Estudi exploratori per a la reconstrucció de temperatures de l'aigua i de l'aire en la conca central del llac Baikal (Sibèria) en els últims 40000 anys

Aquest estudi consisteix en un anàlisi exploratori que té per objectiu principal la realització d’una reconstrucció de la temperatura de l’aigua i l’aire del llac Baikal durant els últims 40.000 anys. El treball s’ha dut a terme mitjançant l’ús de les proxys de reconstrucció de la temperatura y la utilització dels mètodes TEX86, MAAT, i la d’aportació de matèria orgànica d’origen terrestre, el BIT, aplicant-les a la mostra VER93-2 st GC-24, extreta pel Baikal Drilling Project a la conca central, amb l’objectiu de fer una aportació de dades paleoclimàtiques per tal d’aconseguir una millora en les interpretacions de futurs esdeveniments climàtics, i d’identificar esdeveniments climàtics sobtats, tals com els Heinrich events i els Youngers Dryas. Abans de la realització de l’anàlisi de les mostres s’ha dut a terme una extrapolació de l’edat en el testimoni, degut a que l’edat del core BDP VER93-2.st.GC-24 havia estat extrapolada fins a 277,5 cm de profunditat i en el present estudi s’ha ampliat l’anàlisi fins als 460 cm. de profunditat. Un cop obtinguts els resultats s’ha realitzat un càlcul de precisió i reproductibilitat per tal de conèixer una estimació quantitativa de la variabilitat de les dades obtingudes en les diferents proxys, en el qual ha estat demostrat una baixa variabilitat de les dades, exceptuant la variabilitat del TEX86 i la precisió del MAAT. Per a la localització dels diferents esdeveniments climàtics donats durant l’Holocè i el Plistocè s’han realitzat anàlisis gràfics dels propis resultats, juntament i en comparació dels resultats realitzats per Escala et al. (r.n.p [resultats no publicats]) en la conca sud, i de l’estudi publicat per Prokopenko et al., en el que s’analitza la presència de diatomees i matèria orgànica l’Atlàntic Nord. Els resultats integrats d’Escala et al.,(r.n.p) i els d’aquest estudi coincideixen en la datació dels diferents esdeveniments, amb alguna variació hipotèticament produïda per l’extrapolació d’edat realitzada en el present estudi i la gran aportació de matèria orgànica en el lloc d’extracció del testimoni per part del riu Selenga. Aquests resultats mostren una possible relació entre els esdeveniments climàtics i la variació de la temperatura de l’aigua.

Estudio de la alineación rotacional en la artroplastia total de rodilla mediante tomografía computarizada

L'alineació rotacional a l'astroplàstia total de genoll es refereix a la posició dels implants en el pla axial. Un mínim desplaçament afectarà la distribució de la càrrega y variarà l'estabilitat, l'alineació i la cinemàtica de l'articulació. Tot i que hi ha un consens pel que fa als efectes adversos d'una alineació rotacional incorrecta, encara no està clar quines són les referències anatòmiques que cal utilitzar. Les mesures de l'alineació rotacional requereixen un estudi d'alta qualitat. La TC és la modalitat d'imatge d'elecció per a l'estudi postoperatori de l'artroplàstia total de genoll. L'objectiu d'aquest treball es avaluar la capacitat diagnòstica de la TC per a l'estudi de l'alineació rotacional postoperatòria en l'artroplàstia total de genoll i presentar les variacions en el protocol de TC que minimitzen l'artefacte metàl•lic. Aquest estudi avalua la reproductibilitat de l'angle condili posterior, format per l'eix epicondili quirúrgic i la línia bicondilia posterior, mesurant la correlació entre dos observadors. El coeficient de correlació de Pearson mostra una forta correlació positiva (R=0.84) entre els dos observadors. La mitja d'error de les mesures adquirides és de -0.14º amb una desviació estàndar de 2.06º (-0.14 ± 2.06), per la qual cosa la modificació dels paràmetres tècnics de la TC per a la minimització dels artefactes metàl•lics és eficaç per l'avaluació rotacional. No obstant, l'alta magnitud de l'error indica que el radiòleg ha de ser prudent en el diagnòstic de mínimes variacions angulars que impliquin canvis en l'actitud mèdica i terapèutica.

