Fish assemblages in the seagrass beds at Inhaca Island (Mozambique): cold season

Bol. Mus. Mun. Funchal, Sup. N.º 6: 111-125, 2001The fish communities in the seagrass beds at Inhaca Island (Mozambique) were sampled in three stations during the cold season (July-August 1993). On the whole, 66 species of fishes belonging to 34 families were collected by trawling. Cluster and factorial correspondence analyses showed that the fish community structure was different at the three stations. These structural differences were attributed to the type of seagrass association and to the proximity of mangrove and coral reef areas. Differences between day and night samples attest to the occurrence of marked circadian changes between nocturnal and diurnal components of this seagrass fish community. Carnivorous fishes were dominant both in number and biomass while herbivorous and omnivorous species were less represented in these assemblages.As comunidades ictiológicas dos fundos de fanerogâmicas da Ilha da Inhaca (Moçambique) foram amostradas em 3 estações durante a estação a estação fria (Julha-Agosto de 1993). No total, 66 espécies de peixes pertencendo a 34 famílias foram colhidas com arrasto. A análise dos dados mostrou que as comunidades ictiológicas tinham estruturas diferentes nas 3 estações. Estas diferenças foram atribuídas ao tipo de associação vegetal e à distância às áreas de coral e de mangal. Diferenças entre as amostragens diurnas e nocturnas atectam a ocorrência de ciclos circadianos marcados e a sua influência nas comunidades. Espécies carnívoras foram dominantes, quer em número, quer em biomassa, em relação às herbívoras e omnívoras

Múltiplas Úlceras Necróticas numa Doente com Síndrome de Felty

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Customer knowledge and behavior on the use of food refrigerated display cabinets: A Portuguese case

This article presents a study on customer knowledge and habits regarding the use of refrigerated display cabinets (RDC). The study was carried out on a sample of Portuguese retail stores’ customers, using a questionnaire survey available through an Internet platform. The sample consisted of 136 individuals, who voluntarily participated in the study. Questions included the characterization of the sociodemographic population involved. The questionnaire included different questions to related with RDC, namely customer knowledge about the appearance of each RDC equipment, questions to evaluate the respondents’ perception about the advantages and disadvantages related to open or glass-door closed RDC, questions to assess the participants’ habits and behavior when purchasing food products from glass-door closed RDC (frequency and duration of door open), questions to characterize the consumers’ habits on purchasing food products from RDC, and also questions to characterize the consumers’ shopping attitudes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2. The results seem to indicate that customers prefer closed RDC; for example, 61.8% of participants prefer products preserved in glass-door closed RDC, against 6.6% that admit to preferring products preserved in open RDC. Therefore, we can deduce that the existence of doors does not appear to be an obstacle to purchasing food products. Regarding the use of glass-door closed RDC, 80.1% of the participants say they just open the door once, and 53.7% of the costumers believe they keep the door open in the interval [4‒6 s]. This indicates that Portuguese customers are quite well informed about food safety issues and seem to follow assertive attitudes when purchasing food products from RDC. This study reinforces the benefits of replacing open RDC by closed glass-doors allowing significant energy savings.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Development and validation of a multivariable prediction model of spontaneous preterm delivery and microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity in women with preterm labor

