Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among primary healthcare patients in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area: the SeroCAP sentinel network protocol

COVID-19; Epidemiology; Primary careCOVID-19; Epidemiología; Atención primariaCOVID-19; Epidemiologia; Atenció primàriaIntroduction SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence studies are currently being recommended and implemented in many countries. Forming part of the COVID-19 monitoring and evaluation plan of the Catalan Government Health Department, our network aims to initiate a primary healthcare sentinel monitoring system as a surrogate of SARS-CoV-2 exposure in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. Methods and analysis The seroCAP is a serial cross-sectional study, which will be performed in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area to estimate antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. From February 2021 to March 2022, the detection of serum IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 trimeric spike protein will be performed on a monthly basis in blood samples collected for diverse clinical purposes in three reference hospitals from the three Barcelona healthcare areas (BCN areas). The samples (n=2588/month) will be from patients attended by 30 primary healthcare teams at 30 basic healthcare areas (BHA). A lab software algorithm will systematically select the samples by age and sex. Seroprevalence will be estimated and monitored by age, sex, BCN area and BHA. Descriptive and cluster analysis of the characteristics and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infections will be performed. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic and morbidity-associated factors will be determined using logistic regression. We will explore the association between seroprevalence, SARS-CoV-2 confirmed cases and the implemented measures using interrupted time series analysis. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the University Institute Foundation for Primary Health Care Research Jordi Gol i Gurina ethics committee. An informed consent is not required regarding the approval of the secondary use of biological samples within the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic. A report will be generated quarterly. The final analysis, conclusions and recommendations will be shared with the stakeholders and communicated to the general public. Manuscripts resulting from the network will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.This work will be supported by the Health Department of the Government of Catalunya (No grant number)

Outcomes of abdominal wall reconstruction in patients with the combination of complex midline and lateral incisional hernias.

Background The best treatment for the combined defects of midline and lateral incisional hernia is not known. The aim of our multicenter study was to evaluate the operative and patient-reported outcomes using a modified posterior component separation in patients who present with the combination of midline and lateral incisional hernia. Methods We identified patients from a prospective, multicenter database who underwent operative repairs of a midline and lateral incisional hernia at 4 centers with minimum 2-year follow-up. Hernias were divided into a main hernia based on the larger size and associated abdominal wall hernias. Outcomes reported were short- and long-term complications, including recurrence, pain, and bulging. Quality of life was assessed with the European Registry for Abdominal Wall Hernias Quality of Life score. Results Fifty-eight patients were identified. Almost 70% of patients presented with a midline defect as the main incisional hernia. The operative technique was a transversus abdominis release in 26 patients (45%), a modification of transversus abdominis release 27 (47%), a reverse transversus abdominis release in 3 (5%), and a primary, lateral retromuscular preperitoneal approach in 2 (3%). Surgical site occurrences occurred in 22 patients (38%), with only 8 patients (14%) requiring procedural intervention. During a mean follow-up of 30.1 ± 14.4 months, 2 (3%) cases of recurrence were diagnosed and required reoperation. There were also 4 (7%) patients with asymptomatic but visible bulging. The European Registry for Abdominal Wall Hernias Quality of Life score showed a statistically significant decrease in the 3 domains (pain, restriction, and cosmetic) in the postoperative score compared with the preoperative score. Conclusion The different techniques of posterior component separation in the treatment of combined midline and lateral incisional hernia show acceptable results, despite the associated high complexity. Patient-reported outcomes after measurement of the European Registry for Abdominal Wall Hernias Quality of Life score demonstrated a clinically important improvement in quality of life and pain.post-print2.323 K

Risk of survival, establishment and spread of Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) in the EU