Medida de la Velocidad de Onda de Pulso mediante Ecografía Doppler: Concordancia con el Método Complior

La rigidez arterial es un parámetro establecido dentro de la valoración del riesgo cardio-vascular. Actualmente disponemos de múltiples métodos para determinar la velocidad de onda de pulso (VOP) y entre ellos los más utilizados son los métodos mecánicos, como el Complior o el Sphigmocor, que precisan de dispositivos específicos y una inversión importante en aprendizaje y tiempo de exploración. La utilización del doppler guiado por ecografía 2D es una buena alternativa a estos métodos. Realizamos un estudio comparativo para evaluar la fiabilidad del eco-doppler en la medida de la VOP carótida-femoral respecto al método Complior. Se estudió la VOP carótida-femoral utilizando los dos sistemas en 40 pacientes, mostrando ambos métodos muy buena concordancia (R=0’91). En el análisis de reproducibilidad de la VOP por doppler no se hallaron diferencias intra e interobservador. En base a los resultados, el estudio demuestra que la ecografía doppler puede ser usada para medir la VOP aórtica de manera fiable y reproducible, similar otros métodos más establecidos.

Validation of the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse

Background: Partner violence against women is a major public health problem. Although there are currently a number of validated screening and diagnostic tools that can be used to evaluate this type of violence, such tools are not available in Spain. The aim of this study is to analyze the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA). Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 2005 in two health centers in Granada, Spain, in 390 women between 18 and 70 years old. Analyses of the factorial structure, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity were conducted. Cutoff points for each subscale were also defined. For the construct validity analysis, the SF-36 perceived general health dimension, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Goldberg 12-item General Health Questionnaire were included. Results: The psychometric analysis shows that the instrument has good internal consistency, reproducibility, and construct validity. Conclusions: The scale is useful for the analysis of partner violence against women in both a research setting and a healthcare setting

Psychometric characteristics of the Spanish version of instruments to measure neck pain disability

BACKGROUND. The NDI, COM and NPQ are evaluation instruments for disability due to NP. There was no Spanish version of NDI or COM for which psychometric characteristics were known. The objectives of this study were to translate and culturally adapt the Spanish version of the Neck Disability Index Questionnaire (NDI), and the Core Outcome Measure (COM), to validate its use in Spanish speaking patients with non-specific neck pain (NP), and to compare their psychometric characteristics with those of the Spanish version of the Northwick Pain Questionnaire (NPQ). METHODS. Translation/re-translation of the English versions of the NDI and the COM was done blindly and independently by a multidisciplinary team. The study was done in 9 primary care Centers and 12 specialty services from 9 regions in Spain, with 221 acute, subacute and chronic patients who visited their physician for NP: 54 in the pilot phase and 167 in the validation phase. Neck pain (VAS), referred pain (VAS), disability (NDI, COM and NPQ), catastrophizing (CSQ) and quality of life (SF-12) were measured on their first visit and 14 days later. Patients' self-assessment was used as the external criterion for pain and disability. In the pilot phase, patients' understanding of each item in the NDI and COM was assessed, and on day 1 test-retest reliability was estimated by giving a second NDI and COM in which the name of the questionnaires and the order of the items had been changed. RESULTS. Comprehensibility of NDI and COM were good. Minutes needed to fill out the questionnaires [median, (P25, P75)]: NDI. 4 (2.2, 10.0), COM: 2.1 (1.0, 4.9). Reliability: [ICC, (95%CI)]: NDI: 0.88 (0.80, 0.93). COM: 0.85 (0.75,0.91). Sensitivity to change: Effect size for patients having worsened, not changed and improved between days 1 and 15, according to the external criterion for disability: NDI: -0.24, 0.15, 0.66; NPQ: -0.14, 0.06, 0.67; COM: 0.05, 0.19, 0.92. Validity: Results of NDI, NPQ and COM were consistent with the external criterion for disability, whereas only those from NDI were consistent with the one for pain. Correlations with VAS, CSQ and SF-12 were similar for NDI and NPQ (absolute values between 0.36 and 0.50 on day 1, between 0.38 and 0.70 on day 15), and slightly lower for COM (between 0.36 and 0.48 on day 1, and between 0.33 and 0.61 on day 15). Correlation between NDI and NPQ: r = 0.84 on day 1, r = 0.91 on day 15. Correlation between COM and NPQ: r = 0.63 on day 1, r = 0.71 on day 15. CONCLUSION. Although most psychometric characteristics of NDI, NPQ and COM are similar, those from the latter one are worse and its use may lead to patients' evolution seeming more positive than it actually is. NDI seems to be the best instrument for measuring NP-related disability, since its results are the most consistent with patient's assessment of their own clinical status and evolution. It takes two more minutes to answer the NDI than to answer the COM, but it can be reliably filled out by the patient without assistance. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trials Register NCT00349544.

