Escalas de respuesta tipo Likert. ¿Es relevante la alternativa 'indiferente'?

En tests de actitudes y de personalidad es frecuente utilizar escalas de respuesta tipo Likert. En este tipo de escalas es frecuente también que se presente una catego-ría intermedia. Esta categoría representa una posición intermedia a lo largo del continuo y entre las categorías adyacentes. El presente estudio evalúa si las categorías de las escalas de respuesta de una serie de cuestionarios frecuentemente utilizados en la evaluación organizacional se presentan realmente ordenadas, tal y como asume el sistema de puntuación empleado. Asimismo, se evalúa si la categoría intermedia ("indiferente") es relevante en términos de probabilidad de respuesta. Los cuestionarios analizados presentan una escala de respuesta tipo Likert de cinco puntos. Para lograr los objetivos propuestos, se ha aj ustado el modelo nominal de Bock (1972). Los resultados obtenidos indican que si bien las categorías de respuesta aparecen ordenadas, la categoría intermedia"indiferente" no es relevante, es decir, en ningún intervalo de valores del rasgo latente aparece como la alternativa que presenta una mayor probabilidad de respuesta. Estos resultados sugieren eliminar la citada categoría de respuesta de las escalas de respuesta empleadas

Structural analysis of APOB variants, p.(Arg3527Gln), p.(Arg1164Thr) and p.(Gln4494del), causing Familial Hypercholesterolaemia provides novel insights into variant pathogenicity

Free PMC Article: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4672294/Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited autosomal dominant disorder resulting from defects in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), in the apolipoprotein B (APOB) or in the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) genes. In the majority of the cases FH is caused by mutations occurring within LDLR, while only few mutations in APOB and PCSK9 have been proved to cause disease. p.(Arg3527Gln) was the first mutation in APOB being identified and characterized. Recently two novel pathogenic APOB variants have been described: p.(Arg1164Thr) and p.(Gln4494del) showing impaired LDLR binding capacity, and diminished LDL uptake. The objective of this work was to analyse the structure of p.(Arg1164Thr) and p.(Gln4494del) variants to gain insight into their pathogenicity. Secondary structure of the human ApoB100 has been investigated by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and LDL particle size both by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electron microscopy. The results show differences in secondary structure and/or in particle size of p.(Arg1164Thr) and p.(Gln4494del) variants compared with wild type. We conclude that these changes underlie the defective binding and uptake of p.(Arg1164Thr) and p.(Gln4494del) variants. Our study reveals that structural studies on pathogenic variants of APOB may provide very useful information to understand their role in FH disease

(r)HDL in theranostics : How do we apply HDL's biology for precision medicine in atherosclerosis management?

Altres ajuts: Eusko Jaurlaritza IT-1264-19Altres ajuts: Euskal Herriko UnibertsitateaAltres ajuts: Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER)High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are key players in cholesterol metabolism homeostasis since they are responsible for transporting excess cholesterol from peripheral tissues to the liver. Imbalance in this process, due to either excessive accumulation or impaired clearance, results in net cholesterol accumulation and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, significant effort has been focused on the development of therapeutic tools capable of either directly or indirectly enhancing HDL-guided reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). More recently, in light of the emergence of precision nanomedicine, there has been renewed research interest in attempting to take advantage of the development of advanced recombinant HDL (rHDL) for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In this review, we provide an update on the different approaches that have been developed using rHDL, focusing on the rHDL production methodology and rHDL applications in theranostics. We also compile a series of examples highlighting potential future perspectives in the field

(r)HDL in Theranostics: How Do We Apply HDL's Biology for Precision Medicine in Atherosclerosis Management?

