Health literacy interventions for immigrant populations: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy is considered a social health determinant that influences improvement in health, patient empowerment and reduction in inequalities. There is a lack of health literacy interventions for vulnerable social groups (i.e. immigrants), and nurses have shown little familiarity with the concept. AIM: This study aimed to identify and analyse whether interventions directed at immigrant populations improve the functional (basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills), interactive (social and cognitive skills) and critical (advanced cognitive and social skills in critically analyzing information and making informed decisions) dimensions of health literacy, taking into account the role played by nursing in these interventions. METHODS: A systematic review of four databases including PubMed, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library and ERIC was conducted to identify relevant articles published between 2000 and 2015. Thirty-four articles met the inclusion criteria, and nine articles used a validated instrument. RESULTS: Few specific health literacy interventions for immigrant populations were found. The main findings of the studies showed positive changes in functional health literacy. However, the interventions were less effective in improving interactive and critical health literacy. LIMITATIONS: Several of the findings of this review were based on studies that had their own limitations. The assessment of the articles was not blinded, and the review was restricted to articles written in Spanish and English. CONCLUSIONS: The interventions studied were reported as being effective in improving health literacy in immigrants, particularly the functional aspects. Regarding the role played by nursing, this review observed little involvement. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: It is important for educational strategies to include health literacy dimensions. The concept of health literacy should be included as a Nursing Outcomes Classification and in its subsequent validation taxonomy. To promote community health, health literacy must be a prioritized objective of health management and policies.

Correlation between the main clinical, imaging, and arthroscopy findings in patients with temporomandibular disorders.

The purpose of this work was to prospectively correlate the most characteristic clinical symptoms of temporomandibular disorders, such as pain and limitation of mouth opening, with the findings of magnetic resonance imaging (disc position, degenerative changes, and effusion) and arthroscopy findings (roofing, synovitis, chondromalacia, adhesions, and perforations). These examinations were performed in 298 patients diagnosed with internal derangement refractory to conservative treatment. The mean age of the patients was 38.59 years; 92.6% were female. The t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to correlate the findings. Significant relationships were found between pain and disc displacement without reduction (P = 0.033) and effusion (P = 0.003) on MRI, coinciding with correlations between pain and roofing of 0-25% (P = 0.016) and synovitis (P = 0.001) on arthroscopy. A significant relationship was also observed between mouth opening limitation and the presence of osteoarthrosis (P = 0.018) on MRI, and between mouth opening limitation and synovitis (P = 0.022), chondromalacia (P = 0.002), and adhesions (P < 0.001) on arthroscopy. All of these findings were observed in patients with a poor initial clinical situation, which highlights the considerable potential of correlating these data with imaging and arthroscopy findings.

Uso de vasopresina en el postoperatorio de cirugía de Fontan: inferencias sobre morbimortalidad / Vasopressin use in postoperative Fontan surgery: implications for morbidity and mortality

Introducción: Se ha postulado que el uso de vasopresina tendría efectos beneficiosos en el postoperatorio de cirugía cardiovascular. Objetivo: Evaluar la respuesta a la vasopresina en el postoperatorio (POP) de cirugía de Fontan de nuestra población. Métodos: Estudio de casos y controles anidados en una cohorte retrospectiva. Se incluyeron pacientes con cirugía de Fontan entre 2014 y 2019. Se registraron variables demográficas, datos del cateterismo pre-Fontan, días de asistencia respiratoria mecánica (ARM), necesidad de inotrópicos, diuréticos, diálisis, dieta hipograsa, octreotide, sildenafil y nutrición parenteral total (NPT); balance de fluidos al primer y segundo día POP, necesidad de cateterismo en el POP, días de permanencia de tubo pleural, días de internación, necesidad de reinternación y mortalidad. Se compararon los grupos con y sin vasopresina utilizando la prueba de Mann- Whitney-Wilcoxon test. Se consideró significativa una p < 0.05. Resultados: Del total analizado, 35 pacientes recibieron vasopresina. En el grupo control fueron 58 pacientes con características similares de gravedad sin vasopresina. No se encontraron diferencias en la evolución postoperatoria entre ambos grupos. El grupo con vasopresina recibió en mayor proporción dieta hipograsa. Conclusiones: En nuestra serie el uso de vasopresina no marcó diferencias significativas en términos de morbimortalidad con relación al grupo control (AU)

