Marco Faytong-Haro

MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study using an online survey that was distributed by physicians to patients with CU from UCARE, ACARE, and ADCARE networks. Descriptive analysis was performed for all questions in the questionnaire: mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables and frequency and percentage for categorical variables.ResultsThe study comprised 65 participants, the majority of whom were between the ages of 25 and 40. When measuring knowledge, 6 out of every 10 participants reported that their understanding of PROMs was based on information supplied by their physician. 40% of those polled expect PROMs to have the ability to inform about the disease's severity and management. When questioned about PROMs' evaluation of treatment impact, 83% correctly replied, and 90% correctly recognized PROMs acquire patients' own perceptions of their health state. In terms of …

Background Schizophrenia, a complex neuropsychiatric disorder, is believed to be influenced by various factors including environmental exposures. A potential environmental factor is the infection by the obligate intracellular parasitic protozoan, Toxoplasma gondii which affects neurotransmitter levels, which could potentially exacerbate, trigger symptoms of schizophrenia or make them worst. Objective To investigate the association between Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity and psychopathological presentation in persons with schizophrenia in Ecuador. Methods This study was conducted at the Neuroscience Institute of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Among 368 inpatients, 104 were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Descriptive statistics captured patient characteristics and mental health outcomes. Logistic regression models estimated the effect of toxoplasmosis on various mental health outcomes, controlling for demographic and health-related variables. Results 86.5% of participants were seropositive for toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasma-seropositive schizophrenic patients had a lower risk of depression but a significantly higher risk of disorientation. The most prevalent mental health outcomes were Language Impairments (70.2%) and Bizarre Behavior (76.0%). Conclusion Our findings suggest that Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity may have specific effects on mental functions in schizophrenic patients, particularly reducing the risk of depression but increasing the risk of disorientation. Further studies are required to clarify these associations and the potential underlying mechanisms.

MethodsWe did an exploratory cross-sectional online study in patients with HAE from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Argentina. Data on demographic characteristics were recorded. To evaluate the activity of the disease we used Hereditary Angioedema Activity Score (HAE-AS). For sleep apnea, we included the STOP-BANG questionnaire, the GSAQ questionnaire for screening sleep disorders, and SATED for assessing sleep quality.ResultsTwenty-four participants were included, 50% from Argentina, 25% from Colombia, 17% from Peru, and 8% from Mexico. 75% had HAE type 1, 8% type 2 and 17% did not remember their type. 33% of all participants were categorized as severe by the HAE-AS. The majority of sleep disorders occurred in the non-severe HAE group. Intermediate and high-risk OSA (54%) and insomnia (33%) were the most common sleep disorders in both categories, other sleep disorders were …

MethodsThe concentration of pollen and fungal spores was determined using the Hirst-type volumetric technique and a Burkard Seven-Day Volumetric Spore Trap® equipment, in accordance with AAAAI's NAB guidelines. Descriptive statistics were used in this study, and the quantification period ranges from November 2022 to April 2023.ResultsThe most significant daily concentration of pollen grains was 10 tree pollens/m3 on November 19, 2022; 37 grass pollens/m3 on April 21, 2023 and 66 weed grains/m3 on December 18, 2022; while the most significant daily concentration of fungal spores was 100 spores of Cladosporium spp./m3 on March 25, 2023; 108 spores of Nigrospora spp./m3 on April 21, 2023; 460 spores of Fuzariella spp./Leptosphaeria spp./m3 on April 16, 2023; 42 Dreschlera/Helmintosporum spp./m3 on April 17, 2023; 45 Alternaria spp./m3 on March 23, 2023; 14 Pithomyces spp./m3 on April 13 …

MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study using an online survey that was distributed by physicians to patients with AD from ADCARE network. Descriptive analysis was performed for all questions in the questionnaire: mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables and frequency and percentage for categorical variables.ResultsThe study included 99 people, the vast majority of whom were under the age of 25. When examining perceptions, the mean score for believing PROMS enable for better illness control was 4.2 (strongly agree). Furthermore, all participants strongly believed that PROMs were simple to understand, that PROM questions were relevant to their illness, and that PROMs facilitated communication with their doctors. Overall, the degree of satisfaction was 4.1, with a score of being very satisfied with the usage of PROMs.ConclusionsThe positive perceptions of patients towards PROMs highlight …

