Psychometric attributes of the DISC Predictive Scales

Introduction: This study was designed to evaluate the psychometric attributes and screening efficiency of a Spanish version of the Children Predictive Scales (DPS) against the Spanish Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-IV). Method: This pilot cross-sectional study included 61 children aged 9 to 14 years in a mainstream school. The following psychometric attributes were analyzed: acceptability, scale assumptions, internal consistency, and precision, as well the predictive validity (AUC). Results: The scale did not show ceiling or floor effects (6.4%, 1.3%, respectively). The internal consistency was high (α±=0.92), and the standard error of measurement was adequate (SEM=1.54). The overall DPS AUC was 0.72 against DISC IV corresponding diagnosis. Conclusion: The Spanish version of the DPS-4.32 seems to be a reliable and precise tool for screening mental health disorders in a school-age population

Effect of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on Inflammatory, Antioxidant, and Depression Biomarkers in Women With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Study objectives: The effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on mediators of cardiovascular disease and depression in women with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is unknown. We aimed to assess the effect of CPAP therapy on a variety of biomarkers of inflammation, antioxidant activity, and depression in women with OSA. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, randomized controlled trial in 247 women diagnosed with moderate-to-severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ? 15). Women were randomized to CPAP (n = 120) or conservative treatment (n = 127) for 12 weeks. Changes in tumor necrosis factor ? (TNF?), interleukin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were assessed. Additional analyses were conducted in subgroups of clinical interest. Results: Women had a median (25th-75th percentiles) age of 58 (51-65) years, body mass index 33.5 (29.0-38.3) kg/m2, and AHI 33.3 (22.8-49.3). No differences were found between groups in the baseline levels of the biomarkers. After 12 weeks of follow-up, there were no changes between groups in any of the biomarkers assessed. These results did not change when the analyses were restricted to sleepy women or to those with severe OSA. In women with CPAP use at least 5 hours per night, only TNF? levels decreased compared to the control group (-0.29 ± 1.1 vs -0.06 ± 0.53, intergroup difference -0.23 [95% CI = -0.03 to -0.50]; p = 0.043). Conclusions: Twelve weeks of CPAP therapy does not improve biomarkers of inflammation, antioxidant activity, or depression compared to conservative treatment in women with moderate-to-severe OSA

Colombian consensus recommendations for diagnosis, management and treatment of the infection by SARS-COV-2/ COVID-19 in health care facilities - Recommendations from expert´s group based and informed on evidence

La Asociación Colombiana de Infectología (ACIN) y el Instituto de Evaluación de Nuevas Tecnologías de la Salud (IETS) conformó un grupo de trabajo para desarrollar recomendaciones informadas y basadas en evidencia, por consenso de expertos para la atención, diagnóstico y manejo de casos de Covid 19. Estas guías son dirigidas al personal de salud y buscar dar recomendaciones en los ámbitos de la atención en salud de los casos de Covid-19, en el contexto nacional de Colombia

Determination of Soil Properties from Electrical Measurements in Agricultural Plots, Villa de Arriaga, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

El conocimiento de las propiedades del suelo agrícola es crucial para la selección óptima de los tipos de cultivo, riego y fertilización. Este estudio contiene los resultados de la aplicación en campo y en laboratorio de mediciones eléctricas para obtener el contenido de finos, la porosidad, la conductividad hidráulica y la capacidad de intercambio catiónico (CIC) en tres parcelas agrícolas dedicadas al cultivo de la cebada. Los valores del contenido de finos se obtuvieron mediante mediciones eléctricas en muestras de suelo de laboratorio y el algoritmo de Ryjov, que es comparable a los valores calculados a partir del análisis textural de Bouyoucos. En la parcela agrícola A, un perfil de Tomografía de Resistividad Eléctrica (TRE), junto con las mediciones de la humedad y la salinidad del suelo, muestran resultados de alta resolución para determinar las propiedades del suelo, a partir de una clara imagen del espesor del suelo, así como la identificación de sus horizontes. Un estudio de rápido avance con el método Perfilaje Eléctrico (PE) fue realizado en las tres parcelas, resultando en mapas de propiedades del suelo. Las parcelas muestran rango de valores de CIC como: A-bajo, B-moderado y C-alto. Este resultado se ajusta a los rendimientos de los cultivos por hectárea y al análisis de fertilidad realizado en cada parcela, lo que confirma no sólo la eficacia del método PE y del algoritmo de Ryjov para el estudio de las propiedades del suelo agrícola. doi: https://doi.org/10.22201/igeof.00167169p.2021.60.1.203

An affordable 3D-printed positioner fixture improves the resolution of conventional milling for easy prototyping of acrylic microfluidic devices.

