Fear of the unknown: Experience of frontline healthcare workers with coping strategies used to face the COVID 19 pandemic.

The COVID 19 pandemic presented various challenges among health care workers, one of them being the impact it has on mental health. The psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, insomnia and stress, all consequences of the pandemic cause psychopathological outcomes reverberating negatively on the emotional well-being of health care workers. This study aimed to explore the experience of frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in a middle-income country in Latin America and to identify the coping mechanisms they used to face stressful situations during this time. A qualitative study based on an interpretative paradigm was conducted allowing to examine complex, ambiguous and emotionally loaded topics to explore in detail the experience of frontline HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through convenience sampling eleven frontline HCWs were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. An inductive analysis was done with four pre-established categories: the experience of HCWs during the attention of COVID-19 patients, the experience during their own infection, the experience during the work reintegration and the coping mechanisms used. Our results show that fear and uncertainty predominated throughout the attention of COVID-19 patients. Participants used both coping strategies based on problem-solving efforts, such as routine changes, and emotional management efforts, like social support or psychological counselling. The choice of coping strategies was influenced by their personal beliefs, past emotional experiences, and prior medical formation. These findings provide public and private institutions insight for creating effective policies, based on the HCWs' preferences, to promote their psychological well-being.

An unusual case of small bowel volvulus due to pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis: Case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) is an uncommon condition characterized by intramural gas accumulation in the intestinal submucosa. Idiopathic or secondary is presented with non-specific clinical signs; in some cases, diagnosis is incidental. Its acute presentation is uncommon, and surgical management could be performed in selected cases. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of an 85-year-old woman with 3 days of abdominal pain, 6 months of weight loss, and abdominal distension after meals. Abdominal computed tomography evidenced PCI at the small intestine with changes due to intestinal ischemia and internal mesenteric hernia. Intestinal resection and lateral-lateral mechanical anastomosis were performed with no complications after 90 days of follow-up. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: PCI is an infrequent and benign condition; pathophysiology is, to date, poorly understood. Idiopathic or secondary to other gastrointestinal pathologies are described. The final diagnosis is performed with histopathological analysis. Nevertheless, in some cases, the benign nature could be presented as an acute abdomen, and surgical management should be in the physician's armamentarium. CONCLUSION: PCI is an uncommon and benign entity. Nevertheless, in some cases, it could be presented as an acute abdomen. The surgical approach is appropriate, safe, and feasible.

Parámetros del líquido amniótico para diagnóstico de respuesta inflamatoria en parto pretérmino / Amniotic fluid parameters for the diagnosis of inflammatory response in preterm delivery

OBJETIVO: Evaluar el rendimiento del Gram, la glucosa y los leucocitos en líquido amniótico para el diagnóstico de respuesta inflamatoria fetal y materna en pacientes con parto pretérmino. MÉTODO: Estudio de rendimiento de pruebas diagnósticas. Se incluyeron 63 pacientes a quienes se les realizó amniocentesis por sospecha de infección intraamniótica. Se estudió la placenta y se comparó con el Gram, la glucosa y el recuento de leucocitos en líquido amniótico para ver su relación con la respuesta inflamatoria. Se evaluaron la sensibilidad, la especificidad, las razones de verosimilitud (LR, likelihood ratio), los valores predictivos y el valor de kappa. RESULTADOS: Las pruebas con mejor rendimiento fueron en conjunto la glucosa 50/mm3 en líquido amniótico, con una especificidad del 94,3% (intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC95%]: 84,6-98,1), LR + 8,83 (IC95%: 2,5-31,2) y kappa de 0,48 (IC95%: 0,15-0,82). También se consideró la propuesta de un nuevo punto de corte para el recuento de leucocitos en líquido amniótico en la respuesta inflamatoria fetal. CONCLUSIONES: La combinación del recuento de leucocitos en líquido amniótico y los valores de glucosa mejora el rendimiento para el diagnóstico de respuesta inflamatoria fetal en comparación con la histopatología de la placenta, lo que proporciona información útil para el enfoque de los recién nacidos.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of Gram, glucose and leukocytes in amniotic fluid for the diagnosis of fetal and maternal inflammatory response in patients with preterm delivery. METHOD: A diagnostic performance test study was carried out. Sixty-three patients with preterm labor were included who underwent amniocentesis due to suspected intra-amniotic infection. Histopathology of the placenta was studied and compared with the Gram result, glucose and leukocyte count in amniotic fluid, and their relationship with the maternal and fetal inflammatory response. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, predictive values, and kappa were evaluated. RESULTS: The tests with the best performance were overall glucose 50/mm3 in amniotic fluid for the diagnosis of the fetal inflammatory response, with a specificity of 94.3% (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 84.6-98.1%), likelihood positive ratio 8.83 (95% CI: 2.5-31.2) and kappa of 0.48 (95% CI: 0.15-0.82). A new cut-off point for leukocyte count in amniotic fluid to diagnose fetal inflammatory response was proposed. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of amniotic fluid leukocyte count and amniotic fluid glucose values improves performance for the diagnosis of inflammatory response compared with placental histopathology, providing useful information for newborns approach.

