Online information on chronic pain in 3 countries: an assessment of readability, credibility, and accuracy

Objectives:To assess the readability, credibility, and accuracy of online information on chronic pain in Australia, Mexico, and Nepal.Methods:We assessed Google-based websites and government health websites about chronic pain for readability (using the Flesch Kincaid Readability Ease tool), credibility (using the Journal of American Medical Association [JAMA] benchmark criteria and Health on the Net Code [HONcode]), and accuracy (using 3 core concepts of pain science education: (1) pain does not mean my body is damaged; (2) thoughts, emotions, and experiences affect pain; and (3) I can retrain my overactive pain system).Results:We assessed 71 Google-based websites and 15 government websites. There were no significant between-country differences in chronic pain information retrieved through Google for readability, credibility, or accuracy. Based on readability scores, the websites were "fairly difficult to read," suitable for ages 15 to 17 years or grades 10 to 12 years. For credibility, less than 30% of all websites met the full JAMA criteria, and more than 60% were not HONcode certified. For accuracy, all 3 core concepts were present in less than 30% of websites. Moreover, we found that the Australian government websites have low readability but are credible, and the majority provided all 3 core concepts in pain science education. A single Mexican government website had low readability without any core concepts but was credible.Conclusion:The readability, credibility, and accuracy of online information on chronic pain should be improved internationally to support facilitating better management of chronic pain

Occupational correlates of smoking among urban transit operators: A prospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Workers in blue-collar and service occupations smoke at higher rates than workers in white-collar and professional occupations. Occupational stress may explain some of the occupational class differences in smoking and quitting behavior. The purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of occupational factors to smoking behavior over a ten year period among a multiethnic cohort of urban transit operators, while accounting for demographic factors and alcohol.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The sample consists of 654 San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI) transit operators who participated in two occupational health studies and biennial medical examinations during 1983–85 and 1993–95. Workers who had initiated, increased, or maintained their smoking over the ten year period were compared to workers who remained non-smokers. Occupational factors included self-rated frequency of job problems (e.g., difficulties with equipment, passengers, traffic), job burnout (i.e., the emotional exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory), time needed to unwind after work, and years employed as a transit operator. A series of logistic regression models were developed to estimate the contribution of occupational factors to smoking behavior over time.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Approximately 35% of the workers increased, initiated, or maintained their smoking over the ten-year period. Frequency of job problems was significantly associated with likelihood of smoking increase, initiation, or maintenance (OR = 1.30; 95% CI 1.09, 1.55). Black operators were significantly more likely to have smoked over the ten-year period compared to operators in other racial/ethnic groups.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Understanding the role of work-related stress vis-à-vis smoking behavior is of critical importance for crafting workplace smoking prevention and cessation interventions that are applicable to blue-collar work settings, and for developing policies that mitigate occupational stress.</p

Diabetes insípida nefrogénica: diagnóstico en un hospital de mediana complejidad en Colombia

Paciente masculino de 91 años de edad, exfumador y con antecedente patológico de Carcinoma Escamocelular en el párpado izquierdo; con cuadro clínico de 10 episodios de vómito y diarrea acuosa en múltiples oportunidades. Datos positivos al examen físico: deshidratación grado II. Según los resultados de los estudios paraclínicos se diagnostica Insuficiencia Renal Aguda. Por estos motivos se decide su ingreso y en los estudios realizados durante el mismo se observa elevación progresiva de los azoados, gasto urinario y desequilibrio hidrelectrolítico. Diagnosticándose diabetes insípida nefrogénica.ABSTRACTMale patient, 91-year-old ex-smoker with past history of Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the left eyelid; with clinical symptoms of 10 episodes of vomiting and watery diarrhea in multiple times. Positive data on physical examination: dehydration grade II. According to the results of paraclinical studies Acute renal failure was diagnosed. For these reasons admission is decided and laboratory tests showed: progressive increase of nitrogenous, urine output and water-electrolyte imbalance was observed. Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus was diagnosed

