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Objective: To evaluate ifthe COVID-19vaccine produces changes in the menstrual pattern, type ofchange anddysmenorrhea. Methods: Observational and cross-sectional study. 6616 digital surveys were carried out on women who received a vaccine against COVID-19. Asurvey was applied via networks and in gynecological consultations. Percentages and 95 %confidence intervals were calculated from 2x2 tables, menstrual changes were analyzed in the sample and in subgroups according to type of vaccine, number of doses, age, and residence. Results: 86.5 % (3535/4087) reported menstrual changes, the most frequent being: menstrual delay (40.4 %) and heavier menstrual bleeding (37.7 %). Dysmenorrhea presented in 39 % accompanying menstrual changes, but 2.1 % as the only symptom. A statistically significant difference was observed: 1) more menstrual changes with mechanism of action chimpanzee viral vector when compared to inactivated virus, 2) human viral vector and inactivated virus more menstrual changes 18-34 years compared to 35-50 years and less changes when compared to chimpanzee viral vector in 35-50 years 3) mRNA was the least associated with menstrual absence when compared to human viral vector 53 % and chimpanzee 50 % more frequent. Conclusion: Menstrual changes are very common after vaccination against COVID-19, this being related to the type of vaccine administered. Some mechanisms of action seem to be related to a greater or lesser risk of specific menstrual changes. © 2023 Sociedad de Obstetricia y Ginecologia de Venezuela. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: COVID-19 has led to a rise in hospitalized patients with viral pneumonia and we are still learning about the follow-up process. Objective(s): To describe a cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and their clinical and radiological evolution. Method(s): Prospective cohort study. COVID pneumonia patients from August 2020 to August 2021 were analyzed (n=125), with a standardized follow up. We describe clinical and radiological features during hospital stay and 1st and 3rd months after discharge. Extent Pneumonia: affection of 3 of 5 lobes in CT. Result(s): Table1: Cohort's description. Clinical follow-up: 39 patients(31,2%) persist symptomatic after 3 months from discharge(dyspnea 37). Radiological follow-up: 49 patients(39.2%) remain with extent pneumonia at third month CT. Table2: ILD pattern Vs No-ILD comparison at third month control. Conclusion(s): We present a detailed description of a COVID pneumonia cohort through a standardized follow-up process. Our findings suggest that ILD pattern associates with symptom persistence.
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In Honduras, as in the rest of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant changes in the dynamics of higher education. In this context, understanding the impact of educational economic stimuli as mechanisms of equity, inclusion and reduction of student dropout becomes important. The present study analyzed the incidence of student scholarships on academic and socioeconomic aspects of students at the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH) in the context of the pandemic during the first semester of 2021. The study applies a mixed approach and includes a sample of 747 students who answered an ad hoc survey and 26 students which participa-ted in interviews. The results show a higher prevalence of female students, with low socioeconomic income and from large families, among other socioeconomic factors that are analyzed. In addition, the findings systematize the contribution of scholarships as dropout reduction mechanisms and their link with different spheres of life of the student community. Finally, the results are discussed in the light of previous literature and the practical and institutional implications are analyzed in terms of future research and the implementation of comprehensive equity and dropout reduction policies. © 2022, University of Cienfuegos, Carlos Rafael Rodriguez. All rights reserved.
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Adaptive reuse in architecture refers to the process of redesigning, converting, and reappropriating existing spaces for functions different from the ones they were originally designed for. This research is a case study showing an alternative to this concept, re-purposing aviation parts and finding new programmatic functions in the design learning studio. The pedagogy approach, adopted by a design studio in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), presents the fluidity of adaptive interiority against rigidity and site specificity. The research results in the creation of adaptive modular spaces and ephemeral interiority through upcycling design, flexibility, materiality, reusability, recyclability, and connectivity while simultaneously showcasing the rigorous interplay of innovation, research, science, and technology. The case study design studio was based at Zayed University and partnered with Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the UAE, highlighting the importance of industry and education as interdisciplinary collaborations. The paper looks at the pedagogical approach and examines the conducted process and evaluates the outcomes and shortcomings, including those inflicted by the COVID-19 world health pandemic. It argues for ‘adaptive interiority,’ inclusion in the adaptive reuse framework and a further reflection on the large vision and possible future impact within the UAE’s social and architectural context. © 2022, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia. All rights reserved.
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Tourism reactivation is considered as the set of actions and strategies that allow the recovery of the activity as such. This work presents a design of strategies with a technological approach that allow the tourist reactivation associated with Covid-19 in the town of Ballenita belonging to Santa Elena city. The methodology used in the development of this research is determined with the application of the descriptive method with a qualitative research approach with the use of surveys directed to the workers of the tourist area of the Ballenita, where an ad-hoc questionnaire of online modality elaborated in Google form was used as an instrument for the collection of information. Strategies were developed, which are focused on boosting and promoting tourism to strengthen the image of the sector, which will allow the improvement and use of resources, considering that the correct application of the proposal will increase the number of visitors and tourists arriving to the area, favoring its reactivation.
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Background: Individuals with underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD) have an increased vulnerability to COVID-19 and poorer outcomes. Little is known about the impact social distancing guidelines have had on the health behaviors of this population. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine levels of social isolation, anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, cognitive function, alcohol use, substance use and health appointment engagement pre-pandemic and after social distancing guidelines were initiated among individuals with CVD. Methods: A secondary analysis was completed of a cross-sectional study that utilized a web-based survey. The parent sample included 184 participants recruited using social media. Forty-nine participants (27%) reported a history of CVD that included hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction and/or peripheral artery disease. Descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Bonferroni correction were used to compare levels of social isolation, anxiety, depression, loneliness, stress, cognitive function, alcohol use, substance use, and delay/canceled healthcare appointments before and during social distancing recommendations. Results: The majority of participants with CVD were female (92%), white (94%), college graduates (92 %), working full-time (45%), and living with two or more people (71%). There were significant differences (p<0.001) between pre- and during COVID-19 restrictions for levels of social isolation, anxiety, cognitive function, and loneliness, while depression (p=0.006), perceived stress (p=0.108), alcohol use (p=0.056), and substance use (p=0.141) were not significantly different. About half of the participants (45%) delayed or canceled healthcare appointments because they were afraid to be exposed to COVID-19. One-third (37%) of participants had a healthcare provider delay an appointment, 27% of participants' healthcare providers canceled, and 67% of respondents had a healthcare provider change to telehealth appointments. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has concerning repercussions on the mental health of individuals with CVD. A heightened awareness by healthcare providers regarding the psychosocial needs of patients with CVD during the COVID-19 pandemic is warranted. The sample in this study is homogenous, limiting generalization, however, telehealth appointments with the above sample emerged as a viable mechanism for providers to interact with individuals with CVD. Psychosocial and biophysical outcomes from telehealth engagements are areas for further investigation.
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Background : Coagulopathy is one of the serious manifestations of COVID-19, however this infection is also related to an increased incidence of VTE. VTE prevention in these patients was not standardized, especially at the beginning of the pandemic. Aims : To evaluate the VTE prevention strategies in patients with COVID-19 in Uruguay. Methods : Descriptive observational study, based on an online survey, whose target population includes physicians from Uruguay who assisted COVID-19 patients. It was available online from 4/9 to 5/10/2020. However, given the increase in cases in Uruguay, the survey was relaunched in March 2021. Results : 42 physicians completed the survey. 29 assisted patients with moderate and 17 assisted patients with severe COVID-19 (4 assisted both groups). Moderate COVID (required hospitalization) 23 used pharmacological and 2 used mechanical thromboprophylaxis. 12 used a LMWH dose of 40 mg/day, 7 used 1 mg/kg/day, 4 used 60 mg/day. 13 had doubts about whether to indicate thromboprophylaxis. 10 requested D-dimers and in 9 cases they were augmented. Severe COVID (required admission to ICU) All used pharmacological thromboprophylaxis. 5 used a LMWH dose of 1 mg/kg every 12 h, 4 used 40 mg/day, 4 used 1 mg/kg/day, 2 used 60 mg/day and 1 used 1.5 mg/kg/day. 16 requested D dimers, in all cases they were increased. Regarding the preliminary results of the second phase. 17 doctors completed the survey, all of them cared for patients with moderate COVID. 14 used pharmacological thromboprophylaxis, 12 with doses of LMWH of 40 mg/day and 2 with doses of 1 mg/kg/day. 5 had doubts whether to indicate thromboprophylaxis. 11 cared for patients with severe COVID, 10 used pharmacological thromboprophylaxis (5 used LMWH 1 mg/kg every 12 h, 2 used 1 mg/kg/day and 3 used 40 mg/day). Conclusions : A heterogeneous approach to VTE prevention has been observed among physicians who cared for COVID-19 patients.
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Introduction: Patients with MS (pwMS) are currently receiving different COVID-19 vaccines in several Latin American countries. However, questions arise around the safety of these vaccines and whether vaccination might increase the risk of relapse activity. Therefore, we aimed to assess the safety and occurrence of relapses following COVID-19 vaccination in Latin American pwMS. Methods: A web-based survey was completed by 207 pwMS from Latin America to assess for adverse events associated with COVID-19 vaccination between February 1 and April 30, 2021. Results: All participants received the first dose and 84 the second. The different vaccines administered were: inactivated virus vaccines [(IVV);CoronaVac, BBIBP-CorV) ] in 117 (56.5%) patients, adenovirus vector vaccines [(AdV);Gam-COVID-Vac, AZD1222] in 53 (25.6%) and mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2) in 37 (17.9%). The mean follow-up after vaccination was 24 ± 16 days. Three (1.4%) patients reported having COVID-19 infection after vaccination (all occurring after the first dose). Any adverse events were reported in 61 (29.5%) and 23 (27.4%) individuals after the first and second doses respectively. These included pain at the injection site, headache, fever, flu-like symptoms, fatigue, and muscle or joint pain. A lower frequency of adverse events was found with IVV (x?=7.2, p=0.03). Four (1.9%) patients reported an MS relapse, all occurring after an IVV first dose. Mean time to relapse: 18 ± 13 days. None of these patients had stopped or postponed their MS treatment before vaccination. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccines seem to be safe for pwMS from Latin America. No major safety signals appeared in this patientreported study.
