Spanish version of the Satisfaction with Epilepsy Care questionnaire: Adaptation and psychometric properties

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to perform a cross-cultural adaption and psychometric evaluation of the Spanish version of the Satisfaction with Epilepsy Care (SEC) questionnaire and analyze patient satisfaction with epilepsy care. METHODS: Transcultural adaptation and validation of the SEC were carried out using translation and back-translation with pilot testing and an expert panel. The SEC-E (Spanish) was analyzed in 213 patients with epilepsy to examine construct and criterion validity and internal consistency. RESULTS: The SEC-E achieved conceptual, semantic, and content equivalence with the original version. For content validity, one question was eliminated from the original questionnaire as it has little relevance in our cultural setting. Positive correlations for criterion validity were obtained using the gold standard measure (Satisfaction in Hospitalized Patients scale). Construct validity replicated the three dimensions of the original questionnaire. The scale showed adequate reliability through internal consistency (Cronbach's α of 0.94) and temporal stability on retest (n = 85). Patients scored (0 to 100) 77.5 [standard deviation (SD): 19.9] for satisfaction with communication, 76.9 (SD: 17) for organization, and 67.2 (SD: 22.1) for information. SIGNIFICANCE: The SEC-E is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of educational interventions aiming to improve the quality of care in patients with epilepsy in Spanish clinical practice. The results showed a good level of patient satisfaction with epilepsy care

Forest fragmentation and loss of threatened ferns habitat in Fragas do Eume Natural Park (NW Spain)

A pesar de la intensa destrucción sufrida por los bosques de las costas de Europa, hay pocos estudios sobre la fragmentación de estos ecosistemas y sus consecuencias sobre la biodiversidad. El P. N. Fragas do Eume es una de las mejores representaciones de los bosques del litoral atl ántico europeo y tiene importantes poblaciones de helechos ibero-macaronésicos amenazados en sus bosques de ribera. En este trabajo se estudió la distribución de las clases de ocupación del suelo de este parque a partir de imágenes aéreas de los años 2002 y 2003. El bosque en conjunto ocupa el 30% de la superficie y corresponde principalmente a tres parches de gran tamaño. No obstante, la mayoría de los parches son muy pequeños (<10 ha) y tienen escasa o nula superficie no afectada por los factores de borde. En las riberas, la deforestación es menor y el bosque cubre el 76% de la longitud de los cauces. Hay 47 km de bosque de ribera a baja altitud (<400 m) y orientado al N, hábitat óptimo de helechos amenazados. La restauración del bosque en las riberas degradadas debe ser una medida prioritaria para la recuperación de estos helechos.Despite large destruction suffered by the forests of coastal Europe, few studies have examined the fragmentation of these ecosystems and its consequences on biodiversity. Fragas do Eume Natural Park is one of the best remaining forests in the Atlantic coast of Europe and has important populations of threatened Ibero-Macaronesian ferns in its riparian forests. The distribution of land cover classes in this Park was studied by using aerial images from the years 2002 and 2003. The whole forest occupies 30% of the area and is mainly held by three big patches. Nevertheless, most patches are very small (<10 ha) and affected by edge factors. In riversides, deforestation was less intense and 76% of the stream length is covered by forest. North-facing low-altitude (<400 m) riparian forest, optimum habitat for threatened ferns, occupies 47 km of streams. Forest restoration in the damaged riversides must be a priority action to conserve these ferns.Contrato para asistencia técnica 215/2006 de la Consellería de Medio Ambiente e Desenvolvemento Sostible de Galicia

A Forecast Model Applied to Monitor Crops Dynamics Using Vegetation Indices (NDVI)

Vegetation dynamics is very sensitive to environmental changes, particularly in arid zones where climate change is more prominent. Therefore, it is very important to investigate the response of this dynamics to those changes and understand its evolution according to different climatic factors. Remote sensing techniques provide an effective system to monitor vegetation dynamics on multiple scales using vegetation indices (VI), calculated from remote sensing reflectance measurements in the visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In this study, we use the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), provided from the MOD13Q1 V006 at 250 m spatial resolution product derived from the MODIS sensor. NDVI is frequent in studies related to vegetation mapping, crop state indicator, biomass estimator, drought monitoring and evapotranspiration. In this paper, we use a combination of forecasts to perform time series models and predict NDVI time series derived from optical remote sensing data. The proposed ensemble is constructed using forecasting models based on time series analysis, such as Double Exponential Smoothing and autoregressive integrated moving average with explanatory variables for a better prediction performance. The method is validated using different maize plots and one olive plot. The results after combining different models show the positive influence of several weather measures, namely, temperature, precipitation, humidity and radiation

Brote epidémico por Serratia marcescens en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales

[Objective] To investigate a Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens) outbreak in a Neonatal Unit in a tertiary university hospital.[Methods] Descriptive study of children admitted to the Unit with S. marcescens infection from November 2012 to March 2013. Conventional microbiological methods for clinical and environmental samples were used. The clonal relationship between all available isolates was established by molecular methods. A multidisciplinary team was formed, and preventive measures were taken.[Results] S. marcescens was isolated from 18 children. The overall attack rate was 12%, and the case fatality rate in the Intensive Care Unit was 23.5%. The most prevalent types of infections were pneumonia (6), conjunctivitis (6), and bloodstream infection (5). Clinical isolates and environmental isolates obtained from an incubator belonged to a unique clone. The clonal relationship between all S. marcescens strains helped us to identify the possible source of the outbreak.[Conclusion] Isolation of S. marcescens from stored water in a container, and from the surface of an incubator after cleaning, suggests a possible environmental source as the outbreak origin, which has been perpetuated due to a failure of cleaning methods in the Unit. The strict hygiene and cleaning measures were the main factors that contributed to the end of the outbreak.[Objetivo] Investigar un brote por Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens) en una unidad de neonatología en un hospital universitario de tercer nivel.[Método] Estudio descriptivo de los pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de noviembre de 2012 a marzo de 2013. Se usaron métodos microbiológicos convencionales de muestras clínicas y ambientales. La relación clonal de los aislados disponibles se llevó a cabo mediante estudio molecular. Se formó un equipo multidisciplinar a partir del cual se tomaron las medidas preventivas.[Resultados] Se aisló S. marcescens en 18 niños. La tasa global de ataque fue del 12% y la letalidad en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos llegó al 23,5%. Los tipos de infección más frecuentes fueron la neumonía (6), conjuntivitis (6) y bacteriemia (5). Tanto las muestras clínicas como las ambientales obtenidas de una incubadora pertenecían a un único clon. La relación clonal entre todas las cepas de S. marcescens permitió identificar la posible fuente de infección del brote.[Conclusión] El aislamiento de S. marcescens en agua almacenada en un contenedor y en la superficie de una incubadora tras su limpieza sugiere una posible fuente ambiental como el origen del brote, perpetuado por fallos en los métodos de limpieza en la Unidad. El cumplimiento estricto de la higiene de manos y mejora en la limpieza fueron los principales factores que contribuyeron a la finalización del brote.Peer reviewe