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Introduction: Preventive care guidelines for patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) emphasize the need for a patient-centered interdisciplinary approach, with assessment and management of the patient's physical and mental health as well as the IBD. There is no data about compliance with current IBD preventive care guidelines in Puerto Rico. This study aims to evaluate current IBD preventive care in the clinic, and knowledge among patients and gastroenterologists about the preventive care guidelines. The 3-phase study includes retrospective medical record review, an anonymous online survey of gastroenterologists, and an anonymous survey of patients. We report the results of the patient survey. Method(s): Adult patients with an established diagnosis of at least 6 months of ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD) or indeterminate colitis (IC), were recruited from the IBD Clinics and through IBDrelated social media. Questionnaires were filled in the clinic and online using Google forms. Statistical analysis was performed using descriptive statistics. Comparisons of proportions and means between groups was based on Fisher's exact and chi square tests. The study was approved by the MSC IRB. Result(s): 83 patients completed the survey, 42 from the clinics and 41 through social media. 60% had CD, 47.4% were diagnosed more than 10 years ago, 57.9% were younger than 38 years old and 68% were on immunosuppressants/biologics. 83.13% and 60.24% of patients knew that COVID and Influenza vaccines were indicated, respectively. However only 42.17%, 36.14%, 32.53% and 31.33% of patients knew about indications for HPV, pneumococcal, varicella and zoster vaccines, respectively. There was a significant difference about knowledge regarding screening for latent TB (p=0.019), anxiety and depression (p= 0.03) and smoking status (p=0.033) between CD and UC/IC patients, as shown in Table. Conclusion(s): Our study showed a significant lack of knowledge about IBD preventive care in patients. Strategies to improve patient education are needed. The results of the review of records from the clinic as well as the knowledge of gastroenterologists will point out other deficiencies in the healthcare system and help design methods to improve patient care. Another aspect that needs to be explored is access to preventive measures such as vaccines. (Table Presented).
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The COVID-19 pandemic reached five waves in three years, with over 6.5 million deaths across the globe. Knowing the differential susceptibility to the novel betacoronavirus has allowed us to better understand the pathophysiology and inflammatory complications and dissect the response against the virus. As in other viral infections, CD8+ T lymphocytes and NK cells stand out as key players, together with viral sensors, type 1 interferons, an exaggerated inflammatory response by NLRP3, and a storm that includes cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. Whole-exome sequencing has identified several genes with pathogenic germline variants in patients with severe COVID-19;said genes would account for around 5% of all severe cases. In addition, up to 20% of hospitalized adults harbor autoantibodies against type-I and III interferons. These findings translate into novel genetic etiologies, whereas autoantibodies explain the worse prognosis of the elderly, linked to the inflammaging phenomenon. In general, patients with known primary immune deficiencies who acquired COVID-19 fared well, with global survival rates over 80% and a predominance of mild courses. The exceptions were patients with severe-combined immune deficiency, and with the autoimmune polyglandular syndrome 1, the latter because they develop autoantibodies against interferon. Neither have there been reports of greater severity in patients with autoimmune or autoinflammatory disorders. However, those receiving immunosuppressant treatments usually have a more protracted course. Patients with NLRP3 or STAT1 gain of function might be especially susceptible to systemic inflammatory complications. In this review, we summarize the global experience in the caretaking of patients with immune alterations who were infected by SARS-CoV-2. © 2022 Instituto Nacional de Pediatria. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Background: A higher rate of anxiety and depression is present in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mental health in the general population. This study aims to compare the prevalence of depression and anxiety in patients with IBD during the pre-pandemic period and the pandemic period, and to explore trends in patients' specific IBD-related needs during the pandemic era. Method(s): Data was collected from subjects with IBD in two different timepoints: 2016 and 2021-2022. Self-administered questionnaires were given to adults with confirmed IBD attending an academic IBD Clinic. Data collected included demographic information, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for major depressive disorder (MDD), General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire and subject's need for referrals to other services such as nutrition, pain management, mental health services. Scores of 10 or more in the GAD-7 or PHQ-9 indicate need for professional evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using R Studio v.4.2.1. This study is approved by the UPR MSC-IRB. Result(s): Two hundred-fifty-two questionnaires were collected in 2016 and 196 during the 2021-22 pandemic period. The majority of subjects were male (54.6%) and had Crohn's disease (69.9%). Mean +/- SD age was 40.2 +/- 14.6. In the PHQ-9, 33.7% (n=91) during 2016, and 16.33% (n=32) during 2021-22 screened positive for MDD. For the GAD-7, 30.7% (n=83) during 2016, and 12.76% (n=25) during 2021- 22 screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Sex and age differences were not detected for MDD and GAD screening, with exception for age differences in MDD during 2021-2022. The most frequent needs for referrals during 2021-2022 were nutrition evaluation (n = 74), access to IBD education (n = 73), psychology services (n = 71) and participation in research for IBD studies (n = 66) Conclusion(s): The frequency of depression and anxiety in Puerto Ricans with IBD during the pandemic period was lower than pre-pandemic. Possible factors related to this include active use of telemedicine providing regular follow-up, integrated psychological support as part of the regular clinic services, and access to information regarding COVID-19 and IBD. (Figure Presented).
