Alcohol use and family‑related factors among Spanish university students: the unHicos project

Background: During adolescence and youth there are relevant changes in the consolidation, gain or loss of consumption habits and lifestyles and the family factors has a fundamental role to development these habits. The study of the consumption of toxins, such as alcohol intake, is crucial at this stage due to the repercussions that said consumption presents in adulthood. Therefore, the objective of our study was to evaluate the associations between alcohol consumption patterns and related family factors (family functioning, family history of alcohol consumption) in Spanish university students. Methods: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study, carried out in first-year university students from 11 Spanish universities. Through an online questionnaire, alcohol consumption (risky consumption and intensive consumption or binge drinking), family functioning and history of alcohol in the family were evaluated. Risky alcohol consumption and binge drinking were assessed using the AUDIT test, and family functioning was assessed using the family APGAR questionnaire. A descriptive analysis of the data was performed, as well as the Chi- Square test and Student’s T-Test, and non-conditional logistic regression models were carried out to examine this association. Results: The prevalence of risky alcohol consumption identified in the 10,167 respondents was 16.9% (95% CI = 16.2–17.6), and that of BD was 48.8% (95% CI = 47.9–48.8). There is a significant association between risky alcohol consumption and family functioning in students of both sexes, with greater consumption in the face of severe dysfunctional support (men OR = 1.72; p < 0.001 and women OR = 1.74; p < 0.001) and family history of consumption (p = 0.005). Regarding the binge drinking pattern, no statistically significant differences were observed. Conclusions: Risky alcohol consumption in university students is associated with dysfunctional family support, unlike the binge drinking pattern, where there is no such association. The findings of this study show the importance of creating prevention programs focused on the family approach in university students, which include alcohol screening in the population with a family history of this substance, and greater social support from health services.National Drug Plan, Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality of Spain 2010|145 2013|034 PI16/0194

Natural radiactivity from building materials in Spain

The industrial construction sector is very important in Spain. Building materials used in this industry are sources of radiation from natural radionuclides they contain. The European Commission published some recommendations to facilitate the trade of these materials in the E.U. The studies about this subject have increased notably during last years. This, probably, can be associated with the increase interest from natural radiation radiological risk on indoor exposure.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear. CSN-201

Discurso de los profesionales de cuidados paliativos de la Comunidad de Madrid sobre la atención psicológica

aim of this study is to show the opinion of the Palliative Care Teams of Madrid about the psychological support provided by their units. Methodology: qualitative according to the following techniques, participant observation, individual interviews to the principal of the different units of the Public Health System, group interviews to the different units, and one group interview with professionals of the private nonprofit units. Results: in general terms, psychological support is provided by medical and nursing professionals, specific therapy is provided by psychology professionals. There is not a clear border between psychological or spiritual needs. Complexity is found in the relational and communicational aspects. There is a lack of formation on psychological support in general practitioners. There are not enough number of psychologist and social workers, moreover in home care. The grief is the main field of psychological support, especially in cases where children are involved. Bereavement groups are most valued. Burnout syndrome requires a special attention even is little demanded by the palliative care teams. Conclusion: in Madrid, psychological support is recognized as necessary for the patients and for the palliative care professionals. It is necessary to increase the resources to cover this support, especially at home careObjetivo: Exponer las opiniones y valoraciones de los profesionales de cuidados paliativos de la Comunidad de Madrid sobre la atención psicológica que se presta en los dispositivos específicos de cuidados paliativos en dicha Comunidad. Método: Metodología cualitativa utilizando las siguientes técnicas: observación participante, entrevistas abiertas individuales a Responsables de los distintos tipos de dispositivos, entrevistas grupales a Equipos de cada uno de dichos dispositivos y una reunión de grupo con profesionales de Unidades de Media y Larga Estancia de Hospitales Concertados. Resultados: La atención a las necesidades psicológicas se presta por parte de los profesionales de medicina y enfermería, de manera genérica, y por parte de los profesionales de psicología de manera específica. La frontera entre la atención a las necesidades psicológicas y a las necesidades espirituales y/o religiosas no aparece con nitidez. Parte de la complejidad de la atención la encuentran en aspectos relacionales y comunicacionales. La formación psicológica del profesional de Atención Primaria es insuficiente así como lo es también el número de profesionales de la psicología, y de trabajo social, especialmente en la atención domiciliaria. El trabajo sobre el duelo es una de las tareas más propias de los profesionales de la psicología especialmente en los casos en los que hay niños involucrados, siendo los ‘grupos de duelo’ uno de los instrumentos más valorados. El síndrome del burnout requiere de atención psicológica y ‘autocuidado’ hacia dentro del equipo aunque hay poca demanda de cuidados para sí mismos. Conclusiones: La atención psicológica específica en la Comunidad de Madrid tanto para los pacientes y familias como para los propios profesionales es reconocida como necesaria por los profesionales de cuidados paliativos pero como insuficientemente cubierta, especialmente en la atención domiciliaria

