Time to establish an international vaccine candidate pool for potential highly infectious respiratory disease: a community's view.

In counteracting highly infectious and disruptive respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, vaccination remains the primary and safest way to prevent disease, reduce the severity of illness, and save lives. Unfortunately, vaccination is often not the first intervention deployed for a new pandemic, as it takes time to develop and test vaccines, and confirmation of safety requires a period of observation after vaccination to detect potential late-onset vaccine-associated adverse events. In the meantime, nonpharmacologic public health interventions such as mask-wearing and social distancing can provide some degree of protection. As climate change, with its environmental impacts on pathogen evolution and international mobility continue to rise, highly infectious respiratory diseases will likely emerge more frequently and their impact is expected to be substantial. How quickly a safe and efficacious vaccine can be deployed against rising infectious respiratory diseases may be the most important challenge that humanity will face in the near future. While some organizations are engaged in addressing the World Health Organization's "blueprint for priority diseases", the lack of worldwide preparedness, and the uncertainty around universal vaccine availability, remain major concerns. We therefore propose the establishment of an international candidate vaccine pool repository for potential respiratory diseases, supported by multiple stakeholders and countries that contribute facilities, technologies, and other medical and financial resources. The types and categories of candidate vaccines can be determined based on information from previous pandemics and epidemics. Each participant country or region can focus on developing one or a few vaccine types or categories, together covering most if not all possible potential infectious diseases. The safety of these vaccines can be tested using animal models. Information for effective candidates that can be potentially applied to humans will then be shared across all participants. When a new pandemic arises, these pre-selected and tested vaccines can be quickly tested in RCTs for human populations.

Increased Cardiovascular Mortality in Ecuador during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), represented a high burden for low and middle-income countries. Patients with NCDs are at higher risk of COVID-19 and suffer worse clinical outcomes. We present mortality trends for myocardial infarction (AMI), stroke, hypertension (HT), and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from 2005 to 2021 in Ecuador. The greatest increase in mortality observed in the pandemic was in AMI, T2DM, and HT. Factors related to COVID-19, health services, and patients with NCDs could contribute to these important increases in mortality.

Improving Learning and Study Strategies in Undergraduate Medical Students: A Pre-Post Study.

We aimed to describe the impact of a structured interventional program to improve learning and study skills in undergraduate medical students from a Latin American medical school. The interventional program's design was based on diagnostic/prescriptive assessment test scores measuring ten scales. The program consisted of five tailored workshops. The cohort studied consisted of 81 third-year medical students. The outcome variable was the difference between "pre" and "post" test scores. The unadjusted score percentiles were used to compare improvement in learning and study skills. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess variation in the mean difference of the test scores by the number of workshops attended. The response rate was 100% (81/81) for the pre test and ~77% (62/81) for the post test. After the interventional program, nine out of ten scales showed statistical improvement, except for the scale of motivation. The scales with the highest and lowest percent change improvement were time management (66%, p-value: <0.001) and motivation (14.9%, p-value: 0.06). The students who attended more workshops obtained a higher percent change improvement in the post test. These findings suggest that through a well-designed interventional program, it is possible to improve learning and study skills among medical students.

Comparison of Pediatric Patients With and Without Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated With COVID-19: Retrospective Cohort From Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in the pediatric population cared for in the pediatric intensive care unit. We aimed to compare patients with pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) with those who also present a MIS-C diagnosis (PARDS vs. PARDS + MIS-C). METHODS: One hundred and sixty-seven children (0-15 years) admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit COVID-19 ward of a national reference children's hospital in Quito, Ecuador, from June 2020 to June 2021 who developed PARDS with or without MIS-C. To diagnose PARDS, the criteria of the Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference Group were used, and to diagnose MIS-C, the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were used. Additionally, the PRISM score was used to calculate the mortality risk of study patients on admission. RESULTS: Of the 167 patients with PARDS, ~59% also developed MIS-C. Patients with PARDS + MIS-C had higher risks than patients without MIS-C in the following: frequency of associated bacterial infections (81.6% vs. 55.1%), mortality risk (36.7% vs. 11.6%), use of respiratory support (invasive mechanical ventilation: 92% vs. 86%), use of vasopressors/inotropes (90.8% vs. 30.4%), renal complications (36.7% vs. 8.7%), septic shock (84.7% vs. 20.3%), multiorgan failure (39.8% vs. 1.4%) and mortality at discharge (39.8% vs. 4.3%). Logistic regression failed to find an association between MIS-C and age, race, sex, ≥3 signs/symptoms and ≥2 comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PARDS + MIS-C had a more severe clinical picture than patients without MIS-C. The findings provide useful information to improve the management of PARDS patients with and without MIS-C in Ecuador.

