Comparing precarious employment across countries: measurement invariance of the employment precariousness scale for europe (EPRES-E)

Comparing precarious employment (PE) across countries is essential to deepen the understanding of the phenomenon and to learn from country-specific experiences. However, this is hampered by the lack of internationally meaningful measures of PE. We aim to address this point by assessing the measurement invariance (MI) of the Employment Precariousness Scale for Europe (EPRES-E), an adaptation of the EPRES construct in the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS). EPRES-E consists of 13 proxy-indicators sorted into six dimensions: temporariness, disempowerment, vulnerability, wages, exercise of rights, unpredictable working times. Drawing on EWCS-2015, MI of the second-order factor model was tested in a sample of 31,340 formal employees by means of (a) multi-group confirmatory factor analyses, and (b) the substantive exploration of EPRES-E mean scores in each country (...

Projecte estructural d'un poliesportiu semi soterrat

L’objecte del present projecte és el de realitzar el càlcul de l’estructura d’un poliesportiu semi soterrat al barri de Gràcia de Barcelona. A partir del projecte arquitectònic, es determinarà la tipologia estructural més adequada i es passarà a dissenyar i calcular tots els elements estructurals que la formen

Precarious Employment and Stress : The Biomedical Embodiment of Social Factors. PRESSED Project Study Protocol

Juan de la Cierva Incorporación fellowship (IJCI-2017-33999) ; ICREA Academia programThe PRESSED project aims to explain the links between a multidimensional measure of precarious employment and stress and health. Studies on social epidemiology have found a clear positive association between precarious employment and health, but the pathways and mechanisms to explain such a relationship are not well-understood. This project aims to fill this gap from an interdisciplinary perspective, integrating the social and biomedical standpoints to comprehensively address the complex web of consequences of precarious employment and its effects on workers' stress, health and well-being, including health inequalities. The project objectives are: (1) to analyze the association between multidimensional precarious employment and chronic stress among salaried workers in Barcelona, measured both subjectively and using biological indicators; (2) to improve our understanding of the pathways and mechanisms linking precarious employment with stress, health and well-being; and (3) to analyze health inequalities by gender, social class and place of origin for the first two objectives. The study follows a sequential mixed design. First, secondary data from the 2017 Survey on Workers and the Unemployed of Barcelona is analyzed (N = 1,264), yielding a social map of precarious employment in Barcelona that allows the contextualization of the scope and characteristics of this phenomenon. Drawing on these results, a second survey on a smaller sample (N = 255) on precarious employment, social precariousness and stress is envisaged. This study population is also asked to provide a hair sample to have their levels of cortisol and its related components, biomarkers of chronic stress, analyzed. Third, a sub-sample of the latter survey (n = 25) is selected to perform qualitative semi-structured interviews. This allows going into greater depth into how and why the experience of uncertainty, the precarization of living conditions, and the degradation of working conditions go hand-in-hand with precarious employment and have an impact on stress, as well as to explore the potential role of social support networks in mitigating these effects

The role of socio-demographic determinants in the geo-spatial distribution of newly diagnosed HIV infections in small areas of Catalonia (Spain)

Background: Spatial visualization of HIV surveillance data could improve the planning of programs to address the HIV epidemic. The objectives of the study were to describe the characteristics and the spatial distribution of newly diagnosed HIV infection in Catalonia and to identify factors associated with HIV infection rates. Methods: Surveillance data from the national registry were presented in the form of descriptive and ring maps and used to study the spatial distribution of new HIV diagnoses in Catalonia (2012-2016) and associated risk factors at the small area level (ABS, acronym for "basic health area" in Catalan). Incident cases were modeled using the following as predictors: type of municipality, prevalence of young men and migrant groups, MSM activity indicators, and other variables at the aggregated level. Results: New HIV diagnoses are heterogeneously distributed across Catalonia. The predictors that proved to be signicantly associated with a higher rate of new HIV diagnoses were ABS located in the city of Barcelona (IRR, 2.520; P<0.001), a higher proportion of men aged 15-44 years (IRR, 1.193; P=0.003), a higher proportion of MSM (IRR, 1.230; P=0.030), a higher proportion of men from Western Europe (IRR, 1.281; P=0.003), a higher proportion of men from Latin America (IRR, 1.260; P=0.003), and a higher number of gay locations (IRR, 2.665; P<0.001). No association was observed between the HIV diagnosis rate and economic deprivation. Conclusions: Ring maps revealed substantial spatial associations for the rate of new HIV diagnoses. New HIV diagnoses are concentrated in ABS located in urban areas. Our results show that, in the case of HIV infection, the socioeconomic deprivation index on which the Catalan government bases its budget allocation policies among the ABS should not be the only criterion used

The role of socio-demographic determinants in the geo-spatial distribution of newly diagnosed HIV infections in small areas of Catalonia (Spain)

