Saliva sampling and its direct lysis is an excellent option for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis in paediatric patients: comparison with the PanBio COVID-19 antigen rapid test in symptomatic and asymptomatic children.

Introduction. Lateral flow test (LFTs) have been used as an alternative to reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) in point-of-care testing. Despite their benefits, the sensitivity of LFTs may be low and is affected by several factors. We have previously reported the feasibility of using direct lysis of individual or pools of saliva samples from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients as a source of viral genomes for detection by RT-qPCR.Hypothesis. Direct lysed saliva is more sensitive than antigen tests to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in samples from children.Aim. Our goals here were to valuate the specificity and sensitivity of the PanBio COVID-19 antigen rapid test device (Ag-RTD) compared with RT-qPCR of direct lysed saliva.Methodology. We evaluated the performance of the PanBio COVID-19 Ag-RTD in comparison to RT-qPCR direct lysed saliva from paired samples of 256 symptomatic and 242 asymptomatic paediatric patients.Results. Overall, although there were no differences in the specificity (96.6%), we found a lower sensitivity (64.3%) of the PanBio Ag-test RTD compared to saliva in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. In addition, the sensitivity of PanBio was not correlated with the viral load present in the samples.Conclusion. Our data highlight the benefits of using RT-qPCR and saliva samples for SARS-CoV-2 detection, particularly in paediatric patients.

Pooling saliva samples as an excellent option to increase the surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 when re-opening community settings.

In many countries a second wave of infections caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has occurred, triggering a shortage of reagents needed for diagnosis and compromising the capacity of laboratory testing. There is an urgent need to develop methods to accelerate the diagnostic procedures. Pooling samples represents a strategy to overcome the shortage of reagents, since several samples can be tested using one reaction, significantly increasing the number and speed with which tests can be carried out. We have reported the feasibility to use a direct lysis procedure of saliva as source for RNA to SARS-CoV-2 genome detection by reverse transcription quantitative-PCR (RT-qPCR). Here, we show that the direct lysis of saliva pools, of either five or ten samples, does not compromise the detection of viral RNA. In addition, it is a sensitive, fast, and inexpensive method that can be used for massive screening, especially considering the proximity of the reincorporation of activities in universities, offices, and schools.

Similarities and Differences in Substance Use Patterns Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Mexican Adult Smokers.

Purpose: This study aimed to characterize the patterns of smoking, e-cigarette use, other substance use (alcohol and marijuana), and depression by sexual orientation in a sample of Mexican adult smokers. Methods: Data came from a 2018-2020 (six waves) online survey of adult smokers, recruited from a commercial research panel (92.5% heterosexual, n = 4786; 3.1% lesbian/gay, n = 160; and 4.4% bisexual, n = 229). After stratifying the data by sex, logistic, multinomial, and linear logistic regression models were estimated (depending on the outcome), including as independent variables sexual orientation (i.e., gay/lesbian, bisexual, heterosexual = Reference), age, education, household income, and wave. Results: Being a gay male was independently associated with greater smoking dependence (ß = 0.20; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02 to 0.39), greater likelihood of preference for flavored capsule cigarettes (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.33 to 3.28), and depression diagnosis (AOR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.64 to 4.95). Bisexual males had higher e-cigarette dependence (ß = 0.37; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.68, among dual users only) and were more likely to have been diagnosed with depression (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.30 to 4.18). Lesbian females were more likely to prefer menthol cigarettes (AOR = 3.32, 95% CI: 1.60 to 6.86), to have used marijuana more than once (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.83 to 5.72), and to have depressive symptoms (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.04 to 3.29). Bisexual females had a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms (AOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.14 to 2.56) and depression diagnosis (AOR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.43 to 3.42). Conclusion: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adult smokers in Mexico appear more likely than heterosexual adult smokers to report having depression. Substance use and depression among sexual minority populations need to be addressed further.

