Nurses, do they perceive emotional labor?

Introduction: Emotional labor is a multidimensional construct which refers to the desirable emotions in an organizational environment that influence the interactions with the users, and that could have a negative impact on workers. This construct has only been developed in the last few decades, therefore its influence on nurses has been studied in an incipient way. Aim: To reflect on the impact of emotional labor on care delivery for responding to the question: How is emotional labor manifested in nursing professionals? Methodology: A bibliographical research was carried out on different data bases to develop the reflection and divide it into three sections. Findings: Emotional labor is present in nursing performance and, if professionals are not qualified or prepared to tackle this psychosocial risk, they may suffer from alterations in their health, such as saturation or exhaustion. To add, this may indirectly impact users and therefore affect the quality of the delivered care. Hence, it is an important topic for an optimal professional development either for the labor satisfaction or the suitable functioning of health organizations. Conclusions: emotional labor is a complex construct, especially for health workers, and it may become a negative aspect for workers, users receiving care, and healthcare institutions, more precisely, in their accreditation processes

Lasso Estimation of an Interval-Valued Multiple Regression Model

A multiple interval-valued linear regression model considering all the cross-relationships between the mids and spreads of the intervals has been introduced recently. A least-squares estimation of the regression parameters has been carried out by transforming a quadratic optimization problem with inequality constraints into a linear complementary problem and using Lemke's algorithm to solve it. Due to the irrelevance of certain cross-relationships, an alternative estimation process, the LASSO (Least Absolut Shrinkage and Selection Operator), is developed. A comparative study showing the differences between the proposed estimators is provided

Cuidados humanizados e riscos psicossociais: uma associação percebida pelos profissionais de enfermagem no Chile

The aim of this article is to evaluate if there is relationship between work-related psychosocial factors and the humanized care given by the nurses in a public hospital in Chile. Karasek and Siegrist gave the theoretical support for this research in terms of the psychosocial factors. Jean Watson provides the disciplinary support from humanized caring. The design of the study is not experimental, cross-sectional, with a quantitative approach. A census was performed to 240 nurses that work in a public hospital in Chile. In order to recollect the data, an instrument divided into three parts was used. Part I: “Personal and work-related background”, created by the master’s degree student. Part II: “Questionnaire of evaluation of work-related psychosocial risks SUSESO-ISTAS 21”, validated in Chile with an alpha of Cronbach: 0.80. Part III: Nyberg´s Caring Assessment, validated in the Chilean population with an internal consistency of 0.82. The statistical analysis was descriptive and correlational, using Chi square (p≤0.05). During the present research, the ethical principles of E. Emanuel were followed. The results show that 56.25% of the nurses report a high perception of humanized care delivery. In terms of psychosocial risks, a high risk is present in three different dimensions (Psychological demand; Social support in the company and Leadership quality and double presence). Besides, a negative association between the exposition to psychosocial risks and the perception of humanized care was found. In conclusion, the perception of humanized care is associated in a relevant way with the perception of psychosocial risks in the working performance of nurses.El objetivo de este artículo es evaluar si existe relación entre los factores psicosociales laborales y la entrega de cuidado humanizado por parte enfermeros/as de un hospital público de Chile. El sustento teórico para esta investigación respecto a los factores psicosociales está dado por Karasek y Siegrist. Jean Watson da el sustento disciplinar desde el cuidado humanizado. Se trata de diseño no experimental, transversal, correlacional, con enfoque cuantitativo. Se censó a 240 enfermeros/as que trabajan en un hospital público de Chile. Para la recolección de los datos se utilizó un instrumento dividido en tres partes: Parte I: “Antecedentes personales y laborales”, creada por la tesista. Parte II: Cuestionario de Evaluación de riesgos psicosociales en el trabajo SUSESO-ISTAS 21, validado en Chile con un alfa de Cronbach de 0,80. Parte III: Nyberg´s Caring Assessment, validado en la población chilena con una consistencia interna de 0,82. El análisis estadístico fue de tipo descriptivo y correlacional, utilizando Chi cuadrado (p≤0.05). Durante la investigación se respetaron los principios éticos de E. Emanuel. Dentro de los resultados se destaca que el 51.67% de los enfermeros/as reporta una alta percepción de entrega de cuidado humanizado. En las dimensiones de riesgos psicosociales, en tres de ellas presentan un riesgo alto, de nivel 1: Exigencia psicológica, Apoyo social en la empresa y Calidad de liderazgo y doble presencia. Además se encontró una asociación negativa entre la percepción de exposición a riesgos psicosociales y percepción de entrega de cuidado humanizado. Se concluye que la percepción de cuidado humanizado se asocia de forma significativa con la percepción de riesgos psicosociales en el desempeño laboral de enfermeras.O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar a existência de relação entre os fatores psicossociais no trabalho e a entrega de cuidado humanizado por parte de enfermeiros/as de um Hospital Público do Chile. O embasamento teórico para esta pesquisa com respeito aos fatores psicossociais está dado por Karasek e Siegrist, e Jean Watson entrega o embasamento disciplinar a partir do cuidado humanizado. É un desenho não experimental, transversal, correlacional, de abordagem quantitativa. Realizou-se um censo aos enfermeiros/as que trabalham em um Hospital Público do Chile. Para a obtenção dos dados, utilizou-se um instrumento dividido em três partes: Parte I: “Antecedentes pessoais e de trabalho”, criado por uma tesista, Parte II: Questionário de Avaliação de riscos psicossociais no trabalho SUSESO-ISTAS 21, validado no Chile com um Cronbach alfa: 0,80. Parte III: Nyberg´s Caring Assessment, validado na população chilena com consistência interna de 0,82. A análise estatística foi descritiva e correlacional, usando o quadrado Qui (p≤0,05). Durante a presente pesquisa foram respeitados os princípios éticos de E. Emanuel. Destaca-se que 51.67% dos enfermeiros (as) referiram uma alta percepção de entrega do cuidado humanizado. Nas dimensões de riscos psicosociais, três apresentam um risco alto (Exigência psicológica; Apoio social na empresa e qualidade de liderança e Dupla presença), portanto enfermeiros (as) dentro de uma organização apresentam um risco alto nivel 1. Além disso, foi encontrada uma associação negativa entre a percepção de exposição a riscos psicosociais e percepção da entrega de cuidado humanizado. Conclusões: a percepção do cuidado humanizado está associada de forma significativa com a percepção de riscos psicosociais de desempenho no trabalho de enfermeiras (os). &nbsp

