The Prevalence of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Acute Geriatric Patients

Oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is underdiagnosed and undertreated in many geriatric centers. The aim of this study is to explore the prevalence of OD in acute geriatric patients. The outcome was mortality during hospitalization, mortality, and rehospitalization within 0–30 and 31–180 days of discharge. A total of 313 consecutive acute geriatric patients (44.1% male, mean age 83.1 years (SD 7.8)) hospitalized from 1 March to 31 August 2016 in the North Denmark Regional Hospital were included in this study. The volume-viscosity swallow test and the Minimal Eating Observation Form-II were conducted for each patient in order to screen for OD. A total of 50% patients presented with OD. In the group of patients with OD, significantly more lived in nursing homes; had a lower weight, DEMMI score, and handgrip strength; and smaller circumference of arms and legs compared with non-dysphagia patients. Patients with OD presented an increased length of stay in hospital of one day (p = 0.70). Intra-hospital mortality was 5.8% vs. 0.7%, (p < 0.001) compared with patients with no symptoms of OD. OD is prevalent in acute geriatric patients, and the mortality is 34% within six months of hospitalization. Screening for OD should be given more attention and included in geriatric guidelines

Prevalence of Various Traumatic Events Including Sexual Trauma in a Clinical Sample of Patients With an Eating Disorder

Objective: Eating disorder (ED) and trauma have often been associated, and there is evidence that early experiences of traumatic events are associated with subsequent ED. Research results point toward an increased prevalence of sexual trauma in individuals with ED, and it has been suggested that sexual trauma precedes and contributes to the development of ED. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexual trauma as well as other types of traumatic life events in a clinical sample of children, adolescents, and adults with ED. Method: Patients (N = 329), median age 16.9 [Interquartile Range (IQR):4.5], diagnosed with various EDs in a specialized ED unit were included. Results: The majority (67%) of patients with ED reported at least one traumatic life event at time of assessment such as bullying (32%), loss (24%), or accidents (11%). Nineteen per cent of the patients reported having been the victim of a sexual trauma or another sexual traumatic event distributed as follows in terms of severity: 13% had been the victim of a negative experience associated with sex; 57% reported having experienced sexual assault other than rape; and 30% had been the victim of severe forms of sexual assault. The median time between the sexual trauma and the ED diagnosis was 3.4 years (IQR: 6.6). The median time between the sexual trauma and the onset of ED symptoms was 0 years (IQR: 5). The study results imply that the sexual trauma could be experienced either prior to or after onset of ED symptoms. Conclusions: Sixty-seven per cent of the patients with an ED reported traumatic life events at time of assessment, whereby 19% reporting negative sexual experiences or sexual abuse. However, sexual trauma does not necessarily play a causal role in the development of EDs

Reproducible probe-level analysis of the Affymetrix Exon 1.0 ST array with R/Bioconductor

The presence of different transcripts of a gene across samples can be analysed by whole-transcriptome microarrays. Reproducing results from published microarray data represents a challenge due to the vast amounts of data and the large variety of pre-processing and filtering steps employed before the actual analysis is carried out. To guarantee a firm basis for methodological development where results with new methods are compared with previous results it is crucial to ensure that all analyses are completely reproducible for other researchers. We here give a detailed workflow on how to perform reproducible analysis of the GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST Array at probe and probeset level solely in R/Bioconductor, choosing packages based on their simplicity of use. To exemplify the use of the proposed workflow we analyse differential splicing and differential gene expression in a publicly available dataset using various statistical methods. We believe this study will provide other researchers with an easy way of accessing gene expression data at different annotation levels and with the sufficient details needed for developing their own tools for reproducible analysis of the GeneChip Human Exon 1.0 ST Array

Arrancamiento de fibras de acero de matriz de hormigón

En los últimos años se han desarrollado estudios experimentales que muestran las mejoras obtenidas en el comportamiento estructural al incorporar fibras al hormigón. Las fibras controlan la fisuración aumentando la ductilidad de los elementos estructurales. Este efecto está directamente relacionado con la resistencia al arrancamiento de las fibras que depende de la fibra, la matriz y la interfaz fibra-matriz. Los resultados experimentales muestran gran variabilidad en el comportamiento, aún para un mismo tipo de fibra e igual calidad de hormigón. Esta variabilidad se atribuye a la matriz de hormigón, la cual produce diferencias en la interfaz. En este trabajo se estudia experimental y numéricamente el fenómeno de arrancamiento de fibras de acero con ganchos, desde una matriz de hormigón. Se presentan los resultados experimentales de ensayos de arrancamiento de distintos tipos de fibras. Esto permite determinar parámetros necesarios para la simulación numérica. En el modelo numérico desarrollado el modelo de fibras con deslizamiento está implementado como una componente de un compuesto, con lo cual es posible estudiar el comportamiento de una fibra individual o de un conjunto de fibra dispersas en forma homogénea en una matriz. Con dicho modelo se realizan simulaciones del ensayo de arrancamiento de fibra cuyos resultados se comparan con los resultados experimentales.Fil: Isla Calderón, Facundo Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologia. Instituto de Estructuras ; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Luccioni, Bibiana Maria. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologia. Instituto de Estructuras ; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Isas Pedraza, Daniel Rodrigo. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologia. Instituto de Estructuras ; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Sfer, Domingo. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologia. Instituto de Estructuras ; Argentin

