Are There Differences Among Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for Treating Different DSM-5 PTSD Symptom Clusters? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Controlled Clinical Trials.

ABSTRACT: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous disease defined by four Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5) symptom clusters: reexperiencing, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and hyperarousal. There are effective evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) for PTSD. However, given the variety of PTSD clinical presentations, we conducted the first meta-analysis investigating whether DSM-5 PTSD symptom clusters show different responses to EBPs. We systematically reviewed the literature for controlled clinical trials in five databases, performed a meta-analysis, and evaluated the methodological quality of the studies. We screened 633 studies and included seven. Three showed high risk, two showed some concerns, and one showed a low risk of bias. The symptom clusters do not seem to respond differently to EBPs (SMD cluster B: -0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.87 to 0.08; cluster C: -0.49; 95% CI, -0.90 to -0.08; cluster D: -0.44; 95% CI, -0.94 to 0.05; cluster E: -0.54; 95% CI, -1.07 to -0.0), even when analyzed by the therapeutic focuses. The findings dovetail nicely with the network theory of PTSD symptom, as although it is a heterogeneous disorder, the EBPs seem to promote a kind of cascade of symptom improvement.

The role of childhood cumulative trauma in the risk of lifetime PTSD: An epidemiological study.

Cumulative trauma is usually devastating and can lead to severe psychological consequences, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exposure to various types of traumas, particularly during childhood, can be even more deleterious than the sheer number of events experienced. This epidemiological study is the first to investigate the impact of discrete childhood traumatic exposure on the risk of developing lifetime PTSD in a representative sample of the general population of the two biggest Brazilian cities. Participants were aged between 15 and 75 years old, living in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who had experienced traumatic events (N = 3,231). The PTSD diagnosis was assessed using the DSM-IV criteria through the version 2.1 of Composite International Diagnostic Interview. To operationalize childhood cumulative trauma, we considered the sum of 15 different childhood trauma categories that occurred before PTSD onset. The final multivariate logistic regression model indicated a strong relationship between the number of discrete types of childhood traumas and the likelihood of the lifetime PTSD development. The lifetime PTSD risk increased 28 % with each different type of childhood trauma when adjusted by confounds. Our study strengthens the evidence associating childhood cumulative trauma to increased lifetime PTSD risk.

The efficacy of internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder according to the mean age of patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy (I-CBT) is effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, offering enhanced accessibility and cost-effectiveness. However, it's important to note that these technologies may not be suitable for all age groups. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine if the effectiveness of I-CBT in treating PTSD varies based on the patients' mean age. We conducted a systematic review of the literature, focusing on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the ISI Web of Science, PubMed/MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases. Following this, we performed a meta-analysis and evaluated the risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias quality assessment tool. In this study, we examined patient-related factors (civil or military status, age, and gender), clinical characteristics (baseline PTSD severity and type of trauma), and treatment characteristics (type of intervention, synchronous or asynchronous delivery, and the number of sessions) as independent variables. The dependent variable was the reduction in mean PTSD symptoms. Five RCTs out of 1,552 screened studies were included in this review, all of which showed some level of concern regarding potential bias. Our meta-analysis indicates that I-CBT is equally effective regardless of patients' mean age. Since all RCTs included only provide the mean age of the patients, further randomized controlled trials should address the effectiveness of I-CBT among different age groups.

Sociodemographic, lifestyle, and environmental determinants of vitamin D levels in pregnant women in Spain.

