Topic modelling and social network analysis on Twitter during World Rare Disease Day

[ES] Durante el Día Mundial de las Enfermedades Raras se recogieron las interacciones realizadas en la red social Twitter relacionadas con este acontecimiento. Se estudiaron los datos obtenidos para detectar los temas de conversación y se realizó un análisis de redes sociales para conocer los principales actores participantes y sus relaciones.[EN] During World Rare Diseases Day, the interactions carried out on the social network Twitter related to this event were collected. The data obtained was studied to detect the topics of conversation and an analysis of social networks was carried out to know the main participating actors and their relationships

Life Habits of Healthcare Professionals during the Third Wave of COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Spanish Hospital

EN] (1) Background: To describe sleep quality, eating behaviour and alcohol, tobacco and illicit drug use among healthcare staff in a Spanish public hospital. (2) Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study examining sleep quality (Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index), eating behaviour (Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (R18)), tobacco and drug use (ESTUDES questionnaire) and alcohol use (Cut down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-opener). (3) Results: 178 people, of whom 87.1% (155) were women, with an average age of 41.59 ± 10.9 years. A total of 59.6% of the healthcare workers had sleep problems, to a greater or lesser degree. The average daily consumption was 10.56 ± 6.74 cigarettes. The most commonly used drugs included cannabis, occasionally used by 88.37%, cocaine (4.75%), ecstasy (4.65%) and amphetamines (2.33%). A total of 22.73% of participants had increased their drug use, and 22.73% had increased their consumption during the pandemic, with beer and wine accounting for 87.2% of drinks consumed during this period. (4) Conclusions: In addition to the psychological and emotional impact already demonstrated, the COVID-19 crisis has repercussions on sleep quality, eating behaviour and alcohol, tobacco and drug consumption. Psychological disturbances have repercussions on physical and functional aspects of healthcare workers. It is feasible that these alterations are due to stress, and it is necessary to act through treatment and prevention as well as promote healthy habits.S

Cannabis Use and Emotional Intelligence in Adolescents during COVID-19 Confinement: A Social Network Analysis Approach

[EN] Confinement by COVID-19 had negative consequences on adolescent mental health, including increased cannabis use. Cannabis is related to variables that influence health and well-being. Emotional Intelligence is associated with adaptive coping styles, peer relationships, and social–emotional competencies. In adolescence, peer selection plays a unique role in the initiation of substance use. However, there are no studies during a confinement stage that analyse the relationships between networks, Emotional Intelligence, and cannabis use. The aim of this paper is to describe and analyse the consumption and friendship networks of an adolescent classroom and their relationship with Emotional Intelligence, cannabis use, and gender during COVID-19 confinement. Participants completed different questionnaires for Emotional Intelligence, cannabis use, and the consumption and friendship network. The sample consisted of 21 students from 10th grade, of which 47.6% were consumers. The friendship network correlates with the consumption network, and significant associations between emotional repair and being a cannabis user. The regression model points to the friendship network as a significant variable in predicting the classroom use network. This study highlights the role of the Social Network Analysis in predicting consumption networks during a COVID-19 confinement stage and serves as a tool for cannabis use prevention interventions in a specific population.S

Burnout, resilience and psychological flexibility in frontline nurses during the acute phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020) in Madrid, Spain

[EN] Background In April 2020, Spain was the country with the highest number of patients infected by COVID-19 in Europe. The pressure on health care providers has had a direct impact on nurses and their mental health. Aim The aim of this study is to demonstrate the causal relationship between resilience, acceptance, experiential avoidance, psychological inflexibility and burnout syndrome, all of which are measured with validated questionnaires. Methods This was designed as a transversal correlational study with nurses who worked during the acute phase of the pandemic in public hospitals in the Community of Madrid with patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in COVID-19 medical hospitalization units, emergency services and intensive care units. Google Forms was used to obtain an informed consent sheet, socio-demographic variables and the following questionnaires: 10 CD-Risk, Connor-Davidson Risk Resilience Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results The final sample included 375 nurses with a high number of consecutive days of direct exposure to an infected patient and a very high number of consecutive days without rest; almost 18% suffered from COVID-19. The nurses presented medium levels of resilience, medium levels of experiential avoidance and medium levels as measured for emotional exhaustion, personal accomplishment and depersonalization. We also found a predictive correlation between all the dimensions of the burnout questionnaire in relation to the data obtained from the resilience questionnaire. Conclusions There is a direct and predictive relationship between the resilience that nurses had during the acute phase of the pandemic and their capacity for acceptance, experiential avoidance, psychological inflexibility and burnout syndrome.S

Commercial blood cell separation systems versus tube centrifugation methods for the preparation of platelet-rich plasma: a preliminary cross-sectional study

[EN] OBJECTIVE: Clinical studies claim that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) accelerates tissue healing due to its high concentration of growth factors and that the combination with leukocytes improves the antimicrobial effect of the concentrate. Most of these studies obtained PRP using different separation systems, and few analyzed the content of the PRP used for treatment. This study characterized the composition of PRP and white blood cells (WBC) from a single donor produced by three commercially available PRP separation systems and two anticoagulated general analytical tubes. METHODS: Five patients donated 50 mL of blood, which was processed to produce PRP and WBC using three PRP concentration systems (i.e., Easy PRP Kit, GloPRP, and Wego) and two tubes for general analysis anticoagulated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and citrate. Platelets and WBC in combination with their concentrates were analyzed by automated systems in a clinical laboratory. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the average concentrations of PRP platelets and WBC between GloPRP and the tubes for general analysis with EDTA and citrate; however, the Easy PRP Kit gave results much superior to the rest of the methods, especially comparing it with the Wego Kit, whose concentrates were especially low, even nonexistent for WBC. CONCLUSIONS: The Easy PRP Kit concentrates WBC-rich PRP, resulting in increased WBC concentrations, compared with low WBC-low PRP of GloPRP and general tube methods for EDTA and citrate analysis and the even lower concentration of PRP from the Wego Kit, with the absence of leukocytes.S