Misleading Advertising of Health-Related Products in Ecuador during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background Media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic increased tuning ratings during this time. The aim of this study was to identify misleading advertising of health-related products on Ecuadorian television during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Television channels were monitored for 111 h in the months of June and October 2020. Verbal, nonverbal and context content were analyzed from each advertising spot according to ethical standards for the promotion of products for human health Results A total of 667 spots were analyzed. Most, 90%, involved misleading advertising of health-related products. Products for gastrointestinal conditions were the most publicized (17.8%) during the period analyzed. Newscasts most often advertised products intended to improve sexual potency (22.9%) and to a lesser degree those intended to prevent and treat respiratory problems (1.8%); this relationship was reversed when compared to general programming (p < 0.05). Conclusions Most of the health-related products advertised on Ecuadorian television are advertised misleadingly, with news programs having the highest number of such advertisements per hour of programming.

Lifeguard Training Program and Drowning Death Rates in Ecuador, 2000-2019.

Drowning is a common cause of death and disability worldwide. We report the experience of Ecuador, a middle-income country, where a lifeguard training program was implemented to reduce incidents of drowning. We describe how "Project Ecuador" was able to expand from one to 20 beaches in a five-year period. We detail how these interventions triggered the creation of a self-sustained national program and a law proposal that guarantee a safe environment across the Ecuadorian coastal region. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(11):1546-1550. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.307013).

Effect of High Altitude on the Survival of COVID-19 Patients in Intensive Care Unit: A Cohort Study.

Purpose: The effect of high altitude ( ≥ 1500 m) and its potential association with mortality by COVID-19 remains controversial. We assessed the effect of high altitude on the survival/discharge of COVID-19 patients requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission for mechanical ventilation compared to individuals treated at sea level. Methods: A retrospective cohort multi-center study of consecutive adults patients with a positive RT-PCR test for COVID-19 who were mechanically ventilated between March and November 2020. Data were collected from two sea-level hospitals and four high-altitude hospitals in Ecuador. The primary outcome was ICU and hospital survival/discharge. Survival analysis was conducted using semi-parametric Cox proportional hazards models. Results: Of the study population (n = 670), 35.2% were female with a mean age of 58.3 ± 12.6 years. On admission, high-altitude patients were more likely to be younger (57.2 vs. 60.5 years old), presented with less comorbidities such as hypertension (25.9% vs. 54.9% with p-value <.001) and diabetes mellitus (20.5% vs. 37.2% with p-value <.001), less probability of having a capillary refill time > 3 sec (13.7% vs. 30.1%, p-value <.001), and less severity-of-illness condition (APACHE II score, 17.5 ± 8.1 vs. 20 ± 8.2, p < .01). After adjusting for key confounders high altitude is associated with significant higher probabilities of ICU survival/discharge (HR: 1.74 [95% CI: 1.46-2.08]) and hospital survival/discharge (HR: 1.35 [95% CI: 1.18-1.55]) than patients treated at sea level. Conclusions: Patients treated at high altitude at any time point during the study period were 74% more likely to experience ICU survival/discharge and 35% more likely to experience hospital survival/discharge than to the sea-level group. Possible reasons for these findings are genetic and physiological adaptations due to exposure to chronic hypoxia.

Prophylactic Unfractionated Subcutaneous Heparin Does Not Increase Postoperative Hemorrhage in Elderly Patients Undergoing Emergency Neurosurgical Procedures.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact in the development of intracerebral hemorrhage in elderly critically ill patients who received prophylactic subcutaneous unfractionated heparin (SCUFH) less than 24 hours after undergoing emergency neurosurgery.  Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients who underwent emergency neurosurgery and were admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) at a tertiary care center over a 10-year period. Administration of prophylactic SCUFH within 24 hours of neurosurgery was required for inclusion. Demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. The primary outcome was a rate of postoperative hemorrhagic complications with respect to age. Results We identified 223 emergency neurosurgical patients: 100 (45%) patients did not receive prophylactic SCUFH and were excluded. The remaining 123 (55%) patients met all inclusion criteria, of whom 73 (59%) patients were under 65 years old, and 50 (41%) patients were over 65 years old. Patients under 65 years old had significantly lower body mass index (BMI), lower Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II, APACHE III, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) scores, and shorter median SICU length of stay compared to patients over 65 years old. No statistically significant difference in the rate of postoperative hemorrhagic or non-hemorrhagic neurological complications was observed between patients in either age group.  Conclusion Age over 65 years was not associated with a higher risk of postoperative hemorrhage in patients who received SCUFH after emergency neurosurgery. SCUFH can be safely used as a chemoprophylactic agent against venous thromboembolism for elderly patients when used within 24 hours after emergency neurosurgery.

Association between built environment and physical activity in Latin American countries: a multicentre cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between the physical activity level and the built environment by accessibility, microinfrastructure and security in Latin America (LA). DESIGN: We conducted a multicentre cross-sectional study to collect physical activity and built environment data. The levels of physical activity were calculated through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire survey. Using the Neighbourhood Environment Walkability Scale-Abbreviated, characteristics of the built environment were measured through three domains: accessibility, microinfrastructure and security. To estimate the association of the built environment and physical activity, we used mixed effects logistic regression analysis. In addition, likelihood ratio test to account for clustered effect within countries and/or cities was used. SETTING: Eight countries in LA. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged 15-65 years (n=9218) living in urban areas and consented to participate of the Latin American Study of Nutrition and Health. RESULTS: Most of the population in LA had access to a grocery store (97.2%), public transport stop (91.5%) and children's playground (81.6%). Metropolitan parks were more accessible in Ecuador (59.8%) and Colombia (59.2%) than in Venezuela (33.5%). Individuals located within 20 min of walking from sport facilities or children's playground areas were more likely to perform moderate-to-high physical activity OR 1.20 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.36) and OR 1.25 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.53), respectively. Only 14.5% of the population from the region considered that their neighbourhood had an adequate design for walking or cycling. Likewise, among adults living in LA, only 39.75% had the perception of living in a safe neighbourhood. CONCLUSIONS: This multicentre study shows that currently, LA built environment does not promote physical activity in the region. Our findings provide the rationale to push forward, at regional and national levels, policies and interventions that will help to achieve a safe, healthy and friendly built environment to encourage participation in active recreation and sports in leisure time. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02226627.

The Impact of Strengthening Study Habits for Medical Students During COVID-19 Academic Transition: a Mixed-Methods Study.

PURPOSE: Assess the impact of learner-specific interventions on third-year medical students to cope with quarantine distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a nested cross-sectional and mixed-methods study in a sample of 81 third-year medical students. Two face-to-face interventions were designed and conducted to offer tools to improve study habits, time management, and prioritizing skills. A nine-item structured questionnaire was administered. Descriptive statistics was performed for the quantitative section and thematic analysis for the qualitative section. RESULTS: Of the study population, 74.1% (60/81) completed the online questionnaire, 65.4% were female, and the mean age of the sample was 21.4±1.2 years old. Overall, ~50% of participants affirmed that the workshops were useful to improve time management, organize tasks and adapt to the new study modality imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 60% of the students found the application of the provided tools during the interventions (SMART and COMPASS) useful to determine personal values and set a proper mindset for coping with distance learning. Further, 93.3% of the respondents applied the SMART strategy learned to set goals at least once during the confinement time. These findings were also seen in the thematic analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, most of the students found the workshops useful and were able to practice what they had learned during this pandemic lockdown. Medical schools and higher education institutions should evaluate the possibility of formally including study habit preparation for undergraduates' students in order to provide resilience and successful academic adaptation during an ever-changing world.

