Complementary music therapy for cancer patients in at-home palliative care and their caregivers: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial

Background Patients with advanced cancer, receiving at-home palliative care, are subject to numerous symptoms that are changeable and often require attention, a stressful situation that also impacts on the family caregiver. It has been suggested that music therapy may benefit both the patient and the caregiver. We propose a study to analyse the efficacy and cost utility of a music intervention programme, applied as complementary therapy, for cancer patients in palliative care and for their at-home caregivers, compared to usual treatment. Method A randomised, double-blind, multicentre clinical trial will be performed in cancer patients in at-home palliative care and their family caregivers. The study population will include two samples of 40 patients and two samples of 41 caregivers. Participants will be randomly assigned either to the intervention group or to the control group. The intervention group will receive a seven-day programme including music sessions, while the control group will receive seven sessions of (spoken word) therapeutic education. In this study, the primary outcome measure is the assessment of patients' symptoms, according to the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System, and of the overload experienced by family caregivers, measured by the Caregiver Strain Index. The secondary outcomes considered will be the participants' health-related quality of life, their satisfaction with the intervention, and an economic valuation. Discussion This study is expected to enhance our understanding of the efficacy and cost-utility of music therapy for cancer patients in palliative care and for their family caregivers. The results of this project are expected to be applicable and transferrable to usual clinical practice for patients in home palliative care and for their caregivers. The approach described can be incorporated as an additional therapeutic resource within comprehensive palliative care. To our knowledge, no previous high quality studies, based on a double-blind clinical trial, have been undertaken to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of music therapy. The cost-effectiveness of the project will provide information to support decision making, thereby improving the management of health resources and their use within the health system

Intervention to improve quality of sleep of palliative patient carers in the community: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial

Background: Sleep disorders are commonly experienced by community caregivers for persons with cancer, with at least 72% reporting moderate to severe disorders. A consequence of this condition, which is associated with the presence of overload in the caregiver, is the increased risk of clinical depression. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of music on the sleep quality achieved by informal caregivers for cancer patients receiving home palliative care. In addition, we will assess the influence of specific variables that could modify these effects, analyse the correlates related to nocturnal wakefulness and consider the diurnal consequences according to the sleep characteristics identified. Methods: This single-blind, multicentre, randomised clinical trial will focus on informal providers of care for cancer patients. Two samples of 40 caregivers will be recruited. The first, intervention, group will receive seven music-based sessions. The control group will be masked with seven sessions of therapeutic education (reinforcing previous sessions). Outcomes will be evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, a triaxial accelerometer, EuroQol-5D-5L, the Caregiver Strain Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire. The caregivers' satisfaction with the intervention performed will also be examined. Discussion: This study is expected to extend our understanding of the efficacy of music therapy in enhancing the sleep quality of caregivers for patients receiving home palliative care. To our knowledge, no reliable scientific investigations of this subject have previously been undertaken. Music is believed to benefit certain aspects of sleep, but this has yet to be proven and, according to a Cochrane review, high-quality research in this field is necessary. One of the main strengths of our study, which heightens the quality of the randomised clinical trial design, is the objective assessment of physical activity by accelerometry and the use of both objective and subjective measures of sleep in caregivers. Music therapy for the caregivers addressed in this study is complementary, readily applicable, provokes no harmful side effects and may produce significant benefits

Quantitative comparison of impeller flowmeter and particle-size dsitribution techniques for the characterization of hydraulic conductivity variability

Basic univariate statistics and key geostatistical parameters of estimates of hydraulic conductivity obtained at the decimeter scale by two different methods are presented and compared. The two estimates are based on (1) the empirical Kozeny-Carman formulation, and (2) impeller flowmeter tests. The former provides values of conductivity, KGS, based on particle size distributions. Impeller flowmeter techniques allow inferring conductivities, KFM, from measurements of vertical flows within a borehole. Data obtained during an extensive monitoring campaign at an experimental site located near the city of Tübingen, Germany, are considered. Statistics of the natural logarithm of KGS and KFM at the site are similar in terms of mean values (with averages of ln KGS being slightly smaller than those of ln KFM) and differ in terms of variogram ranges and sample variances. The correlation between the two sets of estimates is virtually absent. Additional data from two different sites already presented in the literature allow comparing conductivity estimates from flowmeter and grain-size distributions (or permeameter measurements) taken at adjacent wells and support the finding that KGS and KFM lack correlation. The analysis highlights the difficulty in obtaining meaningful quantitatively comparable hydraulic conductivity data at the decimetric scale.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Mountain age through low-temperature thermochronology. Contributions for Secondary Education

