Assessment of Obsessive Thoughts About COVID-19 in 7 Latin American Countries: Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Obsession With COVID-19 Scale.

The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) among seven Latin American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Although the OCS has been used in several countries and languages, there is a need for approaches that better integrate the cross-cultural equivalence of the scale. A total of 3185 people participated in the study. The results indicated the presence of a unidimensional structure and good reliability indices for the OCS in each country. The alignment method indicated that the OCS is an invariant measure of COVID-19 obsession among the populations of seven Latin American countries. The findings based on IRT analysis indicated that all OCS items had adequate discrimination and difficulty parameters. The findings contribute to the understanding of the internal structure of the scale in different countries at the same time, something that has been pending evaluation.

Covalent Organic Framework Nanoplates Enable Solution-Processed Crystalline Nanofilms for Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution.

As covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are coming of age, the lack of effective approaches to achieve crystalline and centimeter-scale-homogeneous COF films remains a significant bottleneck toward advancing the application of COFs in optoelectronic devices. Here, we present the synthesis of colloidal COF nanoplates, with lateral sizes of ∼200 nm and average heights of 35 nm, and their utilization as photocathodes for solar hydrogen evolution. The resulting COF nanoplate colloid exhibits a unimodal particle-size distribution and an exceptional colloidal stability without showing agglomeration after storage for 10 months and enables smooth, homogeneous, and thickness-tunable COF nanofilms via spin coating. Photoelectrodes comprising COF nanofilms were fabricated for photoelectrochemical (PEC) solar-to-hydrogen conversion. By rationally designing multicomponent photoelectrode architectures including a polymer donor/COF heterojunction and a hole-transport layer, charge recombination in COFs is mitigated, resulting in a significantly increased photocurrent density and an extremely positive onset potential for PEC hydrogen evolution (over +1 V against the reversible hydrogen electrode), among the best of classical semiconductor-based photocathodes. This work thus paves the way toward fabricating solution-processed large-scale COF nanofilms and heterojunction architectures and their use in solar-energy-conversion devices.

Psychological distress among undergraduate medical students: the influence of excessive daytime sleepiness and family functioning.

Mental health problems among undergraduate medical students is a well-known issue; however, their associated risk factors have been poorly studied. We aimed to assess the hypothesis that medical students have a higher prevalence of psychological distress and to explain this prevalence considering common risk factors for mental disorders. This was a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based descriptive study conducted with 467 Colombian undergraduate medical students from different years of training. Validated and widely used self-report questionnaires of psychological distress, daytime sleepiness, and family functioning were included. In addition, measurements of smoking, alcohol, and caffeine intake were used. We found a prevalence of psychological distress, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptomatology of 65.9%, 75.3%, and 50.5%, respectively. Furthermore, 20.6% showed both psychological distress and excessive daytime sleepiness. Adjusted risk ratio analysis showed that poor family functioning, the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness, and caffeine consumption were significant risk factors for high levels of psychological distress. Additionally, psychological distress and daytime sleepiness were related to the year of training. Our results replicate in part previous findings of poor mental health among undergraduate medical students compared with mental health in general population and provide novel findings that family functioning plays a significant role as an important explanatory factor. The current study has high relevance for future research and interventions focused on prevention of medical errors, conflicts in the physician-patient relationship and the personal safety of undergraduate medical students.

Substance use and suicide risk in a sample of young Colombian adults: An exploration of psychosocial factors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Young adults might engage in many risk behaviors, including alcohol and drug use, which could lead to mental health problems, such as suicide. The aim of this study was to examine specific psychosocial and clinical factors that could influence the possible relationship between polysubstance use (PSU) and suicide risk in a sample of young Colombian participants. METHODS: A sample of 274 young participants (mean age = 21.3 years) was evaluated with two substance use screening tests (ASSIST and AUDIT) and five scales for clinical and psychosocial factors and suicide risk: The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, Zung Self-Rating Anxiety scale, Family APGAR, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the Plutchik Suicide Risk scale. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Use of cannabis and tobacco was significantly correlated with suicide risk in the total sample (p < .05). Depressive and anxiety symptoms, family functioning, and emotional abuse during childhood were significantly associated with suicide risk (p < .001), while alcohol use, anxiety symptoms, and family functioning were variables significantly related to PSU. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings are consistent with previous evidence suggesting a relationship between substance use, several psychosocial factors, and suicide risk in young participants. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Our study is one of the first reports the relationship between substance use and suicide risk in a Latin American population. (Am J Addict 2017;26:388-394).

