Changes in prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in secondhand smoke exposure in Spanish children, 2016-2019.

INTRODUCTION: Children are vulnerable to secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, especially those with lower socioeconomic status. This study assesses the changes in prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure in children younger than 12 years old in Spain between 2016 and 2019. METHODS: We conducted two cross-sectional studies among representative samples of households with children aged <12 years in Spain, in 2016 (n=2411) and 2019 (n=2412). Families were interviewed to assess children's SHS exposure in private settings and outdoor public venues and their adoption of home and car smoke-free rules. We used the education level of the home main earner as a proxy for socioeconomic position. Changes over time in the prevalence and socioeconomic inequalities of SHS exposure and smoke-free rules were estimated through adjusted Poisson regression models with robust variance according to sociodemographic covariates (adjusted prevalence ratios, APRs). RESULTS: In 2019, 70.5% of children were exposed to SHS in Spain. No changes between 2016 and 2019 were found for overall SHS exposure, exposure at home, and at school entrances. SHS exposure increased at public transport stations (APR=1.24; 95% CI: 1.03-1.49) and outdoor hospitality venues (APR=1.17; 95% CI: 1.07-1.29) while it decreased in cars (APR=0.74; 95% CI: 0.56-0.98) and parks (APR=0.87; 95% CI: 0.77-0.98). Households with lower education level had higher prevalence of SHS exposure at home in 2019 compared with those with university studies (primary: APR=1.30; 95% CI: 1.11-1.51; secondary: APR=1.12; 95% CI: 1.00-1.25) and were less likely to adopt home indoor smoke-free rules (primary: APR=0.88; 95% CI: 0.79-0.99; secondary: APR=0.95; 95% CI: 0.89-1.02). Socioeconomic inequalities in SHS exposure at home persisted between 2016 and 2019 (p>0.05), while decreased in smoke-free rules in cars (p=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Reported SHS exposure among children in Spain remained high between 2016 and 2019. Inequalities persisted at home, highlighting the need for measures to reduce such exposure with an equity perspective.

Adapting Schools to Climate Change with Green, Blue, and Grey Measures in Barcelona: Study Protocol of a Mixed-Method Evaluation.

Under the framework of the Urban Innovative Actions program of the European Commission, in 2020, 11 primary schools in Barcelona were transformed into climate shelters by implementing green, blue, and grey measures. Schoolyards were also opened to the local community to be used during non-school periods. Here we present the study protocol of a mixed-method approach to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions in terms of improving environmental quality and health for users. We evaluated school level through the following: (1) quantitative pre-post quasi-experimental study, and (2) qualitative evaluation. The quantitative study included measures of (a) environmental variables (collected via low-cost and non-low-cost sensors), (b) students' health and well-being (collected via health questionnaires, attention levels test, and systematic observations), and (c) teachers' health and well-being (collected via thermal comfort measurements and health questionnaires). The qualitative methods evaluated the perceptions about the effects of the interventions among students (using Photovoice) and teachers (through focus groups). The impact of the interventions was assessed at community level during summer non-school periods through a spontaneous ethnographic approach. Data collection started in August 2019 and ended in July 2022. The evaluation provides the opportunity to identify those solutions that worked and those that need to be improved for future experiences, as well as improve the evaluation methodology and replication for these kinds of interventions.

Antidepressant Drugs and COVID-19: A Review of Basic and Clinical Evidence.

The COVID-19 pandemic has encouraged the repurposing of existing drugs as a shorter development strategy in order to support clinicians with this difficult therapeutic dilemma. There is evidence to support the theory that some antidepressants can reduce concentrations of different cytokines in humans and animals and, recently, the antiviral activity of some antidepressants against SARS-CoV-2 has been reported. The aims of this narrative review are to evaluate the possible role of antidepressants in the treatment of COVID-19 infection and the possible benefits and risks of patients taking antidepressants for mental disorders and COVID-19 infection. A review was performed to analyse the current literature to identify the role of antidepressant medication in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. The electronic search was completed in MEDLINE and MedRxiv/BioRxiv for published literature and in ClinicalTrials.gov for ongoing clinical trials. The results show some evidence from preclinical data and observational studies about the possible efficacy of some specific antidepressants for treating COVID-19 infection. In addition, two published phase II studies testing fluvoxamine showed positive results for clinical deterioration and hospitalization rate versus a placebo. Seven ongoing clinical trials testing fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, and tramadol (as per its anti-inflammatory and antidepressant effect) are still in the early phases. Although the available evidence is limited, the sum of the antiviral and anti-inflammatory preclinical studies and the results from several observational studies and two phase II clinical trials provide the basis for ongoing clinical trials evaluating the possible use of antidepressants for COVID-19 infection in humans. Further investigations will be needed to support the possible use of antidepressants for this application.

Effect of music on labor and delivery in nulliparous singleton pregnancies: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Women's experience of pain during labor varies greatly, and pain control is a major concern for obstetricians. Several methods have been studied for pain management for women in labor, including drug and non-drug interventions. OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that in nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies at term, listening to music would reduce the pain level during labor. METHODS: Parallel group non-blinded randomized clinical trial conducted at a single center in Italy. Nulliparous women in spontaneous labor with singleton pregnancies and vertex presentation admitted in labor and delivery room between 37 0/7 and 42 0/7 weeks of gestation for active phase of labor were eligible, and were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive music during labor or no music during labor. Music in labor was defined listening to music from the randomization until the delivery of the baby. The primary endpoint was the pain level during the active phase of labor, recorded using the visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (unbearable pain). The effect of music use during labor on each outcome was quantified as the mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: During the study period, 30 women agree to take part in the study, underwent randomization, and were enrolled and followed up. 15 women were randomized in the music group, and 15 in the control group. No patients were lost to follow up for the primary outcome. Pain level during the active phase of labor was scored 8.8 ± 0.9 in the music group, and 9.8 ± 0.3 in the control group (MD - 1.00 point, 95% CI - 1.48 to - 0.52; P < 0.01). Music during labor and delivery was also associated with a decreased pain at 1 h postpartum (MD - 2.40 points, 95% CI - 4.30 to - 0.50), and decreased anxiety level during active phase of labor (MD - 19.90 points, 95% CI - 38.72 to - 1.08), second stage of labor (MD - 49.40 points, 95% CI - 69.44 to - 29.36), and at 1 h postpartum (MD - 27.00 points, 95% CI - 47.37 to - 6.63). CONCLUSION: In nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies at term, listening to music reduces the pain level, and the anxiety level during labor. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03779386.