INTRODUCTION: Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL circulating levels) is a worldwide public health concern and pregnant women are especially vulnerable, affecting the health of the mother and the fetus. This study aims to evaluate the sociodemographic, lifestyle, and environmental determinants associated with circulating vitamin D levels in Spanish pregnant women. METHODS: We used data from the Spanish INMA ("Infancia y Medio Ambiente") prospective birth cohort study from the regions of Gipuzkoa, Sabadell, and Valencia. 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) was measured in plasma collected in the first trimester of pregnancy. Information on 108 determinants was gathered: 13 sociodemographic, 48 lifestyle including diet, smoking and physical activity, and 47 environmental variables, representing the urban and the chemical exposome. Association of the determinants with maternal 25(OH)D3 levels was estimated in single- and multiple-exposure models. Machine learning techniques were used to predict 25(OH)D3 levels below sufficiency (30 ng/mL). RESULTS: The prevalence of < 30 ng/mL 25(OH)D3 levels was 51 %. In the single-exposure analysis, older age, higher socioeconomic status, taking vitamin D, B12 and other sup*plementation, and higher humidity, atmospheric pressure and UV rays were associated with higher levels of 25(OH)D3 (IQR increase of age: 1.2 [95 % CI: 0.6, 1.8] ng/mL 25(OH)D3). In the multiple-exposures model, most of these associations remained and others were revealed. Higher body mass index, PM2.5 and high deprivation area were associated with lower 25(OH)D3 levels (i.e., Quartile 4 of PM2.5 vs Q1: -3.6 [95 % CI: -5.6, -1.5] ng/mL of 25(OH)D3). History of allergy and asthma, being multiparous, intake of vegetable fat, vitamin B6, alcohol consumption and molybdenum were associated with higher levels. The machine learning classification model confirmed some of these associations. CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive study shows that younger age, higher body mass index, higher deprived areas, higher air pollution and lower UV rays and humidity are associated with lower 25(OH)D3 levels.

Human Milk Feeding Is Associated with Decreased Incidence of Moderate-Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Extremely Preterm Infants.

BACKGROUND: An increased rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is reported in extremely preterm infants. A potential role of human milk feeding in protecting against this condition has been suggested. METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted based on data about morbidity in the population of infants born between 22+0 and 26+6 weeks of gestation, included in the Spanish network SEN1500 during the period 2004-2019 and discharged alive. The primary outcome was moderate-severe BPD. Associated conditions were studied, including human milk feeding at discharge. The temporal trends of BPD and human milk feeding rates at discharge were also studied. RESULTS: In the study population of 4341 infants, the rate of moderate-severe BPD was 43.7% and it increased to >50% in the last three years. The factors significantly associated with a higher risk of moderate-severe BPD were birth weight, male sex, high-frequency oscillatory ventilation, duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, inhaled nitric oxide, patent ductus arteriosus, and late-onset sepsis. Exclusive human milk feeding and any amount of human milk at discharge were associated with a lower incidence of moderate-severe BPD (OR 0.752, 95% CI 0.629-0.901 and OR 0.714, 95% CI 0.602-0.847, respectively). During the study period, the proportion of infants with moderate-severe BPD fed any amount of human milk at discharge increased more than twofold. And the proportion of infants with moderate-severe BPD who were exclusively fed human milk at discharge increased at the same rate. CONCLUSIONS: Our work shows an inverse relationship between human milk feeding at discharge from the neonatal unit and the occurrence of BPD.

Improving prediction of COVID-19 mortality using machine learning in the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 registry.

COVID-19 is responsible for high mortality, but robust machine learning-based predictors of mortality are lacking. To generate a model for predicting mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 using Gradient Boosting Decision Trees (GBDT). The Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 registry includes 24,514 pseudo-anonymized cases of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 from 1 February 2020 to 5 December 2021. This registry was used as a GBDT machine learning model, employing the CatBoost and BorutaShap classifier to select the most relevant indicators and generate a mortality prediction model by risk level, ranging from 0 to 1. The model was validated by separating patients according to admission date, using the period 1 February to 31 December 2020 (first and second waves, pre-vaccination period) for training, and 1 January to 30 November 2021 (vaccination period) for the test group. An ensemble of ten models with different random seeds was constructed, separating 80% of the patients for training and 20% from the end of the training period for cross-validation. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was used as a performance metric. Clinical and laboratory data from 23,983 patients were analyzed. CatBoost mortality prediction models achieved an AUC performance of 84.76 (standard deviation 0.45) for patients in the test group (potentially vaccinated patients not included in model training) using 16 features. The performance of the 16-parameter GBDT model for predicting COVID-19 hospital mortality, although requiring a relatively large number of predictors, shows a high predictive capacity.

