Efectividad de la visita prequirúrgica sobre la ansiedad, el dolor y el bienestar

Objective: Assess whether the preoperative visit is an effective instrument to reduce both the preoperative anxiety level and postoperative pain.Methods: Randomized controlled trial with two groups, repeated measures before-after. The study consists of comparing the average levels of anxiety, pain and well-being at different times of the surgical process. The non-parametric tests of U Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square Pearson were used for the bivariate analysis and Spearmans’s Rho correlation was used to check the association between quantitative variables Results: The experimental group shows a statistically significant decrease of the preoperative anxiety level and postoperative pain and an increase of wellbeingConclusions: The preoperative visit is an effective instrument to reduce the situational anxiety level and postoperative pain.Objetivo principal: Evaluar si la visita prequirúrgica es una herramienta eficaz para disminuir el nivel de ansiedad en el preoperatorio y el dolor postoperatorio.Metodología: Ensayo controlado de dos grupos aleatorios de medidas repetidas antes-después. El estudio consiste en comparar las medias de los niveles de ansiedad, dolor y bienestar en diferentes momentos del proceso quirúrgico. Para el análisis bivariante se han utilizado el test no paramétrico de U de Mann Whitney y el test de Chi Cuadrado de Paerson. Para comprobar la asociación entre las variables cuantitativas se ha utilizado la correlación Rho de Spearman.Resultados: El grupo intervención presenta un descenso estadísticamente significativo del  nivel de ansiedad en el preoperatorio, del dolor postoperatorio y un aumento del bienestar.Conclusión: La visita prequirúrgica es una herramienta eficaz para disminuir la ansiedad situacional y el dolor postoperatorio

Clinical performance evaluation of a rapid real-time PCR assay for monkeypox diagnosis: a retrospective and comparative study

In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, the outbreak of an infectious disease in one country can become a worrying health emergency for the whole world. A current example is the 2022 monkeypox virus (mpox) outbreak affecting multiple areas across the world. In this context, strategies to interrupt transmission as soon as possible by identifying cases, clusters, and sources of infection should be developed around the world to prevent these crises. The aim of this retrospective and collaborative study was to perform external clinical validation of the VIASURE monkeypox virus real-time PCR detection kit (CerTest Biotec, Spain) with ready-to-use reagents designed for the rapid detection of mpox. A total of 165 samples with suspected infection were used for this analysis. The standard procedures of the clinical microbiology laboratory of the Miguel Servet University Hospital, using the RealStar Orthopoxvirus PCR kit v1.0 (Altona Diagnostics) and bidirectional Sanger sequencing (STAB VIDA, Caparica, Portugal), were considered reference techniques. Furthermore, a subset of 67 mpox-negative samples and 13 mpox-positive samples were routinely tested for clinical diagnosis of other rash/ulcerative pathologies. Accuracy testing resulted in appropriate clinical validation values, as follows: sensitivity, 1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97 to 1); specificity, 1 (95% CI, 0.98 to 1); positive predictive value, 1 (95% CI, 0.93 to 1); negative predictive value, 1 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1). The strength of agreement between assays was almost perfect. The added value is the useful support for the specific diagnosis of mpox infections due to the diagnostic specificity data obtained

Downregulation of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 levels enhances cardiac insulin sensitivity and switches on cardioprotective gene expression patterns

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) has recently emerged as a negative modulator of insulin signalling. GRK2 downregulation improves insulin sensitivity and prevents systemic insulin resistance (IR). Cardiac GRK2 levels are increased in 5 human heart failure, while genetically inhibiting GRK2 leads to cardioprotection in mice. However, the molecular basis underlying the 6 deleterious effects of GRK2 up-regulation and the beneficial effects of its inhibition in the heart are not fully understood. Therefore, 7 we have explored the interconnections among a systemic IR status, GRK2 dosage and cardiac insulin sensitivity in adult (9 month-old) animals. GRK2+/- mice display enhanced cardiac insulin sensitivity and mild heart hypertrophy with preserved systolic function. Cardiac gene expression is reprogrammed in these animals, with increased expression of genes related to physiological hypertrophy, while the expression of genes related to pathological hypertrophy or to diabetes/obesity co-morbidities is repressed. Notably, we find that cardiac GRK2 levels increase in situations where IR develops, such as in ob/ob mice or after high fat diet feeding. Our data suggest that GRK2 downregulation/inhibition can help maintain cardiac function in the face of co-morbidities such as IR, diabetes or obesity by sustaining insulin sensitivity and promoting a gene expression reprogramming that confers cardioprotection.Grants from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (SAF2011-23800), Fundación para la Investigación Médica Aplicada (FIMA) and UTE project CIMA, The Cardiovascular Network of Ministerio Sanidad y Consumo-Instituto Carlos III (RD06-0014/0037 and RD12/0042/0012), Comunidad de Madrid (S2010/BMD-2332) and EFSD-Novo Nordisk to F.M and UAM Grupo Santander to C.M and Wood-Whelan Research Fellowship from IUBMB to E.L. We also acknowledge institutional support from Fundación Ramón Arece