BACKGROUND: Early spontaneous preterm delivery is often associ- ated with microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity and/or intraamniotic inflammation. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to develop and validate clinically feasible multivariable prediction models of spontaneous delivery within 7 days and microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity in women admitted with diagnose of preterm labor and intact membranes below 34 weeks. STUDY DESIGN: We used data from a cohort of women admitted from 2012 to 2018 with diagnosis of preterm labor below 34 weeks who had undergone amniocentesis to rule out microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity. The main outcome was spontaneous delivery within 7 days from admission. The secondary outcome was microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity, defined by a positive culture and/or 16S ribosomal RNA gene in the amniotic fluid. The sample (n 1⁄4 358) was divided into derivation (2012e2016) and validation cohorts (2017e2018). Logistic regression models using a stepwise selection of variables were developed for the outcomes evaluated. We explored as predictive variables ultrasound cervical length measurement at admission, maternal C-reactive protein, gestational age, amniotic fluid glucose, and interleukin-6 (expressed as log units). Models were developed in the derivation cohort and applied to the validation cohort and diagnostic performance was calculated. RESULTS: The derivation cohort included 263 women and the valida- tion cohort 95 women. One hundred five of the women (39%, 105 of 268) spontaneously delivered in the following 7 days and 68 (19%, 68 of 358) had microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity. For spontaneous delivery within 7 days after admission, 4 predictors were identified: cervical length at admission, gestational age, amniotic fluid glucose, and interleukin-6. The diagnostic performance of the model was assessed in the validation cohort using the receiver operating characteristic curve and showed an area under curve of 0.86 (95% confidence interval, 0.77e0.95) with a detection rate of spontaneous delivery within 7 days of 87%, a false- positive rate of 33%, a negative predictive value of 80%, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.1908. For microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity, 2 independent predictors of the amniotic cavity were identified: amniotic fluid glucose and maternal C-reactive protein. The receiver operating characteristic curve and an area under curve in the validation cohort was 0.83 (95% confidence interval, 0.70e0.96) with a detection rate of 76%, a false-positive rate of 8%, a negative predictive value of 93%, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.2591. CONCLUSION: In women with preterm labor, we propose 2 clinically feasible prediction models to classify as low vs high risk of spontaneous delivery within 7 days and of microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity. The models showed a high diagnostic performance and could be of value to optimize clinical management

Digital News Report España 2023

Este estudio ha sido comisionado por el Instituto Reuters para el Estudio del Periodismo de la Universidad de Oxford y elaborado por investigadores de la Facultad de Comunicación de la Universidad de Navarra. Su objetivo es describir y analizar cómo se consume la información en una variedad de países. La investigación fue llevada a cabo por YouGov mediante un cuestionario en línea a finales de enero/principios de febrero de 2023

Consecuencias sociolaborales de la pandemia por la COVID-19 en pacientes con esclerosis múltiple en tres poblaciones muy diferentes: Encuesta transversal basada en la web

[Background]: The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the disease COVID-19, has caused a pandemic that has rapidly affected the whole world and caused a significant threat to public health. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the social and occupational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in three different countries: China, Spain, and Cuba.[Methods]: A cross-sectional survey was designed to assess the social and occupational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in MS patients in these three countries, using a 25-item anonymous online questionnaire, structured into three sections. Quantitative data are expressed as mean (standard deviation), and quantitative data as absolute frequency and percentage.[Results]: A total of 361 participants responded to the questionnaire: 194 from China, 104 from Spain, and 63 from Cuba. We found no cases of COVID-19 among Chinese patients with MS, and few cases in Spain and Cuba. Respondents reported different levels of impact on relationships with friends, family, and colleagues, and patients in all three countries described increased use of digital or social media platforms. Spanish patients reported a significantly less negative impact than those in Cuba and China. Mental and cognitive effects were similar in all three countries, although China seemed to have a better situation. We also found that the time spent exercising decreased at specific points during the pandemic, but with few changes in dietary habits. Patients reported little or no change in their means of transport in all three countries. Most patients in all three countries reported little or no physical deterioration, especially in Chinese patients (82.47%), compared to the Spanish (70.20%) and Cuban respondents (73.02%). In general, patients from all three countries demonstrated confidence in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, although to a lesser extent among Spanish respondents.[Conclusions]: During the pandemic, family support was more effective in China than in Cuba and Spain. Neither COVID-19 infections nor the number of MS relapses increased significantly during lockdown in any of the three countries. Regarding their economic situation, Spanish MS patients reported a significantly less severe negative impact than those in Cuba and China. Patients from all three countries used digital or social media platforms more frequently, probably to maintain personal relationships. Chinese and Cuban respondents were more confident of the control of the pandemic than the Spanish, who were more pessimistic.This study was supported by the Multiple Sclerosis Unit, Neurology Service, Vithas Nisa Hospital, Seville, Spain.Peer reviewe