Common functional polymorphisms in SLC6A4 and COMT genes are associated with circadian phenotypes in a South American sample.

The molecular study of circadian rhythms in humans could be an excellent approach to understand the relation between genes and behavior. It is possible that variations in genes involved in neurotransmission and/or synaptic plasticity, such as catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) could be of particular interest in understanding human circadian phenotypes. The aim of this study is to analyze the possible and novel associations of the functional polymorphisms in COMT and SLC6A4 genes (Val158Met and 5-HTTLPR) and circadian phenotypes in healthy Colombian subjects. 191 university students were genotyped for two functional polymorphisms in COMT and SLC6A4 genes (rs4680 and rs4795541). We applied two scales to measure phenotypic patterns of human circadian rhythms: Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). We found a significant association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and morning preference score (CSM) (p = 0.027) using an overdominant genotypic model and association of COMT Val158Met with daytime sleepiness (ESS scores) (p = 0.038) in a genotypic recessive model. These results were supported by differences in genotype frequencies between circadian typologies for SLC6A4 gene (p = 0.007) and categories of diurnal sleepiness for COMT gene (p = 0.032). Our results suggest, for the first time, a significant relationship between functional SLC6A4 and COMT polymorphisms with specific human circadian phenotypes: morning preference and diurnal sleepiness. These results need to be replicated in other populations. Further study of functional polymorphisms in other synaptic genes could be of relevance for the identification of novel candidate genes for circadian phenotypes, and related endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric importance, in healthy humans.

Downsizing Porphyrin Covalent Organic Framework Particles Using Protected Precursors for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are promising electrocatalyst platforms owing to their designability, porosity, and stability. Recently, COFs with various chemical structures are developed as efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction catalysts. However, controlling the morphology of COF catalysts remains a challenge, which can limit their electrocatalytic performance. Especially, while porphyrin COFs show promising catalytic properties, their particle size is mostly large and uncontrolled because of the severe aggregation of crystallites. In this work, a new synthetic methodology for rationally downsized COF catalyst particles is reported, where a tritylated amine is employed as a novel protected precursor for COF synthesis. Trityl protection provides high solubility to a porphyrin precursor, while its deprotection proceeds in situ under typical COF synthesis conditions. Subsequent homogeneous nucleation and colloidal growth yield smaller COF particles than a conventional synthesis, owing to suppressed crystallite aggregation. The downsized COF particles exhibit superior catalytic performance in electrochemical CO2 reduction, with higher CO production rate and faradaic efficiency compared to conventional COF particles. The improved performance is attributed to the higher contact area with a conductive agent. This study reveals particle size as an important factor for the evaluation of COF electrocatalysts and provides a strategy to control it.

Pandemic Grief and Suicidal Ideation in Latin American Countries: A Network Analysis.

This study aimed to characterize the network structure of pandemic grief symptoms and suicidal ideation in 2174 people from eight Latin American countries. Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation were measured using the Pandemic Grief Scale and a single item, respectively. Network analysis provides an in-depth characterization of symptom-symptom interactions within mental disorders. The results indicated that, "desire to die," "apathy" and "absence of sense of life" are the most central symptoms in a pandemic grief symptom network; therefore, these symptoms could be focal elements for preventive and treatment efforts. Suicidal ideation, the wish to die, and the absence of meaning in life had the strongest relationship. In general, the network structure did not differ among the participating countries. It identifies specific symptoms within the network that may increase the likelihood of their co-occurrence and is useful at the therapeutic level.

Designing Covalent Organic Framework-Based Light-Driven Microswimmers toward Therapeutic Applications.

