Elderly Population with COVID-19 and the Accuracy of Clinical Scales and D-Dimer for Pulmonary Embolism: The OCTA-COVID Study

Background: Elderly COVID-19 patients have a high risk of pulmonary embolism (PE), but factors that predict PE are unknown in this population. This study assessed the Wells and revised Geneva scoring systems as predictors of PE and their relationships with D-dimer (DD) in this population. Methods: This was a longitudinal, observational study that included patients 75 years old with COVID-19 and suspected PE. The performances of theWells score, revised Geneva score and DD levels were assessed. The combinations of the DD level and the clinical scales were evaluated using positive rules for higher specificity. Results: Among 305 patients included in the OCTA-COVID study cohort, 50 had suspected PE based on computed tomography pulmonary arteriography (CTPA), and the prevalence was 5.6%. The frequencies of PE in the low-, intermediate- and high-probability categories were 5.9%, 88.2% and 5.9% for the Geneva model and 35.3%, 58.8% and 5.9% for the Wells model, respectively. The DD median was higher in the PE group (4.33 mg/L; interquartile range (IQR) 2.40–7.17) than in the no PE group (1.39 mg/L; IQR 1.01–2.75) (p < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for DD was 0.789 (0.652–0.927). After changing the cutoff point for DD to 4.33 mg/L, the specificity increased from 42.5% to 93.9%. Conclusions: The cutoff point DD > 4.33 mg/L has an increased specificity, which can discriminate false positives. The addition of the DD and the clinical probability scales increases the specificity and negative predictive value, which helps to avoid unnecessary invasive tests in this population

Adaptación y validación de la Escala de Dificultades en la Regulación Emocional en adultos del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires

La desregulación emocional (de) fue identificada como uno de los principales procesos involucrados en el surgimiento y mantenimiento de los trastornos emocionales. A su vez, los trastornos emocionales son los más prevalentes mundialmente, volviendo a la de un objeto de estudio de gran relevancia. El presente trabajo consiste en la adaptación y validación de la Escala de Dificultades en la Regulación Emocional (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, ders) (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), para ser usada en población general del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires. Se realizó un estudio transversal con 315 participantes entre 18 y 65 años. La consistencia interna resultó adecuada (α = 0.936; ω = 0.938). Se llevó a cabo un análisis factorial confirmatorio mediante el paquete Lavaan, quedando la escala conformada por 30 ítems que se ajustan a las seis dimensiones originales. También se presenta evidencia de validez convergente y discriminante, la capacidad de discriminación de los ítems, diferencias por sexo y edad, y valores normativos para adultos del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires. La adaptación al español de la ders representa una herramienta válida y confiable para medir distintos aspectos del proceso de regulación emocional

Peripheral vision and perceptual asymmetries in young and older martial arts athletes and nonathletes

The present study investigated peripheral vision (PV) and perceptual asymmetries in young and older martial arts athletes (judo and karate athletes) and compared their performance with that of young and older nonathletes. Stimuli were dots presented at three different eccentricities along the horizontal, oblique, and vertical diameters and three interstimulus intervals. Experiment 1 showed that although the two athlete groups were faster in almost all conditions, karate athletes performed significantly better than nonathlete participants when stimuli were presented in the peripheral visual field. Experiment 2 showed that older participants who had practiced a martial art at a competitive level when they were young were significantly faster than sedentary older adults of the same age. The practiced sport (judo or karate) did not affect performance differentially, suggesting that it is the practice of martial arts that is the crucial factor, rather than the type of martial art. Importantly, older athletes lose their PV advantage, as compared with young athletes. Finally, we found that physical activity (young and older athletes) and age (young and older adults) did not alter the visual asymmetries that vary as a function of spatial location; all participants were faster for stimuli presented along the horizontal than for those presented along the vertical meridian and for those presented at the lower rather than at the upper locations within the vertical meridian. These results indicate that the practice of these martial arts is an effective way of counteracting the processing speed decline of visual stimuli appearing at any visual location and speed

