Validation of the Brazilian 10-item Cervantes Scale for the assessment of menopausal symptoms.

Objective: To validate the 10-item Cervantes Scale (CS-10) among Brazilian women. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study involving women in the community aged 40-55 years in the Southern region of Brazil. They completed a general health, habits and socio-demographic questionnaire, the CS-10 and the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ). Women unable to understand the survey, not consenting to participate, or having incapacity imposing difficulties during the completion of the questionnaire were excluded. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted with the AMOS 16.0 software. Chi-square of degrees of freedom (χ2/df), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) were used as indices of goodness of fit. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used for internal consistency. Results: A total of 422 women were included (premenopausal n=35, perimenopausal n=172, postmenopausal n=215). The CFA for the CS-10 showed a good fit (χ²/df=1.454, CFI=0.989; TLI=0.985; RMSEA=0.033; CI 90%=0.002-0.052; PCLOSE=0.921; Model p=0.049). Good reliability was established in CS-10 and WHQ (Cronbach's alpha=0.724). Postmenopausal women had higher total CS-10 scores (p≤0.0001), reflecting worse quality of life (QoL) related to menopause symptoms and confirming the greater symptomatology evaluated by high total scores for WHQ found in this population when compared to those in the premenopausal period (p=0.041). Conclusion: The CS-10 is a consistent tool for health-related QoL in Brazilian mid-aged women.

Validation of the Brazilian 10-item Cervantes Scale for the assessment of menopausal symptoms

Abstract Objective: To validate the 10-item Cervantes Scale (CS-10) among Brazilian women. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study involving women in the community aged 40-55 years in the Southern region of Brazil. They completed a general health, habits and socio-demographic questionnaire, the CS-10 and the Women's Health Questionnaire (WHQ). Women unable to understand the survey, not consenting to participate, or having incapacity imposing difficulties during the completion of the questionnaire were excluded. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted with the AMOS 16.0 software. Chi-square of degrees of freedom (χ2/df), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the Root-Mean-Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) were used as indices of goodness of fit. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used for internal consistency. Results: A total of 422 women were included (premenopausal n=35, perimenopausal n=172, postmenopausal n=215). The CFA for the CS-10 showed a good fit (χ²/df=1.454, CFI=0.989; TLI=0.985; RMSEA=0.033; CI 90%=0.002-0.052; PCLOSE=0.921; Model p=0.049). Good reliability was established in CS-10 and WHQ (Cronbach's alpha=0.724). Postmenopausal women had higher total CS-10 scores (p≤0.0001), reflecting worse quality of life (QoL) related to menopause symptoms and confirming the greater symptomatology evaluated by high total scores for WHQ found in this population when compared to those in the premenopausal period (p=0.041). Conclusion: The CS-10 is a consistent tool for health-related QoL in Brazilian mid-aged women.

Multi-sectoral impact assessment of an extreme African dust episode in the Eastern Mediterranean in March 2018.

In late March 2018, a large part of the Eastern Mediterranean experienced an extraordinary episode of African dust, one of the most intense in recent years, here referred to as the "Minoan Red" event. The episode mainly affected the Greek island of Crete, where the highest aerosol concentrations over the past 15 yeas were recorded, although impacts were also felt well beyond this core area. Our study fills a gap in dust research by assessing the multi-sectoral impacts of sand and dust storms and their socioeconomic implications. Specifically, we provide a multi-sectoral impact assessment of Crete during the occurrence of this exceptional African dust event. During the day of the occurrence of the maximum dust concentration in Crete, i.e. March 22nd, 2018, we identified impacts on meteorological conditions, agriculture, transport, energy, society (including closing of schools and cancellation of social events), and emergency response systems. As a result, the event led to a 3-fold increase in daily emergency responses compare to previous days associated with urban emergencies and wildfires, a 3.5-fold increase in hospital visits and admissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) exacerbations and dyspnoea, a reduction of visibility causing aircraft traffic disruptions (eleven cancellations and seven delays), and a reduction of solar energy production. We estimate the cost of direct and indirect effects of the dust episode, considering the most affected socio-economic sectors (e.g. civil protection, aviation, health and solar energy production), to be between 3.4 and 3.8 million EUR for Crete. Since such desert dust transport episodes are natural, meteorology-driven and thus to a large extent unavoidable, we argue that the efficiency of actions to mitigate dust impacts depends on the accuracy of operational dust forecasting and the implementation of relevant early warning systems for social awareness.