While micromachines with tailored functionalities enable therapeutic applications in biological environments, their controlled motion and targeted drug delivery in biological media require sophisticated designs for practical applications. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a new generation of crystalline and nanoporous polymers, offer new perspectives for light-driven microswimmers in heterogeneous biological environments including intraocular fluids, thus setting the stage for biomedical applications such as retinal drug delivery. Two different types of COFs, uniformly spherical TABP-PDA-COF sub-micrometer particles and texturally nanoporous, micrometer-sized TpAzo-COF particles are described and compared as light-driven microrobots. They can be used as highly efficient visible-light-driven drug carriers in aqueous ionic and cellular media. Their absorption ranging down to red light enables phototaxis even in deeper and viscous biological media, while the organic nature of COFs ensures their biocompatibility. Their inherently porous structures with ≈2.6  and ≈3.4 nm pores, and large surface areas allow for targeted and efficient drug loading even for insoluble drugs, which can be released on demand. Additionally, indocyanine green (ICG) dye loading in the pores enables photoacoustic imaging, optical coherence tomography, and hyperthermia in operando conditions. This real-time visualization of the drug-loaded COF microswimmers enables unique insights into the action of photoactive porous drug carriers for therapeutic applications.

Relationship Between Fear of COVID-19, Conspiracy Beliefs About Vaccines and Intention to Vaccinate Against COVID-19: A Cross-National Indirect Effect Model in 13 Latin American Countries.

The present study explored the predictive capacity of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the influence in this relationship of conspiracy beliefs as a possible mediating psychological variable, in 13 Latin American countries. A total of 5779 people recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling participated. To collect information, we used the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Vaccine conspiracy beliefs Scale-COVID-19 and a single item of intention to vaccinate. A full a priori Structural Equation Model was used; whereas, cross-country invariance was performed from increasingly restricted structural models. The results indicated that, fear of COVID-19 positively predicts intention to vaccinate and the presence of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The latter negatively predicted intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Besides, conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines had an indirect effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the 13 countries assessed. Finally, the cross-national similarities of the mediational model among the 13 participating countries are strongly supported. The study is the first to test a cross-national mediational model across variables in a large number of Latin American countries. However, further studies with other countries in other regions of the world are needed.

Cross-cultural invariance of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 Assessment Scorecard to measure the perception of government actions against COVID-19 in Latin America.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries. METHODS: A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics. RESULTS: The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries. CONCLUSION: The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured.

Simplified Green's function for surface waves in quasi-incompressible elastic plates with application to elastography.

Surface wave elastography is a growing method to estimate the elasticity in soft solids. It is particularly useful in the case of agrifoods like meat, cheese, or fruits because it does not require major infrastructure or large equipment and could be developed in portable devices. However, estimating the shear elastic properties from surface wave measurements is not straightforward. The shear wavelength in those materials is cm sized for the excitation frequencies usually employed in elastography (∼102 Hz), and the size of samples is comparable to it. Thus, the surface wave speed is frequency dependent with no direct relation to the shear wave speed. In this work we propose a simplified Green's function for soft solid elastic plates which allows to retrieve the shear elasticity from near field measurements. The model is compared with experimental results obtained in agar-gelatin phantoms and food samples (cheese and bovine liver). The results show a good overall agreement although improvements can be achieved by incorporating diffraction and viscosity to the model.

Mismatch between perceived family and individual chronotype and their association with sleep-wake patterns.

While social zeitgebers are known to shape diurnal preference, little research has been devoted to determining the contribution of the familiar group chronotype as social zeitgeber on individual circadian rhythms and sleep-wake patterns in adult subjects. The current study aimed to examine the matching between perceived family chronotype and individual chronotype and their relationship with sleep-wake patterns on weekdays and weekends, diurnal subjective somnolence, and substance consumption. Nine hundred and forty-two Colombian adults completed the Composite Scale of Morningness, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and responded to a questionnaire about circadian preferences of their family nucleus. We found evidence of a mismatch between perceived family and individual chronotype, mainly for morning-type individuals (Cohen's Kappa = -0.231; p < 0.001). This mismatch was associated with diurnal subjective somnolence (ß = 0.073; p < 0.001) and specific sleep-wake patterns (p < 0.01). In addition, subjects with evening-type families showed higher caffeine and alcohol consumption (p < 0.001). To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess and report the mismatching between perceived family and individual chronotypes, and it adds to the existing body of knowledge regarding the influence of social zeitgebers on circadian rhythms. This is particularly relevant since mismatching between circadian physiology and environmental cues have been shown to lead to diverse pathologies.

Mood rhythmicity is associated with depressive symptoms and caffeinated drinks consumption in South American young adults.