MethodsAs a result, the UCARE PROMUSE project attempted to discover, through a cross-sectional study, which PROMs are utilized by physicians caring for patients with angioedema, as well as the frequency of usage, barriers, and fields of learning that physicians desire to enhance their management. The questionnaire was sent to 45 specialized centers belonging to the UCARE and ACARE Network. The study’s IRB approval No. HCK-CEISH-21-002.ResultsOnly 370 (15%) of 2,534 responders use PROMs for angioedema. PROM usage was similar among men and women (p= 0.677). The AAS was the most used (49%), followed by the AE-QoL (44%) and the AECT (28%). Forty percent used PROMs “sometimes” and only 15% used “always”. Nine out of every 10 surveyed used PROMs for disease control, severity, and decision-making. Clinicians noted many PROM usage barriers: Time restrictions (78%), lack of …

Introduction: Although the World Health Organization requires monitoring of e-cigarette use and up to 40% of youth who self-identified as Hispanic/Latino have reported the ever-use of electronic vapor products in the US, there has been limited research describing the prevalence and patterns of E-cigarette use in Latin America. For this reason, we aim to explore e-cigarette use among Ecuadorian students from various educational levels, such as primary, secondary, and university.Methods: A cross-sectional was conducted in 2022 using the US Centers for Disease Control National Youth Tobacco Survey. Participants were students aged 10 years and older from Ecuador. They were categorized as never-, current-or former-users. The same categories were applied to combusted cigarettes. The IRB approval was HCK-CEISH-2022-003. Stata 17.0 was used to perform descriptive statistics and chi-squared tests to explore the associations between e-cigarette use and demographic variables.Results: Of 3608 participants, 16% were current e-cigarette users, 21% former users and 63% never users. Among current users, 3.41% belonged to primary school, 25.3% to secondary and 61% to university. Age of initiation of an e-cigarette was 12±4 years. More than half of current users has ever tried a combusted cigarette. 62% used disposable devices, 75% of surveyed vaped nicotine and more than 90% used flavored e-cigarettes, being fruit the most used flavor.Conclusions: This is the first study to show the youth's e-cigarette use trends and preferences in Ecuador. Our findings point to a substantial public health risk for Ecuadorian youth.

MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study using an online survey that was distributed by physicians to patients with CU from UCARE and ACARE networks. For screening SD, we used the GSAQ questionnaire and UCT for urticaria control evaluation. Descriptive analysis was performed for all questions in the questionnaire: mean and standard deviation for quantitative variables and frequency and percentage for categorical variables.ResultsThe study comprised 160 participants. In general, insomnia and OSA were the most common SD (29% and 28%, respectively). Uncontrolled urticaria patients had more cases of sleep disorders than their counterpart, the most frequent SD detected were insomnia (45%) and OSA (35%). Differences between both groups were statistically significant. Bruxism prevalence was 18%, and the majority of cases belonged to controlled urticaria.ConclusionsThis study shed light on the …

MethodsObservational, descriptive, cross-sectional study which assessed demographics, PROMs knowledge, frequency of use, PROM preferences, satisfaction, physician training, attitudes, and barriers of using PROMs. Data collection was carried out in collaboration with research networks worldwide.ResultsOverall, 2528 physicians were surveyed, and 51.7%(n= 1308) reported using PROMs. Most of them (57.9%) were 30-49 years old (yo), attending both public and private settings (41.4%) and respiratory-related specialties (RRS, 41.1%). The use of PROMs in asthma was higher than in RA and RS (28.6%, 15.6%, and 8.9% respectively). The most frequently PROMs used were ACT and AQLQ, the RCAT, and SNOT22 (RS). The principal reason for use was to monitor control, treatment, and severity of disease (≈ 90%), time constraints were the principal barrier (≈ 76%), and most requested being trained in the …

Child labor has significant physical, psychological, and social consequences, which can persist into adulthood. This study investigates the association between the age at which an individual begins working and tooth loss in older adults in Ecuador. We analyzed data from the SABE 2009 survey (Survey of Health, Well-being, and Aging), using binary logistic regression to examine potential relationships. Our analytical sample comprised of 3,899 older adults from mainland Ecuador, with 42.50% having started working between the ages of 5 and 12. Unadjusted logistic regression results indicated that older adults who began working at ages 5–12 had a 42% higher risk of missing more than 4 teeth compared to those who started working at ages 18–25. After adjusting for potential confounders, the resulting risk was 28% higher than for the reference group [OR 1.28 95% CI 1.25–1.30]. Our findings demonstrate that early engagement in labor is a risk factor for tooth loss among older adults, displaying the long-term impacts of child labor on oral health. Health education and benefits should be provided to this vulnerable population for tooth loss prevention.

Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a pandemic that has spread worldwide. Since its discovery, health measures have been put in place to help stop it from spreading. Proper education about COVID-19 is important because it helps people to follow health control measures and learn more about the disease. Objective This study aimed to compare people´s knowledge of COVID-19 before and after a brief video-based educational intervention. Methods 87 participants in Ecuador were recruited from a dataset of COVID-positive patients in Ecuador between December 2021 and February 2022. This was a cross-sectional, pre- and post-intervention study. First, COVID-19 knowledge was evaluated and then an educational intervention was provided as a video. After the intervention, the same knowledge questions were used to test the participants, and marginal homogeneity-based chi-square tests were employed for comparison. Results After watching the educational video, participants knew more about the age group most likely to get the disease and their knowledge of how long it takes for Covid to spread. Their knowledge of other aspects of COVID-19 has also increased. Conclusion This study shows that educational intervention positively affects the knowledge of people who watch it. At the end of the study, after the intervention, the study participants knew more than they had before. This could be a useful tool for identifying possible pandemics.

MethodsOrdinal logistic regressions were used to predict CU in individuals with no alexithymia, possible alexithymia, or alexithymia. The model predicted TAS-20 based on UAS7 (Urticaria Activity Score), also controlling for gender, age, postsecondary education, marital status, cardiovascular, autoimmune, cancer, allergy, and mental comorbidities; diagnosis time; first-or second-generation antihistaminic medication use, omalizumab and corticoid use.Results423 people from Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Denmark, Germany, India, and Russia took part in this study, and 48.05% of them were men. The average age and disease years were 43.6 and 5.2. 42.08% of patients presented with alexithymia and 21.51% may have been affected (TAS-20). Patients with well-controlled CU had a considerably increased risk of developing alexithymia (OR= 1.74) after adjusting for covariates. ORs were 2 …

Background: ChatGPT was not intended for use in healthcare, but it has potential benefits that depend on end-user understanding and acceptability, which is where healthcare students become crucial and there is still a limited amount of research. Given this gap, we aim to understand healthcare students' ChatGPT perceptions, ethical considerations, use, and attitudes.Methods: A cross-sectional survey of medical, nursing, dentistry, nutrition, and laboratory science students across the Americas was undertaken from May to June 2023. Descriptive analysis, Chi-square, and ANOVA for statistical significance across categories were used. Multiple linear regression models examined the effect of perception scores on attitude variables. All models were adjusted for gender, institution type, major, and country. STATA 18.0 performed all analyses.Findings: Of 2661 healthcare students, 43% were unaware of ChatGPT. The average score of knowledge was" minimal”(mean 2.03±1.19). Most respondents regarded ChatGPT as neither ethical nor unethical. Most participants" somewhat agree" that ChatGPT (i) benefits healthcare settings,(ii) provides trustworthy data,(iii) is a helpful tool for clinical and educational medical information access, and (iv) makes the work easier. 7/10 people use it for homework. Higher knowledge and ethical scores raise the chance of considering ChatGPT as a trustworthy healthcare information source by up to 30 times. Higher ethical consideration perception ratings increase the likelihood of considering ChatGPT as positive (coefficient= 0.265), beneficial for medical issues, and useful for medical literature (0.274 and 0.261 …

Forty-two per cent of patients with chronic urticaria in our study had alexithymia. Female patients had approximately 48% higher odds of having alexithymia. Patients with uncontrolled urticaria had 58% higher odds of having alexithymia. Among those with mild urticaria activity, the likelihood of having alexithymia was twice that of urticaria-free individuals. The use osf older first-generation antihistamines doubled the odds of having alexithymia. Patients with chronic urticaria with cardiovascular comorbidities had a 2.5-fold increased risk of alexithymia.

