Compromiso organizacional y satisfacción laboral: un estudio exploratorio en unidades de salud familiar portuguesas

Explorou-se a relação entre compromisso organizacional e satisfação laboral nos colaboradores de unidades de saúde familiar. Participaram seis unidades de saúde familiar do norte de Portugal e 105 profissionais (médico, enfermeiros e secretários clínicos). Utilizaram-se as adaptações portuguesas da Escala do Compromisso Organizacional de Meyer & Allen (1997) e do Questionário de Satisfação com o Trabalho (Spector, 1985). Os resultados sugerem associação positiva entre compromisso organizacional e satisfação laboral. Os profissionais estão moderadamente satisfeitos e comprometidos com as unidades de saúde familiar, sendo a natureza do trabalho, a relação com os colegas e a comunicação os aspectos mais satisfatórios, e as recompensas o mais insatisfatório. A componente afetiva do compromisso evidencia-se, salientando o envolvimento e a identificação dos profissionais com o projeto unidades de saúde familiar. O modelo de regressão linear revelou-se significativo, o compromisso organizacional explica 22,7% da variância da satisfação com o trabalho. Para esta amostra, o compromisso organizacional prediz a satisfação com o trabalho.This study explored the relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction among workers in family health units. Six family health units in the North of Portugal participated, including 105 health professionals (physicians, nurses, and clinical secretaries). The study used the Portuguese adaptations of the Organizational Commitment Scale by Meyer & Allen (1997) and the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985). The results suggest a positive association between organizational commitment and job satisfaction. The professionals are moderately satisfied and committed to the family health units; the most satisfactory aspects are the nature of the work, relationship to coworkers, and communication, while pay is the most unsatisfactory. The affective component of the commitment appears, highlighting the professionals' involvement in (and identification with) the family health units project. The linear regression model proved significant, and organizational commitment explains 22.7% of the variance in job satisfaction. For this sample, organizational commitment predicts job satisfaction.Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr Ricardo Jorgeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A cost-benefit model comparing the California Milk Cell Test and Milk Electrical ResistanceTest

The indirect effects of mastitis treatment are often overlooked in cost-benefit analyses, but it may be beneficial for the dairy industry to consider them. The cost of mastitis treatment may increase when the duration of intra-mammary infections are prolonged due to misdiagnosis of host-adapted mastitis. Laboratory diagnosis of mastitis can be costly and time consuming, therefore cow-side tests such as the California Milk Cell Test (CMCT) and Milk Electrical Resistance (MER) need to be utilised to their full potential. The aim of this study was to determine the relative benefit of using these two tests separately and in parallel. This was done using a partial-budget analysis and a cost-benefit model to estimate the benefits and costs of each respective test and the parallel combination thereof. Quarter milk samples (n = 1860) were taken from eight different dairy herds in South Africa. Milk samples were evaluated by means of the CMCT, hand-held MER meter and cyto-microbiological laboratory analysis. After determining the most appropriate cut-off points for the two cow-side tests, the sensitivity and specificity of the CMCT (Se = 1.00, Sp = 0.66), MER (Se = 0.92, Sp = 0.62) and the tests done in parallel (Se = 1.00, Sp = 0.87) were calculated. The input data that were used for partial-budget analysis and in the cost-benefit model were based on South African figures at the time of the study, and on literature. The total estimated financial benefit of correct diagnosis of host-adapted mastitis per cow for the CMCT, MER and the tests done in parallel was R898.73, R518.70 and R1064.67 respectively. This involved taking the expected benefit of a correct test result per cow, the expected cost of an error per cow and the cost of the test into account. The CMCT was shown to be 11% more beneficial than the MER test, whilst using the tests in parallel was shown to be the most beneficial method for evaluating the mastitis-control programme. Therefore, it is recommended that the combined tests should be used strategically in practice to monitor udder health and promote a pro-active udder health approach when dealing with host-adapted pathogens.Scan this QR code with your smart phone or mobile device to read online.J.K. drafted the manuscript and critically revised it, formatted and edited the manuscript, was involved in the data analysis, calculating the sensitivity and specificity, as well as assisting in calculating the cost-benefit model and determining the model inputs for the partial-budget analysis. I.M.P. assisted in collection of aseptic milk samples and performing of cowside tests, assisted with model inputs, reviewing the technical aspects of the manuscript. I.A.M. was involved in calculating the cost-benefit model, doing all the excel calculations, calculating the model inputs and technical editing of the article. T.J.v.d.S. was mainly involved in collecting of aseptic samples and performing of all the cow-side tests in the dairy, as well as in editing the manuscript.http://www.ojvr.orgam2013ab201

