First application of carbon-based screen-printed electrodes for the voltammetric determination of the organic UV filters oxybenzone and octocrylene

A new voltammetric methodology is proposed for the simultaneous determination of the organic UV filters oxybenzone (benzophenone 3, BP3) and octocrylene (OC) in personal care products and in wastewater extracts.It is based on previous adsorptive stripping voltammetric (AdSV) methods developed for hanging mercury drop electrodes, adapted to the special characteristics of carbon-based screen-printed electrodes. Among the carbon substrates tested, regular carbon screen-printed devices exhibited the best performance, with detection limits of 4.8 and 6.6 μmol L−1 and linearity ranges of 16-400 and 22-400 μmol L−1 for BP3 and OC, respectively, and, as compared to mercury electrodes, with the advantages of environmental safety, easy of use, low cost and compatibility with automation and flow measurements. The methodology has been successfully tested in real samples and compared to the standard methodology by liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS)

Genealogies. Rescatar penyores

[ca] Com a «penyores»... coneixem aquells objectes que es deixen en poder d’algú, com a prova de retorn o com a promesa de record. Penyores són també aquells estris oblidats en espais en desús, peces descartades, de manera conscient o involuntària —descuidar-se, fugir. Els espais que ens envolten, on diàriament vivim i treballem, acumulen artefactes carregats de vivències, històries i faules de qui abans els ha emprat. Narren èxits, fracassos, formes de viure; si més no, la màgia de la quotidianitat. Independentment de l’estadi vital on s’estigui —joventut o senectut—, s’entén la importància i el potencial de reutilitzar el que s’ha llegat: per acostar-se a la memòria, rellegir-la, fer-ne crida, furgar-hi, reivindicar i, siguin els que siguin, propiciar canvis a situacions actuals. A «Genealogies. Rescatar penyores», artistes novells, artistes convidats i professorat de la Facultat de Belles Arts de la Universitat de Barcelona, amb la complicitat del públic assistent, miren d’aportar noves visions sobre els objectes i els temps pignorats que contenen, com a punt de partida per encetar un diàleg narratiu de tint feminista, econòmic, de cura, de sostenibilitat emocional

Diseño de infografías científicas en el aula a través de herramientas web 3.0 y recursos en abierto

El proyecto que se presenta pretende instruir a estudiantes y profesores en las competencias necesarias para el diseño y elaboración de infografías científicas de contenidos académicos, utilizando para ello herramientas de la web 3.0 disponibles en abierto. Exponer ideas científicas mediante la elaboración de infografías es una realidad que ha llegado ya a todos los hogares gracias a los medios de comunicación: al exponer noticias en papel o en web, los redactores ya no recurren únicamente al texto con imágenes, sino que se valen de elementos infográficos explicativos que ayudan a que el público comprenda mejor la noticia en su dimensión más técnica. Aplicar la metodología de realización de infografías científicas a la práctica docente en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (Historia del Arte, Historia Moderna, Educación, Psicología, Bellas Artes y Documentación) se presenta no solo como una estrategia útil para que los estudiantes sinteticen las claves de determinados temas, sino también como una herramienta interesante para dotar de competencias de difusión científica a los alumnos, facilitando así su inserción laboral. Asimismo, esta proyecto ha facilitado la conformación de un equipo innovador profundamente interdisciplinar (Historia, Historia del Arte, Psicología, Tecnologías y Bellas Artes) e interinstitucional (UCM, UNED y URJC) con un enorme potencial de cara a futuras propuestas de innovación docente

First application of carbon-based screen-printed electrodes for the voltammetric determination of the organic UV filters oxybenzone and octocrylene