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are key players in cholesterol metabolism homeostasis since they are responsible for transporting excess cholesterol from peripheral tissues to the liver. Imbalance in this process, due to either excessive accumulation or impaired clearance, results in net cholesterol accumulation and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, significant effort has been focused on the development of therapeutic tools capable of either directly or indirectly enhancing HDL-guided reverse cholesterol transport (RCT). More recently, in light of the emergence of precision nanomedicine, there has been renewed research interest in attempting to take advantage of the development of advanced recombinant HDL (rHDL) for both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. In this review, we provide an update on the different approaches that have been developed using rHDL, focusing on the rHDL production methodology and rHDL applications in theranostics. We also compile a series of examples highlighting potential future perspectives in the field.This review was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades (PID2019-104367RB-100), as well as the Subprograma Ramon y Cajal (RYC-201722879) to N.R. and PI18/0164 to F.B.-V., FEDER "Una manera de hacer Europa". CIBER de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabolicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM) is a project of Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau is accredited by the Generalitat de Catalunya as Centre de Recerca de Catalunya (CERCA). This work was also supported by the Basque Government (Grupos Consolidados IT-1264-19) to C.M. and A.B.-V. was supported by Programa de especializacion de Personal Investigador Doctor en la UPV/EHU (2019) 2019-2020

Efficient boundary integral-resonant mode expansion method implementation for full-wave analysis of passive devices based on circular waveguides with arbitrary perturbations

This paper is a preprint of a paper submitted to IET Microwaves Antennas and Propagation and is subject to Institution of Engineering and Technology Copyright. If accepted, the copy of record will be available at IET Digital LibraryIn this study, the efficient full-wave analysis of passive devices composed of circular and arbitrarily-shaped waveguides is considered. For this purpose, the well-known boundary integral-resonant mode expansion (BI RME) method has been properly extended. Circular waveguides are used for resonant mode expansion, whereas the arbitrary contour is defined by any combination of straight, circular and elliptical segments, thus allowing the exact representation of the most widely used geometries. The proposed algorithm extends previous implementations of the BI RME method based on circular waveguides by considering circular and elliptical arcs for defining arbitrary geometries. Similarly, it allows the efficient analysis of passive devices based on circular waveguides with arbitrary perturbations, thus providing more accurate results with less computational efforts than a rectangular waveguide-based BI RME approach. The extended method has been successfully tested with several practical application examples, having compared its performance with the BI RME method based on rectangular waveguides.This work was supported by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Spanish Government, under Research Project TEC2010-21520-C04-01.Carceller Candau, C.; Cogollos Borras, S.; Soto Pacheco, P.; Gil Raga, J.; Boria Esbert, VE.; Vicente Quiles, CP.; Gimeno Martinez, B. (2013). Efficient boundary integral-resonant mode expansion method implementation for full-wave analysis of passive devices based on circular waveguides with arbitrary perturbations. IET Microwaves Antennas and Propagation. 7(1):44-53. https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-map.2012.0603S44537

A metabolomic approach to study the rhizodeposition in the tritrophic interaction: tomato, Pochonia chlamydosporia and Meloidogyne javanica

A combined chemometrics-metabolomics approach [excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS)] was used to analyse the rhizodeposition of the tritrophic system: tomato, the plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne javanica and the nematode-egg parasitic fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia. Exudates from M. javanica roots were sampled at root penetration (early) and gall development (late). EMM indicated that late root exudates from M. javanica treatments contained more aromatic amino acid compounds than the rest (control, P. chlamydosporia or P. chlamydosporia and M. javanica). 1H NMR showed that organic acids (acetate, lactate, malate, succinate and formic acid) and one unassigned aromatic compound (peak no. 22) were the most relevant metabolites in root exudates. Robust principal component analysis (PCA) grouped early exudates for nematode (PC1) or fungus presence (PC3). PCA found (PC1, 73.31 %) increased acetate and reduced lactate and an unassigned peak no. 22 characteristic of M. javanica root exudates resulting from nematode invasion and feeding. An increase of peak no. 22 (PC3, 4.82 %) characteristic of P. chlamydosporia exudates could be a plant “primer” defence. In late ones in PC3 (8.73 %) the presence of the nematode grouped the samples. HPLC–MS determined rhizosphere fingerprints of 16 (early) and 25 (late exudates) m/z signals, respectively. Late signals were exclusive from M. javanica exudates confirming EEM and 1H NMR results. A 235 m/z signal reduced in M. javanica root exudates (early and late) could be a repressed plant defense. This metabolomic approach and other rhizosphere -omics studies could help to improve plant growth and reduce nematode damage sustainably.This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation Grants AGL 2008-00716/AGR, AGL 2011-29297 and with a grant from the University of Alicante to N. Escudero (UAFPU2011)