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This paper studies the feasibility of detecting the pneumonia due to the COVID-19 with microwave medical imaging. One challenge while formulating such a problem is to identify the disease in lungs whose dielectric permittivity is dynamically fluctuating with the respiration. In this paper, we utilize this feature by assuming that the permittivity of the disease has minor variation at microwave frequencies during the respiration, and thus the dielectric variance of the pixels at the diseased site over a number of consecutive images significantly differs from those of the other tissues in the thorax. Based on this assumption, we propose two approaches that make use of the a priori information (API) on the position of the heart and the symmetry of the thorax, respectively, to identify a diseased lung. Finally, these two approaches are numerically validated on a thorax phantom, and their performance is compared.
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The situation that Mexico is going through, due to the COVID19 pandemic, has evidenced the vulnerability of certain localities because of the deficiencies related to health services access, education, and basic services in households (electricity, water and sewer system). This research aims to analyze the impact of the lack of those services, on the number of COVID19 cases and deaths. To achieve that purpose, Artificial Neural Network approach is employed, using the municipal Social Lags Index, published by the National Council of Social Development Policy Evaluation (CONEVAL) and the number of cumulative COVID19 deaths and cases reported by Mexican government. Findings suggest that structural deficiencies related to lack of sanity conditions and access to water are the main determinates of the number of contagions and deaths by the pandemic. © 2020 Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. All rights reserved.
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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Assessment of newly developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests in hemodialysis patients is needed. Methods: As part of a quality improvement (QI) initiative, nasopharyngeal swabs and predialysis blood samples were collected on the same day from adults receiving routine dialysis care at clinics managed by a large dialysis organization in the Miami, Florida, region (April 23-30, 2020). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for SARS-CoV-2 (Fulgent Genetics, Temple City, California) and chemiluminescence immunoassays (Diazyme Laboratories, Inc, Poway, California) were performed according to manufacturer protocols. For antibody tests (IgM and IgG), a reading of >;1 arbitrary unit/ mL was scored as positive. Results: Of 715 participants in the QI initiative, 38 had symptoms consistent with COVID-19 prior to or during the initiative. Among these, COVID-19 was confirmed in 14 and ruled out in 20, with 4 being inconclusive. Among the 34 patients with known COVID-19 status, the sensitivity and specificity of the antibody test were 57.1% and 85.0%, respectively, when both IgM and IgG were considered. The remaining 677 patients had no record of symptoms consistent with COVID-19 or any known exposure. Of these, 38 (5.6%) tested positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies;none of the antibody-positive patients with available PCR results (N=33) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions: The operational characteristics of the laboratory-based antibody test make it sufficient to rule in, but not rule out, SARS-CoV-2 infection in the appropriate clinical circumstance. A substantial proportion of dialysis patients may have had asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Background: Critically ill patients with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) infection have diverse clinical manifestations including renal dysfunction which can determine their short-term outcomes. We assess if renal dysfunction on day one of hospital admission is associated with increased mortality risk of patients with severe COVID-19 infection. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of records of patients with severe COVID-19 infection admitted to the Intensive Care Unit between March 4 and April 11, 2020. Patients were divided into two groups based on serum creatinine level on day one of hospital admission. Group 1 included patients with normal serum creatinine (SCr) 1.10 mg/dl while group 2 included patients with high SCr > 1.10 mg/dl. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT), duration of RRT, development of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and need for mechanical ventilation. Comparisons between groups were done using Mann-Whitney U-tests for continuous variables and chi-square tests for categorical variables. Mortality was evaluated with a Kaplan-Meier Survival Analysis. Results: A total of 47 patients were included: 27 in group 1 and 20 in group 2. Patients in group 2 compared to group 1 were older (67 vs. 56, p=0.04), more frequently African Americans (11% vs 45%, p=0.02), hypertensives (80% vs 52%, p=0.05) with chronic kidney disease (25% vs 0%, p=0.01), without significant differences sex, diabetes mellitus, smoking status or use of renin-angiotensin antagonists. 8 patients in group 2 and 3 patients in group 1 died, with significant difference in cumulative survival (Figure 1). Need for RRT (55% vs 41%, p=0.33), duration of RRT (6 vs 3 days, p=0.08), development of ARDS (85% vs 81%, p=0.75) and need for mechanical ventilation (65% vs 61%, p=0.89) were not significantly different between groups 2 and 1. Conclusions: The presence of renal dysfunction on the day of hospital admission is associated with increased hospital mortality in patients with severe COVID-19 infection.
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This report describes confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 cases among incarcerated or detained persons or staff members across 420 correctional and detention facilities in the United States.