Evaluación de la calidad de vida en personas drogodopendientes mediante el modelo de Rasch

La Escala GENCAT aparece como el único instrumento que permite evaluar la calidad de vida individual de personas con drogodependencias desde una perspectiva diferente a la de calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS). Dado que las propiedades psicométricas de la mencionada escala sólo se han estudiado para la muestra general de usuarios de servicios sociales, este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar su fiabilidad y validez en un grupo específico de personas con drogodependencias. Para ello, se aplicó a 75 drogodependientes usuarios de servicios sociales en Cataluña. Los datos obtenidos permiten concluir que la escala, para este colectivo, presenta una adecuada consistencia interna (que supera en algunos casos la obtenida para la muestra general) según la Teoría Clásica de los Tests. Además, se observó que el ajuste medio de los ítems al modelo y la fiabilidad promedio de las estimaciones de los ítems fueron altos según el modelo de Rasch, aunque los índices de fiabilidad de las personas resultaron más moderados en la mayoría de las subescalas y deficiente en el caso de la dimensión bienestar físico. Se concluye que, aunque la escala es válida y fiable en términos generales, es aconsejable una revisión de la dimensión mencionada

Soil magnetic susceptibility and surface topographic characteristics in cultivated soils

6 Pags., 1 Tabl., 9 Figs.[EN] The spatial distribution of the concentration of magnetic soil minerals can be assessed through the characteristics of the surface topographic attributes. The topography of the land surface controls the pathways of runoff and the redistribution of soil that affect the spatial variability of magnetic minerals contained in the soil. In this contribution, the soil magnetic susceptibility has been studied with different surface topographic attributes in a small cultivated field in order to infer the relationships between the magnetic susceptibility measured in situ in the field and some physical characteristics of the land surface such as elevation, slope, concavity-convexity, plan curvature and aspect. These relationships can be used to describe the spatial pattern of the concentration of magnetic minerals in soils.[ES] La distribución espacial de la concentración de los minerales magnéticos en el suelo se puede evaluar a partir de las características de los atributos topográficos. La topografía de la superficie del terreno controla los patrones de la escorrentía y la redistribución del suelo, estos procesos afectan a la variabilidad espacial de los minerales magnéticos presentes en el suelo. En este estudio la susceptibilidad magnética se ha relacionado con diferentes atributos topográficos en un pequeño campo de cultivo con bordes delimitados de forma natural para inferir las relaciones entre la susceptibilidad magnética medida in situ y algunas características físicas de la superficie del terreno como la elevación, la pendiente, la concavidad-convexidad, la perpendicular a la curvatura y el aspecto. Estas relaciones pueden utilizarse para describir el modelo espacial de la concentración de los minerales magnéticos en los suelos.This work was funded by the CICYT project MEDEROCAR (CGL2008-0831).Peer reviewe

Diagnóstico y clasificación en discapacidad intelectual

El diagnóstico de la discapacidad intelectual así como los sistemas de clasificación de la misma han constituido un tema de interés principal para todos aquellos que intentan comprender este fenómeno y acercarse un poco más al complejo entramado de intervención en este campo. El objetivo de este artículo consiste en realizar un pequeño recorrido sobre las implicaciones, peligros y beneficios de los sistemas de clasificación en el campo de la discapacidad intelectual para finalmente abordar el enfoque multidimensional con el que los profesionales de la salud y los servicios se acercan actualmente a la misma

Evaluación de la calidad de vida en personas mayores y con discapacidad: la Escala Fumat

Este artículo tiene como objetivo el desarrollo y la validación de un instrumento específico para valorar de un modo objetivo la calidad de vida de personas mayores y personas con discapacidad que acuden a algún tipo de servicio social. La escala se desarrolló siguiendo un proceso de tres pasos: revisión de la literatura, elaboración de un banco de ítems y evaluación de los ítems seleccionados por un grupo de 15 expertos en términos de idoneidad, importancia y observabilidad. La validación del cuestionario se llevó a cabo en una muestra de 100 usuarios adultos de servicios proporcionados por Matía Fundazioa (San Sebastián). La fiabilidad se evaluó en términos de consistencia interna (Alpha de Cronbach y correlación entre dos mitades de Spearman-Brown) y estructura factorial (fiabilidad zeta y omega). La validez se evaluó en términos de validez de contenido, validez discriminante, validez concurrente y validez de constructo. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la validez y fiabilidad de la Escala FUMAT para evaluar la calidad de vida objetiva de personas mayores y personas con discapacidad que son usuarias de servicios sociales

Albayzín-2014 evaluation: audio segmentation and classification in broadcast news domains

The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13636-015-0076-3Audio segmentation is important as a pre-processing task to improve the performance of many speech technology tasks and, therefore, it has an undoubted research interest. This paper describes the database, the metric, the systems and the results for the Albayzín-2014 audio segmentation campaign. In contrast to previous evaluations where the task was the segmentation of non-overlapping classes, Albayzín-2014 evaluation proposes the delimitation of the presence of speech, music and/or noise that can be found simultaneously. The database used in the evaluation was created by fusing different media and noises in order to increase the difficulty of the task. Seven segmentation systems from four different research groups were evaluated and combined. Their experimental results were analyzed and compared with the aim of providing a benchmark and showing up the promising directions in this field.This work has been partially funded by the Spanish Government and the European Union (FEDER) under the project TIN2011-28169-C05-02 and supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the Spanish Government (‘SpeechTech4All Project’ TEC2012-38939-C03

Estudio del uso de Eversa® transform como catalizador en la transesterificación de aceite de girasol usado

En los últimos años, el estudio sobre la producción de biodiesel de segunda generación ha ganado interés, especialmente las investigaciones acerca del uso de biocatalizadores. En esta contribución se presenta el estudio sobre la aplicación del biocatalizador comercial Eversa® Transform en reacciones de transesterificación de aceite de girasol usado en cocción

Randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of fecal microbiota transplant for initial Clostridium difficile infection in intestinal microbiome

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of fecal donor-unrelated donor mix (FMT-FURM) transplantation as first-line therapy for C. difficile infection (CDI) in intestinal microbiome. Methods We designed an open, two-arm pilot study with oral vancomycin (250mg every 6 h for 10–14 days) or FMT-FURM as treatments for the first CDI episode in hospitalized adult patients in Hospital Universitario “Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez”. Patients were randomized by a closed envelope method in a 1: 1 ratio to either oral vancomycin or FMT-FURM. CDI resolution was considered when there was a reduction on the Bristol scale of at least 2 points, a reduction of at least 50% in the number of bowel movements, absence of fever, and resolution of abdominal pain (at least two criteria). From each patient, a fecal sample was obtained at days 0, 3, and 7 after treatment. Specimens were cultured to isolate C. difficile, and isolates were characterized by PCR. Susceptibility testing of isolates was performed using the agar dilution method. Fecal samples and FMT-FURM were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Results We included 19 patients; 10 in the vancomycin arm and 9 in the FMT-FURM arm. However, one of the patients in the vancomycin arm and two patients in the FMT-FURM arm were eliminated. Symptoms resolved in 8/9 patients (88.9%) in the vancomycin group, while symptoms resolved in 4/7 patients (57.1%) after the first FMT-FURM dose (P = 0.26) and in 5/7 patients (71.4%) after the second dose (P = 0.55). During the study, no adverse effects attributable to FMT-FURM were observed in patients. Twelve isolates were recovered, most isolates carried tcdB, tcdA, cdtA, and cdtB, with an 18-bp deletion in tcdC. All isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin but susceptible to metronidazole, linezolid, fidaxomicin, and tetracycline. In the FMT-FURM group, the bacterial composition was dominated by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria at all-time points and the microbiota were remarkably stable over time. The vancomycin group showed a very different pattern of the microbial composition when comparing to the FMT-FURM group over time. Conclusion The results of this preliminary study showed that FMT-FURM for initial CDI is associated with specific bacterial communities that do not resemble the donors’ sample.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Using the quality of life framework to operationalize and assess the CRPD articles and the Sustainable Development Goals

This article describes how rights, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the quality of life (QOL) framework are closely interrelated. Although legislation can be used as a tool for the practical application of QOL principles, QOL assessment information is required to further develop legislation and monitor the fulfillment of laws, policies, and the SDGs. A validated QOL model, which provides a set of concepts that can be one useful way for understanding and assessing QOL, can also function to assess many of the rights and goals promulgated in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and in the SDGs. This article illustrates the overlap between the CRPD, SDGs and QOL using the #Rights4MeToo Scale, a new measurement instrument for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The instrument's value lies in its potential to: (a) raise awareness about the rights enshrined in the CRPD; (b) design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aimed at facilitating the exercise of those rights and the achievement of the SDGs; and (c) ultimately improve the QOL of people with IDD

Heterozygous CAPN3 missense variants causing autosomal-dominant calpainopathy in seven unrelated families

[Aims] Recessive variants in CAPN3 gene are the cause of the commonest form of autosomal recessive limb girdle muscle dystrophy. However, two distinct in-frame deletions in CAPN3 (NM_000070.3:c.643_663del21 and c.598_621del15) and more recently, Gly445Arg and Arg572Pro substitutions have been linked to autosomal dominant (AD) forms of calpainopathy. We report 21 affected individuals from seven unrelated families presenting with an autosomal dominant form of muscular dystrophy associated with five different heterozygous missense variants in CAPN.[Methods] We have used massively parallel gene sequencing (MPS) to determine the genetic basis of a dominant form of limb girdle muscular dystrophy in affected individuals from seven unrelated families.[Results] The c.700G> A, [p.(Gly234Arg)], c.1327T> C [p.(Ser443Pro], c.1333G> A [p.(Gly445Arg)], c.1661A> C [p.(Tyr554Ser)] and c.1706T> C [p.(Phe569Ser)] CAPN3 variants were identified. Affected individuals presented in young adulthood with progressive proximal and axial weakness, waddling walking and scapular winging or with isolated hyperCKaemia. Muscle imaging showed fatty replacement of paraspinal muscles, variable degrees of involvement of the gluteal muscles, and the posterior compartment of the thigh and minor changes at the mid-leg level. Muscle biopsies revealed mild myopathic changes. Western blot analysis revealed a clear reduction in calpain 3 in skeletal muscle relative to controls. Protein modelling of these variants on the predicted structure of calpain 3 revealed that all variants are located in proximity to the calmodulin-binding site and are predicted to interfere with proteolytic activation.[Conclusions] We expand the genotypic spectrum of CAPN3-associated muscular dystrophy due to autosomal dominant missense variants.This study was funded in part by Instituto de Salud Carlos III through the project PI14/00738 to M. O. (co-funded by European Regional Development Fund. ERDF, a way to build Europe). We thank CERCA Programme / Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support NGL (APP1117510) and GR (APP1122952) are supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). This work is also funded by an NHMRC Project Grant (APP1080587).Peer reviewe

Standalone vertex finding in the ATLAS muon spectrometer

A dedicated reconstruction algorithm to find decay vertices in the ATLAS muon spectrometer is presented. The algorithm searches the region just upstream of or inside the muon spectrometer volume for multi-particle vertices that originate from the decay of particles with long decay paths. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using both a sample of simulated Higgs boson events, in which the Higgs boson decays to long-lived neutral particles that in turn decay to bbar b final states, and pp collision data at √s = 7 TeV collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC during 2011