A new voltammetric methodology is proposed for the simultaneous determination of the organic UV filters oxybenzone (benzophenone 3, BP3) and octocrylene (OC) in personal care products and in wastewater extracts. It is based on previous adsorptive stripping voltammetric (AdSV) methods developed for hanging mercury drop electrodes, adapted to the special characteristics of carbon-based screen-printed electrodes. Among the carbon substrates tested, regular carbon screen-printed devices exhibited the best performance, with detection limits of 4.8 and 6.6 μmol L−1 and linearity ranges of 16–400 and 22–400 μmol L−1 for BP3 and OC, respectively, and, as compared to mercury electrodes, with the advantages of environmental safety, easy of use, low cost and compatibility with automation and flow measurements. The methodology has been successfully tested in real samples and compared to the standard methodology by liquid chromatography – tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). © 2019 Elsevier B.V.The authors acknowledge the support of Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain (Project 2017SGR311), the Water Research Institute of the Universitat de Barcelona (IdRA) and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the Project ROUSSEAU (CTM2017-89767-C3-1-R).Peer reviewe

First application of carbon-based screen-printed electrodes for the voltammetric determination of the organic UV filters oxybenzone and octocrylene

A new voltammetric methodology is proposed for the simultaneous determination of the organic UV filters oxybenzone (benzophenone 3, BP3) and octocrylene (OC) in personal care products and in wastewater extracts.It is based on previous adsorptive stripping voltammetric (AdSV) methods developed for hanging mercury drop electrodes, adapted to the special characteristics of carbon-based screen-printed electrodes. Among the carbon substrates tested, regular carbon screen-printed devices exhibited the best performance, with detection limits of 4.8 and 6.6 μmol L−1 and linearity ranges of 16-400 and 22-400 μmol L−1 for BP3 and OC, respectively, and, as compared to mercury electrodes, with the advantages of environmental safety, easy of use, low cost and compatibility with automation and flow measurements. The methodology has been successfully tested in real samples and compared to the standard methodology by liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS)

Post-COVID-19 condition in pregnant and postpartum women: a long-term follow-up, observational prospective studyResearch in context

Summary: Background: Post-COVID-19 condition has recently been defined as new or persistent common COVID-19 symptoms occurring three months after disease onset. The pathology of the disease is unclear, but immune and vascular factors seem to play a significant role. The incidence, severity, and implications of the disease after COVID-19 infection in pregnancy have not been established. We aimed to study the incidence and main risk factors for post-COVID-19 condition in an obstetric population and their implications for maternal and perinatal morbimortality. Methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study undertaken including women during pregnancy or at admission for labour with acute COVID-19 infection from March 9th, 2020 to June 11th, 2022. The inclusion criteria were confirmed acute COVID-19 infection during the recruitment period, a lack of significant language barrier and consent for follow-up. Patients were clinically followed-up by telephone via semi structured questionnaires. The exclusion criteria were loss to follow-up, spontaneous miscarriage, and legal termination of pregnancy. Patients were classified into groups according to the severity of symptoms at onset. We included patients from the first six first waves of the pandemic according to national epidemiological data in Spain. We studied the incidence of post-COVID-19 condition and their main demographic, clinical and obstetric risk factors. Findings: A total of 409 pregnant women were recruited at acute diagnosis, and 286 were followed-up. The mean time to follow-up was 92 weeks (standard deviation ± 28 weeks; median 100 weeks (Interquartile range: 76; 112)). A total of 140 patients had at least one post-COVID-19 symptom at least three months after acute infection. Neurological (60%) and cutaneous (55%) manifestations were the most frequent findings. The following profiles were identified as presenting a higher risk of post-COVID-19 condition: migrant women born in countries with lower Human Development Index; multiparous women; women with COVID-19 during pregnancy, mainly during the first and third trimesters, and in the first and second waves of the pandemic; women who had a higher number of symptoms; women who had a higher incidence of moderate and severe symptoms; women who required hospitalisation due to COVID-19 complications; and women who were not vaccinated before disease onset. We did not find any significant difference in perinatal results, such as gestational week at delivery, birthweight, the need for neonatal care or 5-min Apgar score, and newborns benefited from a high rate of breastfeeding at discharge. Women who were infected during successive waves of the pandemic had a significant and constant decrease in the risk of post-COVID-19 condition comparing to estimated risk in the first wave (OR: 0.70; 95% CI: 0.62, 0.92). Symptoms tended to resolve over time heterogeneously. Symptoms of myalgia and arthralgia took longer to resolve (mean of 60 weeks and 54 weeks, respectively). In a small but significant proportion of patients, neurological and psycho-emotional symptoms tended to become chronic after 90 weeks. Interpretation: At least 34.2% of obstetric patients from our cohort with acute COVID-19 infection presented post-COVID-19 condition symptoms. Demographic and acute disease characteristics as well as specific pregnancy-related risk factors were identified. This is the first study to assess post-COVID-19 condition in pregnant women. Further analysis on the biological pathophysiology of post-COVID-19 is needed to explain the characteristics of the disease. Funding: This study has been funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the project “PI21/01244” and co-funded by the European Union, as well as P2022/BMD-7321 (Comunidad de Madrid) and ProACapital, Halekulani S.L. and MJR

