Working Environment in Nursing: Needs Improvement?

Background: Knowing the quality of life of professionals is important because it is related to job performance, better results, and greater productivity, which results in better patient care. Objective: To know the Professional Quality of Life perceived by the nurses at the Geriatric Hospital of Toledo (Spain). Method: A descriptive cross-section study was employed to measure the Professional Quality of Life of all healthcare nurses (69 in total) at the Geriatric Hospital of Toledo. The questionnaire used as a measuring instrument was the Professional Quality of Life - 35. The data obtained was analyzed by means of: descriptive statistics, single-factor ANOVA variance analysis, T Student tests, and simple and multiple regression analysis. The study was approved by both the research commission and the ethics commission at the Hospital Complex of Toledo. Participation in the study on behalf of the nursing staff was voluntary. Results: In total, 45 responses were obtained (65.2%). The overall mean score measured the perceived Professional Quality of Life to be low. In relation to the three dimensions evaluated in the study, the highest average found was in “intrinsic motivation,” followed by “workload”, and then “management support.” In the multivariate analysis, “management support” was shown as the most influential factor in the Professional Quality of Life with a 23% influence (P<0.001), followed by workload with 9% (P = 0.01). Conclusions: The professionals at the participating center perceive their workplace as having an elevated degree of responsibility, a large quantity of work, a high occurrence of rushes and fatigue, and all this with little support on behalf of management. Promotions are scarce or the policies for receiving a promotion are inadequate. The perception of Professional Quality of Life in nursing is low. The obtained results indicate a need for an organizing cultural change based on participation, motivation, and increased management support

A multi-resolution and multivariate analysis of the dynamic relationships between crude oil and petroleum-product prices

This paper proposes the use of a novel multivariate, dynamic approach wavelet local multiple correlation (WLMC) (Fernández-Macho, 2018) to analyse the relationship between oil time series in the time-scale domain. This approach is suitable for use with energy data of any kind that change over time and involve heterogeneous agents who make decisions across different time horizons and operate on different time scales. The study of the links between multivariate oil time series is of great importance in energy research, e.g., it is extremely important for petroleum industry refiners and investors to know the relationships and margins between output prices and crude oil costs. The estimation of wavelet correlations in a multivariate framework between such prices is a suitable way to analyse crude oil and petroleum products as a system. To exemplify the use of WLMC, we analyse the relationships between the prices of seven commodities: West Texas Intermediate crude oil and six distilled products (conventional gasoline, regular gasoline, heating oil, diesel fuel, kerosene and propane) from 10/06/2006 to 17/01/2017. The results reveal that the wavelet correlations are strong throughout the period studied and there is a strong decay in correlation values from 2013 to 2015. The most plausible explanation for this decay is overproduction of tight oil in the U.S. and a slowdown in global demand for oil. Furthermore, our results also reveal that heating oil, diesel and kerosene maximise the multiple correlation with respect to the other oil variables on different scales, indicating that these products are the most dependent variables in the crude-product/price system. WLMC offers new opportunities for applications in energy research and other fields. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Low density Porcicoll separates spermatozoa from bacteria and retains sperm quality

[EN] Antibiotics are added to semen extenders to control the growth of bacteria contaminating semen during collection but may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. An alternative would be physical separation of spermatozoa from bacteria. The objective of the present study was to evaluate two low densities of Porcicoll for removal of bacteria, and for their effect on sperm recovery and sperm quality. Semen was collected from boars at a commercial station. Aliquots of 8 extended ejaculates were subjected to colloid centrifugation through 20% Porcicoll (P20) and 30% Porcicoll (P30) in 500 mL tubes and then stored at 17 °C. Microbiological examination and sperm quality evaluation (computer assisted sperm analysis and flow cytometry) were carried out on controls and all colloid-selected samples immediately after preparation and again after storage for 3 and 7 days. The microorganisms found were mainly bacteria from the environment, gut or skin. There was a considerable reduction or complete removal of some bacteria by both colloids. Recovery rates were 86% for P20 and 81% for P30. Sperm quality was not adversely affected by colloid centrifugation on day 0, and thereafter showed a more gradual deterioration in colloid centrifuged samples than in controls, possibly due to lower bacterial contamination. There were no differences in sperm quality between the two colloid treatments. Thus, these results show that contaminating bacteria in semen can be controlled by centrifugation through low density colloidsSIThis work was funded by a pump grant from the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, UK, to JMM and by grants to FMP (RTI2018-095183-B-I00, MCI/AEI/FEDER, EU, and LE023P20, Junta de Castilla y León/Consejería de Educación/FEDER, EU