La construcció del cos ideològic femení en l’època moderna: una aproximació al fons antic des de la perspectiva de gènere

Els aspectes que proposo treballar en aquesta ponència estan relacionats amb la possibilitat d’inspirar línies de recerca al voltant de la construcció del cos femení sobre la base dels documents dels que disposa el fons antic de la UB. En aquest sentit, l’objectiu és fer una recerca del fons que plantegi (soscavar) el discurs normatiu sobre la sexualitat y el cos de les dones durant l’època moderna-colonial partint de la perspectiva de gènere i d’algunes problemàtiques formulades des dels feminismes. A més, en aquest cas he acotat el període històric a les produccions culturals elaborades o difoses durant el s.XVII, per tant, ha sigut una recerca de documentació que s’ha emmarcat en tota la realitat que es desplegà posteriorment al concili de Trento i en plena expansió de les monarquies europees que va comportar una radicalització de les polítiques de control i de normes disciplinaries per a la regulació dels cossos i de les relacions..

Effectiveness of preoperative visit on anxiety, pain and wellbeing

Objetivo principal: Evaluar si la visita prequirúrgica es una herramienta eficaz para disminuir el nivel de ansiedad en el preoperatorio y el dolor postoperatorio. Metodología: Ensayo controlado de dos grupos aleatorios de medidas repetidas antes-después. El estudio consiste en comparar las medias de los niveles de ansiedad, dolor y bienestar en diferentes momentos del proceso quirúrgico. Para el análisis bivariante se han utilizado el test no paramétrico de U de Mann Whitney y el test de Chi Cuadrado de Paerson. Para comprobar la asociación entre las variables cuantitativas se ha utilizado la correlación Rho de Spearman. Resultados: El grupo intervención presenta un descenso estadísticamente significativo del nivel de ansiedad en el preoperatorio, del dolor postoperatorio y un aumento del bienestar. Conclusión: La visita prequirúrgica es una herramienta eficaz para disminuir la ansiedad situacional y el dolor postoperatorio.ABSTRACT Objective: Assess whether the preoperative visit is an effective instrument to reduce both the preoperative anxiety level and postoperative pain.Methods: Randomized controlled trial with two groups, repeated measures before-after. The study consists of comparing the average levels of anxiety, pain and well-being at different times of the surgical process. The non-parametric tests of U Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square Pearson were used for the bivariate analysis and Spearmans’s Rho correlation was used to check the association between quantitative variables Results: The experimental group shows a statistically significant decrease of the preoperative anxiety level and postoperative pain and an increase of wellbeing Conclusions: The preoperative visit is an effective instrument to reduce the situational anxiety level and postoperative pain

Efectividad de la visita prequirúrgica sobre la ansiedad, el dolor y el bienestar