Violencia de pareja y depresión en mujeres que trabajan en una institución de salud de México / Intimate partner violence and depression among adult women working in a health facility in Mexico

Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de la violencia de pareja, experimentada en los últimos 12 meses, sobre el riesgo de depresión y la sintomatología depresiva en mujeres adultas. Método: Se analizaron los datos de 470 mujeres de la Cohorte de Trabajadores de la Salud de México. El tipo y la gravedad de la violencia de pareja se midieron en los años 2004 y 2011. El evento principal fue el diagnóstico médico de depresión (2011). Un evento secundario fue la sintomatología depresiva (2004 y 2011), evaluada mediante la Escala de Depresión del Centro de Estudios Epidemiológicos (CES-D). El riesgo de depresión y la sintomatología depresiva en relación con la violencia se evaluaron con modelos de regresión de efectos aleatorios logísticos y lineales, respectivamente. Resultados: El 41,9% experimentó violencia de pareja en la medición basal. La incidencia de depresión fue del 7,2%. El riesgo de depresión aumentó con la violencia de pareja de cualquier tipo (odds ratio ajustada [ORa]=2,9; intervalo de confianza del 95% [IC95%]: 1,4-6,2) y con las violencias física (ORa=4,3; IC95%: 1,8-10,1), psicológica (ORa=3,1; IC95%: 1,4-6,6) y sexual (ORa=3,1; IC95%: 1,2--8,2). Los síntomas depresivos (CES-D) aumentaron ligeramente con las violencias física y sexual. Conclusiones: La violencia de pareja se asoció a un mayor riesgo de depresión en mujeres trabajadoras de una institución de salud de México. Los resultados indican la necesidad de contar con infraestructura, implementar estrategias de atención y consejería, y brindar un ambiente seguro en los lugares de trabajo para quienes sufren violencia de pareja. (AU)

Objective: To assess the effect of intimate partner violence on the risk of depression and depressive symptoms among adult women. Method: We analyzed data from the Mexican Health Workers' Cohort study (n=470). Type and severity of intimate partner violence was ascertained between 2004 and 2011. Self-reported medical diagnosis of depression (2011) was the main outcome; depressive symptoms ascertained with the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale was the secondary outcome. Random-effects regressions were run to model the risk of depression (logistic) and depressive symptoms (linear) in relation to intimate partner violence. Results: 41.9% women experienced intimate partner violence at baseline. The incidence of depression was 7.2%. The risk of depression increased with any type of IPV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.9; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.4-6.2) and with physical (aOR=4.3; 95%CI: 1.8-10.1), psychological (aOR=3.1; 95%CI: 1.4-6.6) and sexual (aOR=3.1; 95%CI: 1.2-8.2) violence. Depressive symptoms (CES-D) increased slightly with physical and sexual intimate partner violence. Conclusions: Intimate partner violence was associated with a higher risk of depression in this sample of women working in a Mexican health facility. Our results indicate the need to develop infrastructure, to implement strategies of attention and counselling, and to provide a safe environment in the workplace for women who experience intimate partner violence. (AU)

[Intimate partner violence and depression among adult women working in a health facility in Mexico]. / Violencia de pareja y depresión en mujeres que trabajan en una institución de salud de México.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of intimate partner violence on the risk of depression and depressive symptoms among adult women. METHOD: We analyzed data from the Mexican Health Workers' Cohort study (n=470). Type and severity of intimate partner violence was ascertained between 2004 and 2011. Self-reported medical diagnosis of depression (2011) was the main outcome; depressive symptoms ascertained with the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale was the secondary outcome. Random-effects regressions were run to model the risk of depression (logistic) and depressive symptoms (linear) in relation to intimate partner violence. RESULTS: 41.9% women experienced intimate partner violence at baseline. The incidence of depression was 7.2%. The risk of depression increased with any type of IPV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.9; 95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 1.4-6.2) and with physical (aOR=4.3; 95%CI: 1.8-10.1), psychological (aOR=3.1; 95%CI: 1.4-6.6) and sexual (aOR=3.1; 95%CI: 1.2-8.2) violence. Depressive symptoms (CES-D) increased slightly with physical and sexual intimate partner violence. CONCLUSIONS: Intimate partner violence was associated with a higher risk of depression in this sample of women working in a Mexican health facility. Our results indicate the need to develop infrastructure, to implement strategies of attention and counselling, and to provide a safe environment in the workplace for women who experience intimate partner violence.