Assessment of the perceived security among public transport users in Europe

Passenger experiences with public transport are expected to be safe, secure, comfortable, convenient and pleasant. However, this experience is often disrupted by harassment incidents, such as sexual, theft and verbal harassment that may affect passengers' perspective towards public transport services. Security perceptions and harassment experiences may vary according to gender and age. This study analyses the perceptions of 2413 citizens in six European cities over security aspects of public transport and potential measures that can improve these perceptions. Harassment experiences are also illustrated, and their patterns are discussed. The paper concludes with some recommendations to operators of public transport over enhancing the feeling of security and ameliorating negative experiences related to harassment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A P-type ATPase importer that discriminates between essential and toxic transition metals

Transition metals, although being essential cofactors in many physiological processes, are toxic at elevated concentrations. Among the membrane-embedded transport proteins that maintain appropriate intracellular levels of transition metals are ATP-driven pumps belonging to the P-type ATPase superfamily. These metal transporters may be differentiated according to their substrate specificities, where the majority of pumps can extrude either silver and copper or zinc, cadmium, and lead. In the present report, we have established the substrate specificities of nine previously uncharacterized prokaryotic transition-metal P-type ATPases. We find that all of the newly identified exporters indeed fall into one of the two above-mentioned categories. In addition to these exporters, one importer, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Q9I147, was also identified. This protein, designated HmtA (heavy metal transporter A), exhibited a different substrate recognition profile from the exporters. In vivo metal susceptibility assays, intracellular metal measurements, and transport experiments all suggest that HmtA mediates the uptake of copper and zinc but not of silver, mercury, or cadmium. The substrate selectivity of this importer ensures the high-affinity uptake of essential metals, while avoiding intracellular contamination by their toxic counterparts

The Experience in Nicaragua: Childhood Leukemia in Low Income Countries—The Main Cause of Late Diagnosis May Be “Medical Delay”

Background. The event-free survival for pediatric leukemia in low-income Countries is much lower than in high-income countries. Late diagnosis, which is regarded as a contributing factor, may be due to “parental” or “medical” delay. Procedures. The present study analyses determinants of lag time from first symptoms to diagnosis of leukemia, comparing pediatric (0–16 years old) patients in two referral centers, one in Nicaragua and one in Italy. An observational retrospective study was conducted to assess factors influencing the time to diagnosis. Results. 81 charts of children diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia or lymphoblastic leukemia were analyzed from each centre. Median lag time to diagnosis was higher in Nicaragua than in Italy (29 versus 14 days, P < 0.001) and it was mainly due to “physician delay” (16.5 versus 7 days, P < 0.001), whereas “patient delay” from symptoms to first medical assessment was similar in the two centers (7 versus 5 days, P = 0.27). Moreover, median lag time from symptoms to diagnosis was decreased in Nicaraguan districts were a specific training program upon childhood oncological diseases was carried out (20.5 versus 40 days, P = 0.0019). Conclusions. Our study shows that delay in diagnosis of childhood leukemia is mainly associated with “physician delay” and it may be overcome by programs of continuous medical education

Farmacopuntura: nivel de neuroleptoanalgesia en felinos utilizando xilacina-tramadol en acupunto yintang

The present work was carried out with the objective of determining the effect of the protocol xylacine-tramadol in acupunct yintang versus intramuscular administration on the level of neuroleptoanalgesy in felines subjected to orchiectomy. For this purpose, 20 felines apparently healthy, older than 8 months of age were used, with negative serology to virus feline immunedeficiency and virus feline leukemia, divided into two groups. The group 1 received pre-medication via intramuscular with xylacine 1 mg/kg + tramadol 2 mg/kg, and group 2 received pre-medication via acupunct yintang with xylacine 0,1 mg/kg + tramadol 2 mg/kg. After 15 minutes, the patients were evaluated according to the Otero Scale for the evaluation of sedation, and the post-surgical evaluation was performed 15 minutes after the procedure, according to the multidisciplinary scale of the UNESP-Botucatu for the evaluation of the acute postoperative pain. The results obtained did not show statistically significant differences (p&gt;0,05) regarding the level of neuroleptoanalgesia between both study groups.El presente trabajo fue realizado con el objetivo de determinar el efecto del protocolo xilacina-tramadol en acupunto yintang versus administración intramuscular, sobre el nivel de neuroleptoanalgesia en felinos sometidos a orquiectomía. Para tal fin, fueron utilizados 20 felinos clínicamente sanos, mayores de 8 meses de edad, con serología negativa a virus inmunodeficiencia felina y virus leucemia felina, divididos en dos grupos. El grupo 1 recibió premedicación vía intramuscular con xilacina 1 mg/kg + tramadol 2 mg/kg y el grupo 2 recibió premedicación vía subcutánea en el acupunto yintang con xilacina 0,1 mg/kg + tramadol 2 mg/kg. Luego de 15 minutos los pacientes fueron valorados según la Escala de Otero para la evaluación de sedación y 15 minutos después se estimó la valoración post quirúrgica, según la escala multidimensional de la UNESP-Botucatu para valorar el dolor agudo post-operatorio. Los resultados obtenidos no arrojaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas (p&gt;0,05) entre los niveles de neuroleptoanalgesia registrados en ambos grupos en estudio