Emotional dysfunction in avoidant personality disorder and borderline personality disorder:A cross-sectional comparative study

According to the literature, avoidant personality disorder (APD) is often overlooked in research on personality disorders. In the present study, patients with APD were compared to patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) with respect to emotional dysfunction. Emotional dysfunction was operationalized through the Affect Integration Inventory. Sixty-one patients receiving treatment at specialized outpatient hospital facilities for either BPD (n = 25) or APD (n = 36) (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition) were included in a cross-sectional study. Supporting our expectations of no difference in the global capacity for affect integration between groups, the estimated difference was 0.00 (95% confidence interval [CI] [−0.53, 0.53]). On the other hand, the expected increased dysfunction in APD regarding Expression could not be confirmed. Furthermore, problems with specific affects distinguished the groups; integration of Interest was worse in APD (p = 0.01), whereas integration of Jealousy was worse in BPD (p = 0.04). In terms of prototypical modes of experiencing affects, APD was characterized by decreased access to the motivational properties of Interest (p < 0.01), while BPD was more driven by Interest (p < 0.01), Anger (p < 0.01), and Jealousy (p = 0.01). In conclusion, even though the two disorders are characterized by similar overall levels of emotional dysfunction, they differ systematically and predictably regarding specific affects and modes of experiencing. These findings carry implications for the understanding of emotional dysfunction in APD and BPD, suggesting specific areas of emotional dysfunction that could be targeted in tailored psychotherapeutic interventions

The Relationship between Affect Integration and Psychopathology in Patients with Personality Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background and Objectives: Emotional dysfunction is considered a key component in personality disorders; however, only few studies have examined the relationship between the two. In this study, emotional dysfunction was operationalized through the Affect Integration Inventory, and the aim was to examine the relationships between the level of affect integration and the levels of symptom distress, interpersonal problems, and personality functioning in patients diagnosed with personality disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition. Materials and Methods: Within a hospital-based psychiatric outpatient setting, 87 patients with personality disorder referred for treatment were identified for assessment with the Affect Integration Inventory and other measures (e.g., the Symptom Checklist-90, Revised, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems 64 circumplex version, and the Severity Indices of Personality Problems). Results: The analyses revealed that problems with affect integration were strongly and statistically significantly correlated with high levels of symptom distress, interpersonal problems, and maladaptive personality functioning. Additionally, low scores on the Affect Integration Inventory regarding discrete affects were associated with distinct and differentiated patterns of interpersonal problems. Conclusion: Taken together, emotional dysfunction, as measured by the Affect Integration Inventory, appeared to be a central component of the pathological self-organization associated with personality disorder. These findings have several implications for the understanding and psychotherapeutic treatment of personality pathology. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of considering the integration of discrete affects and their specific contributions in the conceptualization and treatment of emotional dysfunction in patients with personality disorders

Association of IFN-γ +874 A/T SNP and hypermethylation of the -53 CpG site with tuberculosis susceptibility

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is now the 2nd leading infectious killer after COVID-19 and the 13th leading cause of death worldwide. Moreover, TB is a lethal combination for HIV-patients. Th1 responses and particularly IFN-γ are crucial for immune protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Many gene variants for IFNG that confer susceptibility to TB have been described in multiple ethnic populations. Likewise, some epigenetic modifications have been evaluated, being CpG methylation the major epigenetic mark that makes chromatin inaccessible to transcription factors, thus avoiding the initiation of IFNG transcription. Methods: We evaluated both genetic and epigenetic changes involved in IFN-γ production and TB susceptibility in Argentine population. Amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) was performed for the IFN-γ +874 A/T polymorphism (rs2430561) genotyping in 199 healthy donors (HD) and 173 tuberculosis (TB) patients. IFN-γ levels from M. tuberculosis-stimulated PBMCs were measured by ELISA. The methylation status at the -53 CpG site of the IFNG promoter in individuals with latent infection (LTBI), TB and HD was determine by pyrosequencing. Results: Using a case-control study, we found that A allele and, consequently, AA genotype were overrepresented in patients with active disease. Moreover, HD carrying T allele (AT or TT genotype) evidenced an augmented IFN-γ secretion compared to TB patients. Codominance was the genetic model that best fits our results according to the Akaike information criterion (AIC). In addition, increased methylation levels at the -53 CpG site in the IFN-γ promoter were observed in whole blood of patients with active TB compared to LTBI individuals. Discussion: IFN-γ is regulated by genetic variants and epigenetic modifications during TB. Besides, AA genotype of the rs2430561 single nucleotide polymorphism could be considered as a potential TB susceptibility genetic biomarker in Argentina and the methylation of the -53 CpG site could result in a useful predictor of TB reactivation.Fil: Alvarez, Guadalupe Inés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Inmunología, Genética y Metabolismo; ArgentinaFil: Hernández del Pino, Rodrigo Emanuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Barbero, Angela Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Estermann, Martín Andrés. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Celano, Josefina. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Musella, Rosa María. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas "Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz"; ArgentinaFil: Palmero, Domingo Juan. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Infecciosas "Dr. Francisco Javier Muñiz"; ArgentinaFil: García, Verónica Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Pasquinelli, Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentin