Experiences and outcomes of group volunteer befriending with patients with severe mental illness: an exploratory mixed-methods study in Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Improving care for patients with severe mental illness in Latin America requires effective strategies that are low-cost. One such strategy is a volunteering scheme, referred to as befriending, which seeks to support the social integration of patients. Despite positive reports in other world regions, this intervention has not been studied in Latin America. Whilst befriending programmes commonly form patient-volunteer dyads, group arrangements may be an alternative with some benefits. Here, we aim to explore the feasibility, experiences and outcomes of a group volunteer befriending intervention for patients with severe mental illness in Colombia. METHODS: In this exploratory non-controlled study, 10 groups of five individuals were formed, each consisting of three individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and two volunteers from the community in Bogotá, Colombia. Each group was encouraged to participate together in social activities within their community over a 6-month period. Patients' quality of life, objective social outcomes, symptom levels and internalised stigma were assessed before and after the intervention. Patients' and volunteers' experiences were explored in semi-structured interviews which were analysed using inductive content analysis. RESULTS: Outcomes were available for 23 patients. Whilst their objective social situation had significantly improved at the end of the intervention, other outcomes did not show statistically significant differences. The interviews with participants revealed positive experiences which fell into five categories: 1) stigma reduction; 2) personal growth; 3) formation of relationships; 4) continuity and sustainability of befriending; 5) acceptability and feasibility of befriending. CONCLUSIONS: A volunteer befriending programme in small groups of two volunteers and three patients is feasible and associated with positive experiences of participants. Such programmes may also improve the objective social situation of patients. This low-cost intervention may be useful for patients with severe mental illnesses in Latin America. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN72241383 (Date of Registration: 04/03/2019, retrospectively registered).

Síndrome de Bernard-Soulier / Bernard-Soulier síndrome

Resumen: El síndrome de Bernard-Soulier ocupa el séptimo lugar entre los trastornos de la coagulación más comunes y es una enfermedad poco frecuente de carácter genético, que se distingue por disfunción o ausencia del complejo plaquetario glicoproteína Ib-IX-V, que es el principal receptor del factor de von Willebrand, importante en la adhesión plaquetaria al subendotelio. Su incidencia puede llegar a ser de más de un caso por millón porque a menudo es mal diagnosticado si el paciente no manifiesta los datos clínicos típicos o si no hay resultados de laboratorio concluyentes. Los pacientes manifiestan macrotrombocitopenia con recuentos de plaquetas variables, además de prolongación del tiempo de coagulación. A la fecha se han descrito más de 100 mutaciones relacionadas con los componentes del complejo plaquetario, la manifestación de la enfermedad puede llegar a ser muy heterogénea incluso en pacientes que tengan una mutación idéntica.

Abstract: The Bernard-Soulier syndrome ranked seventh among the most common coagulation disorders; it is a rare genetic disease, characterized by dysfunction or absence of the glycoprotein Ib-IX-V platelet complex, which is the main receptor of von Willebrand factor, important in platelet adhesion to the subendothelium. Its incidence can be more than 1 per 1 million because it is often misdiagnosed if the patient does not present with the typical clinic or if there are no conclusive laboratory results. The syndrome presents macrothrombocytopenia with variable platelet counts as well as prolongation of the coagulation time. To date, more than 100 mutations related to the components of the platelet complex have been described, the presentation of the disease can become very heterogeneous even in patients who have an identical mutation.

Perfil clínico y epidemiológico de la insuficiencia ovárica primaria en la consulta endocrino-ginecológica de dos instituciones de salud de Medellín, Colombia / Clinical and epidemiological profile of primary ovarian failure in gynecological endocrine consultation in two health institutions in the city of Medellin, Colombia

