Incidència del desenvolupament científic europeu a les ciències de la salut en els Països Catalans en el segle XVIII: aportacions de la farmacopea londinensis

Són nombrosos els estudis que fan paleses les interrelacions entre els homes de ciència catalans i els desenvolupaments científics europeus, moguts pel seu interès i preocupació per les seves professions (1) com va descriure per exemple la Dr. A. M. Carmona en el seu discurs d'ingrés a la Reial Acadèmia de Farmàcia de Barcelona com a acadèmic electe. L'objecte de la comunicació d'avui és donar a conèixer la primera edició traduïda de la Farmacopea de Londres (1797), fent especial esmena dels comentaris i anotacions aclaratòries que el Dr. Casimiro Ortega, traductor de l'obra, va fer referent als Paisos Catalans i als seus científics. La qual cosa, demostra un cop més la qualitat i alt nivell científic assolit pels catalans d'aquella època

Perception of electronic cigarettes in the general population: does their usefulness outweigh their risks?

Objective: To describe and compare the perceptions of the general population about the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) on users and on those passively exposed to e-cigarettes and the perceptions about e-cigarette usefulness for reducing or eliminating tobacco smoking. Design, setting, and participants: We analysed cross-sectional data from a longitudinal study of a representative sample of the general adult (≥16 years) population of Barcelona, Spain (336 men and 400 women). The fieldwork was conducted between May 2013 and February 2014. We computed the percentages, adjusted OR and their corresponding 95% CI among participants with some awareness of e-cigarettes (79.2% of the sample). Primary and secondary outcome measures: We assessed the perception about harmfulness for e-cigarette users and for passively exposed non-e-cigarette users, as well as the perception of usefulness for smokers of cigarette cessation and reduction

Secondhand smoke risk perception and smoke-free rules in homes: a cross-sectional study in Barcelona (Spain)

Objective: to describe the voluntary adoption of smoke-free homes in Spain among general population and to identify variables associated with its voluntary adoption. Methods: cross-sectional study of a representative sample (n=731) of the adult population (>26 years) of Barcelona, Spain, in 2013-2014. We defined smoking rules inside the households as complete indoor rules (when smoking was not allowed inside the house), and partial or absent indoor rules (when smoking was allowed in some designated places inside the house or when smoking was allowed everywhere) and described them according to the perceived risk of the secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. We calculated the prevalence and prevalence ratios (PR) according to sociodemographic variables. Results: 57.4% of households had complete indoor smoke-free rules. The prevalence of households with complete indoor rules was higher among women (PRa: 1.15; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.33), married (PRa: 1.18; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.38), never-smokers (PRa: 2.68; 95% CI 2.06 to 3.50) and in households where a minor lived (PRa: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.20-1.65). Believe that breathing tobacco smoke from smokers is dangerous for non-smokers (PRa: 1.77; 95% CI: 1.06-2.97) is associated with the voluntary adoption of complete indoor smoke-free home. Conclusions: risk perceptions of SHS exposure were associated with the voluntary adoption of indoor smoke-free homes

El origen anatómico de la arteria coronaria septal del hámster sirio es un carácter heredable

Este artículo se ha publicado en: Rev Esp Cardiol 2016, 69, supl. 1:683.Introducción y objetivos: En los roedores, incluidos los empleados en el laboratorio, las arterias coronarias son intramiocárdicas. Normalmente se distinguen 3 arterias coronarias, la derecha, que irriga el corazón derecho, la izquierda, que irriga el corazón izquierdo, y la septal, que irriga el septo interventricular. En el hámster sirio, una especie empleada como modelo en estudios sobre anomalías congénitas de las arterias coronarias, la arteria septal se origina de la coronaria derecha o de la izquierda, o de un ostium propio en el seno aórtico correspondiente. El objetivo fue averiguar si el origen anatómico de la arteria septal del hámster está sujeto a factores hereditarios. Métodos: Se estudiaron moldes internos del corazón de un total de 483 hámsteres, seleccionados de 74 camadas y sus progenitores. Todos los animales tenían arterias coronarias normales. Con los datos obtenidos, se calculó la incidencia del origen de la arteria septal (izquierda o derecha) en individuos cuyos parentales presentaban (1) ambos septal izquierda, (2) ambos septal derecha y (3) uno septal derecha y el otro izquierda. Mediante el test de χ2, se verificó la hipótesis de que el origen de la arteria septal de un individuo es independiente del que presentan sus parentales. Resultados: La proporción de arterias septales derecha e izquierda varió significativamente dependiendo del fenotipo parental (χ2 = 33,121, p < 0,001). La arteria septal izquierda fue más frecuente de lo esperado en animales cuyos parentales tenían ambos arteria septal izquierda (p < 0,01), mientras que la arteria septal derecha lo era en animales en los que uno (p < 0,001) o ambos (p < 0,001) parentales tenían arteria septal derecha. Conclusiones: Los presentes resultados son los primeros en demostrar la influencia de factores genéticos en las variaciones anatómicas de un patrón arterial coronario, en particular de la arteria septal del hámster. Estos hallazgos son consistentes con el hecho de que, en humanos, determinadas características morfológicas del árbol arterial coronario asociadas a la enfermedad coronaria tienen un componente genético patente. El estudio del sustrato genético que subyace al establecimiento de los patrones anatómicos de las arterias coronarias en roedores puede contribuir a identificar marcadores de susceptibilidad a la enfermedad coronaria humana.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. PI-0888-2012 (Junta de Andalucía). Red de Investigación Cardiovascular (RIC; RETICs

Motivation and main flavour of use, use with nicotine and dual use of electronic cigarettes in Barcelona, Spain: a cross-sectional study

Objective This study seeks to describe current e-cigarette users' patterns of use including primary motivation for use, dual use, use with nicotine and principal flavour used, according to individuals' sociodemographic characteristics and conventional tobacco consumption in Barcelona, Spain. Design, setting and participants This is a cross sectional study of adult (≥18) current e-cigarette users of Barcelona (n=600), recruited in 2015. Researchers calculated percentages and ORs with their 95% CIs of users' e-cigarette use with nicotine, primary motivation for use and preferred flavour. The analyses were stratified by sociodemographic variables including sex, age and level of education and by patterns of e-cigarette use and past and current conventional tobacco use. Results The most prevalent motivation for using e-cigarettes was to reduce tobacco smoking (48%, n=288), followed by quitting smoking (39.2%, n=235), and to use e-cigarettes in places where tobacco smoking was prohibited (10.2%, n=61). The most prevalent primary flavour used was tobacco (49%, n=294), followed by fruit (19.5%, n=117). People younger than 25 years old (OR=4.36, 95%CI 1.99 to 9.57) were more likely than older people to use them where smoking cigarettes was prohibited. A greater proportion of those in the youngest age group preferred fruit flavour compared with older individuals (29.3%, n=41). Conclusions Younger users of e-cigarettes and non smokers are more likely to use flavours other than tobacco and to use e-cigarettes mainly for recreational purposes

Inherited biotic protection in a Neotropical pioneer plant

Chelonanthus alatus is a bat-pollinated, pioneer Gentianaceae that clusters in patches where still-standing, dried-out stems are interspersed among live individuals. Flowers bear circum-floral nectaries (CFNs) that are attractive to ants, and seed dispersal is both barochorous and anemochorous. Although, in this study, live individuals never sheltered ant colonies, dried-out hollow stems - that can remain standing for 2 years - did. Workers from species nesting in dried-out stems as well as from ground-nesting species exploited the CFNs of live C. alatus individuals in the same patches during the daytime, but were absent at night (when bat pollination occurs) on 60.5% of the plants. By visiting the CFNs, the ants indirectly protect the flowers - but not the plant foliage - from herbivorous insects. We show that this protection is provided mostly by species nesting in dried-out stems, predominantly Pseudomyrmex gracilis. That dried-out stems remain standing for years and are regularly replaced results in an opportunistic, but stable association where colonies are sheltered by one generation of dead C. alatus while the live individuals nearby, belonging to the next generation, provide them with nectar; in turn, the ants protect their flowers from herbivores. We suggest that the investment in wood by C. alatus individuals permitting stillstanding, dried-out stems to shelter ant colonies constitutes an extended phenotype because foraging workers protect the flowers of live individuals in the same patch. Also, through this process these dried-out stems indirectly favor the reproduction (and so the fitness) of the next generation including both their own offspring and that of their siblings, alladding up to a potential case of inclusive fitness in plants

Electronic cigarette use among adult population: a cross-sectional study in Barcelona (2013-2014)