Prevalence of depression in older adults living in Ecuador and contributing factors: a population-based study / Prevalencia de depresión en adultos mayores residentes en Ecuador y factores contribuyentes: un estudio poblacional

ABSTRACT Objective To estimate the prevalence of depression in the older population of Ecuador and explore the independent associations of key socio-demographic and health-related factors with moderate/severe depression. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using a national database. The outcome variable was estimated using the Short Form of the Geriatric Depression Scale. A cut-value of >9 was used to ascertain the outcome variable. We conducted bivariate and logistic regression analysis. Results The study sample consisted of 5 235 subjects, with a median age of 70 years, 53.5% were female, and 44.9% of the sample was living in rural areas. Our study found a prevalence of any depression of 35.4%. Individuals were classified as having mild depression (1 239, 23.7%), moderate depression (457, 8.7%), and severe depression (156,-~3%). The prevalence of moderate/severe depression was of 11.7%. Among socio-demographic factors, no education (OR=3.69 [95% CI: 1.35-11.94]), Afro-Ecuadorian race (OR= 2.1 [1.03-4.06]), living alone (OR=2.37 [1.67-3.31]), perception of insufficient income (OR= 3.56 [2.14-6.38]), and suffering physical abuse (OR=2.33 [1.59-3.36]) remained statistically significant. Among health-related factors, drinking alcohol (OR=0.27 [0.08-0.66]), exercise (OR=1.68 [1.24-2.31]), incontinence (OR=2.00 [1.54-2.59]), lower perception of hearing (OR=2.19 [1.41-3.32]), cancer (OR=1.90 [1.00-3.51]), and being functionally dependent (OR=1.59 [1.22-2.08]) remained statistically significant. Conclusions Our investigation brings light to an important public health problem in Ecuador. Addressing depression and its contributing factors may help to improve the quality of life and long-term health outcomes in Ecuador's growing older population.

RESUMEN Objetivo Estimar la prevalencia de depresión en la población adulta mayor de Ecuador y explorar la asociación de factores sociodemográficos y de salud claves con depresión moderada o severa. Métodos Se realizó un estudio de corte transversal utilizando una base de datos nacional. La variable dependiente fue estimada por medio del formulario corto de la Geriatric Depression Scale. Se usó un valor de corte > 9 para definir la variable de desenlace. Se realizó un análisis bivariado y de regresión logística. Resultados La muestra del estudio fue de 5 235 sujetos, con una mediana de edad de 70 años, 53,5% fueron mujeres y 44,9% de la muestra reside en áreas rurales. Nuestro estudio estimó una prevalencia global de depresión de 35,4%. Individuos fueron clasificados como depresión leve (1 239, 23,7%), moderada (457, 8,7%), severa (156,-~3%), y moderada/severa (11,7%). Entre los factores sociodemográficos, falta de educación (OR=3,69 [95% CI: 1,35-11,94]), raza afroecuatoriana (OR=2,1 [1,03-4,06]), vivir solo (OR=2,37 [1,673,31]), falta de ingresos (OR=3,56 [2,14-6,38]) y abuso físico (OR=2,33 [1,59-3,36]) permanecieron estadísticamente significativos. Entre los factores de salud, consumo de alcohol (OR=0,27 [0.08-0.66]), ejercicio (OR=1,68 [1,24 2,31]), incontinencia (OR=2,00 [1,54-2,59]), audición disminuida (OR=2,19 [1,41-3,32]), cáncer (OR=1,90 [1,00-3,51]) y dependencia funcional (OR=1,59 [1,22-2,08]) permanecieron estadísticamente significativos. Conclusión Nuestra investigación trae luz a un importante problema de salud pública en el Ecuador. Abordar la depresión y sus factores de riesgo podrían ayudar a mejorar la calidad de vida y los desenlaces de salud a largo plazo en la creciente población adulta mayor del Ecuador.

