CHALLENGES FACED BY NURSES IN CARING FOR ELDERLY VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: A QUALITATIVE APPROACH

Objective: To describe the challenges faced by nurses in detecting and caring for elderly victims of domestic violence.Method: an exploratory, qualitative study carried out with 13 nurses from 13 Family Health Strategy Units in Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil, with interviews conducted between March and July 2021, which were subjected to Bardin's content analysis.Results: Of those interviewed, 75% found no difficulties in detecting elderly people who had been abused. The interviewees refer the elderly to the Social Assistance Reference Center or to the competent bodies. Financial violence is prevalent.Conclusion: Detecting elderly people who have been abused depends not only on the professional, but also on the contribution of the victims, the community and the competent bodies. It was found that the participants did not have a formalized protocol for violence against the elderly, but only reported it and referred them to the relevant services

Uptake and effects of a mixture of widely used therapeutic drugs in Eruca sativa L. and Zea mays L. plants

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PACs) are continuously dispersed into the environment due to human and veterinary use, giving rise to their potential accumulation in edible plants. In this study, Eruca sativa L. and Zea mays L. were selected to determine the potential uptake and accumulation of eight different PACs (Salbutamol, Atenolol, Lincomycin, Cyclophosphamide, Carbamazepine, Bezafibrate, Ofloxacin and Ranitidine) designed for human use. To mimic environmental conditions, the plants were grown in pots and irrigated with water spiked with a mixture of PACs at concentrations found in Italian wastewaters and rivers. Moreover, 10 7 and 100 7 concentrations of these pharmaceuticals were also tested. The presence of the pharmaceuticals was tested in the edible parts of the plants, namely leaves for E. sativa and grains for Z. mays. Quantification was performed by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy (LC/MS/MS). In the grains of 100 7 treated Z. mays, only atenolol, lincomycin and carbamazepine were above the limit of detection (LOD). At the same concentration in E. sativa plants the uptake of all PACs was >LOD. Lincomycin and oflaxacin were above the limit of quantitation in all conditions tested in E. sativa. The results suggest that uptake of some pharmaceuticals from the soil may indeed be a potential transport route to plants and that these environmental pollutants can reach different edible parts of the selected crops. Measurements of the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals in plant materials were used to model potential adult human exposure to these compounds. The results indicate that under the current experimental conditions, crops exposed to the selected pharmaceutical mixture would not have any negative effects on human health. Moreover, no significant differences in the growth of E. sativa or Z. mays plants irrigated with PAC-spiked vs. non-spiked water were observed

A case report of desmoplastic ameloblastoma

Ameloblastomas are the most common benign neoplasm of odontogenic nature. Desmoplastic ameloblastoma (DA) was included in the World Health Organization Classification of Head and Neck Tumors (WHO-2005) as a variant of ameloblastoma with specific clinical, image, and histological features. This case report focuses on a DA which occurred in the mandible of a 25 year-old man. The main signals and symptoms included painless swelling with buccal expansion and tooth displacement. Panoramic and periapical radiographs and cone-bean computed to- mography demonstrated an image mimicking a benign fibro-osseous lesion. The lower border of the mandible was not involved, but tooth displacement could be observed. An incisional biopsy was performed, and the DA was diag- nosed. A marginal resection, maintaining the lower border of the mandible, was performed on teeth 46 to 31. The post-operative period was uneventful. The patient is undergoing routine follow-up and is currently free of disease

Developing a brief tele-psychotherapy model for COVID-19 patients and their family members

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting the mental health of COVID-19 patients and family members. Given the restrictions limiting in person contact to reduce the spread of the virus, a digital approach is needed to tackle the psychological aftermath of the pandemic. We present the development of a brief remote psychotherapy program for COVID-19 patients and/or their relatives. Methods: We first reviewed the literature on psychotherapeutic interventions for COVID-19 related symptoms. Based on this evidence, we leveraged ongoing clinical experiences with COVID-19 survivors and family members to design an intervention model that could be disseminated and integrated into the workflow of the mental health system. Results: This 8-session model -inspired by constructivist and hermeneutic-phenomenological therapies- serves COVID-19 patients during hospitalization, remission and recovery. This model can also be delivered to people dealing with the COVID-19 hospitalization/discharge of a family member, or the loss of a family member due to COVID-19. Conclusion: We described a remote psychotherapeutic approach to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic psychological aftermath. To date, the approach seems feasible and highly customizable to patients' needs. Studies are underway to test its preliminary efficacy. Once proven efficacious, this treatment model could provide a blueprint for future tele-psychology wide-scale interventions

SELF BROADENING COEFFICIENTS AND IMPROVED LINE INTENSITIES FOR THE v7 BAND OF C2H4 NEAR 10.5 µm, AND IMPACT ON ETHYLENE RETRIEVALS FROM JUNGFRAUJOCH SOLAR SPECTRA

