Burnout syndrome prevalence in veterinarians working in Chile

Burnout Syndrome is a psycho-emotional syndrome that affects workers in any activity or profession. In recent years, veterinarians have been described as one of the most affected professionals, which has motivated the development of this research. The primary objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in veterinarians working in Chile. We evaluated the possible correlation of Burnout Syndrome with socio-demographic variables. The Socio-Demographic Characterization Survey and the Maslach Burnout Syndrome Inventory-General Survey (MBI) were applied to 521 participants, who were contacted through the Veterinary Medical Association of Chile (COLMEVET) and social networks. Fisher and Chi-square statistical tests and correspondence analysis were used to determine the association among variables. The prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in Chilean veterinarians was 24% (124/521). There was statistical significance between Burnout Syndrome and the variables ‘years in employment’ and ‘monthly salary’. There is a high prevalence of Burnout Syndrome in veterinarians working in Chile that was related to the variables ‘years in employment’ and ‘monthly salary’. Prevention using psychological therapy could reduce the incidence of symptoms linked to adaptive difficulties, cognitive discrepancies, psychological discomfort, and emotional regulation, promoting health improvement and resistance to Burnout Syndrome in Chilean veterinarians. This research corresponds to the first exploratory study related to the subject in Chil

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved