Aplicación del método mamá canguro para el manejo del dolor no quirúrgico en un grupo de recién nacidos de un hospital regional de la Provincia de Veraguas, 2019

The effectiveness of the kangaroo mother method for the management of non-surgical pain was investigated in a group of newborns from the neonatology service of a local hospital. Quantitative, experimental approach. The sample of 16 infants (8 from the experimental group to whom the kangaroo breast method was applied to manage non-surgical pain and, 8 infants from the control group who underwent routine therapeutic procedures without pain control strategies, such as established in the service care protocol); it was intentionally captured. The Susan Givens validated instrument was applied, which measures 6 behavioral parameters and 5 vital signs associated with pain manifestations, it was applied before and after the painful therapeutic procedure to compare these two moments in each neonate in the sample and between both groups; that is, to measure the pain of the control and experimental groups. The chi square test was used to test the relationship between pain control and the application of the kangaroo mother method. The medical procedures whose intensity of pain was measured were heel punctures and administration of vaccines. Results: in all the behavioral evaluations, the intervened group showed that they tolerate pain better compared to the control group, highlighting that both groups started with scores equivalent to a "pain-free" state according to the scale applied (1.12 and 1.63 for the intervened group and the control group respectively). After the painful medical procedure, the intervened group reached a global score of 7.12, which is equivalent to “moderate pain”; while the control group averages its score at 10.5, which is equivalent to “intense pain”. All the behavioral and vital sign evaluations demonstrate a high effectiveness of the kangaroo mother method in controlling non-surgical pain in the newborn. The chi-square test with a bilateral asymptotic significance of 0.01 accepts that there is a significant relationship between the intensity of pain and the use of the kangaroo mother method to control it.Se investigó la efectividad del método mamá canguro para el manejo del dolor no quirúrgico en un grupo de recién nacidos del servicio de neonatología de un hospital de la localidad. Se utilizó un enfoque cuantitativo, experimental. La muestra de 16 neonatos (8 del grupo experimental a quienes se le aplicó el método mamá canguro para manejar el dolor no quirúrgico y, 8 neonatos del grupo control a quienes se le realizaron los procedimientos terapéuticos de rutina sin estrategias de control del dolor, tal como lo establece el protocolo de atención del servicio); fue captada de forma intencional. Se aplicó el instrumento validado de Susan Givens, que mide 6 parámetros conductuales y 5 de las constantes vitales asociadas con manifestaciones del dolor, éste se aplicó antes y después del procedimiento terapéutico doloroso para comparar estos dos momentos en cada neonato de la muestra y entre ambos grupos; es decir medir el dolor del grupo control y el experimental. La prueba de chi cuadrado se utilizó para probar la relación entre el control del dolor y la aplicación del método mamá canguro. Los procedimientos médicos cuya intensidad del dolor fue medida, fueron punciones de talón y administración de vacunas. Resultados: en todas las valoraciones conductuales, el grupo intervenido evidenció tolerar mejor el dolor con respecto al grupo control, resaltando que ambos grupos partieron con puntajes equivalentes a un estado “sin dolor” según la escala aplicada (1.12 y 1.63 para el grupo intervenido y el grupo control respectivamente). Posterior al procedimiento médico doloroso, el grupo intervenido alcanza puntaje global de 7.12 que equivale a “dolor moderado”; en tanto el grupo control promedia su puntaje en 10.5 que equivale a “dolor intenso”. Todas las valoraciones conductuales y de las constantes vitales, demuestran una alta efectividad del método madre canguro para controlar el dolor no quirúrgico en el recién nacido. La prueba de chi-cuadrado con significación asintótica bilateral de 0.01, acepta que existe una relación significativa entre la intensidad del dolor y el uso del método madre canguro para controlarlo

