Revista médica de Chile
-
Revista médica de Chile · Dec 2021
Review[Fasciculations and cramps: physiological bases and clinical approach of a complex phenomenon].
Fasciculations and cramps originate in the motor unit, a functional unit that includes the lower motor neuron and their innervated muscle fibres. Both are common complaints in outpatient practice. ⋯ The symptomatic management of fasciculations and cramps depends on their etiology and includes pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. This article aims to present an updated review of the most relevant aspects of physiopathology, clinical approach, and differential diagnosis of both phenomena.
-
Revista médica de Chile · Nov 2021
Meta AnalysisPrevalence of depression among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Medical students frequently have depressive symptoms. Thus, the psychological impact of COVID-19 on them should be high. ⋯ Our findings indicate that the proportion of medical students with depression during the pandemic was high, and comparable with that reported in other university students.
-
Revista médica de Chile · Nov 2021
Review[The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of oncologic diseases].
The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the management of chronic diseases such as cancer. Comprehensive care, from preventive strategies to palliative care for cancer patients, has been strongly affected by multiple factors associated with the pandemic. The hampering of early detection, timely diagnosis, as well as recommended treatment and follow-up are side effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection worldwide that will undoubtedly produce changes in the prognosis and survival of oncologic patients. Through this narrative review, we report global and local figures of these effects, as a first approach to tackle the challenge of updating cancer care.
-
Revista médica de Chile · Nov 2021
Review[The social impact of physician-assisted death legalization].
The debate on legalization of physician-assisted death (PAD) has focused on its purely individual aspects, leaving aside equally relevant social dimensions such as a progressive expansion of PAD's causes, strains and changes in the doctor-patient relationship, and unreported PADs. The aim of this work was to explore these aspects through an analysis of the experience of Belgium and the Netherlands, countries where PAD is legal since 2002. The results, obtained through a systematic review of the literature, indicate that in both countries, the acceptance of the concept of "psychological suffering" allowed PAD to be performed in psychiatric patients, in persons with dementia and in older people with geriatric conditions. ⋯ Moreover, more than 30% of PADs are not reported. All this information was obtained from physicians not willing to incriminate themselves, after the commission of the PADs, therefore hampering the monitoring of law abiding. These results reveal the existence of a social impact of PAD decriminalization that deserves greater consideration and further studies.
-
Revista médica de Chile · Nov 2021
[Coaching for the treatment of obesity and overweight: a systematic review].
Coaching is increasingly used to treat obesity or overweight. We conducted a systematic review to explore the intervention's characteristics, effectivity, and quality of the published studies. The search was carried out on Pubmed, Scielo and Scopus databases. ⋯ They were delivered in both private and public contexts, with face-to-face or remote interventions and combined techniques, mainly from the United States (82%). The interventions showed a 51% effectiveness in reducing weight, increasing physical activity, and changing eating habits. We conclude that coaching might be an effective therapeutic strategy for obesity and overweight.