Impact of COVID19 pandemic on patients with rare diseases in Spain, with a special focus on inherited metabolic diseases.

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic soon became an international health emergency raising concern about its impact not only on physical health but also on quality of life and mental health. Rare diseases are chronically debilitating conditions with challenging patient care needs. We aimed to assess the quality of life and mental health of patients with rare diseases in Spain, with a special focus on inherited metabolic disorders (IMD). Methods: A prospective case-control study was designed, comparing 459 patients suffering from a rare disease (including 53 patients with IMD) and 446 healthy controls. Quality of life (QoL) and mental health were assessed using validated scales according to age: KINDL-R and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) for children and the WhoQoL-Bref questionnaire, GAD and PHQ-9 in adults. Results: First, children and adults (but not adolescents) with IMD showed greater psychological effects than controls (p = 0.022, p = 0.026 respectively). Second, when comparing QoL, only adult patients with IMD showed worse score than controls (66/100 vs 74,6/100 respectively, p = 0.017). Finally, IMD had better quality of life than other rare neurological and genetic diseases (p = 0.008) or other rare diseases (p < 0.001 respectively) but similar alteration of the mental status. Conclusions: Our data show that the pandemic had a negative impact on mental health that is more evident in the group of patients with IMD. Young age would behave as a protective factor on the perception of QoL. Furthermore, patients with IMD show a better QoL than other rare diseases.

"Congelei com medo de me contaminar": tratando um caso de TEPT crônico com imobilidade tônica em uma fisioterapeuta da linha de frente na pandemia de COVID-19 / "I froze for fear of contaminating myself": treating a case of chronic PTSD with tonic immobility in a physiotherapist frontline during COVID-19 pandemic

RESUMO Objetivo: Neste estudo relatamos o caso de uma profissional de saúde com vivência de imobilidade tônica (IT) e posterior desenvolvimento de transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) crônico em decorrência de trauma laboral por conta da COVID-19 que recebeu tratamento remoto com terapia cognitivo-comportamental focada no trauma (TCC-FT). Métodos: Relato de caso de uma paciente acompanhada por seis meses após o recebimento de TCC-FT remota. Resultados: Paciente do sexo feminino, de 36 anos, fisioterapeuta, que desenvolveu TEPT crônico e experienciou IT por medo da contaminação por coronavírus. As escalas psicométricas demonstraram que a TCC-FT reduziu consideravelmente os sintomas de TEPT e depressão e aumentou o apoio social e a resiliência. De acordo com o relato, o tratamento melhorou a concentração e a motivação, e reduziu o sentimento de culpa, a irritabilidade, a insegurança e o desconforto em lidar com outras pessoas. Conclusão: Este artigo demonstra que traumas decorrentes da COVID-19 podem ser capazes de desencadear IT e exemplifica um favorável desempenho da TCC-FT na melhoria global da saúde mental dos pacientes com TEPT crônico com vivência de IT.

ABSTRACT Objective: In this study, we report the case of a health professional with experience of tonic immobility (TI) and subsequent development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of occupational trauma due to COVID-19 who received remote treatment with Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Methods: A case report of a patient followed for six months after receiving remote TF-CBT. Results: A 36-year-old female patient, the physiotherapist who developed chronic PTSD and experienced TI for fear of coronavirus contamination. Psychometric scales demonstrated that TF-CBT considerably reduced PTSD and depression symptoms and increased social support and resilience. According to the report, the treatment improved concentration and motivation, and reduced feelings of guilt, irritability, insecurity, and discomfort in dealing with other people. Conclusion: This article demonstrates that trauma resulting from COVID-19 can trigger TI and exemplifies a favorable performance of TF-CBT in the global improvement of the mental health of patients with chronic PTSD who experience TI.

Validation of the RIM Score-COVID in the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry.

