Substance Use and Addictive Behavior in Spanish Adolescents in Secondary School.

The detection and prevention of addictive behaviour at an early age is essential given the relationship between the age of the onset of consumption and the appearance of addiction disorders. The aim of this study was to describe the behavior related to substance use and addictive behaviors in adolescents at secondary school from 12 to 16 years of age. A cross-sectional descriptive study has been conducted. The prevalence of consumption of different addictive substances (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine) and addictive behaviours (use of social networks and video games) were collated, and the influence of the surrounding social environment and risk perception were evaluated. The final sample was 1298 students. Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use reflect the prevalence of last month's consumption: 14% (11.8-15.6), 15% (13.4-17.4) and 3% (1.9-2.7) respectively. 76% of the sample frequently use the Internet (5-7 days per week). There is a positive association between the frequency of use and use in the immediate environment. The relationships found show the need for educational and preventive intervention aimed at parents and students that will allow them to know and effectively deal with possible problems associated with the consumption of addictive substances.

Real-World Data and Machine Learning to Predict Cardiac Amyloidosis.

(1) Background: Cardiac amyloidosis or "stiff heart syndrome" is a rare condition that occurs when amyloid deposits occupy the heart muscle. Many patients suffer from it and fail to receive a timely diagnosis mainly because the disease is a rare form of restrictive cardiomyopathy that is difficult to diagnose, often associated with a poor prognosis. This research analyses the characteristics of this pathology and proposes a statistical learning algorithm that helps to detect the disease. (2) Methods: The hospitalization clinical (medical and nursing ones) records used for this study are the basis of the learning and training techniques of the algorithm. The approach consisted of using the information generated by the patients in each admission and discharge episode and treating it as data vectors to facilitate their aggregation. The large volume of clinical histories implied a high dimensionality of the data, and the lack of diagnosis led to a severe class imbalance caused by the low prevalence of the disease. (3) Results: Although there are few patients with amyloidosis in this study, the proposed approach demonstrates that it is possible to learn from clinical records despite the lack of data. In the validation phase, the algorithm first acted on data from the general study population. It then was applied to a sample of patients diagnosed with heart failure. The results revealed that the algorithm detects disease when data vectors profile each disease episode. (4) Conclusions: The prediction levels showed that this technique could be useful in screening processes on a specific population to detect the disease.

Oxygen saturation as a predictor of mortality in hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 in a public hospital in Lima, Peru.

INTRODUCTION: Peru is among the top ten countries with the highest number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases worldwide. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical features of hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 and to determine the prognostic factors associated with in-hospital mortality. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to Hospital Cayetano Heredia; a tertiary care hospital in Lima, Peru. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was used to identify factors independently associated with in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 369 patients (median age 59 years [IQR:49-68]; 241 (65.31%) male) were included. Most patients (68.56%) reported at least one comorbidity; more frequently: obesity (42.55%), diabetes mellitus (21.95%), and hypertension (21.68%). The median duration of symptoms prior to hospital admission was 7 days (IQR: 5-10). Reported in-hospital mortality was 49.59%. By multiple Cox regression, oxygen saturation (SaO2) values of less than 90% on admission correlated with mortality, presenting 1.86 (95%CI: 1.02-3.39), 4.44 (95%CI: 2.46-8.02) and 7.74 (95%CI: 4.54-13.19) times greater risk of death for SaO2 of 89-85%, 84-80% and <80%, respectively, when compared to patients with SaO2 >90%. Additionally, age >60 years was associated with 1.88 times greater mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Oxygen saturation below 90% on admission is a strong predictor of in-hospital mortality in patients with COVID-19. In settings with limited resources, efforts to reduce mortality in COVID-19 should focus on early identification of hypoxemia and timely access to hospital care.

Clinical features and prognostic factors related to mortality in hospitalized adult patients with COVID-19 in a public hospital in Lima, Peru / Características clínicas y factores asociados a mortalidad en pacientes adultos hospitalizados por COVID-19 en un hospital público de Lima, Perú. / Características clínicas e fatores associados à mortalidade em pacientes adultos internados pelo COVID-19 em um hospital público de Lima, Peru.

