Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) insecurity in unhoused communities of Los Angeles, California.

BACKGROUND: Access to water and sanitation is a basic human right; however, in many parts of the world, communities experience water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) insecurity. While WaSH insecurity is prevalent in many low and middle-income countries, it is also a problem in high-income countries, like the United States, as is evident in vulnerable populations, including people experiencing homelessness. Limited knowledge exists about the coping strategies unhoused people use to access WaSH services. This study, therefore, examines WaSH access among unhoused communities in Los Angeles, California, a city with the second-highest count of unhoused people across the nation. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using a snowball sampling technique with 263 unhoused people living in Skid Row, Los Angeles. We calculated frequencies and used multivariable models to describe (1) how unhoused communities cope and gain access to WaSH services in different places, and (2) what individual-level factors contribute to unhoused people's ability to access WaSH services. RESULTS: Our findings reveal that access to WaSH services for unhoused communities in Los Angeles is most difficult at night. Reduced access to overnight sanitation resulted in 19% of the sample population using buckets inside their tents and 28% openly defecating in public spaces. Bottled water and public taps are the primary drinking water source, but 6% of the sample reported obtaining water from fire hydrants, and 50% of the population stores water for night use. Unhoused people also had limited access to water and soap for hand hygiene throughout the day, with 17% of the sample relying on hand sanitizer to clean their hands. Shower and laundry access were among the most limited services available, and reduced people's ability to maintain body hygiene practices and limited employment opportunities. Our regression models suggest that WaSH access is not homogenous among the unhoused. Community differences exist; the odds of having difficulty accessing sanitation services is two times greater for those living outside of Skid Row (Adj OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.08-6.37) and three times greater for people who have been unhoused for more than six years compared to people who have been unhoused for less than a year (Adj OR: 3.26; 95% CI: 1.36-8.07). CONCLUSION: Overall, this study suggests a need for more permanent, 24-h access to WaSH services for unhoused communities living in Skid Row, including toilets, drinking water, water and soap for hand hygiene, showers, and laundry services.

Outcomes after neonatal cardiac surgery: The impact of a dedicated neonatal cardiac program.

OBJECTIVES: Prematurity is a risk factor for in-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery. The structure of intensive care unit models designed to deliver optimal care to neonates including those born preterm with critical congenital heart disease is unknown. The objective of this study was to evaluate in-hospital outcomes after cardiac surgery across gestational ages in an institution with a dedicated neonatal cardiac program. METHODS: This study is a single-center, retrospective review of infants who underwent cardiac surgical interventions from our dedicated neonatal cardiac intensive care program between 2006 and 2017. We evaluated in-hospital mortality and morbidity rates across all gestational ages. RESULTS: A total of 1238 subjects met inclusion criteria over a 11-year period. Overall in-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery was 6.1%. The mortality rate in very preterm infants (n = 68; <34 weeks' gestation at birth) was 17.6% (odds ratio, 3.52 [1.4-8.53]), versus 4.3% in full-term (n = 563; 39-40 weeks) referent/control infants. Very preterm infants with isolated congenital heart disease (without evidence of other affected organ systems) experienced a mortality rate of 10.5% after cardiac surgery. Neither the late preterm (34-36 6/7 weeks) nor the early term (37-38 6/7) groups had significantly increased odds of mortality compared with full-term infants. Seventy-eight percent of very preterm infants incurred a preoperative or postoperative complication (odds ratio, 4.78 [2.61-8.97]) compared with 35% of full-term infants. CONCLUSIONS: In this study of a single center with a dedicated neonatal cardiac program, we report some of the lowest mortality and morbidity rates after cardiac surgery in preterm infants in the recent era. The potential survival advantage of this model is most striking for very preterm infants born with isolated congenital heart disease.

Validation of the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation Scale in Mexican Adults.

BACKGROUND: Nasal obstruction is a feeling of impaired airflow through the nose, caused by diverse factors with high prevalence. There are numerous methods to study it, being the most important subjective instrument the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation score, NOSE, with good structural validity and internal consistency. It has been translated and validated in several languages, including European Spanish, but hasn't been validated in Mexico. AIM: Adapt and validate the NOSE scale to the Spanish language for a Mexican adult population. METHODS: This study was conducted from May-August 2015. The scale was translated from English to Spanish and assessed by two experts to confirm its acceptability, being retranslated later. Adult subjects with native Mexican Spanish were recruited from the outpatient clinic, with chronic rhinopathy and without evidence of respiratory pathology. Both groups filled the scale, and anthropometric data were collected. A subgroup completed the instrument again after one month. STATA 15.1 was used for analysis. RESULTS: The sample were 261 subjects. Cronbach alpha was 0.89, intraclass correlation coefficient 0.84, agreement limits -9.62 to 16.29. There was a statistically significant difference in score between groups. The area under the ROC curve was 0.855, with 83% sensibility and 76% specificity for a 20 total score. Moderate to strong item-total association was found with Spearman. The response model showed moderate item discrimination. In the factorial analysis, one factor was found, with an Eigenvalue of 3.21. CONCLUSION: The adaptation of the NOSE scale is reliable and valid for its application in Mexican adult population.

Hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis of COVID-19 in health workers: A randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Health care workers are at high risk of being infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Our aim is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for prophylaxis of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) in health personnel exposed to patients infected by SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: Double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled single center clinical trial. Included subjects were health care workers caring for severe COVID-19 patients. Main outcome was time to symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. RESULTS: 127 subjects with a confirmed baseline negative RT-PCR SARS-CoV2 test were included in the trial. 62 assigned to HCQ and 65 to placebo. One subject (1.6%) in the HCQ group and 6 (9.2%) subjects in the placebo group developed COVID-19 (Log-Rank test p = 0.07). No severe COVID-19 cases were observed. The study was suspended because of a refusal to participate and losses to follow up after several trials reported lack of effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. CONCLUSION: The effect size of hydroxychloroquine was higher than placebo for COVID-19 symptomatic infection in health personnel, although this was not statistically significant. The trial is underpowered due to the failure to complete the estimated sample size.

Sleep and Mental Health Disturbances Due to Social Isolation during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that broke out in China in December 2019 rapidly became a worldwide pandemic. In Mexico, the conditions requiring the declaration of a sanitary emergency were reached by the last week of March 2020, and health authorities' limited mobility and imposed social isolation were the main strategies to keep the virus from spreading. Thus, daily living conditions changed drastically in a few days, generating a stressful situation characterized by an almost complete lack of mobility, social isolation, and forced full-time interactions with family members. Soon, complaints of sleep disturbances, anxiety, and symptoms of depression were reported. The present study reports the results of an online survey performed during the first two months of isolation. Questionnaires exploring sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression were sent to people who responded to an open invitation. A total of 1230 participants filled out the sleep questionnaire, 812 responded to the anxiety questionnaire, and 814 responded to the depression questionnaire. Both men and women reported poor sleep quality, but women showed a higher proportion (79%) than men (60%); young women were more likely to be affected by social isolation. Concerning anxiety and depression, both sexes reported high similar symptoms. These data suggest that stressful conditions related to social isolation and the economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic may induce mental health disturbances, which may become worse with sleep restriction.

Neonates With Complex Cardiac Malformation and Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Born to SARS-CoV-2 Positive Women-A Single Center Experience.

BACKGROUND: Our understanding of the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on pregnancies and perinatal outcomes is limited. The clinical course of neonates born to women who acquired coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during their pregnancy has been previously described. However, the course of neonates born with complex congenital malformations during the COVID-19 pandemic is not known. METHODS: We report a case series of seven neonates with congenital heart and lung malformations born to women who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 during their pregnancy at a single academic medical center in New York City. RESULTS: Six infants had congenital heart disease and one was diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. In all seven infants, the clinical course was as expected for the congenital lesion. None of the seven exhibited symptoms generally associated with COVID-19. None of the infants in our case series tested positive by nasopharyngeal test for SARS-CoV-2 at 24 hours of life and at multiple points during their hospital course. CONCLUSIONS: In this case series, maternal infection with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy did not result in adverse outcomes in neonates with complex heart or lung malformations. Neither vertical nor horizontal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was noted.

Factores asociados a la adopción de conducta promotora de salud en estudiantes de una universidad en Chile / Factors associated with the adoption of health promoting behavior in students of a university in Chile

La Conducta Promotora de Salud se ve influenciada por diversos factores que definen el estilo de vida de una persona. El objetivo de este estudio es determinar los factores que condicionan la adopción de Conducta Promotora de Salud en estudiantes de una Universidad en Chile. Se realizó un estudio analítico, de corte transversal, en 189 estudiantes, se aplicó la Escala de Estilo de vida Promotor de Salud, Escala de Autoeficacia General, Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg y un cuestionario para caracterizar a los participantes. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva e inferencial y el programa SPSS 22. Se observó que los dominios de la Escala de Estilo de Vida Promotor de Salud que presentaron mayor media fueron, crecimiento espiritual y relaciones interpersonales con una media de 24,7 (D.S=5,4) y 23,9 (D.S=4,8) respectivamente. En cuanto a los Factores de Riesgo para la Salud solo el consumo de marihuana se relacionó con Conducta Promotora de Salud (p value 0,036). Además se aprecia que la Conducta Promotora de Salud tiene una relación directamente proporcional y significativa con percepción de Autoestima y Autoeficacia (p value< 0,01). Se concluye que, a mayor percepción de Autoestima y Autoeficacia mayor es la adopción de Conducta Promotora de Salud.

Health Promoting Behavior is influenced by various factors that define a person's lifestyle. The objective of this study is to determine the factors that condition the adoption of Promoting Health Conduct in students of a University in Chile. An analytical, cross-sectional study was carried out on 189 students; the Health Promoter Lifestyle Style Scale, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and a questionnaire to characterize the participants were applied. Descriptive and inferential statistics and the SPSS 22 program were used. It was observed that the domains of the Health Promoter Lifestyle Scale that had the highest average were spiritual growth and interpersonal relationships with a mean of 24.7 (SD = 5.4) and 23.9 (SD = 4.8) respectively. Regarding the Risk Factors for Health, only marijuana consumption was related to Health Promoting Behavior (p value 0.036). It is also seen that the Health Promotion Conduct has a directly proportional and significant relationship with the perception of Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy (p value <0.01). It is concluded that, the greater the perception of Self-esteem and Self-efficacy, the greater is the adoption of Promoting Health Behavior.