The role of dietary patterns in the prevention of unipolar depression has been analyzed in several epidemiological studies. The primary aims of this study are to determine the effectiveness of an ...extra-olive oil-enriched Mediterranean diet in reducing the recurrence of depression and improving the symptoms of this condition.
Multicenter, two-arm, parallel-group clinical trial. Arm 1, extra-virgin olive oil Mediterranean diet; Arm 2, control group without nutritional intervention. Dieticians are in charge of the nutritional intervention and regular contact with the participants. Contacts are made through our web platform ( https://predidep.es/participantes/ ) or by phone. Recurrence of depression is assessed by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists through clinical evaluations (semi-structured clinical interviews: Spanish SCID-I). Depressive symptoms are assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory. Information on quality of life, level of physical activity, dietary habits, and blood, urine and stool samples are collected after the subject has agreed to participate in the study and once a year.
To the best of our knowledge, the PREDI-DEP trial is the first ongoing randomized clinical trial designed to assess the role of the Mediterranean diet in the prevention of recurrent depression. It could be a cost-effective approach to avoid recurrence and improve the quality of life of these patients.
The study has been prospectively registered in the U.S. National Library of Medicine ( https://clinicaltrials.gov ) with NCT number: NCT03081065.
: Patient safety is a priority of any healthcare system, and one of the most effective measures is hand hygiene. For this, it is important that health staff have correct adherence and perform the ...technique properly. Otherwise, the incidence of nosocomial infections can increase, with consequent complications. The aim here was to analyze hand hygiene training and the effectiveness of different methods and educational strategies among nurses and whether they maintained correct adherence over time.
: A systematic review was conducted in the sources CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Dialnet, Lilacs (Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature), ProQuest (Proquest Health and Medical Complete), Medline, SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), and Scopus. The search equation with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) descriptors was "Nurs* AND (handwashing OR hand hygiene) AND clinical trial". The review was performed following the recommendations of the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement.
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= 17 clinical trials were included, with a total of 5747 nurses and nursing students. Strategies such as reminder sounds, practical simulations, videos, and audiovisual media improved handwashing compliance. Adherence overtime increased by up to 60%. The greatest effectiveness was related to the use of povidone-iodine, which reduced colony formation compared Hand hygiene teaching strategies among nursing staff: a systematic review to soap.
: The strategies that go beyond teaching techniques such as lectures may be more effective at increasing hand hygiene compliance. Combined approaches to learning/instruction improve user satisfaction by enabling self-management, flexibility, and repetition.
Abstract The concept of cognitive reserve (CR) suggests that the premorbid intelligence quotient (IQ), years of education and leisure activities provide more efficient cognitive networks and ...therefore allow a better management of some conditions associated to cognitive impairment. Fifty-two DSM-IV diagnosed FEP subjects were matched with 41 healthy controls by age, gender and parental socio-economic status. All subjects were assessed clinically, neuropsychologically and functionally at baseline and after a two-year follow-up. To assess CR at baseline, three proxies have been integrated: premorbid IQ, years of education-occupation and leisure activities. Higher CR was associated with better cognitive, functional and clinical outcomes at baseline. The CR proxy was able to predict working memory, attention, executive functioning, verbal memory and global composite cognitive score accounting for 48.9%, 19.1%, 16.9%, 10.8% and 14.9% respectively of the variance at two-year follow-up. CR was also significantly predictive of PANSS negative scale score (12.5%), FAST global score (13.4%) and GAF (13%) at two-year follow-up. In addition, CR behaved as a mediator of working memory ( B =4.123) and executive function ( B =3.298) at baseline and of working memory ( B =5.034) at 2-year follow-up. An additional analysis was performed, in order to test whether this mediation could be attributed mainly to the premorbid IQ. We obtained that this measure was not enough by itself to explain this mediation. CR may contribute to neuropsychological and functional outcome. Specific programs addressed to improve cognition and functioning conducted at the early stages of the illness may be helpful in order to prevent cognitive and functional decline.
Vanilla planifolia is a species of commercial importance. However, vanilla presents gene erosion problems due to its clonal reproduction. In the Huasteca of Hidalgo, there is no information on ...vanilla populations. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to identify the current populations and the potential distribution of, and the morphological variation in, the labellum of V. planifolia in the Huasteca of Hidalgo. Twenty-two accessions were located and selected. Based on 21 environmental variables, the niche modeling of the potential distribution was carried out with the MaxEnt program; with the Jackknife test being used to identify the variables that contributed to the model. Flowers from 22 accessions were collected and the labellum of each flower was dissected. Subsequently, 64 morphological variables were obtained and various multivariate analyses were performed. The results showed three regions, defined by the highest to the lowest probability that V. planifolia was distributed. The precipitation of the driest month, altitude, and vegetation cover delimited the distribution. Five different morphotypes were distinguished, and the main differences were associated with the middle part of the labellum as well as the entrance of pollinators to the flower; therefore, the characterization of the labellum showed an infraspecific variation in V. planifolia in populations of the Huasteca of Hidalgo.
Introduction to TES Physics Cabrera, B.
