A compact, highly sensitive optical fiber displacement and curvature radius sensor is presented. The device consists of an adiabatic bi-conical fused fiber taper spliced to a single-mode fiber (SMF) ...segment with a flat face end. The bi-conical taper structure acts as a modal coupling device between core and cladding modes for the SMF segment. When the bi-conical taper is bent by an axial displacement, the symmetrical bi-conical shape of the tapered structure is stressed, causing a change in the refractive index profile which becomes asymmetric. As a result, the taper adiabaticity is lost, and interference between modes appears. As the bending increases, a small change in the fringe visibility and a wavelength shift on the periodical reflection spectrum of the in-fiber interferometer is produced. The displacement sensitivity and the spectral periodicity of the device can be adjusted by the proper selection of the SMF length. Sensitivities from around 1.93 to 3.4 nm/mm were obtained for SMF length between 7.5 and 12.5 cm. Both sensor interrogations, wavelength shift and visibility contrast, can be used to measure displacement and curvature radius magnitudes.
Objetivo: Revisar las herramientas utilizadas en las investigaciones de e-salud en cuidados paliativos durante los últimos cinco años Método: se realizó una revisión bibliográfica en las bases de ...datos PubMed, Scopus y Bireme sobre el tema de cuidados paliativos, e-salud y costos en los últimos cinco años. Resultados: El uso de las tecnologías de la información es favorable para usuarios que reciben cuidados paliativos, ya que facilita su seguimiento y el manejo de sus síntomas, además de mejorar la comunicación entre profesionales y pacientes, disminuyendo en algunos casos los desplazamientos geográficos y reduciendo los costos asociados a la atención de estos pacientes. Conclusión: la e-salud implementada a través de diferentes herramientas de intervención ha demostrado ser valiosa para los pacientes con enfermedad avanzada en cuidados paliativos, ofreciendo potenciales beneficios educativos y de optimización de recursos y tiempo para pacientes, cuidadores, que les permite mejorar su contacto con profesionales de la salud.
Opioids in oral fluid of Spanish drivers Herrera-Gómez, Francisco; García-Mingo, Mercedes; Colás, Mónica ...
Drug and alcohol dependence,
06/2018, Letnik:
187
Journal Article
Recenzirano
•Drivers who tested positive to opioids were consuming heroin and other drugs.•Opioids in drivers were confirmed at relevant concentrations.•In a minority of positive cases to opioids no other ...substance was detected.
Driving under the influence of certain drugs is not allowed, and roadside drug testing is being considered an important tool for deterring driving under the influence of them. This study aimed to assess the presence and concentration of opioids, as well as their combined use with other drugs (laboratory confirmation after the on-road screening) in Spanish drivers between 2011 and 2016.
In Spain, mandatory roadside breath alcohol and oral fluid drug testing (screening) are carried out by the Traffic Police using Dräger Alcotest® 6810 device, and Dräger DrugTest® 5000, DrugWipe®, or Alere™ DDS®2 Mobile Test System. For positive cases in the period covered, 65,244, confirmation analysis and quantification using chromatographic techniques were performed.
Opioids were confirmed in 8.6% of positive cases, being 7.2% positives to 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM), 6.5% to morphine, 5.4% to codeine, and 4.1% to methadone. The majority of the confirmed tests for morphine (96.5%), codeine (88.4%) and methadone (81.9) were also positive for 6-AM. The presence of other drugs, particularly cocaine and cannabis, was very common. Concentration values reached important levels. Positive results for morphine (0.1%), codeine (0.6%) or methadone (0.4%) alone were very infrequent.
Drivers with a confirmed positive roadside test for morphine, codeine, and methadone had also consumed heroin and/or other illicit drugs, such as cocaine and/or THC, and at relevant concentrations. Improving interventions to combat the problem of driving under the influence of driving-impairing substances is a priority.
The frequency of mild forms of hepatitis A, especially in children, could lead to underreporting. The objective of the study was to investigate the sensitivity of two surveillance systems, mandatory ...Statutory Disease Reports and the Microbiological Reporting System of Catalonia, using capture-recapture techniques.
