Liver failure as a complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the different variables that can cause liver injury in a patient hospitalized for COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective cohort study that included patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to the Central University Hospital of the State of Chihuahua from April 2020 to November 2020. A univariate analysis was performed to find the frequencies of demographic characteristics and of the drugs prescribed, as well as a comparison of means of the biochemical parameters using Student's t test. RESULT(S): One hundred thirty-four patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 were included, who underwent liver function parameters and averages were obtained on the day of admission, on the fifth day and the last values recorded for improvement or death. Of the parameters, albumin levels showed a significant decrease on the 5th and last day of hospitalization compared to the first day of admission. On the other hand, the levels of alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase and erythrocyte sedimentation rate increased significantly on the 5th and last day of stay. CONCLUSION(S): There are different mechanisms that can generate liver injury associated with COVID-19. Of these, the uncontrolled inflammatory response that occurs can alter liver function tests. Our results found a relationship between the alteration of different laboratory parameters and the days of hospital stay of patients with the disease.Copyright © 2023 Comunicaciones Cientificas Mexicanas S.A. de C.V.. All rights reserved.

Family Parents' Perspective of Different Social-Economical Statuses about the Online and Offline Classes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research work aimed to characterize the perception of parents of educational institutions of various socioeconomic strata of Barranquilla-Colombia about the teaching of classes in the synchronous and asynchronous mode in times of Covid-19. With a qualitative approach and an interpretative-hermeneutical design, 6 parents were chosen and an unstructured interview was applied in which aspects such as connectivity, strategies used by teachers and interaction with them during the pandemic were addressed. The main finding was that parents who are enrolled in low-income institutions agree that they do not have the guarantees for their children to receive a quality education under the modality at home;For their part, the parents who have their children enrolled in a high socioeconomic level assure that despite the fact that educational institutions have resources to teach the contents of the areas of knowledge, their attendants were demotivated by the new modality of teaching. © 2022, World Scientific and Engineering Academy and Society. All rights reserved.

A constructive crisis: complex system adaptability during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the response by a multi-campus private higher education provider to a major crisis. This study examined what elements of complex adaptive systems (CAS) were activated and/or developed within the organization during the onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic, through a retrospective analysis of organizational responses. Design/methodology/approachA retrospective qualitative approach has been used. The theory of CAS has been used as the theoretical lens to explore the organizational context, responses and behaviours during the first year of the COVID-19 crisis. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 senior leaders across the major functions of the organization spread over multiple campuses. FindingsFindings point to coverage of the main CAS characteristics in the organizational responses to the pandemic, however, in varying degrees. There was strong evidence for the application of guiding principles, for self-organizing, for micro-diversity coupled with independent actors and new generative relationships, all brought about by the chaos the pandemic generated. This study concludes that the global pandemic presented this organization with the impetus for rapid and agile responses to what ultimately has become a constructive crisis, paving the way for key elements of CAS theory to be enacted. This study recommend embedding the conscious creation of an adaptive space within ongoing strategic organizational transformation initiatives. Originality/valueThere is scant literature on CAS as applied to crises from organizations in the higher education sector and notably from outside of the health/medical fields. As a result, this study offers a novel and original approach to applying CAS theory during a major crisis. In addition to the findings above, this study also found an emergent characteristic, that of agility, which could be further tested as a potential theoretical addition to CAS theory.

Recommendations for childcare in the face of the new coronavirus

Objective: To identify in the national and international literature the recommendations for the care of children against the new coronavirus. Methods: An integrative review carried out in April 2020, in the Web of Science, CINAHL, BDENF, IBECS, LILACS, and MEDLINE databases. Recommendation articles published in 2020 were included. Clinical studies on other topics or populations were excluded. Results: The sample consisted of 10 articles, grouped into three categories of recommendations, which deal with the following: the care for children with cancer;the search for the reduction of biopsychosocial harms in confinement;and the possibilities for diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion: The highlighted recommendations are not exhausted, but represent a guide for family members/caregivers and health professionals in the face of the severe situation. For nursing, knowing the current recommendations on child care in the face of COVID-19 makes it possible to carry out actions to promote quality and safe childcare. © 2020, Universidade Federal do Parana. All rights reserved.