The polyoxometalate clusters with formula Gd(W5O18)29− and Gd(P5W30O110)12− each carry a single magnetic ion of gadolinium, which is the most widespread element among magnetic refrigerant materials. ...In an adiabatic demagnetization, the lowest attainable temperature is limited by the presence of magnetic interactions that bring about magnetic order below a critical temperature. We demonstrate that this limitation can be overcome by chemically engineering the molecules in such a way to effectively screen all magnetic interactions, suggesting their use as ultra‐low‐temperature coolers.
Saffron (
L.) is a spice used worldwide as a colouring and flavouring agent. Saffron is also a source of multiple bioactive constituents with potential health benefits. Notably, saffron displays ...consistent beneficial effects against a range of human neurological disorders (depression, anxiety, sleeping alterations). However, the specific compounds and biological mechanisms by which this protection may be achieved have not yet been elucidated. In this review, we have gathered the most updated evidence of the neurological benefits of saffron, as well as the current knowledge on the main saffron constituents, their bioavailability and the potential biological routes and postulated mechanisms by which the beneficial protective effect may occur. Our aim was to provide an overview of the neuroprotective effects attributed to this product and its main bioactive compounds and to highlight the main research gaps that need to be further pursued to achieve full evidence and understanding of the benefits of saffron. Overall, improved clinical trials and adequately designed pre-clinical studies are needed to support the evidence of saffron and of its main bioactive components (e.g., crocin, crocetin) as a therapeutic product to combat neurological disorders.
Nurses and nursing aides are at high risk of developing musculoskeletal pain (MSP). This study aimed to evaluate a multifaceted intervention to prevent and manage MSP in two hospitals.
We performed a ...two-armed cluster randomized controlled trial, with a late intervention control group. Clusters were independent hospital units with nursing staff as participants. The intervention comprised three evidence-based components: participatory ergonomics, health promotion activities and case management. Both the intervention and the control group received usual occupational health care. The intervention lasted one year. MSP and work functioning data was collected at baseline, six and 12-month follow-up. Odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated for MSP risk in the intervention group compared to the control group using logistic regression through GEE. Differences in work functioning between the intervention and control group were analyzed using linear regression through GEE. The incidence of sickness absence was calculated through logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to analyze the effect of the intervention on sickness absence duration.
Eight clusters were randomized including 473 nurses and nursing aides. At 12 months, the intervention group showed a statistically significant decrease of the risk in neck, shoulders and upper back pain, compared to the control group (OR = 0.37; 95%CI = 0.14-0.96). A reduction of low back pain was also observed, though non statistically significant. We found no differences regarding work functioning and the incidence and duration of sickness absence.
The intervention was effective to reduce neck, shoulder and upper back pain. Our results, though modest, suggests that interventions to prevent and manage MSP need a multifactorial approach including the three levels of prevention, and framed within the biopsychosocial model.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Bio-nanocomposite hydrogels based on sodium alginate (SA) as polymer matrix and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets with zinc as crosslinking agent were synthesized with the aim of incorporating the ...intrinsic properties of their constituents (bioactivity and antimicrobial activity). Thus, stable and highly interconnected networks were obtained from GO nanosheets dispersed in SA matrices through interactions with low amounts of zinc. The GO nanosheets were successfully incorporated into the alginate matrix in the form of a complex nano-network involving different interactions: Bonds between alginate chains induced by Zn ions (egg box structure), interactions between GO nanosheets through Zn ions and hydrogen bonds between alginate chains, and GO nanosheets. The molecular interactions and morphology were confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The composite's structural organization showed enhanced thermal stability. The glass transition temperature shifted to a higher temperature due to the reduced mobility induced by additional crosslinking bonds after incorporating the GO nanosheets and Zn into the polymer matrix. Finally, the dielectric behavior revealed that charge carrier mobility was hampered by the compact structure of the nanonetwork, which reduced conductivity. The combined properties of these nanocomposite hydrogels make them attractive biomaterials in the field of regenerative medicine and wound care since both surface bioactivity and antibacterial behavior are two critical factors involved in the success of a biomaterial.
