Motivación profesional en enfermería bajo la perspectiva de género

La motivación profesional tiene relación con la productividad de los trabajadores y con las conductas organizativas como absentismo, abandono o rotación de puestos. Los hombres y las mujeres, por la socialización a la que han estado expuestos, tienen una concepción de la realidad y unas expectativas sociales diferentes por lo que podría pensarse que la motivación y la satisfacción profesional es diferente y, en especial, en la profesión enfermera pues tradicionalmente ha sido ejercida por mujeres. Este estudio tiene lugar en la atención sanitaria especializada de la provincia de Huelva y se pretende averiguar la satisfacción laboral que tienen los enfermeros y enfermeras y los factores extrínsecos e intrínsecos que ejercen más influencia bajo la perspectiva de género. Se ha realizado un estudio observacional, descriptivo, transversal con técnicas cuantitativas y cualitativas en 89 enfermeros y 241 enfermeras, dedicados a la clínica y de la plantilla habitual de los tres hospitales de Huelva. Se ha utilizado el cuestionario de satisfacción S20/23 de Meliá y Peiró y tres grupos de discusión para poder triangular los datos y obtener la máxima información posible. Se ha obtenido una tasa de respuesta del 66.78%. La muestra está formada por un 73.03% de mujeres y un 26.97% de hombres. El 50% tienen entre 41 y 50 años. El 6% tiene una titulación superior a la diplomatura. El 62.1% trabaja en turno rotatorio y tiene plaza en propiedad el 64.3%. Se concluye que el grado de satisfacción global está en un punto medio entre la satisfacción y la insatisfacción siendo ligeramente superior en los hombres. La satisfacción intrínseca es superior que la extrínseca. La diferencia es significativa en cuanto a género para la satisfacción que les produce el trabajo en sí mismo Las relaciones personales entre supervisores y trabajadores se consideran importantes así como la escucha y que tengan en cuenta la conciliación familiar. El ambiente físico es un factor de satisfacción pero no motiva. Las prestaciones y la participación son un factor de insatisfacción. El salario es el ítem con el que más insatisfechos están, especialmente los hombres. Hay un techo profesional que les impide la promoción. En general, el mayor tamaño de los hospitales, la turnicidad y la inestabilidad laboral generan más insatisfacción.The professional motivation has a strong relationship with workers' productivity and also with other organizational behaviours such as absenteeism, withdrawing or excessive rotation. Both men and women have its own conception of the reality and also different social expectations. The reason for such a difference is the socialization process they have followed. Based on those differences it could have been thought that motivation and professional satisfaction are hence different, especially in nursing field where women have been majority. This study is focussed on the specialised healthcare centres of Huelva province and shows the labour satisfaction of the nursing workers and also the most influencing extrinsic and intrinsic factors under a gender perspective. An observational, descriptive and transversal study has been carried out. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used with 89 male nurses and 241 female ones. All of them working in any of the three hospitals of Huelva province. The satisfaction questionnaire S20/23 of Meliá and Peiró was followed and three discussion groups were created to allow for a proper triangulation of the data and hence to get the maximum possible information. The survey response rate was a 66.78%. The population sample had a 73.03% of women and a 26.97% of men. A 50% of the sample were between 41 and 50 years old. The 6% had a university degree above 3 years. The 62.1% of the sample worked on shifts and, finally, a 64.3% were fix workers. The study shows that the satisfaction degree is in the midpoint between satisfaction and dissatisfaction and that satisfaction is liigher in the male population. The intrinsic satisfaction is higher than the extrinsic one. When the satisfaction provoked by the work itself is considered, the differences are relevant when gender is considered. Personal relationships between workers and supervisors are considered important; the rcccptiveness and concern about conciliation of professional and familiar lives are also considered relevant. The physical environment is a satisfaction factor but it does not motivate. Both benefits and participation degree are factors of dissatisfaction. The salary' is the main cause of dissatisfaction, mainly among the male population. There is a professional ceiling limiting their promotion. In general, the bigger size of the hospitals, the shifts and the employment instability provoke more dissatisfaction