Influence of Sexual Dimorphism, Aging, and Differential Cell Capture Efficiency of Blood Separation Systems on the Quality of Platelet-Rich Plasma

[EN] Few studies have checked the impact of the hormonal/immunological dimorphism of patients on the cellular composition of platelet-rich plasma products (PRP). Whole blood (WB) from 26 volunteers was concentrated using a device previously characterized. Platelet and white blood cell (WBC) counts in WB and PRP were compared between genders, and after the population was split into pre (≤50 years)- and post (>50 years)-menopausal ages. In WB, platelet–total WBC densities were comparable in men and women. The phagocytic cell composition differed (p ≤ 0.04). After dividing by ages, phagocytic cell discrepancies were linked to women > 50 years (p ≤ 0.05), and differences emerged in lymphocyte counts (lower in >50 years groups, within and between genders, p ≤ 0.05). In PRP, densities were significantly higher, but the PRP/WB ratios varied according to blood cell (lower for phagocytic cells) and between subjects (more favorable at a lower density of a particular blood cell in WB). This “system compensatory efficiency” reduced/reverted PRP differences in the leukocyte composition between genders/age–sex groups in WB. In PRP, neutrophils were higher in younger men than older women (p < 0.05). WB lymphocyte differences between age–sex groups persisted. Age is a more determining factor than sex in the preparation of PRP. Post-menopause, sexual dimorphism strongly influences the composition of leukocytes, also conditioned by the capture efficiency of the system.S

Age-Based Inter-Subject Variability in Platelet and Whiteblood Cell Concentrations of Platelet-Rich Plasma Preparedusing a New Application to Blood Separation System

[Abstract] The benefit of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatment is still underdiscussion. Variations in PRP products, consequence of the lack of astandardised protocol for the multitude of commercially available blood sepa-ration systems and the lack of knowledge of the optimal composition of PRPor its suitability for the proposed indication are some of the reasons behindclinical inconsistencies. The impact of inter-subject variability in PRP hasreceived less attention in comparison. The purpose of this study was to deter-mine the inter-subject variability, based on age, in the concentrates preparedby a new blood concentration system. Twenty-six healthy volunteers of bothgenders (29-93 years) were enrolled. Whole blood (WB) was collected fromeach participant to prepare PRP using the Easy PRP kit. Platelets and whiteblood cells (WBC) from WB and PRP were analysed after split population byage; patients younger than 65 years (n=13) and patients≥65 years old(n=13). Among the demographic characteristics tested, only age was signifi-cantly different between the groups. Cell capture efficiency of the system wasspecific for each type of blood cell and identical for both age groups. Plateletsand WBC in PRP were higher than in WB (P< .001). In WB, platelets andWBC concentrations were significantly lower in older group (P≤.035). Thesedifferences persisted in the prepared PRP (P≤.004). The ageing of populationhas a strong influence on the haematocrit and therefore on the composition ofPRP. Because the efficiency of blood separator system seems to be constantacross individuals, the inter-subject haematocrit variability based on age couldbe used as a predictor of resulting PRP. The clinical application of PRP shouldbe restricted to the specific cell capture capacity of the different commercialdevice

Cannabis use network and its relationship to stress in adolescent students

[ES] La adolescencia es un periodo de cambios asociados a un incremento del estrés, y una etapa de especial vulnerabilidad para el inicio de consumo de cannabis. Debido a que en esta etapa adquieren mayor importancia las relaciones entre iguales, ¿existe relación entre las redes, el consumo y el estrés?[EN] Adolescence is a period of change associated with increased stress, and a particularly vulnerable time for the initiation of cannabis use. As peer relationships become more important at this stage, is there a relationship between networks, cannabis use and stress

Effects of Myofascial Induction Therapy on Ankle Range of Motion and Pressure Pain Threshold in Trigger Points of the Gastrocnemius—A Clinical Trial

[Abstract] Background: The myofascial induction technique (MIT) has been shown to increase shoulder range of motion (ROM) in breast cancer survivors and decrease pain pressure threshold over the radial nerve in patients with epicondylalgia. To the authors’ best knowledge, no study on trigger points and MIT has been published to date. The effect on ROM of latent trigger points is also unknown. Methods: A total of 20 twins with one latent trigger point of the gastrocnemius muscle were evaluated pre- and post-MIT in the calf. We measured static footprint variables in a pre–post study. Results: We found differences in PPT (p = 0.001) and no differences in ROM with knee flexed (p = 0.420) or stretched (p = 0.069). Conclusions: After Calf MIT, latent myofascial trigger points improve PPT but no change in ankle dorsiflexion with knee bent or knee flexed were found in non-restriction healthy subjects

Use of the Barthel Index to Assess Activities of Daily Living before and after SARS-COVID 19 Infection of Institutionalized Nursing Home Patients

[EN] The objective of the present study was to evaluate the activities of daily living (ADLs) using the Barthel Index before and after infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and also to determine whether or not the results varied according to gender. The ADLs of 68 cohabiting geriatric patients, 34 men and 34 women, in two nursing homes were measured before and after SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)) infection. COVID-19 infection was found to affect the performance of ADLs in institutionalized elderly in nursing homes, especially in the more elderly subjects, regardless of sex. The COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to having claimed many victims, especially in the elderly population, has led to a reduction in the abilities of these people to perform their ADLs and caused considerable worsening of their quality of life even after recovering from the disease.S