Role of Rapid Antigen Testing in Population-Based SARS-CoV-2 Screening

Copyright: © 2021 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 (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).[EN] This study evaluates a population‐based screening of asymptomatic people, using a rapid antigen diagnostic test (RADT), in areas of high transmission. To detect sources of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, nasopharyngeal samples were taken and were tested using RADT. Confirmatory RT-qPCR tests were performed in both positive and negative cases. The internal validity of the RADT, the prevalence of infection, and the positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were estimated, based on the percentages of confirmed cases with 95% confidence interval.. Of the 157,920 people registered, 50,492 participated in the screening; 50,052 were negative, and 440 were positive on the RADT (0.87%). A total of 221 positive RADT samples were reanalysed using RT-qPCR and 214 were confirmed as positive (96.8%; 95% CI: 93.5–98.7%), while 657 out of 660 negative RADT samples were confirmed as RT‐qPCR negative (99.5%; 95% CI 98.7–99.9%). The sensitivity obtained was 65.1% (38.4–90.2%) and the specificity was 99.97% (99.94–99.99%). The prevalence of infection was 1.30% (0.95–2.13%). The PPVs were 95.4% (85.9–98.9%) and 97.9% (93.3–99.5%), respectively, while the NPVs were 99.7% (99.4–100%) and 99.2% (98.7–100%), respectively. The high specificity found allow us to report a high screening performance in asymptomatic patients, even in areas where the prevalence of infection was less than 2%.SIThis research received no external funding.Authors are grateful the collaboration of the Primary Care Management and all workers and volunteers who participated in the screenings

Radium-223 dichloride: a new paradigm in the treatment of prostate cancer

Review[Abstract] Radionuclides have been widely used for cancer treatment. Recently, new research about radium-223 dichloride has been conducted in prostate cancer, which reveals that it is the first radiopharmaceutical to demonstrate an improvement in overall survival and time to first symptomatic skeletal event in patients with castration resistant prostate cancer with symptomatic bone metastases. This fact has created a new paradigm in the treatment of prostate cancer landscape, where only chemotherapy and hormone therapy had a role, while β-emitters had been confined exclusively to the role of pain relief with no impact on survival. The aim of this review is to outline current treatment approaches for advanced prostate cancer with a focus on the role of radium-223 dichloride, reviewing patients' profile that make them suitable to therapy and chances for further studies

Immunogenicity of RV1 and RV5 vaccines administered in standard and interchangeable mixed schedules: a randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority clinical trial in Mexican infants

IntroductionRotavirus-associated diarrheal diseases significantly burden healthcare systems, particularly affecting infants under five years. Both Rotarix™ (RV1) and RotaTeq™ (RV5) vaccines have been effective but have distinct application schedules and limited interchangeability data. This study aims to provide evidence on the immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety of mixed RV1-RV5 schedules compared to their standard counterparts.MethodsThis randomized, double-blind study evaluated the non-inferiority in terms of immunogenicity of mixed rotavirus vaccine schedules compared to standard RV1 and RV5 schedules in a cohort of 1,498 healthy infants aged 6 to 10 weeks. Participants were randomly assigned to one of seven groups receiving various combinations of RV1, and RV5. Standard RV1 and RV5 schedules served as controls of immunogenicity, reactogenicity, and safety analysis. IgA antibody levels were measured from blood samples collected before the first dose and one month after the third dose. Non-inferiority was concluded if the reduction in seroresponse rate in the mixed schemes, compared to the standard highest responding scheme, did not exceed the non-inferiority margin of −0.10. Reactogenicity traits and adverse events were monitored for 30 days after each vaccination and analyzed on the entire cohort.ResultsOut of the initial cohort, 1,365 infants completed the study. Immunogenicity analysis included 1,014 infants, considering IgA antibody titers ≥20 U/mL as seropositive. Mixed vaccine schedules demonstrated non-inferiority to standard schedules, with no significant differences in immunogenic response. Safety profiles were comparable across all groups, with no increased incidence of serious adverse events or intussusception.ConclusionThe study confirms that mixed rotavirus vaccine schedules are non-inferior to standard RV1 and RV5 regimens in terms of immunogenicity and safety. This finding supports the flexibility of rotavirus vaccination strategies, particularly in contexts of vaccine shortage or logistic constraints. These results contribute to the global effort to optimize rotavirus vaccination programs for broader and more effective pediatric coverage.Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02193061

