Validação da escala breve do comportamento resiliente (BRCS) uma amostra multiétnica de idosos chilenos

[EN] The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) for a multiethnic sample of Chilean older people (800). This sample has the particular feature of including non-indigenous (231) and indigenous Aymara (201) and Mapuche (368) people resident in native rural areas. It is a cross-sectional study. Descriptive statistics were calculated for socio-demographic and outcome data, covering mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. For the BRCS, psychometric properties were analyzed according to the principles of Classical Test Theory. The analysis of the psychometric properties of the BRCS for three ethnic groups of older Chilean people shows that this rating scale is acceptable, reliable and valid, although the differences between groups highlight the need for culturally adapted geriatric assessment scales. The BRCS showed satisfactory psychometric characteristics for the studied samples. It is important for medical and social sciences to have ethnically sensitive instruments for the evaluation of psychosocial resources that promote successful aging. [ES] El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala Breve de Afrontamiento Resiliente (BRCS) para una muestra multiétnica de 800 personas mayores chilenas. Esta muestra tiene la particularidad de incluir personas no indígenas (231) e indígenas aymaras (201) y mapuche (368) residentes en áreas rurales nativas. Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos para las variables sociodemográficos, tales como media, desviación estándar (DE), frecuencias y porcentajes. Para BRCS, las propiedades psicométricas se analizaron de acuerdo con los principios de la Teoría Clásica de las Pruebas. Los análisis de las propiedades psicométricas de BRCS para los tres grupos étnicos de personas mayores chilenas muestran que esta escala es aceptable, confiable y válida, aunque las diferencias entre los grupos resaltan la necesidad de que las escalas de evaluación geriátrica sean adaptadas culturalmente. BRCS mostró características psicométricas satisfactorias para las muestras estudiadas. Es importante para las ciencias médicas y sociales contar con instrumentos étnicamente sensibles para la evaluación de los recursos psicosociales que promueven un envejecimiento exitoso. [PT] O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar as propriedades psicométricas da Escala Breve do Comportamento Resiliente (BRCS) para uma amostra multiétnica de 800 idosos chilenos. Esta amostra tem a particularidade de incluir pessoas não indígenas (231), Aimarás (201) e Mapuche (368) residentes em áreas rurais nativas. Foi realizado um estudo transversal. Foram realizadas análises descritivas para as variáveis sociodemográficas, como média, desvio padrão (DP), frequências e percentuais. Para a BRCS, as propriedades psicométricas foram analisadas segundo os princípios da Teoria Clássica dos Testes. As análises das propriedades psicométricas da BRCS para os três grupos étnicos de idosos chilenos mostram que esta escala é aceitável, confiável e válida, embora as diferenças entre os grupos destacam a necessidade de adaptação cultural das escalas de avaliação geriátrica. BRCS mostrou características psicométricas satisfatórias para as amostras estudadas. É importante para as ciências médicas e sociais contar com instrumentos etnicamente sensíveis para a avaliação dos recursos psicossociais que promovem o envelhecimento bem- -sucedido.This work was supported by the Government of Chile (Proyecto FONDECYT 1170493) and University of Tarapacá (Proyecto UTA MAYOR 3768-20) and the Research Program of the Madrid Autonomous Community, Spain (ENCAGENCN, Ref: H2019/HUM-5698).S

Rifabutin-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers as a Tool in Oral Anti-Mycobacterial Treatment of Crohn s Disease