The study was conducted in Catalonia between 2011 and 2015. Hepatitis A cases reported to two independent surveillance systems were included: Statutory Disease Reports (SDR) and Microbiological Reporting System of Catalonia (MRS). The variables collected were: age, sex, year of declaration, size of municipality (< 10,000 and ≥ 10,000), country of birth (Spain or abroad), reporting centre (primary care/hospital) and notification method (electronic or paper). The capture-recapture analysis and the estimate of 95% confidence intervals were made using the Chapman formula for comparison of two sources, both for the estimate of the total number of cases and the stratification according to variables. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to obtain an adjusted estimate.
The SDR had a greater overall sensitivity than the MRS (48.8%; 43.5-55.6 vs. 19.3%; 17.2-21.9). In cases aged < 15 years the sensitivity of both systems was higher (76.6%; 72.7-81 vs. 25.2%; 20.9-29.5) than in cases aged > 15 years (25.5%; 22.8-28.3 vs. 12.1%; 10-14.2). For those born in Spain, the sensitivity was 57.2% (49.6-67.4) in the SDR and 27.1% (23.5-31.9) in the MRS, lower than that for foreign-born patients (58%; 51.2-66.8 vs. 49.1%; 43.4-56.6). In electronically-reported cases, the sensitivity was much higher in the SDR than in the MRS (47.2%; 42.3-52.1 vs. 9.4%; 6.5-12.3). No differences were observed according to sex, size of municipality, and year of declaration or reporting centre. The estimated total number of cases using the Chapman formula was very similar to the adjusted estimate (1121; 985-1258 vs. 1120; 876-1525), indicating the robustness of the results.
The sensitivity of the SDR was greater than that of MRS, especially in patients aged < 15 years, although for patients born abroad the difference in sensitivity was lower. Reinforced surveillance combining the SDR and MRS improves the efficiency in the detection of cases.
•Coexisting immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) were identified in 1 out of 6 patients with sarcoidosis.•The frequency of immune-mediated disease (IMDs) in our patients with sarcoidosis was 1.64-fold ...higher than that reported in general population.•Women with sarcoidosis have a two-fold higher frequency of concomitant IMDs.•We identify 5 key IMDs strongly associated with sarcoidosis (primary immunodeficiencies, systemic autoimmune diseases, inflammatory arthritis, autoimmune liver diseases and autoimmune cytopenias).•Search for coexisting IMDs in patients with sarcoidosis presenting with features considered out of the clinical extrathoracic scenario typical of sarcoidosis.•There was a wide variety of both systemic and organ-specific diseases coexisting with sarcoidosis.
To analyze whether immune-mediated diseases (IMDs) occurs in sarcoidosis more commonly than expected in the general population, and how concomitant IMDs influence the clinical presentation of the disease.
We searched for coexisting IMDs in patients included in the SARCOGEAS-cohort, a multicenter nationwide database of consecutive patients diagnosed according to the ATS/ESC/WASOG criteria. Comparisons were made considering the presence or absence of IMD clustering, and odds ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated as the ratio of observed cases of every IMD in the sarcoidosis cohort to the observed cases in the general population.
Among 1737 patients with sarcoidosis, 283 (16%) patients presented at least one associated IMD. These patients were more commonly female (OR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.49–2.62) and were diagnosed with sarcoidosis at an older age (49.6 vs. 47.5years, P<0.05). The frequency of IMDs in patients with sarcoidosis was nearly 2-fold higher than the frequency observed in the general population (OR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.44–1.86). Significant associations were identified in 17 individual IMDs. In comparison with the general population, the IMDs with the strongest strength of association with sarcoidosis (OR>5) were common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) (OR: 431.8), familial Mediterranean fever (OR 33.9), primary biliary cholangitis (OR: 16.57), haemolytic anemia (OR: 12.17), autoimmune hepatitis (OR: 9.01), antiphospholipid syndrome (OR: 8.70), immune thrombocytopenia (OR: 8.43), Sjögren syndrome (OR: 6.98), systemic sclerosis (OR: 5.71), ankylosing spondylitis (OR: 5.49), IgA deficiency (OR: 5.07) and psoriatic arthritis (OR: 5.06). Sex-adjusted ORs were considerably higher than crude ORs for eosinophilic digestive disease in women, and for immune thrombocytopenia, systemic sclerosis and autoimmune hepatitis in men.
We found coexisting IMDs in 1 out of 6 patients with sarcoidosis. The strongest associations were found for immunodeficiencies and some systemic, rheumatic, hepatic and hematological autoimmune diseases.
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