Electrospray deposition followed by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (ESD-LIBS): a new method for trace elemental analysis of aqueous samples

The combination of electrospray deposition with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (ESD-LIBS) was investigated as a potential approach to the detection and quantification of Zn, Cd, Cr and Ni, at trace levels, in aqueous samples. In this analytical procedure, the aqueous samples were first converted into solids in an electrospray system. To this end, micro-volumes of liquids were electro-sprayed onto a heated substrate, leading to the generation of solid residues. Afterwards, the as-obtained residues were analysed by LIBS. Three calibration methodologies were tested with the proposed ESD-LIBS methodology, namely external calibration, conventional standard addition calibration and on-line standard addition calibration. In all cases, the analytical features of the ESD-LIBS method were assessed. The obtained limits of detection ranged from 9 μg kg−1 to 57 μg kg−1, depending on the element and on the calibration modality used. Method trueness, evaluated from the analysis of a real sample of tap water, was highly dependent on the calibration method. The use of external calibration led to recovery values in the range of 18–123%, indicating the existence of strong matrix effects. This drawback was overcome with the application of conventional standard addition and on-line standard addition calibration modalities, for which recovery values were improved to the ranges 91–110% and 90–105%, respectively. Among them, the use of on-line standard addition provides a sensitive and accurate methodology with possibilities of automation.L. Ripoll is grateful to the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for her PhD fellowship (FPI-MICINN (BES-2012-058759))

De la sintaxis a la pragmasintaxis: problemas del análisis sintáctico en el discurso oral espontáneo

El presente artículo pone de manifiesto algunas de las dificultades a que se enfrento el gramático o el docente de lengua española a la hora de describir ciertas construcciones habituales en la lengua hablada, particularmente si los únicos instrumentos de que dispone son los que le proporciona la gramática normativa. Se ofrece, pues, una muestra de construcciones sintácticas "coloquiales" usuales que no suelen aparecer reflejadas en las gramáticas. Pensamos en este sentido que para explicar con propiedad su forma y función es necesario adoptar una perspectiva pragmática y un sistema de unidades diferentes a la oración, la proposición, la cláusula, etc. Asimismo, esta perspectiva pragmática se ejemplifica tomando como punto de referencia algunas de las ideas desarrolladas por la Teoría de la Relevancia en el análisis de varias construcciones comparativas procedentes de conversaciones coloquiales reales

Antitumor activities of metal oxide nanoparticles

Nanoparticles have received much attention recently due to their use in cancer therapy. Studies have shown that different metal oxide nanoparticles induce cytotoxicity in cancer cells, but not in normal cells. In some cases, such anticancer activity has been demonstrated to hold for the nanoparticle alone or in combination with different therapies, such as photocatalytic therapy or some anticancer drugs. Zinc oxide nanoparticles have been shown to have this activity alone or when loaded with an anticancer drug, such as doxorubicin. Other nanoparticles that show cytotoxic effects on cancer cells include cobalt oxide, iron oxide and copper oxide. The antitumor mechanism could work through the generation of reactive oxygen species or apoptosis and necrosis, among other possibilities. Here, we review the most significant antitumor results obtained with different metal oxide nanoparticles