Diagnostic accuracy of the Eurotest for dementia: a naturalistic, multicenter phase II study

BACKGROUND Available screening tests for dementia are of limited usefulness because they are influenced by the patient's culture and educational level. The Eurotest, an instrument based on the knowledge and handling of money, was designed to overcome these limitations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Eurotest in identifying dementia in customary clinical practice. METHODS A cross-sectional, multi-center, naturalistic phase II study was conducted. The Eurotest was administered to consecutive patients, older than 60 years, in general neurology clinics. The patients' condition was classified as dementia or no dementia according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. We calculated sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp) and area under the ROC curves (aROC) with 95% confidence intervals. The influence of social and educational factors on scores was evaluated with multiple linear regression analysis, and the influence of these factors on diagnostic accuracy was evaluated with logistic regression. RESULTS Sixteen neurologists recruited a total of 516 participants: 101 with dementia, 380 without dementia, and 35 who were excluded. Of the 481 participants who took the Eurotest, 38.7% were totally or functionally illiterate and 45.5% had received no formal education. Mean time needed to administer the test was 8.2+/-2.0 minutes. The best cut-off point was 20/21, with Sn = 0.91 (0.84-0.96), Sp = 0.82 (0.77-0.85), and aROC = 0.93 (0.91-0.95). Neither the scores on the Eurotest nor its diagnostic accuracy were influenced by social or educational factors. CONCLUSION This naturalistic and pragmatic study shows that the Eurotest is a rapid, simple and useful screening instrument, which is free from educational influences, and has appropriate internal and external validity.

Validation of a new tool to assess health-related quality of life in psoriasis: the PSO-LIFE questionnaire.

BACKGROUND Several questionnaires have been used to measure health related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with psoriasis, few have been adapted for use in Spain; none of them was developed specifically for the Spanish population. The purpose of the study was to validate and assess the sensitivity to change of a new questionnaire to measure HRQOL in patients with psoriasis (PSO-LIFE). METHODS Observational, prospective, multicenter study performed in centers around Spain. Patients with active or inactive psoriasis completed the PSO-LIFE together with other Dermatology Quality of Life Index (DLQI) and Psoriasis Disability Index (PDI). A control group of patients with urticaria or atopic dermatitis was also included. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the PSO-LIFE were assessed by calculating Cronbach's alpha and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). Validity was assessed by examining factorial structure, the capacity to discriminate between groups, and correlations with other measures. Sensitivity to change was measured using effect sizes. RESULTS The final sample included for analysis consisted of 304 patients and 56 controls. Mean (SD) age of psoriasis patients was 45.3 (14.5) years compared to 38.8 (14) years for controls (p < 0.01). Cronbach's alpha for the PSO-LIFE was 0.95 and test-retest reliability using the ICC was 0.98. Factor analysis showed the questionnaire to be unidimensional. Mean (SD) PSO-LIFE scores differed between patients with psoriasis and controls (64.9 [22.5] vs 69.4 [17.3]; p < 0.05), between those with active and inactive disease (57.4 [20.4] vs 76.4 [20.6]; p < 0.01), and between those with visible and non-visible lesions (63.0 [21.9] vs. 74.8 [23.9]; p < 0.01). The correlation between PSO-LIFE and PASI scores was moderate (r = -0.43) while correlations with DLQI and PDI dimensions ranged from moderate to high (between 0.4 and 0.8). Effect size on the PSO-LIFE in patients reporting 'much improved' health status at study completion was 1.01 (large effect size). CONCLUSIONS The present results provide substantial support for the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the PSO-LIFE questionnaire in the population for which it was designed.

Transcultural adaptation and validation of the "Hip and Knee" questionnaire into Spanish.

BACKGROUND The purpose of the present study is to translate and validate the "Hip and Knee Outcomes Questionnaire", developed in English, into Spanish. The 'Hip and Knee Outcomes Questionnaire is a questionnaire planned to evaluate the impact in quality of life of any problem related to the human musculoskeletal system. 10 scientific associations developed it. METHODS The questionnaire underwent a validated translation/retro-translation process. Patients undergoing primary knee arthroplasty, before and six months postoperative, tested the final version in Spanish. Psychometric properties of feasibility, reliability, validity and sensitivity to change were assessed. Convergent validity with SF-36 and WOMAC questionnaires was evaluated. RESULTS 316 patients were included. Feasibility: a high number of missing items in questions 3, 4 and 5 were observed. The number of patients with a missing item was 171 (51.35%) in the preoperative visit and 139 (44.0%) at the postoperative. Internal validity: revision of coefficients in the item-rest correlation recommended removing question 6 during the preoperative visit (coefficient <0.20). Convergent validity: coefficients of correlation with WOMAC and SF-36 scales confirm the questionnaire's validity. Sensitivity to change: statistically significant differences were found between the mean scores of the first visit compared to the postoperative. CONCLUSION The proposed translation to Spanish of the 'Hip and Knee Questionnaire' is found to be reliable, valid and sensible to changes produced at the clinical practice of patients undergoing primary knee arthroplasty. However, some changes at the completion instructions are recommended. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level I. Prognostic study.