Treatment outcomes of new tuberculosis patients hospitalized in Kampala, Uganda: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: In most resource limited settings, new tuberculosis (TB) patients are usually treated as outpatients. We sought to investigate the reasons for hospitalisation and the predictors of poor treatment outcomes and mortality in a cohort of hospitalized new TB patients in Kampala, Uganda. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Ninety-six new TB patients hospitalised between 2003 and 2006 were enrolled and followed for two years. Thirty two were HIV-uninfected and 64 were HIV-infected. Among the HIV-uninfected, the commonest reasons for hospitalization were low Karnofsky score (47%) and need for diagnostic evaluation (25%). HIV-infected patients were commonly hospitalized due to low Karnofsky score (72%), concurrent illness (16%) and diagnostic evaluation (14%). Eleven HIV uninfected patients died (mortality rate 19.7 per 100 person-years) while 41 deaths occurred among the HIV-infected patients (mortality rate 46.9 per 100 person years). In all patients an unsuccessful treatment outcome (treatment failure, death during the treatment period or an unknown outcome) was associated with duration of TB symptoms, with the odds of an unsuccessful outcome decreasing with increasing duration. Among HIV-infected patients, an unsuccessful treatment outcome was also associated with male sex (P = 0.004) and age (P = 0.034). Low Karnofsky score (aHR = 8.93, 95% CI 1.88 - 42.40, P = 0.001) was the only factor significantly associated with mortality among the HIV-uninfected. Mortality among the HIV-infected was associated with the composite variable of CD4 and ART use, with patients with baseline CD4 below 200 cells/µL who were not on ART at a greater risk of death than those who were on ART, and low Karnofsky score (aHR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.02 - 4.01, P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Poor health status is a common cause of hospitalisation for new TB patients. Mortality in this study was very high and associated with advanced HIV Disease and no use of ART

Efectividad de la gestión pública y calidad de servicio de programas preventivos de salud bucal: Una revisión sistemática

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the effectiveness of public management and service quality of preventive oral health programmes. The study was a qualitative, basic, phenomenological design study.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The population consisted of 4731 articles published in journals indexed in different databases such as Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, SciELO, among others; and 12 articles were selected using the documentary analysis technique. The results showed that oral health prevention programmes manage to reduce the prevalence of diseases such as caries, applying them as educational programmes on healthy habits, brushing techniques and importance, raising the level of knowledge and oral health of the beneficiaries. In addition, it became evident that factors such as the lack of medicines and supplies, inadequate infrastructure and insufficient salaries for health workers are factors that affect the tangibility that ultimately defines the quality of service. It was concluded that oral health prevention programmes are important to improve the prevalence of oral diseases, and that studies related to quality of service need to be strengthened as a recommendation for future researchers.Este estudio tuvo como objetivo realizar una revisión sistemática sobre la efectividad de la gestión pública y la calidad de servicio de programas preventivos de salud bucal. Se planteó un estudio cualitativo, básico y de diseño fenomenológico. La población estuvo compuesta de 4731 artículos publicados en revistas indexadas en diferentes bases de datos como Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, SciELO, entre otras; y se trabajó con 12 artículos que fueron seleccionados empleando la técnica del análisis documental. Los resultados mostraron que los programas de prevención en salud bucal logran reducir la prevalencia de enfermedades como caries, aplicándolos como programas educativos de hábitos saludables, de técnicas de cepillado y de importancia, elevando el nivel de conocimiento y la salud bucal de los beneficiarios. Además, se evidenció que factores como la falta de medicamentos, de insumos, la infraestructura inadecuada y el salario insuficiente de los trabajadores de salud son factores que inciden en la tangibilidad que termina por definir a la calidad de servicio. Se concluyó que los programas de prevención de la salud bucal son importantes para mejorar la prevalencia de enfermedades bucodentales, y que es necesario fortalecer los estudios relacionados con la calidad de servicio siendo una recomendación para los futuros investigadores

Analyses of zebrafish and Xenopus oocyte maturation reveal conserved and diverged features of translational regulation of maternal cyclin B1 mRNA

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vertebrate development relies on the regulated translation of stored maternal mRNAs, but how these regulatory mechanisms may have evolved to control translational efficiency of individual mRNAs is poorly understood. We compared the translational regulation and polyadenylation of the cyclin B1 mRNA during zebrafish and <it>Xenopus </it>oocyte maturation. Polyadenylation and translational activation of cyclin B1 mRNA is well characterized during <it>Xenopus </it>oocyte maturation. Specifically, <it>Xenopus </it>cyclin B1 mRNA is polyadenylated and translationally activated during oocyte maturation by proteins that recognize the conserved AAUAAA hexanucleotide and U-rich Cytoplasmic Polyadenylation Elements (CPEs) within cyclin B1 mRNA's 3'<b>U</b>n<b>T</b>ranslated <b>R</b>egion (3'<b>UTR</b>).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The zebrafish cyclin B1 mRNA was polyadenylated during zebrafish oocyte maturation. Furthermore, the zebrafish cyclin B1 mRNA's 3'UTR was sufficient to stimulate translation of a reporter mRNA during zebrafish oocyte maturation. This stimulation required both AAUAAA and U-rich CPE-like sequences. However, in contrast to AAUAAA, the positions and sequences of the functionally defined CPEs were poorly conserved between <it>Xenopus </it>and zebrafish cyclin B1 mRNA 3'UTRs. To determine whether these differences were relevant to translation efficiency, we analyzed the translational activity of reporter mRNAs containing either the zebrafish or <it>Xenopus </it>cyclin B1 mRNA 3'UTRs during both zebrafish and <it>Xenopus </it>oocyte maturation. The zebrafish cyclin B1 3'UTR was quantitatively less effective at stimulating polyadenylation and translation compared to the <it>Xenopus </it>cyclin B1 3'UTR during both zebrafish and <it>Xenopus </it>oocyte maturation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Although the factors that regulate translation of maternal mRNAs are highly conserved, the target sequences and overall sequence architecture within the 3'UTR of the cyclin B1 mRNA have diverged to affect translational efficiency, perhaps to optimize levels of cyclin B1 protein required by these different species during their earliest embryonic cell divisions.</p