The significant impact of COVID-19 worldwide has made it necessary to develop tools to identify patients at high risk of severe disease and death. This work aims to validate the RIM Score-COVID in the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry. The RIM Score-COVID is a simple nomogram with high predictive capacity for in-hospital death due to COVID-19 designed using clinical and analytical parameters of patients diagnosed in the first wave of the pandemic. The nomogram uses five variables measured on arrival to the emergency department (ED): age, sex, oxygen saturation, C-reactive protein level, and neutrophil-to-platelet ratio. Validation was performed in the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, which included consecutive patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19 in Spain. The cohort was divided into three time periods: T1 from February 1 to June 10, 2020 (first wave), T2 from June 11 to December 31, 2020 (second wave, pre-vaccination period), and T3 from January 1 to December 5, 2021 (vaccination period). The model's accuracy in predicting in-hospital COVID-19 mortality was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC). Clinical and laboratory data from 22,566 patients were analyzed: 15,976 (70.7%) from T1, 4,233 (18.7%) from T2, and 2,357 from T3 (10.4%). AUROC of the RIM Score-COVID in the entire SEMI-COVID-19 Registry was 0.823 (95%CI 0.819-0.827) and was 0.834 (95%CI 0.830-0.839) in T1, 0.792 (95%CI 0.781-0.803) in T2, and 0.799 (95%CI 0.785-0.813) in T3. The RIM Score-COVID is a simple, easy-to-use method for predicting in-hospital COVID-19 mortality that uses parameters measured in most EDs. This tool showed good predictive ability in successive disease waves.

Myocardial tissue characterization by cardiovascular magnetic resonance T1 mapping and pericardial fat quantification in adolescents with morbid obesity. Cardiac dimorphism by gender.

PURPOSE: Changes in the myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) identified using T1 mapping cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) have been only reported in obese adults, but with opposite conclusions. The objectives are to assess the composition of the myocardial ECM in an obese pediatric population without type 2 diabetes by quantifying native T1 time, and to quantify the pericardial fat index (PFI) and their relationship with cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: Observational case-control research of 25 morbidly obese adolescents and 13 normal-weight adolescents. Native T1 and T2 times (ms), left ventricular (LV) geometry and function, PFI (g/ht3) and hepatic fat fraction (HFF, %) were calculated by 1.5-T CMR. RESULTS: No differences were noticed in native T1 between obese and non-obese adolescents (1000.0 vs. 990.5 ms, p0.73), despite showing higher LV mass values (28.3 vs. 22.9 g/ht3, p0.01). However, the T1 mapping values were significantly higher in females (1012.7 vs. 980.7 ms, p < 0.01) while in males, native T1 was better correlated with obesity parameters, particularly with triponderal mass index (TMI) (r = 0.51), and inflammatory cells. Similarly, the PFI was correlated with insulin resistance (r = 0.56), highly sensitive C-reactive protein (r = 0.54) and TMI (r = 0.77). CONCLUSION: Female adolescents possess myocardium peculiarities associated with higher mapping values. In males, who are commonly more exposed to future non-communicable diseases, TMI may serve as a useful predictor of native T1 and pericardial fat increases. Furthermore, HFF and PFI appear to be markers of adipose tissue infiltration closely related with hypertension, insulin resistance and inflammation.

Active approach in delivery room and survival of infants born between 22 and 26 gestational weeks are increasing in Spain.

AIM: To describe the trends in the delivery room approach and survival of extremely premature infants over the past two decades. METHODS: Time-series analysis of infants included in the Spanish SEN1500 network from 2004 to 2019. Patients born from 22 + 0 to 26 + 6 weeks were included. The primary outcome was an active approach in the delivery room. Survival and temporal trends were also studied. RESULTS: The study population included 8284 patients. At 22 and 23 weeks, an active approach was followed in 41.4% and 80.8%. A temporal trend toward a more active approach was observed at 23 weeks. Antenatal steroids were administered in 19.6% and 58.1% at 22 and 23 weeks. From 24 weeks, an active approach was applied in nearly all cases throughout the period, and more than 80% of patients received antenatal steroids. The rates of survival after an active approach were 8.7%, 21.6%, 40.6%, 59.9%, and 74.7% at 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26 weeks and significantly increased over the period, except for infants born at 22 weeks. CONCLUSION: Active management and survival of infants born from 23 weeks increased over the period, but the frequency of antenatal steroid administration was lower than the intention to resuscitate.

