Medicina
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This is an analysis of clinical characteristics, images findings, laboratory variables and respiratory mechanics in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the first month of the pandemic outbreak in Buenos Aires. In this descriptive case study of a single-centre, we included all confirmed cases of COVID-19 hospitalized in intensive care unit (ICU). All cases were confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. ⋯ According to imaging examination, 71.4% showed interstitial opacities and one patient bilateral consolidation. Five patients required invasive mechanical ventilation and multiple prone sessions. None of them died during hospitalization, although three still remain in the ICU.
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In December 2019, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of pneumonia and respiratory distress in Wuhan, China. It was declared pandemic in March 2020. It is important to know predictors of poor outcomes in order to optimize the strategies of care in newly diagnosed patients. ⋯ A mortality rate of 7% (9) was obtained. Seven of the 9 patients who died presented NLR = 3, with a significant association between mortality and NLR = 3 (p = 0.03). NLR could be used in conjunction with other predictors, as an early prognostic marker in COVID-19 given its accessibility and low cost.
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The disease named COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, is currently generating a global pandemic. Vaccine development is no doubt the best long-term immunological approach, but in the current epidemiologic and health emergency there is a need for rapid and effective solutions. Convalescent plasma is the only antibody-based therapy available for COVID-19 patients to date. ⋯ Based on these ideas, we present a new therapeutic product obtained after immunization of horses with the receptor-binding domain of the viral Spike glycoprotein. Our product shows around 50 times more potency in in vitro seroneutralization assays than the average of convalescent plasma. This result may allow us to test the safety and efficacy of this product in a phase 2/3 clinical trial to be conducted in July 2020 in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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It has been observed that the stratification of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) generated by the current scales is not effective for the personalization of early treatments. The clinical evaluation of ASD requires its consideration as a continuum of deficits, and there is a need to identify biologically significant parameters (biomarkers) that have the power to automatically characterize each individual at different stages of neurological development. The emerging field of computational psychiatry (CP) attempts to meet the needs of precision diagnosis by developing powerful computational and mathematical techniques. ⋯ Very few studies have used biological signals for recording and detailed analysis of behavioral responses that can be used to monitor or produce changes over time. In this paper the concept of behavioral biomarkers based on VR or VRBB is introduced. VRBB will allow the classification of ASD using a paradigm of computational psychiatry based on implicit brain processes measured through psychophysiological signals and the behavior of subjects exposed to complex replicas of social conditions using virtual reality interfaces.
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The COVID-19 pandemic affected the organization of health services and had consequences for health teams, according to the pre-existing safety and working conditions. During the first week of April 2020, a cross sectional study was carried out with a qualitative-quantitative approach. The aim was to explore the conditions determining the organizational climate: leadership, communication, institutional resources, cohesion/conflict management, and training; and how these were perceived by health personnel to deal with the pandemic. ⋯ The condition most frequently perceived as inadequate were the inaccessibility of institutional resources and the access to personal protective equipment was a major concern. Claims included the need of institutional strategies to support healthcare workers and of a clear and uniform communication. In conclusion, at the time of the study, the health personnel perceived serious deficits in their organizations regarding the conditions necessary to confront COVID-19, with differences among subsectors of the health system.