Effect of pyrolysis, impregnation, and calcination conditions on the physicochemical properties of TiO2/Biochar composites intended for photocatalytic applications

Biochars are outstanding materials obtained from the pyrolysis of biomass, possessing unique physicochemical properties that are attractive for many environmental applications, including photocatalysis. In this work, we have synthesized for the first time TiO2/Biochar composites using Aeroxide P25 TiO2 and biochars produced from the thermal treatment at low (or null) oxygen content of Colombian coconut shells. To explore and ultimately tune the final physicochemical properties of the TiO2/Biochars materials, a facile wet impregnation method was assessed, in which the following factors were evaluated: 1) Temperature and 2) %O2 in the pyrolysis of the biomass, 3) TiO2/Biochar ratio used in the impregnation and 4) Calcination temperature of the TiO2/Biochar composites. A comprehensive characterization of the novel composites was done, using techniques such as: XRD, XPS, BET, ATR-FTIR, diffuse reflectance, PL, SEM, and electrochemical analysis. The material synthesized with TPyrol = 350 ◦C, %O2 = 2.5, T/B = 0.8 and TCal of 800 ◦C presented notable properties such as low Eg, reduced recombination of e--h+ pairs, a high surface area, and a relatively high photogeneration of charges, and interestingly, it experienced phase transition from Anatase-Rutile to Anatase-Brookite. On the other hand, low TPyrol and high %O2 values conduct to hydrophilic functional groups on the TiO2/Biochar composites, whereas the use of higher TPyrol and TCal lead to a more hydrophobic character but promote the reduction of the recombination of photogenerated e--h+ pairs. As a result, this information is relevant for planning future applications of photocatalysis for degrading pollutants of different chemical nature.Minciencias-Fulbright-Universidad del Vall

Experimental data on the production and characterization of biochars derived from coconut-shell wastes obtained from the Colombian Pacific Coast at low temperature pyrolysis

Biochars are emerging eco-friendly products showing outstanding properties in areas such as carbon sequestration, soil amendment, bioremediation, biocomposites, and bioenergy. These interesting materials can be synthesized from a wide variety of waste-derived sources, including lignocellulosic biomass wastes, manure and sewage sludge. In this work, abundant data on biochars produced from coconut-shell wastes obtained from the Colombian Pacific Coast are presented. Biochar synthesis was performed varying the temperature (in the range: 280 �Ce420 �C) and O2 feeding (in the range: 0e5% v/v) in the pyrolysis reaction. Production yields and some biochar properties such as particle size, Zeta Potential, elemental content (C, N, Al, B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Ti, Zn), BET surface area, FT-IR spectrum, XRD spectrum, and SEM morphology are presented. This data set is a comprehensive resource to gain a further understanding of biochars, and is a valuable tool for addressing the strategic exploitation of the multiple benefits they hav

