Reinforcement of the Standard Therapy with Two Infusions of Convalescent Plasma for Patients with COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the reinforcement of the standard therapy with hyperimmune plasma (HP) in Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) patients. METHODS: Open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial performed in three hospitals in the Balearic Islands. Non-severe COVID-19 hospitalized patients with clinical time evolution equal to/less than 7 days were included, and randomized in: plasma group (PG) (n = 37), receiving 600 mL divided into two doses from convalescent plasma donor, administered on days 1 and 2 after the enrollment; and control group (CG) (n = 17). Primary outcome was the time for clinical improvement within 21 days, defined as patient achievement of categories 8, 7, and 6 in the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial scale (ACTT). The trial was terminated early due to the impossibility of recruitment due to the pandemic. RESULTS: PG presented better scores on the ACTT scale at 7 days after HP infusion, whereas CG was needed 14 days to achieve similar results. The plasma infusion was safe. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the tendency observed in the plasma group to achieve slightly earlier better physical condition compared with the standard treatment alone. The administration of HP has been shown to be a safe therapy. No robust evidence was found to affirm a therapeutic effect of the early administration of two infusions of HP for non-severe COVID-19 infected patients. The interpretation is limited by the early termination of the trial, which resulted in a small sample size.

Gender-related Differences in the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic in Cardiometabolic Patients in Latin America: The CorCOVID LATAM Gender Sub-study.

COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have disrupted lifestyle habits and self-care. Gender differences in health behavior during the pandemic have not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate gender related differences in the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on patients with cardiometabolic diseases. A cross-sectional survey was administered to cardiometabolic patients in 13 Latin American countries between June 15th and July 15th, 2020. The study included 4216 participants, of which 2147 (50.9%) were women. Women reported healthier eating habits as well as lower tobacco and alcohol consumption than men but exercised less and reported increased symptoms of depression. Low income and symptoms of depression were associated with sedentarism in women. The interplay between psychological factors and sedentarism could increase the risk of cardiovascular events in this population.

Managing endoscopic challenges on the road to resect a large ulcerated gastric GI stromal tumor.

Video 1Managing endoscopic challenges on the road to resect a largeulcerated gastric GI stromal tumor.

Ambulatory Patients with Cardiometabolic Disease and Without Evidence of COVID-19 During the Pandemic. The CorCOVID LATAM Study.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has modified the cardiovascular care of ambulatory patients. The aim of this survey was to study changes in lifestyle habits, treatment adherence, and mental health status in patients with cardiometabolic disease, but no clinical evidence of COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in ambulatory patients with cardiometabolic disease using paper/digital surveys. Variables investigated included socioeconomic status, physical activity, diet, tobacco use, alcohol intake, treatment discontinuation, and psychological symptoms. Results: A total of 4,216 patients (50.9% males, mean age 60.3 ± 15.3 years old) from 13 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries were enrolled. Among the study population, 46.4% of patients did not have contact with a healthcare provider, 31.5% reported access barriers to treatments and 17% discontinued some medication. Multivariate analysis showed that non-adherence to treatment was more prevalent in the secondary prevention group: peripheral vascular disease (OR 1.55, CI 1.08-2.24; p = 0.018), heart failure (OR 1.36, CI 1.05-1.75; p = 0.017), and coronary artery disease (OR 1.29 CI 1.04-1.60; p = 0.018). No physical activity was reported by 38% of patients. Only 15% of patients met minimum recommendations of physical activity (more than 150 minutes/week) and vegetable and fruit intake. Low/very low income (45.5%) was associated with a lower level of physical activity (p < 0.0001), less fruit and vegetables intake (p < 0.0001), more tobacco use (p < 0.001) and perception of depression (p < 0.001). Low educational level was also associated with the perception of depression (OR 1.46, CI 1.26-1.70; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Patients with cardiometabolic disease but without clinical evidence of COVID-19 showed significant medication non-adherence, especially in secondary prevention patients. Deterioration in lifestyle habits and appearance of depressive symptoms during the pandemic were frequent and related to socioeconomic status.

Valoración de las competencias digitales en docentes para la adopción de tecnologías de software libre. Proyecto Kids on Computers / Assesment of digital skills of teachers for free software technolo - gy adoption. Kids on Computers project

Resumen La capacitación a los docentes es clave para la adopción de las TIC en la educación; sin embargo, en los proyectos establecidos en México se detectó que la mayoría de ellos no la incluye, este mismo problema existe en el proyecto Kids on Computers, principalmente por el desconocimiento del software instalado en los sistemas operativos Ubermix y Raspbian de los laboratorios de cómputo de Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca, México. Este trabajo muestra evidencias de la necesidad de formación en competencias digitales por parte de los docentes que integran el caso de estudio. Se utilizó una metodología documental y de campo con un enfoque cuantitativo y se aplicó la técnica de recolección de datos por medio de una encuesta que tomó como base las recomendaciones por parte de organismos internacionales para diseñarla. Los resultados arrojan que sólo el 20% de ellos reporta haber tenido capacitación formal en el área de tecnología y en relación con el nivel de experiencia en el uso de las TIC, la mitad de ellos se considera en el nivel de principiante y la otra mitad con nivel medio. Se propone un plan de formación para los docentes estableciendo los objetivos y contenidos de los cursos con los elementos teórico-prácticos que les permitan utilizar las aplicaciones. Se ha iniciado la capacitación con tareas básicas del sistema operativo, posteriormente se generó un catálogo de las aplicaciones instaladas con respecto al uso que podría dárseles para compartirlo con los docentes e ir seleccionando aquellas que les resulten más útiles.

Abstract Teacher's training is fundamental to incorporate TIC in education programs; even though, most projects in Mexico don't include it, the same problem appears in Kids on Computers, mainly because the lack of knowledge about the software installed over Ubermix and Raspbian in the computer labs in Huajuapan de Leon, Oaxaca, Mexico. This work shows evidence on the need of teacher's training in digital skills within the study case. A statistical field test methodology has been used with a quantitative approach, data is collected from a survey that was designed following the recommendations of international organizations. Results report that only 20% of the sample have been trained in TIC, the half of them consider theirself in the beginners level and the other half in the intermediate level. A training program is proposed, course goals and content are adjusted to include theory-practice knowledge that allows the use of the software applications. First, they start with operative systems basics and then a catalog of apps classified upon educative criteria was generated to share that information with teachers and select those that result more useful to them.