La formación de cadenas montañosas es uno de los procesos geológicos más importantes, y el establecer el momento (normalmente millones de años) en que se formó el relieve que vemos ha sido siempre un desafío para los investigadores en Ciencias de la Tierra. Existen numerosas técnicas que, en conjunto, permiten conocer la historia de formación de las cadenas de montañas. Una de las técnicas más usadas en los últimos tiempos es la termocronología de baja temperatura (huellas de fisión y U-Th/He en apatitos), ya que informa de la trayectoria tiempo-temperatura que sufre una roca durante su exhumación (el viaje hacia la superficie desde grandes profundidades). Estos métodos se aplican a determinados problemas en Geociencias, debido a su baja temperatura de cierre (120ºC huellas de fisión en apatitos y 60ºC en U-Th/He en apatitos). Esta baja temperatura de cierre permite conocer, por ejemplo, los últimos estadios de la formación de las cadenas de montañas. Sin embargo, por lo que se deduce de los manuales de texto de ciencias en bachillerato, la termocronología de baja temperatura es desconocida para los estudiantes de Educación obligatoria, y probablemente poco comprendida por sus docentes. Este trabajo pretende ofrecer una fundamentación básica de las técnicas de termocronología de baja temperatura y ejemplos de aplicación en la Península Ibérica. Así mismo, se presenta un análisis curricular y de libros de texto sobre estos tópicos.Mountain formation is one of the geological processes more important of the nature. Isotopic dating allows to know how and when mountains occur and their evolution through geological time. There are many techniques that, as a whole, let know the mountain history. One of most used in last times is low-temperature thermochronology (fission tracks and U-Th/He on apatite) because reveal the time-temperature history of the rocks during their surface exhumation, that is not possible to know with the noted and classic high-temperature geochronometers.. These methods present an extremely low closed temperature (120ºC for fission tracks on apatite and 60ºC for U-Th/He on apatite), which enable to be applied to resolve many problem on geosciences. For example, the low closed temperatures of these methods allow know the last step of the mountains evolution. However, as it is follows of the analysis of high school science textbooks, students from compulsory education ignore the use of these techniques. Even, maybe their teachers neither know very well. This paper aims to provide a basic foundation of these techniques of low-temperature thermochronology, as well as examples of application in Iberian Peninsula that may be useful for Secondary Education teachers. In addition, it is shown a curricular and textbooks analysis.Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales (Universidad de Granada)Grupo de Investigación HUM613 (Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales y de la Sostenibilidad)Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR)Departamento de Geodinámica (Universidad de Granada

Cloning, tissue expression pattern and daily rhythms of Period1, Period2, and Clock transcripts in the XatWsh Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis

An extensive network of endogenous oscillators governs vertebrate circadian rhythmicity. At the molecular level, they are composed of a set of clock genes that participate in transcriptional–translational feedback loops to control their own expression and that of downstream output genes. These clocks are synchronized with the environment, although entrainment by external periodic cues remains little explored in Wsh. In this work, partial cDNA sequences of clock genes representing both positive (Clock) and negative (Period1, Period2) elements of the molecular feedback loops were obtained from the nocturnal XatWsh Senegalese sole, a relevant species for aquaculture and chronobiology. All of the above genes exhibited high identities with their respective teleost clock genes, and Per– Arnt–Sim or basic helix–loop–helix binding domains were recognized in their primary structure. They showed a widespread distribution through the animal body and some of them displayed daily mRNA rhythms in central (retina, optic tectum, diencephalon, and cerebellum) and peripheral (liver) tissues. These rhythms were most robust in retina and liver, exhibiting marked Period1 and Clock daily oscillations in transcript levels as revealed by ANOVA and cosinor analysis. Interestingly, expression proWles were inverted in retina and optic tectum compared to liver. Such diVerences suggest the existence of tissue-dependent zeitgebers for clock gene expression in this species (i.e., light for retina and optic tectum and feeding time for liver). This study provides novel insight into the location of the molecular clocks (central vs. peripheral) and their diVerent phasing and synchronization pathways, which contributes to better understand the teleost circadian systems and its plasticity

Fish welfare and biological rhythms : time to regulate

In this article we introduce the concept of biological rhythms in fish welfare and critically discuss a neglected aspect: time-dependent issues. First we should consider that fish, like most living organisms, posses a clock that drives rhythmic biological functions. Therefore, fish stress responses are strongly affected by the time of stressor exposure (e.g. day/night) according to their daily pattern of behavior (diurnal/nocturnal). Furthermore, drugs affect fish differently depending of time of administration. For instance, commonly used substances such as anesthetics may have strikingly different effects depending on the time of day. MS-222 -the most widely used fish anesthetics- has fastest effects and higher toxicity when applied during daytime, but it is much less toxic at night. Surprisingly, no attention has been paid to this time-dependent factor when establishing dosages and protocols for fish anesthesia and euthanasia. In summary, there is a need to take into account properly the role of biological rhythms when discussing fish welfare issues and regulations by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).En este artículo se introduce el concepto de ritmos biológicos en el bienestar de peces, y se discute críticamente un tema olvidado: aspectos dependientes del tiempo. Primero debemos considerar que los peces, al igual que la mayoría de organismos vivos, poseen un reloj interno que dirige los ritmos biológicos. Por tanto, las respuestas al estrés de los peces están fuertemente afectadas por la hora de exposición al agente estresante (p.e. día/noche) en función de su patrón diario de comportamiento (diurno/nocturno). Además, los fármacos pueden afectar de forma diferente a los peces dependiendo de la hora de la administración. Por ejemplo, sustancias comúnmente usadas como los anestésicos pueden tener efectos llamativamente distintos dependiendo de la hora del día. El MS-222, el anestésico más ampliamente utilizado en peces, tiene efectos más rápidos y mayor toxicidad cuando es aplicado por el día, pero es mucho menos tóxico por la noche. Sorprendentemente, no se ha prestado atención a este factor temporal cuando se establecen dosis y protocolos para la anestesia o eutanasia de peces. En resumen, es necesario tener en cuenta adecuadamente el papel de los ritmos biológicos cuando se discute el bienestar de peces y su regulación por los comités de uso y cuidado de animales

El modelo Z2-Score de Altman como base para la discriminación del fracaso de los franquiciadores

En esta investigación se propone un método que permite a los potenciales franquiciados conocer si la probabilidad de fracaso del franquiciador es elevada o reducida. El objetivo principal de este estudio es obtener segmentos/clusters mediante la técnica de regresión de clases latentes, donde se analiza la relación entre las variables típicas de la franquicia y la solvencia de la empresa franquiciadora medida a través de la Z2-Score de Altman. Con el fin de identificar con claridad los segmentos y analizar las características que los definen, hemos utilizado como covariables: el sector, la facturación media y el personal de la empresa. Se han identificado ocho segmentos, de los cuales nos encontramos con cinco segmentos en los que las enseñas que lo componen son solventes, dos que están en zona gris y uno que es insolvente.This paper proposes a method that allows potential franchisees to know if the probability of failure of the franchisor is high or low. The main objective of this study is to obtain segments/clusters using the technique of latent class regression. Therefore, we analyze the relationship between the typical variables of the franchise and the solvency of the franchisor, measured by means of the Altman´s Z2-Score. In order to clearly identify segments and to analyze the characteristics that define them, we have used as covariates: the sector, the average turnover and the business employees. Eight segments have been identified: five of them show signs that make them solvent, two of them are in the grey area and one segment is insolvent

Comparative study of imputation algorithms applied to the prediction of student performance

[Abstract]: Student performance and its evaluation remain a serious challenge for education systems. Frequently, the recording and processing of students’ scores in a specific curriculum have several f laws for various reasons. In this context, the absence of data from some of the student scores undermines the efficiency of any future analysis carried out in order to reach conclusions. When this is the case, missing data imputation algorithms are needed. These algorithms are capable of substituting, with a high level of accuracy, the missing data for predicted values. This research presents the hybridization of an algorithm previously proposed by the authors called adaptive assignation algorithm (AAA), with a well-known technique called multivariate imputation by chained equations (MICE). The results show how the suggested methodology outperforms both algorithms.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad ; AYA2014-57648-PAsturias. Consejería de Economía y Empleo ; FC-15-GRUPIN14-01

Effect of lighting conditions on zebrafish growth and development

In the underwater environment, the properties of light (intensity and spectrum) change rapidly with depth and water quality. In this article, we have described how and to what extent lighting conditions can influence the development, growth, and survival of zebrafish. Fertilized eggs and the corresponding larvae were exposed to different visible light wavelengths (violet, blue, green, yellow, red, and white) in a 12-h light-12-h dark (LD) cycle until 30 days posthatching (dph), when the expression of morphometric parameters and growth (igf1a, igf2a)- and stress-related (crh and pomca) genes were examined. Another group of larvae was raised under constant darkness (DD) until 5 or 10 dph, after which they were transferred to a LD of white light. A third group remained under DD to investigate the effects of light deprivation upon zebrafish development. The results revealed that the hatching rate was highest under blue and violet light, while total length at 30 dph was greatest under blue, white, and violet light. Red light led to reduced feeding activity and poor survival (100% mortality). Larvae raised under constant white light (LL) showed a higher proportion of malformations, as did larvae raised under LD violet light. The expression of growth and stress factors was upregulated in the violet (igf1a, igf2a, pomca, and chr) and blue (igf2a) groups, which is consistent with the higher growth recorded and the higher proportion of malformations detected under the violet light. All larvae kept under DD died before 18 dph, but the survival rates improved in larvae transferred to LD at 5 dph and at 10 dph. In summary, these findings revealed that lighting conditions are crucial factors influencing zebrafish larval development and growth