Molecular diagnosis of footrot and contagious ovine digital dermatitis in small ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula

Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) and footrot (FR), a sub-acute or acute necrotic (decaying) infectious disease involving the hoof and underlying tissues, pose economic challenges to herds in Spain and worldwide. The aetiological agent for FR is Dichelobacter nodosus, while CODD is caused by pathogenic Treponema phylogroups. We detail the findings derived from the analysis by qPCR of 105 pooled samples from 100 ovine and five caprine herds in Spain and Portugal, alongside 15 samples from healthy flocks in order to identify Dichelobacter nodosus, Fusobacterium necrophorum, Treponema spp., and three pathogenic Treponema phylogroups (T. phagedenis, T. medium, and T. pedis). Treponema spp. were detected in all 120 pools, including samples from the 15 healthy flocks where only one positive result for F. necrophorum was recorded. Mixed infections by agents different from Treponema spp. were identified in 68.57% of samples. Positive results for F. necrophorum and/or D. nodosus, were obtained for 91.4% of the pools, whereas the presence of the three pathogenic Treponema phylogroups was rare: each of them appeared in isolation in a single pool, while they were found in 18 pools in combination with other agents. While F. necrophorum was the sole finding in 16.2% of samples from affected herds, D. nodosus (the footrot causative agent) was only detected in 61% of affected farms. An improved qPCR protocol was implemented to determine the serogroups of D. nodosus in the samples and found all of them (except the G serogroup), often in combined infections (35.1%). This report concludes with comprehensive proposals for diagnosing, preventing, and treating hoof ailments, remarking the interest of the information about D. nodosus serogroups in order to improve the efficiency of immunization by choosing appropriate vaccine protocols

MLb-LDLr: A Machine Learning Model for Predicting the Pathogenicity of LDLr Missense Variants

Untreated familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) leads to atherosclerosis and early cardiovascular disease. Mutations in the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) gene constitute the major cause of FH, and the high number of mutations already described in the LDLr makes necessary cascade screening or in vitro functional characterization to provide a definitive diagnosis. Implementation of high-predicting capacity software constitutes a valuable approach for assessing pathogenicity of LDLr variants to help in the early diagnosis and management of FH disease. This work provides a reliable machine learning model to accurately predict the pathogenicity of LDLr missense variants with specificity of 92.5% and sensitivity of 91.6%. © 2021 The Author

The nurse’s role in educating pediatric patients on correct inhaler technique: an interventional study

The prevalence of pediatric respiratory diseases in Spain is 23%. Inhalation is the preferred route of administration but there are frequent errors in the performance of the inhalation technique leading a poor control of the disease. The aim of this research was to detect errors in the execution of the inhalation technique at a Pediatric Pulmonology Unit in a hospital of Aragón (Spain). In order to improve the administration of inhaled medication, an educational intervention for 1 year by nursing was conducted. This interventional study, including children aged 1 to 15 years with an inhalation therapy and who attended the Pediatric Pulmonology Unit, was conducted between September 2017 and September 2018. Logistic Regression models were conducted in SPSS. This study involved 393 children (61.1% boys). Before the intervention, 39.4% achieved a correct inhalation technique increasing up to 62.1% after the intervention. Those who had their first visit to the Unit, young children and girls had a higher risk of incorrect performance than those with subsequent visits, older children, and boys, respectively. The most common errors in the inhalation technique were not performing adequate apnoea after inhaling and not rinsing the mouth at the end of the procedure. The education given by nurses to pediatric patients improved the inhalation technique, achieving better control of the disease and use of the health system. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland