Background The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered fear and distress among the public, thus potentiating the incidence rate of anxiety and depression. This study aims to investigate the psychological effect of quarantine on persons living in Morocco when the first COVID-19 cases were identified. The associations between anxiety, depression symptoms, and their predictors (sociodemographics, fatigue, and religious coping) were examined. Methods A web-based cross-sectional survey, with a total of 1435 participants (≥18 years) recruited anonymously, was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic (from 3 to 30 April 2020). A structured questionnaire was used to assess psychosocial factors, COVID-19 epidemic-related factors, and religious coping. Religious coping, fatigue, and depression, and anxiety were measured by Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE), Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), respectively. A generalized linear model (logistic regression) was used to determine the predictive factors of depression and anxiety. Results The prevalence of anxiety and depression was 43.0% (n = 621) and 53.0% (n = 766), respectively. Both were associated with female gender, household income decline, tracking COVID-19 news, and fear to contract COVID-19 (aOR = 1.36 to 2.85). Additionally, 32.0% (n = 453) and 26.0% (n = 372) reported severe physical fatigue, and mental fatigue, respectively. Both latter factors were significantly and positively associated with depression as well as with anxiety. Depressive and anxious patients used more negative religious coping, while positive religious coping was slightly associated with depression. Conclusion In this online survey of the general population in Morocco, anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic and psychosocial factors, such as female gender, income decline, infection fears, massive COVID-19 news exposure, negative religious coping, and fatigue were associated with increased risk of depression and anxiety symptoms. Psychosocial and financial support should be provided to the quarantined population.

Background The Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC) instrument is commonly used worldwide by professionals of oncology, but the scale has not, up to date, been validated in Arabic and Moroccan context, and there is an absence of data in the Moroccan population. This study aims to validate the Mini-MAC, translated and adapted to the Arabic language and Moroccan culture, in women with breast cancer. Methods Data were analyzed in two successive phases. First, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to assess the factor structure in the pilot sample (N = 158). Then, this structure was confirmed in the validation sample (N = 203) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed Watson’s original structure underlying the Mini-MAC items: Helpless/Hopeless, Anxious Preoccupation, Fighting Spirit, Cognitive Avoidance, and Fatalism. Absolute, incremental, and parsimonious fit indices showed a highly significant level of acceptance confirming a good performance of the measurement model. The instrument showed sufficient reliability and convergent validity demonstrated by acceptable values of composite reliability (CR =0.93–0.97), and average variance extracted (AVE = 0.66–0.93), respectively. The square roots of AVE were higher than factor-factor pairs correlations, and the Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio of correlations values were lesser than 0.85, indicating acceptable discriminant validity. Conclusions reliability; and both convergent and discriminant validity tests indicated that the Arabic version of the Mini-MAC had a good performance and may serve as a valid tool measuring psychological responses to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Introduction Women with breast cancer eligible for neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) present a disorder of biopsychosocial variables and alteration of their quality of life. They cope with this changing by adopting psychological adjustment strategies, either passive or active. This systematic review aims to investigate the psychological distress, coping strategies, and quality of life in breast cancer patients under neoadjuvant therapy. Methods Cochrane Library, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Wiley Online library represent the databases that were searched to identify relevant published articles until September 27, 2021. Full-text published articles, written in English and assessing the main outcomes (namely: psychological distress, coping strategies, and quality of life) in women with breast cancer under NAT will be included. Also, we will integrate papers dealing with the related bio psychosocial variables to the main variables. The paper selection, data extraction, and quality assessment of selected studies will be performed independently by two researchers, and disagreements will be resolved through discussions. We will bring together the results of all of the included studies to draw conclusions based on the body of evidence. The narrative approach will be adopted to analyze the results and conclusions extracted and we would perform quantitative groupings if we have similar data. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required as the proposed systematic review will not use primary data. The results of this review will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal and conference presentation(s). PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021230300.

BackgroundAnkylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation in the joints, particularly the sacroiliac joints. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive and objective tool that can be used for early diagnosis of AS. C-reactive protein (CRP) is a biomarker that is commonly used to evaluate disease activity in AS patients, and is included in the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score with C-reactive protein (ASDAS-CRP).ObjectivesThe primary outcome of the study to investigate the association between active sacroiliitis on MRI and CRP levels in AS patients. The secondary outcome was to identify other parameters that may be associated with sacroiliitis activity in AS patients. The study was a retrospective analysis that included 140 AS patients who had MRI of their sacroiliac joints between January 2011 and March 2022.MethodsRetrospective study was conducted on all SpA cases that were established between January 2011 and March 2022. The study aimed to explore the relationship between sacroiliitis as detected on MRI and C - reactive protein (CRP) levels in patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the sacroiliac joints was performed on all patients using coronal oblique T1, T2 and STIR weighted sequences. Active sacroiliitis was defined as the presence of inflammatory lesions according to the ASAS (Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society) criteria. CRP was considered high if it was greater than or equal to 6 mg/L. The statistical analysis was performed using the Fisher and Chi-Squared test and a p-value of 0.05 was considered as the level of significance.ResultsMRI of the sacroiliac joints was performed in 140 patients; the mean age was 47.54± 14.46 years with a predominantly female sex ratio of 0.34 (M/F). The mean duration of evolution was 5.40± 5.13.Active sacroiliitis was found in 65% of the patients, it was bilateral in 31.4%, unilateral in 28.6% (15% left and 13.6% right). An elevated CRP was found in 60.3% of the patients, the mean CRP was 21.79± 44.68, and the mean sedimentation rate was 26.04± 26.12.Active sacroiliitis did not have a statically significant association with an elevated CRP level. For the other clinico-biological parameters, Young onset was significantly associated with active sacroiliitis (p<0.05).ConclusionIn conclusion, this study did not demonstrate a significant association between CRP levels and active sacroiliitis on MRI in patients with AS. However, the study suggests that MRI may allow for an early diagnosis of AS in the absence of biological inflammation, and that young onset may be a risk factor for active sacroiliitis in AS patients. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and to better understand the relationship between CRP levels, imaging, and sacroiliitis activity in AS patients.REFERENCES:NIL.Acknowledgements:NIL.Disclosure of InterestsNone Declared.