A comparison of endoscopic procedures performed at a tertiary care hospital before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION AND AIM: SARS-CoV-2 emerged in 2019 and had a huge impact on the world. The area of endoscopy suffered great changes, causing a reduction in the number of procedures and its indications. The aim of our study was to compare the quantity, indication, and type of procedures in 2019 with those in 2020. METHOD: A retrospective, observational, analytic, and cross-sectional study was conducted, obtaining information from the endoscopy registry. The STROBE checklist was employed. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The quantitative variables were analyzed with descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency and dispersion) and the categorical variables with frequencies and percentages. The quantitative variables were compared, using the Student's t test/Mann-Whitney U test, and the categorical variables with contingency tables, using the Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: In 2019, a total of 277 procedures were performed, compared with 139 in 2020. Mean patient age was 98.53 months (61.46 SD) in 2019 and 77.02 months (59.81 SD) in 2020; 352 diagnostic procedures and 136 therapeutic procedures were carried out in 2019, compared with 51 diagnostic procedures and 88 therapeutic procedures in 2020. The number of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures were inverted (72.1%-36.7% and 27.9%-63.3%, respectively) (p<0.0001). Esophageal varices, upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), and foreign body extraction were the indications, in order of predominance in 2019, compared with foreign body extraction (p<0.05), UGIB, and esophageal varices in 2020. There were no differences regarding colonoscopy. CONCLUSION: There was a clear difference in indication and type of procedure, with an increase in foreign body extraction in preschoolers.

DNA methylation profile of a rural cohort exposed to early-adversity and malnutrition: An exploratory analysis.

Barker's hypothesis affirms that undernourishment in early-life induces metabolic reprogramming that compromises organism functions later in life, leading to age-related diseases. We are exposed to environmental and social conditions that impact our life trajectories, leading to ageing phenotypes as we grow. Epigenetic mechanisms constitute the link between both external stimuli and genetic programming. Studies have focused on describing the effect of early adverse events such as trauma, famines, or childhood labor on epigenetic markers in adulthood and the elderly. However, we lack information on epigenetic programming in individuals born in rural communities from underdeveloped countries, exposed to negative influences during fetal and postnatal development, particularly chronic malnutrition. Hence, in this exploratory analysis, we characterize the epigenome of individuals and some parents from Tlaltizapan (a rural community in Mexico originally studied almost 50 years ago) and collect anthropometric data on growth and development, as well on the living conditions of the families. Our results help build a biological hypothesis indicating that most of the epigenetic age measures of the subjects are significantly different among them. Interestingly, the most affected methylated regions correspond to pathways involved in neuronal system development, reproductive behaviour, learning and memory regulation.