Sports can protect dynamic visual acuity from aging: A study with young and older judo and karate martial arts athletes

A major topic of current research in aging has been to investigate ways to promote healthy aging and neuroplasticity in order to counteract perceptual and cognitive declines. The aim of the present study was to investigate the benefits of intensive, sustained judo and karate martial arts training in young and older athletes and nonathletes of the same age for attenuating age-related dynamic visual acuity (DVA) decline. As a target, we used a moving stimulus similar to a Landolt ring that moved horizontally, vertically, or obliquely across the screen at three possible contrasts and three different speeds. The results indicated that (1) athletes had better DVA than nonathletes; (2) the older adult groups showed a larger oblique effect than the younger groups, regardless of whether or not they practiced a martial art; and (3) age modulated the results of sport under the high-speed condition: The DVA of young karate athletes was superior to that of nonathletes, while both judo and karate older athletes showed better DVA than did sedentary older adults. These findings suggest that in older adults, the practice of a martial art in general, rather than the practice of a particular type of martial art, is the crucial thing. We concluded that the sustained practice of a martial art such as judo or karate attenuates the decline of DVA, suggesting neuroplasticity in the aging human brain.This research was supported by grants from the Spanish government (No. PSI2010-21609-C2-01) and the Madrid Community (No. S2010/BMD-2349) to S.B. We thank all of the volunteers who participated in the present study. We also thank José Manuel Reales and Julia Mayas for their valuable comments on the design of the study. We are very grateful to J. A. Aznar-Casanova, L. Quevedo, and J. C. Ondategui for their help on DVA measurement. Finally, we are very grateful to Marisa Carrasco (New York University) for her helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript. We also thank two reviewers, who with their comments and suggestions helped us to improve this article

Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS): Adaptation and validation for its use in adults in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires (Argentina) [Escala de Dificultades en la Regulación Emocional (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale [DERS]): Adaptación y validación para su uso en adultos en el Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires (Argentina)]

The present study consists of the adaptation and validation of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz and Roemer, 2004) for its use in the general population of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 315 subjects between 18 and 65 years old. The scale consists of 30 items which, after a confirmatory factor analysis, were found to fit the six original dimensions. Internal consistency was adequate (α = .936; ω = .938). There is also evidence of convergent and discriminant validity, items discrimination ability, differences by sex and age, and normative values for adults in the AMBA. The Spanish adaptation of the DERS represents a valid and reliable tool to measure different aspects of the emotional regulation process

Contemporaneous Emotion Regulation Theoretical Models: A Systematic Review

Background: Emotions and their regulation are a phenomenon present in everyday life. Despite its relevance and growing interest, a consensual and univocal definition has not yet been reached. Objective: This paper aims to review contemporary theoretical models of emotion regulation, looking for agreements and divergences between authors. It seeks to identify the main processes considered when working with emotional dysregulation. Method: Our team conducted a systematic review in the form of a narrative synthesis following the guidelines of the PRISMA statement. The database used were SCOPUS, PUBMED, and Dialnet. We included articles published between 2018 and 2020, which have been peer-reviewed in indexed scientific journals, whose central theme was the theoretical presentation of the construct of emotional regulation. We excluded articles that conceptualized only one dimension of the construct focused on specific populations and empirical studies without a theoretical conceptualization of the construct. The information was systematized in a table identifying authors' information, country of institutional affiliation, main characteristics of the given definition of emotion regulation, regulation skills mentioned, and underlying theoretical frameworks. Results: We identified ten different theoretical frameworks that propose models of emotion regulation. The main components found in the definition were the complexity of the construct, goal orientation, intra- or interpersonal regulation, the proposal of moderators, and its voluntary character. Discussion: There is a consensus on the use of emotion regulation strategies to adapt to environmental demands, achieve goals and increase well-being. We identify that people's learning history is an important factor in the development of emotional regulation skills. In addition, context and personality traits are proposed as moderators of the therapeutic efficacy of interventions focused on emotional regulation. Further studies along these lines would favor the implementation of preventive interventions and the personalization of treatments