Nanocarriers for Delivery of Antioxidants on the Skin

Skin is protected from the harmful effects of free radicals by the presence of an endogenous antioxidant system. However, when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, there is an imbalance between pro-oxidants and antioxidants, leading to oxidative stress and photoaging of the skin. It has been described that free radicals and other reactive species can cause severe damage to cells and cell components of the skin, which results in skin aging and cancer. To prevent these actions on skin, the use of topical antioxidant supplementation is a strategy used in the cosmetics industry and these antioxidants act on quenching free radicals. There are many studies that demonstrated the antioxidant activity of many phytochemicals or bioactive compounds by free radical scavenging. However, many bioactive substances are unstable when exposed to light or lose activity during storage. The potential sensitivity of these substances to light exposure is of importance in cosmetic formulations applied to skin because photo-degradation might occur, reducing their activity. One strategy to reduce this effect on the skin is the preparation of different types of nanomaterials that allow the encapsulation of the antioxidant substances. Another problem related to some antioxidants is their inefficient percutaneous penetration, which limits the amount of the active ingredient able to reach the site of action in viable epidermis and dermis. In this sense, the encapsulation in polymeric nanoparticles could enhance the permeation of these substances. Nanocarriers offers several advantages over conventional passive delivery, such as increased surface area, higher solubility, improved stability, controlled release, reduced skin irritancy, and protection from degradation. The different nanocarrier systems used in cosmetics include nanolipid delivery systems such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), nanoemulsions (NEs), nanoparticles (NP) suspension, and polymer NPs, among others. In this review, we present the different types of nanomaterials use

Alternative Methods to Animal Testing for the Safety Evaluation of Cosmetic Ingredients: An Overview

The safety of cosmetics sold in Europe is based on the safety evaluation of each individual ingredient conducted by those responsible for putting the product on the market. However, those substances for which some concern exists with respect to human health (e.g., colorants, preservatives, UV-filters, nanomaterials) are evaluated at the European Commission level by a scientific committee, currently called the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). According to the Cosmetics Regulation (European Commission, 2009), it is prohibited in the European Union (EU) to market cosmetic products and ingredients that have been tested on animals. However, the results of studies performed before the ban continue to be accepted. In the current study, we evaluated the use of in vitro methods in the dossiers submitted to the SCCS in the period between 2013 and 2016 based on the published reports issued by the scientific committee, which provides a scientific opinion on these dossiers. The results of this evaluation were compared with those of an evaluation conducted four years previously. We found that, despite a slight increase in the number of studies performed in vitro, the majority of studies submitted to the SCCS is still done principally in vivo and correspond to studies performed before the ban

Hyphenation of single-drop microextraction with laser-induced breakdown spectrometry for trace analysis in liquid samples: a viability study

In this work, an analytical methodology based on single drop microextraction (SDME) followed by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometry (LIBS) has been tested for trace metal determination in liquid samples. By this method, analytes in the samples were extracted into a small volume of toluene as ammonium pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) chelates. After that, the analyte-enriched toluene was dried on a solid substrate and, finally, the resulting solid residue was analyzed by LIBS. Analyte extraction by the SDME procedure was optimized for the first time by using a multivariate optimization approach. Under optimum SDME conditions, analytical figures of merit of the proposed SDME-LIBS methodology were compared to those of the direct LIBS analysis method (i.e., without the SDME procedure). An estuarine water certified reference material was analyzed for method trueness evaluation. The results obtained in this study indicate that SDME-LIBS methodology leads to a sensitivity increase of about 2.0–2.6 times the ones obtained by LIBS. Detection limits of SDME-LIBS decrease according to the obtained sensitivity improvement, reaching values in the range 21–301 μg kg−1 for the analytes tested. The measurement repeatability was similar in both SDME-LIBS (13–20% RSD) and LIBS (16–20% RSD) methodologies, mainly limited by the LIBS experimental setup used in this work for LIBS analysis of liquid samples. The SDME-LIBS analysis of the certified reference material led to recovery values in the range of 96% to 112%.The authors are grateful to the Spanish Government (projects CTQ2011-23968) and the Regional Government of Valencia (Spain) (ACOMP/2013/072) for the financial support. M.A.A. is grateful to the University of Alicante for his PhD fellowship. This work is part of the PhD degree of M.A.A

Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction for metals enrichment: A useful strategy for improving sensitivity of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy in liquid samples analysis

