Noise Levels and Sleep in a Surgical ICU

Noise; Perioperative care; SleepRuido; Cuidado perioperatorio; SueñoSoroll; Cura perioperatòria; SonSleep is disturbed in critically ill patients and is a frequently overlooked complication. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of sound levels in our surgical ICU on our patients’ sleep on the first night of admission. The study was performed in a tertiary care university hospital, in a 12-bed surgical ICU. Over a 6-week period, a total of 148 adult, non-intubated and non-sedated patients completed the study. During this six-week period, sound levels were continuously measured using a type II sound level meter. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Richards–Campbell Sleep Questionnaire (RCSQ), which was completed both by patients and nurses on the first morning after admission. A non-significant correlation was found between night sound levels and sleep quality in the overall sample (r = −1.83, 95% CI; −4.54 to 0.88, p = 0.19). After multivariable analysis, a correlation was found between higher sound levels at night and lower RCSQ evaluations (r = −3.92, 95% CI; −7.57 to −0.27, p = 0.04). We found a significant correlation between lower sound levels at night and a better quality of sleep in our patients; for each 1 dBA increase in LAFeq sound levels at night, patients scored 3.92 points lower on the sleep questionnaire

Stable and metastable patterns in chromonic nematic liquid crystal droplets forced with static and dynamic magnetic fields

Spherical confinement of nematic liquid crystals leads to the formation of equilibrium director field configurations that include point and line defects. Driving these materials with flows or dynamic fields often results in the formation of alternative metastable states. In this article, we study the effect of magnetic field alignment, both under static and dynamic conditions, of nematic gems (nematic droplets in coexistence with the isotropic phase) and emulsified nematic droplets of a lyotropic chromonic liquid crystal. We use a custom polarizing optical microscopy assembly that incorporates a permanent magnet whose strength and orientation can be dynamically changed. By comparing simulated optical patterns with microscopy images, we measure an equilibrium twisted bipolar pattern within nematic gems that is only marginally different from the one reported for emulsified droplets. Both systems evolve to concentric configurations upon application of a static magnetic field, but behave very differently when the field is rotated. While the concentric texture within the emulsified droplets is preserved and only displays asynchronous oscillations for high rotating speeds, the nematic gems transform into a metastable untwisted bipolar configuration that is memorized by the system when the field is removed. Our results demonstrate the importance of boundary conditions in determining the dynamic behavior of confined liquid crystals even for configurations that share similar equilibrium bulk structures

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Estudio etiológico y epidemiológico de las micosis cutáneas en un laboratorio de referencia - Antioquia - Colombia

Introducción: las micosis superficiales son infecciones frecuentes de los tejidos queratinizados, causadas por levaduras, dermatofitos, mohos ambientales. Su etiología varía de acuerdo a la población de estudio. Objetivo: determinar la frecuencia etiológica y algunas características poblacionales y clínicas de los pacientes con diagnóstico presuntivo de micosis superficiales, que consultaron al Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical (I.C.M.T.) durante el período 2008 al 2011. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo de corte retrospectivo en el que se analizaron los datos poblacionales y los resultados micológicos de 2 282 muestras provenientes de 1 645 pacientes con diagnóstico presuntivo de micosis superficiales. Resultados: el 71,8 % de los pacientes fueron de género femenino y la edad promedio fue 44,3 años. De las 2 282 muestras se reportó identificación micológica en 82,6 %, siendo los microorganismos más frecuentemente aislados Candida spp (25 %), Fusarium spp, Trichophyton mentagrophytes y Candida krusei (10 % cada uno) y Rhodotorula spp en 8 %. La onicomicosis, tanto de manos como de pies, fue la infección fúngica superficial encontrada con mayor frecuencia. Conclusiones: las micosis superficiales son enfermedades comunes, con variaciones en su frecuencia según la edad, el sexo y la región de donde provienen los pacientes. Su diagnóstico oportuno constituye una de las principales herramientas para un tratamiento adecuado y bien dirigido, evitando así fallas terapéuticas y aparición de cepas de hongos resistentes.Introduction: Superficial mycoses are frequent infections caused by yeasts, dermatophytes and environmental molds on keratinized tissue. Objectives: To characterize the species of dermatophytes, yeasts and environmental molds that cause superficial mycoses and to analyze their relationship to sex, age and localization in patients evaluated at the Tropical Medical Institute in Valle de Aburrá Antioquia during the time period 2008-2011. Materials and methods: A descriptive retrospective cross-sectional study was performed, and 2282 samples from 1645 patients were included. Patients of all ages were included with a presumptive diagnosis of a superficial mycosis. A KOH was performed with culture of material from the lesions. The characterization of the fungi was done according to morphology and biochemical studies. Results: Out of 1645 patients 1182 (71.8 %) were women and the average age was 44.3 years. From the 2282 samples taken the mycological identification could be done in 82,6 % of them and the microorganisms most frequently isolated were Candida spp (25 %); Fusarium spp, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida Krusei each represented 10 % and Rhodotorula was isolated in 8 % of samples. Hand and feet onychomycosis was the most frequent superficial fungal infection. Conclusions: Superficial mycoses are frequent pathologies that vary according to age, sex and the diagnostic methods used. The pertinent diagnosis constitutes one of the main tools for a timely and efficacious treatment, avoiding therapeutic failures and the appearance of resistant strains

Programa para la caracterización de la enfermedad de Chagas en el Magdalena medio antioqueño

IP 1115-05-017-8

Evaluación del Sistema de Administración, Logística y Vigilancia de Antirretrovirales (SALVAR) en el estado de Morelos, México

[No disponible