Is instrumental compression equally effective and comfortable for physiotherapists and physiotherapy students than manual compression? A comparative cross-sectional study

The objective of this work is to compare the homogeneity of instrumental and manual compression during the simulation of a pressure release technique, measured with a dynamometer, as well as to evaluate the comparative degree of comfort by physiotherapists and physiotherapy students when performing this technique. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was car-ried out with physiotherapists (lecturers with clinical experience) and 4th year students of the Physiotherapy Degree at Universidad San Jorge. The amount of pressure performed and how it was maintained during 80 s with both techniques was analysed using a digital dynamometer. The degree of comfort was evaluated using a modified numeric rating scale, with higher values represent-ing a higher degree of discomfort. Results: A total of 30 subjects participated. Significant differences were found between the techniques in terms of maintaining a constant pressure level for 80 s (p = 0.043). A statistically significant difference was found between both techniques in the period from 45 to 80 s. Regarding the degree of discomfort, the value obtained from the students’ responses was 4.67 (1.35) for the manual technique and 1.93 (0.88) for the instrumental technique. In the case of physiotherapists, the comfort was 4.87 (2.13) for the manual technique and 3.33 (1.54) for the instrumental technique. Conclusion: The sustained manual compression necessary in manual pressure release techniques in the treatment of myofascial trigger points can be performed with assistive tools that guarantee a uniform compression maintained throughout the development of the technique and are more comfortable for physiotherapists

Anestesia general en pacientes con porfiria.: A propósito de un caso

Porphyrias can have cutaneous or extracutaneous manifestations. Among the most relevant skin manifestations, photosensitivity stands out (for this reason they were known as the “vampire disease”), which causes the appearance of blisters in photo-exposed areas, as well as scars, millium cysts, malar hypertrichosis and skin hyperpigmentation. The prototype of the extracutaneous clinic is the acute attack of porphyria, which is characterized by neurological and psychiatric manifestations, to which are added digestive symptoms such as crampy abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, severe constipation, dark urine. The provocation of a porphyria crisis during anesthesia should be prevented with correct treatment of hypovolemia and fluid and electrolyte disorders, in addition to avoiding fasting, providing 2000 calories / day enterally or with 10% dextrose at high doses (300- 500 g / day) intravenously. The clinical equipment, even the operating room lights, can generate skin changes, so special care is necessary to avoid burns in patients with photosensitivity.Las porfirias pueden tener manifestaciones cutáneas o extracutáneas. Entre las manifestaciones cutáneas más relevantes destacan la fotosensibilidad (por ello eran conocidas como la “enfermedad de los vampiros”) que produce la aparición de ampollas en zonas fotoexpuestas, así como cicatrices, quistes millium, hipertricosis malar e hiperpigmentación cutánea. El prototipo de clínica extracutánea es el ataque agudo de porfiria, que se caracteriza por manifestaciones neurológicas y psiquiátricas, a las que se añaden síntomas digestivos como dolor abdominal tipo cólico, náuseas, vómitos, estreñimiento grave, orinas oscuras.  La provocación de una crisis de porfiria durante la anestesia se debe prevenir con un correcto tratamiento de la hipovolemia y trastornos hidroelectrolíticos, además de evitar el ayuno, aportando 2000 calorías/día por vía enteral o con dextrosa al 10% a altas dosis (300-500 g/día) por vía intravenosa. El equipo clínico, incluso las luces de quirófano, pueden generar cambios cutáneos, por lo que es necesario un especial cuidado para evitar las quemaduras en los pacientes que presentan fotosensibilidad

Dry Needling and Antithrombotic Drugs

Many clinicians increasingly use dry needling in clinical practice. However, whether patients'' intake of antithrombotic drugs should be considered as a contraindication for dry needling has not been investigated to date. As far as we know, there are no publications in analyzing the intake of antiplatelet or anticoagulant agents in the context of dry needling techniques. A thorough analysis of existing medications and how they may impact various needling approaches may contribute to improved evidence-informed clinical practice. The primary purpose of this paper is to review the current knowledge of antithrombotic therapy in the context of dry needling. In addition, reviewing guidelines of other needling approaches, such as electromyography, acupuncture, botulinum toxin infiltration, and neck ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy, may provide specific insights relevant for dry needling. Based on published data, taking antithrombotic medication should not be considered an absolute contraindication for dry needling techniques. As long as specific dry needling and individual risks are properly considered, it does not change the risk and safety profile of dry needling. Under specific circumstances, the use of ultrasound guidance is recommended when available. © 2022 María Muñoz et al

Data about threatened vascular flora from the León province (NW Spain). Present position

En este trabajo se aportan datos sobre una serie de taxones presentes en la provincia de León e incluidos en la Lista Roja de la Flora Vascular Española. Asimismo, se analiza el estado actual de otros taxones interesantes desde el punto de vista conservacionista.In this paper, data about several taxa present in the province of León and included in the Red List of Spanish Vascular Flora are provided. Likewise, present position about other interesting taxa are studied from the conservation point of view

Star-formation histories of local luminous infrared galaxies

We present the analysis of the integrated spectral energy distribution (SED) from the ultraviolet (UV) to the far-infrared and H$\alpha$ of a sample of 29 local systems and individual galaxies with infrared (IR) luminosities between 10^11 Lsun and 10^11.8 Lsun. We have combined new narrow-band H$\alpha$+[NII] and broad-band g, r optical imaging taken with the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT), with archival GALEX, 2MASS, Spitzer, and Herschel data. The SEDs (photometry and integrated H$\alpha$ flux) have been fitted with a modified version of the MAGPHYS code using stellar population synthesis models for the UV-near-IR range and thermal emission models for the IR emission taking into account the energy balance between the absorbed and re-emitted radiation. From the SED fits we derive the star-formation histories (SFH) of these galaxies. For nearly half of them the star-formation rate appears to be approximately constant during the last few Gyrs. In the other half, the current star-formation rate seems to be enhanced by a factor of 3-20 with respect to that occured ~1 Gyr ago. Objects with constant SFH tend to be more massive than starbursts and they are compatible with the expected properties of a main-sequence (M-S) galaxy. Likewise, the derived SFHs show that all our objects were M-S galaxies ~1 Gyr ago with stellar masses between 10^10.1 and 10^11.5 Msun. We also derived from our fits the average extinction (A_v=0.6-3 mag) and the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) luminosity to L(IR) ratio (0.03-0.16). We combined the A_v with the total IR and H$\alpha$ luminosities into a diagram which can be used to identify objects with rapidly changing (increasing or decreasing) SFR during the last 100 Myr.Comment: 16 pages + online material, accepted for publication in A&

Itinerarios formativos para un aprendizaje personalizado

En esta contribución se presenta una experiencia que promueve la utilización de itinerarios flexibles de aprendizaje como estrategia para organizar las actividades formativas y favorecer el trabajo autorregulado de los estudiantes. Para su puesta en práctica, se ha creado material didáctico en distinto formato y se han diseñado secuencias de aprendizaje interactivas que exigen al estudiante responder a los retos que se le presentan. Para establecer el avance por las actividades, se ha implementado una herramienta configurable que define las rutas de navegación mediante una estructura jerárquica de nodos que se conectan entre sí según la respuesta del alumnado. La herramienta permite registrar cada paso del camino seguido para alcanzar los objetivos de cada itinerario. El nuevo modelo de aprendizaje personalizado se ha implementado en dos asignaturas básicas de matemáticas de primer curso de tres grados de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Cantabria. Como principales resultados, destacar la satisfacción de los estudiantes con la experiencia, la mejora notable en los indicadores académicos y la información que proporciona al profesorado el análisis de los datos registrados de la navegación por los itinerarios para detectar dificultades en el aprendizaje

Conociendo a quien cuidamos: Informe de salud de Langreo

In this study, we have contextualized the situation in the municipality of Langreo (Asturias) in the last two decades. It is aimed at understanding the origins, evolution, and current health state of this population, analyzing the main causes of morbidity and mortality. The general objective is knowing about the context of the population of Langreo. Specific objectives: Establishing the historic, social, demographic and economic context, identifying the causes of morbidity and identifying the causes of and mortality. The authors present a bibliographic review of the history, characteristics of the municipality of Langreo (Asturias), and the situation of its population. The following databases were used as online search tools: CSIC, PubMed, Google Académico, and reports from official institutions (INE, OBSA, SADEI). The keywords used in the search were morbidity, mortality, Langreo, population, using the Boolean operators AND and NOT. Offline search (book and article format) was carried out at the Langreo municipal library and at general registries. With the course of time, there have been important changes in lifestyle and the population in this area that directly affect the health in this community. Lifestyle constitutes a determining factor in the development of the most frequent medical conditions. Chronic illnesses, very common in primary health care, are the major cause of mortality.En este trabajo se contextualiza la situación en el municipio de Langreo desde las últimas dos décadas, hechos imprescindibles para conocer los orígenes, evolución de esta población y situación de salud actual, realizando un análisis de las principales causas de morbimortalidad. El objetivo general es conocer el contexto de la población de Langreo. Los objetivos específicos son: establecer un contexto histórico, social, demográfico, económico y de los recursos a los que puede acceder la población, identificar las causas de morbilidad y de mortalidad poblacional. Para ello se realiza una revisión bibliográfica sobre la historia, características del municipio de Langreo y la situación de salud de la población. Como herramienta de búsqueda se han utilizado las bases de datos: CSIC, PubMed, Google Académico e informes de instituciones oficiales (INE, OBSA, SADEI). Las palabras utilizadas para la búsqueda son: morbilidad, mortalidad, Langreo, población, contexto histórico, desarrollo social, recursos, historia, demografía, utilizando los booleanos AND y NOT. Las búsquedas en formato libro o artículo proceden de la biblioteca municipal de Langreo y registros generales. Con el transcurso de los años se han producido grandes cambios en la forma de vida y en la población de esta zona, como su economía y distribución poblacional, afectando de manera directa a la salud de la comunidad. Los estilos y formas de vida constituyen un factor determinante en el desarrollo de las enfermedades más frecuentes, siendo las principales causas de mortalidad las enfermedades crónicas, muy prevalentes en el ámbito de la atención primaria