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected the national health system in Peru, and despite the many strategies implemented to control the epidemic, the collapse of the sanitary system was imminent. We performed a retrospective cohort from the clinical records of adult patients with COVID-19 admitted in Hospital Cayetano Heredia (Lima, Peru), between March and June 2020. A total of 369 patient charts were included for analysis; 241 (65.31%) were male and the median age was 59 years (IQR: 49-68). Most patients (68.56%) reported at least one comorbidity; more frequently: obesity (42.55%), diabetes mellitus (21.95%), and hypertension (21.68%). The median duration of symptoms prior to hospital admission was 7 days (IQR: 5-10). Reported in-hospital mortality was 49.59%. By multiple Cox regression, oxygen saturation (SaO2) level at admission was the main predictor of patient mortality, with SaO2 levels of 84-80% and <80% had 4.44 (95%CI 2.46-8.02) and 7.74 (95%CI 4.54-13.19) times greater risk of death, respectively, when compared to patients with SaO2 >90%. Additionally, older age (>60 years old) was associated with 1.9 times greater mortality. Our study finds SaO2 at admission and older age to be independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. These findings suggest a delay in early detection of hypoxemia in the community, therefore, we propose the implementation of monitoring for hypoxemia among outpatients with COVID-19 as well as appropriate and timely oxygen therapy in admission.  

La pandemia por COVID-19 ha representado un duro golpe al sistema sanitario peruano, y las estrategias implementadas para el control de la epidemia han sido insuficientes en el contexto de colapso del sistema de salud. Se realizó una cohorte retrospectiva a partir de la revisión de las historias clínicas de pacientes adultos hospitalizados por COVID-19, entre marzo y junio de 2020, en el Hospital Cayetano Heredia, Lima- Perú. Se analizó 369 historias clínicas, 241 (65.31%) pacientes eran del sexo masculino y la mediana de edad era de 59 años (RIC: 49-68). El 68.56% presentaba al menos una comorbilidad, siendo las más frecuentes obesidad (42.55%), diabetes mellitus (21.95%) e hipertensión arterial (21.68%). La mediana de duración de síntomas previo al ingreso hospitalario fue de 7 días (RIC: 5-10). La mortalidad intrahospitalaria encontrada fue del 49.59%. En el análisis multivariado, la saturación de oxígeno al ingreso al hospital fue el principal factor predictor de mortalidad. Se observó un marcado incremento de mortalidad; encontrándose que la SatO2 de 84-80% y <80% tuvieron 4.44 (IC95% 2.46-8.02) y 7.74 (IC95% 4.54- 13.19) veces mayor riesgo de muerte, respectivamente, en comparación con pacientes con SatO2 basal >90%. Adicionalmente, la edad mayor a 60 años se asocia a 1.90 veces mayor mortalidad. Nuestro estudio muestra que la edad mayor a 60 años y el nivel de hipoxemia presente al momento de la admisión al hospital son factores asociados de forma independiente a la mortalidad intrahospitalaria. Los hallazgos sugieren una demora en detección de hipoxemia en la comunidad, por lo que se propone reforzar el sistema de monitoreo e identificación temprana de hipoxemia en pacientes con COVID-19, asociada a un soporte oxigenatorio en el momento oportuno.

A pandemia do COVID-19 representou um duro golpe no sistema de saúde peruano, e as estratégias implementadas para controlar a epidemia foram insuficientes no contexto do colapso do sistema de saúde. Foi realizada uma coorte retrospectiva com base na revisão dos prontuários de pacientes adultos internados pelo COVID-19, entre março e junho de 2020, no Hospital Cayetano Heredia, Lima-Peru. Foram analisados ​​369 prontuários, 241 (65,31%) pacientes eram do sexo masculino e a idade média foi de 59 anos (RIC: 49-68). 68,56% apresentavam pelo menos uma comorbidade, sendo as mais frequentes obesidade (42,55%), diabetes mellitus (21,95%) e hipertensão (21,68%). A duração mediana dos sintomas antes da internação foi de 7 dias (RIC: 5-10). A mortalidade hospitalar encontrada foi de 49,59%. Na análise multivariada, a saturação de oxigênio na admissão hospitalar foi o principal preditor de mortalidade. Um aumento acentuado na mortalidade foi observado; constatando que SatO2 de 84-80% e <80% tinha 4,44 (IC95% 2,46-8,02) e 7,74 (IC95% 4,54-13,19) vezes maior risco de morte, respectivamente, em comparação com pacientes com SatO2 basal> 90%. Além disso, a idade acima de 60 anos está associada a uma mortalidade 1,90 vezes maior. Nosso estudo mostra que a idade superior a 60 anos e o nível de hipoxemia presente no momento da admissão no hospital são fatores independentemente associados à mortalidade hospitalar. Os resultados sugerem um atraso na detecção de hipoxemia na comunidade, motivo pelo qual se propõe fortalecer o sistema de monitoramento e identificação precoce de hipoxemia em pacientes com COVID-19, associados ao suporte à oxigenação no momento apropriado.