Resumen OBJETIVO: Determinar el perfil clínico y epidemiológico de las pacientes con insuficiencia ovárica primaria atendidas en la consulta endocrino-ginecológica de dos instituciones de salud de Medellín, Colombia. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio descriptivo, transversal y retrospectivo efectuado en pacientes con insuficiencia ovárica primaria atendidas en la consulta médica de endocrinología entre 2017 y 2018. Para el análisis se calcularon frecuencias absolutas y relativas para las variables cualitativas, para las cuantitativas, mediana. RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 25 pacientes con edad promedio de 32.9 años. La edad promedio a la menarquia y amenorrea definitiva fue de 12.05 años y 28.5 años, respectivamente. Alrededor de los 28.7 años recibieron el diagnóstico; la menor y mayor edad al diagnóstico fue de 13 y 42 años, respectivamente. Se encontró que 21 de 25 pacientes tuvieron amenorrea secundaria, 14 de 25 ciclos regulares. Los síntomas más frecuentes fueron: bochornos en 11 de 25, 8 de 25 sudoración y 5 de 25 depresión. CONCLUSIONES: Las pacientes con insuficiencia ovárica primaria tienen un perfil clínico sumamente variable en cuanto a evolución de la enfermedad; sin embargo, casi todas las de este estudio tuvieron coincidencia en síntomas y signos. Es importante que se efectúen más estudios a este respecto que permitan ampliar la información epidemiológica local y nacional.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical and epidemiological profile of primary ovarian failure in gynecological endocrine consultation in two health institutions in the city of Medellin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study, in which the study population were adult women with primary ovarian failure who attended the endocrinological medical consultation from 2017 to 2018. The source of the information were clinical histories of patients with primary ovarian failure who attended this consultation. For the analysis, absolute and relative frequencies were calculated for the qualitative variables, for the quantitative ones, the median was used. RESULTS: twenty-five women who met the eligibility criteria were included; The average age of the patients was 32.96 years. The mean age of menarche and definitive amenorrhea of the patients was 12.05 years and 28.57 years respectively, at approximately 28.73 years of age, the patients were diagnosed with primary ovarian insufficiency, the lowest and highest age of diagnosis was at 13 and 42 years respectively. 21/25 patients had secondary amenorrhea, 14/25 of the patients had regular cycles. The most common symptoms were heats 11/25, sweating (8/25) and depression (5/25). CONCLUSIONS: Women with primary ovarian failure had a clinical profile with wide variation regarding the development of the disease, however, they match in most symptoms and signs. It's important to continue studying and expanding the information about epidemiology in national and international context.

[Reliability and dimensionality of PHQ-9 in screening depression symptoms among health science students in Cartagena, 2014].

INTRODUCTION: Depression among university students must be screened with valid instruments. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is reliable and valid for screening depression in a university context; however, its psychometric performance in Colombia is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the reliability and dimensionality of PHQ-9 as a screening instrument for depressive symptoms among health sciences students of a university in Cartagena, Colombia.Materials y methods: We analyzed the factorial structure and reliability of the PHQ-9 in a sample of 550 students for expected prevalence of clinically-meaningful depressive symptoms (CMDS) of 25% with a confidence level of 95% and an error level of 3%. We used the free Spanish version of PHQ-9 for Colombia, authorized by its creators. A confirmatory factorial analysis, and an estimate of internal consistency using Cronbach´s alfa and McDonald´s omega were obtained. RESULTS: We analyzed 541 surveys. The average age of the group was 20.18 (SD=2.59) years old, 354 (63.77%) participants were women and 196 (36.23%) men. CMDS prevalence was 27.3%. The confirmatory factorial analysis exhibited a two-factor model, which explained the total variance of 42.80%. The proportion of variance explained by the factors was 0.243 (item 5) and 0.587 (item 2). Cronbach´s alfa was 0.830 and McDonald´s omega, 0.89. CONCLUSIONS: PHQ-9 was a valid and reliable tool for screening depressive symptoms among health sciences students in a university in Cartagena, Colombia.

Confiabilidad y dimensión del cuestionario de salud del paciente (PHQ-9) para la detección de síntomas de depresión en estudiantes de ciencias de la salud en Cartagena, 2014 / Reliability and dimensionality of PHQ-9 in screening depression symptoms among health science students in Cartagena, 2014