Workshop for Basic Gynaecological Examinations: Improving Medical Student Learning through Clinical Simulation

Introduction: This study was designed to evaluate whether the Workshop on Basic Principles for Clinical Gynaecological Exploration, offered to medical students, improves theoretical–practical knowledge, safety, confidence, global satisfaction and the achievement of the proposed objectives in the area of gynaecological clinical examinations. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental pre–post-learning study carried out at the Gynaecology and Obstetrics department of Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid (Spain). The volunteer participants were 4th-year students earning a degree in Medicine during the 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 academic years. The study period was divided into the following stages: pre-workshop, intra-workshop and 2 weeks post-workshop. In the pre-workshop stage, students completed a brief online course to prepare for the workshop. The effectiveness of the workshop was evaluated through multiple-choice tests and self-administered questionnaires to assess self-assurance, self-confidence, self-satisfaction and the achievement of the objectives. Results: Of the 277 students invited in both academic years, 256 attended the workshop (92.4%), with a total participation in the different stages of the study greater than 70%. A total of 82.5% of the students in the 2020–2021 academic year and 80.6% of students in the 2021–2022 academic year did not have any type of experience performing gynaecological clinical examinations. Between the pre-workshop and 2 weeks post-workshop stages, there was significant improvement in theoretical–practical knowledge (improvement mean = 1.38 and 1.21 in 2020–2021 and 2021–2022 academic years, respectively). The security and confidence of the students prior to the workshop were low (average scores less than 5 points) in both academic years. However, post-workshop scores for satisfaction and the achievement of objectives were high in the two academic years; all the values approached or exceeded 8 points. Conclusions: Our students, after outstanding participation, evaluated the BPCGE, and improved their theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as their skills in a gynaecological clinical examination. Moreover, in their view, after the workshop, they felt very satisfied, far outreaching the proposed aims. In addition, excellent results were maintained over time, year after year