Lactococcus garvieae endocarditis in a native valve identified by MALDI-TOF MS and PCR-based 16s rRNA in Spain: A case report.

Lactococcus garvieae is a Gram-positive, catalase negative coccus arranged in pairs or short chains, well-known as a fish pathogen. We report a case of Infective Endocarditis (IE) by L. garvieae in a native valve from a 68-year-old male with unknown history of contact with raw fish and an extensive history of heart disease. This case highlights the reliability of MALDI-TOF MS compared to conventional methods in the identification of rare microorganisms like this.

Retest reliability of individual p3 topography assessed by high density electroencephalography.

BACKGROUND Some controversy remains about the potential applicability of cognitive potentials for evaluating the cerebral activity associated with cognitive capacity. A fundamental requirement is that these neurophysiological parameters show a high level of stability over time. Previous studies have shown that the reliability of diverse parameters of the P3 component (latency and amplitude) ranges between moderate and high. However, few studies have paid attention to the retest reliability of the P3 topography in groups or individuals. Considering that changes in P3 topography have been related to different pathologies and healthy aging, the main objective of this article was to evaluate in a longitudinal study (two sessions) the reliability of P3 topography in a group and at the individual level. RESULTS The correlation between sessions for P3 topography in the grand average of groups was high (r = 0.977, p<0.001). The within-subject correlation values ranged from 0.626 to 0.981 (mean: 0.888). In the between-subjects topography comparisons, the correlation was always lower for comparisons between different subjects than for within-subjects correlations in the first session but not in the second session. CONCLUSIONS The present study shows that P3 topography is highly reliable for group analysis (comprising the same subjects) in different sessions. The results also confirmed that retest reliability for individual P3 maps is suitable for follow-up studies for a particular subject. Moreover, P3 topography appears to be a specific marker considering that the between-subjects correlations were lower than the within-subject correlations. However, P3 topography appears more similar between subjects in the second session, demonstrating that is modulated by experience. Possible clinical applications of all these results are discussed.

Rapid diagnosis of human brucellosis by peripheral-blood PCR assay.

A single-step PCR assay with genus-specific primers for the amplification of a 223-bp region of the sequence encoding a 31-kDa immunogenetic Brucella abortus protein (BCSP31) was used for the rapid diagnosis of human brucellosis. We examined peripheral blood from 47 patients, with a total of 50 cases of brucellosis, and a group of 60 control subjects, composed of patients with febrile syndromes of several etiologies other than brucellosis, asymptomatic subjects seropositive for Brucella antibodies, and healthy subjects. Diagnosis of brucellosis was established in 35 cases (70%) by isolation of Brucella in blood culture and in the other 15 cases (30%) by clinical and serological means. The sensitivity of our PCR assay was 100%, since it correctly identified all 50 cases of brucellosis, regardless of the duration of the disease, the positivity of the blood culture, or the presence of focal forms. The specificity of the test was 98.3%, and the only false-positive result was for a patient who had had brucellosis 2 months before and possibly had a self-limited relapse. In those patients who relapsed, the results of our PCR assay were positive for both the initial infection and the relapse, becoming negative once the relapse treatment was completed and remaining negative in the follow-up tests at 2, 4, and 6 months. In conclusion, these results suggest that the PCR assay is rapid and easy to perform and highly sensitive and specific, and it may therefore be considered a useful tool for diagnosis of human brucellosis.

Cómo cuantificar los aspectos cualitativos en escalas de clasificación de resultados NOC para etiquetas psico-socioculturales

El hecho de trabajar necesariamente con escalas Likert en la medición de resultados NOC tiene la ventaja de la unificación, pero acarrea también la dificultad de cómo reducirlo a un número del 1 al 5, especialmente cuando una investigación es cualitativa y que por tanto trabaja con palabras y expresiones, con observaciones y percepciones. ¿Qué quiere exactamente decir un 2 o un 3 en el NOC Creencias sobre la salud? En el artículo se muestran las diferentes propuestas para la operacionalización de conceptos y su transformación en números, pero se advierte que en ellas siempre se termina con un análisis cuantitativo. Se hace una propuesta de utilización de observaciones cualitativas emic/etic para las etiquetas psicosociales y culturales siguiendo los postulados de la etnografía. La investigación en lenguajes enfermeros, básica y aplicada, debe tener cimientos metodológicos correctos y atender los mismos criterios de idoneidad metodológica que cualquier otra investigación.

