Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

This exploratory study investigated the consumption relations of high-income Brazilian women with genuine handbags from international luxury brands. Inspired by the Itinerary Method, in-depth interviews were conducted with the owners of these objects, addressing the purchase, use, and disposal stages. The analysis of these reports was conducted based on the five main mo-tivations pointed out by the literature for the consumption of luxury items — perceived quality, perceived uniqueness, perceived conspicuity, perceived hedonism, and perceived self-expression. The results show the presence of these personal and nonpersonal factors in the respondents’ views on the concept of luxury and on the brands in this category and in the various stages of their relations to these objects.

Fashion and Creative Economy Editorial.

The cover image #22.

Objective: to describe the clinical-surgical characteristics of the management of peripheral vascular trauma (PVT) in patients attended by the Peripheral Vascular Surgery, Angiology and Lymphology Service of the Instituto Autónomo Hospital Universitario de Los Andes (IAHULA) in Merida, Venezuela 2018-2020. Methodology: quantitative approach; descriptive type, non-experimental and retrospective design, through data collection cards which recorded: personal data, admission diagnosis, symptomatology, findings reflected in the intervention notes, diagnostic studies and complications described in the in-hospital evolution of the patients' medical records. Sample of 68 patients of any age and sex with a diagnosis of vascular injury who were referred to IAHULA. Results: 79.4% men, 53% aged 26-55 years, 36.8% from the city of Merida. 83.8% were treated by emergency surgery, and 51.5% were treated after six hours of evolution. The main cause was stab wounds in 42.6%. The most injured vessels were: superficial femoral artery (13.2%) and humeral artery (13.2%); cephalic veins (11.8%) and internal jugular vein (7.4%). 67.6% did not present transoperative complications. Primary synthesis followed by end-to-end anastomosis were the most performed surgeries. Conclusion: PVT was present in less than 5% of polytraumatisms, however, it is potentially lethal. Availability of Doppler ultrasound equipment in the emergency area is suggested with the aim of making diagnoses in less than six hours, and arterial and venous vascular reconstructions are urged as the first line of action.

Objective: describe the vascular complications of COVID-19 associated with hypercoagulability states in patients attended at the Instituto Autónomo Hospital Universitario de Los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela from March 2020 to January 2021. Methodology: quantitative approach; descriptive, non-experimental and retrospective design, through data collection forms. Sample: 846 patients older than 18 years, with clinical suspicion of COVID-19. Variables studied: presence of COVID together with vascular complications, sociodemographic characteristics, smoking habits, comorbidities, diagnostic methods, radiographic characteristics, biomarkers, vascular complications, pharmacological approach, surgical procedure and outcomes. Results: 5.6% presented vascular complications, however, more than half of them (58.3%) died. Of the 48 patients who presented these complications, 70.8% were men, the majority age group was 51 to 70 years old, and most of them came from the city of Mérida. The most observed vascular complication was venous thrombosis 43.7% (superficial, predominantly), followed by arterial thrombosis 35.4%. All patients with arterial thrombosis underwent thrombo-embolectomy with Fogarty catheter, however, despite not presenting post-surgical complications, most of them died. The highest percentage of patients who had a favorable evolution were those who suffered superficial venous thrombosis (20.8%). Conclusions: The percentage of patients with vascular complications due to SARS-CoV-2 is usually low, however, their prognosis can be lethal. The impact of surgical trauma as a risk factor in patients with COVID-19 in our setting is urged to be explored.

Objective: Develop a Health Information System (SIS) based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) for the Comprehensive Medical Care Center of the University of Los Andes (CAMIULA), Mérida, Venezuela. Methodology: projective type. The SIS was designed, developed and validated. Results: a SIS was built with four modules that includes an administrative panel, patients, medical history, morbidity, it was also determined that the system can be used according to functional and non-functional tests. Conclusions: this information system can be useful to improve the health record of CAMIULA, as well as other health centers, it only needs to be modified according to the needs and peculiarities of the institution.

The disease COVID-19, produced by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV2), has caused a global pandemic, affecting a greater proportion of people over 60 years of age. In this age group, is more frequent severe presentation that will end up developing the Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and the use of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) will be necessary. Before the pandemic, invasive ventilatory support was based on preventing ventilator-induced lung injury with the use of low tidal volumes and avoiding high plateau pressure, which is called lung-protective ventilation strategy. At the beginning of the pandemic, several authors proposed particular characteristics of ARDS due to the new coronavirus, and in hand a new approach or ventilatory management. In this review, we set out as an objective to highlight the current aspects of the indications, ventilatory management and complications during invasive mechanical ventilation for COVID-19. Two search engines, PubMed and BVS, and the Medline and LILACS databases were used. The inclusion criteria applied were primary and secondary articles that address the indications, modes and ventilatory parameters, and complications of invasive mechanical ventilation in adult patients with COVID-19, from the last 5 years, full text and free access, selecting 23 articles. The information collected supported the classic management of ARDS, that is, the lung-protective ventilatory strategy, and in refractory cases of hypoxemia, the use of the prone position is indicated for at least 16 hours per day.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative neurological disease, which compromises the functionality of the upper and lower motor neuron, having a progressive evolution that can take place in a period of 5 years, leaving significant motor dysfunction and that has, in all cases, a fatal outcome. Early diagnosis will allow support measures to be carried out, which will provide a better quality of life, during the evolution of the disease. We propose a narrative review in search of the advantages and disadvantages of the diagnostic methods of ALS. Two search engines PubMed and BVS. The articles analyzed were mainly systematic reviews and meta-analyses, finding that some biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid for the diagnosis of ALS is CSF TDP-43, due to its advantage of being elevated and characterizing the disease, as well as some biochemical tests such as elevated levels of creatine kinase (CK), FBG, ferritin, TSC and decreased TIBC together stand out for their great sensitivity for the diagnosis of ALS, as well as the miRNA plasmatic biomarkers, let-7f-5p and miR-338-3p, can be early diagnostic tools for ALS.

The recent coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of the COVID-19 disease, declared a pandemic by the WHO. Initially considered a predominantly respiratory virus, however, over time and the evidence of multiple reported cases, considerable evidence has been observed in clinical manifestations and multisystem involvement, within which it is important to highlight the involvement of the central nervous system through various direct or indirect mechanisms. We present the case of a previously healthy patient, with a positive COVID-19 test who debuted with ischemic stroke and viral encephalitis plus toxoplasma infection, without the presence of immunodeficiency and with a satisfactory evolution. Extrapulmonary manifestations caused by the virus are becoming increasingly important, especially neurological ones due to their high morbidity and mortality. It is recommended that patients with ischemic stroke be tested for COVID-19 upon admission, and establish an individualized and comprehensive management taking into account the multiple existing studies, despite the fact that it is still a subject of study as well as its management and prognosis.

The informal economy concept has been assigned a myriad of meanings throughout history since its first definition. Among the main schools of thought that study this economic phenomenon, the legalist school takes the interventionist ineffectiveness as a causative element of informality. Thus, this study aims to identify the phenomenon of informality present in fashion production ventures, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. An online questionnaire was used on economic agents in such production activities, quantitatively verifying the degree of informality that surrounds economic transactions, labor relations, and the creative output of such entities.