APM +: Alguna planta medicinal més

EL PROJECTE: El farmacèutic es considera el professional expert en el medicament. Amb tot, al mercat en general, però també a les farmàcies, trobem un enorme ventall de complements alimentaris a base de plantes medicinals, comercialitzats en formes farmacèutiques. El farmacèutic ha de saber donar consell farmacèutic sobre medicaments, però els complements alimentaris cada vegada prenen més protagonisme comercial i el farmacèutic també caldrà que doni consell sobre aquests complements. En aquest mac, l’APP pel mòbil que anomenem APM+ (acrònim d’Alguna Planta Medicinal +) és una activitat docent realitzada durant el curs 2020-2021 en l’assignatura de Botànica Farmacèutica en els grups-classe M3 i T2. En aquesta activitat voluntària, de dues setmanes de durada, hi han participat 64 estudiants dels quals 57 han tingut prou qualitat acadèmica per ser publicades dins l’APP. L’objectiu docent d’aquesta activitat ha estat treballar la nomenclatura (nom científic, família i nom popular) i també les característiques morfològiques bàsiques de la planta i la droga amb les seves respectives imatges sempre de llicència lliure. També ha calgut fer una breu consulta a una base de dades de flora mundial (Plant of the World Online), a la wikipedia en anglès i a la base de dades de medicaments (CIMA) per saber on cal catalogar la planta estudiada. La metodologia utilitzada ha estat treballar, de manera individual, en un màxim de 3 plantes cadascú, sobre un document Excel compartit amb tothom per evitar repeticions. Un cop validat pel professorat cadascun dels registres, s’han traslladat a l’aplicació GLIDE per tal de crear l’App que, finalment, s’ha compartit a través d'un codi QR a tots els interessats de la classe i públic en general. L’App està organitzada en un menú inferior amb 4 icones. En la presentació s'esmenta l'objectiu docent de l'experiència i com s'ha organitzat i executat, juntament amb un breu apunt de l'objecte d'estudi -els complements alimentaris medicamentosos- i la diferència d'aquests amb un medicament clàssic. La segona icona presenta la planta medicinal a través d'una fotografia, la seva distribució geogràfica i una breu descripció morfològica de l'espècie. La tercera icona de la droga mostra una imatge de la part utilitzada com a medicinal i un enllaç per disposar de més informació a través de la wikipedia en anglès. I, per últim, a la quarta icona, cada estudiant ha triat un producte comercial relacionat amb la planta i ha fet la consulta a la base de dades CIMA per esbrinar si aquesta planta té registrats Medicaments, Medicaments Tradicionals a base de Plantes (MTP) o, si no està en el catàleg, cal considerar-lo que en el nostre país només apareix com a complement alimentari. El conjunt de l'experiència ha estat molt ben rebuda pels estudiants que hi han participat amb una bona satisfacció del resultat final malgrat dedicar-hi un temps molt limitat.  QUÈ ÉS UN COMPLEMENT ALIMENTARI MEDICAMENTÓS?: Com el seu nom indica, un complement alimentari és un aliment que es pot presentar en qualsevol de les formes farmacèutiques clàssiques (càpsules, pastilles, vials, etc.) i que té un efecte fisiològic o nutricional, amb l’objectiu final de presentar un benefici per a l'organisme. Com la mateixa definició indica, complementa una dieta variada i equilibrada i sempre s'ha de consumir d'acord amb les indicacions que apareixen al seu etiquetat extern. Els complements alimentaris poden contenir vitamines, minerals, aminoàcids, àcids grassos essencials, fibres i, darrerament, diverses plantes medicinals i extractes d’herbes remeieres. Els complements alimentaris contribueixen, faciliten i ajuden a mantenir un bon estat de salut sempre que es mantingui un estil de vida saludable a través d'una dieta variada i equilibrada, una activitat física regular i, per descomptat, que es segueixin les instruccions del fabricant pel que fa a la seva correcta dosificació. Encara que el terme correcte és "complement alimentari" també es coneix amb accepcions com a suplement alimentari o complement nutricional. Un complement alimentari mai és substitut d'una bona dieta. En circumstàncies normals, una dieta adequada i equilibrada hauria de proporcionar tots els nutrients necessaris per al normal desenvolupament i manteniment d'un organisme sa. Malgrat això, moltes investigacions han demostrat que aquesta situació ideal no es dona en la pràctica per a tots els nutrients, ni per a tots els grups de població. Alguns col·lectius com, per exemple, dones embarassades i/o lactants, dones amb menopausa, gent gran amb mobilitat reduïda, persones veganes i/o vegetarianes o esportistes amb una activitat física intensa, entre d'altres, poden tenir falta d'un o més nutrients o tenir necessitats nutricionals especials en determinats moments de la seva vida. En aquests casos, pot ser útil el consum d’un complement alimentari, sempre, a poder ser, amb el consell d’un professional de la salut com ho és un farmacèutic

Global variation in postoperative mortality and complications after cancer surgery: a multicentre, prospective cohort study in 82 countries

© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licenseBackground: 80% of individuals with cancer will require a surgical procedure, yet little comparative data exist on early outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared postoperative outcomes in breast, colorectal, and gastric cancer surgery in hospitals worldwide, focusing on the effect of disease stage and complications on postoperative mortality. Methods: This was a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of consecutive adult patients undergoing surgery for primary breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer requiring a skin incision done under general or neuraxial anaesthesia. The primary outcome was death or major complication within 30 days of surgery. Multilevel logistic regression determined relationships within three-level nested models of patients within hospitals and countries. Hospital-level infrastructure effects were explored with three-way mediation analyses. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03471494. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and Jan 31, 2019, we enrolled 15 958 patients from 428 hospitals in 82 countries (high income 9106 patients, 31 countries; upper-middle income 2721 patients, 23 countries; or lower-middle income 4131 patients, 28 countries). Patients in LMICs presented with more advanced disease compared with patients in high-income countries. 30-day mortality was higher for gastric cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (adjusted odds ratio 3·72, 95% CI 1·70–8·16) and for colorectal cancer in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (4·59, 2·39–8·80) and upper-middle-income countries (2·06, 1·11–3·83). No difference in 30-day mortality was seen in breast cancer. The proportion of patients who died after a major complication was greatest in low-income or lower-middle-income countries (6·15, 3·26–11·59) and upper-middle-income countries (3·89, 2·08–7·29). Postoperative death after complications was partly explained by patient factors (60%) and partly by hospital or country (40%). The absence of consistently available postoperative care facilities was associated with seven to 10 more deaths per 100 major complications in LMICs. Cancer stage alone explained little of the early variation in mortality or postoperative complications. Interpretation: Higher levels of mortality after cancer surgery in LMICs was not fully explained by later presentation of disease. The capacity to rescue patients from surgical complications is a tangible opportunity for meaningful intervention. Early death after cancer surgery might be reduced by policies focusing on strengthening perioperative care systems to detect and intervene in common complications. Funding: National Institute for Health Research Global Health Research Unit

Effects of hospital facilities on patient outcomes after cancer surgery: an international, prospective, observational study

© 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licenseBackground: Early death after cancer surgery is higher in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared with in high-income countries, yet the impact of facility characteristics on early postoperative outcomes is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the association between hospital infrastructure, resource availability, and processes on early outcomes after cancer surgery worldwide. Methods: A multimethods analysis was performed as part of the GlobalSurg 3 study—a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study of patients who had surgery for breast, colorectal, or gastric cancer. The primary outcomes were 30-day mortality and 30-day major complication rates. Potentially beneficial hospital facilities were identified by variable selection to select those associated with 30-day mortality. Adjusted outcomes were determined using generalised estimating equations to account for patient characteristics and country-income group, with population stratification by hospital. Findings: Between April 1, 2018, and April 23, 2019, facility-level data were collected for 9685 patients across 238 hospitals in 66 countries (91 hospitals in 20 high-income countries; 57 hospitals in 19 upper-middle-income countries; and 90 hospitals in 27 low-income to lower-middle-income countries). The availability of five hospital facilities was inversely associated with mortality: ultrasound, CT scanner, critical care unit, opioid analgesia, and oncologist. After adjustment for case-mix and country income group, hospitals with three or fewer of these facilities (62 hospitals, 1294 patients) had higher mortality compared with those with four or five (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 3·85 [95% CI 2·58–5·75]; p<0·0001), with excess mortality predominantly explained by a limited capacity to rescue following the development of major complications (63·0% vs 82·7%; OR 0·35 [0·23–0·53]; p<0·0001). Across LMICs, improvements in hospital facilities would prevent one to three deaths for every 100 patients undergoing surgery for cancer. Interpretation: Hospitals with higher levels of infrastructure and resources have better outcomes after cancer surgery, independent of country income. Without urgent strengthening of hospital infrastructure and resources, the reductions in cancer-associated mortality associated with improved access will not be realised. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research