Journal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research
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The psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic may have a lasting effect on emotional well-being of healthcare workers. Medical personnel working at the time of the pandemic may experience elevated occupational stress due to the uncontrollability of the virus, high perceived risk of infection, poor understanding of the novel virus transmission routes and unavailability of effective antiviral agents. This study used path analysis to analyze the relationship between stress and alexithymia, emotional processing and negative/positive affect in healthcare workers. ⋯ The relationship between alexithymia and emotional processing was stronger in nurses than in physicians (difference in beta=0.27; p<0.05). Individual path χ2 tests also revealed significantly different paths across these groups. The results of the study may be used to develop evidence-based intervention programs promoting healthcare workers' mental health and well-being.
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Depression entails changes in the mental health of individuals worldwide. Episodes of depression lead to mood swings and changes in the motivational dimension. Our research focused on the prevalence of depression in the adult population and on how it affected the social and affective dimensions. ⋯ As tools, we used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. The data demonstrated that women were more likely to display symptoms of depression and that individuals aged between 24 and 29 were less likely to reveal symptoms of anxiety than those aged between 18 and 23. Moreover, childless or economically dependent individuals proved to be more likely to display symptoms of depression during the pandemic.
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The aim of the present study was to determine the neuroimaging predictors of poor participation after acute ischemic stroke. A total of 443 patients who had acute ischemic stroke were assessed. At 1-year recovery, the Reintegration to Normal Living Index was used to assess participation restriction. ⋯ Participation restriction was common after acute ischemic stroke despite good mRS score. Male gender, stroke severity, severity of ADL on follow-up, and MTLA may be predictors of poor participation. Trial registration number ChiCTR1800016665.
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Observational Study
N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with sepsis.
This study aims to evaluate the role of cardiac enzymes N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin-I (CTnI) as predictors of outcomes in patients with sepsis.78 cases with a diagnosis of sepsis were enrolled over a 2-year period. Baseline demographic, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II (APACHE-II), Simplified Acute Physiology Score-II (SAPS-II), hematologic and biochemical parameters were noted. Serum NT-proBNP and CTnI were evaluated at 24 and 72 hours of admission along with echocardiography. ⋯ APACHE-II score combined with NT-proBNP predicted a poor outcome in 51.2% cases compared with 14.6% cases with APACHE-II alone (p<0.05), while SAPS-II combined with NT-proBNP predicted a poor outcome in 53.6% cases as compared with 9.6% cases with SAPS-II alone (p<0.05). SAPS-II greater than 45 and NT-proBNP values at 72 hours were independent predictors of mortality in patients with sepsis. NT-proBNP is an independent predictor of mortality in patients with sepsis and its combination with APACHE-II and SAPS-II improves the predictive values of the scoring systems.
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Vasovagal syncope (VVS) has a high prevalence in the general population and is associated with potential complications. There is limited information on the possible association between venous capacitance (VC) and venous return (VR), important determinants of preload and VVS. Since the tilt test was reported to yield a high rate of false positive results, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether abnormal VC and VR at baseline could predispose individuals to VVS. ⋯ In conclusion, at baseline, VC and VR are not impaired in healthy volunteers with a history of VVS. It remains unknown if similar results would be found in patients with cardiovascular comorbidities. Also, the sensitivity of VC and VR evaluations to identify a predisposition for VVS following physiological provocations merits further study.