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).Oral anti-mycobacterial treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD) is limited by the low aqueous solubility of drugs, along with the altered gut conditions of patients, making uncommon their clinical use. Hence, the aim of the present work is focused on the in vitro evaluation of rifabutin (RFB)-loaded Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), in order to solve limitations associated to this therapeutic approach. RFB-loaded NLC were prepared by hot homogenization and characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, surface charge, morphology, thermal stability, and drug payload and release. Permeability across Caco-2 cell monolayers and cytotoxicity and uptake in human macrophages was also determined. NLC obtained were nano-sized, monodisperse, negatively charged, and spheroidal-shaped, showing a suitable drug payload and thermal stability. Furthermore, the permeability profile, macrophage uptake and selective intracellular release of RFB-loaded NLC, guarantee an effective drug dose administration to cells. Outcomes suggest that rifabutin-loaded NLC constitute a promising strategy to improve oral anti-mycobacterial therapy in Crohn’s disease.This research was funded by V-A POCTEP Program (0245_IBEROS_1_E) of EU (FEDER), Xunta de Galicia (Competitive Reference Groups, ED431C 2016/008 and ED431C2017/09-FEDER), as well as by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (under iMED.ULisboa project Pest-UID/DTP/04138/2019).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trends in mental health diagnosis and use of resources in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The European Population Health Information Research Infraestructure (PHIRI) conducted research through use cases of applicability for public health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to present changes in diagnosis of depression or anxiety and the use of health services before and during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: Aggregated datasets with the total number of diagnosis of depression or anxiety (ICD10: F30-F39 and F40-F48 codes) and the number of visits to primary care, hospital or emergency department were generated were generated. Diagnoses were obtained from electronic health records in Austria, Estonia, Finland, Croatia, Latvia, Romania and Aragon (Spain), using the PHIRI federated research infra structure. Incident trends were depicted by month and year of visit (2017 and 2020). Results: Overall, 1,514,311 diagnoses of depression or anxiety were reported in 2017 vs. 1,102,468 diagnoses in 2020. By countries, monthly mean diagnosis of depression or anxiety ranged 2.7/10000 population (standard deviation, SD:0.2) to 148.4(20.0) for 2017; after lockdown in 2020 incidence decreased in most countries. Visits to primary, specialized care and emergency related to anxiety and depression diagnoses dropped after lockdown but they increased in general in all countries during 2021. Conclusions: Despite differences in the European health systems, a slight impact on COVID-19 on mental health diagnoses could be detected. This study highlights the potential use of harmonized data for providing evidence for future pandemic preparedness. Key messages: The use of a federated research infrastructure has allowed assessing the impact of COVID-19 in mental health across European countries in a harmonized way. Slight changes in mental health diagnoses and use of resources could be detected in several European countries due to COVID-19 pandemic.S

Self-collected saliva for SARS-CoV-2 detection: A prospective study in the emergency room

Current diagnostic standards involve severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) detection in nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS), but saliva is an attractive and noninvasive option for diagnosis. The objectives were to determine the performance of saliva in comparison with NPS for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and to compare the optimized home brew reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with a commercial RT-PCR. Paired NPS and saliva specimens were prospectively collected and tested by RT-PCR from patients presenting at an emergency room with signs and symptoms compatible with coronavirus disease-2019. A total of 348 samples from 174 patients were tested by RT-PCR assays. Among 174 patients with symptoms, 63 (36%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive in NPS using the optimized home-brew PCR. Of these 63 patients, 61 (98%) were also positive in saliva. An additional positive SARS-CoV-2 saliva was detected in a patient with pneumonia. Kappa Cohen´s coefficient agreement between NPS and saliva was 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90?0.99). Median Ct values in NPS versus saliva were 18.88 (interquartile range [IQR], 15.60?23.58; range, 11.97?38.10) versus 26.10 (IQR, 22.75?30.06; range, 13.78?39.22), respectively (p <.0001). The optimized home-brew RT-PCR demonstrated higher analytical and clinical sensitivity compared with the commercial RT-PCR assay. A high sensitivity (98%) and agreement (kappa 0.96) in saliva samples compared to NPS was demonstrated when using an optimized home-brew PCR even when the viral load in saliva was lower than in NPS. This noninvasive sample is easy to collect, requires less consumable and avoids discomfort to patients. Importantly, self-collection of saliva can diminish exposure to healthcare personnel.Fil: Echavarría, Marcela Silvia. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Reyes, Noelia Soledad. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Pamela Elizabeth. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Ypas, Martin. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Ricarte, Joaquina Carmen. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, María P.. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Matías Gastón. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Seoane, Alejandro. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Alfredo. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Videla, Cristina Mónica. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Stryjewski, Martin E.. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Carballal, Guadalupe. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Optical Basicity and Nepheline Crystallization in High Alumina Glasses