Objective: Assess whether the preoperative visit is an effective instrument to reduce both the preoperative anxiety level and postoperative pain.Methods: Randomized controlled trial with two groups, repeated measures before-after. The study consists of comparing the average levels of anxiety, pain and well-being at different times of the surgical process. The non-parametric tests of U Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square Pearson were used for the bivariate analysis and Spearmans’s Rho correlation was used to check the association between quantitative variables Results: The experimental group shows a statistically significant decrease of the preoperative anxiety level and postoperative pain and an increase of wellbeingConclusions: The preoperative visit is an effective instrument to reduce the situational anxiety level and postoperative pain.Objetivo principal: Evaluar si la visita prequirúrgica es una herramienta eficaz para disminuir el nivel de ansiedad en el preoperatorio y el dolor postoperatorio.Metodología: Ensayo controlado de dos grupos aleatorios de medidas repetidas antes-después. El estudio consiste en comparar las medias de los niveles de ansiedad, dolor y bienestar en diferentes momentos del proceso quirúrgico. Para el análisis bivariante se han utilizado el test no paramétrico de U de Mann Whitney y el test de Chi Cuadrado de Paerson. Para comprobar la asociación entre las variables cuantitativas se ha utilizado la correlación Rho de Spearman.Resultados: El grupo intervención presenta un descenso estadísticamente significativo del  nivel de ansiedad en el preoperatorio, del dolor postoperatorio y un aumento del bienestar.Conclusión: La visita prequirúrgica es una herramienta eficaz para disminuir la ansiedad situacional y el dolor postoperatorio

Cardiotrophin-1 is expressed in adipose tissue and upregulated in the metabolic syndrome

Adipose tissue is a target for cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), a cytokine member of the IL-6 family of cytokines that is involved in cardiac growth and dysfunction. However, it is unknown whether adipocytes are a source of CT-1 and whether CT-1 is overexpressed in diseases characterized by increased fat depots [i.e., the metabolic syndrome (MS)]. Thus this work aimed 1) to test whether adipose tissue expresses CT-1 and whether CT-1 expression can be modulated and 2) to compare serum CT-1 levels in subjects with and without MS diagnosed by National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Gene and protein expression of CT-1 was determined by real-time RT-PCR, ELISA, and Western blotting. CT-1 expression progressively increased, along with differentiation time from preadipocyte to mature adipocyte in 3T3-L1 cells. CT-1 expression was enhanced by glucose in a dose-dependent manner in these cells. mRNA and protein CT-1 expression was also demonstrated in human adipose biopsies. Immunostaining showed positive staining in adipocytes. Finally, increased CT-1 serum levels were observed in patients with MS compared with control subjects (127 +/- 9 vs. 106 +/- 4 ng/ml, P < 0.05). Circulating levels of CT-1 were associated with glucose levels (r = 0.2, P < 0.05). Taken together, our data suggest that adipose tissue can be recognized as a source of CT-1, which could account for the high circulating levels of CT-1 in patients with MS

Lysyl oxidase induces vascular oxidative stress and contributes to arterial stiffness and abnormal elastin structure in hypertension: role of p38MAPK

Aims: Vascular stiffness, structural elastin abnormalities, and increased oxidative stress are hallmarks of hypertension. Lysyl oxidase (LOX) is an elastin crosslinking enzyme that produces H2O2 as a by-product. We addressed the interplay between LOX, oxidative stress, vessel stiffness, and elastin. Results: Angiotensin II (Ang II)-infused hypertensive mice and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) showed increased vascular LOX expression and stiffness and an abnormal elastin structure. Mice over-expressing LOX in vascular smooth muscle cells (TgLOX) exhibited similar mechanical and elastin alterations to those of hypertensive models. LOX inhibition with β-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) attenuated mechanical and elastin alterations in TgLOX mice, Ang II-infused mice, and SHR. Arteries from TgLOX mice, Ang II-infused mice, and/or SHR exhibited increased vascular H2O2 and O2.− levels, NADPH oxidase activity, and/or mitochondrial dysfunction. BAPN prevented the higher oxidative stress in hypertensive models. Treatment of TgLOX and Ang II-infused mice and SHR with the mitochondrial-targeted superoxide dismutase mimetic mito-TEMPO, the antioxidant apocynin, or the H2O2 scavenger polyethylene glycol-conjugated catalase (PEG-catalase) reduced oxidative stress, vascular stiffness, and elastin alterations. Vascular p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) activation was increased in Ang II-infused and TgLOX mice and this effect was prevented by BAPN, mito-TEMPO, or PEG-catalase. SB203580, the p38MAPK inhibitor, normalized vessel stiffness and elastin structure in TgLOX mice. Innovation: We identify LOX as a novel source of vascular reactive oxygen species and a new pathway involved in vascular stiffness and elastin remodeling in hypertension. Conclusion: LOX up-regulation is associated with enhanced oxidative stress that promotes p38MAPK activation, elastin structural alterations, and vascular stiffness. This pathway contributes to vascular abnormalities in hypertension