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is an emerging fungal pathogen of salamanders. Despite limited surveillance, Bsal was detected in kept salamanders populations in Belgium, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and in wild populations in some regions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. According to niche modelling, at least part of the distribution range of every salamander species in Europe overlaps with the climate conditions predicted to be suitable for Bsal. Passive surveillance is considered the most suitable approach for detection of Bsal emergence in wild populations. Demonstration of Bsal absence is considered feasible only in closed populations of kept susceptible species. In the wild, Bsal can spread by both active (e.g. salamanders, anurans) and passive (e.g. birds, water) carriers; it is most likely maintained/spread in infected areas by contacts of salamanders or by interactions with anurans, whereas human activities most likely cause Bsal entry into new areas and populations. In kept amphibians, Bsal contamination via live silent carriers (wild birds and anurans) is considered extremely unlikely. The risk-mitigation measures that were considered the most feasible and effective: (i) for ensuring safer international or intra-EU trade of live salamanders, are: ban or restrictions on salamander imports, hygiene procedures and good practice manuals; (ii) for protecting kept salamanders from Bsal, are: identification and treatment of positive collections; (iii) for on-site protection of wild salamanders, are: preventing translocation of wild amphibians and release/return to the wild of kept/temporarily housed wild salamanders, and setting up contact points/emergency teams for passive surveillance. Combining several risk-mitigation measures improve the overall effectiveness. It is recommended to: introduce a harmonised protocol for Bsal detection throughout the EU; improve data acquisition on salamander abundance and distribution; enhance passive surveillance activities; increase public and professionals’ awareness; condition any movement of captive salamanders on Bsal known health status.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

On-line measurement of soil properties without direct spectral response in near infrared spectral range

So far, the majority of reports on on-line measurement considered soil properties with direct spectral responses in near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). This work reports on the results of on-line measurement of soil properties with indirect spectral responses, e.g. pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable calcium (Caex) and exchangeable magnesium (Mgex) in one field in Bedfordshire in the UK. The on-line sensor consisted of a subsoiler coupled with an AgroSpec mobile, fibre type, visible and near infrared (vis–NIR) spectrophotometer (tec5 Technology for Spectroscopy, Germany), with a measurement range 305–2200 nm to acquire soil spectra in diffuse reflectance mode. General calibration models for the studied soil properties were developed with a partial least squares regression (PLSR) with one-leave-out cross validation, using spectra measured under non-mobile laboratory conditions of 160 soil samples collected from different fields in four farms in Europe, namely, Czech Republic, Denmark, Netherland and UK. A group of 25 samples independent from the calibration set was used as independent validation set. Higher accuracy was obtained for laboratory scanning as compared to on-line scanning of the 25 independent samples. The prediction accuracy for the laboratory and on-line measurements was classified as excellent/very good for pH (RPD = 2.69 and 2.14 and r2 = 0.86 and 0.78, respectively), and moderately good for CEC (RPD = 1.77 and 1.61 and r2 = 0.68 and 0.62, respectively) and Mgex (RPD = 1.72 and 1.49 and r2 = 0.66 and 0.67, respectively). For Caex, very good accuracy was calculated for laboratory method (RPD = 2.19 and r2 = 0.86), as compared to the poor accuracy reported for the on-line method (RPD = 1.30 and r2 = 0.61). The ability of collecting large number of data points per field area (about 12,800 point per 21 ha) and the simultaneous analysis of several soil properties without direct spectral response in the NIR range at relatively high operational speed and appreciable accuracy, encourage the recommendation of the on-line measurement system for site specific fertilisation

Influence of incorporation of natural fibers on the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of composites ldpe-al reinforced with fique fibers