Predicting cancer involvement of genes from heterogeneous data

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Systematic approaches for identifying proteins involved in different types of cancer are needed. Experimental techniques such as microarrays are being used to characterize cancer, but validating their results can be a laborious task. Computational approaches are used to prioritize between genes putatively involved in cancer, usually based on further analyzing experimental data.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We implemented a systematic method using the PIANA software that predicts cancer involvement of genes by integrating heterogeneous datasets. Specifically, we produced lists of genes likely to be involved in cancer by relying on: (i) protein-protein interactions; (ii) differential expression data; and (iii) structural and functional properties of cancer genes. The integrative approach that combines multiple sources of data obtained positive predictive values ranging from 23% (on a list of 811 genes) to 73% (on a list of 22 genes), outperforming the use of any of the data sources alone. We analyze a list of 20 cancer gene predictions, finding that most of them have been recently linked to cancer in literature.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our approach to identifying and prioritizing candidate cancer genes can be used to produce lists of genes likely to be involved in cancer. Our results suggest that differential expression studies yielding high numbers of candidate cancer genes can be filtered using protein interaction networks. </p

Contaminación auditiva en los centros de diversión y la vulneración del derecho a vivir en morales

The research was carried out with the purpose of determining the noise pollution in the entertainment centers and the violation of the right to live in Morales, seeking to correlate the variables that have to do with the annoying noises that impede the freedom to live in a quiet area of the habitants. The research was descriptive causal correlation, with a mixed approach. The population was considered by 8 nightlife centers and the population of the residents of the area; The sample consisted of 6 authorized nightclubs and 30 families affected by noise pollution; the techniques used were the survey and interview. Within the results it was indicated that 91.67% equivalent to 55 people surveyed indicate that the main cause that originates noise pollution is exposure to high levels of noise; In the same way, 3.33% refer that the main cause of noise pollution is due to the traffic of car and mobile vehicles; and 1.67% indicate that the cause of noise pollution is due to the traffic of linear motorcycles. Likewise, with respect to the damage caused to the auditory system when the person is exposed to sound in the streets, where it is noted that 83.33% equivalent to 50 people surveyed indicate that the damage that can be caused to the auditory system is all of the above, understood (Deafness, nerves, headache and irritability) and 16.67%, which is made up of 10 respondents, refer that the damage to the auditory system due to sound exposure is the headache.La investigación se realizó con el propósito de determinar la contaminación auditiva en los centros de diversión y la vulneración del derecho a vivir en Morales, buscando correlacionar las variables que tiene que ver con los ruidos molestos que impiden la libertad de vivir en una zona tranquila de los habitantes. La investigación fue descriptiva correlacional causal, de enfoque mixto. La población estuvo considerada por 8 centros de diversión nocturna y la población de los vecinos de la zona; la muestra estuvo conformada por 6 centros nocturnos habilitados y 30 familias perjudicados por la contaminación auditiva; las técnicas utilizadas fueron la encuesta y entrevista. Dentro de los resultados se indicó que un 91.67% equivalente a 55 personas encuestadas señalan que la principal causa que origina la contaminación sonora es la exposición a altos niveles de ruido; del mismo modo un 3.33% refiere que la principal causa de contaminación sonora se debe al tráfico de vehículos de carro y de trimoviles; y un 1.67% señalan que la causa de contaminación sonora es por el tráfico de vehículos de motos lineales. Asimismo, respecto del perjuicio que produce al sistema auditivo cuando la persona está expuesto al sonido en las calles, donde se señala que un 83.33% equivalente a 50 personas encuestadas señalan que los perjuicios que puede ocasionar al sistema auditivo es todas las anteriores, entendiéndose (Sordera, nervios, dolor de cabeza e irritabilidad) y un 16.67% que está conformado por 10 encuestados refieren que los perjuicios al sistema auditivo por la exposición del sonido es el dolor de cabeza