Teleguided self-ultrasound scanning for longitudinal monitoring of muscle mass during spaceflight.

Loss of muscle mass is a major concern for long duration spaceflight. However, due to the need for specialized equipment, muscle size has only been assessed before and after spaceflight where ~20% loss is observed. Here, we demonstrate the utility of teleguided self-ultrasound scanning (Tele-SUS) to accurately monitor leg muscle size in astronauts during spaceflight. Over an average of 168 ± 57 days of spaceflight, 74 Tele-SUS sessions were performed. There were no significant differences between panoramic ultrasound images obtained by astronauts seven days prior to landing and expert sonographer after flight or between change in muscle size assessed by ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. These findings extend the current capabilities of ultrasound imaging to allow self-monitoring of muscle size with remote guidance.

Shifting views and building bonds: Narratives of internationally adopted children about their dual culture.

American literature on international adoption suggests that adoptees' pride in the culture of their birth country improves their self-esteem and helps them to cope with experiences of racism. Parents are therefore encouraged to teach their adopted children multicultural skills to improve their psychological well-being. French psychologists, on the contrary, suggest that adoptees should feel fully members of their adoptive country and families. These practices shed light on the respective multicultural and universalist paradigms in the US and France. Few papers, however, consider the opinions of adoptees. This study explores internationally adopted children raised in France and their spontaneous curiosity about their birth country. The present study used semi-structured interviews with 19 adoptees aged 8-18 years old, to explore their attitudes towards the culture of their birth country. Transcripts of recorded interviews were analyzed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. While there was striking consistency of interest in birth countries, adoptees' expression of curiosity varied across time. Children described distinctive goals: knowing more about their history, finding relatives, becoming a multicultural citizen, or simply helping people. Their parents' involvement was thus seen as helpful, but adoptees stress the need to feel ready and may prefer independent ways of learning about their birth country. Adoptees' multiple feelings of belonging derive not only from multicultural training but from a lifelong construction of self. Professionals and parents may need to adapt to adoptees' individual development, distinctive time frames, and ways of learning to provide better support to them.

Immune and stress mediators in response to bilateral adnexectomy: comparison of single-port access and conventional laparoscopy in a porcine model.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate systemic markers of immune and stress responses after bilateral adnexectomy performed using 2 different laparoscopic techniques in pigs. DESIGN: Prospective comparative study (Canadian Task Force classification II-2). SETTING: University teaching hospital, research hospital, and tertiary care center. ANIMALS: Twenty female Yorkshire pigs undergoing laparoscopic surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Animals underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (ovary and fallopian tube extraction), performed via conventional laparoscopy (n = 10) or the single-port access approach (n = 10). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Injury provokes an acute-phase response, primarily produced by cytokines. The inflammatory response has been well described for major surgery and for conventional laparoscopy; however, little information is currently available for single-port laparoscopy, and none in the gynecologic field. This is the first study to compare serum cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) concentrations at baseline and in the early postoperative period (2, 4, and 20 hours) after bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy performed via conventional laparoscopy (n = 10) or single-port access (n = 10) in a porcine model. The stress response was measured using glucose and cortisol concentrations and the animals' response to surgery via a 6-category observation-based behavior test. Both IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations peaked at 4 hours after surgery, and were significantly lower in the single-port access group (p = .02) than in the conventional laparoscopy group (p = .02). In addition, in the single-port access group, concentrations of stress markers were slightly lower at all intervals recorded and were statistically significant at 2 hours after the operation for glucose concentration (mean [SD], 164.50 [26.73] mg/dL for conventional laparoscopy vs 86.50 [17.93] mg/dL for single-port access; p = .02). CONCLUSION: Evidence of improved inflammatory and stress responses was recorded in the minimally invasive single-port group. More clinical investigations are needed to further study the applicability of single-port access laparoscopy in gynecologic surgery.