Comprehensive study of acute toxicity using Microtox® bioassay in soils contaminated by lindane wastes.

This research studies the acute toxicity of real contaminated soils (topsoil and subsoil) with hazardous chlorinated organic compounds (COCs) from lindane manufacturing wastes. The Microtox® bioassay was used to determine the toxicity of soils (modified Basic Solid Phase Test), soil elutriates (Basic Test), and organic extracts (adapted Organic Solvent Sample Solubilization Test), in which hydrophobic organic compounds are soluble. The acute toxicity of these persistent contaminants (hexachlorocyclohexanes, HCH isomers, as particulate matter in topsoil, and COCs, from dense non-aqueous phase liquid, DNAPL, in subsoil) and the commercial compounds were also measured. Soils tested showed different contaminant levels (topsoil: 0.9-1149 mg/kg and subsoil: 20-9528 mg/kg). Soil contaminants distribution, concentration and acute toxicity were highly related to the contamination source (HCHs or DNAPL). Soils, organic extracts, and subsoil elutriates presented high toxicity, highlighting the need for remediation of these sites. EC50 was calculated in the three-test applied for the soils tested. EC50 vs. COCs concentration in soils and soil elutriates showed an asymptotic trend, explained by the low pollutants solubility in the aqueous phase. Contrarily, EC50 vs. soil COCs concentration was more linear in the case of the organic extracts. This test was the most reliable from statistical analysis. The three methods reveal interesting and complementary information and are necessary for a complete overview of the acute toxicity of contaminated soils.

Different profiles of lipoprotein particles associate various degrees of cardiac involvement in adolescents with morbid obesity.

Introduction: Dyslipidemia secondary to obesity is a risk factor related to cardiovascular disease events, however a pathological conventional lipid profile (CLP) is infrequently found in obese children. The objective is to evaluate the advanced lipoprotein testing (ALT) and its relationship with cardiac changes, metabolic syndrome (MS) and inflammatory markers in a population of morbidly obese adolescents with normal CLP and without type 2 diabetes mellitus, the most common scenario in obese adolescents. Methods: Prospective case-control research of 42 morbidly obese adolescents and 25 normal-weight adolescents, whose left ventricle (LV) morphology and function had been assessed. The ALT was obtained by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and the results were compared according to the degree of cardiac involvement - normal heart, mild LV changes, and severe LV changes (specifically LV remodeling and systolic dysfunction) - and related to inflammation markers [highly-sensitive C-reactive protein and glycoprotein A (GlycA)] and insulin-resistance [homeostatic model assessment for insulin-resistance (HOMA-IR)]. A second analysis was performed to compare our results with the predominant ALT when only body mass index and metabolic syndrome criteria were considered. Results: The three cardiac involvement groups showed significant increases in HOMA-IR, inflammatory markers and ALT ratio LDL-P/HDL-P (40.0 vs. 43.9 vs. 47.1, p 0.012). When only cardiac change groups were considered, differences in small LDL-P (565.0 vs. 625.1 nmol/L, p 0.070), VLDL size and GlycA demonstrated better utility than just traditional risk factors to predict which subjects could present severe LV changes [AUC: 0.79 (95% CI: 0.54-1)]. In the second analysis, an atherosclerotic ALT was detected in morbidly obese subjects, characterized by a significant increase in large VLDL-P, small LDL-P, ratio LDL-P/HDL-P and ratio HDL-TG/HDL-C. Subjects with criteria for MS presented overall worse ALT (specially in triglyceride-enriched particles) and remnant cholesterol values. Conclusions: ALT parameters and GlycA appear to be more reliable indicators of cardiac change severity than traditional CV risk factors. Particularly, the overage of LDL-P compared to HDL-P and the increase in small LDL-P with cholesterol-depleted LDL particles appear to be the key ALT's parameters involved in LV changes. Morbidly obese adolescents show an atherosclerotic ALT and those with MS present worse ALT values.

