Comparison of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemic-9 and SAVE-6 scales among healthcare workers in Peru.

Introduction: Peru is a country that has a high incidence of viral outbreaks and epidemics, which is why it is necessary to validate a scale that measures anxiety and stress in professionals who are on the front lines of these events. Therefore, our objective was to validate the Peruvian-Spanish version of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-9 items (SAVE-9) scale and to concurrently compare its validity and internal consistency with the SAVE-6 scale among healthcare workers (HCWs). Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study based on data collected from a self-reported survey in paper-and-pencil format between April and July 2023. A total of 203 HCWs participated in the research. We developed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and item response theory (IRT). We calculated Cronbach's α coefficient and McDonald's ω to assess the internal consistency of the scales. Results: The results show that SAVE-9 (a two-factor model) and SAVE-6 (a one-factor model) provided an excellent fit in the confirmatory factor analysis. Both scales demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's α 0.85 and 0.86, respectively). Significant correlations were found between the SAVE-9 and SAVE-6 scales and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items scale (r = 0.44 and r = 0.38, respectively, p < 0.001) as well as the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (r = 0.39 and r = 0.35, respectively, p < 0.001). The optimal cutoff points for SAVE-9 and SAVE-6 were identified for assessing anxiety, aligned with a GAD-7 score ≥5 points. Conclusion: The Peruvian-Spanish SAVE-9 and SAVE-6 scales are reliable and valid rating scales to assess the anxiety response of HCWs in response to viral epidemics. Though COVID-19 is diminished, these scales will be useful for other viral epidemics in the future.

Prevalence and incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders in post hospitalized COVID-19 patients in South America: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: There are multiple reports of neuropsychiatric disorders (NDs) such as stress, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or anxiety, in patients who have survived the acute phase of COVID-19, being even more frequent in people who were hospitalized with moderate or severe disease. South America (SA) was one of the most affected continents during this time due to its health, social, political and economic context. We aimed to determine the prevalence and incidence of NDs in patients following hospitalization for COVID-19 in SA. Materials and methods: We searched in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, LILACS, SciELO, and Google Scholar databases up to October 2022. We performed proportion meta-analysis with a random-effect model and Freeman-Tukey Double Arcsine transformation using the STATA 16.1 program. Finally, we evaluated heterogeneity by subgroup analysis and certainty of evidence with the GRADE approach. Results: We included eight studies from four countries. We only pooled six studies with prevalence measures. The estimated prevalence of all NDs was 31.48% (two-studies, 95%CI: 25.82-37.43). Depression, anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and memory alterations had a pooled prevalence of 16.23% (three-studies, 95%CI: 7.18-27.93, I2: 94.22), 18.72% (three-studies, 95%CI: 11.65-26.97, I2: 87.56), 43.07% (three-studies, 95%CI: 32.77-53.37, I2: 92.61), 31.78% (three-studies, 95%CI: 14.33-52.40, I2: 97.96), and 38.24% (two-studies, 95%CI: 35.5-40.97), respectively. The evidence included was deemed as moderate to high certainty. Conclusion: We suggest that NDs should be prioritized in research and care in South America with public policies that can support their identification and prompt management to improve the quality of life of patients. More studies are needed to adequately study the prevalence of NDs in South America, their associated factors, and evaluate the causes of heterogeneity. Systematic review registration: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.21901041.v1.

Validation of the Peruvian Spanish Version of the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 Scale to Measure Viral Anxiety of Medical Students During COVID-19.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has created academic problems for Peruvian medical students leading to anxiety and depression. Hence, validated scales, such as the Stress and Anxiety to Viral Epidemics-6 items (SAVE-6), are required to identify and propose interventions to improve mental health. We aimed to perform a psychometric validation of the Peruvian version of SAVE-6 on medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima, Peru, in 2022. Methods: A total of 260 medical students at National University of San Marcos (UNMSM) participated in an online survey in January 2022. We collected sociodemographic characteristics and classified psychiatric symptoms using SAVE-6, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 items (GAD-7) scale, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 items (PHQ-9). We performed confirmatory and parallel factor analysis to examine the validity of the Peruvian Spanish version of SAVE-6. Results: We explored the reliability and validity of SAVE-6 and SAVE-6 after excluding item 5, since factor loading of item 5 is too low. Both scales showed good internal consistencies (Cronbach's α = 0.780 and.82 and McDonald's Ω = 0.792 and.829, respectively). Furthermore, SAVE-6 after excluding item 5 showed good convergent validity with GAD-7 (r = 0.224, p <.001) and PHQ-9 (r = 0.217, p <.001). Consequently, instead of the full SAVE-6, SAVE-6 excluding item 5 proved to be reliable and valid enough to assess the anxiety of Peruvian medical students during the pandemic. Conclusion: The Peruvian Spanish SAVE-6 scale excluding item 5, rather than the full SAVE-6, can be applied to measure viral anxiety of medical students in Peru with good validity and reliability.

Elevación de los niveles de transaminasas inducidos por tocilizumab durante el tratamiento para infección severa por SARS-CoV-2: Estudio meta-analítico

Objetivo: estudio sistemático de incremento de los niveles de transaminasas hepáticas inducidos por tocilizumab (TCZ) en pacientes con infección por SARS-CoV-2. Material y métodos: Se realizaron búsquedas en PubMed, EMBASE y Google Scholar, de estudios publicados entre enero 2020 y agosto 2021. Se incluyeron estudios que reportaban datos con niveles de transaminasas hepáticas (aspartato-aminotransferasa o AST y alanino- aminotransferasa o ALT) en pacientes infección por SARS-CoV-2 en tratamiento con TCZ, ya sea en estudios de casos y controles o cuando se median dichos niveles antes y después de terapia en un mismo paciente. La calidad de los artículos fue evaluada de acuerdo con la escala Newcastle Ottawa (NOS). Se extrajeron datos sobre el diseño del estudio, país, número de pacientes, edad y sexo. Se aplicó un modelo de efectos aleatorios para la construcción del diagrama de árbol en base a la delta de la media y desviación estándar de los niveles de ALT y GPT de los casos y controles, de cada uno de los reportes incluidos, con un intervalo de confianza (IC) del 95%. Resultados: Se identificaron 5 estudios de casos y controles para su inclusión, que totalizaron un total de 511 pacientes. La media de edad fue 62,3 + 5,0 años y el 78,8 % fueron varones. La puntuación media de NOS de los estudios incluidos fue 7,8 + 0,4. La dosis utilizada de TCZ fue de 8mg/kg/día. En el diagrama de árbol se observó que la delta de la media de variación de la ALT y AST fueron 0,33 (delta 95% intervalo de confianza: 0,17-0,5; I2 =73% p<0,05) y 0,34 (95% IC: 0,17-0,51; I2=84% p<0,05), respectivamente. En un estudio se reportó normalización de ALT y AST a la 3ra semana, y el resto de estudios no reportó datos de evolución. Conclusión: El uso de TCZ en la infección por SARS-CoV-2 está asociado con elevación de ALT y AST, sin embargo, sus niveles no cumplen criterios de injuria hepática inducida por medicamento y aparentemente es autolimitado. Se requieren más estudios para confirmar la naturaleza temporal de la elevación de las transaminasas asociada al TCZ.