Nurses, where have we gotten lost?

RESUMEN: La profesión enfermera se ha enfrentado a numerosos altibajos que la han terminado definiendo y adaptando a las necesidades de la sociedad, siendo las enfermeras las principales propulsoras de una mejora tan importante como indispensable para quienes han sufrido durante tantos años la ausencia de un conocimiento propio. Mediante el cuento del maravilloso mago de Oz se reflejan algunas de las bases sobre las que se construye la disciplina enfermera, valores que con el tiempo, han sido olvidados o perdidos en un camino que aunque fantasioso, cada vez resulta más real. Al igual que el espantapájaros, han olvidado la importancia del saber y de su cuidado, y como el hombre de hojalata, han dejado atrás aquella compasión que permitía ofrecer un cuidado humanizado basado en las necesidades de los pacientes. Como el león, no hacen uso del valor que permitía luchar por una profesión que cada vez más menospreciada y relevada a un segundo plano, recurriendo al mago en vez de enfrentarse por sí mismos a sus propios problemas. Pero como en el cuento, el recorrer el camino de baldosas amarillas no hace más que recordar que aquello que se busca está simplemente escondido dentro de quienes se atreven a luchar con la suficiente fuerzaABSTRACT: The nursing profession has faced numerous ups and downs that have ended up defining and adapting it to the needs of society, with nurses being the main promoters of an improvement that is as important as it is essential for those who have suffered for so many years the absence of their own scientist knowledge. Through the tale of the wonderful Wizard of Oz some of the foundations on which the nursing discipline is built are reflected, values that over time have been forgotten or lost on a path that, although fanciful, is becoming more and more real. Like the scarecrow, they have forgotten the importance of knowledge and its care, and like the tin man, they have left behind that compassion that allowed offering humanized care based on the needs of patients. Like the lion, they don´t make use of the courage that allowed them to fight for a profession that was increasingly despised and relegated to the background, turning it to the magician instead of facing their own problems on their own. But as in the story, walking the yellow brick road only reminds us that what is sought is simply hidden within those who dare to fight hard enough.Grado en Enfermerí

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

Optimization of adsorptive removal of α-toluic acid by CaO2 nanoparticles using response surface methodology

The present work addresses the optimization of process parameters for adsorptive removal of α-toluic acid by calcium peroxide (CaO2) nanoparticles using response surface methodology (RSM). CaO2 nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical precipitation method and confirmed by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) analysis which shows the CaO2 nanoparticles size range of 5–15 nm. A series of batch adsorption experiments were performed using CaO2 nanoparticles to remove α-toluic acid from the aqueous solution. Further, an experimental based central composite design (CCD) was developed to study the interactive effect of CaO2 adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of α-toluic acid, and contact time on α-toluic acid removal efficiency (response) and optimization of the process. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine the significance of the individual and the interactive effects of variables on the response. The model predicted response showed a good agreement with the experimental response, and the coefficient of determination, (R2) was 0.92. Among the variables, the interactive effect of adsorbent dosage and the initial α-toluic acid concentration was found to have more influence on the response than the contact time. Numerical optimization of process by RSM showed the optimal adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of α-toluic acid, and contact time as 0.03 g, 7.06 g/L, and 34 min respectively. The predicted removal efficiency was 99.50%. The experiments performed under these conditions showed α-toluic acid removal efficiency up to 98.05%, which confirmed the adequacy of the model prediction