Assessment of natural radiactivity from building materials in Spain

The industrial construction sector is very important in Spain. Building materials used in this industry are sources of radiation from natural radionuclides they contain. The aim of this work is to measure the natural radioactivity in building materials. The relevance of the contribution of natural radiation that they generate implies their analysis taking into account the limitations imposed by national and international regulations and legislations. The studies about this subject have increased notably during last years. This, probably, can be associated with the increase interest from natural radiation radiological risk on indoor exposure. Radioactivity of some building materials could be increase, during the manufacturing processes, as results of the addition of NORM products to improve their properties. All building materials have varying amounts of natural radionuclides. They belong to natural radionuclides of uranium (238U) and thorium (232Th) series, together with the radioactive isotope of potassium (40K). The concentration of the natural radioactivity in the selected cements and ceramics were conducted with a coaxial ReGe detector. The energy an absolute efficiency calibration of the spectrometer was made using a sample certificated by IAEA-312 and IAEA-385. Software use to analyze the spectrum is the Cenie-2000 v.2.0 Canberra Nuclear. The activity concentrations from 226Ra, 232Th and 40K respectively from samples of Portland cements, tiles, ceramic and natural stones were determined. To compare the radiological effects of the materials used in the building which contain 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, a common index is required to obtain the sum of activities and according to RP 112 the absorbed dose in air can be calculated. Some indices dealing with the assessment of the excess gamma radiation arising from building materials such as Radium Equivalent Activity (Raeq); External Hazard Index (Hex),;the Activity Concentration Index(I); Absorbed Gamma Dose Rate in indoor air (D); and Annual Effective Dose Equivalent (AEDE). In this paper 150 samples from granitic, calcareous, sedimentary zones of Spain have been evaluated Concentration of natural radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) are in usual range (except few exceptions) and below maximal permitted values, so that examined materials could be used for construction of new buildings (for interior and external works) as well as for covering of pavements, floors, etc.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Una mirada actual en la administración de medicamentos y seguridad del paciente

La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) ha realizado una recolección de la información detallada sobre los Eventos Adversos en la administración de medicamentos con la finalidad de planificar y adoptar estrategias para la reducción de incidentes similares en el futuro (Machado de Azevedo Filho et al., 2012). El error de medicación es uno de los más frecuentes, tiene como características el hecho de poder ser evitado, esto ocurre en cualquier etapa del sistema de medicación (prescripción, distribución y administración de medicamentos), dirigidas por acciones multidisciplinares que muchas veces sobrecargan la labor del profesional de enfermería. El propósito de la enfermería es proporcionar cuidados de calidad, respetando los derechos, valores, creencias y costumbres de todas las personas, fomentando siempre la seguridad. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar el comportamiento de los indicadores de calidad de atención sensibles a enfermería, antes durante y después de la implementación de la política de seguridad del paciente a nivel mundial, direccionado por una metodología de investigación con enfoque cuantitativo de revisión documental Como conclusión en la investigación, se puede considerar los aspectos enfatizados por la OMS para alcanzar una atención más segura: buscar causas, proponer soluciones y evaluar impacto en la población usuario y profesional como también disminuir la sobrecarga laboral que es uno de los factores que influye en la ocurrencia de errores durante la administración de medicamentos por parte de enfermería, el poco tiempo disponible de la enfermera para realizar correctamente sus labores, el alto número de pacientes a los que debe brindar cuidado, teniendo en cuenta que a más cantidad de pacientes, menor calidad de la atención; así como incremento en la fatiga y el estrés, produciendo errores en la técnica de la administración de medicamentos

Leishmaniosi. A propòsit d’un cas

&#091;cat&#093; La leishmaniosi és una infecció parasitària que es transmet per la picada del mosquit Phlebotomus, que està infectat pel protozou parasitari Leishmania. Existeixen diverses formes d’infecció: la leishmaniosi cutània,la leishmaniosi mucocutània, la leishmaniosi cutània difusa i la leishmaniosi visceral.&#091;eng&#093; Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection which is transmitted by the bite of Phlebotomus, which is infected with the protozoan parasite Leishmania. There are several forms of infection, cutaneous leishmaniasis, leishmaniasis mucocutaneous, leishmaniasis cutaneous difuse and visceral leishmaniasis

Evaluación de un sistema de centrifugación para el secado de lodos generados en el tratamiento de aguas residuales en la curtiembre El Escorpión del municipio de Villapinzón, Cundinamarca

