Criteria for assessing dairy farm types

In Galicia and in the rest of Spain, dairy barns are going through a transition to implement the latest technologies, improve labour efficiency, and increase size. Barns with capacity for more cows are required due to the new market demands. Such barns must be perfectly defined, so that the construction of new buildings may entail reduced investment and operating costs. A wrong decision in the design phase can lead to serious financial trouble, even to the extent of making the farm economically non-viable. This study focuses in determining the factors that most strongly affect the construction costs of dairy housing, based on the most common barn designs in Galicia. Such factors are determined by implementing different indices that analyse the shape of the building. The implemented indices concern the design of the building –mainly its shape– and consider in all cases the relation of the design to the total cost and cost per item of the different constructions. Among these indices, the ‘ratio of area to perimeter squared’ or shape index (dimensionless), and elongation (ratio between the length and the width of the building), enable the determination of the shapes that are more convenient from the economic perspective. The cost of the building envelope per square meter varies as the barn area increases. The relation between the variation in the cost of the building envelope and both indices is studied for the different design options considered. With the data obtained, some guidelines are suggested in order to help project designers find the most appropriate result for their design work

Risk factors of high burden caregivers of dementia patients institutionalized at day-care centres

[Abstract] We examined which variables are associated with day care centres utilization among caregivers of dementia patients. A cross-sectional analysis of sociodemographic variables, relationship with caring and psychological aspects was conducted in 58 informal caregivers with intense burden. 58.6 % used day care assistance and 41.4 % did not. The results showed the importance of the commitment between the caregiver and their family and friends. The use of day care services is independent of the age, gender, educational level, marital status, occupation and relationship with the patient. However, in the multivariate analysis the provision of help by families and friends predicted the use of day care assistance. The bivariate analysis showed a significant relationship between depressive symptoms and self-rated health with day care attendance. Screening the help provision from families and friends in caregivers of dementia patients with intense burden would be relevant to design interventions which delay their institutionalization and reduce costs

Post-stroke Shoulder Pain: Epidemiological Study and Healthcare Analysis on La Coruña Health Area

[Resumen] Antecedentes y objetivo. El síndrome de hombro doloroso postictus (HDPI) es una de las complicaciones más comunes tras un accidente cerebrovascular. Un estudio español estableció su incidencia en torno el 53% en el año 2001; no hay estudios más recientes. El objetivo de este estudio fue obtener información epidemiológica actualizada del HDPI en España y, secundariamente, obtener información de interés sobre su atención clínica. Pacientes y métodos. Estudio observacional prospectivo sobre 1.000 pacientes. Los pacientes fueron seleccionados de todos los servicios responsables de la asistencia clínica de pacientes postictus de un área sanitaria completa y seguidos durante un año. Fueron analizadas variables sociodemográficas, características del HDPI y factores relacionados con la asistencia médica. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de las variables, empleando la función de Kaplan Meier para analizar la incidencia acumulada del HDPI. Resultados. Constituyeron la muestra final 576 individuos, de los cuales 119 (21%) presentaron HDPI. El 58% de ellos fue derivado a rehabilitación con un periodo de espera medio de 31 días. El diagnóstico del HDPI se dio en la mayoría de los casos tras el alta hospitalaria. Los servicios de rehabilitación detectaron el 41% de los casos, mientras que los servicios de Atención Primaria detectaron el 26%. Conclusiones. El HDPI es una complicación frecuente. La implementación de una pronta atención rehabilitadora y la reducción del periodo de ingreso hospitalario, en aquellos casos que resulte posible, podrían facilitar su asistencia médica. Una mayor participación de los servicios de rehabilitación y ambulatorios en los protocolos de valoración podría igualmente mejorar el diagnóstico y seguimiento de estos pacientes.[Abstract] Background and objective. Post-stroke shoulder pain (PSSP) syndrome is a common complication after stroke. The most recent reference (2001) established PSSP incidence in Spain is around 53%. The objective of the current study was to obtain PSSP epidemiological data in Spain at present, obtaining information of interest about its clinical care secondarily. Patients and methods. A prospective observational study was developed on 1,000 patients, which were selected from all levels responsible of stroke patients care of one health area and followed-up during one year. Sociodemographic data, PSSP characteristics and medical care parameters were collected. Descriptive analysis was performed, using modified Kaplan-Meier function to show PSSP cumulative incidence. Results. The final sample consisted of 576 individuals, of which 119 (21%) were diagnosed with PSSP; 58% of the PSSP group was transferred to rehabilitation departments, delaying for a mean of 31 days. Most of patients were diagnosed with PSSP after hospital discharge: rehabilitation departments detected 41% of PSSP cases, while the primary care department detected 26%. Conclusions. PSSP is a frequent complication. Implementing a prompt rehabilitation care and a reduced hospital stay, where possible, could improve the PSSP medical care. Increasing the participation of rehabilitation and primary care departments in the PSSP assessment could substantially improve the diagnosis and follow-up of these patients

