Psychological impact on care professionals due to the SARS-Cov-2 virus in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the psychological impact of the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic on nurses in Spain in three different dimensions: exposure to stressors, perceived emotions, and stress coping. BACKGROUND: On March 11, 2019, the World Health Organization recognized a global pandemic caused by a SARS-Cov-2 virus, COVID-19, which rapidly spread across the planet, involving a community health emergency of international scope. INTRODUCTION: The pandemic situation in health centers has led to significant changes in the work environment, compromising care professionals' physical and psychological health and resulting in strong physical and mental exhaustion. METHODS: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out, between February and April 2021, in a large sample of 1360 participants. The researchers conducted the dissemination of a validated questionnaire to working nurses in Spain. RESULTS: The sex variable in relation to the study dimensions (stressors, perceived emotions, and coping strategies) showed a mean for stressors of 62.2 ± 10.5 in women and 59.8 ± 12.5 in men (p = 0.010), showing statistically significant differences. Age was a protective factor for all dimensions (p < 0.001). Time of experience showed statistically significant differences for stressors and coping strategies in professionals with more than 15 years of experience. DISCUSSION: Female nurses who are younger, have less work experience, have not built a family of their own, and live in smaller or indoor flats may be more vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health. Other national and international studies, in this line, have shown an important psychological impact on these professionals. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to design and adopt effective strategies and measures for the protection of nurses' mental health, as well as for the prevention and early diagnosis of possible mental health problems.

Influence of Gamification and Cooperative Work in Peer, Mixed and Interdisciplinary Teams on Emotional Intelligence, Learning Strategies and Life Goals That Motivate University Students to Study.

It is necessary to motivate university students to reduce the dropout rate in Spain, and to look for strategies that help university students acquire professional competencies; this is where gamification can be useful. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the influence of a learning methodology based on gamification and cooperative work in peers, and in mixed and interdisciplinary teams on the emotional intelligence, learning strategies, and life goals that motivate university students to learn. The sample consisted of 102 students who took a subject with a gamification-based methodology, through the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics model, in a cooperative way. The Self-Perception Scale of Personal Academic Motivation and the Trait Meta Mood Scale 24 were used. The results of the study showed an increase in learning strategies and life goals that motivated university students to study, as well as increases in emotional clarity and significantly in emotional repair. It was concluded that gamification is a positive tool for its ability to increase emotional intelligence, life goals, and learning strategies in university students' motivation to learn.

Variability in Oral Iron Prescription and the Effect on Spanish Mothers' Health: A Prospective Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: No consensus exists regarding the hemoglobin (Hb) values that define postpartum anemia. Knowledge is currently lacking regarding prescription and consumption practices, which prevents evaluating the rational use of iron supplementation postpartum. AIM: In this study, our objective was to describe this practice and analyze its association with maternal health outcomes. METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted with 1010 women aged between 18 and 50. The hemoglobin value on the first postpartum day; the prescription schedule at hospital discharge; iron consumption; and data on hemoglobin, serum ferritin, maternal fatigue, type of breastfeeding, and perceived health six weeks after delivery were collected. FINDINGS: Oral iron was prescribed to 98.1% of mothers with anemia and 75.8% without anemia. At the same Hb value, the maximum amount of total iron prescribed was between 8 and 10 times greater than the minimum amount. Iron intake was significantly lower than prescribed (p < 0.01). At six weeks, anemic mothers who took iron presented a 3.6-, 3-, and 2.4-times lower probability of iron deficiency, anemia, and abandoning breastfeeding, respectively. DISCUSSION: Postpartum iron intake shows a protective effect on iron deficiency and anemia at six weeks, but not on fatigue or self-perceived health level. CONCLUSION: We conclude that there is wide variability in the prescription regimen. Oral iron supplementation can benefit mothers with anemia and harm those without. Subsequent studies should further explore the Hb figure that better discriminates the need for postpartum iron.