A rapid and efficient Dispersive Liquid–Liquid Microextraction (DLLME) followed by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy detection (LIBS) was evaluated for simultaneous determination of Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn in water samples. Metals in the samples were extracted with tetrachloromethane as pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDC) complexes, using vortex agitation to achieve dispersion of the extractant solvent. Several DLLME experimental factors affecting extraction efficiency were optimized with a multivariate approach. Under optimum DLLME conditions, DLLME-LIBS method was found to be of about 4.0–5.5 times more sensitive than LIBS, achieving limits of detection of about 3.7–5.6 times lower. To assess accuracy of the proposed DLLME-LIBS procedure, a certified reference material of estuarine water was analyzed.The authors are grateful to the Spanish Government (project no. CTQ2011-23968) and Regional Government of Valencia (Spain) (project no. ACOMP/2013/072) for the financial support

Outpatient inguinal hernia repair in Spain: a population-based study of 1,163,039 patients-clinical and socioeconomic factors associated with the choice of day surgery

Epidemiology; Inguinal hernia; Outpatient surgeryEpidemiologia; Hèrnia inguinal; Cirurgia ambulatòriaEpidemiología; Hernia inguinal; Cirugía ambulatoriaReducing inpatient admissions and health care costs is a central aspiration of worldwide health systems. This study aimed to evaluate trends in outpatient surgery in inguinal hernia repair (IHR) and factors related to the outpatient setting in Spain. A retrospective cohort study (Record-Strobe compliant) of 1,163,039 patients who underwent IHR from January 2004 to December 2019 was conducted. Data were extracted from the public clinical administrative database CMBD ("Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos"). The primary outcome was the outpatient surgery rate. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to identify clinical and socioeconomic factors related to the outpatient setting. The overall proportion of outpatient repairs was 30.7% in 2004 and 54.2% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Treatment in a public hospital was the most remarkable factor associated with the likelihood of receiving an outpatient procedure (OR 3.408; p < 0.001). There were also significant differences favouring outpatient procedures for patients with public insurance (OR 2.351; p < 0.001), unilateral hernia (OR 2.903; p < 0.001), primary hernia (OR 1.937; p < 0.0005), age < 65 years (OR 1.747; p < 0.001) and open surgery (OR 1.610; p < 0.001). Only 9% of patients who pay for their intervention privately or 15% of those covered by private insurance were treated as outpatients. Spain has significantly increased the rate of outpatient IHR over the last 16 years. However, the figures obtained still leave a significant margin for improvement. Important questions about the acceptance of outpatient settings remain to be answered. Outpatient inguinal hernia repair in Spain. A population-based study of 1,163,039 patients: clinical and socioeconomic factors associated with the choice of day surgery

Dispersive micro solid-phase extraction (DµSPE) with graphene oxide as adsorbent for sensitive elemental analysis of aqueous samples by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)

In this work, the combination of dispersive micro solid-phase extraction (DµSPE) with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was evaluated for simultaneous preconcentration and detection of Zn, Cd, Mn, Ni, Cr and Pb in aqueous samples. Two adsorbent materials were tested in the microextraction step, namely graphene oxide and activated carbon. In both cases, the microextraction process consisted in the dispersion of a small quantity of adsorbent in the sample solution containing the analytes. However, while the use of activated carbon required a previous chelation of the metals, this step was avoided with the use of graphene oxide. After extraction, the analytes retained in the adsorbents were analysed by LIBS. Several experimental factors affecting the extraction of the metals (adsorbent amount, pH and extraction time) were optimized by means of the traditional univariate approach. Under optimum microextraction conditions, the analytical features of the proposed DµSPE-LIBS methods were assessed, leading to limits of detection below 100 µg kg−1 and 50 µg kg−1 with the use of activated carbon and graphene oxide, respectively, as adsorbents in the DµSPE process. Trueness evaluation of the most sensitive procedure was carried out by spike and recovery experiments in a real sample of tap water, leading to recovery values in the range 98–110%.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, (Spain) (Project no. CTQ2016-79991-R and fellowship number BES-2012-058759 (FPI-MICINN)); the Regional Government of Valencia (Spain) (Project no. PROMETEO/2013/038); and the University of Alicante, (Spain) (Grant no. UAUSTI16-04)