Among the factors that contribute to the onset and maintenance of depressive disorders, rhythmicity of symptoms and consumption of caffeine have recently gained attention. The current study aimed to examine the differential rhythmicity of relevant variables in a sample of young participants, considering the presence of depressive symptomatology and the frequency of caffeinated drinks consumption. A significant 24-hour differential rhythmicity of mood, cognitive and physiological variables was found indicating an evening peak pattern in the participants with depressive symptoms. Interestingly, caffeinated drinks consumption was differentially associated with self-perceived peaks, according to the presence of depressive symptomatology. Our findings are among the first reports about the potential association of the 24-hours rhythmicity of relevant mood-related variables, depressive symptoms, and caffeine intake. These results support the view that the identification of risk factors for depression, and the application of novel measurements and analysis methods in the development of new preventive strategies should be a public health priority.

Anxiety symptomatology, sex and chronotype: The mediational effect of diurnal sleepiness.

Diurnal subjective sleepiness has been associated with a large number of negative outcomes, such as increased risk of accidents and development of mental disorders as depression and anxiety. However, the role of the diurnal subjective sleepiness as a mediator is poorly understood. The goal of the present study was to examine the role of diurnal subjective sleepiness as a mediator of the relationship between sex, chronotype and anxiety symptoms in healthy young adults. Four-hundred and sixty-seven healthy young adults (64.8% females, age range 18-32 years, mean 20.7, ±2.3) were evaluated with validated and widely used scales for the measurement of diurnal sleepiness, anxiety symptoms and morningness-eveningness preference. We have found that diurnal subjective sleepiness correlated with anxiety symptoms when evaluated both in the total sample and within chronotypes. This association was more important in females than in males (p < 0.0001). Regarding chronotype, only for morning-types, diurnal subjective sleepiness was a significant mediator of the relationship between sex and anxiety symptoms. This is the first study that examines the mediator role of diurnal subjective sleepiness in the known relationship between sex and anxiety symptoms, and adds new evidence about the effect of the chronotype on sleep problems and mental health. Although future work is required, our results have important implications for clinical settings and public health interventions.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) reduces the intensity of pancreatic amyloid fibrils in human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP) transgenic mice.

The formation of amyloid fibrils by human islet amyloid polypeptide protein (hIAPP) has been implicated in pancreas dysfunction and diabetes. However, efficient treatment options to reduce amyloid fibrils in vivo are still lacking. Therefore, we tested the effect of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on fibril formation in vitro and in vivo. To determine the binding of hIAPP and EGCG, in vitro interaction studies were performed. To inhibit amyloid plaque formation in vivo, homozygous (tg/tg), hemizygous (wt/tg), and control mice (wt/wt) were treated with EGCG. EGCG bound to hIAPP in vitro and induced formation of amorphous aggregates instead of amyloid fibrils. Amyloid fibrils were detected in the pancreatic islets of tg/tg mice, which was associated with disrupted islet structure and diabetes. Although pancreatic amyloid fibrils could be detected in wt/tg mice, these animals were non-diabetic. EGCG application decreased amyloid fibril intensity in wt/tg mice, however it was ineffective in tg/tg animals. Our data indicate that EGCG inhibits amyloid fibril formation in vitro and reduces fibril intensity in non-diabetic wt/tg mice. These results demonstrate a possible in vivo effectiveness of EGCG on amyloid formation and suggest an early therapeutical application.

hIAPP forms toxic oligomers in plasma.

In diabetes, hyperamylinemia contributes to cardiac dysfunction. The interplay between hIAPP, blood glucose and other plasma components is, however, not understood. We show that glucose and LDL interact with hIAPP, resulting in ß-sheet rich oligomers with increased ß-cell toxicity and hemolytic activity, providing mechanistic insights for a direct link between diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Cross-cultural invariance of the Spanish version of the COVID-19 Assessment Scorecard to measure the perception of government actions against COVID-19 in Latin America

Abstract Objectives The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID--19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries. Methods A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics. Results The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries. Conclusion The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured.

No Association of BDNF, COMT, MAOA, SLC6A3, and SLC6A4 Genes and Depressive Symptoms in a Sample of Healthy Colombian Subjects.