The purpose of this study was to find compositions that increase waste loading of high-alumina wastes beyond what is currently acceptable while avoiding crystallization of nepheline (NaAlSiO4) on slow cooling. Nepheline crystallization has been shown to have a large impact on the chemical durability of high-level waste glasses. It was hypothesized that there would be some composition regions where high-alumina would not result in nepheline crystal production, compositions not currently allowed by the nepheline discriminator. Optical basicity (OB) and the nepheline discriminator (ND) are two ways of describing a given complex glass composition. This report presents the theoretical and experimental basis for these models. They are being studied together in a quadrant system as metrics to explore nepheline crystallization and chemical durability as a function of waste glass composition. These metrics were calculated for glasses with existing data and also for theoretical glasses to explore nepheline formation in Quadrant IV (passes OB metric but fails ND metric), where glasses are presumed to have good chemical durability. Several of these compositions were chosen, and glasses were made to fill poorly represented regions in Quadrant IV. To evaluate nepheline formation and chemical durability of these glasses, quantitative X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and the Product Consistency Test were conducted. A large amount of quantitative XRD data is collected here, both from new glasses and from glasses of previous studies that had not previously performed quantitative XRD on the phase assemblage. Appendix A critically discusses a large dataset to be considered for future quantitative studies on nepheline formation in glass. Appendix B provides a theoretical justification for choice of the oxide coefficients used to compute the OB criterion for nepheline formation

HLW Glass Studies: Development of Crystal-Tolerant HLW Glasses

In our study, a series of lab-scale crucible tests were performed on designed glasses of different compositions to further investigate and simulate the effect of Cr, Ni, Fe, Al, Li, and RuO2 on the accumulation rate of spinel crystals in the glass discharge riser of the HLW melter. The experimental data were used to expand the compositional region covered by an empirical model developed previously (Matyáš et al. 2010b), improving its predictive performance. We also investigated the mechanism for agglomeration of particles and impact of agglomerates on accumulation rate. In addition, the TL was measured as a function of temperature and composition

HLW Glass Studies: Development of Crystal-Tolerant HLW Glasses

In our study, a series of lab-scale crucible tests were performed on designed glasses of different compositions to further investigate and simulate the effect of Cr, Ni, Fe, Al, Li, and RuO2 on the accumulation rate of spinel crystals in the glass discharge riser of the HLW melter. The experimental data were used to expand the compositional region covered by an empirical model developed previously (Matyáš et al. 2010b), improving its predictive performance. We also investigated the mechanism for agglomeration of particles and impact of agglomerates on accumulation rate. In addition, the TL was measured as a function of temperature and composition

Kinetics of Cold-Cap Reactions for Vitrification of Nuclear Waste Glass Based on Simultaneous Differential Scanning Calorimetry - Thermogravimetry (DSC-TGA) and Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA)

For vitrifying nuclear waste glass, the feed, a mixture of waste with glass-forming and modifying additives, is charged onto the cold cap that covers 90?100% of the melt surface. The cold cap consists of a layer of reacting molten glass floating on the surface of the melt in an all-electric, continuous glass melter. As the feed moves through the cold cap, it undergoes chemical reactions and phase transitions through which it is converted to molten glass that moves from the cold cap into the melt pool. The process involves a series of reactions that generate multiple gases and subsequent mass loss and foaming significantly influence the mass and heat transfers. The rate of glass melting, which is greatly influenced by mass and heat transfers, affects the vitrification process and the efficiency of the immobilization of nuclear waste. We studied the cold-cap reactions of a representative waste glass feed using both the simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry-thermogravimetry (DSC-TGA) and the thermogravimetry coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (TGA-GC-MS) as complementary tools to perform evolved gas analysis (EGA). Analyses from DSC-TGA and EGA on the cold-cap reactions provide a key element for the development of an advanced cold-cap model. It also helps to formulate melter feeds for higher production rate

Karyotype characterization of wheat breeding lines carrying resistance genes from Aegilops ventricosa

We have used in situ hybridization combining genomic and repeated DNA fluorescent probes to determine the karyotype composition of two bread wheat introgression lines: H-93-33, which carries the gene H27 for resistance to the Hessian fly M. destructor (Delibes et al. 1997); and H-93-8, carrying the gene Cre2 which confers resistance to the cereal cyst nematode H. avenae (Delibes et al. 1993). Both introgression lines had been derived from an earlier cross between T. aestivum subsp. aestivum (2n=42; genome composition AABBDD) and a semi-fertile hybrid between T. turgidum subsp. turgidum (2n=28; genome composition AABB) and the wild grass Ae. ventricosa (2n=28; genome constitution DvDvN¬vNv). We also have examined several resistant advanced lines that were obtained from H-93-33 (lines ID-2151, ID-2193, Ma-1612-a and Ma-1612-b) or H-93-8 (line ID-2150) after 3 to 5 backcrosses with commercial wheats