Social, Academic, and Health Status Impact of Long COVID on Children and Young People: An Observational, Descriptive, and Longitudinal Cohort Study.

There is a lack of evidence of the health impacts due to long COVID among children and young people (CYP). The objective of this study is to determine the main clinical characteristics of long COVID in CYP and to investigate the academic, social, and health status impacts of long COVID in this population. An observational, descriptive, and longitudinal study on CYP who presented COVID-19 symptoms for more than twelve weeks after SARS-CoV-2 infection was performed between December 2020 and May 2021. Fifty CYP were included, with a median age of 14.1 years, 33 (66%) were female, and 17 (34%) had a relative diagnosed with long COVID. Since the initial infection and up to the first visit, CYP had persisting symptoms for a median of 4.1 months, and for 18 (36%) CYP these symptoms persisted for more than 6 months. Fatigue (100%), neurocognitive disorders (74%), muscular weakness (74%), and headache (72%) were the most reported symptoms. A total of 9 (18%) CYP could not attend school, 17 (34%) had a reduced schedule, 33 (66%) showed a decreased school performance, and 68% had stopped extracurricular activities. This preliminary study shows the impact that long COVID has on the health, academic, and social life of CYP.

Stuck in a Moment: Tonic Immobility Predicts Poor Quality of Life in Treated PTSD Patients.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent and disabling multisystem disorder, with significant physical and psychiatric morbidity and poor quality of life (QOL). Although peritraumatic reactions - tonic immobility and dissociation - are established predictors of PTSD severity and development, there is a dearth of investigation assessing the impact of peritraumatic reactions on QOL of PTSD patients. Quality of life has become increasingly important in health care and research as a reliable outcome measure. It comprises psychological, physical, social and environmental domains, providing important information about the impact of diseases on patient's life. This study aims to investigate the impact of peritraumatic tonic immobility and peritraumatic dissociation on QOL of PTSD civilian outpatients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: It is a cross-sectional study of 50 victims of urban violence with current PTSD, recruited in a specialized outpatient clinic. Instruments used were: Structured Clinical Interview IV, Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire, Tonic Immobility Scale and WHOQOL-BREF (psychological, physical, social and environmental domains). Linear regression models were fitted to evaluate the impact of peritraumatic reactions - tonic immobility and dissociation - on WHOQOL-BREF scores. We controlled for sex as potential confounding. RESULTS: The severity of peritraumatic tonic immobility negatively impacted on psychological and environment domains of quality of life. For each additional point on the Tonic Immobility Scale, there was a decreased of 0.8 points on the scores of these domains of WHOQOL-BREF. Neither the peritraumatic reactions showed effects on physical nor social domains. Possible limitations of this study include cross-sectional design, relatively small sample size of tertiary center outpatients and recall bias. CONCLUSIONS: Peritraumatic tonic immobility is related to poor quality of life, adding new insights about the relationship between this immobility reaction and PTSD.

Changes in perinatal management and outcomes in infants born at 23 weeks of gestational age during the last decade in Spain.

INTRODUCTION: The 2021-updated guidelines of the Spanish Society of Neonatology Guidelines have moved the zone of parental discretion to 23 + 0-23 + 6 weeks. The objective of this study was to describe the changes in perinatal management at this gestational age along the last decade and to determine if a more active perinatal management has contributed to improved outcomes. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from the 23-week infants included in the Spanish SEN 1500 neonatal network during the period 2010-2019. The main study outcomes were survival at discharge and survival without major morbidity of actively managed infants. Two periods were compared: 2010-2014 (Period 1) and 2015-2019 (Period 2). NICUs were classified into low activity NICUs (less than 50 admissions of very low birth weight infants per year) and high activity NICUs (50 or more admissions). RESULTS: A total of 381 infants were included, 182 in Period 1 and 199 in Period 2. In Period 2 an increase in the use of intrapartum magnesium sulfate (21.5% vs 39.9%, p .002), antenatal steroids (56.6% vs 69.3%, p .011) and active neonatal approach in delivery room (76.9% vs 86.9%, p .011) were observed.The clinical outcomes of the actively managed 313 infants were similar in both periods, except for less arterial hypotension in Period 2. Survival was 27.1% in Period 1 and 25% in Period 2 (p .068) and survival without major morbidity was 2.1% and 2.3% respectively (p .914). No difference was found between low and high activity NICUs. CONCLUSION: A change to a more active intention to treat infants born at 23 weeks is taking place in Spain. But the survival rate of the actively-managed infants has remained stable around 25-30% during the study period. A multidisciplinary effort is needed to improve outcomes in this population.

Predictors of response to cognitive-behavioral therapy in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review / Preditores de resposta à terapia cognitivo-comportamental em pacientes com transtorno de estresse pós-traumático: uma revisão sistemática

OBJETIVO: O transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT) é um transtorno altamente prevalente e incapacitante. Mesmo quando tratado com uma intervenção de primeira linha, terapia cognitivo-comportamental (TCC), 45% dos pacientes continuam sofrendo desse transtorno. Portanto, conhecer os fatores que podem prever quem responderá à TCC seria de grande valor no tratamento desses pacientes. Por esse motivo, revisamos sistematicamente a literatura para identificar as variáveis que poderiam predizer a resposta à TCC em pacientes que sofrem de TEPT. MÉTODOS: Seguindo as diretrizes do PRISMA 2020, pesquisamos em banco de dados eletrônico como ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, MEDLINE e PTSDpubs até novembro de 2021. Dois autores conduziram independentemente a seleção do estudo e a extração de dados. Estudos que examinaram possíveis preditores de resposta à terapia, com amostra de adultos (18-65 anos) de ambos os sexos, com e sem comorbidades, foram considerados elegíveis. As características dos estudos foram sintetizadas em uma tabela. O risco de viés foi avaliado pela ferramenta de avaliação de qualidade de risco de viés da Cochrane. RESULTADOS: Vinte e oito estudos envolvendo 15 variáveis foram selecionados. Desses, oito mostraram baixo risco de viés, 19 mostraram algumas preocupações e um mostrou alto risco potencial de viés. A relação terapêutica foi a única variável considerada um preditor de boa resposta à terapia. Todas as outras variáveis apresentaram resultados conflitantes. CONCLUSÕES: A variável mais promissora, embora muito fraca cientificamente, é a relação terapêutica. Ensaios clínicos randomizados adicionais devem ser conduzidos para esclarecer o papel dessa variável como um preditor de resposta da TCC em pacientes com TEPT.

OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a highly prevalent and disabling disorder. Even when treated with the first-line intervention, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), 45% of the patients continue suffering from this disorder. Therefore, knowing the factors that could foresee who will respond to CBT would be of great value to the treatment of these patients. Thus, we have systematically reviewed the literature to identify the variables that could predict response to CBT in patients suffering from PTSD. METHODS: Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we searched the electronic databases ISI Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and PTSDpubs until November 2021. Two authors have independently conducted study selection and data extraction. Studies that examined possible predictors of response to therapy on a sample of adults (18-65 years), both genders, with and without comorbidities were considered eligible. The characteristics of the studies were synthesized in a table. The risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias quality assessment tool. RESULTS: Twenty- -eight studies comprising 15 variables were selected. Among those, eight showed a low risk of bias, 19 showed some concerns, and one showed a high potential risk of bias. The therapeutic relationship was the only variable considered to be a predictor of a good response to therapy. All other variables showed conflicting results. CONCLUSIONS: The most promising variable, although scientifically weak, is the therapeutic relationship. Additional randomized clinical trials should be conducted to clarify the role of this variable as a predictor of response to CBT in patients with PTSD.

Myocardial Geometry and Dysfunction in Morbidly Obese Adolescents (BMI 35-40 kg/m2).