IntroductionUrticaria is a complex and debilitating disease that impacts patient's quality of life in about 30%. Infodemiology studies the distribution and determinants of health information and misinformation over the internet allowing an analysis of internet search trends which provides a representative overview of people's needs, giving physicians a proper idea on how to approach patients.MethodsCross-sectional study from 7 countries using the online tool Google trends were the urticaria Relative Search Volume was compared to Disability-adjusted life year and Internet Penetration Rate from 2004 to 2022.ResultsThe search trends included symptoms, etiology, classification, diagnosis and treatment. Urticaria was the first related topic found in all countries, except for itchy, nettle rash and hives in Indonesia, Germany and USA respectively. It is interesting that in most countries, when searching for urticaria, users …

BackgroundThe beliefs and attitudes of physicians toward depression may predict whether they are supportive or avoidant of patients diagnosed with this condition. Describing the attitudes toward depression of Argentinian, Chilean, and Venezuelan healthcare professionals could be a valuable tool for understanding the Latin American perspective on depression recognition, management, and prevention.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare professionals in Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela using the Spanish validated version of the revised depression attitude questionnaire (R-DAQ). The questionnaire was collected online from August to November 2021, in a quota-based sample of 1759 health professionals (the final analytical sample is 1234). Descriptive data analyses were performed using STATA version 16 statistical software.ResultsDepression was considered a …

This commentary aims to highlight some of the major issues (with possible solutions) that the Latin American region is currently dealing with in managing post-COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis. Overall, there is little evidence for successful long-term COVID-19 follow-up treatment. The lack of knowledge regarding proper treatment is exacerbated in Latin America by a general lack of resources devoted to healthcare, and a lack of availability and access to multidisciplinary teams. The discussion suggests that better infrastructure (primarily multicenter cohorts of COVID-19 survivors) and well-designed studies are required to develop scientific knowledge to improve treatment for the increasing prevalence of pulmonary fibrosis in Latin America.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted traditional health structures, posing new challenges in an unprecedented health crisis. Telemedicine services were implemented in countries with robust digital platforms to reduce hospital attendance while continuing to provide medical care. This study aims to determine how telemedicine services have been used as a tool to ensure the right to health in Latin America during the pandemic. Materials and methods We conducted a narrative review in which words such as telemedicine, COVID-19, Latin America, access, and right to health, were searched on scientific medical datasets such as PubMed and SciELO. Additionally, we reviewed legislation in the Latin American health domain regarding the administration and transmission of digital data. Results and conclusions Several countries have used telemedicine to reduce the saturation of healthcare systems and increase patient access. Issues such as broadband access for low-income populations and adequate legal regulations for transmitting and storing confidential data must be addressed to improve telemedicine use in Latin America.

Simple Summary Do recessions increase pet ownership? We look at pet ownership rates from 2003 to 2018. We compare the estimated real trend of pet ownership in American households to a scenario in which the 2007–2008 financial crisis did not occur. Our findings suggest that the financial crisis caused households to increase their pet ownership, especially for dogs and cats. Abstract Limited literature explores the relationship between economic impacts and pet ownership. Do people have more pets as a result of economic crises? In the current study, we answer this question by looking at the time series of pet ownership and children present in U.S. households from 2003 to 2018. We utilize a causal inference technique to compare the estimated real trend of pet ownership in American households against the scenario in which the 2007–2008 financial crisis would not have occurred. Our findings suggest that the financial crisis triggered households to own more pets, specifically dogs and cats.

BackgroundA vast literature has demonstrated that several mother-related variables are positively associated with their daughters’ sexual and reproductive outcomes. One underexplored variable is sexual empowerment––a subdimension of empowerment. In this study, we explore if maternal sexual empowerment is predictive of adolescent daughters’ outcomes like early sexual initiation, teenage pregnancy, and contraception use.MethodsThis study uses data from the 2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey of Ecuador (Ensanut), a cross-sectional survey in Ecuador that measures health and nutrition. We examine whether mothers’ sexual empowerment––measured as a woman’s autonomy in sexual relationships and her ability to turn down sex and demand contraception use from her partner––is predictive of sexual and reproductive outcomes among female adolescent children. Logistic regression was …