Spatial visualization of HIV surveillance data could improve the planning of programs to address the HIV epidemic. The objectives of the study were to describe the characteristics and the spatial distribution of newly diagnosed HIV infection in Catalonia and to identify factors associated with HIV infection rates. Surveillance data from the national registry were presented in the form of descriptive and ring maps and used to study the spatial distribution of new HIV diagnoses in Catalonia (2012-2016) and associated risk factors at the small area level (ABS, acronym for "basic health area" in Catalan). Incident cases were modeled using the following as predictors: type of municipality, prevalence of young men and migrant groups, GBMSM activity indicators, and other variables at the aggregated level. New HIV diagnoses are heterogeneously distributed across Catalonia. The predictors that proved to be significantly associated with a higher rate of new HIV diagnoses were ABS located in the city of Barcelona (IRR, 2.520; P < 0.001), a higher proportion of men aged 15-44 years (IRR, 1.193; P = 0.003), a higher proportion of GBMSM (IRR, 1.230; P = 0.030), a higher proportion of men from Western Europe (IRR, 1.281; P = 0.003), a higher proportion of men from Latin America (IRR, 1.260; P = 0.003), and a higher number of gay locations (IRR, 2.665; P < 0.001). No association was observed between the HIV diagnosis rate and economic deprivation. Ring maps revealed substantial spatial associations for the rate of new HIV diagnoses. New HIV diagnoses are concentrated in ABS located in urban areas. Our results show that, in the case of HIV infection, the socioeconomic deprivation index on which the Catalan government bases its budget allocation policies among the ABS should not be the only criterion used

What do we know about Immunity to SARS-CoV-2? Implications for Public Health Policies

Additional support from ISGlobal’s Antoni Plasència and Josep M. AntóAs the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, so does our knowledge of the magnitude, type and durability of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 as a result of natural infection or vaccination. This information is crucial since it will largely define the strategies we need to implement in order to protect individuals and populations. With this in mind, the GCMSC presents its second report, where they review the current knowledge on immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and the implications in terms of public health policies

Post-Acute COVID Syndrome (PACS): Definition, Impact and Management

Additional support from ISGlobal’s Antoni Plasència and Josep M. AntóA variety of studies suggest that up to 10-15% of all patients with COVID-19 may present persistent symptomatology weeks or even months after the original infection. Given the accumulated burden of COVID-19 in Catalonia, Spain, we speculate that over 90,000 patients could have been or are currently affected by persistent symptoms or sequelae. The Multidisciplinary Collaborative Group for the Scientific Monitoring of COVID-19 (GCMSC) presents its third report where they propose a clear set of case definitions of Post-Acute COVID syndrome (PACS) and its sub-categories and recommend a comprehensive medical examination to characterise the clinical features and complications when assessing PACS

Robot-assisted kidney transplantation (RAKT) from living donors using right- versus left-sided grafts: Results from the EAU Robotic Urology Section (ERUS)-RAKT working group

Introduction & Objectives: RAKT from living donors (LD) is increasingly performed in selected centers with experience in robotic surgery and kidney transplantation (KT). Of note, KT from LD using right-sided graft (RSG) is challenging due to the brevity of the right renal vein and has been associated with a higher risk of perioperative complications in selected series. In this scenario, RAKT may facilitate the performance of vascular anastomoses in case of short renal vessels thanks to the advantages of the robotic platform. However, the evidence on the safety and feasibility of RAKT using RSGs is lacking. The aim of this study is to compare the surgical and early perioperative outcomes after RAKT from LD using right- vs. left-sided grafts in a large prospective multicenter cohort (ERUS-RAKT working group)

BA.5 Omicron subvariant in Catalonia: Current impact and recommendations for booster vaccination strategies

Additional support from ISGlobal’s Antoni Plasència and Josep M. AntóCirculation of the Omicron BA.5 subvariant has led to a considerable increase in cases and also in hospitalisations (but not severe cases or deaths) in recent weeks in Catalonia, the rest of Spain and many other countries. Based on scientific evidence and the current epidemiological situation, the Multidisciplinary Collaborative Group for the Scientific Monitoring of COVID-19 (GCMSC) has conducted an analysis of the impact of the BA-5 subvariant in Catalonia and, with the support of the COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Committee (CCAC) attached to the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, has issued a series of recommendations for booster vaccination strategies

COVID-19 Immunisation Strategy: Priority Populations

Additional support from ISGlobal’s Antoni Plasència and Josep M. AntóWith a limited initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines doses and an expected delay for the universal vaccination of those eligible to receive it, it is relevant to analyse how best to prioritise the first available doses to achieve the greatest impact, both in terms of protecting individuals and minimising community transmission. Ethical issues are key in guiding a fair distribution. Different scenarios on vaccine implementation are summarised in this report. After a critical review of the documents and considering that these criteria are applied to Spanish citizens, the members of theGCMSC establish a priority vaccination list based on ethical principles and adapted to our count