Mental Health and Related Factors Among Undergraduate Students During SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Mental health problems among undergraduates are a significant public health concern. Most studies exploring mental health in this population during the pandemic have been conducted in high-income countries. Fewer studies come from Latin American countries. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, and suicide risk, and explore the association with several relevant variables in personal, family, university, and SARS-CoV-2 pandemic domains. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Chile in a medium-size private University. Outcome variables were explored with valid instruments: Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Independent variables from personal (e.g., sex, age, sexual orientation, history of mental health problems, substance use), family (e.g., parental educational background, family history of mental health problems, family functioning), university (e.g., course year, financial support, psychological sense of university belonging, history of failing subjects) and SARS-CoV-2 domains (e.g., history of personal and family contagion, fear of contracting SARS-CoV-2, frequency of physical activity, keeping routines and social contact). Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted for each outcome, after univariable and domain-specific multivariable models. The significant variable at each step was selected if the p-value was ≤ 0.05. Results: A total of 5,037 students answered the survey-the global response rate of 63.5%. Most of the students were females (70.4%) and freshmen students (25.2%). The prevalence of mental health problems was high: depression (37.1%), anxiety (37.9%), and stress (54.6%). Insomnia was reported in 32.5% of students, and suicide risk in 20.4% of students. The associated variables at personal domain were history of mental health problems, substance use, and sexual orientation; at family domain, family functioning and family history of mental health problems; at university domain, violence victimization and sense of belonging; and in SARS-CoV-2 domain, having a daily routine and fear to contracting SARS-CoV-2 by students themselves or others. Conclusions: The prevalence of mental health problems is high among undergraduate students and some of the associated factors, such as victimization and a sense of belonging can be used in preventive interventions.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy for muscle invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma: will it change current standards?

Immunotherapy, in the form of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), has shown activity in metastatic urothelial bladder carcinoma, resulting in the approval of several ICI agents in the first- and second-line settings. This has led to an increased interest in studying their efficacy in the neoadjuvant setting for muscle invasive disease - an area of significant unmet need. This non-systematic review will look at the evidence supporting the use of ICI in the neoadjuvant setting for this tumor, results of early-phase studies, ongoing trials, and possible future applications for these drugs.

Plant-Based Biostimulant as Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Growth Regulators in Two Sweet Cherry Cultivars.

Sweet cherry is a high value crop and the economic success of its cultivation depends not only on yield but also on fruit visual and nutritional quality attributes that influence consumer acceptability, as well as on fruit post-harvest performance and resistance to cracking. During the last few decades, cherry growers have tried to achieve these goals through exogenous applications of synthetic plant hormones and/or nutrients, but there is growing concern about the sustainability of the extensive use of these compounds in agriculture. For this reason, there is increasing interest in the possible adoption of different classes of biostimulants as sustainable alternatives to plant growth regulators. This research aimed to study the impact of foliar application of a novel tropical-plant extract, performed between full bloom and fruit set, on the yield and fruit quality of two important commercial sweet cherry cultivars, Kordia and Regina. The experimental design included a commercial control involving the application of a cytokinin promoter. In both cultivars, the tropical-plant extract induced significant increases in fruit yield. In addition, in the cultivar Kordia, the tropical-plant extract enhanced fruit calcium concentration, soluble solids content, flesh firmness, and skin color by 26.2%, 11.8%, 6.7%, and 12.0% (of fruits with mahogany skin color), respectively. Our results suggest that the tropical-plant extract tested as a biostimulant may be a sustainable and effective alternative to the exogenous application of synthetic hormones for sweet cherry cultivation.

Ventajas en técnica Nyhus versus Lichtenstein para el tratamiento quirúrgico de la hernia inguinal bilateral / Advantages of Nyhus versus Lichtenstein technique for surgical treatment of bilateral inguinal hernia

RESUMEN Introducción: la técnica de Lichtenstein y Nyhus representan hernioplastias seguras; Nyhus es un proceder que aún no se reporta como elección para la hernia inguinal bilateral. Objetivo: describir las ventajas de la técnica Nyhus en comparación con la técnica de Lichtenstein en el tratamiento de elección en pacientes afectos de hernia inguinal bilateral. Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, analítico, y transversal, de casos control, en el Hospital General Docente "Abel Santamaría Cuadrado" Pinar del Río, Cuba, 2014-2017. La muestra quedó constituida por 62 casos, en dos grupos de 31; Grupo A: operados por técnica de Nyhus. Grupo B: operados en dos tiempos por técnica de Lichtenstein. Se aplicaron herramientas de estadística descriptiva e inferencial. Resultados: en el grupo A, la media del tiempo quirúrgico fue 42 minutos, el grupo B resultó por encima de los 60, el estadígrafo Chi-Cuadrado mostró la no homogeneidad entre las frecuencias, al ser una estadística significativa con un valor de p=0,00020. El tiempo de hospitalización en A promedió 26 horas, el grupo B predominó más de 48 horas, el estadígrafo Chi-Cuadrado mostró la no homogeneidad entre las frecuencias al ser la diferencia con un valor de p=0,00000059, una estadística significativa. La razón de complicaciones del grupo A y B fue de 1,57. En los pacientes del grupo A no se presentaron recurrencia ni inguinodinias, en los del grupo B se precisaron tres inguinodinias. Conclusiones: la técnica Nyhus es de elección preferente para el tratamiento quirúrgico de la hernia inguinal bilateral.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Lichtenstein's and Nyhus techniques represent safe hernioplasties; Nyhus is a procedure not yet reported as the choice for bilateral inguinal hernia. Objective: to describe the advantages of Lichtenstein technique comparing Nyhus technique for the management of inguinal hernia as the treatment of choice in patients suffering from bilateral inguinal hernia. Methods: an observational, analytical, and cross-sectional study of control cases was conducted at Abel Santamaría Cuadrado General Teaching Hospital during 2014-2017 in Pinar del Río, Cuba. The sample consisted of 62 cases, in two groups that included 31 patients; Group A: operated by Nyhus technique. Group B: operated in two stages by Lichtenstein technique. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were applied. Results: in group A, the standard surgical time was 42 minutes, group B was over 60, the chi-square statistician showed the non-homogeneity between the frequencies being statistically significant the difference when observing the value of p=0,00020. The hospitalization time in A averaged 26 hours, in group B predominated more than 48 hours, the statistician chi-square showed the non-homogeneity between the frequencies being statistically significant the difference when observing the value of p=0.00000059. The ratio of complications of group A and B was 1.57. Patients belonging to Group A had no recurrence or inguinodynia symptoms, patients from Group B presented 3 inguinodynia episodes. Conclusions: Nyhus technique is the preferred choice for surgical treatment of bilateral inguinal hernia.