The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS): Independent validation in a large sample of Italian patients with schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: The Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) was developed to address the main limitations of the existing scales for the assessment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The initial validation of the scale by the group involved in its development demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity, and a factor structure confirming the two domains of negative symptoms (reduced emotional/verbal expression and anhedonia/asociality/avolition). However, only relatively small samples of patients with schizophrenia were investigated. Further independent validation in large clinical samples might be instrumental to the broad diffusion of the scale in clinical research. METHODS: The present study aimed to examine the BNSS inter-rater reliability, convergent/discriminant validity and factor structure in a large Italian sample of outpatients with schizophrenia. RESULTS: Our results confirmed the excellent inter-rater reliability of the BNSS (the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.81 to 0.98 for individual items and was 0.98 for the total score). The convergent validity measures had r values from 0.62 to 0.77, while the divergent validity measures had r values from 0.20 to 0.28 in the main sample (n=912) and in a subsample without clinically significant levels of depression and extrapyramidal symptoms (n=496). The BNSS factor structure was supported in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that the BNSS is a promising measure for quantifying negative symptoms of schizophrenia in large multicenter clinical studies

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies

Cold atoms in space: community workshop summary and proposed road-map

We summarise the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with the European Space Agency (ESA) and national space and research funding agencies.publishedVersio

A testosterone/epitestosterone (TE) relationship in urine samples obtained from athletes attending an international competition

Se estudió la relación Testosterona/Epitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.A Testosterone/Epitestosterone (TIE) relationship has been studied in urine samples obtained from 98 athletes attending an international competition. Among T/E relationship values, no values higher than 6 has been found. Six is considered the limit se1 up by IOC and other international sport organizations. Statistical parameters for the population under study were as follows: mean 1.3; SD 0.97; median 1.55; minimum 0.10; maximum 4.12 GC-MS has been used to measure T/E ratio.Se estudió la relación TestosteronaEpitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

A testosterone/epitestosterone (TE) relationship in urine samples obtained from athletes attending an international competition

Se estudió la relación Testosterona/Epitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.A Testosterone/Epitestosterone (TIE) relationship has been studied in urine samples obtained from 98 athletes attending an international competition. Among T/E relationship values, no values higher than 6 has been found. Six is considered the limit se1 up by IOC and other international sport organizations. Statistical parameters for the population under study were as follows: mean 1.3; SD 0.97; median 1.55; minimum 0.10; maximum 4.12 GC-MS has been used to measure T/E ratio.Se estudió la relación TestosteronaEpitestosterona (TE) en 98 muestras de orina pertenecientes a atletas participantes en un certamen internacional. En ninguna de las muestras estudiadas se halló una relación TE mayor de 6. Seis es el límite fijado por el COI y otros organismos deportivos internacionales. Los parámetros estadísticos hallados fueron los siguientes: media: 1.3; desvio estándar: 0.97; mediana: 1.55; mínimo: 0.10;máximo: 4.12. La cuantificación fue llevada a cabo por GC-MS.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Comprehensive Evaluation and Implementation of Improvement Actions in Butcher Shops.

Foodborne pathogens can cause acute and chronic diseases and produce a wide range of symptoms. Since the consumption of ground beef is a risk factor for infections with some bacterial pathogens, we performed a comprehensive evaluation of butcher shops, implemented improvement actions for both butcher shops and consumers, and verified the impact of those actions implemented. A comprehensive evaluation was made and risk was quantified on a 1-100 scale as high-risk (1-40), moderate-risk (41-70) or low-risk (71-100). A total of 172 raw ground beef and 672 environmental samples were collected from 86 butcher shops during the evaluation (2010-2011) and verification (2013) stages of the study. Ground beef samples were analyzed for mesophilic aerobic organisms, Escherichia coli and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus enumeration. Salmonella spp., E. coli O157:H7, non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), and Listeria monocytogenes were detected and isolated from all samples. Risk quantification resulted in 43 (50.0%) high-risk, 34 (39.5%) moderate-risk, and nine (10.5%) low-risk butcher shops. Training sessions for 498 handlers and 4,506 consumers were held. Re-evaluation by risk quantification and microbiological analyses resulted in 19 (22.1%) high-risk, 42 (48.8%) moderate-risk and 25 (29.1%) low-risk butcher shops. The count of indicator microorganisms decreased with respect to the 2010-2011 period. After the implementation of improvement actions, the presence of L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157:H7 and stx genes in ground beef decreased. Salmonella spp. was isolated from 10 (11.6%) ground beef samples, without detecting statistically significant differences between both study periods (evaluation and verification). The percentage of pathogens in environmental samples was reduced in the verification period (Salmonella spp., 1.5%; L. monocytogenes, 10.7%; E. coli O157:H7, 0.6%; non-O157 STEC, 6.8%). Risk quantification was useful to identify those relevant facts in butcher shops. The reduction of contamination in ground beef and the environment was possible after training handlers based on the problems identified in their own butcher shops. Our results confirm the feasibility of implementing a comprehensive risk management program in butcher shops, and the importance of information campaigns targeting consumers. Further collaborative efforts would be necessary to improve foodstuffs safety at retail level and at home