Hilando generaciones y moda

El proyecto Hilando Generaciones y Moda tiene como objetivo principal fomentar el intercambio y la convivencia intergeneracional entre jóvenes del ITESO y adultos mayores que acuden al Centro Tapatío de Atención al Adulto Mayor, ubicado en Guadalajara, Jalisco. La problemática que se busca resolver con este proyecto es la falta de interacción y comunicación entre estas dos generaciones, lo que puede llevar a la desconexión y aislamiento social de los adultos mayores, así como a una falta de perspectiva y comprensión por parte de los jóvenes sobre las experiencias y desafíos que enfrentan las personas mayores. El proyecto busca romper con estas barreras mediante la realización de actividades que promuevan la convivencia y el aprendizaje mutuo entre ambas generaciones, permitiendo la integración social y emocional de los adultos mayores, así como el desarrollo de habilidades sociales y empáticas en los jóvenes. A través de la interacción y el diálogo entre ambas generaciones, se espera generar un ambiente de respeto y valoración hacia la sabiduría y experiencia de los adultos mayores, así como una comprensión más profunda de las realidades sociales y culturales que enfrentan. A lo largo del semestre hicimos distintas actividades relacionadas con moda, que fueron propuestas por nosotros mismos. Estos talleres pensados en los adultos mayores nos dejarían productos que reflejaran la identidad de cada adulto y con los que después haremos una exposición final. Nuestras primeras actividades con los adultos fueron hacer un collage y un esqueleto exquisito, en el que hablarían sobre ellos y podríamos conocerlos mejor. Después tuvimos un taller de joyería en el CETAM, donde los adultos crearon dijes personalizados. La siguiente actividad fue un taller de creación y personalización de playeras. Para esta, los adultos nos visitaron en el ITESO, donde compartimos desayuno, baile y creatividad con las pinturas para personalizar cada playera. Este semestre colaboramos con Andrés Moreno, stylist y creador de Vintage Ceremony. Andrés nos asesoró en nuestro camino para nuestra siguiente actividad: una sesión de fotos que buscó resaltar la identidad de cada adulto mayor. En esta sesión de fotos contamos con patrocinio de peinado y maquillaje. Nuestra última actividad será la exposición final, donde mostraremos los resultados de todas las actividades, como prendas hechas por los alumnos de moda (con telas diseñadas por ellos, inspiradas en los adultos).ITESO, A.C

Multivalvular Endocarditis: A Rare Condition with Poor Prognosis.

Background. Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe condition. Our aim was to describe the profile and prognosis of patients with multivalvular infective endocarditis (MIE) and compare them to single-valve IE (SIE). Methods. We used a retrospective analysis of the Spanish IE Registry (2008−2020). Results. From 4064 definite cases of valvular IE, 577 (14.2%) had MIE. In patients with MIE, the most common locations were mitral (552, 95.7%) and aortic (550, 95.3%), with mitral-aortic involvement present in 507 patients (87.9%). The most common etiologies were S. viridans (192, 33.3%) and S. aureus (113, 19.6%). MIE involved only native valves in 450 patients (78.0%). Compared with patients with SIE, patients with MIE had a similar age (69 vs. 67 years, respectively, p = 0.27) and similar baseline characteristics, but were more frequently men (67.1% vs. 72.9%, p = 0.005) and had a higher incidence of intracardiac complications (36.2% vs. 50.4%, p < 0.001), heart failure (42.7% vs. 52.9%, p < 0.001), surgical indication (67.7 vs. 85.1%, p < 0.001), surgery (46.3% vs. 56.3%), and in-hospital mortality (26.9% vs. 34.3%, p < 0.001). MIE was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio (OR) 1.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1−1.7, p = 0.004) but did not have an independent association with 1-year mortality (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.9−1.4, p = 0.43). Conclusions. About one-seventh of the valvular IE patients had MIE, mainly due to mitral-aortic involvement. MIE is associated with a poor in-hospital prognosis. An early diagnosis and treatment of IE might avoid its spread to a second valve

MAPPING COMMUNITY INTEREST HABITATS IN THE COLUMBRETES ARCHIPELAGO, AN EXTRAORDINARY HOT SPOT OF BIODIVERSITY

The Columbretes Archipelago and their submerged surroundings are part of an unusual, Pleistocene volcanic field located in the Western Mediterranean designated as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) of the Natura 2000 Network. In the present study, 4 benthic habitats of community interest (1110, 1170, 1180 and 8330) have been identified by analyzing several sources of information. Generalized additive models (GAMs) have been used to model the potential distribution of reefs (1170) and maërl beds (1110). Our results highlight the diversity and extent of these habitats and allow comparisons to other marine SCIs of Spain. This can be attributed to the variability of the environment of this site. The Columbretes Islands combine a relatively shallow environment with volcanic structures, hydrothermalism with active degassing, current-driven sedimentary lobes and the influence of inland flows. Understanding high biodiversity spots is crucial as they offer natural laboratories to describe how ecosystems respond to the effects of global change. The knowledge obtained will be of paramount importance for the conservation of species and habitats. Furthermore, it will establish a baseline for future monitoring and assist in the development of effective management plans