Determinantes de la actividad física en México

Según la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico (2010), México ocupa el primer lugar mundial en sobrepeso y el segundo en obesidad. El Programa Nacional de Cultura Física y Deporte (2008) busca elevar a treinta y cinco millones el número de habitantes físicamente activos en el país para 2012. El objetivo del presente estudio es la detección y dimensionamiento de los factores que inciden en la realización de actividad física (AF) entre los residentes de México. Utilizando datos de la Encuesta Nacional Sobre Uso del Tiempo (2009), se estimaron dos modelos econométricos

Microglia Acquire Distinct Activation Profiles Depending on the Degree of α-Synuclein Neuropathology in a rAAV Based Model of Parkinson's Disease

Post-mortem analysis of brains from Parkinson's disease (PD) patients strongly supports microglia activation and adaptive immunity as factors contributing to disease progression. Such responses may be triggered by α-synuclein (α-syn), which is known to be the main constituent of the aggregated proteins found in Lewy bodies in the brains of PD patients. To investigate this we used a recombinant viral vector to express human α-syn in rat midbrain at levels that induced neuronal pathology either in the absence or the presence of dopaminergic cell death, thereby mimicking early or late stages of the disease. Microglia activation was assessed by stereological quantification of Mac1+ cells, as well as the expression patterns of CD68 and MCH II. In our study, when α-syn induced neuronal pathology but not cell death, a fast transient increase in microglia cell numbers resulted in the long-term induction of MHC II+ microglia, denoting antigen-presenting ability. On the other hand, when α-syn induced both neuronal pathology and cell death, there was a delayed increase in microglia cell numbers, which correlated with long-lasting CD68 expression and a morphology reminiscent of peripheral macrophages. In addition T-lymphocyte infiltration, as judged by the presence of CD4+ and CD8+ cells, showed distinct kinetics depending on the degree of neurodegeneration, and was significantly higher when cell death occurred. We have thus for the first time shown that the microglial response differs depending on whether α-syn expression results on cell death or not, suggesting that microglia may play different roles during disease progression. Furthermore, our data suggest that the microglial response is modulated by early events related to α-syn expression in substantia nigra and persists at the long term

La enseñanza de las matemáticas y la música a través de un escape room: una propuesta para fomentar el aprendizaje interdisciplinar

A pesar de que Matemáticas y Música son dos asignaturas claramente diferenciadas en el currículo de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (12-16 años) en España, es innegable que existe una relación inherente entre ellas y que gran parte de sus contenidos pueden reforzarse simultáneamente. Desafortunadamente, ambas asignaturas suelen polarizar los gustos del alumnado. En este artículo se presenta una propuesta para el aula cuyo objetivo es fomentar la estrecha relación entre las matemáticas y la música a través de un escape room. Se concluye que este tipo de actividades de gamificación tienen potencial para convertirse en una herramienta clave para concienciar al alumnado de las similitudes entre ambas asignaturas, reforzando así el aprendizaje interdisciplinar

Rapid proteasomal degradation of mutant proteins is the primary mechanism leading to tumorigenesis in patients with missense AIP mutations