Efecto de la poda en plantaciones de pino radiata afectadas por Fusarium circinatum

Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg and O’Donnell (1998) is the causal agent of Pitch Canker Disease (PCD) in Pinus species, producing damage to the main trunk and lateral branches as well as causing branch dieback. The disease has been detected recently in northern Spain in Pinus spp. seedlings at nurseries and in Pinus radiata D. Don adult trees in plantations. Fusarium circinatum seems to require a wound to enter the tree, not only that as caused by insects but also that resulting from damage by humans, i.e. mechanical wounds. However, the effects of pruning on the infection process have yet to be studied. The aim of the present study was to know how the presence of mechanical damage caused by pruning affects PCD occurrence and severity in P. radiata plantations. Fifty P. radiata plots (pruned and unpruned) distributed throughout 16 sites affected by F. circinatum in the Cantabria region (northern Spain) were studied. Symptoms of PCD presence, such as dieback, oozing cankers and trunk deformation were evaluated in 25 trees per plot and related to pruning effect. A significant relationship between pruning and the number of cankers per tree was observed, concluding that wounds caused by pruning increase the chance of pathogen infection. Other trunk symptoms, such as the presence of resin outside the cankers, were also higher in pruned plots. These results should be taken into account for future management of Monterrey Pine plantations.Fusarium circinatum Nirenberg and O’Donnell (1998) es el agente causante de la enfermedad del chancro resinoso del pino, que afecta a especies del género Pinus y provoca la aparición de chancros resinosos en el tronco y en ramas gruesas, además de puntisecado en la guía terminal. Esta enfermedad fue detectada recientemente en el norte de España asociada a plántulas de coníferas en vivero y a plantaciones de Pinus radiata D. Don. Fusarium circinatum suele requerir una herida en el árbol para poder infectarlo. Estas heridas pueden estar causadas por insectos o ser de origen antrópico, como las heridas mecánicas. Con la finalidad de conocer cómo las heridas producidas durante la poda afectan a la severidad de la enfermedad del chancro resinoso del pino, se estudiaron 50 parcelas de P. radiata (podadas y no podadas) distribuidas a lo largo de la provincia de Cantabria. En cada una de las parcelas fueron evaluados 25 árboles, en los que se estudiaron los síntomas más característicos de la enfermedad, como son puntisecado, presencia de chancros resinosos y deformación del tronco, relacionándolos con la presencia de poda. Se observó una relación significativa entre la poda y el número de chancros presentes en el árbol, lo que indica que la herida producida en este tratamiento selvícola es susceptible de infección por parte del patógeno. Otros síntomas también presentes en el tronco, como los exudados de resina fuera del chancro, aparecieron más frecuentemente en las parcelas podadas. Estos resultados son de gran trascendencia para el futuro manejo de las plantaciones de P. radiata afectadas por el chancro resinoso del pino

Evaluation of Risk and Preventive Factors for Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Newborns. A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious condition related to prematurity and the initiation of enteral feeding. In this article, we review the evidence published in recent years on necrotizing enterocolitis risk factors (prematurity, feeding with low-weight formula, existence of intestinal dysbiosis) and protective factors (human milk or donated milk supply, supplementation of human milk with oligosaccharides, probiotics administration, and the determination of disease predictive biomarkers). A systematic review was conducted of preventive, risk and predictive factors for necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates prior to 37 weeks’ gestational age, based on a literature search for clinical trials, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews published betweenJanuary2018andOctober2021.Forthispurpose,thePubMed,MEDLINE,and Cochrane Library databases were consulted. The literature search obtained 113 articles, of which 19 were selected for further analysis after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The conclusions drawn from this analysis were that adequate knowledge of risk factors that can be prevented or modified (such as alteration of the intestinal microbiota, oxidative stress, metabolic dysfunction at birth, or alteration of the immunity modulation) can reduce the incidence of NEC in premature infants. These factors include the supplementation of enteral nutrition with human milk oligosaccharides (with prebiotic and immunomodulatory effects), the combined administration of probiotics (especially the Lactobacillus spp and Bifidobacterium spp combination, which inhibits bacterial adhesion effects, improves the intestinal mucosa barrier function, strengthens the innate and adaptive immune system and increases the secretion of bioactive metabolites), the supplementation of human milk with lactoferrin and the use of donated milk fortified in accordance with the characteristics of the premature newborn. The determination of factors that can predict the existence of NEC, such as fecal calprotectin, increased TLR4 activity, and IL6 receptor, can lead to an early diagnosis of NEC. Although further studies should be conducted to determine the values of predictive biomarkers of NEC, and/or the recommended doses and strains of probiotics, lactoferrin or oligosaccharides, the knowledge acquired in recent years is encouraging