Methodological considerations for kinematic analysis of upper limbs in healthy and poststroke adults Part II: a systematic review of motion capture systems and kinematic metrics

To review the methods used to analyze the kinematics of upper limbs (ULs) of healthy and poststroke adults, namely the motion capture systems and kinematic metrics. A database of articles published in the last decade was compiled using the following search terms combinations: (“upper extremity” OR “upper limb” OR arm) AND (kinematic OR motion OR movement) AND (analysis OR assessment OR measurement). The articles included in this review: (1) had the purpose to analyze objectively three-dimension kinematics of ULs, (2) studied functional movements or activities of daily living involving ULs, and (3) studied healthy and/or poststroke adults. Fourteen articles were included (four studied a healthy sample, three analyzed poststroke patients, and seven examined both poststroke and healthy participants). Most articles used optoelectronic systems with markers; however, the presentation of laboratory and task-specific errors is missing. Markerless systems, used in some studies, seem to be promising alternatives for implementation of kinematic analysis in hospitals and clinics, but the literature proving their validity is scarce. Most articles analyzed “joint kinematics” and “end-point kinematics,” mainly related with reaching. The different stroke locations of the samples were not considered in their analysis and only three articles described their psychometric properties. Future research should validate portable motion capture systems, document their specific error at the acquisition place and for the studied task, include grasping and manipulation analysis, and describe psychometric properties.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Loss of MITF expression during human embryonic stem cell differentiation disrupts retinal pigment epithelium development and optic vesicle cell proliferation

Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is a master regulator of pigmented cell survival and differentiation with direct transcriptional links to cell cycle, apoptosis and pigmentation. In mouse, Mitf is expressed early and uniformly in optic vesicle (OV) cells as they evaginate from the developing neural tube, and null Mitf mutations result in microphthalmia and pigmentation defects. However, homozygous mutations in MITF have not been identified in humans; therefore, little is known about its role in human retinogenesis. We used a human embryonic stem cell (hESC) model that recapitulates numerous aspects of retinal development, including OV specification and formation of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neural retina progenitor cells (NRPCs), to investigate the earliest roles of MITF. During hESC differentiation toward a retinal lineage, a subset of MITF isoforms was expressed in a sequence and tissue distribution similar to that observed in mice. In addition, we found that promoters for the MITF-A, -D and -H isoforms were directly targeted by Visual Systems Homeobox 2 (VSX2), a transcription factor involved in patterning the OV toward a NRPC fate. We then manipulated MITF RNA and protein levels at early developmental stages and observed decreased expression of eye field transcription factors, reduced early OV cell proliferation and disrupted RPE maturation. This work provides a foundation for investigating MITF and other highly complex, multi-purposed transcription factors in a dynamic human developmental model syste

Location of chlorogenic acid biosynthesis pathway and polyphenol oxidase genes in a new interspecific anchored linkage map of eggplant

© Gramazio et al.; licensee BioMed Central. 2014. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated

Visuospatial Functioning In The Primary Progressive Aphasias

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify whether the three main primary progressive aphasia (PPA) variants would show differential profiles on measures of visuospatial cognition. We hypothesized that the logopenic variant would have the most difficulty across tasks requiring visuospatial and visual memory abilities. Methods: PPA patients (n = 156), diagnosed using current criteria, and controls were tested on a battery of tests tapping different aspects of visuospatial cognition. We compared the groups on an overall visuospatial factor; construction, immediate recall, delayed recall, and executive functioning composites; and on individual tests. Cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons were made, adjusted for disease severity, age, and education. Results: The logopenic variant had significantly lower scores on the visuospatial factor and the most impaired scores on all composites. The nonfluent variant had significant difficulty on all visuospatial composites except the delayed recall, which differentiated them from the logopenic variant. In contrast, the semantic variants performed poorly only on delayed recall of visual information. The logopenic and nonfluent variants showed decline in figure copying performance over time, whereas in the semantic variant, this skill was remarkably preserved. Conclusions: This extensive examination of performance on visuospatial tasks in the PPA variants solidifies some previous findings, for example, delayed recall of visual stimuli adds value in differential diagnosis between logopenic variant PPA and nonfluent variant PPA variants, and illuminates the possibility of common mechanisms that underlie both linguistic and non-linguistic deficits in the variants. Furthermore, this is the first study that has investigated visuospatial functioning over time in the PPA variants

Structural Determinants of the Dictyostatin Chemotype for Tubulin Binding Affinity and Antitumor Activity Against Taxane- and Epothilone-Resistant Cancer Cells