Validación y cuantificación de sulfuros de hidrógeno (H2S) en agua intersticial de sedimentos marinos recientes

Para la validación del método analítico de cuantificación de sulfuros en aguas intersticiales se analizaron varios parámetros: la especificidad, determinándose que el único compuesto formado es el azul de metileno con absorbancia máxima a 670 nm; la linealidad en intervalo de 3 a 36 μM (y= 0,0319 x +0,0142) con coeficiente de regresión 0,9983; la repetitividad obteniéndose promedio de 0,1043% y CV de 5,0811. La reproducibilidad se analizó con la prueba t de Student, determinándose que t calculado

Informatización del trabajo en el laboratorio de Ciencias Naturales.

Se presenta memoria final de proyecto educativo que pretende mejorar la realización de prácticas en el laboratorio de Ciencias a través de sistemas informáticos que controlen todo el proceso, desde el inicio hasta el tratamiento de los datos obtenidos y la elaboración de informes, con el continuo seguimiento por parte del profesorado implicado. Se realiza en el IES Río de los Granados en Guarromán, Jaén. Los objetivos son: incorporación de la informática al laboratorio de ciencias naturales; realización de experiencias utilizando soporte informático; comparación entre el trabajo realizado de forma clásica y el que emplea el ordenador como medio de desarrollo; automatización de prácticas en ciencias aumentando la rapidez, la reproducibilidad y la toma de datos; introducción de sistemas de calidad que mejoren el trabajo diario en el laboratorio, lo que conlleva una significativa mejora en la formación científica básica del alumnado a quien va dirigido. El proceso consta de varias fases: elección de prácticas adecuadas; realización de las prácticas, análisis y conclusiones; recepción y puesta a punto del material necesario para el desarrollo de las clases; realización de las prácticas con el nuevo material y obtención de resultados; comparación entre los dos sistemas de trabajo; ampliación y desarrollo de nuevas prácticas; análisis de los resultados; conclusiones. Los resultados han sido: el alumnado ha adquirido un nivel de conocimientos científicos sensiblemente superior a otras promociones, su motivación por la ciencia es estimable y son capaces de desenvolverse con soltura y eficacia en un laboratorio; el profesorado ha dispuesto de un material versátil en la realización de las prácticas, eficaz en su desarrollo y le ha capacitado para que analice con el alumnado los resultados evitando la pérdida de tiempo en el tratamiento matemático de los datos.

Validación de la escala de calidad de vida MELASQoL, en un grupo de pacientes colombianas con melasma

El objetivo del estudio consistió en validar la escala de calidad de vida MELASQOL al idioma español en un grupo de mujeres colombianas con melasma. La muestra de estudio correspondió a 80 pacientes, las cuales asistieron a consulta de medicina estética de la IPS Quinta de Mutis de la Universidad del Rosario, por presentar melasma, se les pidió su participación y datos de ubicación telefónica para aplicarles la escala traducida al idioma español (MELASQOL-t) mediante la guía QoLMs (guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of health-related), para validación de escalas propuesta por la OMS, en un segundo contacto vía telefónica. Una vez obtenida la respuesta telefónica a la escala de todas las pacientes, se procesaron los datos para validación mediante análisis estadístico; bajo los parámetros de congruencia interna, validez de criterio y reproducibilidad. Solo con una pequeña parte (n=10) de la muestra se efectuó un tercer contacto telefónico con fines estadísticos. El promedio de edad del grupo estudiado correspondió a 40±12 años, el estrato socioeconómico de mayor frecuencia fue el tres (3), con mayor distribución en el nivel educativo de estudios universitarios completos, se obtuvieron para los criterios de validación los siguientes datos: congruencia interna con a-cronbach=0.88, validez con rs=0.70-p<0.001 y reproducibilidad con coeficiente de correlación intraclase =0.959 (IC 95%: 0.986, p<0.001). La conclusión principal fue que la escala MELASQOL traducida al idioma español se validó bajo criterios adecuados, obteniendo buenos índices para medir calidad de vida en el grupo de mujeres colombianas con melasma estudiadas.