Background. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the second cause of years lived with disability around the world. A large number of studies have been carried out to identify genetic risk factors for MDD and related endophenotypes, mainly in populations of European and Asian descent, with conflicting results. The main aim of the current study was to analyze the possible association of five candidate genes and depressive symptoms in a Colombian sample of healthy subjects. Methods and Materials. The Spanish adaptation of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was applied to one hundred eighty-eight healthy Colombian subjects. Five functional polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-based assays: BDNF-Val66Met (rs6265), COMT-Val158Met (rs4680), SLC6A4-HTTLPR (rs4795541), MAOA-uVNTR, and SLC6A3-VNTR (rs28363170). Result. We did not find significant associations with scores of depressive symptoms, derived from the HADS, for any of the five candidate genes (nominal p values >0.05). In addition, we did not find evidence of significant gene-gene interactions. Conclusion. This work is one of the first studies of candidate genes for depressive symptoms in a Latin American sample. Study of additional genetic and epigenetic variants, taking into account other pathophysiological theories, will help to identify novel candidates for MDD in populations around the world.

Papel de los profesionales de la salud en el diseño, obtención y entendimiento del consentimiento informado: Una revisión / Role of health professionals in the design, obtention and understanding of informed consent: A review

RESUMEN El consentimiento informado es un proceso que tiene la intención de autorizar o llegar a un acuerdo con el profesional para la realización de un procedimiento en el área de la salud o en el campo de la investigación, que se formaliza con la firma de un documento. Este consentimiento refleja la voluntad y la autonomía de dicho individuo y su capacidad, una vez ilustrado en detalle sobre la intervención, para entender los resultados principales y los potenciales riesgos de dicha intervención y su voluntad de asumirlos, sin presión externa. Aunque esto parece trivial, la historia muestra que voluntad y autonomía no han sido valores tenidos en cuenta en el área de la salud y menos en el campo de la investigación, de manera intencional o por omisión. Para la presente revisión, se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos PubMed, Medline, Scielo y Google Académico. Se utilizaron los siguientes descriptores: historia de la investigación, ética, consentimiento informado, investigación, enfermería y comprensión, encontrando 2.800 artículos, en idiomas inglés, portugués y español, sin restricción de un límite de tiempo; luego, se efectuó la lectura del resumen de los artículos, seleccionando los 80 que más se acercaban al tema y se emplearon. Como resultado del análisis de la información, se generaron algunas pautas orientadas a mejorar el proceso de consentimiento informado, a través de técnicas que mejoren la explicación por parte del profesional de salud y la comprensión del participante o paciente.

ABSTRACT Informed consent is a legal document signed by an individual who will undergo an intervention in the health area, or in the research field. This informed consent reflects the individual wellbeing and autonomy and his / her capacity, once he or she has been illustrated in detail about the intervention, to understand its main results and its potential risks of said intervention and his / her willingness to assume it without external pressure. Although this seems trivial, history shows that wellbeing and autonomy have not been considered values in the health area and lesser in research, intentionally or by omission. For the present review, a bibliographic search was carried out in PubMed, Medline, Scielo and Google Scholar databases. The following descriptors were used: history of research, ethics, informed consent, research, nursing and comprehension. We found 2800 articles, in English, Portuguese and Spanish, without time limit. Then after reading abstract of the Articles it was selected 80 articles that were close to the subject and there were used. As a result of the analysis of the information, some guidelines were generated aimed to improve the informed consent process through techniques that improve the explanation by the health professional and the understanding of the participant or patient.

A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of MAOA gene is associated with daytime sleepiness in healthy subjects.

Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is one of the main causes of car and industrial accidents and it is associated with increased morbidity and alterations in quality of life. Prevalence of EDS in the general population around the world ranges from 6.2 to 32.4%, with a heritability of 38-40%. However, few studies have explored the role of candidate genes in EDS. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene has an important role in the regulation of neurotransmitter levels and a large number of human behaviors. We hypothesized that a functional VNTR in the promoter region of the MAOA gene might be associated with daytime sleepiness in healthy individuals. The Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) was applied to 210 Colombian healthy subjects (university students), which were genotyped for MAOA-uVNTR. MAOA-uVNTR showed a significant association with ESS scores (p = 0.01): 3/3 genotype carriers had the lowest scores. These results were supported by differences in MAOA-uVNTR frequencies between diurnal somnolence categories (p = 0.03). Our finding provides evidence for the first time that MAOA-uVNTR has a significant association with EDS in healthy subjects. Finally, these data suggest that functional variations in MAOA gene could have a role in other phenotypes of neuropsychiatric relevance.