Resumen Introducción. La detección de los síntomas de depresión en estudiantes universitarios mediante instrumentos válidos es necesaria. El cuestionario de salud del paciente (Patient Health Questionnaire-9, PHQ-9) es confiable y ha sido validado para dicha detección en el contexto universitario, pero se desconoce su desempeño psicométrico en Colombia. Objetivo. Estimar la confiabilidad y la dimensión del PHQ-9 como instrumento de detección de los síntomas de depresión en estudiantes del área de ciencias de la salud de una universidad de Cartagena, Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se estudió la estructura factorial y la confiabilidad del PHQ-9 en una muestra de 550 estudiantes para una prevalencia esperada de síntomas depresivos con importancia clínica de 25 %, un nivel de confianza de 95 %, y de error de 3 %. Se utilizó la versión en español del PHQ-9 con autorización de los autores. Se hizo un análisis factorial confirmatorio, y se estimó la consistencia interna con el coeficiente alfa de Cronbach y el omega de McDonald. Resultados. Se analizaron 541 encuestas. La edad media del grupo fue de 20,18 años (desviación estándar, DE=2,59), 354 (63,77 %) eran mujeres y 196 (36,23 %), hombres. La prevalencia de los síntomas de depresión de importancia clínica fue de 27,3 %. El análisis factorial confirmatorio evidenció un modelo de dos factores, los cuales explicaron el 42,80 % de la varianza total. La proporción de la varianza explicada por los factores estuvo entre 0,243 (ítem 5) y 0,587 (ítem 2). El coeficiente alfa de Cronbach fue de 0,830 y, el omega de McDonald, de 0,89. Conclusiones. El PHQ-9 resultó ser una herramienta válida y confiable para la detección de síntomas de depresión en estudiantes de ciencias de la salud de una universidad de Cartagena.

Abstract Introduction: Depression among university students must be screened with valid instruments. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is reliable and valid for screening depression in a university context; however, its psychometric performance in Colombia is unknown. Objective: To estimate the reliability and dimensionality of PHQ-9 as a screening instrument for depressive symptoms among health sciences students of a university in Cartagena, Colombia. Materials y methods: We analyzed the factorial structure and reliability of the PHQ-9 in a sample of 550 students for expected prevalence of clinically-meaningful depressive symptoms (CMDS) of 25% with a confidence level of 95% and an error level of 3%. We used the free Spanish version of PHQ-9 for Colombia, authorized by its creators. A confirmatory factorial analysis, and an estimate of internal consistency using Cronbach´s alfa and McDonald´s omega were obtained. Results: We analyzed 541 surveys. The average age of the group was 20.18 (SD=2.59) years old, 354 (63.77%) participants were women and 196 (36.23%) men. CMDS prevalence was 27.3%. The confirmatory factorial analysis exhibited a two-factor model, which explained the total variance of 42.80%. The proportion of variance explained by the factors was 0.243 (item 5) and 0.587 (item 2). Cronbach´s alfa was 0.830 and McDonald´s omega, 0.89. Conclusions: PHQ-9 was a valid and reliable tool for screening depressive symptoms among health sciences students in a university in Cartagena, Colombia.

Lesión cerebral posterior a paro cardiorrespiratorio / Brain injury after cardiac arrest

La lesión cerebral postparo cardíaco es causa común de morbilidad y mortalidad, de ahí la importancia de comprender sus mecanismos fisiopatológicos, su relación con el impacto de las técnicas de resucitación y el pronóstico de los pacientes. La pérdida de la integridad celular dispara la liberación de glutamato generando excitotoxicidad asociada a la disminución de los neurotransmisores moduladores y a elevación del calcio intracelular provocando lesiones en diferentes áreas cerebrales causando síntomas cognitivos con un impacto significativo en la calidad de vida de estas personas. La Categoría de Desempeño Cerebral es el patón de oro para la evaluación de la recuperación neurológica después del paro cardiorrespiratorio (PCR) y el examen neurológico continúa siendo uno de los factores más confiables para determinar la extensión de la lesión y el pronóstico neurológico en las víctimas de PCR. La evidencia demuestra que la hipotermia leve inducida puede disminuir la lesión cerebral, mejorando la supervivencia y el resultado neurológico funcional en pacientes comatosos sobrevivientes de PCR. La lesión cerebral posterior al PCR es sin duda un área importante para la investigación clínica.

Brain injury after cardiac arrest is a common cause of morbidity and mortality, hence the importance of understanding its pathophysiological mechanisms and its relation to the impact of resuscitation and prognosis of patients. The loss of cellular integrity triggers the release of glutamate thus generating excitotoxicity associated with the decreased of modulatory neurotransmitters levels and the elevation of intracellular calcium thense causing lesions in different brain areas and generating cognitive symptoms related to significant impact on quality of life. The Cerebral Performance Category is the gold standard for the assessment of neurological recovery after cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) and neurological examination remains one of the most reliable factors to determine the extent of the injury and neurological outcome in CPA victims. Evidence shows that mild induced hypothermia may reduce injury, improving survival and functional neurologicals outcomes in comatose survivors of CPA. Brain injury after CPA is an important area for research.