Introduction: The use of vasopressin has been suggested to have beneficial effects in the postoperative period after cardiovascular surgery. Objective: To evaluate the response to vasopressin in the postoperative period (POP) of Fontan surgery in our population. Methods: Nested case-control study in a retrospective cohort. Patients who underwent Fontan surgery between 2014 and 2019 were included. Demographic variables, pre-Fontan catheterization data, days of mechanical ventilation (MRA), need for inotropics, diuretics, dialysis, low-fat diet, octreotide, sildenafil and total parenteral nutrition (TPN); fluid balance at first and second day POP, need for catheterization at POP, duration of chest tube drainage, days of hospitalization, need for readmission, and mortality were recorded. Groups with and without vasopressin were compared using the Mann-Whitney- Wilcoxon test. A p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Of all patients analyzed, 35 received vasopressin. The control group consisted of 58 patients with similar severity characteristics who did not receive vasopressin. No differences were found in the postoperative outcome between the two groups. The vasopressin group received a higher proportion of low-fat diet. Conclusions: In our series the use of vasopressin did not show significant differences in terms of morbidity and mortality compared to the control group (AU)

Effect of growth temperature and pH on the aminopeptidase activity of Pseudomonas putida, P. fluorescens and Flavobacterium odoratum; the 4-nitroaniline test is reliable.

No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed in the specific aminopeptidase activity (SAA) developed by Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. putida and Flavobacterium odoratum either growing at pH 5.0-6.5 or at 7 and 12 degrees C. Nevertheless, a significant difference was found when comparing the SAA of these organisms. The SAA of F. odoratum was lower than those of pseudomonads. The 4-nitroaniline test is reliable to estimate the G(-) load of fresh food products.

Infundibulo-hypophysitis-like radiological image in a patient with pituitary infiltration of a diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a hematological tumor caused by abnormal lymphoid proliferation. NHL can arise in any part of the body, including central nervous system (CNS). However, pituitary involvement is a quite rare presentation. The diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype when pituitary is infiltrated. Here, we report a case of pituitary infiltration of NHL DLBCL type in a woman with hypopituitarism and an infundibulum-hypophysitis-like image on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A female aged 64 years, complained of dyspepsia, fatigue, weight loss and urine volume increment with thirst. Endoscopy and gastric biopsy confirmed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Treatment with chemotherapy using R-CHOP was initiated. During her hospitalization, hypotension and polyuria were confirmed. Hormonal evaluation was compatible with central diabetes insipidus and hypopituitarism. Simple T1 sequence of MRI showed thickening of the infundibular stalk with homogeneous enhancement. After lumbar puncture analysis, CNS infiltration was confirmed showing positive atypical lymphocytes. Pituitary and infundibular stalk size normalized after R-CHOP chemotherapy treatment. In conclusion, pituitary infiltration of NHL with infundibular-hypophysitis-like image on MRI is a rare finding. Clinical picture included hypopituitarism and central diabetes insipidus. Diagnosis should be suspected after biochemical analysis and MRI results. Treatment consists of chemotherapy against NHL and hormonal replacement for pituitary dysfunction. LEARNING POINTS: Pituitary infiltration by lymphoma can present with signs and symptoms of panhypopituitarism and diabetes insipidus.MRI findings can resemble an autoimmune hypophysitis.Patients can recover pituitary function as well as normalization of MRI after chemotherapy treatment.

Nonlinear regression analysis of length growth in cultured rainbow trout / [Análise não linear do crescimento em comprimento de truta-arco-íris de aquicultura ]

Length growth as a function of time has a non-linear relationship, so nonlinear equations are recommended to represent this kind of curve. We used six nonlinear models to calculate the length gain of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) during the final grow-out phase of 98 days under three different feed types in triplicate groups. We fitted the von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, Logistic, Brody, Power Function, and Exponential equations to individual length-at-age data of 900 fish. Equations were fitted to the data based on the least square method using the Marquardt iterative algorithm. Accuracy of the fitted models was evaluated using a model performance metrics combining mean squared residuals (MSR), mean absolute error (MAE) and Akaike's Information Criterion corrected for small sample sizes (AICc). All models converged in all cases tested. Evaluation criteria for the Logistic model indicated the best overall fit (0.67 of combined metric MSR, MAE and AICc) under all different feeding types, followed by the Exponential model (0.185), and the von Bertalanffy and Brody model (0.074, respectively). Additionally, ∆AICc results identify the Logistic and Gompertz models as being substantially supported by the data in 100% of cases. The logistic model can be suggested for length growth prediction in aquaculture of rainbow trout.(AU)

