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

Abstract: This work corresponds to a descriptive observational analysis of a physical reconditioning program for elderly with chronic lung disease, developed in the National Hospital of Geriatrics and Gerontology, between January 2012 and May 2018. With a total of 53 practitioners. Chronic lung problems have a negative impact on quality of life due to its symptoms and low physical capacity. There is limited evidence at the national level of the effectiveness of exercise on the quality of life of the elderly person with chronic lung disease. The purpose of this analysis was to know the effectiveness of a physical reconditioning program on the quality of life in elderly with chronic lung disease. Health-related quality of life was analyzed using the Saint George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), the CAT-Assessment Test and the BODE index pre- and post-program. For the statistical analysis, the Student's-t test was used for parity measurements. The results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, level of significance established in Pp≤0.05. Statistically significant differences were identified in the SGRQ (t = 5,42, p <0,01), the CAT-Assessment Test (t = 2,30, p <0,05), the BODE index showed statistically significant differences in the total score (t = 5,16; p <0,01) and overall mortality at one year (t = 4,01, p <0,01). It is concluded that in the elderly with chronic lung disease the Physical Reconditioning Program for the Elderly with Chronic Pulmonary Disease produced improvements in the quality of life related to health.

This article describes in broad terms the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on school education in Germany. Different formats came into view in the various phases. In addition to the technical and logistical requirements, the consequences for the learning behaviour of pupils were examined.

In this article, David Hansen addresses the existential and spiritual costs of having to undertake educational work online as a result of the global pandemic. He illuminates these costs by examining the dynamic role of continuity, rhythm, and balance in leading a life. These embodied features of human experience have been disrupted by being forced into a virtual world. However, Hansen draws upon John Dewey’s philosophy of democratic life to show how people can respond artfully to current conditions, through a heightened appreciation of the very meaning of ‘communication’.

In education, the pandemic impact was (and continues to be) enormous, too. According to UNESCO data, more than 1.5 billion children were without classes, about 90% of States had schools with the doors closed. The vocabulary of education started to integrate, almost from one day to the next, new words: alcohol gel, bubble, synchronous class, mixed regime, isolation. Keywords: Education. Pandemic.

Introduction: Acute appendicitis is the most prevalent abdominal surgical emergency in the United States. The diagnosis is based on clinical and laboratory and imaging findings. Appendectomy is the gold standard treatment of acute appendicitis, which carries a high cost and involves a high risk of surgical and anesthesia complications, that is the reason why, in recent studies the use of antibiotic therapy has been considered as a non-invasive medical management strategy for noncomplicated acute appendicitis. Objective: To describe the most sensitive diagnostic strategies, to differentiate complicated from non-complicated appendicitis, and to compare the effectiveness of medical management versus surgical management for noncomplicated acute appendicitis in adults, in terms of recurrence rate and complications associated with management. Materials and methods: A qualitative descriptive study of bibliographic review of articles obtained from the databases of Pub Med, Google Scholar and Science Direct, using the descriptors "appendicitis" AND "diagnostic" AND "antibiotics". Ninety articles including clinical trials, case studies, literature reviews, and observational studies were obtained. Articles based on the pediatric population were excluded, articles selected were published between 2015 and 2020, in English and Spanish, and used at least two diagnostic tests, and compared antibiotic therapy vs. appendectomy. Finally, 26 articles were obtained as reference for this review. Results: The predominant diagnostic method is clinical, in association with the following positive signs: Mac Burney, Rovsing and Psoas sign. The diagnostic imaging methods, with the higher sensitivity include the computerized axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, the Score with the highest sensitivity and specificity is the RIPASA Score. The most widely used antibiotic regimen is intravenous ertapenem (1g/daily), for three days, followed by oral antibiotic therapy for seven days with levofloxacin (500 mg/daily) and metronidazole (500 mg/every eight hours). The use of antibiotics as management therapy of uncomplicated acute appendicitis is effective and safe; it has shown to be not inferior compared to surgical management; however, the results on a decrease in complications and therapeutic failure are controversial.  The ideal patient to undergo this therapy is one with a low risk for complications, so all patients with a clinical history of complicated appendicitis, or who are chronically using steroids or anticoagulants or those associated with comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus, acute coronary syndrome, heart, kidney or liver failure, should be excluded. The results should be interpreted with caution because of the lack of level 1 evidence studies.  Conclusions: In most of the studies analyzed, it is concluded that appendectomy remains the therapeutic method of choice; however conservative management is an alternative that is not inferior to invasive treatment and can be offered as an option.

Introduction: in Costa Rica, the incidence rate of head and neck cancer for 2016 was of 68,3%, with a mortality rate of 25,4%. This type of cancer originates in the airways, thyroid and, salivary glands, and generates significant disturbances in swallowing and the production of the voice. The following work seeks to define the speech therapist’s intervention in swallowing and speech disturbances in patients with head and neck cancer.  Methodology: a bibliographical review was carried out based on review articles written in English and Spanish and books, published from 2000 to 2019. Experts point of view was recollected, for example, speech therapists who had worked in the intervention of patients with head and neck cancer. The bases used were PubMed, Medline, Santa Paula University’s Library; the descriptors used were head and neck cancer, OR cancer treatment OR chemotherapy OR radiotherapy AND dysphagia OR disturbances in voice OR phonation OR deglution OR breathing OR vocal cords AND therapy. A total of 25 articles were revised, and 11 were included that complied with the terms of inclusion.  Results: according to the opinions of the speech therapists in Costa Rica, the techniques used in the intervention of swallowing disturbances are compensatory techniques (postural maneuvers, modification of consistency, modification of volume and speed of presentation of the bolus) and rehabilitative techniques (swallowing maneuvers, exercises specifically for the orofacial mobility, facilitation techniques, and myofunctional therapy).  For speech disturbances, techniques like vocal hygiene, vocal work and the postural maneuvers are used.  Conclusion: in Costa Rica, the quantity of head and neck cancer cases is equivalent to 3,5% of the male population and 12% of the female population. These patients generally receive medical treatment, which can have secondary effects that cause disturbances in communication, breathing, and swallowing. The speech therapist fulfills a key function for survivors of head and neck cancer, as it identifies and rehabilitates the disturbances in communication, breathing, and swallowing caused by the pathology or its treatment, with the use of compensatory and rehabilitative techniques, methods for vocal hygiene, vocal work, and postural maneuvers.