Relying on high-resolution Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, the present work involved extensive measurements of individual line intensities and self-broadening coefficients for the ν7 band of 12C2H4. The measured self-broadening coefficients exhibit a dependence on both J and Ka. Compared to the corresponding information available in the latest edition of the HITRAN spectroscopic database, the measured line intensities were found to be higher by about 10 % for high J lines in the P branch and lower by about 5 % for high J lines of the R branch, varying between these two limits roughly linearly with the line positions. The impact of the presently measured line intensities on retrievals of atmospheric ethylene in the 949.0–952.0cm 1 microwindow was evaluated using a subset of ground-based high-resolution FTIR solar spectra recorded at the Jungfraujoch station. The use of HITRAN 2012 with line intensities modified to match the present measurements led to a systematic reduction of the measured total columns of ethylene by -4.1 +/- 0.1 %

Effect of intense military training on body composition

Individuals in a structural physical training program can show beneficial changes in body composition, such as body fat reduction and muscle mass increase. This study measured body composition changes by using 3 different techniques-skinfold thickness (SF) measurements, air displacement plethysmography (BOD-POD), and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-during 9 months of intense training in healthy young men engaged in military training. Twenty-seven young men were recruited from a special faction of the Italian Navy. The program previewed three phases: ground combat, sea combat, and amphibious combat. Body composition was estimated at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the training. After the subjects performed the ground combat phase, body composition variables significantly decreased: body weight (P < 0.05), fat-free mass (FFM) (P < 0.001), and fat mass (FM) (P < 0.03). During the amphibious combat phase, body weight increased significantly (P < 0.01), mainly because of an increase in FFM (P < 0.001) and a smaller mean decrease in FM. There was a significant difference (P < 0.05) in circumferences and SF at various sites after starting the training course. Bland-Altman analysis did not show any systematic difference between FM and FFM measured with the 3 different techniques on any occasion. On any visit, FFM and FM correlation measured by BOD-POD (P = 0.90) and DXA was significantly greater than measured by SF. A significant difference was found in body mass index (BMI) measured during the study. BOD-POD and SF, compared with DXA, provide valid and reliable measurement of changes in body composition in healthy young men engaged in military training. In conclusion, the findings suggest that for young men of normal weight, changes in body weight alone and in BMI are not a good measure to assess the effectiveness of intense physical training programs, because lean mass gain can masquerade fat weight loss

Optimal bailouts, bank’s incentive and risk

We show how the impact of a government bailout in the form of liquidity assistance on the ex ante effort of a representative bank depends on the volatility of its investment. The bank’s investment delivers a cashflow that follows a geometric Brownian motion and the government guarantees the bank’s liabilities. To counter the bank’s expectations of a bailout, the government may choose a tighter liquidity policy when the bank’s effort is not observable. This tighter liquidity induces more prudent ex ante behavior by the bank, but it may have the opposite effect when investment volatility is high. This novel effect arises because the bank could be discouraged to be prudent precisely because the chances of receiving liquidity assistance are low

Procalcitonin-Guided Antibiotic Therapy after Stroke

Background: Pneumonia is among the most common acute complications after stroke and is associated with poor long-term outcome. Biomarkers may help identifying stroke patients at high risk for developing stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) and to guide early treatment. Aims: This trial investigated whether procalcitonin (PCT) ultrasensitive (PCTus)-guided antibiotic treatment of SAP can improve functional outcome after stroke. Methods: In this international, multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial with blinded assessment of outcomes, patients with severe ischemic stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory were randomly assigned within 40 h after symptom onset to PCTus-based antibiotic therapy guidance in addition to stroke unit care or standard stroke unit care alone. The primary endpoint was functional outcome at 3 months, defined according to the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and dichotomized as acceptable (≤4) or unacceptable (≥5). Secondary endpoints included usage of antibiotics, infection rates, days of fever, and mortality. The trial was registered with http://ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier NCT01264549). Results: In the intention-to-treat-analysis based on 227 patients (112 in PCT and 115 in control group), 197 patients completed the 3-month follow-up. Adherence to PCT guidance was 65%. PCT-guided therapy did not improve functional outcome as measured by mRS (odds ratio 0.79; 95% confidence interval 0.45–1.35, p = 0.47). Pneumonia rate and mortality were similar in both groups. Days with fever tended to be lower (p = 0.055), whereas total number of days treated with antibiotics were higher (p = 0.004) in PCT compared to control group. A post hoc analysis including all PCT values in the intention-to-treat population demonstrated a significant increase on the first day of infection in patients with pneumonia and sepsis compared to patients with urinary tract infections or without infections (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: PCTus-guided antibiotic therapy did not improve functional outcome at 3 months after severe ischemic stroke. PCT is a promising biomarker for early detection of pneumonia and sepsis in acute stroke patients