 was detectable only in type-2 pneumocytes. No ACE2 expression was found in the cerebral ependymal or parenchymal tissues or in cardiac tissues. ACE2 was expressed in placental syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast samples, but not in the amnion, from 7 weeks onwards. The intensity and distribution of ACE2 staining in the placenta from the symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 woman was similar to that in the non-infected placentae. CONCLUSIONS: Marked placental expression of ACE2 provides a rationale for vertical transmission at the cellular level. Absence of ACE2 expression in the fetal brain and heart is reassuring regarding the risk of congenital malformation. Clinical follow-up of infected pregnant women and their children is needed to validate these observations. © 2020 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.