Introduction: The psychomotor alterations constitute the cognitive, emotional, symbolic and sensorial motor interactions responsible for the motor and social skills, fundamental for the integral development of the person. Objective: To identify the index and typologies of psychomotor disorders in basic education students; as well as exploring the relationship between the dimensions of psychomotricity and sex. Materials and Methods: A descriptive and correlational study that demonstrates the reality of the psychomotor development of the children of the provinces of Manabí and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas-Ecuador, of zone 4, referring to the attention of priority groups, selected for this research, during the first semester of 2018. The investigated were 466 schoolchildren, 253 male and 213 female, from 2 educational centers. The instrument used was Da Fonseca's battery, designed to assess children between 4 and 12 years old, which detects psychomotor alterations, through 7 dimensions: tonicity, balance, notion of the body, laterality, spatio-temporal structuring, global praxia and fine praxia. A distribution of frequencies according to dimension was carried out and the relationship between sex and dimensions was evaluated by T-student and ANOVA tests. Results: The results indicate that 295 schoolchildren (63%) of the studied population present at least some psychomotor disorders, which were distributed according to dimension as follows: in tonicity 131 (45.01%); balance, 165 (55.93%); notion of the body, 181 (61.35%); spatio-temporal structure, 236 (80%); global praxia, 283 (95.93%) and fine praxia 268 (90.84%). Regarding the sex variable, the children presented significantly higher risk than the girls in the tonicity (p=0.018) and global praxia (p=0.042) dimensions, according to Student's T, confirmed with ANOVA. Conclusion: more than half of the students studied, have alterations in one or more of the dimensions of psychomotricity. There is a significant relationship between the dimensions of tonicity, global praxia and the sex variable, being the male with the highest incidence. 

Introduction: compare the reach of manual therapy, electrophysical agents or combined for the approach of chronic low back pain in 20-60 years old patients.  Materials and methods: a descriptive study of a narrative bibliography review based on PubMed and EBSCOhost databases. Including English and Spanish studies from 2015 to 2020, combining manual therapy and electrophysical agents related keywords. Also 30 physical therapist expert criteria were consulted via survey, 7 from public healthcare and 23 from private healthcare; only 16 responded. 29 articles where included, sorted according to Sackett level of evidence as: 19 level 1 articles (66%), 5 level 2 articles (17%), 3 level 3 articles (10%) y 2 level 5 articles (7%).  Results: the manual therapy and electrophysical agents modalities report pain intensity reduction and functional capacity improvement. Manual therapy can achieve herniated disk nerve compression reduction, breathing parameters improvement, spondylolisthesis vertebral slip reduction, interstitial fluid chemistry changes and range of motion improvement.  Conclusions: manual therapy and electrophysical agents are effective for the chronic low back pain patients approach, decreasing pain and improving functional capacity. Both should be complement to other conservative treatments before progressing to a more expensive intervention. There should be a multimodal methodology including education and exercise in a bio psychosocial approach. 

Objective: To demonstrate the relationship between quality of life and active aging and its influence on the life expectancy index. Materials and methods: descriptive study based on a bibliographic review of the existing scientific literature about the relationship between quality of life and active aging and its influence on the life expectancy index. 24 scientific articles were selected, which were read in full text, and the information was supplemented with books published from 2012 onwards and 5 articles published in years prior to 2008; in Spanish and English and indexed in databases such as Google Scholar, EBSCO, MEdline, PubMed, Redalyc, Research Gate, sCIElo, JAMDA and Dynamed Plus. The descriptors were: aging, active aging, life expectancy, quality of life. Results: Active aging and the improvement of the quality of life stand out as references that inspire the design of policies and actions at various levels. National and international policies recognize three priorities: older people, promoting health and well-being in old age, and creating a favorable environment. Life Expectancy is determined as a numerical index, it does not identify individualities of each population, not directly influencing the Quality of Life or Active Aging. Conclusions: If older people can live those additional years in good health and in a supportive environment, they can do what they value in much the same way as a young person. But if those additional years are dominated by declining physical and mental abilities, the implications for themselves and for society are more negative.

The endovascular repair of an aortic aneurysm has been associated with a systemic inflammatory response known as post implantation syndrome. The exact diagnostic criteria is still a matter of debate, however, the most accepted definition is associated directly to that of systemic inflammatory response syndrome, using two of its criteria: fever and leukocytosis. It is believed that the two principle promoters of the inflammatory response are: the thrombus and the material of the prosthesis used.  On the other hand, the short term and long term repercussions are still a matter of debate, with evidence backing up a prolonged hospitalization. A lack of clarity still exists regarding its long-term and short-term effects and the potential benefit of its treatment and a close patient follow up. Thus, we contrast two novel studies which use steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as treatment as well as new suggestions and findings of cases in which a closer follow up was done.