CONTEXT The pathogenic effect of AIP mutations (AIPmuts) in pituitary adenomas is incompletely understood. We have identified the primary mechanism of loss of function for missense AIPmuts. OBJECTIVE To analyze the mechanism/speed of protein turnover of wild-type (WT) and missense AIP variants, correlating protein half-life with clinical parameters. DESIGN Half-life and protein-protein interaction experiments and cross-sectional analysis of AIPmut positive patients' data were performed. SETTING Clinical academic research institution. PATIENTS Data was obtained from our cohort of pituitary adenoma patients and literature-reported cases. INTERVENTIONS Protein turnover of endogenous AIP in two cell lines and fifteen AIP variants overexpressed in HEK293 cells was analyzed via cycloheximide chase and proteasome inhibition. GST pull-down and quantitative mass spectrometry identified proteins involved in AIP degradation; results were confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and gene knockdown. Relevant clinical data was collected. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Half-life of WT and mutant AIP proteins and its correlation with clinical parameters. RESULTS Endogenous AIP half-life was similar in HEK293 and lymphoblastoid cells (43.5 and 32.7h). AIP variants were divided in stable proteins (median 77.7h [IQR 60.7-92.9]), and those with short (27h [21.6-28.7]) or very short (7.7h [5.6-10.5]) half-life; proteasomal inhibition rescued the rapid degradation of mutant proteins. The experimental half-life significantly correlated with age at diagnosis of acromegaly/gigantism (r=0.411, P=0.002). The FBXO3-containing SCF complex was identified as the E3 ubiquitin-ligase recognizing AIP. CONCLUSIONS AIP is a stable protein, driven to ubiquitination by the SCF complex. Enhanced proteasomal degradation is a novel pathogenic mechanism for AIPmuts, with direct implications for the phenotype

Persistence of Toxic Activity of Fermentation Extracts from Bacillus thuringiensis

This study was carried out to determine the persistence of toxicity of fermentation extracts of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis after more than three decades of storage. For this purpose, a population of Aedes aegypti was established. The mortality rate of 20 spore-crystal extracts purified using the acetone-lactose coprecipitation method was measured and evaluated by bioassays according to a modified WHO protocol. The extracts with the highest mortality rate were determined in triplicate by their LD50 and LD98. All extracts showed toxicity at the highest tested dose (1000 ppm) and some, such as strains 3260 and 3501, still killed larvae at doses as low as 0.01 ppm. These data are surprising because no study on the activity of B. thuringiensis toxic proteins after such a long storage time has been reported

Statistical reasoning with set-valued information : Ontic vs. epistemic views

International audienceIn information processing tasks, sets may have a conjunctive or a disjunctive reading. In the conjunctive reading, a set represents an object of interest and its elements are subparts of the object, forming a composite description. In the disjunctive reading, a set contains mutually exclusive elements and refers to the representation of incomplete knowledge. It does not model an actual object or quantity, but partial information about an underlying object or a precise quantity. This distinction between what we call ontic vs. epistemic sets remains valid for fuzzy sets, whose membership functions, in the disjunctive reading are possibility distributions, over deterministic or random values. This paper examines the impact of this distinction in statistics. We show its importance because there is a risk of misusing basic notions and tools, such as conditioning, distance between sets, variance, regression, etc. when data are set-valued. We discuss several examples where the ontic and epistemic points of view yield different approaches to these concepts

Ibero-American Consensus on Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners: Safety, Nutritional Aspects and Benefits in Food and Beverages

International scientific experts in food, nutrition, dietetics, endocrinology, physical activity, paediatrics, nursing, toxicology and public health met in Lisbon on 2-4 July 2017 to develop a Consensus on the use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) as substitutes for sugars and other caloric sweeteners. LNCS are food additives that are broadly used as sugar substitutes to sweeten foods and beverages with the addition of fewer or no calories. They are also used in medicines, health-care products, such as toothpaste, and food supplements. The goal of this Consensus was to provide a useful, evidence-based, point of reference to assist in efforts to reduce free sugars consumption in line with current international public health recommendations. Participating experts in the Lisbon Consensus analysed and evaluated the evidence in relation to the role of LNCS in food safety, their regulation and the nutritional and dietary aspects of their use in foods and beverages. The conclusions of this Consensus were: (1) LNCS are some of the most extensively evaluated dietary constituents, and their safety has been reviewed and confirmed by regulatory bodies globally including the World Health Organisation, the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority; (2) Consumer education, which is based on the most robust scientific evidence and regulatory processes, on the use of products containing LNCS should be strengthened in a comprehensive and objective way; (3) The use of LNCS in weight reduction programmes that involve replacing caloric sweeteners with LNCS in the context of structured diet plans may favour sustainable weight reduction. Furthermore, their use in diabetes management programmes may contribute to a better glycaemic control in patients, albeit with modest results. LNCS also provide dental health benefits when used in place of free sugars; (4) It is proposed that foods and beverages with LNCS could be included in dietary guidelines as alternative options to products sweetened with free sugars; (5) Continued education of health professionals is required, since they are a key source of information on issues related to food and health for both the general population and patients. With this in mind, the publication of position statements and consensus documents in the academic literature are extremely desirable