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A documentary review was carried out on the production and publication of research papers related to the study of the variable Connectivity and Management of Technological Supplies in Educational Institutions during Covid-19 in Latin America. The purpose of the bibliometric analysis proposed in this document is to know the main characteristics of the volume of publications registered in Scopus database during the period between 2020 and the first semester of 2021 in Latin American countries, achieving the identification of 32 publications in total. The information provided by this platform was organized by means of graphs and figures, categorizing the information by Year of Publication, Country of Origin, Area of Knowledge and Type of Publication. Once these characteristics were described, the position of different authors regarding the proposed topic was referenced by means of a qualitative analysis. Among the main findings of this research, it is found that Mexico, with 10 publications, is the Latin American country with the highest production. The area of knowledge that made the greatest contribution to the construction of bibliographic material related to the study of Connectivity and Supply Management was Social Sciences with 19 published documents, and the type of publication that was most used during the period mentioned above was the journal article, which represents 66% of the total scientific production.
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In the European Union (EU), the dominant technology for high-temperature thermal treatment of residual Municipal Solid Waste (i.e., the unsorted waste where source separation is performed) is the moving grate incineration. The process of combustion in this sector has been optimised thanks to the introduction of stringent criteria of operation both in the combustion chamber and in the treatment of the generated off-gas. However, the costs of treatment can be sustainable only if the tariff to be applied for the service is coherent with the average value found in the sector. The literature demonstrates that, under a capacity threshold, the grate system is out of market, thus limiting the implementation of small decentralised plants. This paper discusses the potential benefits of small-scale and decentralised thermo-chemical treatment plants replacing a single large-scale one. In addition, the present article analyses the consequences of the results of a recent survey that zoomed in on the availability of small-scale gasifiers for implementing such a strategy. The results of this analysis show that small-scale gasification is preferable to other technologies (e.g., incineration and pyrolysis) in terms of scale effect and flexibility/modularity. Compared to other thermal treatments, the local environmental impact could be reduced by converting syngas into fuels or chemicals rather than burning it for direct energy recovery. The paper also shows that small-scale gasification is able to respond to different needs in both EU and non-EU countries, like the management of progressively lower amounts of residual waste requiring treatment/management of uncontrolled dump sites.
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Background: The COVID-19 vaccine trials did not include subjects with IBD or immunosuppression, limiting the effectiveness data of the vaccine in this population. The impact of biologics with different mechanisms of action on antibody concentrations and neutralizing capacity produced by the vaccine may alter prevention strategies. We aim to describe a comparison of the humoral response to COVID-19 vaccine in patients with IBD on biologics between different therapies and a control group. Methods: Patients ≥21 years of age with Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) on biologic therapy were recruited. Blood samples were collected at 14 ± 2 days (Cohort 1) and 60 ±7 days (Cohort 2) after receiving a 2nd dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine [BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) or mRNA-1273 (Moderna). Anti-spike protein receptor binding domain IgG levels and neutralizing capability using SARS-CoV-2 surrogate virus neutralization test (sVNT%) were measured. A result >30% is positive for effective viral inhibition. Results were stratified by mechanism of action of the drug and compared with a healthy control group. Comparisons were evaluated by Kruskal-Walls test and Dunns Pairwise/Bonferroni. The study is approved by the MSC IRB. Results: 32 subjects exposed to biological therapy divided into 2 cohorts (14-days, n=19/60-days, n=13) and 18 samples of healthy controls (14-days, n=12/60-days, n=6) are reported. Of the IBD subjects, 81% (26/32) had CD, 56% were males (18/32) and mean age was 39. All subjects were receiving biological monotherapy, one subject was also on azathioprine. All groups developed detectable antibody levels and >60% neutralizing antibody detection after 14 and 60 days of the second vaccine dose. IgG levels at 14 days (p<0.001) and sVNT% at 14- and 60-days post second vaccine dose (p=0.007, 0.024) were significantly different between subjects vs. controls. When stratified by mechanism of action, there was a significant difference between each biologic vs. control (p<0.001), but no difference between biologic classes. Initial analysis for the sVNT% at 14 days showed statistical significance (p=0.046). Post-hoc analysis showed no statistical significance in the individual comparisons. No significant differences were found between each therapy vs. control for IgG levels nor sVNT% at 60-days (p=0.257, 0.113). Conclusion: Our study shows that IBD patients on biological therapy who receive a COVID-19 vaccine develop a lower but effective humoral response up to 60 days after the second dose when compared to healthy individuals. No difference was found between class of biologics. A larger sample is needed.