Objective: this study seeks to analyse the prevalence and correlates of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use, purchase location and satisfaction with its use in a sample of the general population of the city of Barcelona, Spain. Design, setting and participants: we used participants from a longitudinal study of a representative sample of the adult (≥16 years old) population of Barcelona (336 men and 400 women). The field work was conducted between May 2013 and February 2014. We computed the prevalence, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: the prevalence of ever e-cigarette use was 6.5% (95% CI 4.7% to 8.3%): 1.6% current use, 2.2% past use and 2.7% only e-cigarette experimentation. 75% (95% CI 62.8% to 87.3%) of ever e-cigarette users were current cigarette smokers at the moment of the interview. E-cigarette use was more likely among current smokers (OR=54.57; 95% CI 7.33 to 406.38) and highly dependent cigarette smokers (OR=3.96; 95% CI 1.60 to 9.82). 62.5% of the ever users charged their e-cigarettes with nicotine with 70% of them obtaining the liquids with nicotine in a specialised shop. 39.6% of ever e-cigarette users were not satisfied with their use, a similar percentage of not satisfied expressing the smokers (38.9%) and there were no statistically significant differences in the satisfaction between the users of e-cigarettes with and without nicotine. Conclusions: e-cigarette use is strongly associated with current smoking (dual use) and most users continue to be addicted to nicotine. Six out of 10 e-cigarette users preferred devices that deliver nicotine. The satisfaction with e-cigarette use is very low

Impact of a long-term tobacco-free policy at a comprehensive cancer center: a series of cross-sectional surveys

Spain has passed two smoke-free laws in the last years. In 2005, the law banned smoking in indoor places, and in 2010 the ban was extended to outdoor areas of certain premises such as hospitals. This study assesses the impact of smoking consumption among hospital workers at a comprehensive cancer center after the passage of two national smoke-free laws. Six cross-sectional surveys were conducted among a representative sample of hospital workers at a comprehensive cancer center in Barcelona (20012012) using a standardized questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to compare differences in the odds of smoking after the laws took effect (baseline vs. 1st law; 2nd law vs. 1st law). Baseline smoking prevalence was 33.1%. After passage of the 1st and 2nd laws, prevalence decreased, respectively, to 30.5% and 22.2% (p for trend =0.005). Prevalence ratios (PR) indicated a significant decrease in overall smoking after the 2nd law (PR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.47-0-89). Smoking dropped in all professional groups, more prominently among those ≥35 years old, doctors, and women. Observed trends over the time included an increase in occasional smokers, a rise in abstinence during working hours but an increase in smoking dependence, and an increase in the employees' overall support for the smoke-free hospital project. A long-term tobacco control project combined with two smoke-free national laws reduced smoking rates among health workers and increased their support for tobacco control policies. The decrease was more significant after the passage of the outdoor smoke-free ban

Attitudes towards electronic cigarettes regulation in indoor workplaces and selected public and private places: a population-based cross-sectional study

Background: currently, there is an intensive debate about the regulation of the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in indoor places. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes toward e-cigarette use in indoor workplaces and selected public and private venues among the general population in Barcelona (Spain) in 2013-2014. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study of a representative sample of the population of Barcelona (n5736). The field work was conducted between May 2013 and February 2014. We computed the prevalence and the adjusted odds ratios(OR) derived from multivariable logistic regression models. Results: the awareness of e-cigarettes was 82.3%. Forty five percent of respondents did not agree with the use of e-cigarettes in public places and 52.3% in workplaces. The proportion of disapproval of the use of e-cigarettes in indoor places was higher at 71.5% for schools and 65.8% for hospitals and health care centers; while the prevalence of disapproval of e-cigarette use in homes and cars was lower (18.0% and 32.5%, respectively). Respondents who disagreed on the use of e-cigarettes in indoor workplaces were more likely to be older (OR51.64 and 1.97 for groups 45-64 and §65 years old, respectively), those with a high educational level (OR51.60), and never and former smokers (OR52.34 and 2.16, respectively). Increased scores in the Fagerstro¨m test for cigarette dependence were also related to increased support for their use. Conclusions: based on this population based study, half of the general population of Barcelona does not support the use of e-cigarettes in indoor workplaces and public places, with the percentage reaching 65% for use in schools, hospitals and health care centers. Consequently, there is good societal support in Spain for the politicians and legislators to promote policies restricting e-cigarettes use in workplaces and public places, including hospitality venues

Safety belt and mobile phone usage in vehicles in Barcelona (Spain)

OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence and correlates of safety belt and mobile phone usage in vehicles in the city of Barcelona (Spain). METHODS: We performed a study using direct observation with a cross-sectional design. We selected 2,442 private cars, commercial vehicles, and taxis from all districts of Barcelona. RESULTS: The prevalence of people not wearing safety belt was 10.5% among drivers, 4.6% among front seat passengers, and 32.2% among some of the rear passengers. It was higher among the passengers than among the drivers, regardless of the type of the vehicle. The prevalence of mobile phone usage while driving during a moment of the trip was 3.8%. CONCLUSION: Our study shows noticeably high prevalence of people not wearing safety belt in the rear seats. Moreover, four out of one hundred drivers still use the mobile phone while driving during a moment of the trip