Eur Neuropsychopharmacol
December 2024
Emerging evidence suggests that retinal structural alterations are present in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), potentially reflecting broader neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative processes. This cross-sectional study investigates retinal thickness and its clinical correlations in a sample of early-course SSD patients compared to healthy controls (HCs). One hundred-two eyes from 26 SSD cases and 25 age- and sex-matched HCs were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe European-Latin American Consortium towards Eradication of Preventable Gallbladder Cancer (GBC) - EULAT Eradicate CVB is collecting high-quality data and samples in four Latin American countries with a high incidence of GBC: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The goal is to build a unique biorepository integrated with a customized informatics platform, identify, validate, and functionally characterize novel GBC risk biomarkers, and develop GBC prediction models integrating epidemiological and genetic-molecular risk factors. We decided to develop the electronic data collection application EULAT eCollect to facilitate the retrieval of socio-demographic, clinical, lifestyle, nutritional, and sample information from the 15,000 Latin Americans we are enrolling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough commonly used in clinical practice, scientific literature about clozapine prescription patterns in Colombia is scarce. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in an outpatient clinic in Bogotá, Colombia. Between 2016 and 2018, clozapine was prescribed to 2603 patients, mainly for Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Bipolar and Depressive Disorders, at a median dose of 100mg/day.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs mental health issues continue to rise in Latin America, the need for research in this field becomes increasingly pressing. This study aimed to explore the perceived barriers and resources for research and publications among psychiatrists and psychiatry trainees from nine Spanish-speaking countries in South America. Data was collected through an anonymous online survey and analyzed using descriptive methods and the SPSS Statistical package.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The creation of computer-supported collaborative clinical cases is an area of educational research that has been widely studied. However, the reuse of cases and their sharing with other platforms is a problem, as it encapsulates knowledge in isolated platforms without interoperability. This paper proposed a workflow ecosystem for the collaborative design and distribution of clinical cases through web-based computing platforms that (1) allow medical students to create clinical cases collaboratively in a dedicated environment; (2) make it possible to export these clinical cases in terms of the Health Level 7 (HL7) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) interoperability standard; (3) provide support to transform imported cases into learning object repositories; and (4) use e-learning standards (eg, Instructional Management Systems Content Packaging [IMS-CP] or Sharable Content Object Reference Model [SCORM]) to incorporate this content into widely-used learning management systems (LMSs), letting medical students democratize a valuable knowledge that would otherwise be confined within proprietary platforms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, different events arose worldwide, including the impact on the mental health of health personnel. Our main aim was to determine the association between sociodemographic, clinical, tobacco and alcohol abuse, and fear of COVID-19 variables with the presence of depressive symptoms in a healthcare facility, in Bogotá DC, in 2022.
Materials And Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study.
Breast cancer in men is a rare and unsuspected malignancy. A 48-year-old man begins with disabling low back pain. The CT scan reported a compression fracture in L2 and diffuse skeletal lesions suggestive of metastatic disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: There is a lack of studies on the natural history of the initial stages of schizophrenia in Colombia. This study aims to assess functionality in the first five years after the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Methods: Naturalistic longitudinal study of 50 patients with early schizophrenia evaluated between 2011 and 2014.
The European-Latin American Consortium towards Eradication of Preventable Gallbladder Cancer, EULAT Eradicate GBC, is collecting high-quality data and samples in four Latin American countries with high gallbladder cancer incidence (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru) to build a unique biorepository integrated into a tailored IT platform, to identify, validate, and functionally characterize new risk biomarkers, and to develop prediction models that integrate epidemiological and genetic-molecular risk factors. We decided to develop an application for electronic data collection to facilitate the retrieval of sociodemographic, clinical, lifestyle, dietary, and sample-related information from 15,000 Latin American study participants. The application EULAT eCollect will facilitate the work of study nurses, reduce time spent by participants, limit the use of paper and ink, minimize costs and errors associated with filling out written forms and subsequent digitisation, and support the monitoring of local recruitment rates and data quality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBronchobiliary fistula (BBF) represents a rare disorder; it consists of abnormal interconnection between the biliary tract and bronchial trees. A 22-year-old woman with persistent chest pain, jaundice, and biliptysis was referred for hepatobiliary scintigraphy under clinical suspicion of a BBF. Patient medical history was consistent with biliary tree reconstruction secondary to an iatrogenic injury during cholecystectomy 4 years ago.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Several studies have suggested that the retina structure is affected in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). We aimed to investigate the location and size of the potential differences between patients and healthy controls (HC) in several thickness and volume measures across the retina.
Study Design: We included cross-sectional studies comparing peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness, macular volume, macular thickness (MT), foveal thickness, ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer thickness (GCL+IPL), cup volume, and cup/disc ratio (C/D) in the right and/or left eyes and/or the pRNFL and MT quadrants between patients with SSD and HC.
Purpose: Classical type of lobular neoplasia (LN) encompassing both atypical lobular hyperplasia and classical lobular carcinoma in situ of the breast is a lesion with uncertain malignant potential and has been the topic of several studies with conflicting outcome results. The aim of our study was to clarify outcome-relevant factors and treatment options of classical LN.
Methods: We performed a pathological re-evaluation of the preoperative biopsy specimens and a retrospective clinical and radiological data analysis of 160 patients with LN from the Breast Center Zurich.
Grief is the physical or mental suffering experienced after a major loss, usually the death of a loved one. It is a universal experience, but sociocultural factors, such as cultural or ethnic identity and religious beliefs predict and shape the expression of grief. The circumstances under which people are experiencing grief during the coronavirus outbreak have adversely affected the grieving process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
December 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has provoked generalized uncertainty around the world, with health workers experiencing anxiety, depression, burnout, insomnia, and stress. Although the effects of the pandemic on mental health may change as it evolves, the majority of reports have been web-based, cross-sectional studies. We performed a study assessing acute stress in frontline health workers during two consecutive epidemic waves.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on multiple levels, one being the way of providing mental health care services. A study was proposed in order to identify the standpoints regarding the role we must assume as psychiatrists in the setting of this pandemic in Colombia.
Methods: A study was developed employing a Delphi-type methodology.
Rev Colomb Psiquiatr (Engl Ed)
October 2021
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic is having an impact on multiple levels, one being the way of providing mental health care services. A study was proposed in order to identify the standpoints regarding the role we must assume as psychiatrists in the setting of this pandemic in Colombia.
Methods: A study was developed employing a Delphi-type methodology.
JCO Glob Oncol
August 2021
Purpose: The National Cancer Information System (NCIS) has been operating since 2014, including information reported by health care insurers and providers on people with cancer diagnosed and treated within the Colombian health system. Its main purpose is to identify barriers to an effective access to cancer diagnosis and treatment across the country. We aimed to describe the methodology, scope and results in terms of access to health services with real-world data provided by the NCIS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe need for consultation-liaison psychiatry on COVID-19 wards has substantially increased since the start of the pandemic. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to summarize the characteristics of patients admitted to the post-COVID-19 ward of the American University of Beirut Medical Center who received a psychiatric consultation. We collected relevant sociodemographic and medical data, information about past psychiatric history, psychiatry consultation details, hospital course, and disposition outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: There is a lack of studies on the natural history of the initial stages of schizophrenia in Colombia. This study aims to assess functionality in the first five years after the diagnosis of schizophrenia.
Methods: Naturalistic longitudinal study of 50 patients with early schizophrenia evaluated between 2011 and 2014.