Endovascular treatment of dural arterovenous fistulas by medullary venous drainage

Introducción y objetivos: los autores presentan una serie de 18 pacientes con mielopatía en los que se diagnosticó una fístula dural arteriovenosa con drenaje venoso medular (FDdVM). El objetivo consistió en estudiar la efectividad inicial y a largo plazo de la embolización, como tratamiento inicial, utilizando partículas de polivinil-alcohol (PVA) y líquidos adhesivos, N-butil-cianoacrilato (NBCA). Material y métodos. Se obtuvieron imágenes de RM en todos los pacientes demostrando cambios en el parénquima medular compatibles con un proceso isquémico secundario a hipertensión venosa. Resultados: todos los pacientes mejoraron inicialmente de su sintomatología y en algunos casos se demostró la desaparición de las imágenes previas en las RM de control. Se presentó recurrencia de la sintomatología y de la FDdVM angiográficamente demostrada en 8 casos (todos tratados con PVA). Estos pacientes fueron tratados con éxito mediante nueva embolización con NBCA. La embolización con PVA es ineficaz a largo plazo y no está exenta de riesgos. El tratamiento endovascular es menos invasivo, con menor morbilidad y asegura una rehabilitación más precoz que la cirugía. Si la embolización fracasa todavía puede ser tratado quirúrgicamente. Conclusiones: recomendamos la embolización con NBCA como tratamiento inicial de elección en las FDdVM si contamos con una unidad de Neuroradiología intervencionista experimentada. Se precisa detenida evaluación clínica neurológica para establecer el diagnóstico de FDdVM. Finalmente recomendamos que los pacientes sean revisados estrecha y agresivamente. Son indispensables evaluaciones periódicas clínicas y radiológicas, incluyendo RM y angiografía medular para el tratamiento eficaz de estos paciente

Typology, classification and characterization of farms for agricultural production planning

Agricultural activity in Galicia, North West Spain, is carried out on farms that are characterized by a diversity of land use and production models, a variety of farm sizes, and considerable geographical dispersion. Any attempt of Agricultural Production Planning aimed at characterizing production models requires a method of analysing data and obtaining technicaleconomic results from farms in the different areas. Models based on average statistical data are limited because they represent farms that do not exist in reality. This study develops a methodology to characterize and group dairy farms into different types according to the following basic variables: land use, size classes and production systems. The information used in this study was microdata from the 1999 Census of Agriculture. The methodology developed was also applied to microdata from the 1989 Census of Agriculture, thus obtaining significant information about the evolution of agricultural activity. The tools used in the analysis were Microsoft Access and Excel, and an application that was developed using Microsoft Visual Basic. The methodology presented can be used to analyse the evolution of the sector or to model future trends

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

BackgroundWe previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15-20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in similar to 80% of cases.MethodsWe report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded.ResultsNo gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5-528.7, P=1.1x10(-4)) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR=3.70[95%CI 1.3-8.2], P=2.1x10(-4)). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR=19.65[95%CI 2.1-2635.4], P=3.4x10(-3)), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR=4.40[9%CI 2.3-8.4], P=7.7x10(-8)). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD]=43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P=1.68x10(-5)).ConclusionsRare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old