Safety and immunogenicity of the protein-based PHH-1V compared to BNT162b2 as a heterologous SARS-CoV-2 booster vaccine in adults vaccinated against COVID-19 : a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority phase IIb trial

A SARS-CoV-2 protein-based heterodimer vaccine, PHH-1V, has been shown to be safe and well-tolerated in healthy young adults in a first-in-human, Phase I/IIa study dose-escalation trial. Here, we report the interim results of the Phase IIb HH-2, where the immunogenicity and safety of a heterologous booster with PHH-1V is assessed versus a homologous booster with BNT162b2 at 14, 28 and 98 days after vaccine administration. The HH-2 study is an ongoing multicentre, randomised, active-controlled, double-blind, non-inferiority Phase IIb trial, where participants 18 years or older who had received two doses of BNT162b2 were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive a booster dose of vaccine-either heterologous (PHH-1V group) or homologous (BNT162b2 group)-in 10 centres in Spain. Eligible subjects were allocated to treatment stratified by age group (18-64 versus ≥65 years) with approximately 10% of the sample enrolled in the older age group. The primary endpoints were humoral immunogenicity measured by changes in levels of neutralizing antibodies (PBNA) against the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 strain after the PHH-1V or the BNT162b2 boost, and the safety and tolerability of PHH-1V as a boost. The secondary endpoints were to compare changes in levels of neutralizing antibodies against different variants of SARS-CoV-2 and the T-cell responses towards the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein peptides. The exploratory endpoint was to assess the number of subjects with SARS-CoV-2 infections ≥14 days after PHH-1V booster. This study is ongoing and is registered with , . From 15 November 2021, 782 adults were randomly assigned to PHH-1V (n = 522) or BNT162b2 (n = 260) boost vaccine groups. The geometric mean titre (GMT) ratio of neutralizing antibodies on days 14, 28 and 98, shown as BNT162b2 active control versus PHH-1V, was, respectively, 1.68 (p < 0.0001), 1.31 (p = 0.0007) and 0.86 (p = 0.40) for the ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 strain; 0.62 (p < 0.0001), 0.65 (p < 0.0001) and 0.56 (p = 0.003) for the Beta variant; 1.01 (p = 0.92), 0.88 (p = 0.11) and 0.52 (p = 0.0003) for the Delta variant; and 0.59 (p ≤ 0.0001), 0.66 (p < 0.0001) and 0.57 (p = 0.0028) for the Omicron BA.1 variant. Additionally, PHH-1V as a booster dose induced a significant increase of CD4 + and CD8 + T-cells expressing IFN-γ on day 14. There were 458 participants who experienced at least one adverse event (89.3%) in the PHH-1V and 238 (94.4%) in the BNT162b2 group. The most frequent adverse events were injection site pain (79.7% and 89.3%), fatigue (27.5% and 42.1%) and headache (31.2 and 40.1%) for the PHH-1V and the BNT162b2 groups, respectively. A total of 52 COVID-19 cases occurred from day 14 post-vaccination (10.14%) for the PHH-1V group and 30 (11.90%) for the BNT162b2 group (p = 0.45), and none of the subjects developed severe COVID-19. Our interim results from the Phase IIb HH-2 trial show that PHH-1V as a heterologous booster vaccine, when compared to BNT162b2, although it does not reach a non-inferior neutralizing antibody response against the Wuhan-Hu-1 strain at days 14 and 28 after vaccination, it does so at day 98. PHH-1V as a heterologous booster elicits a superior neutralizing antibody response against the previous circulating Beta and the currently circulating Omicron BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 variants in all time points assessed, and for the Delta variant on day 98 as well. Moreover, the PHH-1V boost also induces a strong and balanced T-cell response. Concerning the safety profile, subjects in the PHH-1V group report significantly fewer adverse events than those in the BNT162b2 group, most of mild intensity, and both vaccine groups present comparable COVID-19 breakthrough cases, none of them severe. HIPRA SCIENTIFIC, S.L.U