Antibiotic transformation products (TPs) generated during water treatment can be considered as an environmental concern, since they can retain part of the bioactivity of the parent compound. ...Effect-directed analysis (EDA) was applied for the identification of bioactive intermediates of azithromycin (AZI) and ciprofloxacin (CFC) after water chlorination. Fractionation of samples allowed the identification of bioactive intermediates by measuring the antibiotic activity and acute toxicity, combined with an automated suspect screening approach for chemical analysis. While the removal of AZI was in line with the decrease of bioactivity in chlorinated samples, an increase of bioactivity after complete removal of CFC was observed (at >0.5 mgCl2/L). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that some of the CFC intermediates could contribute to the overall toxicity of the chlorinated samples. Fractionation of bioactive samples identified that the chlorinated TP296 (generated from the destruction of the CFC piperazine ring) maintained 41%, 44%, and 30% of the antibiotic activity of the parent compound in chlorinated samples at 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 mgCl2/L, respectively. These results indicate the spectrum of antibacterial activity can be altered by controlling the chemical substituents and configuration of the CFC structure with chlorine. On the other hand, the potential presence of volatile DBPs and fractionation losses do not allow for tentative confirmation of the main intermediates contributing to the acute toxic effects measured in chlorinated samples. Our results encourage further development of new and advanced methodologies to study the bioactivity of isolated unknown TPs to understand their hazardous effects in treated effluents.
The Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib and the B‐cell lymphoma 2 anti‐apoptotic protein inhibitor venetoclax provide high response rates in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, ...there is a growing number of patients that relapse after treatment or show refractory disease, thus new targets and agents are still needed. We have previously reported the chemokine receptor CCR7 as a relevant deregulated target in CLL and have developed CAP‐100, a novel therapeutic anti‐CCR7 antibody that is under evaluation for relapse/refractory CLL (NCT04704323). While CCR7 expression has been shown to be down‐modulated in CLL patients treated with ibrutinib, whether venetoclax acts in a similar manner remains unaddressed. Here, we aimed to document the impact of venetoclax on CCR7 expression in CLL cells, as well as on the pre‐clinical activity of CAP‐100. To this end, we addressed CCR7 expression by flow cytometry and the antibody efficacy by means of in vitro chemotactic and antibody‐dependent cell‐mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays. Our data indicate that venetoclax treatment did not significantly modify CCR7 expression pattern nor CAP‐100 mechanisms of action. Together, these findings support CAP‐100 as an adjuvant therapy to venetoclax that may introduce additional modes of action in CLL therapy.
Organizational culture is a central concept in research due to its importance in organizational functioning and suffering of employees. To better manage suffering, it is necessary to better ...understand the intrinsic characteristics of each type of culture and also its relationships with the environment. In this study, we used the multiple regression analysis to analyze the capacity of eight environment variables, five business strategies, and eight organizational competencies to predict the presence of Clan, Market, and Hierarchy cultures (
Cameron and Quinn, 1999
) in a subsample of Spanish managers (
n
1
= 362) and a subsample of Peruvian managers (
n
2
= 1,317). Contrary to what most of the literature suggests, we found almost no relationship between the environmental variables and the culture types. Strategy and competencies, in contrast, do have a significant predictive capacity, showing 9 links with the Clan culture, 7 with the Hierarchy culture, and 10 with the Market culture. In conclusion, this study has found the important characteristics of the types of organizational culture that could be useful to better manage the suffering of employees.
Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is the leading cause of years lived with disability. In consequence, to reduce MSP and its associated sickness absence is a major challenge. Previous interventions have ...been developed to reduce MSP and improve return to work of workers with MSP, but combined approaches and exhaustive evaluation are needed. The objective of the INTEVAL_Spain project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifaceted intervention in the workplace to prevent and manage MSP in nursing staff.
The study is designed as a two-armed cluster randomized controlled trial with a late intervention control group. The hospital units are the clusters of randomization and participants are nurses and aides. An evidence-based multi-component intervention was designed combining participatory ergonomics, case management and health promotion. Both the intervention and the control groups receive occupational health care as usual. Data are collected at baseline, and after six and 12 months. The primary outcomes are prevalence of MSP and incidence and duration of sickness absence due to MSP. Secondary outcomes are work role functioning and organizational preventive culture. The intervention process will be assessed through quantitative indicators of recruitment, context, reach, dose supplied, dose received, fidelity and satisfaction, and qualitative approaches including discussion groups of participants and experts. The economic evaluation will include cost-effectiveness and cost-utility, calculated from the societal and the National Health System perspectives.
Workplace health programs are one of the best options for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases. The main feature of this study is its multifaceted, multidisciplinary and de-medicalized intervention, which encompasses three evidence-based interventions and covers all three levels of prevention, which have not been previously unified in a single intervention. Also, it includes a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the intervention process, health results, and economic impact. This study could open the possibility of a new paradigm for the prevention and management of MSP and associated sickness absence approach at the workplace.
Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15780649 Retrospectively registered 13th July 2018.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: In recent decades, Spain has seen a decline in girls' interest in pursuing the Physical Activity and Sport Science (PASS) degree. For example, in Catalonia (Spain), the number of women ...enrolled has decreased from 39.3% in the 2000-2001 academic year to 17.3% in the 2014-2015 academic year (Serra, Soler, Vilanova et al. 2019), which is in line with technological and scientific degrees. This fact is striking because more women than men are enrolling in university studies in Spain overall.
Purpose: Drawing on Bourdieu's theoretical tools and the concept of social representation, the purpose of this study is to analyse how young people perceive the PASS degree, in order to understand why fewer women than men choose this degree.
Method: A total of 4146 students (50.2% girls; mean age = 16.82 years; SD = 0.837) from 39 school centres were purposefully selected in three regions of Spain. Students were enrolled in the final course of Compulsory Secondary Education (4th ESO, 16 years old) and the first of 2 years of the pre-university course (1st year of Bachillerato, 16-17 years old). An ad hoc instrument was designed to measure the Social Representation (SR) of the degree habitus and students' interest in studying for the PASS degree. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS Statistics (v.23). Data were tested for normality. The statistical tests used were: Chi-square (X
2
) and Mann-Whitney U analysis.
Findings: The results show that the SR of the degree habitus has a masculine characterization, which favours the number of men who study this degree. This SR could explain why the number of women in this field has been very low (around 18%) in Spain in recent years. Likewise, this SR would be a form of symbolic violence on girls who may wish to pursue these studies, but do not feel entitled to do so because it is considered a masculine field. The students are not able to identify this social construction, which eventually naturalizes the difference and makes the prevalence of men in these studies more socially acceptable.
Conclusion: The SR of the degree habitus could be exercising a symbolic violence that would contribute to the discrepancy in the number of men and women who choose a PASS degree. To change the SR of the degree, it is necessary to substantially modify how it is constructed. Some of the options would involve a profound change in curriculum, built around a conception of body culture that is based on feminist political, philosophical, and ontological assumptions. This new construction would invoke a configuration of body culture not centred on the modern sport phenomenon and post-modern physical activity. The information that students receive to construct this masculine and instrumentalized SR of the degree should also be intentionally modified.
The Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument is a common instrument for measuring organizational culture in English-speaking countries based on four factors: Clan,
, Market and Hierarchy. ...However, to date, there is no proper translation of the scale into Spanish. In this study, we describe the translation and adaptation of the instrument through Exploratory Factor Analysis with a Spanish sample (
= 246; 69.9% men and 30.1% women) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis with a Peruvian sample (
= 510; 70.4% men and 29.6% women). The result reduces the four-factor internal structure to a three-factor structure that retains the Clan, Market and Hierarchy factors, but completely excludes the
factor. Confirmatory Factor Analysis shows acceptable indicators, reliabilities are good and indication of validity is also confirmed. In conclusion, this study has given rise to the instrument in Spanish, called OCAI-12, which is suitable for evaluating organizational culture.
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