This study evaluated the preclinical effect of obesity on the ventricular remodeling in adolescents with morbid obesity, and determined if subjects labelled as metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) presented better heart index than those with metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO). Prospective case-control research of 45 adolescents (14-year-old) with morbid obesity and 25 normal weight adolescents' gender- and age-matched with Tanner stage 4-5. Left ventricle (LV) was evaluated by conventional Doppler echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography. Compared to normal-weight subjects, adolescents with morbid obesity presented a high percentage of pathological LV geometry (87%; p<0.01), and systolic and diastolic dysfunctions only detected by E/A ratio (2.0 vs 1.7, p<0.01), global longitudinal strain (-21.0% vs -16.5%, p<0.01), and early diastolic strain rate (3.2 vs 2.2, p<0.01). A correlation was found between impaired cardiac index and body mass index (BMI), high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, low HDL-cholesterol and hypertriglyceridemia. BMI and HDL-cholesterol were the most significant independent variables. No significant differences were found in structural and functional cardiac index when MHO and MUO subjects were compared (global longitudinal strain: -17.0% vs -16.4%, p0.79). Morbidly obese adolescents have an abnormal LV geometry, closely related to BMI, and systolic and diastolic LV dysfunctions. Adolescents labelled as MHO, despite exhibiting better BMI and insulin-resistance values, present the same pathological heart changes as MUO.

Children's Health Habits and COVID-19 Lockdown in Catalonia: Implications for Obesity and Non-Communicable Diseases.

Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic imposed changes in children's daily routine that could lead to changes in behavior patterns. Using a survey targeted at children under 17 years of age, we described dietary (adherence to Mediterranean diet, AMD) and sleeping habits (disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep) after the implementation of lockdown, and examined the probability of the inadequate frequency of physical activity (PA) and use of TV and electronic devices (TV-ED) before and after lockdown through generalized estimating equation models, accounting for age and gender differences. From 3464 children included, 53.2% showed optimal AMD; 79.2% referred to delayed bedtime; and 16.3% were suspected of sleeping disorders after the implementation of lockdown. Delay in bedtime was more frequent among children older than 6 years, and inadequate sleeping hours among those younger than 11 years. There were no gender differences in AMD or sleeping habits. The odds of inadequate frequency of PA and TV-ED use were greater after lockdown, with a greater risk for TV-ED use. Boys were at greater risk of inadequate PA frequency and TV-ED use. Odds ratio of inadequate PA was greater at older ages. Lockdown could influence changes in children's habits that could lead to risk factors for non-communicable diseases during adulthood if such behaviors are sustained over time.

Pediatric home confinement due to COVID-19: Somatic and anxiety spectrum consequences.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the impact of COVID-19 related home confinement on the paediatric population by focusing on anxiety, behavioural disturbances and somatic symptoms. BACKGROUND: To limit the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, governments have imposed nationwide lockdowns to prevent direct contact; this has affected everyday lives and activities such as attending school classes. Such isolation may have impacted children's anxiety levels. DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study using a web-based anonymous questionnaire from 22-26 April, 2020, among children (N = 2,292) in Spain. For children below 7 years of age, parents reported the children's behavioural, emotional and somatic symptoms and family environment data on a questionnaire designed by the researchers. Children over 7 years answered the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale either independently or with their parents' assistance. RESULTS: Children over 7 years, boys in particular, scored high on the anxiety spectrum. Moreover, participants who knew someone who had suffered from COVID-19 at home or whose parent was directly involved in the pandemic, obtained higher Total Anxiety scores. Significantly high values were found in all aspects of anxiety among those who feared infection or whose parents been unemployed. Of the children below 7 years, 56.3% had four or more anxiety-related symptoms, the most frequent of which were tantrums, emotional changes, restlessness and fear of being alone. The number of symptoms reported was significant when someone in the family home had been infected with COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 home confinement had a significant impact on children, causing anxiety, behavioural problems and somatic manifestations. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses play a key role in screening children who have experience confinement owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to detect early anxiety symptoms using tele-health. Suitable direct interventions can then be implemented or interdisciplinary manage could be started.