[Efficacy and tolerability of cinitapride in the treatment of functional dyspepsia and delayed gastric emptying]. / Eficacia y tolerabilidad de cinitaprida en el tratamiento de los pacientes con dispepsia funcional y vaciamiento gástrico enlentecido.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Functional dyspepsia is a highly common disorder. The physiopathological mechanisms of this entity are not yet completely known and prokinetic drugs seem to be useful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prokinetic effect of cinitapride in patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia and delayed gastric emptying. METHODS: Nineteen patients were randomized to receive 1mg of an oral solution of cinitapride t.i.d or placebo for 4 weeks in two consecutive periods, following a crossover and double-blind design. The main variable was the mean change from baseline after 4 weeks of treatment in gastric-emptying half-time after a liquid test meal, measured by real-time ultrasonography. RESULTS: At the end of treatment, the mean gastric-emptying half-time decreased with both treatments, with no statistically significant differences between them (ANOVA, p=0.8720). This decrease was greater for cinitapride than for placebo (ANOVA, p=0.0169) in patients with mild-to-moderate delayed gastric emptying. In this group of patients, cinitapride was also superior to placebo in the percentage AUC of the antral area and the percentage of days free of nausea. Cinitapride was well tolerated, with a safety profile comparable to that of placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Oral cinitapride is safe and effective in improving gastric emptying and symptoms in patients with dysmotility-like dyspepsia and mild-to-moderate delayed gastric emptying.

[Evaluation of preferences in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and dysphagia concerning treatment with lansoprazole orally disintegrating tablets]. / Evaluación de la preferencia de los pacientes con enfermedad por reflujo gastroesofágico y disfagia por el tratamiento con comprimidos bucodispersables de lansoprazol.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Recently, a new lansoprazole formulation consisting of orally disintegrating tablets has become available, which could improve acceptability and compliance with this type of medication. The aim of the present study was to evaluate preferences in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease concerning lansoprazole orally disintegrating tablets compared with lansoprazole capsules. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A phase IV, multicenter, crossed, open and randomized clinical trial was performed in patients with symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease and associated dysphagia. The patients were treated with 30mg lansoprazole capsules for 3 days and with 30mg lansoprazole orally disintegrating tablets for another 3 days. The order of treatment (first capsules followed by orally disintegrating tablets or vice versa) was determined by centralized block randomization. The main measure was the visual analog scale (VAS) score in which patients was asked to rate their degree of preference for the orally disintegrating tablets or the capsules. RESULTS: Of the 145 patients included, 126 could be evaluated by the protocol. A total of 47% (59/126) of the patients preferred the orally disintegrating tablets, 33% (42/126) preferred the capsules and the remainder (25/126) had no preference. The mean preference value in the VAS was 5.31 (4.72 +/- 5.90) in favor of the orally disintegrating tablets, although this difference was not statistically significant. In general, differences in favor of the orally disintegrating tables were more marked in older patients. The percentage of patients free of pyrosis at the end of both treatment sequences was approximately 75% with no differences according to which treatment was administered first. Finally, preference evaluation through willingness to pay techniques showed similar results, again in favor of the orally disintegrating tablets (4.18 euro +/- 6.86 euro vs 3.47 euro +/- 5.78 euro). CONCLUSION: The acceptability of pharmaceutical formulations of lansoprazole in capsules and orally disintegrating tables is similar among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and associated dysphagia. However, a clear, but nonsignificant, trend was observed in favor of orally disintegrating tablets among older patients.

Determination of MDMA and its metabolites in blood and urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and analysis of enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis.

A gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method was used for the simultaneous quantitation of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and the 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxymethamphetamine (HMMA), and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyamphetamine (HMA) metabolites in plasma and urine samples after the administration of 100 mg MDMA to healthy volunteers. Samples were hydrolyzed prior to a solid-phase extraction with Bond Elut Certify columns. Analytes were eluted with ethyl acetate (2% ammonium hydroxide) and analyzed as their trifluoroacyl derivatives. Linear calibration curves were obtained at plasma and urine concentration ranges of 25-400 ng/mL and 250-2000 ng/mL for MDMA and HMMA, and of 2.5-40 ng/mL and 100-1000 ng/mL for MDA and HMA. Following the same urine preparation procedure but without the derivatization step, a capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for enantiomerical resolution of compounds was developed using (2-hydroxy)propyl-beta-cyclodextrin at two different concentrations (10 and 50mM in 50mM H3PO4, pH 2.5) as chiral selector. Calibration curves for the CE method were prepared with the corresponding racemic mixture and were linear between 125 and 2000 ng/mL, 50 and 1000 ng/mL, and 125 and 1500 ng/mL for each enantiomer of MDMA, MDA, and HMMA, respectively. Stereoselective disposition of MDMA and MDA was confirmed. HMMA disposition seems to be in apparent contradiction with MDMA findings as the enantiomer ratio is close to 1 and constant over the time.