Assessment of an educational intervention to improve healthy life habits in children living in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions

Producción CientíficaNutritional condition impacts academic performance and cognitive development. In Peru, the prevalence of chronic undernutrition in children is 6.9%, increasing the risk of mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to develop an educational intervention to achieve an improvement in the healthy habits of children in a primary education school in Lima who live in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions. We conducted a prospective quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test study of an educational intervention. The information was collected through the adaptation of the WHO questionnaire “Global School-based Student Health Survey” (GSHS), with anthropometric variables, socioeconomic level, hygiene and eating habits. One hundred eight students from 5 to 13 years old from Arenitas del Mar School in Lima (Peru) participated. The educational intervention improved eating habits. Fruit and vegetable consumption 3 or more times/day (50.9%) increased after the educational intervention (49% vs. 62.9%,) p < 0.0001. There was an improvement in hygiene habits, such as the frequency of handwashing with soap (32.4% vs. 63.9%) and the frequency of weekly bathing 4–6 times/week (25% vs. 47.5%) p < 0.0001. The educational intervention promoted better healthy living behaviors, eating habits and hygiene. This kind of initiative is a crucial tool to establish healthy living habits

Insights into the production and characterization of electrospun fibers from regenerated silk fibroin

Regenerated silk fibroin solutions from Bombyx mori were tested for electrospinning.Simple and reproducible tensile tests were performed on threads of aligned fibers to obtain information about their mechanical performance at the fiber level. The binary solvent formic acid/chloroform (10:1, v/v) rendered unbeaded thinner fibers with increased extensibility before failure when compared with pure formic acid. A remarkable improvement in strength was induced by immersing length-restricted fibers into ethanol for 5 min. Conformational changes of the protein chains were studied by solid-state NMR

Immunological aspects involved in the degeneration of cryopreserved arterial allografts

Introduction: Cryopreserved arterial allografts have remained an option in patients requiring distal revascularization or associated with vascular infection, in the absence of a valid autogenous saphenous vein. The objective of this study is to describe the different clinical, anatomopathological, and immunological findings related to vascular transplant rejection. Methods: In a prospective trial, 35 patients who underwent cryopreserved allogeneic arterial bypass were studied, including demographics and conduit patency. Anti-HLA antibody production was stablished prior to the surgery, 7 days, 1, 3 months, and every 3 months since. Clinical and ultrasound evaluation was added after the first month. Donor HLA-typing was retrieved whenever available, allowing for the characterization and quantification of donor specific antibodies. Cytotoxic crossmatch test was also performed. A second group of patients with allograft degenerations registered during the follow up period was studied. In this group, exclusively for aneurysm description and histopathological analysis, they were included those degenerated vascular transplants from the original series, but also those implanted prior to the beginning of the study and degraded during follow up. Results: All patients studied displayed an increase in anti-HLA antibodies one month after the intervention, regarding bypass patency. In total, 14 patients fulfilled requirements for the study of donor specific antibodies, equally showing IgG production detectable one month after surgery. The presence of complement-fixing antibodies was also confirmed. Antibody levels were not related to graft degeneration. No specific immune markers able to predict aneurysmal development and evolution were found. From the original group, 3 patients suffered aneurysmal degeneration during follow up, together with 9 bypasses previously implanted. Average time until the first degeneration was 33 ± 19.7 months, with 30.6 ± 17.7 and 54.5 ± 2.5 months for a second and third degeneration, when occurring. Therefore, subsequent vascular transplants frequently augmented the time for new degenerations, despite increasing sensibilization. Samples from eight degenerated allografts were available for analysis, unexpectedly showing inflammatory infiltrate in only four cases and immune complex deposition in 7. Conclusions: Immune response against vascular transplants was confirmed in all cases, but chronic rejection did not necessarily provoke bypass degradation or reduced the time for new aneurysms to develop in subsequent allografts.FUNDING: This research was supported by grant PI17/00714 from the Spanish I + D + i 2013–2016 State Program, which was cofunded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The authors wish to thank Dr. Aurora Astudillo, Head of the Department of Pathology at Central University Hospital of Asturias, for her collaboration and interest in making this study possible