The impact of COVID-19 post-infection on the cognition of adults from Peru.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic, with over 83 million confirmed cases and 1.8 million deaths, has raised concerns about long-term cognitive issues, especially in populations facing disparities. Despite a few years since Peru's first COVID-19 wave, the cognitive effects on adults remain unclear. This study is the first in Peru to explore COVID-19's impact on general cognition and executive function. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study compared individuals with COVID-19 history to controls, assessing general cognition, verbal fluency, attention, and executive function. Among 240 assessed, 154 met the study inclusion criteria, with about 60% female and an average age of 38.89 ± 16.001 years. Groups included controls (n = 42), acute phase (AP, n = 74) (1-14 days of symptoms), and hyperinflammatory phase (HP, n = 38) (>14 days of symptoms). Results: Significant cognitive differences were observed. The HP group exhibited lower general cognitive performance (p = 0.02), working memory (p = 0.01), and executive function (planning; p < 0.001; flexibility; p = 0.03) than controls. Those with <14 days of illness (AP vs. HP) had deficits in general cognitive performance (p = 0.02), working memory (p = 0.02), and planning (p < 0.001), mainly during the hyperinflammatory phase, showing differences in working memory (p = 0.003) and planning (p = 0.01). Gender differences emerged, with males in the HP phase having poorer working memory (p = 0.003) and planning (p = 0.01). Discussion: This study underscores COVID-19's negative impact on cognitive function, even in mild cases, with potential heightened effects in men during acute or hyperinflammatory phases. The findings provide Peru's first evidence, highlighting the vulnerability of populations facing socioeconomic disparities.

The every woman study™ low- and middle-income countries edition protocol: A multi-country observational study to assess opportunities and challenges to improving survival and quality of life for women with ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is a challenging disease to diagnose and treat effectively with five-year survival rates below 50%. Previous patient experience research in high-income countries highlighted common challenges and opportunities to improve survival and quality of life for women affected by ovarian cancer. However, no comparable data exist for low-and middle-income countries, where 70% of women with the disease live. This study aims to address this evidence gap. METHODS: This is an observational multi-country study set in low- and middle-income countries. We aim to recruit over 2000 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer across multiple hospitals in 24 countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Country sample sizes have been calculated (n = 70-96 participants /country), taking account of varying national five-year disease prevalence rates. Women within five years of their diagnosis, who are in contact with participating hospitals, are invited to take part in the study. A questionnaire has been adapted from a tool previously used in high-income countries. It comprises 57 multiple choice and two open-ended questions designed to collect information on demographics, women's knowledge of ovarian cancer, route to diagnosis, access to treatments, surgery and genetic testing, support needs, the impact of the disease on women and their families, and their priorities for action. The questionnaire has been designed in English, translated into local languages and tested according to local ethics requirements. Questionnaires will be administered by a trained member of the clinical team. CONCLUSION: This study will inform further research, advocacy, and action in low- and middle-income countries based on tailored approaches to the national, regional and global challenges and opportunities. In addition, participating countries can choose to repeat the study to track progress and the protocol can be adapted for other countries and other diseases.

Cancer disease progression and death during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multidisciplinary analysis for the Peruvian setting.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in China in late 2019, infection from the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread virtually worldwide. This infection has adversely affected several countries; governments have outlined a series of political measures aimed to preserve the health and safety of their populations. In Peru, most actions have prioritised COVID-19 attention, with a subsequent gap in the healthcare facilities needed for other diseases. Cancer, one principal cause of death in the country, is usually diagnosed late. Moreover, in the pandemic context, the prevention and control of cancer have been negatively affected. Therefore, we carried out a multidisciplinary analysis using the Ishikawa diagram to identify the probable factors that contribute to cancer progression and deaths in Peru.

Ser curador wayuu en la globalización y no morir en el intento / To be a wayuu healer during globalization times, and how not to die trying

El punto de partida de esta investigación es el interés por analizar el papel del curador u "oütshi" del pueblo wayuu de Venezuela en el marco de la dinámica de cruce de fronteras culturales que debe realizar en la actualidad y los cambios ocurridos en cuanto a la percepción de su papel, la eficacia o no de sus tratamientos, los distintos itinerarios terapéuticos, la recurrencia a otros modelos curativos, las migraciones a las zonas urbanas y las nuevas prácticas y representaciones asumidas en su relación con la alteridad. En base a una metodología cualitativa etnográfica, se logró compartir experiencias con seis curadores del pueblo wayuu en la Guajira Venezolana, Municipio Páez Estado Zulia, Venezuela. Mediante la misma hemos podido captar el sentido, el significado que adquiere para ellos la enfermedad y el tratamiento de la misma en el marco de su sistema de curación. Como estrategias básicas para la recogida de información se utilizó la observación y la entrevista en profundidad. Se han encontrado variados puntos de encuentro entre las vivencias de los curadores en cuanto a su papel en el pueblo wayuu en la que se ha podido evidenciar la preocupación por la pérdida de vigencia del curador wayuu. No obstante, se han encontrado matices que nos permiten hablar de diferencias en cuanto a las manifestaciones y percepciones de cada sujeto sobre la importancia que todavía tienen dentro del sistema de curación wayuu para dar respuestas a los procesos de atención de las enfermedades reconocidas dentro de la cultura. Se concluye que, en la actualidad, tanto el incesante cruce de fronteras culturales por parte del curador wayuu como su vigencia en cuanto a sus representaciones y prácticas de curación dentro del sistema curativo wayuu se han generado cambios en las funciones y las características de la actividad de los curadores wayuu, se repiensa en su destacado papel como actor social en el marco de una globalización que apuesta por su desaparición (AU)

The starting point of this research is the interests for analyzing the role of the healer or "outshi" of the wayuu people in Venezuela in view of the dynamics of the present mixture of cultural barriers and the changes that haven taken place with regard to the perception of his role, the efficiency or not of the treatments provided by him, the different therapeutic itineraries, the falling back on other healing models, the migration to urban zones and the new practices and representations assumed by him in view of the changes. Using ethnographic qualitative methodology, we managed to share in the experiences of six healers of the wayuu people in the Venezuelan Guajira Peninsula, Municipality Paez, State Zulia, Venezuela. By means of the same it was able to capture the sense and the significance that the illness meant for them and the treatment of the same in the framework of their healing system. For the gathering of information, observation and in depth interviews were used as basic strategies. Several common grounds were found among the living experiences of the healers with regard to their role among the wayuu people, which evidenced the concern for losing the essence of the wayuu healer. Nevertheless, some variations have been found which allow us to speak of the difference that exists between the manifestations and the perceptions of each subject regarding the importance that persists within the wayuu healing system in order to provide answers to the healing processes of illnesses that have been recognized within the culture. In conclusion, at present, not only the ever changing crossing over of the cultural barrier on the part of the wayuu healer but also his validity as to his representations and healing practice has produced changes in the functions and the characteristics of the wayuu healer activity, thus providing seconds thoughts about his social role within the framework of a globalization that bets on his disappearance (AU)