Este estudio muestra el efecto de la incorporación de fibras naturales de fique en una matriz formada por polietileno de baja densidad y aluminio (LDPE-Al) obtenido en el proceso de reciclaje de envases Tetra Pak de larga duración. El contenido de refuerzo fue de 10, 20 y 30% de fibras, fabricadas mediante moldeo por compresión en caliente de tableros compuestos (LDPE-Al / fique). A partir del análisis termogravimétrico (TGA) se determinó que las proporciones del LDPE-Al fueron 75:25 p / p. Asimismo, se encontró que las partículas de aluminio aumentaron la rigidez del LDPE-Al, reduciendo la resistencia al impacto en comparación con LDPE reciclado de Tetra Pak sin aluminio; además de esto, la cristalinidad en el LDPE-Al aumentó con la presencia de aluminio, lo cual fue observado por calorimetría diferencial de barrido (DSC). La resistencia máxima y el módulo de Young a las propiedades de tracción y flexión aumentaron con la incorporación de las fibras, siendo este aumento una función directa de la cantidad de refuerzo contenido en el material. Finalmente, se identificó una reducción en la densidad del compuesto por la generación de huecos en la interfaz entre el LDPE-Al y las fibras de fique, y también hubo una mayor absorción de agua debido a la débil interfase fibra-matriz y las fibras hidrofílicas contenidas en el material.This study shows the effect of the incorporation of natural fique fibers in a matrix formed by low-density polyethylene and aluminum (LDPE-Al) obtained in the recycling process of long-life Tetra Pak packaging. The reinforcement content was 10, 20, and 30% fibers, manufactured by hot-press compression molding of composite boards (LDPE-Al/fique). From the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) it was determined that the proportions of the LDPE-Al were 75 : 25 w/w. Likewise, it was found that the aluminum particles increased the rigidity of the LDPE-Al, reducing the impact strength compared to LDPE recycled from Tetra Pak without aluminum; besides this, the crystallinity in the LDPE-Al increased with the presence of aluminum, which was observed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The maximum strength and Young’s modulus to tensile and flexural properties increased with the incorporation of the fibers, this increase being a direct function of the amount of reinforcement contained in the material. Finally, a reduction in the density of the compound by the generation of voids at the interface between the LDPE-Al and fique fibers was identified, and there was also a greater water absorption due to weak interphase fiber-matrix and the hydrophilic fibers contained in the material

Key Management Skills for Integral Civil Engineering Education

Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry requires many interactions between professionals of different areas. Thus, project managers in the AEC industry should have a set of management-aligned skills. International agreements and accreditation boards states the expected skills for engineering graduates, but they usually overrate technical skills. This study aims to identify the most relevant skills in management for civil engineer's education. To achieve this, a literature review was carried out and a list of 129 competencies was obtained. This list was summarized in 34 competencies, and his importance level was evaluated using a web-based survey, targeted to Chilean project managers and civil engineers. The collected skills were classified in management, technical and soft skills. According to respondents, the 34 skills described in this paper are important for the exercise of the profession. However, the most important skills in relative terms are soft skills, then management, and finally, technical skills

Key Management Skills for Integral Civil Engineering Education

Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry requires many interactions between professionals of different areas. Thus, project managers in the AEC industry should have a set of management-aligned skills. International agreements and accreditation boards states the expected skills for engineering graduates, but they usually overrate technical skills. This study aims to identify the most relevant skills in management for civil engineer's education. To achieve this, a literature review was carried out and a list of 129 competencies was obtained. This list was summarized in 34 competencies, and his importance level was evaluated using a web-based survey, targeted to Chilean project managers and civil engineers. The collected skills were classified in management, technical and soft skills. According to respondents, the 34 skills described in this paper are important for the exercise of the profession. However, the most important skills in relative terms are soft skills, then management, and finally, technical skills

Response to Letter Regarding Article, >extravirgin Olive Oil Consumption Reduces Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: The PREDIMED (Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea) Trial>

We appreciate the interest and kind comments by Gonzalez-Salvado et al regarding our published article on extravirgin olive oil (EVOO) consumption and a reduced risk of atrial fibrillation (AF).1 The answer to their questions about the quantity of EVOO that should be consumed to observe a reduction in the risk of AF and the between-subject variability in EVOO consumption can be found in our online-only Data Supplement published in Circulation. In the per protocol analyses shown in Table II in the online-only Data Supplement (including the 3 arms of the trial together), we demonstrated that the risk of AF was only 6.6 cases/1000 person-years when the attained consumption reached the 3 upper quintiles of consumption, whereas it was 15.5 when the consumption was in the 2 lower quintiles. This cutoff corresponded to a consumption of at least 25 g/d. More specifically, and taking into account the between-subject variability in total energy intake and after controlling for other potential confounding factors, we observed a significant reduction in the risk of AF when EVOO consumption represented ≥15% of total energy intake (please check Figure IB in the online-only Data Supplement). We acknowledge that we did not specify whether EVOO was consumed raw or cooked. Specifically we included both possibilities in our educational recommendations to participants, but we also gave the advice to our participants to frequently consume EVOO for salad dressings and as a spread. Please check http://www.predimed.es, and previous articles on our interventions in the Prevención con Dieta …Peer Reviewe