Implementation experience of a patient monitoring solution based on end-to-end standards

Proceeding of: 29th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), Cité Internationale, Lyon, France, August 23-26, 2007.This paper presents a proof-of-concept design of a patient monitoring solution for Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It is end-to-end standards-based, using ISO/IEEE 11073 (X73) in the bedside environment and EN13606 to communicate the information to an Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) server. At the bedside end a plug-and-play sensor network is implemented, which communicates with a gateway that collects the medical information and sends it to a monitoring server. At this point the server transforms the data frame into an EN13606 extract, to be stored on the EHR server. The presented system has been tested in a laboratory environment to demonstrate the feasibility of this end-to-end standardsbased solution.This research work has been partially supported by projects TSI2005-07068-C02-01 and TSI2004-04940-C02-01 from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spanish Government), and a personal grant to both M.Galarraga and M. Martínez-Espronceda from Navarre Regional Government

Implementación integrada de una plataforma telemática basada en estándares para monitorización de pacientes

Proceeding of: VI Jornadas de Ingeniería Telemática (JITEL 2007), Málaga, Spain, 17-19, SeptiembreThis paper presents a proof-of-concept design of an integrated solution of a telematic platform for home telemonitoring. It is end-to-end standards-based, using ISO/IEEE11073 in the client environment and EN13606 to send the information to an Electronic Healthcare Record (EHR) server. This solution has been implemented to comply with the standards available versions and tested in a laboratory environment to demonstrate the feasibility of an end-to-end standards-based platform.Este trabajo ha recibido el apoyo de proyectos de la Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT) y de los Fondos Europeos de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) TSI2004-04940-C02-01, del VI Programa Marco (Pulsers II IP) IST-27142, y del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (beca FPU AP-2004-3568).No publicad

Estado actual de la investigación sobre rechazo escolar

School refusal behavior refers to the avoidance of a child attending school and/or persistent difficulty staying in the classroom throughout the school day. Based on a review of the scientific literature, the aim of this study is to describe the current state of research on school refusal, differentiating between the findings and progress made in Spain from those achieved in the international field. For this purpose, the significance of this phenomenon, in addition to associated risk factors and variables, will be reviewed in the child and youth population. In turn, the commonly used assessment methods and most recommended treatment proposals, mainly based on cognitive behavioral therapy, are discussed. The results reveal several gaps and subjects for debate in some areas of knowledge about school refusal behavior, with differences being found between Spanish and international studies. In conclusion, future studies and challenges in this field are required.El comportamiento de rechazo a la escuela se refiere a la negativa de un niño a asistir al centro educativo y/o la dificultad persistente para permanecer en el aula durante toda la jornada escolar. A partir de la revisión de la literatura científica, es objeto de este trabajo describir el estado actual de la investigación sobre el rechazo escolar, diferenciando los hallazgos y avances alcanzados en España de aquellos conseguidos en el ámbito internacional. Para ello, se revisará la trascendencia de este fenómeno en población infanto-juvenil y los factores de riesgo y variables asociadas. A su vez, se discutirán los métodos de evaluación generalmente utilizados y las propuestas de tratamiento más recomendadas, basadas, principalmente, en la terapia cognitivo-conductual. Los resultados obtenidos revelan diversas lagunas y debates en algunos campos de conocimiento sobre el rechazo escolar, con diferencias en la investigación española respecto a la internacional. A modo de conclusión, se proponen futuras líneas de investigación y desafíos en este campo.This work has been financed by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Ref: EDU2012-35124) and FEDER, awarded to Prof. Dr. José Manuel García Fernández

Changes in blood pesticide levels in booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus) associated with agricultural land practices

©2008 Elsevier Inc. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in "Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety". To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2008.02.012We estimated the degree of exposure to lindane and endosulfan in the blood of booted eagle nestlings (Hieraaetus pennatus) (1999–2003), in order to assess the usefulness of these samples as a unit for monitoring changes in exposure as a result of shifts in agricultural practices and the implementation of legal measures. The highest blood lindane concentrations were obtained 1 year prior to its prohibition by the European Union. Subsequent to that year, the drop in blood concentrations was dramatic. Furthermore, endosulfan blood concentrations follow a progression coinciding with an increase in olive, grape and plum-tree crops. We conclude that concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in the blood of booted eagle nestlings may be used to monitor the use of those pesticides over a particular agricultural region and alert the authorities of possible environmental or health risks