A bibliometric analysis of COVID-19 research in Latin America and the Caribbean / Un análisis bibliométrico de la investigación sobre COVID-19 en Latinoamérica y el Caribe

Abstract Introduction: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the regions most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, there is scarce literature addressing the research strategies developed in LAC to face COVID-19. Objective: To quantify and assess the production of scientific publications about COVID-19 in 32 countries of LAC between January 1 and July 31, 2020. Materials and methods: Bibliometric study. Scientific papers on COVID-19 conducted in LAC or reporting data pertaining to LAC and published between January 1 to July 31, 2020, were searched in the Scopus, PubMed, and LILACS databases. A subgroup analysis including only original research articles was performed to determine the contribution of LAC countries to research on COVID-19, and standardization measures (# of articles per million people) were applied to compare the country-specific production of this type of articles. Results: A total of 1 291 publications were retrieved. Overall, most of them were non-original research articles (81.72%), and the countries with the highest scientific production were Brazil (43.91%) and Mexico (9.14%). However, after applying the standardization measures, Chile was the country with the highest production of original articles (0.58 per million inhabitants). Regarding original studies (n=236), cross-sectional design was the most common (25.84%). Diagnosis and treatment of the disease was the main research focus (n=354; 27.42%). However, in the subgroup analysis (n=236), epidemiology and surveillance were the most prevalent research focus (n=57; 24.15%). Conclusions: During the study period, non-original research articles were predominant in the scientific production of the LAC region, and interventional studies were scarce among original articles, while the cross-sectional design predominated. Further research with a better quality of evidence should be performed in these countries to contribute to the making of health policies aimed at easing the burden of COVID-19 in the region and preparing for future pandemics.

Resumen Introducción. Latinoamérica y el Caribe (LAC) es una de las regiones más afectadas por la pandemia por COVID-19. Sin embargo, hay poca literatura sobre las estrategias de investigación desarrolladas en la región para confrontar esta enfermedad. Objetivo. Cuantificar y evaluar la producción de publicaciones científicas sobre COVID-19 en 32 países de LAC entre el 1 de enero y el 31 de julio del 2020. Materiales y métodos. Estudio bibliométrico. Se realizó una búsqueda de artículos científicos sobre COVID-19 realizados en LAC o con datos de LAC, y publicados entre enero 1 y julio 31 de 2020 en Scopus, PubMed y LILACS. Se realizó un análisis de subgrupos en el que se incluyeron solo artículos de investigación original para determinar la contribución de los países de la región a la investigación sobre COVID-19; además, se utilizaron medidas de estandarización (# artículos por millón de habitantes) para comparar la producción de este tipo de artículos por país. Resultados. Se identificaron 1 291 artículos. La mayoría no eran investigaciones originales (81.72%), y los países con más producción fueron Brasil (43.91%) y México (9.14%). Sin embargo, luego de aplicar las medidas de estandarización, Chile fue el país con mayor producción de artículos originales (0.58 por millón de habitantes). Respecto a los artículos originales (n = 236), el tipo de diseño de estudio más común fue el transversal (25.84%). El diagnóstico y tratamiento de COVID-19 fue el tema más investigado en todas las publicaciones (n = 354, 27.42%), pero en el análisis de subgrupo (n=236), el enfoque de investigación más frecuente fue epidemiologia y vigilancia (n = 57, 24.15%). Conclusiones. En el periodo de estudio, los artículos no originales predominaron en la producción científica de LAC, y, entre las investigaciones originales, los estudios intervencionales escasearon, mientras que los transversales predominaron. Se requiere realizar más investigación con una mejor calidad de evidencia en los países de la región para contribuir en la formulación de políticas de salud dirigidas a aliviar la carga de la COVID-19 y para prepararse para futuras pandemias.