Journal of low temperature physics,
04/2008, Volume:
151, Issue:
1-2
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Superconducting Transition Edge sensors (TES) devices are now in use across a broad range of applications including dark matter searches, gamma ray and x-ray spectroscopy, UV-optical-IR spectroscopy, ...IR bolometry and CMB bolometers. We summarize the effects that must be taken into account in the design of TES devices. These include determining time constants, maintaining voltage bias, avoiding electrothermal oscillations, critical current limitations, saturation and preventing normal-superconducting phase separation. We summarize our understanding of excess noise seen in most TES devices.
Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2011; 33: 1036–1044
Summary
Background Non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common cause of liver disease in children. Hepatic fat accumulation and oxidative stress ...contribute to its pathogenesis. Cysteamine bitartrate readily traverses cellular membranes and is a potent antioxidant.
Aim To evaluate the safety and efficacy of enteric‐coated (EC) cysteamine in children with NAFLD.
Method Children, aged ≥10 y, meeting screening criteria with biopsy‐proven NAFLD and serum ALT ≥60 IU/L, received twice‐daily EC‐cysteamine for 24 weeks. Monthly ALT, AST, body mass index (BMI) and gastrointestinal symptom scores were measured. Subjects with >50% reduction or normalisation of ALT achieved the primary endpoint.
Results Of the 13 children enrolled (mean age 14.0 years), 11 completed EC‐cysteamine therapy (mean dose 15.2 mg/kg/day) and were included in the final analysis. For these 11 subjects, the mean ALT levels at baseline and 24 weeks were 120.2 and 55 IU/L respectively (P = 0.002), and the AST levels were 60 and 36 IU/L respectively (P = 0.007). The primary endpoint was reached in 7 and normalisation (≤40 IU/L) of ALT in 5. After 24 week therapy, mean adiponectin levels increased (P = 0.009) and CK‐18 fragment levels decreased (P = 0.013), insulin levels remained unchanged (P = 0.99). Mean leptin levels were decreased in responders (P = 0.044). Mean BMI was 34.5 at baseline and 34.2 kg/m2 after treatment (P = 0.35). Mean symptom scores at baseline (1.1) and at 24 weeks (0.7) were similar. No major adverse events were reported.
Conclusions Enteric‐coated cysteamine reduces ALT and AST levels in children with NAFLD without reduction in body mass index. Further studies will evaluate optimal cysteamine therapeutic dose and effect on liver histology in NAFLD (Clinicaltrials.gov protocol ID: 07‐1699).
The vast majority of states have enacted full or partial medical marijuana (MMJ) programs, causing the number of patients seeking certification for MMJ use to increase dramatically in recent years. ...Despite increased use of MMJ across the nation, no studies thus far have examined the specific impact of MMJ on cognitive function and related brain activation. In the present study, MMJ patients seeking treatment for a variety of documented medical conditions were assessed prior to initiating MMJ treatment and after 3 months of treatment as part of a larger longitudinal study. In order to examine the effect of MMJ treatment on task-related brain activation, MMJ patients completed the Multi-Source Interference Test (MSIT) while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also collected data regarding conventional medication use, clinical state, and health-related measures at each visit. Following 3 months of treatment, MMJ patients demonstrated improved task performance accompanied by changes in brain activation patterns within the cingulate cortex and frontal regions. Interestingly, after MMJ treatment, brain activation patterns appeared more similar to those exhibited by healthy controls from previous studies than at pre-treatment, suggestive of a potential normalization of brain function relative to baseline. These findings suggest that MMJ use may result in different effects relative to recreational marijuana (MJ) use, as recreational consumers have been shown to exhibit decrements in task performance accompanied by altered brain activation. Moreover, patients in the current study also reported improvements in clinical state and health-related measures as well as notable decreases in prescription medication use, particularly opioids and benzodiapezines after 3 months of treatment. Further research is needed to clarify the specific neurobiologic impact, clinical efficacy, and unique effects of MMJ for a range of indications and how it compares to recreational MJ use.
BackgroundMental health data from Latin America and the Caribbean countries (LACC) national and international surveys are essential for public health surveillance. This review aimed to identify and ...describe available mental health survey data in LACC, providing access details for researchers.MethodsOur study was a scoping review. The search for available mental health survey data was conducted in PubMed and through grey literature searches, and the search dates were between 26 August 2021 and 15 October 2021. Included survey data were/had (1) nationally representative, (2) the latest version available from 2012 onward, (3) collected in at least one LACC and (4) at least one mental health variable or related factor. We accepted all written languages, including Spanish and English.ResultsA total of 56 national and 13 international surveys were included, with data available on 95 mental health variables classified into 10 categories. Most national surveys were performed in upper-middle-income countries. Variables categorised as ‘Substance use’ and ‘Violence’ were the most frequent. Mexico and Colombia had the highest production in both the national and international surveys. The main target population was the adult population. However, there are several mental health topics and LACC yet unsurveyed.ConclusionWe identified a total of 69 representative surveys from LACCs since 2012. We categorised the available data on mental health variables into 10 categories, and provided technical details to facilitate the future selection and use of these surveys.
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