Vitamin D serum levels and non-melanoma skin cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is one of the common malignancies. There is sufficient evidence that sunlight (ultraviolet radiation) contributes to the development of skin cancer, but there is also evidence that relates adequate serum levels of vitamin D produced on the skin by the action of ultraviolet radiation with the decreased risk of various types of cancers, including skin cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of vitamin D serum levels among patients with non-melanoma skin cancers (basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) and controls. METHODS: A prospective observational case-control study was conducted in a sample of 84 subjects in Extremadura (Spain). Forty-one patients with histologically diagnosed basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas and 43 healthy controls were randomly chosen to assess whether vitamin D (25(OH)D3) serum level, age and sex were related to non-melanoma skin cancer and to determine the possible risk of this type of skin cancer for these variables. RESULTS: When analysing serum vitamin D levels, we ensured that all our subjects, both cases and controls, had normal or low serum vitamin D levels, even though the samples were taken during months with the highest solar irradiance in our region. It is striking in our results that there was a higher percentage of subjects with deficits of vitamin D who did not have skin cancer (66%) than patients with deficits with these types of skin cancers (34%). When adjusting the model for age and sex, vitamin D values above 18 ng/ml increased the risk of suffering from non-melanoma skin cancer by nearly 7-fold (aOR: 6.94, 95% CI [1.55-31.11], p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the controversial data obtained in the literature, our results suggest that lower levels of vitamin D may be related to a reduced incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer.

A Combination of Lactoplantibacillus plantarum Strains CECT7527, CECT7528, and CECT7529 Plus Monacolin K Reduces Blood Cholesterol: Results from a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND: Dietary supplements have been proposed to help manage blood cholesterol, including red yeast rice (RYR) extracts, plant sterols and stanols, beta-glucans, and some probiotics. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of RYR (containing 10 mg of monacolin K) combined with 109 CFU of three Lactoplantibacillus plantarum strains (CECT7527, CECT7528, and CECT7529). METHODS: A 12-week randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted. In total, 39 adult patients were enrolled, having total cholesterol (TC) ≥200 mg/dL, and being statin-naïve or having recently stopped statin treatment because of intolerance. Active product or placebo were taken once daily, and subjects were evaluated at baseline, 6, and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Study groups were comparable at baseline, except for history of recent hypercholesterolemia treatment (81% in active vs. 22% in placebo). Changes in LDL cholesterol and TC became significant compared to placebo (mean difference between groups and standard error of the mean = 23.6 ± 1.5 mg/dL, p = 0.023 and 31.4 ± 1.9 mg/dL, p = 0.011, respectively) upon adjusting for the baseline imbalance in hypercholesterolemia treatment. No adverse effects were noted during the study. CONCLUSION: This combination of 10 mg of monacolin K and L. plantarum strains was well tolerated and achieved a statistically significant greater reduction in LDL-C and TC in the intervention group compared to the placebo, once adjusting for recent history of hypercholesterolemia treatment.

Psychological Impact on the Nursing Professionals of the Rioja Health Service (Spain) Due to the SARS-CoV-2 Virus.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that has affected health professionals around the world, causing physical and mental exhaustion with a greater probability of developing mental disorders in professionals who provide healthcare. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to know the psychological impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on the nursing professionals working for the Rioja Health Service. METHODS: We conducted an observational and descriptive cross-sectional study. The nursing staff at the Rioja Health Service were invited to respond to a self-administered questionnaire between June and August 2020. RESULTS: A total of 605 health professionals participated in the questionnaire; 91.9% were women, 63.14% were registered nurses, and 36.28% were auxiliary nurses. Risk factors for mental health professionals were identified in more than 90% of nurses (p = 0.009), affecting their psychological state with feelings of exhaustion, emotional overload (p = 0.002), and less use of coping strategies among women. Younger professionals with less experience had higher levels of stress compared to those with more than five years of experience, who showed a progressive reduction in the impact of stressors (p < 0.001). Professionals with dependent family members presented higher levels of emotional overload and coping problems (p = 0.009). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant psychological impact on health professionals in terms of stress, emotional well-being, and the use of coping strategies. Female health professionals with dependents, a temporary contract, and less work experience have been more psychologically affected.

Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Risk: A Case-Control Study.

Exposure to sunlight is the major source of vitamin D and the main environmental cause of non-melanocytic skin cancers. Vitamin D, partly mediated through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), has potential therapeutic applications in skin cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of BsmI and ApaI VDR polymorphisms among patients with non-melanoma cancers and controls. An observational case-control study was conducted in a sample of 154 subjects. We observed no significant effects between these polymorphisms and skin cancer risk. When stratified for gender, GG and AG BsmI polymorphisms significantly increased the risk of basal cell carcinomas in males. In relation to ApaI, all three polymorphisms significantly increased the risk of basal cell carcinoma in males. When stratified for age, we found that being 70 years of age or younger was a protective factor against both skin cancers. Being a female and 70 years old or younger was a protective factor for basal cell carcinoma. A comparison of the frequencies of the VDR genotypes in patients older than 70 years vs. 70 years or younger also revealed age-dependent variations in patients with non-melanoma skin cancer. Our study suggests a role for VDR polymorphisms in non-melanoma skin cancer development.