O crescimento em comprimento em função do tempo tem uma relação não linear; por isso, funções não lineares são recomendáveis para descrever essa relação. Seis modelos não lineares foram usados para calcular o ganho em comprimento de truta-arco-íris (Oncorhynchus mykiss) durante 98 dias, na fase final da engorda, submetidas a três dietas diferentes em grupos triplicados. Foram ajustadas as equações de von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, logístico, Brody, função potencial e exponencial a dados individuais de comprimento-idade de 900 peixes. O ajuste foi feito pelo método dos mínimos quadrados, usando-se o algoritmo iterativo de Marquardt. A precisão do ajuste foi avaliada pelo uso de critérios combinados de ajuste: quadrado médio do resíduo (QMR), erro médio absoluto (EMA) e o critério de informação de Akaike corrigido para tamanhos amostrais pequenos (AICc). Todos os modelos atingiram a convergência para cada caso avaliado. Os critérios de avaliação do modelo logístico indicaram o melhor ajuste geral (0,67 vez dos critérios combinados MSR, MAE e AICc) para cada grupo de peixe avaliado, seguido pelo modelo exponencial (0,185) e os modelos von Bertalanffy e Brody, com 0,074, respectivamente. Similarmente, os resultados de ΔAICc identificaram-se ao modelo logístico e ao de Gompertz, com grande suporte das informações em 100% dos casos. Por fim, o modelo logístico pode ser sugerido na predição do crescimento em comprimento de truta-arco-íris cultivada.(AU)

Human retroviruses in Amerindians of Colombia: high prevalence of human T cell lymphotropic virus type II infection among the Tunebo Indians.

The coexistence of infection with human T lymphotropic virus types I and II (HTLV-I and HTLV-II) has been demonstrated recently among the Wayuu Indians from the Guajira region of Colombia. To ascertain if other Indian groups in Colombia are similarly infected, we tested 1,250 sera, collected between 1990 and 1992 from 18 culturally distinct Amerindian tribes living in widely separated regions, for IgG antibodies against HTLV-I/II using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot. Sera were also tested for antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2) to investigate the overall burden of retrovirus infection in these semi-isolated indigenous groups. A total of 33 of the 1,250 samples were repeatedly reactive to HTLV-I/II antigens by ELISA, and of these, three sera from Waunana/Noanama Indians from the Choco area and two sera from Tunebo Indians from the Santander region were found to be infected with HTLV-I and HTLV-II, respectively, as verified by Western blot and differential ELISA. Thus, despite the small sample size, the overall seroprevalences for HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection among the Waunana/Noanama and Tunebo Indians were 2.1% and 5.0%, respectively. In contrast, none of the 29 Indians who exhibited reactivity to HIV-1/2 by ELISA were seropositive by Western blot. This study adds the Tunebo to the expanding list of Amerindian groups with high prevalences of HTLV-II infection. Further intensive investigations of such indigenous populations will clarify the natural history and disease potential of HTLV-II infection.

Aspergilosis pulmonar crónica cavitada / Chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis

Resumen: La aspergilosis pulmonar es una infección fúngica causada por el hongo Aspergillus, en la mayoría de los casos de la especie fumigatus, un hongo ubicuo que se adquiere al inhalar sus esporas. El pulmón es el principal órgano afectado por Aspergillus. La aspergilosis crónica cavitada (anteriormente denominada aspergiloma complicado) afecta a pacientes inmunocompetentes que padecen una o más cavidades durante varios meses, habitualmente en los lóbulos superiores y si progresan pueden llegar a padecer formas crónicas fibrosantes. Se comunica el caso de una paciente de 67 años de edad, residente de la Ciudad de México, con antecedentes personales de exposición a tabaquismo pasivo durante 30 años, hipertensión arterial en tratamiento con losartán y amlodipino, sin otros antecedentes de importancia. Inició su padecimiento cuatro meses previos a su ingreso con tos seca alternada ocasionalmente con expectoración hemoptoica, así como fiebre intermitente. La aspergilosis pulmonar es poco común en pacientes sin factores de riesgo e inmunocompetentes, como ocurrió en este caso, por lo que su diagnóstico no es fácil de sospechar y, por tanto, el abordaje debe ser minucioso. Es esencial que los clínicos estén familiarizados con la manifestación clínica de la aspergilosis pulmonar crónica cavitada.

Abstract: Pulmonary aspergillosis is a fungal infection caused by the fungus Aspergillus. In most cases, it comes from the fumigatus species, a ubiquitous fungus that is acquired by inhaling its spores. The lung is the main organ affected by Aspergillus. Chronic cavitary aspergillosis (previously referred to as complicated aspergilloma) affects immunocompetent patients who develop one or more cavities for several months, usually in the upper lobes, and if they progress they may develop chronic fibrosing forms. This paper reports the case of a female, 67 year-old patient, resident of Mexico City, with a personal history of exposure to passive smoking for 30 years, hypertension under treatment with losartan and amlodipine, without other antecedents of importance. She started her picture 4 months prior to admission with alternating dry cough occasionally with hemoptysis expectoration, as well as intermittent fever. Pulmonary aspergillosis is little common un patients without risk factors and immunocompetent, as in this case, thus, its diagnosis is not easy to suspect and, therefore, the approach must be careful. It is essential that clinicians become familiar with the clinical presentation and diagnostic approach of chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis.

