Assessment and indicators of kinematic behavior and perceived fatigability.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between upper limb kinetics and perceived fatigability in elderly individuals during an upper limb position sustained isometric task. METHODS: A total of 31 elderly participants, 16 men (72.94±4.49 years) and 15 women (72.27±6.05 years), performed a upper limb position sustained isometric task. Upper-limb acceleration was measured using an inertial measurement unit. Perceived fatigability was measured using the Borg CR10 scale. RESULTS: Higher mean acceleration in the x-axis throughout the activity was associated with higher final perceived fatigability scores. Moderate correlations were observed between perceived fatigability variation and mean acceleration cutoffs in all axes during the second half of the activity. In women, significant correlations were found between all perceived fatigability cutoffs and mean acceleration in the y- and x-axes. However, in men, the relationships between perceived fatigability variation and mean acceleration were more extensive and stronger. CONCLUSION: The acceleration pattern of the upper limb is linked to perceived fatigability scores and variation, with differences between sexes. Monitoring upper limb acceleration using a single inertial measurement unit can be a useful and straightforward method for identifying individuals who may be at risk of experiencing high perceived fatigability or task failure.

[Abortion in Melilla: barriers to ocean and frontier]. / Aborto en Melilla: barreras de océano y frontera.

OBJECTIVE: To provide insights into the challenges faced by women seeking abortion services in Melilla, Spain. It seeks to describe the journey these women undertake and to identify and analyze the barriers they encounter in accessing abortion care. METHOD: A qualitative research approach was employed, involving a series of eight semi-structured interviews during 2022. Three interviews were conducted with national experts in the field of abortion, while five interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals from the Melilla Health Area who are directly involved in providing abortion services and supporting women throughout the process. The study was guided by a theoretical framework that focuses on barriers to abortion access and sexual and reproductive rights. The collected data was analyzed using content analysis and categorized based on key dimensions of the study. RESULTS: The study identified several significant barriers to abortion care access in Melilla. These include conscientious objection among healthcare providers, the geographical remoteness of Melilla, the legal challenges faced by Moroccan women due to their irregular status, and the requirement of parental consent for minors aged 16 and 17. Consequently, women seeking abortion services are forced to travel to mainland Spain, continue with undesired pregnancies, or resort to unsafe clandestine abortions in Morocco, thereby endangering their lives in the worst cases. CONCLUSIONS: The barriers to abortion access identified in this study represent a violation of women's reproductive rights in Melilla. Urgent action is required to review the current process, ensuring that access is improved and the right to safe abortion is guaranteed for all women residing in Melilla.

Assessment and indicators of kinematic behavior and perceived fatigability

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between upper limb kinetics and perceived fatigability in elderly individuals during an upper limb position sustained isometric task. METHODS: A total of 31 elderly participants, 16 men (72.94±4.49 years) and 15 women (72.27±6.05 years), performed a upper limb position sustained isometric task. Upper-limb acceleration was measured using an inertial measurement unit. Perceived fatigability was measured using the Borg CR10 scale. RESULTS: Higher mean acceleration in the x-axis throughout the activity was associated with higher final perceived fatigability scores. Moderate correlations were observed between perceived fatigability variation and mean acceleration cutoffs in all axes during the second half of the activity. In women, significant correlations were found between all perceived fatigability cutoffs and mean acceleration in the y- and x-axes. However, in men, the relationships between perceived fatigability variation and mean acceleration were more extensive and stronger. CONCLUSION: The acceleration pattern of the upper limb is linked to perceived fatigability scores and variation, with differences between sexes. Monitoring upper limb acceleration using a single inertial measurement unit can be a useful and straightforward method for identifying individuals who may be at risk of experiencing high perceived fatigability or task failure.

Earnings management in socially responsible firms around seasoned equity offerings: Evidence from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Earnings manipulation (EM) has been a matter of interest to researchers for decades. How this is measured or the motivations of managers to engage in such actions have been studied in detail. Some studies find that managers have incentives to manipulate the earnings that accompany financing activities such as seasoned equity offerings (SEO). Under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) approach, profit manipulation actions have been shown to be mitigated in socially responsible companies. To the best of our knowledge, there are no studies that analyse whether CSR mitigate EM actions in a SEO context. Our work contributes to filling this gap. We investigate whether socially responsible companies exhibit EM in periods prior to SEO. This study uses a panel data model of listed non-financial firms from countries with the same currency and similar accounting rules (France, Germany, Italy and Spain) between 2012 and 2020. Our results show that in all the countries analysed, except Spain, there is a manipulation of operating cash flows in the year prior to capital increases, and only in French companies is there a decrease in the management of this variable in companies with higher development of corporate social responsibility.

[High prevalence of asymptomatic COVID-19 in haemodialysis: learning day by day in the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Alta prevalencia de COVID-19 asintomático en hemodiálisis. Aprendiendo día a día el primer mes de pandemia de COVID-19.

Dialysis patients are a risk group for SARS-CoV-2 infection and possibly further complications, but we have little information. The aim of this paper is to describe the experience of the first month of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a hospital haemodialysis (HD) unit serving the district of Madrid with the second highest incidence of COVID-19 (almost 1,000 patients in 100,000h). In the form of a diary, we present the actions undertaken, the incidence of COVID-19 in patients and health staff, some clinical characteristics and the results of screening all the patients in the unit. We started with 90 patients on HD: 37 (41.1%) had COVID-19, of whom 17 (45.9%) were diagnosed through symptoms detected in triage or during the session, and 15 (40.5%) through subsequent screening of those who, until that time, had not undergone SARS-CoV-2 PCR testing. Fever was the most frequent symptom, 50% had lymphopenia and 18.4% <95% O2 saturation. Sixteen (43.2%) patients required hospital admission and 6 (16.2%) died. We found a cluster of infection per shift and also among those using public transport. In terms of staff, of the 44 people involved, 15 (34%) had compatible symptoms, 4 (9%) were confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 PCR cases by occupational health, 9 (20%) required some period of sick leave, temporary disability to work (ILT), and 5 were considered likely cases. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a high prevalence of COVID-19 with a high percentage detected by screening; hence the need for proactive diagnosis to stop the pandemic. Most cases are managed as outpatients, however severe symptoms are also appearing and mortality to date is 16.2%. In terms of staff, 20% have required sick leave in relation to COVID-19.