International audienceWe present a simple and low-cost positioner fixture to improve the fabrication resolution of acrylic microchannels using conventional milling machines. The positioner fixture is a mechatronic platform that consists of three piezoelectric actuators assembled in a housing made of 3D printer parts. The upper part of the housing is raised by the simultaneous actuation of the piezoelectric elements and by the deformation of 3D-printed hinge-shaped supports. The vertical positioning (Z-axis) can be controlled with a resolution of 500 nm and an accuracy of ± 1.5 µm; in contrast, conventional milling machines can achieve resolutions of 10 to 35 µm. Through simulations, we found that 3D-printed hinges can deform to reach heights up to 27 µm without suffering any mechanical or structural damage. To demonstrate the capabilities of our fixture we fabricated microfluidic devices with three weir filters that selectively capture microbeads of 3, 6 and 10 µm. We used a similar weir filter design to implement a bead-based immunoassay. Our positioner fixture increases the resolution of conventional milling machines, thus enabling the fast and easy fabrication of thermoplastic fluidic devices that require finer microstructures in their design

Effectiveness of antidepressants in improving the prognosis of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective, and material and methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of antidepressants in reducing the poor evolution of COVID-19 disease (a composite variable including death, hospitalization and need for mechanical ventilation), and mortality, according the guidelines for Systematic Reviews of Interventions published by the Cochrane library. Source of data: MEDLINE, EMBASE and COCHRANE LIBRARY were consulted up to February 25, 2022. Unpublished studies were searched on clinicaltrials.gov platform. Selection of studies: Seven masked and unmasked, observational and experimental studies evaluating death, hospitalization and need for mechanical ventilation were selected. A second subgroup analysis with mortality variable was performed. Data extraction: A full risk of bias assessment was performed addressing issues such as information and confounding bias. ROB2 and Robins-I tools for randomized and no randomized studies were employed respectively. In the quantitative analysis, the risk of publication bias, heterogeneity, estimation of pooled measure and a sensitivity analysis was performed. The pooled final measure was calculated as odds ratio with its correspondent 95% confidence interval. A random effects model was used for this purpose due to the heterogeneity between included studies.Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the robustness of final pooled measure. Results: Seven studies were finally considered to calculate the final pooled measure. The effect of intervention was OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.56–0.94. Conclusions: The use of antidepressants, and specially SSRI could be effective for reducing the risk of poor progression of COVID-19 disease. Resumen: Objetivo, y material y métodos: Se realizó una revisión sistemática y un metaanálisis para evaluar la eficacia de los antidepresivos en la reducción de la mala evolución de la enfermedad COVID-19 (variable compuesta que incluye muerte, hospitalización y necesidad de ventilación mecánica), y mortalidad, según las directrices para Revisiones Sistemáticas de Intervenciones publicadas por la biblioteca Cochrane. Fuente de datos: Se consultaron MEDLINE, EMBASE y la biblioteca Cochrane hasta el 25 de febrero de 2022. Se realizaron búsquedas de estudios no publicados en la plataforma clinicaltrials.gov. Selección de estudios: Se seleccionaron estudios observacionales y experimentales, enmascarados y no enmascarados, que evaluaron la muerte, la hospitalización y la necesidad de ventilación mecánica. Se realizó un segundo análisis de subgrupos con la variable mortalidad. Extracción de datos: Se realizó una evaluación completa del riesgo de sesgo que abordó temas como el sesgo de información y los factores de confusión. Se emplearon las herramientas Rob2 y Robins-I para los estudios aleatorios y no aleatorios, respectivamente. En el análisis cuantitativo, se analizó el sesgo de publicación, heterogeneidad, y se estimó la medida combinada global. La medida final se calculó como odds ratio con su correspondiente intervalo de confianza del 95%. Para ello se utilizó un modelo de efectos aleatorios debido a la heterogeneidad entre los estudios incluidos.Finalmente, se realizó un análisis de sensibilidad para evaluar la robustez de la medida final estimada. Resultados: Se consideraron 7 estudios para calcular la medida agrupada final. El efecto de la intervención (tratamiento con antidepresivos) fue OR 0,73; IC 95% 0,56-0,94. Conclusiones: El uso de antidepresivos, y especialmente de ISRS, podría ser eficaz para reducir el riesgo de mala evolución y mortalidad de la enfermedad COVID-19

Effect of continuous positive airway pressure on blood pressure and metabolic profile in women with sleep apnoea.

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduces blood pressure levels in hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). However, the role of CPAP in blood pressure and the metabolic profile in women has not yet been assessed. In this study we investigated the effect of CPAP on blood pressure levels and the glucose and lipid profile in women with moderate-to-severe OSA.A multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled trial was conducted in 307 women diagnosed with moderate-to-severe OSA (apnoea-hypopnoea index ≥15 events·h-1) in 19 Spanish Sleep Units. Women were randomised to CPAP (n=151) or conservative treatment (n=156) for 12 weeks. Changes in office blood pressure measures as well as in the glucose and lipid profile were assessed in both groups.Compared with the control group, the CPAP group achieved a significantly greater decrease in diastolic blood pressure (-2.04 mmHg, 95% CI -4.02- -0.05; p=0.045), and a nonsignificantly greater decrease in systolic blood pressure (-1.54 mmHg, 95% CI -4.58-1.51; p=0.32) and mean blood pressure (-1.90 mmHg, 95% CI -4.0-0.31; p=0.084). CPAP therapy did not change any of the metabolic variables assessed.In women with moderate-to-severe OSA, 12 weeks of CPAP therapy improved blood pressure, especially diastolic blood pressure, but did not change the metabolic profile, compared with conservative treatment