Comparison of preparation techniques of mixed samples (fungi-helminth eggs) for scanning electron microscopy by critical point drying.

We compared three preparation techniques for critical point drying of fungus Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson with Toxocara canis (Werner) Johnston and Taenia hydatigena Linneo eggs by scanning electron microscopy. We evaluated filtration (first), centrifugation (second), and phytoplankton network (third) in critical point drying methods. The first and third methods were advantageous for T. canis eggs because they preserved the quantity and quality of samples to obtain better images definition. The best technique for T. hydatigena eggs was the addition of phytoplankton network in critical point drying which preserved these helminth eggs.

Polymorphism of serum proteins (C3, BF, HP and TF) of six populations in Colombia.

Five hundred and eighty-five serum samples from six populations in Colombia (Baranoa, Choco, Uitoto Indians, Subachoque, Pasto and Urban Bogotan) were investigated for four genetic markers. For the HP, C3 and BF systems but not for TF there is a wide range of gene frequency variation and these differences are compared with those in the few previous studies.

Biological activity of Paecilomyces genus against Toxocara canis eggs.

Saprophytic soil fungi can exert ovicidal and ovistatic effects on helminths with differing degrees of efficiency. The representatives of such fungi from temperate regions, Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom) Samson and P. marquandii (Masse) Hughes, exhibit recognized ovicidal activity on some nematodes. We evaluated the action in vitro of P. lilacinus and P. marquandii on the zoonotic canine roundworm eggs of Toxocara canis. Eggs exposed and unexposed to fungal samples were observed by both light and scanning electron microscopy on days 4, 7 and 14 post-inoculation. Ovicidal activity of P. lilacinus on T. canis eggs was considered to be high and that of P. marquandii to be intermediate.

Epidemiología de gestión de la morbilidad psiquiátrica atendida en los hospitales españoles / No disponible

Introducción: Para una correcta planificación enSalud Mental es fundamental conocer la carga asistencialhospitalaria derivada de los ingresos psicopatológicos,por ello abordamos el estudio de la realidad psiquiátricahospitalaria española.Objetivo: Analizar los episodios hospitalarios psiquiátricosen España y las variables sociodemográficasy clínicas asociadas a estos.Material y métodos: Estudio epidemiológico descriptivode la morbilidad en psicopatología hospitalaria,bajo un diseño ecológico. Se analizan todos los ingresospsiquiátricos de los hospitales del Sistema Nacional deSalud (SNS) del año 2002 (69.413 altas), utilizandocomo fuentes de información el Conjunto Mínimo deDatos al Alta Hospitalaria (CMBDAH) y los GruposRelacionados por el Diagnóstico (GRD).Resultados y discusión: Se evidencian diferencias enfunción del sexo (principalmente psicopatológicas y deestancia hospitalaria) y se constata, mediante indicadoresmultivariantes, la diversidad en cuanto a carga asistencialy a la gestión que de los episodios de hospitalizaciónrealizan las diferentes comunidades(AU)

Introduction: According to a correct Mental Healthplanning, to know the hospital assistance load derivedfrom the psychiatric admissions is required. Thus, westudied the psychiatric hospitalization reality in Spain.Objective: To analyse the psychiatric hospitalizationepisodes in Spain, and its clinical and social-demographicvariables associated.Material and methods: Epidemiologic descriptivestudy of the morbidity in psychopathology hospitalization,within an ecological design. The analysis of all thepsychiatric admissions in the National Health SystemHospitals (SNS) for the year 2002 was effected (69,413admissions), using the Minimum Basic Data Set at HospitalDischarge (CMBDAH) and Diagnosis RelatedGroups (DRG’s), as sources of information.Results and discussion: Differences in terms of sexare showed (mainly, psycho-pathologic and hospitalstay), and the diversity as for assistance load and for themanagement of the hospitalization episodes conductedby the different autonomous regions is noted, by meansof multivariate indicators(AU)

Problemas actuales respecto del diagnóstico y tratamiento del Trastorno Bipolar en nuestro medio: experiencia y opinión de los usuarios / Experience and opinion related to the diagnosis and treatment of patients with bipolar disorders

El objetivo de este estudio fue investigar la experiencia y la opinión de los pacientes afectados por Trastorno Bipolar en cuanto al diagnóstico y tratamiento de su enfermedad. Se relevó una encuesta anónima entre personas con diagnóstico de Trastorno Bipolar.... involucró a 100 pacientes.78 reportaron haber sido diagnosticados de otra manera a lo largo de su tratamiento. El error diagnóstico más frecuente fue el de Esquizofrenia. Este diagnóstico incorrecto se correlacionó positivamente con la presencia de síntomas psicóticos, los cuales fueron verificados en el 83 por ciento de la muestra...La mayoría de los encuestados calificaron como positivo el haber sido informados de su diagnóstico