13 p.-5 fig.-2 tab.-1 graph.abst.A combined biochemical, structural, and cell biology characterization of dictyostatin is described, which enables an improved understanding of the structural determinants responsible for the high-affinity binding of this anticancer agent to the taxane site in microtubules (MTs). The study reveals that this macrolide is highly optimized for MT binding and that only a few of the structural modifications featured in a library of synthetic analogues resulted in small gains in binding affinity. The high efficiency of the dictyostatin chemotype in overcoming various kinds of clinically relevant resistance mechanisms highlights its potential for therapeutic development for the treatment of drug-resistant tumors. A structural explanation is advanced to account for the synergy observed between dictyostatin and taxanes on the basis of their differential effects on the MT lattice. The X-ray crystal structure of a tubulin–dictyostatin complex and additional molecular modeling have allowed the rationalization of the structure–activity relationships for a set of synthetic dictyostatin analogues, including the highly active hybrid 12 with discodermolide. Altogether, the work reported here is anticipated to facilitate the improved design and synthesis of more efficacious dictyostatin analogues and hybrids with other MT-stabilizing agents.This work was supported in part by grants BIO2013-42984-R (J.F.D.) and SAF2012-39760-C02-02 (F.G.) from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, grant S2010/BMD-2457 BIPEDD2 from Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (F.G. and J.F.D.), and the Swiss National Science Foundation grants 310030B_138659 and 31003A_166608 (M.O.S.). The authors acknowledge networking contribution by the COST Action CM1407 “Challenging organic syntheses inspired by nature—from natural products chemistry to drug discovery” and the COST action CM1470. I.P. thanks the EPSRC and AstraZeneca for funding, Dr. John Leonard (AstraZeneca) for useful discussions, Dr. Stuart Mickel (Novartis) for the provision of chemicals, and the EPSRC UK National Mass Spectrometry Facility at Swansea University for mass spectra

Endovascular therapy versus no endovascular therapy in patients receiving best medical management for acute isolated occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background and purpose Endovascular therapy (EVT) is increasingly reported for treatment of isolated posterior cerebral artery (PCA) occlusions although its clinical benefit remains uncertain. This study-level meta-analysis investigated the functional outcomes and safety of EVT and best medical management (BMM) compared to BMM alone for treatment of PCA occlusion stroke. Methods We conducted a literature search in PubMed, Web of Science and Embase for studies in patients with isolated PCA occlusion stroke treated with EVT + BMM or BMM including intravenous thrombolysis. There were no randomized trials and all studies were retrospective. The primary outcome was modified Rankin Scale score of 0-2 at 3 months, while safety outcomes included mortality rate and incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Results Twelve studies with a total of 679 patients were included in the meta-analysis: 338 patients with EVT + BMM and 341 patients receiving BMM alone. Good functional outcome at 3 months was achieved in 58.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 43.83-70.95) of patients receiving EVT + BMM and 48.1% (95% CI 40.35-55.92) of patients who received BMM alone, with respective mortality rates of 12.6% (95% CI 7.30-20.93) and 12.3% (95% CI 8.64-17.33). sICH occurred in 4.2% (95% CI 2.47-7.03) of patients treated with EVT + BMM and 3.2% (95% CI 1.75-5.92) of patients treated with BMM alone. Comparative analyses were performed on studies that included both treatments and these demonstrated no significant differences. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that EVT represents a safe treatment for patients with isolated PCA occlusion stroke. There were no differences in clinical or safety outcomes between treatments, supporting randomization of future patients into distal vessel occlusion trials.Peer reviewe

Evaluating case management for caregivers of children with spinal muscular atrophy type I and II—an exploratory, controlled, mixed-methods trial

IntroductionSpinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare neuromuscular disease requiring various clinical specialists and therapists to provide care. Due to the disease's dynamic nature and the long distances between specialized centers and local providers, integrating care between disciplines can be challenging. Care that is inadequately integrated can compromise the quality of care and become a burden for patients and families. This trial aimed to improve the care of patients through a case management (CM) intervention.MethodsWe conducted an exploratory, controlled, two-arm trial with pre-, post-, and follow-up measures (process and outcome evaluation). Proof of efficacy based on statistical significance was not our primary study objective since we were investigating a rare disease. Primary outcomes were caregivers' HRQoL and caregiver-rated quality of care integration. Our secondary outcome was the children's HRQoL.ResultsQuestionnaires and semi-structured interviews yielded heterogeneous results depending on caregivers' level of experience and desire (or possibility) to delegate care tasks.DiscussionDespite differing perceptions, all participants supported the establishment of a care coordination model. We recommend CM immediately after diagnosis to provide the greatest benefit to families. We hope that our trial will support the further development of CM interventions that can be customized for specific diseases