The tannery industry generates a high load of pollutant represented by liquid and solid waste, among solid waste the final disposal of sludge from wastewater treatment represents a serious inconvenience in terms of handling, processing time and final disposal cost. A centrifugation system with filter cloth was evaluated in order to analyze an alternative that allows to reduce the time of treatment, cost and seek to obtain environmental benefits for the tanner sector. The filtering materials were 5 types of fabrics (cambre, jungle mother, jean, military and gladiator) and it was determined that the resistance to filtration offered by each material is not significant, on the other hand, the sludge product of the wastewater treatment of hair offers high resistance to solid / water separation (r = 7.0179E + 13 s²/kg) and therefore a low filtration range (Y = 0.000413 kg/m²*h), which makes a centrifugation system for this type of mud requires of a considerable area and high energy consumption. &nbsp; &nbsp;La industria de curtiembres genera una alta carga de contaminante representada por residuos líquidos y sólidos, entre los residuos sólidos la disposición final de los lodos del tratamiento de aguas residuales representa un serio inconveniente en términos de manejo, tiempo de procesamiento y costo de disposición final. Se evaluó un sistema de centrifugación con tela filtrante con el objeto de analizar una alternativa que permita reducir el tiempo de tratamiento, costo y buscar obtener beneficios ambientales para el sector curtidor. Los materiales filtrantes fueron 5 tipos de telas (cambre, madre selva, jean, militar y gladiador) y se determinó que la resistencia a la filtración que ofrece cada material no es significativa, por otra parte, el lodo producto del tratamiento de agua residuales de pelambre ofrece alta resistencia a la separación sólido/agua (r= 7,0179E+13 s²/kg) y por lo tanto un bajo alcance de filtración (Y= 0,000413 kg/m²*h), hecho que hace que un sistema de centrifugación para este tipo de lodo requiera de una considerable área y alto consumo energético. &nbsp

Physical and chemical characterization of building materials

The products used in the construction of buildings and infrastructures, are made from raw material extracted directly from nature, and after suitable transformation processes are placed on site. Approximately 2.5 tons of materials per square meter are used in a residential building. The most abundant percentages are: Gravel and sand 57.8, ceramics 21.6, cement 12.5, lime 1.98 and gypsum 0.46. Some materials used cause a high impact of negative character in the environment but their quantification is low whereas others of low impact but are used of massive form in construction reason why they can cause serious hazards for the human health. The raw material used in the manufacture of construction materials is extracted directly from nature or is originated by a mixture of raw material and recycled material. In any case, it is necessary to analyze the chemical composition of the construction products whether they are natural, whether they are transformed or mixed. The purpose of this work was to perform a physical-chemical characterization of samples from factories located in three regions of different geological nature: granitic, calcareous and sedimentary. The materials analyzed come from different factories located in Spain 18 factories of cements, bricks and tiles 15, ceramics 16, sands 15 and natural stones 18. They were supplied by manufacturers and it has been made a physic-chemical characterization of the samples received. The chemical composition of the samples of cement, brick, ceramic and roofing tile has been made using ICP-MS and EDXRF. The results of these analyze shows near 72 different elements. The higher concentrations are of Na, K, Ca, Al, Fe and Si. All the samples were also characterized using XRPD. It is a powerful tool for material characterization in general, and cements materials in particular. The use of the Rietveld method has allowed quantifying the clinkers and cements measured by laboratory x-ray powder diffraction (LXRPD) giving their accurate phase assemblage. From the average composition of the different classes of cements analyzed, it is concluded that, except for two samples, the rest all correspond to Portland cements of different strength.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

The unpredictable carbon nanotube biocorona and a functionalization method to prevent protein biofouling

Background: The intrinsic physicochemical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) make them unique tools in nanotechnology. Their elemental composition, resilience, thermal properties, and surface reactivity make CNTs also of undisputed interest in biotechnology. In particular, their extraordinary ability to capture biomolecules on their surface makes them essential in this field. The proteins adsorbed on the CNTs create a biological coating that endows them the ability to interact with some cell receptors, penetrate membranes or interfere with cell biomechanics, thus behaving as an active bio-camouflage. But some of these proteins unfold, triggering an immune response that unpredictably changes the biological activity of CNTs. For this reason, the control of the biocorona is fundamental in the nanobiotechnology of CNTs. Results: Using TEM and AFM here we demonstrate a significant increase in CNTs diameter after protein functionalization. A quantitative analysis using TGA revealed that between 20 and 60% of the mass of functionalized nanotubes corresponds to protein, with single-walled CNTs capturing the highest amounts. To qualitatively/quantitatively characterize these biocoatings, we studied the biochemical "landscape" of the proteins captured by the different nanotubes after functionalization under various conditions. This study revealed a significant variability of the proteins in the corona as a function of the type of nanotube, the functionalization temperature, or the time after exposure to serum. Remarkably, the functionalization of a single type of CNT with sera from various human donors also resulted in different protein landscapes. Given the unpredictable assortment of proteins captured by the corona and the biological implications of this biocoating, we finally designed a method to genetically engineer and produce proteins to functionalize nanotubes in a controlled and customizable way. Conclusions: We demonstrate the high unpredictability of the spontaneous protein corona on CNTs and propose a versatile functionalization technique that prevents the binding of nonspecific proteins to the nanotube to improve the use of CNTs in biomedical applications