Tilt and translation motion perception during off-vertical axis rotation.

The effect of stimulus frequency on tilt and translation motion perception was studied during constant velocity off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR), and compared to the effect of stimulus frequency on eye movements. Fourteen healthy subjects were rotated in darkness about their longitudinal axis 10 degrees and 20 degrees off-vertical at 45 degrees /s (0.125 Hz) and 20 degrees off-vertical at 180 degrees /s (0.5 Hz). Perceived motion was evaluated using verbal reports and a joystick capable of recording tilt and translation in both sagittal and lateral planes. Eye movements were also recorded using videography. At the lower frequency, subjects reported the perception of progressing along the edge of a cone, whereas at the higher frequency they had the sensation of progressing along the edge of an upright cylinder. Tilt perception and ocular torsion significantly increased as the tilt angle increased from 10 degrees to 20 degrees at the lower frequency, and then decreased at the higher frequency. The phase lag of ocular torsion increased as a function of frequency, while the phase lag of tilt perception did not change. Horizontal eye movements were small at the lower frequency and showed a phase lead relative to the linear acceleration stimulus. While the phase lead of horizontal eye movements decreased at 0.5 Hz, the phase of translation perception did not vary with stimulus frequency and was similar to the phase of tilt perception during all conditions. A second data set was obtained in 12 subjects to compare motion perception phase when using a simple push-button to indicate nose-up orientation, continuous setting of pitch tilt alone, or continuous setting of tilt and translation in both pitch and roll planes as in the first data set. This set of measurements indicated that in the frequency range studied subjects tend to lead the stimulus when using a push-button task while lagging the stimulus when using a continuous setting of tilt with a joystick. Both amplitude and phase of tilt perception using the joystick were not different whether concentrating on pitch tilt alone or attempting a more complex reporting of tilt and translation in both sagittal and lateral planes. During dynamic linear stimuli in the absence of canal and visual input, a change in stimulus frequency alone elicits similar changes in the amplitude of both self-motion perception and eye movements. However, in contrast to the eye movements, the phase of both perceived tilt and translation motion is not altered by stimulus frequency over this limited range. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that neural processing to distinguish tilt and translation stimuli differs between eye movements and motion perception.

High-frequency QRS electrocardiogram predicts perfusion defects during myocardial perfusion imaging.

BACKGROUND: Changes in high-frequency (HF) QRS components of the electrocardiogram (ECG) (150-250 Hz) are more sensitive than changes in conventional ST segments for detecting myocardial ischemia. We investigated the accuracy of 12-lead HF QRS ECG in detecting perfusion defects during adenosine tetrofosmin myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). METHODS AND RESULTS: 12-lead HF QRS ECG recordings were obtained from 45 patients before and during adenosine technetium Tc 99m tetrofosmin MPI tests. Before the adenosine infusions, recordings of HF QRS were analyzed according to a morphologic score that incorporated the number, type, and location of reduced amplitude zones (RAZs) present in the 12 leads. During the adenosine infusions, recordings of HF QRS were analyzed according to the maximum percentage changes (in both the positive and negative directions) that occurred in root mean square voltage amplitudes within the 12 leads. The best set of prospective HF QRS criteria had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 83% for correctly identifying the MPI result. The sensitivity of simultaneous ST-segment changes (18%) was significantly lower than that of any individual HF QRS criterion (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of 12-lead HF QRS ECG is highly sensitive and reasonably specific for detecting perfusion defects during adenosine MPI stress tests and significantly more sensitive than analysis of conventional ST segments.