Nurses' Environmental Practices in Northern Peruvian Hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Decreasing emissions of the global healthcare sector will be an important tool for decreasing the magnitude of climate change. The environmental practices of nurses can have a positive environmental impact. The purpose of this study is to identify environmental practices performed by nurses while at work and home along with their associated factors. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted by surveying nurses from two public hospitals in Lambayeque, Peru. We utilized the Nurses' Environmental Awareness Tool to collect information about nurses' knowledge on environmental impacts, their risk to health, and environmental behaviors at both work and home. RESULTS: Of the 106 participants who responded, the average age was 41 years, and 29 (28%) worked in surgical services. A little more than half of nurses reported appropriate energy use (51%) and recycling (53%) at work, while 94 (89%) implemented environmental biosafety. There was an observed association between age and years of employment with appropriate energy use, recycling, implementation of environmental biosafety, appropriate chemical substance use, and preventing medication waste. CONCLUSION: Nurses reported a favorable tendency toward adequate environmental practices at work and at home. However, more studies are needed to identify the factors that increase nurses' use of these practices. APPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: As one of the most trusted professions, professional nurses have an opportunity to play a pivotal role in promoting environmental health and practices in both the workplace and their personal lives. This study highlights areas of potential intervention in the workplace to develop and promote appropriate environmental practices by nurses to decrease pollution by the healthcare sector.

Fatal leukodystrophy in Costello syndrome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Costello syndrome (CS) is a rare genetic condition characterized by dysregulation of the signaling pathway, phenotypic alteration due to fetal macrosomia or growth retardation, facial abnormalities, loose skin, cardiovascular abnormalities, and a variable degree of intellectual disability. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the case of a 20-month-old male patient with fetal macrosomia and polyhydramnios, presenting psychomotor development delay and growth limitation during the first months of life. CS was diagnosed at four months of age after detecting a variant of the HRAS gene c.35G > C (p.G12A). A clinical description of his condition was recorded throughout his life, including cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders, and recurrent infections. At 20 months of age, after presenting events of marked hypotonia and generalized seizures, brain magnetic resonance revealed symmetrical lesions of the infra- and supratentorial white matter in both cerebral hemispheres, which resulted in the diagnosis of cerebral leukodystrophy. The patient had a rapid and progressive deterioration that eventually led to death. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of a case of CS in Peru. In addition, this is a case that presented with multisystemic conditions culminating in leukodystrophy, which is a rare event according to the literature.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Anxiety and Depression in Peruvian Medical Students.

During medical training, students are exposed to stressors that deteriorate mental health. This study determined depression and anxiety prevalence and their associated factors in students from four medical schools in northern Peru. A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students from Lambayeque, Peru. The Goldberg Anxiety and Zung Depression tests were applied. The dependent variables were depression and anxiety, and their association with covariates (age, sex, type of university, socioeconomic level, experience, family problem, and physical activity) was evaluated. Prevalence ratios were calculated using generalized linear models. Of 482 students, the prevalence of anxiety was 61.8% and depression was 22.0%. A severe level of anxiety was observed in 6.2% in the group between 16 and 20 years old. It was observed that private university students had higher frequencies of having depression (PR = 2.01) and anxiety (PR = 1.35); males had a lower risk of anxiety (PR = 0.82), but higher risk of depression compared to females (PR = 1.45). Performing physical activity decreased the prevalence of depression (PR = 0.53); however, it increased the frequency of anxiety (PR = 1.26). Having family problems increased the prevalence of anxiety (PR = 1.26). Medical students from private universities experienced higher rates of depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety were associated with gender and physical activity. These findings highlight the importance of mental health promotion due to its link with quality of life and academic performance.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices about malaria in travelers to risk areas in Peru.

BACKGROUND: Travelers from international airports who travel to endemic countries know the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about malaria; however, it is still unknown to interprovincial travelers who go to the endemic regions of Peru. The objective is to determine the level of KAP about malaria among Peruvian travelers to risk areas. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This are an analytical cross-sectional study of 277 passengers from a bus station in a low-risk area of malaria in Peru, whose destination was an intermediate/high-risk area during February-March 2018. Absolute and relative frequencies of personal variables associated with the trip and KAP were estimated. RESULTS: Less than 50% know the main symptoms of malaria and at what time of day there is a greater risk of becoming infected. Five out of ten people knew which practices were preventive against contagion, and four out of ten answered that the treatment can be given in a health establishment, pharmacy, or by some healer. CONCLUSIONS: Travelers to malaria endemic areas have a low level of knowledge and practice (39.7%) as well as an inadequate preventive attitude (35.4%) against malaria.

Alimentos que contienen los refrigerios de preescolares de instituciones educativas

Introducción: El refrigerio escolar es un reflejo de los hábitos y preferencias alimentarias de los niños. Un refrigerio no saludable es considerado como un problema de salud pública. Objetivo: Identificar los tipos de alimentos que contienen los refrigerios del preescolar de instituciones educativas públicas. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, transversal con una muestra de 167 refrigerios de niños preescolares de 4 instituciones educativas de la región norte de Perú; se aplicó como instrumento una lista de chequeo de alimentos energéticos, hídricos, reguladores y constructores, según su origen en procesados y no procesados (naturales). Los datos categóricos fueron registrados y presentados como frecuencias y porcentajes. Resultados: De los 668 alimentos observados, el 95,8 % presentaba alimentos energéticos seguido del 82,6 % de hídrico. Los alimentos de los refrigerios de los niños preescolares fueron un 45,2 % no procesado, seguido del 29,6 % que no tenía alimento de ningún tipo. Conclusiones: Existe un alto consumo de alimentos energéticos en preescolares de Chiclayo y hay similitud entre la frecuencia de los procesados y no procesados, sin embargo, en general los refrigerios tienen una alta presencia de alimentos no procesados.

Introduction: The school snacks reflect children's eating habits and preferences. An unhealthy snack is considered a public health problem. Objective: Identify the types of foods that contain the preschool snacks of public educational institutions. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 167 snacks of preschool children from four educational institutions in the northern region of Peru, applying as an instrument a checklist of energy foods, water, regulators and builders, and according to their origin in processed and unprocessed (natural). Categorical data were recorded and presented as frequencies and percentages. Results: Of the 668 foods observed, 95.8 % presented energy foods followed by 82.6 % water. The foods of the preschool children's snacks were 45.2 % unprocessed followed by 29.6 % who had no food of any kind. Conclusions: There is high consumption of energy foods in preschools in Chiclayo and there is a similarity between the frequencies of processed and unprocessed, however, in general, snacks have a high presence of unprocessed foods.

Neuroleptic intolerance in the context of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis: A systematic review and synthesis of global case reports.

Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis presents commonly with psychiatric symptoms. One cohort of these patients reported that antipsychotic administration led to neuroleptic intolerance (NI) in 19% of them, which was preventable by a prompt encephalitis diagnosis. To date, there is no clear description of the "neuroleptic intolerance" spectrum in general or during anti-NMDAR encephalitis. We aimed to synthesize epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with NI and confirmed anti-NMDAR encephalitis, the time to the encephalitis diagnosis, the disease course, outcomes at discharge, and associated factors. We systematically searched three databases, to include clinical cases, case series, and observational studies. Additionally, we reported one clinical case. Results were summarized using narrative synthesis and the quality of the included studies was assessed. We included 22 records representing 40 patients (28 females; mean age, 24.6). Overall, the evidence quality was low. Initially, most cases were admitted in psychiatric wards (70%) with purely psychiatric symptoms (37.5%). However, most of them developed subtle concomitant neurological symptoms. The mean time to anti-NMDAR encephalitis diagnosis was 26.7 days, which was triggered by the NI in six patients. We found no association between clinical variables as delayed diagnosis, admission to psychiatric wards or the presence of malignancy with outcome variables as unfavorable outcomes at discharge, ICU, or mechanical ventilation requirement. A thorough neurological examination in young patients with new-onset psychiatric symptoms could help emergency physicians, neurologists, and psychiatrists suspect anti-NMDAR encephalitis earlier. Awareness of NI as a potential side effect during suspected or confirmed anti-NMDAR encephalitis is encouraged.

Clinical-epidemiologic variation in patients treated in the first and second wave of COVID-19 in Lambayeque, Peru: A cluster analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To identify differences in the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of patients during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic at the EsSalud Lambayeque health care network, Peru. METHODS: An analytical cross-sectional study of 53,912 patients enrolled during the first and second waves of COVID-19 was conducted. Cluster analysis based on clustering large applications (CLARA) was applied to clinical-epidemiologic data presented at the time of care. The two pandemic waves were compared using clinical-epidemiologic data from epidemiologic surveillance. RESULTS: Cluster analysis identified four COVID-19 groups with a characteristic pattern. Cluster 1 included the largest number of participants in both waves, and the participants were predominantly female. Cluster 2 included patients with gastrointestinal, respiratory, and systemic symptoms. Cluster 3 was the "severe" cluster, characterized by older adults and patients with dyspnea or comorbidities (cardiovascular, diabetes, obesity). Cluster 4 included asymptomatic, pregnant, and less severe patients. We found differences in all clinical-epidemiologic characteristics according to the cluster to which they belonged. CONCLUSION: Using cluster analysis, we identified characteristic patterns in each group. Respiratory, gastrointestinal, dyspnea, anosmia, and ageusia symptoms were higher in the second COVID-19 wave than the first COVID-19 wave.

Association between chronic kidney disease and mortality in patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

Objective: To determine the association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mortality in persons with a confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis. Methods: Cross-sectional secondary baseline study. The study population consisted of 243,065 patients confirmed to have COVID-19 during May-December 2020. Stata 16.0 was used for statistical analysis, Chi-square test was used for bivariate analysis, and Poisson regression with robust variances was used for multiple analysis. Results: The prevalence of patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis who had CKD and died was 1.42 times the prevalence of mortality in those without CKD. The comorbidities combined with CKD that presented the highest probability of mortality were diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Conclusions: CKD is associated with a high mortality rate in patients with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Patients with CKD, diabetes mellitus, and arterial hypertension have a higher prevalence of mortality than those without comorbidities.

COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness at a Referral Hospital in Northern Peru: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

COVID-19 vaccines have achieved a significant reduction in mortality, yet objective estimates are needed in specific settings. We aimed to determine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination at a referral hospital in Lambayeque, Peru. We conducted a retrospective cohort study from February to September 2021. We included hospitalized patients with COVID-19, whose data were stored in NotiWeb, a patient data system of the Peruvian Ministry of Health. We applied a propensity score-weighting method according to baseline characteristics of patients, and estimated hazard ratios (HR) using Cox regression models. Of 1553 participants, the average age was 55 years (SD: 16.8), 907 (58%) were male, and 592 (38%) deceased at 28-day follow-up. Before hospital admission, 74 (4.8%) had been immunized with at least one vaccine dose. Effectiveness against death in vaccinated patients was 50% at 90-day follow-up (weighted HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.28-0.89). Our results support the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination against death and provide information after early immunization in Peru.

Violencia durante el enamoramiento en estudiantes universitarios

RESUMEN Introducción: Siete de cada diez mujeres peruanas entre 15 a 49 años reportan que fueron víctimas de violencia por su pareja alguna vez. Los estudios en Perú acerca de la violencia en el enamoramiento, son escasos; muchos no incluyen ambos sexos o a la población universitaria. Objetivo: Determinar la frecuencia de los tipos de violencia, así como las conductas reportadas durante el enamoramiento en estudiantes universitarios. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo en 71 estudiantes de una universidad en Perú; se usó un instrumento elaborado por el Ministerio de la Mujer y Poblaciones Vulnerables del país, para medir los tipos de violencia (física, psicológica y sexual) y las conductas asociadas y ejercidas por la pareja. Resultados: Del total, el 85,5 % reportó padecer de algún tipo de violencia. El 57,7 % de la muestra reportó violencia psicológica, mientras que el 7 % mencionó ser víctima de violencia física, psicológica y sexual. El 11,3 % reportó recibir palabras insinuantes al sexo por parte de su pareja. Entre quienes recibieron simultáneamente violencia física, psicológica y sexual, el 80 % fueron mujeres. Conclusiones: Los estudiantes sufren algún tipo de violencia y la mitad es violentada psicológicamente. Una mayor frecuencia de violencia se reporta en estudiantes mujeres.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Seven out of ten Peruvian women between the ages of 15 and 49 reported that they were victims of intimate partner violence at some time. Studies on dating violence in Peru are scarce, and many do not include both sexes and the university population. Objective: To identify the frequency of the types of violence, as well as the behaviors reported during dating in university students. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 71 students from a university in Peru, using an instrument created by the Peruvian Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations to measure the types of violence (physical, psychological, and sexual) and associated behaviors by partners. Results: Of all participants, 85,5 % reported suffering from some type of violence. Also, 57,7 % reported psychological violence, while 7 % indicated to be a victim of physical, psychological, and sexual violence. Receiving words suggestive of sex from their partner was reported in 11,3 %. Among those who received simultaneous physical, psychological, and sexual violence, 80 % were women. Conclusions: Students suffer some type of violence and half of them are psychologically abused. A higher frequency of violence is reported in female students. Effective mental health counseling is recommended to help relevant institutions to better address dating violence.

Factors Associated with Surgical Site Infection in Post-Cesarean Section: A Case-Control Study in a Peruvian Hospital.

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in post-cesarean section patients. The objective of this study was to determine the preoperative factors associated with the surgical site infection in patients undergoing cesarean emergency section in the Goyeneche Hospital of Arequipa. METHODS: We conducted a cases-control study on women who presented with surgical site infection after cesarean section in a hospital in Arequipa, Peru. We evaluated associated factors to surgical site infection after cesarean section (sociodemographics and clinical variables). For the inferential analysis, we estimated logistic regression using odds ratio. RESULTS: Out of a total of 4346 cesarean sections, only 2.4% developed surgical site infection. The associated factors to surgical site infection were mild anemia (OR: 2.80), moderate anemia (OR: 2.71), number of vaginal examinations higher than five (OR:2.71) and onset of labor (OR: 1.95). CONCLUSION: Patients with risk factors such as anemia, onset of labor and five or more vaginal examinations should be evaluated after surgery to prevent surgical site infection.